The Calling (Immortals, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: demon script, death magic, blood slave, Detective Simon, Los Angeles, Old One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This drawn-out kickoff to a four-novel series follows Adrian, one of five immortal brothers who possess more power than any other creature in the universe and who fight to maintain the balance between dark magic and life magic in a modern fantasy world. When Adrian meets the tiger-eyed Amber Silverthorne, a witch full of strong life magic, a whirlwind romance and a world-saving quest ensues featuring a variety of sweltering loves scenes and sword-and-sorcery battles. When they aren't scorching the sheets, the pair hunt down a powerful demon who killed Amber's sister for unknown reasons. With the help of a vampire, a shape-shifting dragon, a werewolf and a Seattle detective, the two trek from Seattle to L.A., on to the Arctic and back, hoping to find answers, vengeance and possibly Adrian's brother, Tain, who's been missing for centuries. Though it would have benefited from a tighter plot, intriguing characters and a genuine sense of humanity pick up some of the slack, giving this promising series a stimulating first act. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Seven centuries after his brother Tain disappears during battle, immortal warrior Adrian thinks he may have finally found him. The same demon that captured Tain has recently murdered a witch in Seattle. Adrian arrives in time to save the witch's sister, Amber Silverthorne, but once again the demon disappears without a trace. The only clue is in Amber's sister's notebook. Adrian must now work closely with Amber if he not only wants to find Tain but also keep dark magic from taking over the world. Deftly mixing dangerous adventure, dark magic, and a surfeit of scorching chemistry between her hero and heroine, Ashley creates an addictively readable romance, the first in a marvelously original new paranormal series that is bound to cast its own bewitching spell over readers. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 357 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell (May 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505526875
• ISBN-13: 978-0505526878
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #218,546 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Immortals Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bring On the Rest of the Boys!, May 21, 2007

By	Anna Hope (PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While not quite as enthralling as the Black Dagger Brotherhood ( And what is? that sereis is sooooooo yummy!) this storyline does seem to be pulling me in and I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the men in this odd family.

Adrian is the oldest brother in a family of Immoratals created to keep the balance of power between good & evil. He is 5,000 years old and was born to Isis in Egypt. He's a six and a half foot tall warrior with a huge amount of magical power, the ability to kick butt, and a magical silver sword that turns into a cobra that coils on his arm and speaks telepathicaly to him. And he's been looking for his kidnapped baby brother for over 700 years. The stress has made a once merely disfunctional family fracture and he's lost track of his entire family.

He enters suddenly into the life of Amber Silverthorn, a witch whose sister was murdered a month ago by a demon. As he looks into the murder for Amber, Adrian starts to find clues to his brothers disappearance, his first lead in centuries. Struggling to protect Amber from the powerful and homicidal demon and still stay hot on the search for his brother brings the couple together. They adventure from the vampire clubs of L.A., to the covens of Seattle, to the frozen and desolate northern Alaska terrain in search of answers while building a tender romance.

In the end Tain, the immortal brother has gone stark raving mad from years of torture and seems possibly an even bigger threat than the uber powerful demon. Witches all over the world are asked to look for the remaining Immortals in order to stop both threats. The other 3 brothers must be found to ensure the worlds survival.

The cast of secondary characters including a dragon, a werewolf, a starlett, and a not-so-bad master vampire are entertaining and worthy of their own books. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book even though it won't be written by the same author. We'll have to see how that turns out.

My only gripes were these:1. The writing in some of the early scenes was a little stilted. 2. How come everyone knows of the existance of supernatural creatures such as vampires & demons? This doesn't seem to surprise anyone. And 3. How did he get the name Adrian, which is very Eurpoean ( first the Romans than the Brits)when he was born in 3,000 BC Egypt?? That seemed very odd to me.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original & Erotic. This story moves & keeps you guessing. Plenty of Romance & Action!, January 8, 2008

By	Alyce In Wonderland "The Looking Glass" (Over the hill or underland, or just behind a tree) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Having trouble tracking down this series?
The Immortals series is a joint venture for three different authors. The first, fourth and fifth books are by Jennifer Ashley (AKA Allyson James). The second book is by Robin T. Popp, and the third by Joy Nash.

The Immortals Series:

The Calling

The Darkening

The Awakening

The Gathering

The Redeeming (Tain's Story) September 2008


I actually delayed reading this book. I wasn't really looking forward to it after reading the mixed reviews. Then I realized that many of the lower reviews were from people who don't like erotic love scenes. If you like the love scenes in series such as BDB, you'll like these.

I really enjoyed the story. With so many paranormals out there, I like reading a book that had some unique characteristics.

