Spotlight & Giveaway: RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART by Jo Segura

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jo Segura to HJ!

Hi Jo and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART!

 
Hi romance friends!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART is a Latinx adventure romcom about two rival archaeologists on the dig of a lifetime.

Badass archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía’s life goal has been to prove her ancestry by finding the remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient Aztec warrior. So when she finds out her annoyingly sexy rival from grad school, Dr. Ford Matthews, was selected to lead a Chimalli dig and has the gall to ask for HER help, she’s pissed! But while Ford knows the dig probably should have been Corrie’s in the first place, he needs to succeed on this job, or he risks losing everything. If only they knew how often the other thought about that night together in the library a decade ago. And if only artifact smugglers weren’t threatening to leave their lives in ruins.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Plain and simple: Corrie was all that and a bag of chips.
And Ford liked chips. A lot.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Socorro is the name of my great aunt. It means “help,” which is fitting for Corrie’s character who is brought on the expedition to help out Ford (even though, let’s be honest, it should have been Corrie’s expedition in the first place).

The working title for this book was THE ARCHAEOLOGIST’S GUIDE TO DIGGING UP LOVE. However, another book came out with a similar title, so we started throwing out other ideas and RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART was the instant winner.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

• What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?*
Corrie and Ford first met each other in graduate school, over a decade before the events in RAIDERS take place. Ford is attracted to Corrie’s confidence and ambition. She’s a woman who knows what she wants, and she’s going to get it. And even though he probably wouldn’t admit it out loud, he’s impressed by her adventurousness. Corrie is attracted to Ford’s intelligence and, although she probably wouldn’t admit it, his charisma. Ford commands attention whenever he walks in a room—including Corrie’s.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I definitely blushed when writing Corrie and Ford’s first NSFW scene (especially once I had the thought, “Oh God… Mom and Dad are going to read this someday). That one might be a little too NSFW for this Q&A though, so here instead is a little snippet of a scene where Ford blushes after finding one of Corrie’s sexy lace bras on a chair in his tent.

“Uh, here. Don’t forget this,” Ford said, walking over to Corrie shoving clothes in her bag.
She looked at the bra in his hands and surprisingly looked pretty nonchalant about it. Like Ford could have been handing her a pair of socks.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the bra from his hands.
But for some reason, he didn’t stop there.
“Does that even do anything?” he asked. Why? Why had he asked that? The moment the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could suck them back in.
She cocked her head. “Excuse me? Are you judging my intimates?”
“I’m sorry . . . It’s none of my business.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Well, I mean, it doesn’t seem practical for out here, that’s all.”
“And what would you know about it? Ever worn a bra, Ford?”
He furrowed his brow at her. Clearly it was a rhetorical question. She liked those.
“That’s what I thought,” she said. “You’re right. It’s not any of your business, but I didn’t exactly know where I’d be going and whether there’d be any access to going-out places. And, frankly, sometimes I like to feel sexy, even if it’s only for myself.”
Ford swallowed. Hard.
“But don’t worry,” she continued. “I assure you, it has just enough support. Would you like me to me to show you?” she asked, holding the bra in front of her.

Readers should read this book….

…if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if Indiana Jones and Lara Croft went on an archaeological expedition together (and had to share only one tent *wink wink*). RAIDERS will resonate with fans of those franchises and other adventure movies like The Mummy and Romancing the Stone, especially for readers who like the enemies-to-lovers trope.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently working on a couple of secret projects in the romance genre. As for upcoming releases, look out for another archaeological adventure romcom in the same world as RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART but with new characters (& some old faces)!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A print copy of RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART by Jo Segura

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you could go on an archaeological dig anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you want to be searching for?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Book Info:

Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.

It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true…and she’s right.

As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.

But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Jo Segura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two doggos who vie for her attention with their sweet puppy dog eyes whenever she’s trying to write (her dogs, that is… though sometimes her husband, too). Her stories feature strong, passionate heroines and draw upon aspects of her life, such as her love of good food, her Mexican heritage, and her fascination with archaeology. When she’s not writing you can find her practicing law, shaking up a mean cocktail, or sitting out on the patio doing Buzzfeed quizzes (though she doesn’t care what the chicken nugget quiz said—her favorite fruit is not banana).
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |