Jade Tiger

Reese's vibrant debut introduces Shan Westfall, a half-Chinese, half-American crime fighter, who yearns to unite the mystical power of the Jade Circle, an ancient female order embodied by five jade animal artifacts. The Jade Circle is currently incomplete, broken by a ruthless crime lord who seeks the statues' power for his own nefarious purposes. Shan's determined search leads her to the jade crane held by archeologist Ian Dashell, who becomes an ally and, after a period of smoldering erotic tension, her lover. Flying kicks, heart-stopping spins and amazing somersaults propel the action. Complicating matters is Ian's colleague, Dr. Daniel Buckley, an antiquities expert; One-eye, an evil Asian martial artist; and Sifu Xia, a feisty 60-year-old kung fu queen. Reese choreographs both the romantic moves and the martial arts with flair. Juno is a new fantasy imprint of Wildside Press featuring strong female characters, exotic locales and romance. (Jan.)