Customer Reviews

Eternity (Immortal Witches)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book and the sequel!

Maggie Shayne has created character with depth, and a storyline that will have readers cheering for the hero and heroine. *G* Also, I loved the way she weaves the magic into her books.

As far as bashing Christians...well, I don't think if I were the heroines of these two books and had been persecuted in the name of religion I would be very forgiving either. Hanging and watching your friends being burned to death would do that. I'd probably have major attitude problems towards organized religion, so I don't think it would be in character for these characters not to feel this way.

When you learn that there were entire villages in Germany with *no* women left after the witch hunters were through then you can understand something of the horror of that time and the scars it would leave. Once someone was accused of being a witch, there was almost no way to escape. They even managed to burn Joan of Arc for being a witch! All of this is historical fact, and so, in keeping with the development of these characters.

Unlike most mushy romances this actually holds substance. The dialogue is witty, crisp, and clever. She writes with the promised prose of more to come as the future unfolds. So I deem it safe to say that Maggie Shayne is rapidly becoming one of my favorite fantasy writers, and I guarentee that even romance haters will enjoy this as the emotions are raw and filled with realistic depth....

Three hundred years ago, the good citizens of Sanctuary believed there was a Witch in their midst...

Her name was Raven St. James, a woman whose unearthly beauty and beguiling charms inspired rumors of Witchcraft. Only one man tried to save her from the hangman's noose--Duncan, the town minister, who thought it strange that anyone could accuse this lovely and vibrant woman of anything wicked. Strange still was the fact that Raven WAS a Witch. And even though she held the power to save herself, she could not rescue Duncan--who died trying to save her...

Three hundred years later, the immortal Witch searches for the one soul who truly loved her...

At last, after centuries of lonliness and longing, Raven has found him. Her precious Duncan has returned--reborn in the body of a man who has no memory of the past they shared. Yet Raven knows that the heart can never forget true passion. Their souls are destined to be together. But as Duncan reawakens to the power of Raven's love, so too does the evil that tore them apart three hundred years ago. Now Raven and Duncan must prove their love--for all eternity...

This is undoubtedly one of the most engaging, beautiful, and enchanting reads I have ever endured through. If only it could go on for all eternity...

After reading Maggie's vampire series I was skeptical about Eternity - would it read the same? Would it follow the same format? Eternity is nothing like her other books - it's so much better. I attended a conference where she spoke of the passion that led her to write this book and I felt it in every page. She poured herself out onto every single page, into every single letter. And the result is incredible. It's so nice to read a book that the author felt truly passionate about, that truly moved her to put it onto the paper. Read it - you'll feel it too.

"Eternity" by Maggie Shayne is a truly wonderful read. The love story is poignant and heart-rending, and is mixed with danger and suspense. Even those who are not usually inclined to like stories about witches will enjoy this book, as Shayne depicts the characters in a believable and realistic manner. This book combines romance with "magick" perfectly, creating a delightful tale of fantasy and true love!
Raven St. James is an Immortal High Witch, living in times where being a witch is incredibly dangerous. Raven learns this lesson all too well, when she and her treasured mother are hung for the crime of witchcraft. One man, Duncan Wallace, tries to stop the execution, and an unbreakable bond between Raven and Duncan is formed in those few minutes of horror. When Raven revives beside her dead mother, she is overcome by grief, but follows her mother's instructions and travels to the New World to start a new life.
However, danger awaits her at every turn, because there are Immortal Dark Witches as well, who survive by taking the hearts from Light Witches such as Raven. Indeed, Raven's heart is a powerful one, and there is one evil Dark one who desires her heart above all else.
Raven arrives in the township of Sanctuary, where she begins a life with her Aunt Eleanor. But she is never able to forget the brave and noble man who tried to save her that day on the gallows. It isn't long before suspicions arise about Raven again, and she realizes she may once again be forced from her home. But everything changes one day when a new minister arrives, whose name is none other than Duncan Wallace.
Raven and Duncan's friendship blooms into a beautiful romance, full of exquisite tenderness and a love so deep it negates all else. But when the town's mistrust reaches a boiling point, Raven's happiness is destroyed as Duncan dies trying to save her.
All Raven has left in the world is her dear friend Arianna, another Immortal High Witch, who forces Raven to carry on, promising her that Duncan will return to her one day in another life. And after three centuries of loneliness and longing, Raven finally finds her beloved Duncan. And though Duncan's mind does not remember Raven at first, she knows that his heart could never forget the love they shared.
But before they can find happiness and love in each other's arms, Raven must defeat her lifelong enemy, who once again has tracked her down and is out for her heart. The suspense builds effectively to a thrilling climax, and the ultimate battle between good and evil.
"Eternity" is a book that will touch your heart. Personally, I found it hard to read at times because of the cruelty that was directed towards Raven when she was suspected of witchcraft. However, this only served to make me turn the pages even faster, until I found a resolution for Raven. I have no doubt that readers will come to care for Raven as much as I did. Indeed, with characters that make readers love them and a storyline that will keep readers enthralled, "Eternity" is a book that won't soon be forgotten. This book was a highly enjoyable read, and left me reaching straight for its sequel, "Infinity". I guarantee this book will entertain and satisfy - so don't miss out!

