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The Immortals #0.5
Immortality
Acclaimed as one of the masters of paranormal romance, Maggie Shayne enthralled readers with her extraordinary trilogy about a race of immortal witches. Now, she presents the story of an immortal whose existence has centered solely on vengeance and hatred-only to find a second chance at love, redemption-and immortality.
Her name is Puabi-and she's an Immortal High Witch whose past is littered with dark secrets. Convinced she has eluded death for the last time, she is shocked to find herself being rescued by a mysterious stranger who fills her with a desire she thought was lost forever.
His name is Matthew Fairchild-and he is a millionaire tormented by guilt over the tragic death of his wife. The last thing he expected to encounter was a beautiful woman who possessed an uncanny resemblance to the woman he loved and lost. But Puabi is like no one he's ever met before. Is it possible this enigmatic beauty can heal the bitter wounds that have nearly cost him his heart?
84 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 27, 2005
61 people are currently reading
923 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Shayne
257 books2,571 followersI live in the teeny, tiny town of Taylor, NY, (Alliteration Alert!) though my mailing address is Cincinnatus, my telephone exchange is Truxton and I pay taxes and vote in Cuyler. All of these are at least in the same rural county in the southern hills of New York State; Cortland County. There are more cattle than people here. The nearest “big” cities are Syracuse and Binghamton and they are an hour away, in different directions, and not really all that big by most standards, though they both seem humongous to me. I look out my window to see rolling, green, thickly forested hills, wildflower laden meadows and wide open blue, blue skies. My road is barely paved. The nearest neighboring place is a 700 acre dairy farm.
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
My house is a big, century old farmhouse. I moved in here after my divorce in 2006. Just a little over a year later, the house, which I had named, SERENITY, burned. It was 99% gutted, and I lost my two dogs, Sally, an 11-year-old great Dane, and Wrinkles, my 14-year-old, blind bulldog. This was the culmination of my Dark Night of the soul, which had seemed to hit me all at once in 2006-2007. My mother died that year, after a 14 month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 60. The youngest of my five daughters had left home that same year, and while that’s not a tragedy at all, it felt like one to me. Then came the divorce. And finally there was the fire--it seemed my darkest night wasn’t quite finished with me after all. I had lost almost everything before that point, and as I poked through the wet ashes and soot the next day, I realized that I had now been stripped all the way to the bone.
No better time to start over. (And no, I didn’t come to that realization that day--there were a few days of wallowing in pity first, particularly the day after the fire, when I hit a deer and smashed up my car, which I was practically living in!)
That’s when I started to laugh. Just sat on the side of the road as the deer bounded, uninjured and carefree, out of sight, and laughed. It was just too ridiculous at that point, to do anything else!
And from there, I picked myself up, and brushed myself off, and said, okay, there’s only one way to go from here. Forward. And that’s what I did. There I was at the age of harrurmphemmph, living in my one, mostly undamaged remaining room, with a dorm-sized mini-fridge, a futon, a TV, my cat (nine lives!) and a laptop. And not much else. (Though thank goodness the room that survived the fire, was a room that had its own attached bathroom!)
Since then I have rebuilt my beloved home, which really has become my haven, my “Serenity.” I share it now with my fiancé, Lance, and we have accumulated quite the little family together. “Little” being a relative term. We have a pair of English Mastiffs, Dozer and Daisy, who weigh 203 pounds and 208 pounds respectively, and a little pudgy English Bulldog named Niblet, who is bigger than both of them, inside her mind. We also have the aforementioned cat, Glorificus (“Glory” for short,) who adores her canine pups and keeps them firmly in line. And we've acquired a pair of stray cats as well, a mother and son, Luna (Lulu for short) and Butters aka Buddy. Lulu showed up pregnant during a lunar eclipse, had a litter, and vanished again. We found homes for all the kittens except one. Butters. We got him fixed and kept him. A few months later, Lulu returned, again expecting. This litter was born on the "Monster Moon." Again, all the kittens were spayed and neutered and placed in homes, and this time we got Lulu to the vet in time to spay her before the cycle could repeat.
Glory is not amused.
She has a story of her own, my old Glory cat, having been with me before the Dark Times descended, she went through it all with me, moved with me, survived the fire, and remains with me still. She's tolerating the newcomers. Barely.
My partner is an artist, a mechanic, a welder and an inventor, and the rumors are true, he is much younger than I
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 21, 2018
Loved this book! Every word was action packed throughout and there were some unexpected twists in the end.
