Moon of the Jaguar [3 1/2 Diskette, HTML] [Diskette]

Alice Gaines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

In the ruins of an ancient Mayan city, Caban Itza', a modern day couple, Lydia Spinner and Alex Caracol, find themselves reliving the tragic history of two ancient Mayan lovers, Jaguar Lord and Lady White Fire.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Moon of the Jaguar tells an exciting story about two people who are on several different kinds of quests. Ostensibly it is the quest for information about the Maya that brings them to the jungle, but to solve all of the mysteries and problems they confront, they must also learn more about themselves and each other, learning to trust in new ways. Moon of the Jaguar captured my interest right from the start and carried me along with the story, keeping me reading well into the night, until I reached its very satisfying conclusion." 4 Stars! -- Scribes World Reviews

About the Author

Alice Gaines loves to write romances that take the reader outside of everyday reality. She has a Ph.D. in personality psychology from a large West Coast university and lives in Oakland, California with her husband of 20 years and a small collection of over 60 orchids.

Product Details

• Diskette
• Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory (September 1, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 1582001162
• ISBN-13: 978-1582001166
• Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 3.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,780,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alice Gaines lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in a fixer-upper house she never fixed up. Aside from writing and reading hot, hot romance, she loves cooking, the San Francicso 49ers, and her church. She has a pet corn snake named Casper and a strange, stray cat. She's insanely passionate about the funky soul band, Tower of Power.

You can write to Alice at [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't dazzle, but not a bad read, July 7, 2001

By 

Tracy Rowan "dargelos" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Moon of the Jaguar [3 1/2 Diskette, HTML] (Diskette)

Moon of the Jaguar is a contemporary paranormal romance set the Yucatan jungle where a quartet of university professors have gathered at the ruins of an ancient Maya temple. While there they become involved with a drug lord and the ghosts of Mayan lovers, Jaguar Lord and White Fire Woman.

Though competent and quite readable, Alice Gaines' prose lacks either fire or sparkle, at least one of which would seem to be a pre-requisite for an engaging romance, certainly for a suspense novel. Alas, almost from the beginning she defuses the relationship between Lydia and Alex by making it too easy. They meet at a faculty party and before the end of the first chapter they have shared a serious lip lock. Granted, lust at first sight is not only possible but in the case of two attractive people over the age of consent, it's likely. However within the confines of a romance novel it makes moot the all-important question of whether the couple is going to get together at all much less for good, and it defuses a lot of the tension that can build to a delicious climax with that first kiss. By chapter four the two have consummated their passion and there is a fair amount of sexuality for the rest of the book. Readers who do not care for "on-screen" sex would do well to skip this one.

So with the relationship a fait accompli, where is there to go? Well, there's the suspense angle which isn't badly done, and the paranormal aspect which though modest, in my opinion, worked nicely. The ghosts of Jaguar Lord and White Fire Woman - alter-ego/past incarnations of Alex and Lydia respectively - work pretty well, and it's clear that here, as with the setting, Gaines did some homework. Names, physical details flow easily and ring true without being intrusive. The secondary characters are reasonably interesting and help fuel the plotlines.

Moon of the Jaguar isn't going to dazzle you, but for the price, it could prove to be a nice way to spend an afternoon. Give it a shot.