I couldn’t wait to see if anyone would really swing on vines – and yes, they do! This romance takes place on an expedition through the Amazon in search of the Lost City of the Moon. I like Indiana Jones movies so I was excited to check this one out. While it was a little cheesy and frustrating at times, overall, it is a fun adventure.

Our love interests, Miriam (Miri) an archaeologist and Rafael (Rafa) a photojournalist, first meet when they both miss the last bus to Manacapuru, Brazil where they need to go for a kick off meeting for an expedition they’re both going on. Miri shares her snacks (she loves snacks!) with handsome Rafa and he, in turn, shares his taxi with her. Once they get to their meeting, they find out that Dr. Socorro Mejía, Mira’s mentor (who is the world-famous archaeologist from Raiders of the Lost Heart), won’t be able to make the trip. She assigns Miri and Dr. Bradley Quinn to co-lead the group.

Though Miri realizes this as an opportunity of a lifetime, she is very insecure and full of self-doubt about whether she can do this. I confess I found this a little off-putting and thus it took me a bit to warm up to her.

Rafa is a photojournalist for Global Geography magazine who assigned him to document the search and discovery of the Lost City. This is to be his last mission. He’s been all over the world and now he wants to settle down and write novels. His mother died when he was a baby and this part of Brazil was her homeland so he’s hoping to learn more about her heritage. He doesn’t have much to go by, only her first name, Andressa. There are stories he’s heard about the Lost City and how it glistens under moonlight. It is supposed to be full of riches – precious metals. But Rafa has an ulterior motive! His father wants him to protect the Lost City which he says is Rafa’s mother’s legacy and that he should do whatever he needs to do to stop the expedition from finding it. But things aren’t always what they seem. (This is also true for Bradley Quinn!)

As the group heads out, they encounter one problem after another. They are even attacked by a ruthless group and held at knife point by men who worked for Pierre Vautour, the enemy from Raiders of the Lost Heart. Amidst the danger, Mira and Rafa are attracted to each other but while Mira thinks Rafa is funny, kind and brave, she wants to keep things professional between them– she doesn’t want any distractions.

It was frustrating to watch Rafa sabotage the group’s work and I felt some of Mira’s actions were risky and reckless, especially when she and Rafa go off to search on their own. But I enjoyed the adventure and romance as things started to heat up in the second half. Rafa has never seen anyone as fascinating or beautiful as Mira and when Mira poses for photos in front of rocks in the jungle, it starts out cheesy but ends up getting spicy.

While it’s got some cheesy moments, Temple of Swoon has enough action, adventure and romance in the Amazon jungle to carry it through.