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Beautiful Sacrifice
A strait-laced academic and a sexy security expert search for missing artifacts as apocalyptic danger looms in this romance by a New York Times bestseller.Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Mayan artifacts, splitting her time between digs in South America and the classroom teaching college students. But the professor’s structured academic life is about to spin out of control. Some extremely valuable and important Maya artifacts have gone missing. Are the culprits fanatics determined to create chaos and usher in annihilation?Helping out a friend, former immigration and customs enforcement officer Hunter Johnston is determined to recover the missing pieces and he needs Lina’s help. A man used to calling the shots and working alone, he isn’t comfortable letting anyone get close, especially a beautiful and brainy woman like Lina. His gift for reading people tells him there’s a lot going on below that professional exterior, and he’s more than a little curious to probe her depths.Burying herself in her work, Lina’s had little experience handling men, especially one as fascinating and exasperating as the secretive, headstrong Hunter. A devoted archaeologist, she has the skill to excavate those protective layers all the way to his core. But finding the missing artifacts is only the beginning of a mystery that will plunge these unlikely partners into adventure, romance, and danger more thrilling, sensual, and deadly than either of them knows . . . Praise for Beautiful Sacrifice“A twisting plot . . . sizzling romance.” —Kirkus Reviews“The storyline is captivating and filled with steamy and sensual scenes. . . . The dialogue is witty and credible.” —Fresh Fiction
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 22, 2012
240 people are currently reading
917 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Lowell
212 books1,932 followersIndividually and with co-author/husband Evan, Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one work of non-fiction. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery. After working in contemporary and historical romance, she became an innovator in the genre of romantic suspense.
In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).
Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.
To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.
In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).
Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.
To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
September 2, 2018
This is not the best book from Elizabeth Lowell but also not the worse I read. I quite enjoyed the beginning than the whole book totally slowed down and I nearly get stuck, fortunately, the end is again quite nice.
I really like using the idea of Mayan end of the world and Mayan culture as a great part of the story. It's exotic ad compelling. After reading all those serial killers romantic suspenses this is finally something new and refreshing. The author made good research, this whole part is real and well-done. Also, additional points for heroine Mayan ancestry — again variety is good.
The main characters are likeable but unfortunately not really memorable. In a few weeks I won't remember neither Lina nor Hunter. Anyway, they are not annoying and they are interesting enough to care about them.
The romance part is okay, believable enough. It won't grip you and it isn't the most important thing in the story. Since Hunter and Lina know each other for some time, a bit of instant love is okay with me. The passion and even deep feelings between them are plausible.
The suspense part is also okay but mostly thanks to the Mayan idea that makes things a little different. The personality of the villain is not really surprising to anyone who reads suspense. It is not as obvious as it could be but still... Still, there is enough action and not too much drama (including no romance-related drama, which is good in my opinion).
I would recommend this book as a nice beach read — exotic location, a bit of James Bond-like idea, uncomplicated plot you don't really have to fully focus on. Nice but unmemorable.
July 3, 2016
27/6 - I was thinking this was a two and a half to three star read, not completely dreadful, but populated by too much purple prose to be truly enjoyable, but then I read some of the other reviews that talked about her mistakes regarding the geography of Houston and Cozumel, and the Maya culture. Those kinds of mistakes are pretty unforgivable. If you're going to use a culture and specific real-life locations in your book then you had better do your research and represent them in a way that natives of the location or culture would be happy with, otherwise you're not showing them the respect they deserve. It would be like a movie set in a South American jungle being filmed in a redwood forest, anyone who's been to either place would know immediately that they were being lied to and would feel like the people behind the movie were trying to trick them into believing something that was clearly not true. That's how I feel about what Lowell's done with this book. I was very disappointed with the story before I even knew about the inaccuracies because of the dreadful metaphors and overly flowery descriptive writing. I've long been a fan of Lowell's, but this reminded me of her early 80s works with the eye-rollingly bad metaphors
'His face was as hard as anything she'd ever seen carved in stone. And as compelling.'
*sigh*
But this was written in 2012, not 1982, and unfortunately the only difference between this book and one of her 80s books that always seemed to feature 'hard men' and horses is that a condom was mentioned in both of the sex scenes, which would have been unlikely in books like Beautiful Dreamer. You'd think her writing style would mature with age and experience...
'His face was as hard as anything she'd ever seen carved in stone. And as compelling.'
*sigh*
But this was written in 2012, not 1982, and unfortunately the only difference between this book and one of her 80s books that always seemed to feature 'hard men' and horses is that a condom was mentioned in both of the sex scenes, which would have been unlikely in books like Beautiful Dreamer. You'd think her writing style would mature with age and experience...
August 28, 2012
Picked this one up over the weekend when I forgot the book I originally planned on reading. I've read a few books by Lowell before and while they are not the pinacle of literature, they aren't half bad. In addition to my previous experiences with the author, I also have a degree in archaeology and have taken a few classes on South American history, including the Maya. Due to all of this, I was fairly excited to read Beautiful Sacrifice. How little I knew...
BS is awful. Just plain awful. I thought that if at least the romance part was disappointing, I could rely on the archaeology/historical information part to keep me interested. Turns out both parts were equally disappointing. The mystery is very thinly veiled and, as several other reviewers have mentioned, easily solved. The romance is down right rediculous. The back story on how the two main characters met is poorly explained. Other than 'she is pretty, smart and smells good/he is handsome, has eyes and makes sexual innuendos constantly' there is no attempt to explain why these two characters are attracted to each other. The sexual innuendos are terribly, repeative and make you roll your eyes by the third one. The same holds true for the inner monolog conducted by the main characters. Also, totally a nitpicky point, but I HATE the stupid, generic names authors choose for their characters. Taylor? Really? For a woman who grew up in South America and is suppose to be Maya. And I am so tired of every male cop/CIA/FBI/spy/former ICE agent being named Hunter.
Well the romance side of things was a bust and the archaeological/historical side of things was just as bad, if not worse. It is hard to write believeable interactions between fictional characters. It is easy to Google the basic information needed for your story. However it seems Lowell is incapable of this. Most of her information is fictional, made up by Lowell herself. The rest of her information about the Maya, South America and Houston is patently false. She misatributes Maya cultural characteristics, mixes up geographical information and presents a Houston, Texas that I'm sure even residents of the city wouldn't recognize. Overall Lowell turns what would have been an interesting story into something boring, overwhelming and just generally disappointing.
Hopefully her next effort isn't as bad because I'm not sure she can do any worse.
BS is awful. Just plain awful. I thought that if at least the romance part was disappointing, I could rely on the archaeology/historical information part to keep me interested. Turns out both parts were equally disappointing. The mystery is very thinly veiled and, as several other reviewers have mentioned, easily solved. The romance is down right rediculous. The back story on how the two main characters met is poorly explained. Other than 'she is pretty, smart and smells good/he is handsome, has eyes and makes sexual innuendos constantly' there is no attempt to explain why these two characters are attracted to each other. The sexual innuendos are terribly, repeative and make you roll your eyes by the third one. The same holds true for the inner monolog conducted by the main characters. Also, totally a nitpicky point, but I HATE the stupid, generic names authors choose for their characters. Taylor? Really? For a woman who grew up in South America and is suppose to be Maya. And I am so tired of every male cop/CIA/FBI/spy/former ICE agent being named Hunter.
Well the romance side of things was a bust and the archaeological/historical side of things was just as bad, if not worse. It is hard to write believeable interactions between fictional characters. It is easy to Google the basic information needed for your story. However it seems Lowell is incapable of this. Most of her information is fictional, made up by Lowell herself. The rest of her information about the Maya, South America and Houston is patently false. She misatributes Maya cultural characteristics, mixes up geographical information and presents a Houston, Texas that I'm sure even residents of the city wouldn't recognize. Overall Lowell turns what would have been an interesting story into something boring, overwhelming and just generally disappointing.
Hopefully her next effort isn't as bad because I'm not sure she can do any worse.
June 28, 2012
Beautiful Sacrifice was listed and described on an email from one of my libraries promoting it as a new book. Obviously something about the description prompted me to reserve it. That being said, may I add that I suffer from chronic must - finish - all books - itis.
The two main characters are Lina (Rosalina) and Hunter. The story line is she is an archaeologist who has somehow been disgraced and so has a teaching job and Hunter is former ICE and now works in private cross - border security. They are both actually employed by their families although that may be just a literary device of some sort. Hunter's best friend, Jase, needs help finding some ancient Maya relicts which have been stolen from ICE evidence. The author touchs on border issues and illegal immigration crime but only as it pertains to the storyline and not in a preachy manner. (This is what earned the one star.) Lina and Hunter face the formula danger from the "unknown" although obvious villians and run around having snake sec and being saved from a former? drug addict who fancies himself a Maya God.