Paubi, an Immortal High Witch, was finally ready to die. Her true love set a fire, left her for dead and ran off with his mistress. In her attempt to kill herself, she jumped into the ocean! But a man found her, and saved her. In the process of nursing her back to health, he told her how much she looked like his wife who had just passed away. The more they talked, the more coincidences they shared in their lives. It was just too strange. Why did they really meet in the middle of the ocean like that? What did fate really have in store for them? You probably won't figure it out until you read the end. I couldn't.
Paubi, an Immortal High Witch, was finally ready to die. Her true love set a fire, left her for dead and ran off with his mistress. In her attempt to kill herself, she jumped into the ocean! But a man found her, and saved her. In the process of nursing her back to health, he told her how much she looked like his wife who had just passed away. The more they talked, the more coincidences they shared in their lives. It was just too strange. Why did they really meet in the middle of the ocean like that? What did fate really have in store for them? You probably won't figure it out until you read the end. I couldn't.
October 31, 2022
I love this little novella. I wish it was a longer book or that it were part of a series!
July 2, 2018
Really liked this! It was very well written. The only downfall to this book is that it's so short! Would definitely like to read other books by this author.
February 12, 2012
Puabi is an Immortal High Witch whose past is littered with dark secrets. When her husband and his lover attempt to burn her alive, Puabi intents to let them but something in her makes her fight back and escape their clutches. Falling into the ocean Puabi assumes that all is lost and waits to die. But then widowed millionaire Matthew Fairchild saves her and throws both their lives into turmoil because Puabi looks exactly like his dead wife...and Matthew is unlocking Puabi's chained emotions.
This is the final book in the Immortal Witches series (after Eternity, Infinity and Destiny) and was originally printed in the anthology Out of this World. Although I am a fan of Maggie Shayne's writing I was completely new to the series before reading this and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Despite being the final installment in a series, and apparently taking one of the villains and turning her into the heroine, the story is relatively easy to follow.
The story is well paced with a surprising amount of action. There are also a lot of twists and turns that help develop the plot and the characters, although the novella format doesn't allow for a lot of side exploration. The ending of the book manages to find a perfect balance between getting what you expect and being unexpected.
I really liked Puabi as a main character and I was surprised by how much she was able to grow and change over the course of the book. Matthew was equally well-developed and it was interesting to see him dealing with someone who looks exactly like his dead wife, but is completely different in terms of personality. The romance is sweet and well developed, coming to a cleverly written satisfying conclusion.
All in all this was a fun read and I'm definitely interested in looking in to the rest of the series.
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 8/10
Overall: 44/50
This is the final book in the Immortal Witches series (after Eternity, Infinity and Destiny) and was originally printed in the anthology Out of this World. Although I am a fan of Maggie Shayne's writing I was completely new to the series before reading this and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Despite being the final installment in a series, and apparently taking one of the villains and turning her into the heroine, the story is relatively easy to follow.
The story is well paced with a surprising amount of action. There are also a lot of twists and turns that help develop the plot and the characters, although the novella format doesn't allow for a lot of side exploration. The ending of the book manages to find a perfect balance between getting what you expect and being unexpected.
I really liked Puabi as a main character and I was surprised by how much she was able to grow and change over the course of the book. Matthew was equally well-developed and it was interesting to see him dealing with someone who looks exactly like his dead wife, but is completely different in terms of personality. The romance is sweet and well developed, coming to a cleverly written satisfying conclusion.
All in all this was a fun read and I'm definitely interested in looking in to the rest of the series.
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 8/10
Overall: 44/50
June 2, 2018
This was a great story. I am not a huge fan of Romance novels and I really don't read them much. I didn't realize that this book was a Romance book, if I had know it I would have just put it back down and not thought another thing about it. But I didn't know that it was a Romance book so I began to read it and once I realized that it was Romance I could not put it down. It turned out to be a really good book I am glad that I began reading it. Love the ending. :)
It's about a witch that is to escape into the sea to get away from her husband the is trying to kill her. She is rescued by a millionaire and he nurses her back to health. They end up falling in love with each other (Like every other Romance book out there) and the life happily ever after. But it still was a very nice read.
It's about a witch that is to escape into the sea to get away from her husband the is trying to kill her. She is rescued by a millionaire and he nurses her back to health. They end up falling in love with each other (Like every other Romance book out there) and the life happily ever after. But it still was a very nice read.
December 21, 2020
What I love about Maggie's stories: you are introduced to someone in one of her books that is considered the antagonist - evil - and her skill with words makes you loathe this person. Then, she brings the nasty little creature into a new book and when you learn about the backstory, what created this persona due to circumstances, your heart bends and you end up rooting for the once viciously-seeming character.
