ARC Review: Fossil Feud by Maggie North

Fossil Feud
Author: Maggie North
Publication: Dell (July 28, 2026)

Description: The hunt for fossils—and love—is on in this steamy, STEMinist romance about two opposing paleontologists who join forces to prevent a fraudulent dinosaur discovery, but accidentally dig up feelings for each other along the way.

Renegade paleontologist Ripley Adams is this close to digging up a fossil treasure and vindication. She’s spent the last three years in academic exile after her ex-boyfriend stole her work, betrayed her trust, and broke her heart in one fell swoop. If she can unearth a complete specimen of her newest discovery—a never-before-seen missing link between dinosaurs and birds—it will put her back on the map and finally restore her ruined reputation.

But when unfairly hot Oxford professor James Smithson crashes Ripley’s dig site, she realizes she’s not the only one searching for redemption in the Montana dirt. James is convinced a splashy new fossil is a fraud, and he needs Ripley’s help to prove it. She’d tell the buttoned-up Brit where to stick his suspicions, but the fake fossil is eerily similar to hers . . . and the fraudster is her ex.

The race is on to reveal a T-rex-sized discovery. Polar opposites Ripley and James will have to find common ground if they’re going to take down a hoax that could ruin them both. And as they dig deeper into their unlikely attraction, Ripley’s excavation boots won’t be the only things getting a little dirty. . . .

My Thoughts: This contemporary romance is buried in the world of paleontology. Ripley Adams is a citizen scientist on the hunt for the fossil link between dinosaurs and birds. She was forced out of her PhD program when she refused to put her boyfriend's name on her groundbreaking paper. She withdrew the paper, was ditched by the boyfriend, and had her reputation ruined by him. 

Ripley has been working with her friend Cara on Cara's grandmother's land. She has found something and is desperate to keep it secret until the right time. But James Smithson, who is an Oxford professor and leading light in the field of paleontology, comes to her asking for help. He had turned down her plea for help three years earlier when all the scandal was going on, so she's reluctant, very reluctant, to help him.

It seems that someone is ready to introduce his discovery of a fossil very similar to the one Ripley is unearthing, but James believes this man is getting ready to commit fraud. Ripley is willing to believe that since the fraudster is her ex. But she has a limited time to finish her excavations before her lease and her sponsor's patience run out. 

As James and Ripley work together to complete both their missions, they fall in love. But Ripley is based in Montana and James in Oxford. He has an excellent reputation in the field of paleontology while hers was trashed by her treacherous ex. 

This was an engaging story. I liked the characters very much and enjoyed the information about paleontology. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.