Oh...and did I mention this takes place on, and a few days prior to, December 21,2012.....
Run! Save yourself! and don't waste your time.
The two main characters are Lina (Rosalina) and Hunter. The story line is she is an archaeologist who has somehow been disgraced and so has a teaching job and Hunter is former ICE and now works in private cross - border security. They are both actually employed by their families although that may be just a literary device of some sort. Hunter's best friend, Jase, needs help finding some ancient Maya relicts which have been stolen from ICE evidence. The author touchs on border issues and illegal immigration crime but only as it pertains to the storyline and not in a preachy manner. (This is what earned the one star.) Lina and Hunter face the formula danger from the "unknown" although obvious villians and run around having snake sec and being saved from a former? drug addict who fancies himself a Maya God.
Oh...and did I mention this takes place on, and a few days prior to, December 21,2012.....
Run! Save yourself! and don't waste your time.
September 20, 2016
First time I've ever given up on a book by Elizabeth Lowell--but then there's a first time for everything.
I thought I was caught in a time warp and was reading one of her old Silhouette Desires. Seriously, the mental lusting in the first scene between the hero and heroine was so over the top--Sheesh! I figured out who the bad guy was in the first 50 pages. I didn't like Lina very much, I didn't like Hunter very much, her dysfunctional family was SO familiar, and so on...About page 60 I gave up and jumped ahead to the last twenty pages--which confirmed my suspicions that the title was literal.
Blergh! I am so glad I borrowed this from the library.
And it breaks my heart to write this review, because I have been a Constant Reader of Ms Lowell's books for (mumble, mumble) years. But she lost me with this one.
Bye, bye, it's been fun.
I thought I was caught in a time warp and was reading one of her old Silhouette Desires. Seriously, the mental lusting in the first scene between the hero and heroine was so over the top--Sheesh! I figured out who the bad guy was in the first 50 pages. I didn't like Lina very much, I didn't like Hunter very much, her dysfunctional family was SO familiar, and so on...About page 60 I gave up and jumped ahead to the last twenty pages--which confirmed my suspicions that the title was literal.
Blergh! I am so glad I borrowed this from the library.
And it breaks my heart to write this review, because I have been a Constant Reader of Ms Lowell's books for (mumble, mumble) years. But she lost me with this one.
Bye, bye, it's been fun.
May 26, 2015
I enjoyed this story for the historical and archeological elements more than for the romance strangely enough. While I liked these two together, Lina and Hunter's feelings for each other played second fiddle to the artifacts. Still it was nice to get back to reading something by Ms. Lowell it's been an age.
I find the Mayan culture to be fascinating. I've enjoyed the books I've read that have used it's dynamic history as a backdrop. This is another case of the fun that was possible to be had with the Mayan calendar's countdown until the end of days in 2012. I appreciated the nuances of the cult that existed in this story and while I had figured out the who done it, there were enough red herrings and complicated details to take it from the ok to a good suspenseful story.
Lina and Hunter are on the trail of some missing artifacts that have everyone in an uproar. The find would equate to one of the biggest in the Mayan cultural digs. Nothing of their quality exists and everyone wants to know if they're more rumor than fact. Of course when guns and blood follow they know they're on the right track. I appreciated that Ms. Lowell didn't make these two strangers to start off this story. They already knew each other and had an attraction that they'd been building on before this catalyst sent them off together. It made for the quick nature of their coming together much more believable. Their relationship felt much more inevitable because with or without this crisis they would have eventually worked their way around to ending up together.
Solid story and as I said I really loved the detailed cultural elements. This story is very well crafted within the ideas and pieces of the Mayan culture. The backdrop felt very authentic. The writing is solid and the story moved well. I just wanted a tad bit more romance in my novel. Somehow this fell a little flat of perfect for me. Really good, but not quite hitting the exceptional on my radar.
June 20, 2012
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the premise and found this to be a very interesting story. I know next to nothing about the Maya, so this was very different for me.
My one issue with this book was that it had way to much information. TOo much time was spent on describing artifacts and glyphs and such. I guess we needed that, but it got long for me at times.
That being said, this was still a good read and I'd recommend it for something a bit different from what's out there.
My one issue with this book was that it had way to much information. TOo much time was spent on describing artifacts and glyphs and such. I guess we needed that, but it got long for me at times.
That being said, this was still a good read and I'd recommend it for something a bit different from what's out there.
February 21, 2021
Изчетох книгата по диагонал. Доктор Лина Тейлър е специалист по културата и историята на Маите, но това не означава че и читателите сме. Авторката ни хвърля в дълбокото още в самото начало с мистични ритуали и терминологии, и откраднати артефакти сякаш историята започва от средата... И докато си мисля, че ме очаква нещо вълнуващо в стила на Индиана Джоунс, то сюжетът се оказа голямо разочарование и изпитание за нервите.
January 30, 2013
Was not sure if I would really care for this book or not. But as I began to read it - I really got into the book- the history-the setting- and the characters.
The setting takes you Mexico- at the time of December 21st, 2012 yes that's right the end of the Maya calendar folks. So, now we know the history should be about the Mayan's. And well as for the character there are many. Mainly a complete family- Lina's family it seems has two different dig sites .
They are into archaeology and she has devotes her life to studying the Maya artifacts. this is where a former ICE ( Immigration Customs Enforcement) officer comes in by the name of Hunter burst into her world as some artifacts have been stolen and he needs her help to find them.
But by asking for her help and getting close to her - he puts her in danger- and his friend also that is helping. Now it is a race against time before they are killed and the artifacts are lost for good.
Will the artifacts be found in time- will Lina & Hunter fight the heat between them or fall in love? And just who is trying to kill them??
For all these answer you will have to read the book.. And I must say if you don't read it you will never know what happens in forest in Mexico..
Five stars for Elizabeth Lowell - and please will you do a follow up on this story line -- I would really love to see Hunter and Lina continue to work together on other cases!!!!
The setting takes you Mexico- at the time of December 21st, 2012 yes that's right the end of the Maya calendar folks. So, now we know the history should be about the Mayan's. And well as for the character there are many. Mainly a complete family- Lina's family it seems has two different dig sites .
They are into archaeology and she has devotes her life to studying the Maya artifacts. this is where a former ICE ( Immigration Customs Enforcement) officer comes in by the name of Hunter burst into her world as some artifacts have been stolen and he needs her help to find them.
But by asking for her help and getting close to her - he puts her in danger- and his friend also that is helping. Now it is a race against time before they are killed and the artifacts are lost for good.
Will the artifacts be found in time- will Lina & Hunter fight the heat between them or fall in love? And just who is trying to kill them??
For all these answer you will have to read the book.. And I must say if you don't read it you will never know what happens in forest in Mexico..
Five stars for Elizabeth Lowell - and please will you do a follow up on this story line -- I would really love to see Hunter and Lina continue to work together on other cases!!!!
May 28, 2012
I cannot believe this was written by an established author. Certainly, I have never considered Elizabeth Lowell to be a great novelist, but have enjoyed her books to the point that I thought this would be a good purchase. Truly, only my own stubbornness made me finish rather than simply trash the thing and consider my purchase price a donation.
The involvement of the two main characters made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Hunter shows up with some sort of past personal demon to help his friend get out of a jam at work. The moronic setup of his involvement was the first sign of trouble. The second was his seeking assistance from Lina..full of personal baggage herself...unknowingly at the heart of the mystery? Prepare yourself for pages and pages of sexual longing and physique admiration. Don't count on accurate Mayan history to be used for the plot...it's pretty much all fiction. Enjoy about 300 pages of useless setup until you get to the main action, with every new character completely shallow, predictable and....well...uninteresting.
The involvement of the two main characters made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Hunter shows up with some sort of past personal demon to help his friend get out of a jam at work. The moronic setup of his involvement was the first sign of trouble. The second was his seeking assistance from Lina..full of personal baggage herself...unknowingly at the heart of the mystery? Prepare yourself for pages and pages of sexual longing and physique admiration. Don't count on accurate Mayan history to be used for the plot...it's pretty much all fiction. Enjoy about 300 pages of useless setup until you get to the main action, with every new character completely shallow, predictable and....well...uninteresting.
May 28, 2012
Talk about a book that keeps you hanging on to the edge of your seat. This one is it in all areas. I was lucky enough to win this book from a Goodreads contest and I hit the jackpot. The writing style is perfect, Ms. Lowell takes you on a ride of your life. This book was such a pleasure to read I couldn’t put it down. I found myself cheating at work and reading in when I was suppose to be doing my job I was so hooked on it wanting to know what happens next. Luckily, I get to keep my job.
The story surrounds around December 21, 2012. Artifacts are missing and Lina and Hunter are looking for them. What they find isn’t what they were expecting. A friendship blossoms and fear follows as the relationship grows. Is there an end before there is a beginning for them? You won’t be able to put this down. It’s going to follow you in your dreams at night until you finish. Great story Ms. Lowell. Thank you for writing it for us.
The story surrounds around December 21, 2012. Artifacts are missing and Lina and Hunter are looking for them. What they find isn’t what they were expecting. A friendship blossoms and fear follows as the relationship grows. Is there an end before there is a beginning for them? You won’t be able to put this down. It’s going to follow you in your dreams at night until you finish. Great story Ms. Lowell. Thank you for writing it for us.
May 28, 2012
"There are rumors. Many rumors."
Lina waited.
"The rumors whisper of an obsidian mask carved from a single piece of stone, a god bundle never opened, a sacred scepter with obsidian teeth, a foot-long jade Chacmool, and exquisitely made obsidian knife created solely to let the blood of kings. Even an unknown codes. All and more, of the very highest quality, appearing and then disappearing again, like ghost smoke."
Dr. Lina Taylor is an expert on both Maya artifacts and culture. She splits her time between the field and teaching. Part Maya herself, she grew up emerged in the culture. Rumor has it an incredible archaeological discovery has been made, but not by legitimate means. Hunter Johnston, a former ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) officer approaches Lina for help to find out what happened to some seized artifacts which were stolen from ICE. The blame for the theft is lying on the shoulders of Jase Beaumont, Hunter's best friend, who asked Hunter to help him investigate the crime. If the items in the pictures Hunter shows Lina are the real deal, then the rumors would be confirmed. Artifacts from an ancient Maya God some scholars thought never existed would have been discovered.
While the find itself would be huge, if the artifacts truly are genuine, they'd be worth a fortune on the black market. That is what is originally believed to be the motive behind the theft, but while following a lead, a gruesome discovery is made. Several individuals are found to have been killed in a ritualistic type manner. The question is, do the deaths have something to do with a once thought fictitious god and/or the Maya end of times prophecy which will culminate within just days or is something else going on? The only place similar artifacts have been found are on the Reyes Balam family lands, which Lina's family owns. With Lina's own reputation already tainted by a scandal, any link whatsoever to illegally acquired ancient artifacts could end her career completely. Of course, with people being killed, her reputation might just be the least of her worries...
_________________________________________________________________
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I love stories that deal with ancient cultures that are real or manufactured. I felt Ms. Lowell did an excellent job of mixing just enough of the Maya culture and traditions into her own creation, the deity Kawa'il and his cult following, to breath a real sense of life into them. Before seeing the acknowledgements, I even tried to google Kawa'il and only found another reference to her book. My favorite description was that of an elaborate painting within a temple. It sounded extraordinary and I felt like I was actually there.
The attraction between Lina and Hunter was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Prior to the beginning of the book the two had started to date so they already had something stirring. It was fun to see them try to contain their feelings for each other while attempting to work together. Lina was strong, smart, and managed to keep a level head when faced with difficult situations. Those are traits I love to see in heroines.
Hunter managed to be protective of Lina yet didn't try to overwhelm her by trying to control or dominate her in any way that would suggest she couldn't take care of herself. While he does sort of manipulate her into helping to find the stolen artifacts, that was only done out of necessity. She was an expert on ancient Maya artifacts, something he needed. Plus, he already knew her. Slowly, the mystery of what is going on is revealed and Lina's and Hunter's relationship grows and blossoms into something neither of them can deny.
Overall, this one gets a 5 out of 5 roses. There was plenty of romance, drama and suspense as they attempted to learn who stole the artifacts, and where they came from. Kawa'il is depicted as the "god of blood sacrifice and death," who reportedly "demanded more blood and sacrifice than other gods." So things do get a little gory, and there are a few 'Ewww!' moments, but it all fits in with the story. I would love to see this one be made into a movie. I'd actually pay to see it in the theater. While Ms. Lowell states there are no plans to make this into a series because her publisher prefers singles, I would love to see it become one. Even if she had to change characters to do so. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.
Notes to keep you in the know:
Throughout the book Lina and Hunter kept talking about how Lina was supposed to be like 'Caesar's wife'. Well, I had never heard the phrase used before and was curious as to its origins, so I looked it up. It basically means that a person should be above approach. Apparently Ceasar's wife, Pompeia, 'hosted the festival of the Bona Dea ("good goddess"), which no man was permitted to attend...However a young patrician named Publius Clodius Pulcher managed to gain admittance disguised as a woman, apparently for the purpose of seducing Pompeia. He was caught and prosecuted for sacrilege. Caesar gave no evidence against Clodius at his trial, and he was acquitted. Nevertheless, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying that "my wife ought not even to be under suspicion." This gave rise to a proverb, sometimes expressed: "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion."' (Quote copied from Wikipedia. To see the post in its entirety and to learn more about Pompeia, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar%2... )
Examples of Cenotes found on photobucket:
The following was created by Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854) (copyright expired) found on wikipedia:
Example of a Chacmool found on photobucket:
Ms. Lowell did not write about God K, but she did say there is some dispute as to whether the Mayans had such a god. Here is a depiction believed to be of God K on pottery. I thought I'd include it because of the fact it has a serpent depicted on it. Photo taken by Justin Kerr.(copyright expired). Found on wikipedia:
Lina waited.
"The rumors whisper of an obsidian mask carved from a single piece of stone, a god bundle never opened, a sacred scepter with obsidian teeth, a foot-long jade Chacmool, and exquisitely made obsidian knife created solely to let the blood of kings. Even an unknown codes. All and more, of the very highest quality, appearing and then disappearing again, like ghost smoke."
Dr. Lina Taylor is an expert on both Maya artifacts and culture. She splits her time between the field and teaching. Part Maya herself, she grew up emerged in the culture. Rumor has it an incredible archaeological discovery has been made, but not by legitimate means. Hunter Johnston, a former ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) officer approaches Lina for help to find out what happened to some seized artifacts which were stolen from ICE. The blame for the theft is lying on the shoulders of Jase Beaumont, Hunter's best friend, who asked Hunter to help him investigate the crime. If the items in the pictures Hunter shows Lina are the real deal, then the rumors would be confirmed. Artifacts from an ancient Maya God some scholars thought never existed would have been discovered.
While the find itself would be huge, if the artifacts truly are genuine, they'd be worth a fortune on the black market. That is what is originally believed to be the motive behind the theft, but while following a lead, a gruesome discovery is made. Several individuals are found to have been killed in a ritualistic type manner. The question is, do the deaths have something to do with a once thought fictitious god and/or the Maya end of times prophecy which will culminate within just days or is something else going on? The only place similar artifacts have been found are on the Reyes Balam family lands, which Lina's family owns. With Lina's own reputation already tainted by a scandal, any link whatsoever to illegally acquired ancient artifacts could end her career completely. Of course, with people being killed, her reputation might just be the least of her worries...
_________________________________________________________________
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I love stories that deal with ancient cultures that are real or manufactured. I felt Ms. Lowell did an excellent job of mixing just enough of the Maya culture and traditions into her own creation, the deity Kawa'il and his cult following, to breath a real sense of life into them. Before seeing the acknowledgements, I even tried to google Kawa'il and only found another reference to her book. My favorite description was that of an elaborate painting within a temple. It sounded extraordinary and I felt like I was actually there.
The attraction between Lina and Hunter was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Prior to the beginning of the book the two had started to date so they already had something stirring. It was fun to see them try to contain their feelings for each other while attempting to work together. Lina was strong, smart, and managed to keep a level head when faced with difficult situations. Those are traits I love to see in heroines.
Hunter managed to be protective of Lina yet didn't try to overwhelm her by trying to control or dominate her in any way that would suggest she couldn't take care of herself. While he does sort of manipulate her into helping to find the stolen artifacts, that was only done out of necessity. She was an expert on ancient Maya artifacts, something he needed. Plus, he already knew her. Slowly, the mystery of what is going on is revealed and Lina's and Hunter's relationship grows and blossoms into something neither of them can deny.
Overall, this one gets a 5 out of 5 roses. There was plenty of romance, drama and suspense as they attempted to learn who stole the artifacts, and where they came from. Kawa'il is depicted as the "god of blood sacrifice and death," who reportedly "demanded more blood and sacrifice than other gods." So things do get a little gory, and there are a few 'Ewww!' moments, but it all fits in with the story. I would love to see this one be made into a movie. I'd actually pay to see it in the theater. While Ms. Lowell states there are no plans to make this into a series because her publisher prefers singles, I would love to see it become one. Even if she had to change characters to do so. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed.
