Dunkle Leidenschaft

Immortals #1

by Jennifer Ashley

Geschaffen am Anbeginn der Zeit, um die Menschheit zu schützen, sind die Krieger in Vergessenheit geraten. Doch die Magie lebt weiter - in Vampiren, Werwölfen und anderen mystischen Wesen. Als sich einer von ihnen dem Bösen verschwört, braucht die Welt die Hilfe der Unsterblichen.

Vor siebenhundert Jahren verschwand sein Bruder Tain während einer Schlacht, und endlich glaubt Adrian, das Rätsel gelöst zu haben. Ein Dämon hat seinen Bruder verschleppt, derselbe, der nun auch die Schwester der Hexe Amber getötet hat. Gemeinsam machen sie sich auf die Suche nach ihm. Sie wollen Tain befreien und die Todesmagie aufhalten, die droht, alles Leben zu vernichten.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Vampires, Demons, Magic

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance, historical mysteries, and urban fantasy as Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner.

Jennifer's novels have been translated into many different languages, and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. More about her books at http://www.jenniferashley.com and http://gardnermysteries.com.

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty underwhelmed with this book. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Ashley's historical romances, and I consider her an autobuy (except for the erotic stuff she writes as Allyson James). However, I just didn't love this story. I like the concept of the warriors who all have different goddesses as mothers. However, the pagan religious theme is too heavy in this book. I'm just not into books that deal heavily with the practice of Wicca magic and belief. Not my cup of tea. I also wasn't fond of the whole sex magic aspects where the heroine and the hero have sex to embody the god and goddess of Wiccan belief. There were some interesting aspects, and I liked the secondary characters, but I never fell in love with the hero and heroine. This was one of those books I felt like I was just making time while I was reading.

I feel that it's mainly an issue of personal tastes, and this one doesn't appeal to my personal taste. After reading and really disliking the second book, I'm sure I don't have to read all the books in this series. Although I will read Tain's book to get some closure, since I am very intrigued with his situation.

[Jennifer Ashley]

Book 1 of the Immortals.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

spoilers in here, but the biggie ones are hidden :)


Wow, ok, this is was a fantastic start to a great series! Adrian is an Immortal. He and his 4 brothers were created by different goddesses and mortal priests so that the world would have 5 demi-gods with compassion for humanity around to pound on the bad guys. Well, 700 yrs ago, Tain, Adrian's brother, one of the Immortals, was captured by a demon and he has been tortured daily since then.

After that, the other brothers all walked away from their respective goddess-mothers. Then we meet Adrian. What I love about him is he's Egyptian. This whole series has a different mythology and a different concept than any of the others I've read. I mean how often do we have an Egyptian demi-god wielding a sword and who has an arm cuff that can become a snake buddy (ok, really it's his familiar). I mean c'mon, that's awesome!

So one night Adrian helps a witch, Amber, defeat a demon. Oh, and they fall in love. Hard.

Her sister had recently been killed by a demon, but right before that, she'd found Tain. Adrian hasn't had any word about his brother. AT all. For 700 years. So they team up and find him.

Turns out Tain is still with the demon who captured him, and how hell-bent on ending the world so he can finally have peace in death. Oh, and by the way, he'd completely insane from the torture and sex of the demon.

So amber and her coven perform The Calling, a spell to call the Immortals. It hasn't been used in 700 yrs, but hopefully acts like a paranormal beeper; they hear it, they come. Tain and the demon interrupt and Amber dies. Isis gives her her life back with conditions of course.

Next up is The Darkening by Robin Popp. See, this whole series is written by 3 different authors. They each have a warrior, and each will continue the story. There are 8 books:

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A younger Ms Ashley, I would say. The usual PNR, nice and easy to read, but even easier to forget. It might have improved if the world building had been neater, but the Egyptian warrior might have been Scottish and you wouldn't really have noticed.
There were drama, betrayal and death, but again they were barely a ripple in the pond this story is. (As in no real reaction, no real effects on characters.)

I don't know the other authors who penned the rest of the series, and this book didn't interest enough to try them.

