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Lair of the Jaguar God
In the steamy Guatemalan jungle, Kit fights to prove his archeological skills while struggling with his attraction to the seductive Tony, who arouses feelings he is desperate to deny. Tony has his own secrets. A were-jaguar, he is still bound to the ruined Mayan city he once protected, but instinct draws him to the reluctant Kit. What power does this young man have over an immortal Mayan god? Will Tony find out before looters destroy the last remains of his ancestors, or will he lose everything, including a chance for freedom?
127 pages, ebook
First published January 24, 2011
86 people want to read
About the author
Marie Dees
11 books16 followersInspired by a father who built meditation pyramids in the family room and a mother who checked witchcraft books out of the local library, I couldn’t resist weaving characters who follow non-traditional spiritual paths into her books.
Tea and Witchery is the first in my Cassadaga Mysteries series. I’m a Florida native and live in Orlando, where I write, garden, and channel my alternative interests into stories.
Tea and Witchery is the first in my Cassadaga Mysteries series. I’m a Florida native and live in Orlando, where I write, garden, and channel my alternative interests into stories.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 14, 2013
I’m not entirely sure what kept this book from being a 5 star read for me. I enjoyed it whole great big bunches, but somehow it just didn’t push me over the top. Maybe it’s because I adored Jessica Andersen’s Nightkeepers series so much. While it’s m/f not m/m, the Mayan history and adventure in this paranormal series was just brilliant. This book was good, probably even great, but it just didn’t spark that extra little light. It’s a 4.50 almost there, but not quite perfect.
Kit is a 19-year-old college student studying ancient Mayan history. When his professor heads to Guatemala to oversee a dig of a previously undiscovered temple he gets to go along to assist. From the start the trip is difficult proposition for the young man as he’s become the target for a couple of the other guys hired for the dig. Still he’ll put up with anything to be a part of this dig. There’s something about being there that calls to him.
Tony is the last of the Balam, a jaguar shifter created by the ancient Mayan’s to protect their lifestyle. Now all the original Mayans are gone and Tony is the only thing left. Isolated and lonely he’s decided to help a professor friend of his find the remains of his people’s temple. But when the archeological dig begins the scent of another Balam taunts Tony. Now he finds himself drawn to another of his kind, one who shouldn’t exist, one who clearly doesn’t know what he is.
I enjoyed Kit’s stumbling learning as he tries to figure out his way around the dig and around this new attraction he’s feeling for Tony. Of course as the mystery about what Gator and Mitch are up to deepens for him and the danger level increases so does his confidence and bravery. He’s a good kid learning how to be a man. I felt for him when he finally started coming into his shifting and the strange new things that were happening for him.
I think this may also have been one of my glitches with this story. I liked Tony, but I wanted to see more pain from the man who has been on his own for centuries. He’s too blasé about life and his place in it. To have found someone else who was like him, a feat that should have been impossible, I wish I got a chance to see how he felt about it. He’s just such a stoic character I didn’t always get a sense for the depth of Tony’s emotions.
Still the plot here was good if simple; the writing, very well done. I enjoyed the story as I was reading and kept my fingers crossed for Kit to come through things relatively unscathed. The little bit of the Mayan culture you get in the story was interesting and well placed. My own personal historian heart hurt right along with Professor Owen at artifacts being removed from the site without proper documentation. *shudder* Why anyone would want to see out the historical significance of a discovery like that, I just don’t understand. Stupid greed. Ok, so I understand it, but I don’t have to like it. :-p Mike and Gator got what they deserved, stupid tomb robbers.
I liked this take on shifters. The idea of it being a Mayan magic rather than an inborn trait was interesting and created a special character. It’s a fascinating concept of a person being bound to an area because of the very magic that made him who he was.
All in all I would be curious to see more by this author. I very much enjoyed my read and thought there were a lot of interesting ideas, executed very well within the story. I’m just the oddball that seeks for the little extra spot to perfection. Well worth the time spent though. If you like your shifters with a little splash of history, pick this one up.
Kit is a 19-year-old college student studying ancient Mayan history. When his professor heads to Guatemala to oversee a dig of a previously undiscovered temple he gets to go along to assist. From the start the trip is difficult proposition for the young man as he’s become the target for a couple of the other guys hired for the dig. Still he’ll put up with anything to be a part of this dig. There’s something about being there that calls to him.
Tony is the last of the Balam, a jaguar shifter created by the ancient Mayan’s to protect their lifestyle. Now all the original Mayans are gone and Tony is the only thing left. Isolated and lonely he’s decided to help a professor friend of his find the remains of his people’s temple. But when the archeological dig begins the scent of another Balam taunts Tony. Now he finds himself drawn to another of his kind, one who shouldn’t exist, one who clearly doesn’t know what he is.
I enjoyed Kit’s stumbling learning as he tries to figure out his way around the dig and around this new attraction he’s feeling for Tony. Of course as the mystery about what Gator and Mitch are up to deepens for him and the danger level increases so does his confidence and bravery. He’s a good kid learning how to be a man. I felt for him when he finally started coming into his shifting and the strange new things that were happening for him.
I think this may also have been one of my glitches with this story. I liked Tony, but I wanted to see more pain from the man who has been on his own for centuries. He’s too blasé about life and his place in it. To have found someone else who was like him, a feat that should have been impossible, I wish I got a chance to see how he felt about it. He’s just such a stoic character I didn’t always get a sense for the depth of Tony’s emotions.
Still the plot here was good if simple; the writing, very well done. I enjoyed the story as I was reading and kept my fingers crossed for Kit to come through things relatively unscathed. The little bit of the Mayan culture you get in the story was interesting and well placed. My own personal historian heart hurt right along with Professor Owen at artifacts being removed from the site without proper documentation. *shudder* Why anyone would want to see out the historical significance of a discovery like that, I just don’t understand. Stupid greed. Ok, so I understand it, but I don’t have to like it. :-p Mike and Gator got what they deserved, stupid tomb robbers.
I liked this take on shifters. The idea of it being a Mayan magic rather than an inborn trait was interesting and created a special character. It’s a fascinating concept of a person being bound to an area because of the very magic that made him who he was.
All in all I would be curious to see more by this author. I very much enjoyed my read and thought there were a lot of interesting ideas, executed very well within the story. I’m just the oddball that seeks for the little extra spot to perfection. Well worth the time spent though. If you like your shifters with a little splash of history, pick this one up.
July 13, 2011
Archaeologists, jungle, were-jaguar, cute and young protagonist, hunky and immortal protagonist, despicable antagonists and Mayan treasure. Surely this is a perfect mix for a tantalizing plot?
Correct.
Mixed with angst and mistrust, this is a nail-biting, ever-moving story, full of suspense and intense tenderness and passion. Author Marie Dees has found the exact pacing formula to keep her reader glued to the pages with vivid images of the Mayan jungle. She manages to take her readers to the heights of passion that she takes her characters! This, for me, was an excellent read.
Correct.
Mixed with angst and mistrust, this is a nail-biting, ever-moving story, full of suspense and intense tenderness and passion. Author Marie Dees has found the exact pacing formula to keep her reader glued to the pages with vivid images of the Mayan jungle. She manages to take her readers to the heights of passion that she takes her characters! This, for me, was an excellent read.
October 29, 2012
3.5*
I like history and I have a soft spot for ancient Mayan culture, so I was very interested in this story.
Kit is a young (19) undergrad who was orphaned at a young age and has strange dreams..he is on his first dig and being in the jungle has intensified his dreams and his senses.
Tony is an ancient god, a were-jaguar bound to stay and guard the temple and jungle.
The bad guys are clear from the start, but Kit's journey to himself and Tony is nice and it was a bit of a different read than most of the shifter stories out there.
Tony isn't wealthy and free, he lives and is literally tied to the jungle and he is lonely , finding Kit , a young man in a similar yet very different situation.
I like history and I have a soft spot for ancient Mayan culture, so I was very interested in this story.
Kit is a young (19) undergrad who was orphaned at a young age and has strange dreams..he is on his first dig and being in the jungle has intensified his dreams and his senses.
Tony is an ancient god, a were-jaguar bound to stay and guard the temple and jungle.
The bad guys are clear from the start, but Kit's journey to himself and Tony is nice and it was a bit of a different read than most of the shifter stories out there.
Tony isn't wealthy and free, he lives and is literally tied to the jungle and he is lonely , finding Kit , a young man in a similar yet very different situation.
February 24, 2020
An interesting concept I loved the exploration into the mayan history, their gods and rituals were fascinating. Tony and Kit are adorable with great chemistry, their interactions made me smile especially with the split from human to jaguar before Kit knows. Such as the friends discussion and during Kits shower was sweet to see Tony take care of Kit.
Also the story line with the excavation and looking into the ruins, Mitch and Gator were awful but added an interesting addition to the story although I was glad with the resolution of that plot. It seemed rather fitting to the story overall.
Oh and the reason behind Kit becoming a Balam was a great resolution, I loved getting to see Kit and Tony have their happy ending and a sweet look into the future.
Also the story line with the excavation and looking into the ruins, Mitch and Gator were awful but added an interesting addition to the story although I was glad with the resolution of that plot. It seemed rather fitting to the story overall.
Oh and the reason behind Kit becoming a Balam was a great resolution, I loved getting to see Kit and Tony have their happy ending and a sweet look into the future.
March 3, 2021
Another lost review by goodreads
May 22, 2011
This book was a breath of fresh air. It had an original plot, there was great chemistry between the characters and I liked the author’s style.
Kit is an archaeology undergrad in the Guatemalan jungle. Orphaned when he was young and having grown up with strange dreams, when he’s chosen to accompany Professor Owen on one of his digs, he sets out to prove his worth. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he not only has to come to terms with the fact that he’s gay, but also with the fact that he isn’t human.
Ah-Tabai/Tony was turned by the gods into a were-jaguar thousands of years ago to fulfil the role of protector of the jungle and its inhabitants. Alone for many years, especially once the gods and their priests disappeared, he befriended an archaeology professor. Out of the group of students who tag along on the most recent of the professor's trips to the jungle, one particular golden haired young man stands out. Not only because Tony's attracted to him, but also because he smells of were-jaguar. But that should be impossible since the gods no longer change humans. Shouldn’t it?
Added to the fact that not all the members in the archaeologist’s group are interested in the site for purely scientific reasons and are more willing to loot the temples than discover ancient artefacts, and Kit and Ah-Tabai have to figure out not only how to deal with their attraction to each other, but also how to avoid getting killed.
Overall it was an appealing, interesting read (even if I could have done without all the references to Tony’s past sexual encounters, especially when one of them was described in detail). 3.5 stars.
Kit is an archaeology undergrad in the Guatemalan jungle. Orphaned when he was young and having grown up with strange dreams, when he’s chosen to accompany Professor Owen on one of his digs, he sets out to prove his worth. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he not only has to come to terms with the fact that he’s gay, but also with the fact that he isn’t human.
Ah-Tabai/Tony was turned by the gods into a were-jaguar thousands of years ago to fulfil the role of protector of the jungle and its inhabitants. Alone for many years, especially once the gods and their priests disappeared, he befriended an archaeology professor. Out of the group of students who tag along on the most recent of the professor's trips to the jungle, one particular golden haired young man stands out. Not only because Tony's attracted to him, but also because he smells of were-jaguar. But that should be impossible since the gods no longer change humans. Shouldn’t it?
Added to the fact that not all the members in the archaeologist’s group are interested in the site for purely scientific reasons and are more willing to loot the temples than discover ancient artefacts, and Kit and Ah-Tabai have to figure out not only how to deal with their attraction to each other, but also how to avoid getting killed.
Overall it was an appealing, interesting read (even if I could have done without all the references to Tony’s past sexual encounters, especially when one of them was described in detail). 3.5 stars.
November 10, 2014
The idea of the were-jaguar intrigued me from page one. I found that I became so absorbed in the story that time stopped as I read. This is such a well-written book. The male/male love scenes are red-hot and sensual without being too much. Watching Kit own his sexuality and fall in love was such a wonderful experience. Ms. Dees has written a delightful story, which I will look forward to reading again and again.
Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review: http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookRevi...
Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review: http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookRevi...
May 23, 2011
This was an interesting, well-written, fast paced book that I really enjoyed reading! I loved Toby and Kit and their growing relationship, as well as the setting in a Mayan archaeological dig and Mayan culture/mythology that Toby brought to the story. Definitely a recommended read if you like shifters and adventure!
April 8, 2011
3.5 stars
July 23, 2012
Lovely romance and an interesting twist on a shifter story. Recommend reading this one.
October 4, 2012
3.5 stars
Read
June 12, 2014* DNF *
August 25, 2016
I liked it a lot. Just a few plot issues makes this not a 4 star book
March 6, 2012
3.5 stars, rounded up. It was a very interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews