Us in Ruins BY Rachel Moore

Margot Rhodes is on a quest to reassemble the mythical Vase of Venus Aurelia, an ancient and cursed artifact believed to have magical properties. The vase hasn’t been seen since 1932, but Margot, driven by the promise of its powers and the hope of mending her broken heart, joins her school’s archaeological trip to Pompeii. Though new to archaeology, she has an advantage—lost explorer Van Keane’s journal, filled with poetic entries that guide her toward the vase’s missing shards.

As Margot deciphers the journal’s clues, she finds herself captivated by Van, the teenage explorer from the past. To her astonishment, her search leads to a statue that looks exactly like him—and then, the statue comes to life.

Van, however, is far from the charming wordsmith Margot envisioned. With a sharp demeanor and a singular focus on retrieving the vase for dubious reasons, he clashes with Margot. Together, they face Venus’s death-defying challenges, unearthing not just pieces of the vase but also their own buried pasts.

In a whirlwind of double-crosses, magical obstacles, and hilarious banter, Margot and Van must navigate their tumultuous partnership to complete their quest. Amidst the chaos, they discover that the true treasure may not be the vase itself but the love they find along the way.

The Vase of Venus Aurelia is a delightful adventure rom-com filled with humor, magic, and the poignant journey of two souls rediscovering love and themselves.