3.5 stars ⭐️ This was a really fun, adventurous RomCom! The banter was spot on and the characters were relatable!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins - OMC for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing and I cannot wait to follow this author! Digging Dr. Jones reminded me that sometimes, the best things in life are the unlooked for adventures!

DNF 10% in

I was really excited for this one since l'm a massive fan of The Mummy, but even so soon into the book, I just wasn't feeling it.

The writing is extremely clunky and cheesy, and not in a super cute romcom way that I could ignore. I'm ngl lie when I say that I got the ick when the FMC's brother said "I already ordered us- wowza! ... when did you go on a shopping spree without me?" Wowza? I can't. And that was 2% in.

There were a few more writing issues that I just couldn't get past and the premise of the story felt...weird. Unbelievable maybe? I know it's a romcom, but it just felt like too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion!!

I really wanted to love this. The premise is fun, I love an adventure a la Indiana Jones and The Mummy but it fell really flat.

One of my issues is the speed in which they fall in love, which is definitely a personal preference. It lacks romantic or sexual tension, there didn’t seem to be any depth to their relationship.

The main problem is the dialogue, it’s clunky, it’s cheesy and not in a cute rom com way. It’s written in such a way that it doesn’t read like real speech.

For example “It was so hard to lie to you that i didn’t fancy your backside. You have the nicest one I’ve ever seen.” Made me laugh out loud, and not in a good way unfortunately.

I also beg anyone writing brits to please have a British person in the editing stage. It’s not just this book that has this issue, but we don’t talk like this.

The plot had some good ideas, but it got a touch convoluted at the end. I think it needs some further rounds of editing before release to make it flow better as the premise, even though it’s bordering on ridiculous, is fun!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts are my own and are no way manipulated. Unfortunately this book just fell flat for me. I loved the idea of going on an adventure in a jungle. While following a hunky expedition guide. However, I found myself putting this book down every few chapters. Here’s why

1. The characters backstories were overdone. Adriana comes from a sad upbringing. Her parents weren’t there for her, she was poor, and it was up to her brother to care for her. Due to this upbringing she comes off judgmental as heck. Constantly bringing up financial differences to the MMC Andrew. To the point I rolled my eyes everytime she mentioned it. There’s ways to intertwine a characters backstory, and not repeating it multiple times.
2. Immaturity and just lack of character. All the characters were very meh. The only one I kind of enjoyed was William the FMC brother. Adriana’s only personality trait was being horny. Again tension can be done really well and have you begging for a kiss. The tension didn’t do that it just got annoying. We don’t get anyone else’s POV, but I would have loved to see Andrew’s.
3. This is just a personal comment. I thought there was too much going on. Trying to keep up with all the new locations, new adventures, clues, and the like made me lose interest. This is a romcom so I didn’t expect there to be so much detail. Now if you want to go on an Indiana Jones adventure. You might really be into this book. It was just more complex than I was expecting is all.
4. Once the main character finally get physical. That becomes the main focus for a bit. To the point I was like really again.

Tropes
-rich Vs poor
-grump Vs realist
-adventure
-teacher and treasure seeker MMC
-wine sommelier FMC
-LGBTQ+ rep
-fake marriage
-spice
-mental health rep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, first of all, the Playlist at the start of the book is epic! 🎸

Think Indiana Jones meets National Treasure bundled up into a Romcom 🫢😍

The banter and flirting in this book was divine, but don't expect a quick romance! This was a slow burn but just over halfway in the book it picks up! Unfortunately the MFC left much to be desired, but the MMC really carried the book through right until the very end making it a 4 star read for me!

I really enjoyed this read, and I would recommend as a 2025 must read if you are looking for a light adventurous Romcom! 😊

Um, excuse me. Where can I find a man who will pay me to follow him around? I get car sick but I will be there.

This is a fun rom com influenced my Indiana Jone. (Maybe Schitts creek. William needs his own story)
I did enjoy the adventure and travel throughout the book. I loved our FMC's brother William and all of his nicknames he's given out to our MMC.

This book did take a while to get into. I started really enjoying it at the 20% mark. Though I feel pacing is off because from there it was up and down how much I really enjoyed it.

All of the characters felt flat. Our FMC is dealing with some past trauma and brings it up repeatedly through out the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I think the premise of this book was fun I mean who doesn’t love Indiana jones and national treasure! There were so aspects that felt kinda flat, I think it would have really benefited from being dual pov. Either way it was a fun and quick read!

A fun light hearted adventure romance, this novel will satisfy every fan of National Treasure or The Mummy. I loved the Jones’s!

💌Review: Digging Dr. Jones

💗Rate: 5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🧁Praise: What an adventurous and sexy ride! Andrew and Adriana are couples goals!! I definitely needed this thrilling palette cleanser! A book that didn't have toxic characters or harsh emotional moments. This book definitely made me happy!! Life isn't going well for our character Adriana! She is such an upbeat and down to earth lady and had the world ripped out from under her. Her dreams of owning her own business or squash last minute when her partner took her money!

⛱️ Her brother takes her on a beautiful vacation! (By the way he is seriously so fabulous!! ) There they both encounter a man named Andrew who claims Adriana put on a piece of jewelry a beautiful bracelet that actually belongs to him! She can't get the bracelet off and now she is convinced to go with him to get it taken off so he can rescue some artifacts that belong in a museum!

☀️Andrew is Indiana Jones and Darcy and a touch of Henry Cavill swag!! The banter between them had me literally giggling and kicking my feet! He is a charmer who is a sweetheart. Adriana is a witty diamond with a soft kindness. Both have been through their equal share of emotional issues. They definitely help each other believe in the magic of finding someone and living in the moment again!

🌹Characters: All the characters are absolutely oscar-worthy! If they were all desserts I would not know where to start! The way Olivia Jackson writes her characters makes it so easy to follow along I never had to put down the book to take a moment and understand. I only kept going with an energy because I wanted more!

🍰Extra/Tropes: The cover is beautiful! The characters were created romantically! And now the author is on my list to buy every book from her! Thank you Olivia and Netgalley!

🍪Romance
🍪Adventure
🍪Strong and sweet FMC and MMC
🍪Side characters Oscar worthy!
🍪Must Read!
🍪Indiana Jones and The Mummy vibe with Spice!

This was a thrilling story, a perfect blend of adventure and romance. I loved it. I had a little trouble getting into it at the beginning because the FMC was really unlikeable - why would she put it on?! but I guess that's what character growth is for. There was enough research involved for it to be wholly believable and I really enjoyed it. Didn't love the repeated references to specific apps and their use/installation, it dragged out and took away from the story.

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I immediately listed it as Want to Read. Then, when I was browsing NetGalley I requested it… and GASPED when I was approved. I was so excited for this book because as a fan of all things romance and Indiana Jones I figured it would be the perfect book… and it was so good. Do you like Indiana Jones? Do you like the Uncharted video games? Do you like Lara Croft? What about romance too? Okay great! You’ll love this book. It’s cheesy, suspenseful, funny, and heartwarming. It was fun and quick and I truly enjoyed it so much. Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. I am so excited for other people to get their hands on this!

I really enjoyed reading this book. If you enjoyed watching “The Mummy 2” then this will be your vibe. The MFC Adriana is accidentally gifted a bracelet but when she tries to remove it, it won’t come off her wrist. Our MMC, Archaeologist Andrew Jones, needs this bracelet or his career will be ruined. Hiking through jungles to get it removed wasn’t on her bingo card.
A sweet, lighthearted book with forced proximity and banter. Spice level is 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for a true review.

If you’re a fan of The Mummy or National Treasure do I have the adventure romcom for you. In all seriousness “Digging Dr. Jones” is a delightful debut novel filled with mystery, adventure and romance. Now even though I had fun reading this, I still found a couple parts to be a little disappointing.

First up: The Cons

- My first big issue was the ending. The whole book worked really hard to set up this action packed ending. There was indeed action but not to the extent I was expecting. Honestly, the ending felt rushed and everything was resolved far too quickly. I wish we could’ve had the ending flushed out more.
- My next biggest issue was the romance. Now don’t get me wrong I did enjoy Adriana and Andrew as a couple. However, the pairs whole relationship felt very insta-lovey to me. And some moments of their will they/wont they of their relationship felt repetitive. I don’t want to go too in detail, but once you read it you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Now time for the Pros:
- The side characters, specifically William. I absolutely adored his character. He was a much needed hilarious banter filled addition to the story. Plus I love seeing his love and devotion towards his sister no matter what crazy journey she decides to take on.
- Our lead characters! Now I did have some minor issues with Adriana. However, my favorite out of our leads has to be Andrew. This man stole the show. I absolutely loved his golden retriever vibes. And he is literally the embodiment of a green flag.

Overall, this was a quick fast paced read that I enjoyed and would recommend anyone pick up. Lastly big thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins for providing me an arc to read and review!

A really fun romcom! Adriana is on vacay with her brother William when she opens a package she believes is addressed to her. Putting on the bracelet inside, she discovers it belongs to someone else and is stuck on her wrist. Adriana gets sucked into the world of treasure hunting with Andrew.

I was engaged the whole time in the adventure of it all! I haven’t read a romcom like this before, so I really loved the twists and turns. The ending was satisfying, but the epilogue felt a bit silly. Would definitely read more adventures of the Jones’s!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

A mixup over names has FMC abandoning her luxury holiday to help MMC find some long lost gold in the Colombian jungle. Overall I liked the book.

Plus sides - the plot was cute, and the book was easy to read. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the final adventure location, and how in the locations there were hidden passageways and puzzles and booby traps - proper Indiana jones vibes. The British-isms were mostly on point (you can sometimes tell when the author isn’t British as they have their British characters using Americanisms), there was just one ‘bloody asshole’ that had me giving some side eye.

Negatives - I absolutely hate when authors use ‘OMG’ or ‘WTF’, especially in dialogue. Nobody says ‘wtf’, please stop having your characters use text talk in your novels. It really takes me out of the story. I also disliked how they were madly in love literally a week after meeting, but that’s par for the course with romance novels really. And the phrase ‘my sex’ instead of literally anything else always makes me think of 2000s fanfiction, but I acknowledge that might just be a personal one.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 as is more of a 4 than a 3 star.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

✨ 𝓓𝓲𝓰𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓓𝓻.𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I LOVEEEED THIS!!!

I personally love treasure hunts, archeology and romance so this book was straight up my alley and it was executed so well!

The vibes were so good in this book. It was such a fun and addictive romance story with treasure hunting/Indiana Jones vibes.

I thought the romance was really well written & amazing!!!. I loved the lust & chemistry between FMC & MMC. We get FMC pov in this book and she was interested in him from the beginning (I mean who wouldn’t he is nice and handsome!!).

I also loved the side characters as I thought they were great additions to the overall story.

I loved the treasure hunt story too, I thought it was interesting and I loved going with the characters to different areas and looking for clues!! Those moments were filled with tension and were so gripping!

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉:
A surprise gift is exactly what Adriana Jones needs to improve her vacation, and a bracelet with gems will do the trick.

Except once it’s on, she’s faced with two problems:

1. The bracelet is actually meant for Andrew Jones - the renowned and utterly gorgeous archaeologist
2. It will not come off, no matter how hard she tries.

Andrew Jones needs this bracelet if he wants to find an ancient lost treasure deep in the jungles of Colombia. And there’s no way he’s letting Adriana’s mistake cost him his career.

There’s only one solution: Adriana must accompany him on his quest. Trekking through jungles and crawling through crypts wasn’t on Adriana’s vacation agenda, but an adventure with the very sexy Dr Jones might just be the treasure she’s been seeking

*thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter / Harper Collins for the arc.
** blurb taken from One More Chapter website.

Unfortunately I did not dig Digging Dr Jones.

I really wanted to love this. The premise sounded amazing. The cover was great but sadly I had to DNF this at 18%.

Why I DNFed:
💔I felt no connection with the FMC or her brother
💔FMC was kind of annoying, self-centred and had too much victim mentality. She was VERY focused on herself and her own problems and showed basically zero compassion or care for anyone else up to that 18% mark
💔Writing and dialogue felt very YA maybe NA, even a bit MG but definitely mature enough for adult romance
💔I quite liked Andrew Jones but struggled to see what he saw in our FMC
💔ZERO chemistry between characters
💔FMC thinks the MC is married, knows it's "wrong" but still flirts with him anyway
💔Way too much like Indiana Jones. I love books "inspired by" pop culture, but this felt way too similar, to the point where the guy is called Dr. Jones and says things like "this belongs in a museum". Needed more originality!
💔I just wasn't having any fun and didn't really care where it went!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Digging Dr. Jones is a rollercoaster of adventure, romance, and humor, making every moment an exhilarating ride. From the instant Adriana unknowingly locks the mysterious bracelet onto her wrist, the story propels her—and the reader—into a whirlwind of unexpected twists. What starts as a simple vacation quickly turns into a high-stakes treasure hunt through the heart of the Colombian jungle, filled with perilous terrain, ancient ruins, and cryptic puzzles. The immersive descriptions of lush landscapes and thrilling action sequences make the setting come alive, as Adriana and Andrew dodge dangers ranging from nature’s unpredictability to rival treasure seekers who will stop at nothing to claim the prize.
But beyond the adventure, the chemistry between Adriana and Andrew adds an irresistible spark. Their banter is sharp and entertaining, with Adriana’s carefree wit clashing with Andrew’s serious, goal-focused demeanor in the most delightful way. As they’re forced to work together—whether crawling through crypts, deciphering ancient riddles, or narrowly escaping danger—the tension between them grows, blending excitement with slow-burn romance. Every chapter delivers a mix of adrenaline and heart, making it impossible to put the book down. Whether it’s the thrill of the chase, the danger lurking in the jungle, or the undeniable attraction between the leads, Digging Dr. Jones ensures an electrifying and utterly enjoyable reading experience.

My first read by Olivia Jackson and Digging Dr. Jones had everything I was looking for in a archaeology type romance. It was a rom-com with adventure into discovering a pirates treasure (a fedora is worn).. It really captured me from the beginning the banter and teasing between Adriana and Andrew was really good. Enjoyed how something newly discovered had them going to a new location. Both characters were supportive and the growth you see in Adriana as she gains back her confidence was nice to see. Yes, there is spice and Dr. Jones man alive!

I recommend Digging Dr. Jones if you are looking for a light hearted fun rom-com story.