[Wealie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars - Not bad, but so many different plot threads made it a little muddy and the lack of any clear resolution by the end made the read a bit less satisfying.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the series The Immortals. This book penned by Jennifer Ashley is about the paranormal world. The story starts out with a witch (Amber) who goes to the warehouse where her sister was murdered by a Demon. While there she is confronted by the same demon who killed her sister. He intends on killing her next. Out of nowhere Adrian an Immortal jumps in and rescues Amber. The story revolves around Adrian looking for his lost brother for over 700 years. Amber helps him look and the become entangled in many adventurous battles along with falling madly in love with each other. It is a good story, I liked the characters especially Valerian. This series is written by different authors. They each wrote a book for the series. I enjoyed the writing style of Jennifer Ashley and will look forward to reading more of her work. Recommended reading for paranormal- paranormal erotica fans.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dunkle Leidenschaft" ist der erste Teil der Immortal Reihe, die von drei verschiedenen Autoren geschrieben wird. In der Geschichte geht es um Adrian, einen unsterblichen Halbgott, der seinen seit siebenhundert Jahren verschollenen Bruder Tain sucht. Insgesamt hat Adrian vier Halbbrüder. Außerdem gibt es da noch Amber, der Adrian ziemlich schnell näher kommt. Sie ist eine Hexe, die den Dämon finden will, der ihre Schwester getötet hat.

Nach den ersten Seiten dachte ich mir, dass es sich um einen eher seichten Roman aus dem Genre Erotische Fantasy handelt, der teilweise recht witzige Dialoge beinhaltet. Die Geschichte wird dann aber schnell richtig spannend, fesselt einen bis zum Schluss. Manche Szenen sind jedoch sehr grausig und werden detailliert beschrieben. Eigentlich handelt es sich um ein düsteres Buch. Schwachen Gemütern würde ich es eher nicht empfehlen.

Die Hauptprotagonisten Amber und Adrian finde ich relativ sympathisch. Ich hätte mir aber etwas mehr Informationen zu den Charakteren gewünscht. Vor allem von Adrian erfährt man meiner Meinung nach zu wenig. Die Gefühle der beiden kommen irgendwie nicht immer richtig zur Geltung. Die Nebencharaktere sind sehr interessant und einfallsreich. Besonders gerne mag ich Ferrin und Valerian, finde aber auch den Vampir Septimus und die anderen Charaktere sehr interessant. Ich hoffe, dass man über diese in den Folgebänden noch mehr liest.

In der Geschichte tauchen verschiedene magische Wesen auf. Unteranderem gibt es Vampire, Hexen, Dämonen, Gestaltwandler (Werwölfe und Drachen) und Unsterbliche. Es werden Wicca-Rituale beschrieben, für die meiner Meinung nach recht gut recherchiert wurde. Die Autorin beschreibt eine magische Welt, in der Menschen von der Existenz von Vampiren, Dämonen, Hexen und anderen Wesen wissen. Es gibt dafür sogar eine eigene Einheit bei der Polizei.

Die erotischen Szenen im Buch finde ich nicht schlecht geschrieben, es sind für meinen Geschmack jedoch etwas zu viele. Statt der einen oder anderen erotischen Szene hätte ich mir mehr Hintergrundwissen und einen längeren Schluss gewünscht. Das Buch hat zwar ein Ende, dieses lässt jedoch einiges offen. Da es sich um eine Reihe handelt denke ich das in den Folgebänden bestimmt noch einiges aufgeklärt wird. Zumindest hoffe ich das.

Obwohl mich an dem Roman auch einiges gestört hat, fällt meine Wertung sehr hoch aus. Im Großen und Ganzen ist die Geschichte ein solider Serienauftakt. Sie hat mich gut unterhalten. Ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Teil namens "Geliebter der Nacht". Soweit ich weiß gibt es insgesamt 8 Bände.

[Charity · Rating 1 out of 5]

One word. CHEESY. By chapter two, he's in bed with her and she's asking the dumbest question of, "What, are you a size 20?" Cheesy and horrible. The story line would have been good with trying to find out about the dead sister and the missing brother, fighting demons, but I just could not keep going. I found myself rolling my eyes about how he had already figured out that she was the perfect woman before chapter 3 was over.

I guess if you like that sort of thing, more power to you. Not my idea of a good romance and/or story. The relationship needs a little more to it. It needs a start to one for one thing. Not sure if I'd try this author out again or not. Not impressed. Sorry.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure brain candy.
I read a chapter or two at a time, in between reading other books.
And, even though I did enjoy it, it didn't pull me in to the point where I had any trouble laying it aside for days at a time.
Will read the next book in this series before deciding whether or not I care to continue on through the other 6 books.

[Birgit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Jennifer Ashley, but I wasn`t drawn into this book. Maybe I`m just not too much into the genre - shifters, werewolves, vampires....
But then again I`ve read some paranormal books I really loved.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this whole series years ago in my rabid PNR days and loved it! as with all Jennifer Ashley highly recommend. I aim to re read the series.

[lorii (Loriidae) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was messy with way too much telling and lots of convenient coincidences. It is an early Jennifer Ashley, that lacks the clarity of writing style found in her later Shifters Unbound series.

[Lady of the Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It wasn't the deepest or the best of PNR but I like immortals I'm not a big fan of werwolves there are a few I liked Vampires are ok but I found I like immortals. I didn't see what Adrian saw in Amber the way she was physicaly described it didn't do much for me but I liked how he was attracted to her innocence and the goodness he saw all through her. I was caught up in it right from the start and now I am moving on directly to the next book in the series Jennifer Ashley wrote...it's a series that has different authors and I've been told it can be read out of order and not lose anything...I'm choosing to skip to book four because I dont want to have to get the flow of a different writer...so to book four I go ....The Gathering.... Which features Hunter, another Immortal a half brother of Adrian.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book - hmmm, it seemed all over the place to me. I thought the strong male wasn't that strong. And Amber, just a little too boring for me. I've complained that some of the heroines are so out there, in your face, that it's a little too much. But then I turn around and complain that Amber is boring, I'm never content.

Amber's sister is killed by a demon and she's trying to find out what happened. Adrian goes to help her when the same demon attacks her. He's also looking for his brother Tain, cutting himself off while he tries to find him. That's 700 years of cutting himself off and he's lost contact with all of his brothers for a couple of centuries. I have I think 3 more books from this series. What's different about this series is there are several authors, so maybe it will get a little better. But I'm putting off reading the rest for awhile.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This paranormal romance has most of the usual suspects, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and demons. One of the things I have realised whilst reading this book is that I'm not a big fan of demons or immortals. Not sure why? We all have different tastes which is why there are so many authors. I prefer vampires, shapeshifters and werewolves. This book is well written, has plenty of suspense, magic and sexual tension. I would recommend it to paranormal fans of immortal/demon fiction but it just wasn't for me.

[Ansu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was okay not great because I expected the heroine to have a little more spunk. Amber was a huge let down for me after being called a hereditary witch with amazing powers. This did not help her at any stage and she ended up being a libility to Adian as he always ended up saving her as if she was a regular Jane. This is the reason for a 4 star rating other than that the supporting characters where very nice and Ferrin was great adding a little comic relief to the tension.

[Juana "Darkness" Duran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber is devistayed when her sister Susan is killed by a very powerful demon. And just when she is about to get killed by the same demon Adrien an immortal comes to the rescue. Along the journey to discover where Adriens brother is and why Susan had to die Amber makes some unlikely aloes. Revelations are made some good and others bad. But will Amber get to keep Adrien? Or will Adrien leave her? Only time will tell.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have read in a very long time. The H/h were pathetic. When one of the main character dies, I was thrilled. I was hoping that the rest of the cast and crew would get killed off too; so I could have a happy ending. I read this whole book from pure bullheadedness. I kept thinking this HAS got to get better. It didn't. I loved her book about Ian. He was fun. These two. Don't waste you time. I have had more fun reading the back of my cereal box.

[Sharyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Ashley's historical and shifter series' but apparently , not her other paranormal ones. The hero of this book was a 5,000 year old Immortal and he falls for a witch. There is a lot of torture in the book, which I basically skimmed whenever it occurred. Also this is a series that is continued by other authors, so I probably won't continue it.

[Stacie]

This one was pretty good. It was something different. The hero is a warrior sent to save innocents from demons. He has a silver arm band that turns into a snake/sword. That was a different twist on the story.

