Temple of Swoon follows archaeologist Miriam and journalist Rafael, who are destined to be rivals and must journey together to find the Lost City of the Moon. The only problem? One of them is doing everything they can to secretly sabotage the expedition. But as they navigate treacherous paths and rival crews, their hearts become entangled in a thrilling adventure where love and duty collide in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Jo Segura‘s Temple of Swoon, which releases on January 7th 2025.
Her mission: find the Lost City of the Moon in the Amazon rainforest.
His mission: protect the holy temple . . . and his heart.
While her mentor may be the world’s most badass archaeologist, the only thing bad about Dr. Miriam Jacobs are her corny jokes. But when Miri is charged with leading an unmapped expedition through the Amazon for the fabled Lost City of the Moon, she finally has her chance to prove to her colleagues that she’s capable—and hopefully prove it to herself, too.
Journalist Rafael Monfils has joined the archaeological team to chronicle their search for the lost city. Or at least, that’s what they think he’s doing. Rafa’s real goal? Make sure the team does not reach the Cidade da Lua, stopping the desecration of the holy city and protecting his mother’s legacy. All he needs to do is keep them on the wrong path.
If only the endearingly quirky Dr. Jacobs wasn’t so damn tenacious—each of Rafa’s tricks and purposeful wrong turns only seem to fuel her determination. Even worse, he’s charmed by her goofy attempts to channel Lara Croft as they traverse the dangerous Brazilian rainforest. But they’re not the only crew hunting for the lost city, and soon the untamed jungle—and their untamed hearts—might be the least of their worries…
EXCERPT
“Show me,” Miri said. “Teach me how to do that jump thing you did.”
“I don’t even know exactly what I did.” “Yeah, well, it was better than what I did.”
“Okay, here,” he said, walking over to set the camera on a rock then returning to Miri. “So what you want to do is when you get off the ground, tuck your legs up like this,” he said, demonstrating by pulling himself up on the vine then returning to the ground. “And then when you’re getting close to completing your arc, bring your legs back like this, then launch yourself into the air. Go ahead and try.”
She took a deep breath, then brought back the vine before trying again.
And she fell straight down.
“Dammit!” she said, throwing her hands to her sides. “What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re not swinging through. Here, like this.” He took the vine and pulled himself up again, showing the follow‑through with his legs. “Just try that right here. Lâche pas la patate,” he said, walking back to her and holding the vine in his hand.
“What does that mean?”
“It means ‘Don’t give up the potato.’”
Miri stopped mid‑grab and burst out laughing, placing her hands on either side of her head and resting it on his chest. With a natural ease, he held her for a moment as she giggled in his arms. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked down at the top of her head, taking in the moment.
“No, it does not,” she said as she lifted her head away from his body. He smiled, knowing she’d like that saying, before finally releasing her from his arms.
“Literally, yes. Figuratively, it means don’t give up. Now take it,” he said. He handed the vine back to her, and she lifted herself up and tried the swing, but nope. Still didn’t work.
“Okay, let me help you. Pull yourself up,” he said, standing beside her.
She tried again, but this time he placed his hands below her ass and assisted her swing through. She sucked in a sharp breath, as if his touch sent that same familiar jolt through her body as hers had done to him. As if she wasn’t used to this feeling. Used to being touched this way. Or at all. And as if just realizing what he’d done, Rafa let her go and took a step back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—” he started.
But Miri put her hand on Rafa’s forearm to stop him from apologizing. “Can we try again?”
Her deep blue eyes summoned him, almost as if they were saying something else. Inviting him into her space. She took a step forward, facing him head‑on, then reached her arms above her head, her eyes never straying from his face. He circled around her body to her side, but this time she made no effort to lift herself, clearly waiting instead for him to assist.
He placed one hand under her thighs, then lifted her off the ground. So close he could take in her scent. She smelled like lily of the valley: sweet, delicate, and with a hint of lemon. Even with remnants of dirt on her face from her earlier falls and a few pieces of twig and leaves in her hair, he’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life. But not only that. He wanted to brush his lips against hers, taking in her nervous breaths through his every sense before pressing his mouth to hers. Run his tongue along the opening of her mouth until she let him in, commingling her tongue with his. Slowly massage their lips together. Savor every part of that kiss.
“Like this?” she said brightly, bringing his attention back to their practice session.
He cleared his throat. “Yep, that’s it.” He moved back and refocused his energy. “Now go ahead and try the whole thing.” With a deep breath, Miri took several steps back, then ran and did the routine in one seamless movement with a perfect landing.
“Oh my God! I’m queen of the jungle!” She jumped up and down, cheering for herself, giddy and cute as all get‑out. As he watched her dancing around like she’d kicked a game‑winning football goal, a sense of pride overtook him. Witnessing her succeed, even at something as silly as completely pointless vine‑swinging in the jungle, warmed his soul.
It was then that Rafa realized Miri wasn’t the only thing falling in the jungle.
Forget what he’d said earlier. They weren’t fucked. He was.