The story takes place in modern day Seattle, California, and the Arctic. The paranormal beings are witches, demons, vampires, "The Immortals", and shapeshifters. "The Immortals" are five sons of the Celtic gods and goddesses. They were created to protect the world from death magic. (Death magical beings include demons and vampires.) After several millennia, the Immortals have been all but forgotten. In the past, witches would chant "The Calling" spell to summon the Immortals for help whenever evil threatened. Those of the 5 whom are still fighting evil today, are doing so at their own leisure. Once these brothers realized that they could live in freedom, they each went their own way. They have not seen one another for hundreds of years.
The world of magic is divided between those who live in "life magic", and those who live in "death magic". Life magic lives in the Immortals, good witches, the Celtic gods/ goddesses, and shapeshifters. Death magic lives in demons and vampires. For millennia, they have battled. Adrian, the oldest of the 5 sons, has formed a truce with the vampires of Los Angeles. They work together to prevent demons from overtaking the world.


For 700 years, Adrian has lived in anguish. He had a special bond with his youngest brother, Tain. When Tain was taken prisoner by a demon, Adrian began to search the world for his brother. Not a corner of the world has gone unsearched. Not a day has passed that Adrian has given up the hunt. Tain is in Adrian's dreams every night, calling for Adrian's help, crying in pain from the demon's torture. In 700 years, not a clue to Tain's whereabouts has been found.

Sensing a demon presence in Seattle, Adrian races to the location to kill it. He finds that a young witch is about to be murdered by his enemy. Fighting off the demon, Adrian saves Amber's life. Now he wants to know who she is, and why she summoned a demon.

Amber is alone in the world. Her one relative, her sister Susan, was murdered by a demon 4 weeks ago. Setting up a witch circle in the warehouse where Susan died, Amber is determined to find out who killed her and why. While performing the spell, a powerful demon shows up to slay her. As he attacks, a man crashes into the room through a window. Whomever he is, Amber is glad he's there. He has fought the demon off. Now Amber wants to know why he is here. Perhaps he has answers about Susan. With questions for one another, Amber and Adrian leave the warehouse together to talk.

When Amber and Adrian realize their quests are connected, they begin to work together to find the demon who is Susan's murderer and Tain's captor. Between them they have unbelievable strength and power. Before long, they find they also have an intense bond. Knowing that Amber is mortal, Adrian wants to avoid becoming too attached to her. He fears the day that she would die of old age, leaving him to grieve her for eternity.

Tain's demon captor has come out of hiding. He wants to capture Adrian next. This demon is an "Old One", a being that has lived since the dawning of time. He is stronger than any opponent Adrian has ever faced. Using Tain as bate, the Old One begins to attack and taunt Adrian. Seeing how Adrian has come to care for Amber, the demon plans to use her as well. Hoping to destroy Adrian's good soul, the demon makes Adrian choose between Tain and Amber. One of them will be tortured. Adrian will be forced to watch. Instead of weakening him, Adrian becomes stronger as he begins to recognize that he is willing to stay by Amber's side for as many years as her mortal life lasts.

For the first time in his existence, Adrian has met a demon he can't best alone. His only choice is to call his brothers to his side. With their combined powers, the demon won't stand a chance. The Calling spell has not been used in centuries. With the help of Susan's coven friends, Amber will find and use the spell to bring Adrian's brothers to their side. Tain is in the Old One's hands. When The Calling reaches Tain, the demon comes forward to fight "The Gathering".


Want to read the whole series? Here are the links for the next three:

The Darkening (Immortals, Book 2)

The Awakening (Immortals, Book 3)

The Gathering (Immortals, Book 4)


If you enjoy paranormal roamnce, give these series' a try:


The Psy/ Changeling Series:

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changelings, Book 1)

Visions of Heat (Psy-Changelings, Book 2)

Caressed By Ice (Psy-Changelings, Book 3)

Mine to Possess (Psy-Changelings, Book 4)


The Immortals After Dark Series:

A Hunger Like No Other (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 1)

No Rest for the Wicked (The Immortals After Dark, Book 2)

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night (The Immortals After Dark, Book 3)

Dark Needs at Night's Edge (The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 4)

Dark Desires After Dusk (The Immortals After Dark, Book 5)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet but Shallow, September 17, 2007

By	Digigirl (www.DontForgetDelicious.com) - See all my reviews

This is your basic cookie-cutter style romance but with a Highlander-esque storyline. The characters are likable but not especially deep. Things progress about as you might expect.

The storyline, though, offers some hints of more maturity to follow, perhaps. Also, this series is a collaboration - the second in the series is by Robin T. Popp, so it will be interesting to see her take on this world.

All in all, a decent opener, but it didn't rock my world. However, I will be interested to see where the series goes with the addition of other authors and new twists in the story. I will definitely pick up the second in the series.