This one broke my heart a bit just thinking of what our protagonist went through as a child.
This one broke my heart a bit just thinking of what our protagonist went through as a child.
January 6, 2016
I didn't put in a journal entry on Bookcrossing after I read this, so this is from memory.
This is a quick little read, and quite enjoyable. An immortal witch gets found by a grieving widower. And while this shows as the fourth in a series, you don't need to have read the others to understand (I haven't read the others, and still enjoyed the story). A cheesy romance novel, so don't expect much more than pure entertainment.
This is a quick little read, and quite enjoyable. An immortal witch gets found by a grieving widower. And while this shows as the fourth in a series, you don't need to have read the others to understand (I haven't read the others, and still enjoyed the story). A cheesy romance novel, so don't expect much more than pure entertainment.
June 8, 2011
The lead female character, despite being a serial killer, gets off unscathed and gets everything she wants. There's no real conflict--the semi-villain is squashed flat by a collapsing roof before she can do any real harm. Overall my least favorite of the series, but at the least the two main characters didn't fall in love instantly like happened in the first novel "Eternity"
May 26, 2010
Amazingly well developed story in under 100 pages. There are authors out there that can't fully develop their storyline and characters with 4 times the amount of pages. Great Story! Great Characters! Great Read!
September 12, 2010
I loved this story. The overlying themes were ones that aren't often shown in current literature, where more people are worried about wereanimals and vampires. Parts of the story were predicable, but other parts weren't as obvious.
It was a good story and flowed well.
It was a good story and flowed well.
January 15, 2024
I have arranged my takeaway thoughts on this truly wonderful rewrite into a haiku:
"Roads may wind and blur,
But the soul’s never so gone
It can’t circle back."
"Roads may wind and blur,
But the soul’s never so gone
It can’t circle back."
April 10, 2020
This is a novella, which centres on Puabi – a dark Immortal High Witch. She throws herself into the sea after her husband leaves her to burn in their house, as he runs off with his mistress. Matthew rescues her from the sea. Puabi could be the twin of his dead wife, Gabrielle.
The story is about redemption and love and has an unbelievable happy ending. It was a compelling read but not a satisfying one – even though I knew I was going to get a predictable romance before I started reading. I don’t usually mind that – so I guess I must have found other elements of the story unsatisfying and that is probably down to the length – not enough time for characters to be drawn properly and events to unfold at a natural pace.
The story is about redemption and love and has an unbelievable happy ending. It was a compelling read but not a satisfying one – even though I knew I was going to get a predictable romance before I started reading. I don’t usually mind that – so I guess I must have found other elements of the story unsatisfying and that is probably down to the length – not enough time for characters to be drawn properly and events to unfold at a natural pace.
October 8, 2019
This should be # 3.5 or # 4.
March 13, 2024
Interesting introduction to this world!
November 26, 2023
Another Great Book in the Series
Every book in The Immortal Witches series is EXCELLENT, and this one is no exception! I wasn’t sure I would like it, because of the main character, but I ended up absolutely loving it!
If you like magic and romance and more than a touch of danger, then this book and series is for you. I would DEFINITELY recommend reading this series in order. While you COULD read this book as a standalone, I really wouldn’t recommend it. The spoilers in this book, for the previous books in this series, especially the third book, are large and legion. Trust me, you will enjoy this series SO much more, if you read it in order. I promise, you won’t regret it.
These books, this series, they’re AMAZING! Reading them is ABSOLUTELY time well spent. If you’re not already a Maggie Shayne fan, you WILL BE, after reading this series. I have yet to read a book of hers that I haven’t just liked, but LOVED, and this book, this series, is no different. I really can’t recommend them enough. Enjoy!!!
Every book in The Immortal Witches series is EXCELLENT, and this one is no exception! I wasn’t sure I would like it, because of the main character, but I ended up absolutely loving it!
If you like magic and romance and more than a touch of danger, then this book and series is for you. I would DEFINITELY recommend reading this series in order. While you COULD read this book as a standalone, I really wouldn’t recommend it. The spoilers in this book, for the previous books in this series, especially the third book, are large and legion. Trust me, you will enjoy this series SO much more, if you read it in order. I promise, you won’t regret it.
These books, this series, they’re AMAZING! Reading them is ABSOLUTELY time well spent. If you’re not already a Maggie Shayne fan, you WILL BE, after reading this series. I have yet to read a book of hers that I haven’t just liked, but LOVED, and this book, this series, is no different. I really can’t recommend them enough. Enjoy!!!
November 4, 2016
Warning: Adult Sexual Content, & Language
My daughter introduced me to this book. She really enjoyed it and thought I would as well. I began this mystical little book yesterday evening.
From the moment I began the book I was intrigued. I enjoyed the story the suspense of what each page would hold for the characters.
The turns and twists would cause me to gasp in awe and then call me back to read more. Yes I gave it a 5 star. I liked the story, I liked the characters, and it was just a good read.
I guess it would be good for a commute book. So I recommend it to the suspense readers riding the rail / subway.
My daughter introduced me to this book. She really enjoyed it and thought I would as well. I began this mystical little book yesterday evening.
From the moment I began the book I was intrigued. I enjoyed the story the suspense of what each page would hold for the characters.
The turns and twists would cause me to gasp in awe and then call me back to read more. Yes I gave it a 5 star. I liked the story, I liked the characters, and it was just a good read.
I guess it would be good for a commute book. So I recommend it to the suspense readers riding the rail / subway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2008
This was a good book, considering that at the end of “Destiny,” when we are introduced to Puabi, we find that she is not a “nice” person and don’t really want to get to know her. This was a short novelette, which was originally in an anthology. This is the fourth story in the line of the Immortal High Witches. I think it is very hard to make a great story when the author is given so little space for character development and plot progression. This is a good try; not great, not bad, just good.
August 13, 2020
Captivating!
To be honest, I didn't want to like this book. I didn't want to like Puabi. She was supposed to be the bad guy, supposed to be evil. Her story, though! She really is quite the tragic heroine! It takes a great writer telling an amazing story to force me to overcome my desire to despise a character and have me cheering for her by the end. Well done once again, Maggie!
To be honest, I didn't want to like this book. I didn't want to like Puabi. She was supposed to be the bad guy, supposed to be evil. Her story, though! She really is quite the tragic heroine! It takes a great writer telling an amazing story to force me to overcome my desire to despise a character and have me cheering for her by the end. Well done once again, Maggie!
December 14, 2023
My favorite thing about Maggie's writing, especially the epic witchy love stories is her writing. She actually writes as someone who practices which is important to those who are witchy. Her Immortals series is my all time favorite and what turn me onto Maggie. Her books, are easy fast reads leaving you wanting more!! If you are looking for witchy magical with some🌶🌶 reading this is the series!! She's amazing author who writes romance for many genres!!
February 7, 2025
Amazing. You go through the series hating her and then you see her from a different light. She is lacking in the softer emotions, and so finally with the death of his wife, the two halves of the soul can come together and she sees the error of her ways. A bit too easy a solution, but well done. And still, evil is out there, waiting to tear these two apart too.
July 13, 2013
I'm not one for such short stories, and I have to admit, I wasn't even really interested in Puabi's story, but I am so glad I read this! I loved it! The twist at the end was so cool! I wish there were more books in this series. What do you think, Ms. Shayne? Could you give us another? Maybe Gabriel's story? That would be awesome!
September 20, 2021
An Amazing Story
I thoroughly enjoyed this page turning adventure. Pure genius was displayed by the author as she outlined Puabi’s life from conception to becoming a queen and showed Puabi’s life 4000 years in the future and masterfully brought the two lives together in the end. The story ends in a way that begs for a sequel. To the author I say well done Maggie Shayne
I thoroughly enjoyed this page turning adventure. Pure genius was displayed by the author as she outlined Puabi’s life from conception to becoming a queen and showed Puabi’s life 4000 years in the future and masterfully brought the two lives together in the end. The story ends in a way that begs for a sequel. To the author I say well done Maggie Shayne
September 7, 2014
as always Maggie Shayne delivers
December 6, 2023
I have arranged my takeaway thoughts on this novella into a haiku:
"One sees how rage stretched
Death pangs that portend rebirth
Only when released."
"One sees how rage stretched
Death pangs that portend rebirth
Only when released."
Read
May 26, 2013included in one of the JD Robb books
June 20, 2014
One of my all time favorites, she writes just as I wisht to write.
September 10, 2016
I love this book so much that I have had to replace it twice and well be replacing again
December 2, 2022
Excellent read
I couldn't put this book down it was a perfect book to read in a rainstorm with a warm fire and a mug of tea.
I couldn't put this book down it was a perfect book to read in a rainstorm with a warm fire and a mug of tea.
March 8, 2015
A short supernatural love story. Definitely, worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews