The Jewel of the Isle

By: Kerry Rea

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Emily Lawrence

Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.

If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid.

Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains?

Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact.

©2024 Kerry Rea (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The great outdoors brings peril and passion in this high-octane rom-com...Rea ramps up the suspense, but never races through the relationship itself, allowing it to develop at a natural pace amid the drama. The characters slowly reveal their hidden depths...igniting an attraction that inspires them to want to save each other. It’s the perfect mix of danger and delight."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Jewel of the Isle was impossible to put down. Kerry Rea does a phenomenal job of balancing grief with laugh-out-loud humor and exciting, high-octane twists and turns of adventure. This book has literally everything. Hilarious banter. Steam. A villain who wins the award for Most Punchable Villain. Ryder is—and I cannot overstate this—an absolute DELIGHT. Emily's such a wonderfully complex character, fearful and yet so fierce, and I adored their opposites-attract wilderness romance.”—Sarah Hogle, author of Old Flames and New Fortunes

"The Jewel of the Isle is a total blockbuster of a romance. With gripping action, a deeply charming and unexpected opposites attract pairing, and laugh out loud voice, this was some of the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time. Emily and Ryder are complex, authentic characters who made this book sparkle like treasure."—Mallory Marlowe, author of Love and Other Conspiracies