I've read better Maggie Shayne books. This one was nice, but I was looking forward to reaching the end. The plot was predictable, but then they give it away on the back blurb anyway. That which wasn't given away was fairly easy to figure out (given there's one evil guy, one bad guy and it's a romance) but I was all right with that. Don't go into this book expecting surprises.

The writing style was difficult to get into. 1st person for the heroine, 3rd person for everyone else. It was jarring. Cool ending though. It almost alleviated the depressing tone that weighed over the rest of the book.

This book pulled me into its fantasy world immediately and wouldn't let me go. I can't say what I loved about it more specifically than by saying that Maggie Shayne somehow managed to create *magick* with her masterful writing and storytelling. When I turned the final page I simply sat buzzing for ten minutes. I never reread a book, once is usually enough, but this is a book I can't stop thinking about, couldn't turn away from, and so I'm reading it again. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who loves an engaging story and craves satisfying entertainment.

This book has a interesting twist. It is both a historical and a modern romance. Time travel isn't involved but I still found the story compelling.

This is the story of Raven St. James, a witch born in England in the 16 hundreds. She is tried for witchcraft and hung along with her mother but survives because she is immortal. Duncan, is a young preist who tries to stop the murder because its not only wrong but he suddenly has strong emotional feelings towards the witch who he doesn't even know. He thinks that she has died but she escapes to the New World to a aunt and a town called Sanctuary. There she lives free for several years until the townfolk become suspicious. There she meets another immortal witch Arianna who helps guide Raven. Duncan also flees to the New World and ends up in Sanctuary and soon finds her again and love grows between the two. But soon the suspicions are to great and the town decides to get rid of her. Duncan again tries to save her but dies in the process.

Now 300 years later, Raven has come back to Sanctuary and discovers Duncan again. He looks the same,but has no memory of her. He is strangly attracted to her and can't figure out why. Together they must rediscover their love and learn to trust each other. Also evil is lurking and must be overcome for their love to continue.

Maggie Shayne has written a wonderful book and I will really enjoy the next in the series which is Arianna's story.

I'd heard that this book or its sequel had won some awards, so I tried it out with high hopes. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to finish a book overburdened with purple prose, a predictable plot, sudden and often inexplicably-timed explicit sex, and one-dimensional characters who live only for their Eternal Love (or in the case of the villain, for his Eternal Hatred). I wanted to scream at all of them to get a life! To make matters worse, the blurb on the back cover gives away 2/3 of the book's plot. I can say as a positive point that the book did have a solid starting point for its plot with the concept of the immortal witches and how they get to be so.

I hope that the author's other books feature well-rounded characters and plot twists, because this book certainly didn't. It will be quite some time before I try another Maggie Shayne book; there are too many other interesting-sounding ones to browse through here on Amazon!

I don't know why people gave this one star. I truly enjoyed this book, throughoutly. I hadn't been too fond of historical romance. However, this book, with witty dialogue and focus on romance, I loved this book. It was a keeper for me.
Raven was a strong heroine, not whiny. Her emotions are understandable and real. She was brave. I don't think I would endure all that loneliness if I was her.
Duncan, well, let's just say he's my dream man. Then again, I'm a sucker for sweet guy. He's not macho, alpha. He protected what was his. He was fierce about his love. I loved him.
I couldn't praise this book higher.I'm going to re-read this book again and again. Highly recommend this book if you want some sweet romance with no nonsense.

My sister-in-law was the first to read this book, at which time she passed it on to me, then my mother-in-law read it as well. Now my husband is reading it. I found the book to be thrilling and exciting. At no time did I want to put it down. I spent a whole day reading it and was left wanting to know more. I am now going to try and locate any and all books written by this author. I will admit I was hesitant at first to read a book about witchcraft as so many times they are not portrayed in a fair manner to witches. However, this was finally a fiction exception. I would love to read more authors who write about similar storylines as well. I am so glad I was turned on to this author. I would highly recommend this read to everyone. It is a nice romance story, too. However, I am glad that it is not filled with steamy scenes throughout. Duncan souds like a true great find as well.