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber is one strong witch to take down a 3000 + year old immortal. Adrian was captivated by a dream. Now the real thing is in his path and their desire grows. This is just he beginning of an intransing series.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable introduction to the series. Every possible paranormal creature seem to be represented in this first book, except for an angel or a djinn..hehehe..... maybe we'll see them in the next books?

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read.

[Nadine Bookaholic]

Word Count: 95,000

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading! The story had a good mix of characters - immortals, witches, demons, vampires, shapeshifters!

[Amyiw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm... 3 1/2
The ending is not satisfying. He chooses her over trying anymore to save his brother. That will be left to the other immortals. And it is not made clear how their life will go with her mortality and his immortality. add to that a bit of sex that just didn't do it because two more entities were involved. Not being a prude but it just wasn't sexy for me. This is a bit on the graphic side also but I was expecting that. A definite PNR but with a good back ground story that I thought maybe could have ended when She comes to save him at her house. He has decided his brother is lost and picks her over him. Then she invokes all the witches and the power is overwhelming for the demon, yet... he doesn't attack the demon before he/she escapes and then lets the demon grab his crazy brother too and take him. it was not a good conclusion but neither was the final conclusion either He quits pretty much because she is killed. He takes her to the goddess rather than defeating the all powerful demon and the warped minded brother.

So it was a good story but had serious issues. I give it a 3 1/2 and want to bump it up but not really. So on the fence.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While searching for the reason her sister was murdered, Amber, a light witch, is rescued from a demon by Adrian, an Immortal from the times of the ancient Egyptians. He and his brothers were created to protect the balance between the good and dark forces of the world.

This book is packed full of interesting situations and ideas. Dragons and ice caves and Malibu beach homes and demon battles and wonderful love scenes. There not just one, but three romances going on. There’s a lot of spells and crystal magic and some really gross stuff that I skipped over a bit. The best part (for me) was Ferrin.

The story sounds dark, but it’s really a light, easy ready. The hero is powerful and sexy, but not a bossy jerk. He’s very protective and generous. While Amber is determined and independent yet not self-centered.

Fave scenes: the car bubble, Adrian’s basement, dragon with a cold and the Samhain circle.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first, this cover is a Photoshop disaster. Gradient overload, random background city street, and a magic lassoed snake, and to top it off a lens flare. And some random white dude - he can't possibly be the hero since he was the son of Isis and an ancient Egyptian priest, so not some Chad looking mofo.
I actually really enjoyed this. It did paranormal very well - the world building was great, and it didn't fuck up the details of actual reality that it inhabited. The writing was good, if a bit cheesy, but that can be forgiven in this genre.
The main couple was fine, but I actually loved the secondary characters the most. A sarcastic snake familiar, werewolf BFF who tells the hero what's up if he breaks her friend's heart, a lazy dragon, and probably my fave is the ancient vampire who loves to whip up some charts in PowerPoint.
The overarching plot continues on, so I will have to track down more of these.

[Midnight · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm starting to lose hope in romance novels. Yet another male main character (author) that had me giving up before I got very far into the book. Did anyone else notice that he was putting magic on her to relax and bring him back to her place? How about the fact that he was relaxing her with him? How about how he mentioned he was planning on wiping her memory afterward like he has for other women? THAT'S rape! If you are coerced in any way, especially magical, and your feelings and thoughts are not your own? That's RAPE. And the fact that he just bippity boppity boops their memories away is f*cking proof that he enjoys women whenever and however he wants. WHY?! Why do writers do this?! There can be plenty of tension in a book without this added in. We already have to deal with it in the media, in other books, in movies, in magazines, in the newspaper, and real freaking life. Why the hell do we have to deal with it in a fictional book too?

[Lexee Toste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and interesting

This is a different story and very interesting. I really enjoyed the different take for this and the way that Amber and Adrian interacted and built a relationship. I loved how strong Amber was throughout the story, even though she didn’t see her true strength. Adrian noticed that she was stronger than she thought and started to rely on her more and more. This story is well written and definitely has the time to be fully developed. This is part of a series and so while this doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and our couple is great, it doesn’t sum everything up and solve all issues. That will continue into the next book in the series and the next brother. I really enjoyed the plot for this.