Notes to keep you in the know:
Throughout the book Lina and Hunter kept talking about how Lina was supposed to be like 'Caesar's wife'. Well, I had never heard the phrase used before and was curious as to its origins, so I looked it up. It basically means that a person should be above approach. Apparently Ceasar's wife, Pompeia, 'hosted the festival of the Bona Dea ("good goddess"), which no man was permitted to attend...However a young patrician named Publius Clodius Pulcher managed to gain admittance disguised as a woman, apparently for the purpose of seducing Pompeia. He was caught and prosecuted for sacrilege. Caesar gave no evidence against Clodius at his trial, and he was acquitted. Nevertheless, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying that "my wife ought not even to be under suspicion." This gave rise to a proverb, sometimes expressed: "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion."' (Quote copied from Wikipedia. To see the post in its entirety and to learn more about Pompeia, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar%2... )
Examples of Cenotes found on photobucket:
The following was created by Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854) (copyright expired) found on wikipedia:
Example of a Chacmool found on photobucket:
Ms. Lowell did not write about God K, but she did say there is some dispute as to whether the Mayans had such a god. Here is a depiction believed to be of God K on pottery. I thought I'd include it because of the fact it has a serpent depicted on it. Photo taken by Justin Kerr.(copyright expired). Found on wikipedia:
April 5, 2025
I picked this one up as a "Blind date with a book" find. It's just okay. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't really get into it. The premise, the story, the mystery, and the smut are there but I had an awful time sticking with it. I finally figured it out about half way through. It switched POVs from her to him within the same chapter seamlessly with no break and it is just mind trippy hard to follow because I would get confused as to when I switched from one to the other. Overall it was a good story... just not my favorite delivery.
October 1, 2018
The description was of interest to me ~ Ancient Maya artifacts go missing. At first it was interesting. I am a mystery fan but I didn’t realize that the genre was also as “romance”. I did like Archaeologist Lina Taylor. But found Hunter’s sexual fantasies creepy perhaps it was the audio performance. Whatever it was it didn’t work for me
May 31, 2012
Elizabeth Lowell is one of those authors that, to me, can capture my interest right at the first page of her books. Her books would grab me in and won't let go so they are usually my `all-nighter' books. The fact that it took me more than a week to finish this book since its release says a lot at how hard I had to force myself to finish reading, to make sure my guess at who the bad guy was is right at the first chapters of the book. THAT'S how predictable the story was.
Don't get me wrong, the characters were not bad as individuals especially the main characters. The heroine is a true modern woman with her own job that she both enjoyed and love. She does not take crap from anyone but also has first class manners to boot. That goes without saying that she is beautiful and rich as well.
The hero is your modern day warrior who can survive both in the concrete jungle of cities and of the wild. He has high connections in the government and private and even in the not so legal side of the law. A typical alpha male who is both a gentleman to his lady and a formidable warrior to his enemies.
They sound great, right? And honestly they main characters I would pay to read. Unfortunately, the whole story is 95% dedicated to Mayan facts, legends, history, and cults that the romance between the main characters did not have a chance to be explored. They get to know each other by how much they know about Mayan facts, their conversation is 98% Mayan tidbits, and hunt more Mayan artifacts and artifacts on their `dates' and talks to dealers both shadowy and not. It's not that I did not want to be educated about Mayans but if I want that I will pick up text book, not a romance book. I do not even mind having histories integrated on a story I am reading as long as it does not overshadow the romance factor (like the intricacies of banking and gun-running in Innocent As Sin, or the cutthroat world of art collectors in Blue Smoke and Murder and a lot of her other books). In this book though the Mayan info did cast a dark and long shadow over the magic between the main characters.
It does not help that the story or plot is a predictable one, which I wouldn't mind as long as I can read some new twists but no, it's just more and more Mayan facts. The main character's inner musing/monologue about how much they are attracted to the other started to get me into the romance part, unfortunately they became old as they are repeated again and again throughout the book.
In the end the book tells about a brilliant Mayan archeologist who is blackmail by her handsome student for her knowledge. Her life gets in danger and the handsome warrior will save her from her evil family. Along the way they talk and breathe Mayans, artifacts, cults, and more Mayans.
I don't know why this book did not do it for me because I would have thought with an academically strong heroine and a strong hero who is not intimidated with her knowledge I would enjoy this book but somehow it really lacked the magic of romance for me.
Sigh, I just wish for more of Ms. Lowell's St. Kilda series. At least they never disappointed me.
Don't get me wrong, the characters were not bad as individuals especially the main characters. The heroine is a true modern woman with her own job that she both enjoyed and love. She does not take crap from anyone but also has first class manners to boot. That goes without saying that she is beautiful and rich as well.
The hero is your modern day warrior who can survive both in the concrete jungle of cities and of the wild. He has high connections in the government and private and even in the not so legal side of the law. A typical alpha male who is both a gentleman to his lady and a formidable warrior to his enemies.
They sound great, right? And honestly they main characters I would pay to read. Unfortunately, the whole story is 95% dedicated to Mayan facts, legends, history, and cults that the romance between the main characters did not have a chance to be explored. They get to know each other by how much they know about Mayan facts, their conversation is 98% Mayan tidbits, and hunt more Mayan artifacts and artifacts on their `dates' and talks to dealers both shadowy and not. It's not that I did not want to be educated about Mayans but if I want that I will pick up text book, not a romance book. I do not even mind having histories integrated on a story I am reading as long as it does not overshadow the romance factor (like the intricacies of banking and gun-running in Innocent As Sin, or the cutthroat world of art collectors in Blue Smoke and Murder and a lot of her other books). In this book though the Mayan info did cast a dark and long shadow over the magic between the main characters.
It does not help that the story or plot is a predictable one, which I wouldn't mind as long as I can read some new twists but no, it's just more and more Mayan facts. The main character's inner musing/monologue about how much they are attracted to the other started to get me into the romance part, unfortunately they became old as they are repeated again and again throughout the book.
In the end the book tells about a brilliant Mayan archeologist who is blackmail by her handsome student for her knowledge. Her life gets in danger and the handsome warrior will save her from her evil family. Along the way they talk and breathe Mayans, artifacts, cults, and more Mayans.
I don't know why this book did not do it for me because I would have thought with an academically strong heroine and a strong hero who is not intimidated with her knowledge I would enjoy this book but somehow it really lacked the magic of romance for me.
Sigh, I just wish for more of Ms. Lowell's St. Kilda series. At least they never disappointed me.
October 5, 2012
Originally published on AAR in Speaking of Audiobooks:
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8940
Narrated by Richard Ferrone
Archaeologist Lina Turner is not only a specialist in Mayan artifacts; she is of Mayan decent and can trace her lineage back to before the Spanish conquest. Hunter Johnson is a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. While helping a current ICE officer track down rare and illegally excavated Mayan artifacts, Hunter seeks Lina’s help. He hopes a better understanding of the significance of the lost artifacts can help him locate them. The investigation turns dangerous, and when the artifacts seem to be linked to Lina’s family, Hunter and Lina leave Houston for her family’s compound on the Yucatan peninsula, hoping for both safety and more answers.
Beautiful Sacrifice contains a significant amount of Mayan history. I enjoyed the history lesson but some listeners may grow weary of the many details Lowell includes. Lowell mixes the fact with fiction by inventing the Mayan god, Kawa’il, along with a bloodthirsty group of followers. Narrator Richard Ferrone has a gravelly voice that suits the sometimes mysterious and mystical atmosphere of the story. His reading brings the forbidding jungle, the dark caves, and the ancient rituals to life. Belief in the ancient Mayan gods seems almost reasonable in this setting.
The reasons behind Hunter’s inclusion in the search for the artifacts weren’t well developed, but that was a minor weakness. Hunter is presented as independent and emotionally closed off, and the narration emphasizes his strength and reserve. Lina is a capable professional who feels the weight of her family obligations. Due to her emotionally distant and often manipulative parents, Lina prefers to work in Houston rather than remain in the Yucatan. Ferrone manages to portray both Lina’s strength and her vulnerability. He doesn’t change his voice significantly when portraying female characters, but the gender of the speaker is clear most of the time. There are only a few sections of dialogue when the change in speaker is not identified that may cause some confusion.
The suspense plot doesn’t entirely work and the dramatic climax goes on for too long. However, the plot and setting are unique and the action moves the book along at a nice pace. In the end, Beautiful Sacrifice is an enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, book that is enhanced by a strong narration.
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8940
Narrated by Richard Ferrone
Archaeologist Lina Turner is not only a specialist in Mayan artifacts; she is of Mayan decent and can trace her lineage back to before the Spanish conquest. Hunter Johnson is a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. While helping a current ICE officer track down rare and illegally excavated Mayan artifacts, Hunter seeks Lina’s help. He hopes a better understanding of the significance of the lost artifacts can help him locate them. The investigation turns dangerous, and when the artifacts seem to be linked to Lina’s family, Hunter and Lina leave Houston for her family’s compound on the Yucatan peninsula, hoping for both safety and more answers.
Beautiful Sacrifice contains a significant amount of Mayan history. I enjoyed the history lesson but some listeners may grow weary of the many details Lowell includes. Lowell mixes the fact with fiction by inventing the Mayan god, Kawa’il, along with a bloodthirsty group of followers. Narrator Richard Ferrone has a gravelly voice that suits the sometimes mysterious and mystical atmosphere of the story. His reading brings the forbidding jungle, the dark caves, and the ancient rituals to life. Belief in the ancient Mayan gods seems almost reasonable in this setting.
The reasons behind Hunter’s inclusion in the search for the artifacts weren’t well developed, but that was a minor weakness. Hunter is presented as independent and emotionally closed off, and the narration emphasizes his strength and reserve. Lina is a capable professional who feels the weight of her family obligations. Due to her emotionally distant and often manipulative parents, Lina prefers to work in Houston rather than remain in the Yucatan. Ferrone manages to portray both Lina’s strength and her vulnerability. He doesn’t change his voice significantly when portraying female characters, but the gender of the speaker is clear most of the time. There are only a few sections of dialogue when the change in speaker is not identified that may cause some confusion.
The suspense plot doesn’t entirely work and the dramatic climax goes on for too long. However, the plot and setting are unique and the action moves the book along at a nice pace. In the end, Beautiful Sacrifice is an enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, book that is enhanced by a strong narration.
July 6, 2016
Author: Elizabeth Lowell
First published: 2012
Length: 6608 kindle locations, 390 pages
Setting: Contemporary, Mostly around Houston and rural Mexico.
Sex: Reasonably frequent and explicit.
Hero: former ICE agent now independent recovery specialist.
Heroine: Archaeologist specialising in Mayan relics.
Includes: Excerpt from Night Diver.
Author’s Note: on Mayan culture/language.
Lessons on Mayan culture language, culture, gods, sacrifice, relics…
Enjoyable but very long and slow.
Predictable.
Orienting itself around the “Mayan end of time”, December 21, 2012, Lowell blends old ways with modern understandings to bring an interesting story. Sadly, like too many Lowell books, it’s heavy on history and light on romance, quick to Lust and slow to climax. Lots of characters who should have seen it coming and pointless extras to add a little colour but not much else. And the mysterious villagers who exist as ghosts through the story, almost to a cultural bias, innate paternal racism level…. (which drops my rating to a 2).
I wasn’t particularly “drawn in” but rather waiting for the darn thing to finish.
It was fine. It is typical of Lowell. But easily missed.
References:
Author’s website: http://www.elizabethlowell.com/beauti...
(ISBN 9780062101228)
-CR-
First published: 2012
Length: 6608 kindle locations, 390 pages
Setting: Contemporary, Mostly around Houston and rural Mexico.
Sex: Reasonably frequent and explicit.
Hero: former ICE agent now independent recovery specialist.
Heroine: Archaeologist specialising in Mayan relics.
Includes: Excerpt from Night Diver.
Author’s Note: on Mayan culture/language.
Lessons on Mayan culture language, culture, gods, sacrifice, relics…
Enjoyable but very long and slow.
Predictable.
Orienting itself around the “Mayan end of time”, December 21, 2012, Lowell blends old ways with modern understandings to bring an interesting story. Sadly, like too many Lowell books, it’s heavy on history and light on romance, quick to Lust and slow to climax. Lots of characters who should have seen it coming and pointless extras to add a little colour but not much else. And the mysterious villagers who exist as ghosts through the story, almost to a cultural bias, innate paternal racism level…. (which drops my rating to a 2).
I wasn’t particularly “drawn in” but rather waiting for the darn thing to finish.
It was fine. It is typical of Lowell. But easily missed.
References:
Author’s website: http://www.elizabethlowell.com/beauti...
(ISBN 9780062101228)
-CR-
August 11, 2014
A very neat murder mystery book based on stolen ancient Mayan relics, a missing & fabled codex, & some very nasty tempered characters. There is a scene or two that is kind of blood & gore, so be forewarned. There's also a very steamy relationship going on between 2 of the main characters, which makes it secondly a good old fashioned romance too. Either way, relatively light reading, but really fast paced & enjoyable, even if I WAS right partway through of who the big bad guy was going to be, LOL
May 21, 2012
I LOVE the thought, detail, and hard core imagination that Elizabeth Lowell puts into her books! This was a wild ride through some Mayan 'end of the world' myths and extreme awesome details of artifacts lost and then found.
I haven't read her in awhile and it just reminded me why I need to go reread her backlist! Loved this book!
I haven't read her in awhile and it just reminded me why I need to go reread her backlist! Loved this book!
June 28, 2012
I hate to say this, but I ended up skimming this one because it just didn't grab me right away and I wanted to be finished with it.
July 7, 2012
Very good book, kept you on the edge of your seat.
March 12, 2013
I've always loved Elizabeth Lowell's romantic suspense. As with several other readers, she lost me on this one. It just never came together for me.
December 18, 2025
Leio ou releio romances para acalmar a ansiedade, para me divertir, para me emocionar, ou para relembrar quando era jovem e os via como contos de fadas para adultos. Comecei relendo (ou lendo, faz tanto tempo que alguns livros não sei se já tinha lido) Linda Howard, e passei para Elizabeth Lowell. Alguns desses romances publicados entre a década de 1980 e 1990 ou um pouco mais à frente eu guardei na minha biblioteca do Kindle. Alguns eu tenho até em paperback. Outros eu descartei (e outros desses eu me arrependi de ter descartado e comprei de novo - coisa de doido).
Lendo assim no "atacado", consolidei algumas observações e adicionei outras. É óbvio que sempre soube que essas escritoras (e outros escritores do gênero) têm como que um modelo, e repetem características de personagens e argumentos, às vezes até ambientação, mesmo que variem regiões de um mesmo país ou até outro país. Não significa que não saibam escrever. Em tempos de inteligência artificial, não troco essas autoras clássicas do gênero por qualquer inteligência artificial ou por outras que não sabiam a diferença entre um "you're" e um "your" (leio preferencialmente em inglês, ler romance traduzido é igual a ver filme dublado, patético). Esses autores me irritam, bem como os inexistentes ou igualmente ignorantes editores. Porque falta muita edição/revisão. O que é uma observação recente que fiz nos livros de Lowell que tenho lido. A displicência das editoras é revoltante. Enfim.
Vou repetir este texto em todos os livros que li na última semana, porque a conclusão é a mesma. Embora alguns livros tenham me entretido mais, e outros tenham me parecido exagerados na suposta sensibilidade dos personagens principais. E nem é só da mulher. Em "Love Song for a Raven" o "herói" é irritantemente sensível... e aparentemente por causa da sua altura. Fiquei o tempo todo pensando se os jogadores de basquete têm esse tipo de problema.
Os livros que escolhi (como emendei um no outro, fui mais pelo preço ou pela possibilidade de estar disponível no Kindle Unlimited para empréstimo) são de uma época em que a autora podia passar incólume pelo padrão de "homem que odeia mulheres porque elas o feriram" e mulheres que apesar de terem uma carreira, são "inexperientes", seja total ou parcialmente, sempre devido a um ex que também odiava mulheres e as traumatizaram. Não que atualmente não haja homens patéticos (haja vista os chamados red pills, e como pouco mudou a cultura de homens que acham que são proprietários de mulheres e as maltratam ou fazem até coisa pior). Mas fica muito difícil acreditar que em tempos de internet, ainda haja alguém que desconheça as facetas múltiplas do relacionamento físico entre pessoas.
Isso posto, concluo que realmente uma das razões pelas quais esses livros me entretêm é ressoarem numa pessoa que consegue entender o que é uma relação mal-sucedida entre seres humanos por razões absolutamente triviais, ou mesmo por falta de caráter de uma das partes. Os seres humanos são defeituosos desde sempre. E romances continuarão a ser lidos porque uma parte de nós não acredita mais em conto de fadas realizado.
Lendo assim no "atacado", consolidei algumas observações e adicionei outras. É óbvio que sempre soube que essas escritoras (e outros escritores do gênero) têm como que um modelo, e repetem características de personagens e argumentos, às vezes até ambientação, mesmo que variem regiões de um mesmo país ou até outro país. Não significa que não saibam escrever. Em tempos de inteligência artificial, não troco essas autoras clássicas do gênero por qualquer inteligência artificial ou por outras que não sabiam a diferença entre um "you're" e um "your" (leio preferencialmente em inglês, ler romance traduzido é igual a ver filme dublado, patético). Esses autores me irritam, bem como os inexistentes ou igualmente ignorantes editores. Porque falta muita edição/revisão. O que é uma observação recente que fiz nos livros de Lowell que tenho lido. A displicência das editoras é revoltante. Enfim.
Vou repetir este texto em todos os livros que li na última semana, porque a conclusão é a mesma. Embora alguns livros tenham me entretido mais, e outros tenham me parecido exagerados na suposta sensibilidade dos personagens principais. E nem é só da mulher. Em "Love Song for a Raven" o "herói" é irritantemente sensível... e aparentemente por causa da sua altura. Fiquei o tempo todo pensando se os jogadores de basquete têm esse tipo de problema.
Os livros que escolhi (como emendei um no outro, fui mais pelo preço ou pela possibilidade de estar disponível no Kindle Unlimited para empréstimo) são de uma época em que a autora podia passar incólume pelo padrão de "homem que odeia mulheres porque elas o feriram" e mulheres que apesar de terem uma carreira, são "inexperientes", seja total ou parcialmente, sempre devido a um ex que também odiava mulheres e as traumatizaram. Não que atualmente não haja homens patéticos (haja vista os chamados red pills, e como pouco mudou a cultura de homens que acham que são proprietários de mulheres e as maltratam ou fazem até coisa pior). Mas fica muito difícil acreditar que em tempos de internet, ainda haja alguém que desconheça as facetas múltiplas do relacionamento físico entre pessoas.
Isso posto, concluo que realmente uma das razões pelas quais esses livros me entretêm é ressoarem numa pessoa que consegue entender o que é uma relação mal-sucedida entre seres humanos por razões absolutamente triviais, ou mesmo por falta de caráter de uma das partes. Os seres humanos são defeituosos desde sempre. E romances continuarão a ser lidos porque uma parte de nós não acredita mais em conto de fadas realizado.
May 13, 2012
This is a really good book! It would make an incredible movie. I can see it with Angelina Jolie as the Female Star and maybe Antonio Banderos as the love interest. It would be action packed and full of excitement and mystery, they'd be hot on the trail of missing Mayan artifacts being used by a killer for sacrificing victims. Meanwhile, they would in turn would be stalked by unknown men in suits speaking a dialect of Mayan. Where will it all lead?
It is amazing, but it leads to the Mayan God Kawa'il, at least 11 blood sacrifices, more dead bodies, attempted kidnapping, a boatload of rare ancient artifacts, hidden Mayan temples, bloodletting ceremonies, ripped out hearts- still beating, a gun battle, a knife fight, a rarer than rare codex, a prepared blood sacrifice for December 21, 2012- the day the Mayan calendar stops and the old world ends and the new one is born.
Lina is Mayan royalty dating back before the Spanish came to the New World. She is also Spanish royalty, who married into the local royalty. So, you could say she is half Old World, half New World, but really she's all American, living in Houston, with a Phd in everything Mayan. She works at the family museum there, catlaloging, displaying and teaching about Mayan artifacts found on Reyes-Balam lands. (That's her last name Reyes-Balam).
Hunter Johnston is in the security business with his Uncles. He's ex- border patrol or ICE. He meets Lina by auditing her classes, but then his best friend Jason needs help finding some Mayan artifacts that were stolen from ICE's evidence room or he'll be fired. Hunter turns to Lina for help. He only has pictures but that's enough to get things rolling.
Now the story gets rolling too. In no time, things are out of control. Jason is shot and Lina and Hunter are fleeing for their lives. They go to the Reyes-Balam compound in the Yucatan. It turns out Lina's Greatgrandmother's Birthday is the same day as the end of the world, and Lina promised she'd be there. What they find when they get there is anything but normal. It just gets worse and worse until reality totally slips away. What will happen to Hunter and Lina? Will they live to see the new year? Will they become a couple? What about the Reyes-Balam family- who will live or die? And the priceless artifacts - what about them? Will the holy sacrifice take place at midnight on December. 21, 2012 ushering in a
new age for the Maya?
To answer these these questions you'll have to read the book - it's well worth your time and money. The book was not only entertaining it was educational. Even though the author made up the God Kawa'il, just learning more about Mayan customs and culture was very interesting, and added a lot of body to an already exciting book. You learn as the character learn, so it's not pendantic, or heavy handed, but nicely done, in fact it is extremely well done.
The characterization in the book was brilliant! Done through dialogue, description, actions, and description by other characters - it made each character fully alive and individual. Each leapt off the page as three dimensional people, completely capable of walking through my front door with an an artifact or two to show me what all this fuss was about. They were as real as fictional characters can be.
The pacing in the story was the type where there should be a warning on the front that says " Hold on to your hats and keep your hands in the car at all times until the ride comes to a full stop!". It never let up from the first sentence to the last sentence - you were totally mesmerized by what was happening ( I did take off a few hours for sleep) , but then I was once again mesmerized by the story until the end, when I could breathe a sigh of relief. Warning: don't read this on a weekday, wait for a free weekend. If you have kids or a husband, make arrangements for them to be cared for, because you'll be MIA until the book is finished. Trust me, you don't want any interruptions.
The diaglogue in the story is spot on. It is in three languages, but primarily English, then there's Spanglish ( Mexican mixed with English), then there's Yucatec, which is almost always translated to English. It's the language of the Maya. You could pick out characters by simply hearing them speak. Everyone had a uniquely different way of speaking that made it obvious who was speaking at any point in time. That must be incredibly hard to do, but Ms. Lowell does it so well - it's like an artform.
The plot of the book spins out slowly. Like a hedge maze, at first it looks simple, but then you find that your lost and facing three separate avenues that all look alike. Was it right turns or left turns I was taking? You don't know, so you sprint down the middle pathway, deep into the maze, totally lost, praying for any type of sign to get you out. Soon you see a glimpse, you jog to the right, after a moment, you get another, closer glimpse, now you are flat out running for all your worth. You're in full kick when you reach the middle of the maze, but you need to slow down because what you find is Death with a capital D and it's coming for a lot of people - maybe you.
The only reason that I didn't give give this book five stars was because about half way through, I guessed the the ending, maybe not all the details but the main parts of the ending like who does what to whose dog for how many cookies. It took any surprise out of the final pages of the book except for those small details which didn't add much. So, if I could, I would give this book 4.75 / 5 stars.
My favorite characters were the protagonists, Lina and Hunter, along with Hunter's friends Jason and his wife Ali. Jason and Ali are married with two kids and one on the way, and are madly in love. Lina and Hunter are discovering each other throughout the book. It makes for some very hmm! interesting reading. By the time the book ends they've decided whether they're compatible or not, in a big way. I just love these characters. Most of the rest were either self centered, despicable, driven, insane, delusional, greedy, paranoid, criminal, neuvo riche or just plain folks.
I want to thank Goodreads First Reads, where I won this book. What a wonderful book to win. I want to thank Elizabeth Lowell for writing such a wonderful book. You have a new fan.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It has adventure, violence, history, romance, human nature, the end of the world, gun battles, knife fights, human sacrifice, Mayan artifacts, hidden temples and everything else mentioned earlier. It's like Indiana Jones in the present day as a girl meets the Yucatan. It would make an incredible movie. No editing needed! Because I guessed the ending so easily I give it 4.75 / 5 stars. Otherwise it is a 5 star book - all the way. Two thumbs up for Elizabeth Lowell's Beautiful Sacrifice!
It is amazing, but it leads to the Mayan God Kawa'il, at least 11 blood sacrifices, more dead bodies, attempted kidnapping, a boatload of rare ancient artifacts, hidden Mayan temples, bloodletting ceremonies, ripped out hearts- still beating, a gun battle, a knife fight, a rarer than rare codex, a prepared blood sacrifice for December 21, 2012- the day the Mayan calendar stops and the old world ends and the new one is born.
Lina is Mayan royalty dating back before the Spanish came to the New World. She is also Spanish royalty, who married into the local royalty. So, you could say she is half Old World, half New World, but really she's all American, living in Houston, with a Phd in everything Mayan. She works at the family museum there, catlaloging, displaying and teaching about Mayan artifacts found on Reyes-Balam lands. (That's her last name Reyes-Balam).
Hunter Johnston is in the security business with his Uncles. He's ex- border patrol or ICE. He meets Lina by auditing her classes, but then his best friend Jason needs help finding some Mayan artifacts that were stolen from ICE's evidence room or he'll be fired. Hunter turns to Lina for help. He only has pictures but that's enough to get things rolling.
Now the story gets rolling too. In no time, things are out of control. Jason is shot and Lina and Hunter are fleeing for their lives. They go to the Reyes-Balam compound in the Yucatan. It turns out Lina's Greatgrandmother's Birthday is the same day as the end of the world, and Lina promised she'd be there. What they find when they get there is anything but normal. It just gets worse and worse until reality totally slips away. What will happen to Hunter and Lina? Will they live to see the new year? Will they become a couple? What about the Reyes-Balam family- who will live or die? And the priceless artifacts - what about them? Will the holy sacrifice take place at midnight on December. 21, 2012 ushering in a
new age for the Maya?
To answer these these questions you'll have to read the book - it's well worth your time and money. The book was not only entertaining it was educational. Even though the author made up the God Kawa'il, just learning more about Mayan customs and culture was very interesting, and added a lot of body to an already exciting book. You learn as the character learn, so it's not pendantic, or heavy handed, but nicely done, in fact it is extremely well done.
The characterization in the book was brilliant! Done through dialogue, description, actions, and description by other characters - it made each character fully alive and individual. Each leapt off the page as three dimensional people, completely capable of walking through my front door with an an artifact or two to show me what all this fuss was about. They were as real as fictional characters can be.
The pacing in the story was the type where there should be a warning on the front that says " Hold on to your hats and keep your hands in the car at all times until the ride comes to a full stop!". It never let up from the first sentence to the last sentence - you were totally mesmerized by what was happening ( I did take off a few hours for sleep) , but then I was once again mesmerized by the story until the end, when I could breathe a sigh of relief. Warning: don't read this on a weekday, wait for a free weekend. If you have kids or a husband, make arrangements for them to be cared for, because you'll be MIA until the book is finished. Trust me, you don't want any interruptions.
The diaglogue in the story is spot on. It is in three languages, but primarily English, then there's Spanglish ( Mexican mixed with English), then there's Yucatec, which is almost always translated to English. It's the language of the Maya. You could pick out characters by simply hearing them speak. Everyone had a uniquely different way of speaking that made it obvious who was speaking at any point in time. That must be incredibly hard to do, but Ms. Lowell does it so well - it's like an artform.
The plot of the book spins out slowly. Like a hedge maze, at first it looks simple, but then you find that your lost and facing three separate avenues that all look alike. Was it right turns or left turns I was taking? You don't know, so you sprint down the middle pathway, deep into the maze, totally lost, praying for any type of sign to get you out. Soon you see a glimpse, you jog to the right, after a moment, you get another, closer glimpse, now you are flat out running for all your worth. You're in full kick when you reach the middle of the maze, but you need to slow down because what you find is Death with a capital D and it's coming for a lot of people - maybe you.
The only reason that I didn't give give this book five stars was because about half way through, I guessed the the ending, maybe not all the details but the main parts of the ending like who does what to whose dog for how many cookies. It took any surprise out of the final pages of the book except for those small details which didn't add much. So, if I could, I would give this book 4.75 / 5 stars.
My favorite characters were the protagonists, Lina and Hunter, along with Hunter's friends Jason and his wife Ali. Jason and Ali are married with two kids and one on the way, and are madly in love. Lina and Hunter are discovering each other throughout the book. It makes for some very hmm! interesting reading. By the time the book ends they've decided whether they're compatible or not, in a big way. I just love these characters. Most of the rest were either self centered, despicable, driven, insane, delusional, greedy, paranoid, criminal, neuvo riche or just plain folks.
I want to thank Goodreads First Reads, where I won this book. What a wonderful book to win. I want to thank Elizabeth Lowell for writing such a wonderful book. You have a new fan.
I would recommend this book to everyone. It has adventure, violence, history, romance, human nature, the end of the world, gun battles, knife fights, human sacrifice, Mayan artifacts, hidden temples and everything else mentioned earlier. It's like Indiana Jones in the present day as a girl meets the Yucatan. It would make an incredible movie. No editing needed! Because I guessed the ending so easily I give it 4.75 / 5 stars. Otherwise it is a 5 star book - all the way. Two thumbs up for Elizabeth Lowell's Beautiful Sacrifice!
September 22, 2017
Beautiful Sacrifice (2012) Elizabeth Lowell
Romantic suspense novel featuring Lina, a mestiza whose dad Philip is an archeologist obsessed with Maya and Yucatec culture and whose mom Celia is part of a lineage stretching back to the original Maya rulers. I liked all the detail and rich descriptions of the Yucatan jungle, the cenotes, and the Mayan artifacts. As always, Lowell’s sex is hot and her language pithy and pointed.
Where I felt disappointed was there wasn’t much suspense beyond the opening scene with the shoot out in the garage and the ending. I found this Lowell novel “soft” on the suspense and successful on the “romance” side of things.
SPOILER ALERT - DON'T READ FURTHER
Carlos is the uncle, who turns out in the end (though no great surprise) to be El Maya -- a religious fanatic who believes he’s bringing about the end of the current Bahktun and turning of the wheel to bring the next Mayan great age. The ending (also no big surprise, but well described) is the lead up to the “beautiful sacrifice” -- as in the plan to kill Lina as the offering to the Mayan gods.
Romantic suspense novel featuring Lina, a mestiza whose dad Philip is an archeologist obsessed with Maya and Yucatec culture and whose mom Celia is part of a lineage stretching back to the original Maya rulers. I liked all the detail and rich descriptions of the Yucatan jungle, the cenotes, and the Mayan artifacts. As always, Lowell’s sex is hot and her language pithy and pointed.
Where I felt disappointed was there wasn’t much suspense beyond the opening scene with the shoot out in the garage and the ending. I found this Lowell novel “soft” on the suspense and successful on the “romance” side of things.
SPOILER ALERT - DON'T READ FURTHER
Carlos is the uncle, who turns out in the end (though no great surprise) to be El Maya -- a religious fanatic who believes he’s bringing about the end of the current Bahktun and turning of the wheel to bring the next Mayan great age. The ending (also no big surprise, but well described) is the lead up to the “beautiful sacrifice” -- as in the plan to kill Lina as the offering to the Mayan gods.
May 2, 2024
Very boring book. As one reviewer stated, it was a textbook with a little romance. The book was close to 400 pages. I believe 200 pages could have been left out. The book went on and on about Mayan artifacts. If I wanted to know that much I could have checked a book out of the library on Mayan artifacts and history. I have been to Museo Nacional de Antropologia (The National Museum of Anthropology) in Mexico City. I enjoyed looking, but I had no interest in spending hours and days there.
The final confrontation was like something out of an old Tarzan movie. The only difference was Tarzan was Africa and this was Mexico.
I have read many of Elizabeth Lowell's books and this was a reread. Obviously I did not remember anything from the first read 12 years ago or I would not have read it a second time. As I said before, the book was mostly history and it can be skimmed as I did.
The final confrontation was like something out of an old Tarzan movie. The only difference was Tarzan was Africa and this was Mexico.
I have read many of Elizabeth Lowell's books and this was a reread. Obviously I did not remember anything from the first read 12 years ago or I would not have read it a second time. As I said before, the book was mostly history and it can be skimmed as I did.
February 4, 2026
this is by far one of the worst books i’ve read in my life. i have read state testing stories better than this. the plot is so hard to follow, why is 90% of this about pointless mayan history that is probably not true. the romance was honestly worse, why is an evil man always being romanticized and all of the sudden turns into the hero so you automatically have to like him and forget how gross he was to begin with. the way the point of views switched between lina and hunter made things even harder to follow and the italicized text being their internal thoughts even though they just said something internally makes no sense??? i usually love everything i read because at the end things come together, but this never came together.
October 23, 2012
A thriller combining the end of the Maya Long Count and archeology with a crazy family.
My Take
I enjoyed this. Of course, it does combine archeology with suspense, so I am a bit prejudiced.
I did enjoy the explanation of the Maya religion and the slightly more in-depth information about the importance of blood sacrifice. An interesting mix of historical significance and the perversions modern man will twist it. As an artist, I appreciated the description of certain of the artifacts and how they were made and displayed.
Most of the story is the romance between Lina and Hunter as well as their "escape" into Mexico, additional interest via Jase and Hunter's tracking down clues about the stolen artifacts, and a short, dramatic visit with Lina's family.
This was a new one: The "nine-millimeter warrant".
Lina really only has her grandmother for support in the family. Her parents are cold and self-absorbed and her cousin is a bit, well, ick. Too much of a playboy although he seems to have settled down. Well, heck, how sad is it that "the man who blackmailed her had shown her more respect than her parents ever had."
Wait a minute...Lina had a crush on Mercurio which Lowell is at pains to remind us of throughout the story and then she states that "Lina never had been sexually drawn to the handsome young Mexican"??
I am just so confused by this sentence: "...LDX works with the Q Roo drug cartel, but it's only to get paid for what LDX would do for free." When Lowell has Lina and Hunter talking to Mercurio at the museo, she suddenly uses Carlos' name as one of the speakers.
Creating the information about Hunter's daughter seems rather pointless. Just a tidbit to make Hunter interesting, which would have worked better if Lowell had made it part of his reason for leaving ICE. Jase is a fun guy and the interaction between him and Hunter was enjoyable. Crutchfeldt seemed to be one of the token bad guys along the way.
Lowell makes an excellent point that humans are corrupt. It doesn't matter which side of the border you're on. But she also points out that "Mexico is circling the toilet" with "the narcos...in open warfare with the federales and corrupt cops and politicians. Which is just so damned sad. If we truly wanted to fight a war on drugs, then use the money to help the people to grow legal crops. And NOT fund the money through their governments! Too many Swiss and other off-shore bank accounts siphon that money off.
How is it that Hunter and Lina miss the connection between Carlos' company and the truck hauling the "stolen" artifacts?
I do like Hunter's confidence and I can appreciate how they both feel about the joy of being out in the country and the attractions of the city. Very practical.
Oh, yes! I love what Hunter does to Lina's dad! What a jerk. But, I still want to know how the cave was kept dry…
The Story
If it weren't for the machinations of her parents, this cloud wouldn't be hanging over Dr. Taylor. The only reason Lina still has her job at the museum is because her family owns a chunk of it. Still, she's desperately careful that no hint of impropriety can be pinned to her.
A care that is tossed out the window when one of her absentee students shows up with a handful of photos of stolen artifacts. He knows about her past and isn't above blackmailing her into helping him.
It's human sacrifice and a kidnapping attempt that send Lina and Hunter on the run to the one place where Lina knows she'll be safe.
The Characters
Dr. Lina Taylor, an archeologist specializing in Yucatan/Maya culture, is between a rock and a hard place. Her parents are scandalous, her family's estate is rich in artifacts, and she is struggling to retain her reputation at the Museum of the Maya in Houston. Cecilia Reyes Balam is both nagging mother and sharp-eyed businesswoman; Dr. Philip Taylor is more than an absentee father in his obsession for Maya artifacts; Carlos, her mother's cousin, is the family's savior; and, Abuelita is a petty tyrant although she has a soft spot for Lina.
Hunter Johnston was once an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent but gave it up to go to work for his uncles in their security business. Suzanne is the girl he considered his daughter. The one for whom her mother had so little concern.
Jason Beaumont is suspended from his job at ICE so his boss, Stu Brubaker, can cover his own butt. Ali is his beloved and pregnant wife and they have two children.
Mercurio ak Chan de la Poole used to work for her father, but eventually realized he'd never have his own career. He's currently in charge of the Museo de Antropología de Tulum (the building sounds gorgeous). Simon Crutchfeldt is a major client of Celia's who collects and resells artifacts. He's not at all scrupulous. El Maya appears to be a narco-terrorist who is willing to send thugs with submachine guns to take down Lina. Rodrigo is a bad-ass informer for Hunter in Tulum and he's terrified of El Maya.
The Cover
The cover is a fuzzy blend of deep purple and fuchsia with the purple creating Lina's hair and the fuchsia representing her face. It's just a hint really with only her right eye and a sweep of bangs.
It is a Beautiful Sacrifice. Not a willing one, but beautiful.
My Take
I enjoyed this. Of course, it does combine archeology with suspense, so I am a bit prejudiced.
I did enjoy the explanation of the Maya religion and the slightly more in-depth information about the importance of blood sacrifice. An interesting mix of historical significance and the perversions modern man will twist it. As an artist, I appreciated the description of certain of the artifacts and how they were made and displayed.
Most of the story is the romance between Lina and Hunter as well as their "escape" into Mexico, additional interest via Jase and Hunter's tracking down clues about the stolen artifacts, and a short, dramatic visit with Lina's family.
This was a new one: The "nine-millimeter warrant".
Lina really only has her grandmother for support in the family. Her parents are cold and self-absorbed and her cousin is a bit, well, ick. Too much of a playboy although he seems to have settled down. Well, heck, how sad is it that "the man who blackmailed her had shown her more respect than her parents ever had."
Wait a minute...Lina had a crush on Mercurio which Lowell is at pains to remind us of throughout the story and then she states that "Lina never had been sexually drawn to the handsome young Mexican"??
I am just so confused by this sentence: "...LDX works with the Q Roo drug cartel, but it's only to get paid for what LDX would do for free." When Lowell has Lina and Hunter talking to Mercurio at the museo, she suddenly uses Carlos' name as one of the speakers.
Creating the information about Hunter's daughter seems rather pointless. Just a tidbit to make Hunter interesting, which would have worked better if Lowell had made it part of his reason for leaving ICE. Jase is a fun guy and the interaction between him and Hunter was enjoyable. Crutchfeldt seemed to be one of the token bad guys along the way.
Lowell makes an excellent point that humans are corrupt. It doesn't matter which side of the border you're on. But she also points out that "Mexico is circling the toilet" with "the narcos...in open warfare with the federales and corrupt cops and politicians. Which is just so damned sad. If we truly wanted to fight a war on drugs, then use the money to help the people to grow legal crops. And NOT fund the money through their governments! Too many Swiss and other off-shore bank accounts siphon that money off.
How is it that Hunter and Lina miss the connection between Carlos' company and the truck hauling the "stolen" artifacts?
I do like Hunter's confidence and I can appreciate how they both feel about the joy of being out in the country and the attractions of the city. Very practical.
Oh, yes! I love what Hunter does to Lina's dad! What a jerk. But, I still want to know how the cave was kept dry…
The Story
If it weren't for the machinations of her parents, this cloud wouldn't be hanging over Dr. Taylor. The only reason Lina still has her job at the museum is because her family owns a chunk of it. Still, she's desperately careful that no hint of impropriety can be pinned to her.
A care that is tossed out the window when one of her absentee students shows up with a handful of photos of stolen artifacts. He knows about her past and isn't above blackmailing her into helping him.
It's human sacrifice and a kidnapping attempt that send Lina and Hunter on the run to the one place where Lina knows she'll be safe.
The Characters
Dr. Lina Taylor, an archeologist specializing in Yucatan/Maya culture, is between a rock and a hard place. Her parents are scandalous, her family's estate is rich in artifacts, and she is struggling to retain her reputation at the Museum of the Maya in Houston. Cecilia Reyes Balam is both nagging mother and sharp-eyed businesswoman; Dr. Philip Taylor is more than an absentee father in his obsession for Maya artifacts; Carlos, her mother's cousin, is the family's savior; and, Abuelita is a petty tyrant although she has a soft spot for Lina.
Hunter Johnston was once an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent but gave it up to go to work for his uncles in their security business. Suzanne is the girl he considered his daughter. The one for whom her mother had so little concern.
Jason Beaumont is suspended from his job at ICE so his boss, Stu Brubaker, can cover his own butt. Ali is his beloved and pregnant wife and they have two children.
Mercurio ak Chan de la Poole used to work for her father, but eventually realized he'd never have his own career. He's currently in charge of the Museo de Antropología de Tulum (the building sounds gorgeous). Simon Crutchfeldt is a major client of Celia's who collects and resells artifacts. He's not at all scrupulous. El Maya appears to be a narco-terrorist who is willing to send thugs with submachine guns to take down Lina. Rodrigo is a bad-ass informer for Hunter in Tulum and he's terrified of El Maya.
The Cover
The cover is a fuzzy blend of deep purple and fuchsia with the purple creating Lina's hair and the fuchsia representing her face. It's just a hint really with only her right eye and a sweep of bangs.
It is a Beautiful Sacrifice. Not a willing one, but beautiful.
September 28, 2017
It was fairly obvious where the plot was going, who the evil guys were, and so on. There were a lot of info dumps masquerading as dialogue, and some icky purple prose bits, especially on the descriptions of the artwork and archaeological pieces. Okay, I get it. It's beautiful and mysterious and scary. Cool. Can we please get back to the story?!! Speaking of story, in general it was dull. Not the worst, but when all the actual "thrills" are happening in the last twenty or so pages...
March 30, 2018
I hate giving bad reviews, but I put this book down so many times that it took me almost a week to read it. Normally, I read a book a day.
There was just nothing intriguing enough to keep my interest. The one stand-out was concern over Jase being shot. And great descriptive detail was applied to the artififacts. There was just no story thread strong enough to tie everything together, not even the romance.
There was just nothing intriguing enough to keep my interest. The one stand-out was concern over Jase being shot. And great descriptive detail was applied to the artififacts. There was just no story thread strong enough to tie everything together, not even the romance.
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