Manannan mac Lir, half sidhe, half god and guardian of all Celtic magical creatures had participated along with five witches and four Immortal brothers to save the soul of the fifth and youngest Immortal,Tain from the clutches and Old One, the demon Culsu. Each of Tain's brothers had absorbed some of the death magic plaguing Tain into their own souls. Only later had Mac discovered a dark stain on his own soul as well. It had aged his timeless visage by several years. He'd been weary and had left Scotland, shirking his responsibilities to pursue wine, women and his unique brand of song on a world tour. That had grown old as well. Something was missing in his life.

His absence has had devastating results as Mac discovers upon returning home. A number of the fairy villages in his care had been skimmed of a portion of their life magic. The last of these villages had contained a rare fairy infant, much too young to sustain the loss. The child was dying and it was all Mac's fault. Their only hope was for Mac to trace the spell back to the wielder. The spell is odd indeed for it appeared to have been a combination of both life and death magic intertwined. This implicated a human, for no other creature could wield both kinds of magic. It would be a rare human indeed, as never before had any been known to possess the ability to use them both simultaneously.

Artemis Black is a witch of mixed magical heritage both light and dark. She is also a mother facing the loss of a child. Hecate, consort to Satan, has a penchant for young souls. Artemis had met her on the battlefield during Culsu's bid to purge the world of life magic. She had inadvertently led the Hecate to her only son. Now her child lay dying in a Philadelphia hospital an empty shell. Her only hope to recover his sould had been to strike a deal with a rival demon. She had come all the way to Scotland to fill her moonstone pendant with life magic, the offering demanded to obtain the demon's aid. She had only until sundown, the eve of Samhain. Unlike mere humans, fairies were brimming with life magic and Scotland was brimming with fairy villages. They are her only hope but in spite of her desperate race against time Artemis cannot live with endangering the life of another child and is compelled to return the life magic to Gilraen's village.

Desperation makes Artemis careless however and Mac finally catches up with her. He's not quite sure what to do with her but is not about to allow her to fulfill her mission. Instead of taking her to Annwyn to stand trial according to the Sidhe law, he decides to takes her home with him. Something in his newly blended soul finds a kindred spirit with the witch. She is desperate to escape and to get what she needs and therefore encourages Mac's attraction. The experience for both is like none other. Mac loses control and plants the seed of his child in her womb, while the desperate mother slips a drop of life magic from the demigod's bottomless soul. Artemis has no time to analyze her feelings of remorse. She must escape and make her meeting with the demon.

Betrayal aside, Mac is drawn to the witch and her plight. The life of his child is on the line and he will defy his own mother, the Sidhe court and even follow Artemis into the very depths of Hell to protect what is his. Think Dante's Inferno. If Mac thought being pursued by fan girls was hell, he's in for a rude awakening.

As the pair traverses the various levels of Satan's domain they are first hand witnesses to the repercussions of living a less than virtuous life. On each level they are exposed to seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Throughout they are faced with division, betrayal, and impossible choices. Help will come from unexpected places. Armed with only love, will the pair prevail? At what cost? For have no doubt, the devil WILL have his due!

Well this was most interesting. With each of the Immortal brother's tales we got some insight to various ancient cultures and their deities. Ms. Nash now flips the coin to give us a modern day version of Hell which in spite of the dire plight of its inhabitants provides a certain amount of humor with pop culture references, etc. Although I've enjoyed the entire series so far, this has been my favorite tale to date.Unlike with the other Immortal's, Mac the youngest, isn't offered the easy solution for taking a mortal as his mate. He makes a true sacrifice and has no moment of regret. For him love is simply enough. ~ Reviewed for PNR Reviews

Mac was an intriguing character in Ms. Nash's previous Immortals book and I'm so glad he got his own book! What a great character and story! Joy Nash is a great author who spins engrossing stories!

Artemis Black has a very magical background which has led to her being able to hold and use both black and life magic together. For a while Artemis was in the military and because of her strong magic, she was a member of the Psych Ops unit. Now she is a civilian and has to undertake the most serious mission of her life - to save an innocent soul. Even if it means having to do something Artemis would normally never consider.

Mananna'n mac Lir (Mac Lir) is half god and half Sidhe and a world-renowned musician. He is also the Guardian of Celtic Magical Creatures in the Human World, a position he takes very seriously. When Mac is alerted of an odd type of magic that is taking life essence from his people, he is on the job to find and stop this person. Mac recently had experience in dealing with the blackest of magic while helping the Immortals defeat an old one. So it is easy for him to locate the trail of magic that harmed the village.

Mac and Artemis first come to meet and it isn't totally pretty (although the sparks of another type fly) but their meeting is interrupted by a mob of Mac's fans. Mac knows what Artemis has done, but he can't get it to add up to what he feels about her and tries to draw her out to find a reason for her actions. Artemis has little time to complete her mission and she can't afford to tell Mac anything. When the Sidhe Council get involved and Artemis has to make an instant and drastic decision, both she and Mac begin a journey that is destined to changes their lives - the question is will that change be good or not?

The Crossing is the story of one of the last characters that was involved in the saving of an Immortal brother. Mac Lir risked a lot to help friends and has discovered that it changed him some. However it has not and will not stop him from fulfilling his duties. Artemis discovered the hard way that once you call a demon, even for the right reasons, it can come back to hurt you much later. Together, Mac and Artemis have to come to terms with not only their feelings for each other but also the fact they have to work to free innocent and some not so innocent souls. I had wondered what, if anything, had happened to Mac after that last battle and I was happy to see that he ended up gaining what he had wanted for so long. Mac and Artemis are an unusual magical couple and I was surprised to see that both figured out that sometimes the correct answer is gray. I have had, and I'm sure you have too, some dates from hell, but Ms. Nash took it to the extreme in The Crossing.

The Crossing takes a slight humorist angle on a story that could have been pretty dark. Anyone who has been following the Immortal Series and wondered about Mac will need and want to read his story.

Jo
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The half breed Sidhe demigod Manannan Mac Lir thought his heroics saving the Immortal warrior Tain would lead to a glorious final victory for good vs. evil (see Jennifer Ashley's IMMORTALS: THE REDEEMING). He proved only partially correct as Tain and that half she-demon cop Samantha found each other; however Mac has learned the wisdom of the old adage of the road to hell is paved with good intentions. His soul is now a carrier of death magic.

Faeries ask Mac to help them when a death magic spell is gradually killing a child. He agrees and his inquiry leads to witch Artemis Black, who has problems of her own. A demon is blackmailing her to cooperate in order to save her son's soul held hostage in hell. Instead she cut a Faustian deal with another demon to steal life magic in exchange for saving her son. Mac escorts Artemis to stand before the Sidhe council, but she instead flees to hell; he follows.

The latest second Immortals miniseries is an exciting entry as a caring hero battles with his feelings and a mother who goes into hell for her heavenly cause. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the Fairies request Mac investigate and never slows down as he follows his heart while fearing for her soul. Although the love subplot takes a needed backseat to the escapades and therefore feels abrupt and rushed, romantic fantasy fans will enjoy the latest Immortal saga.

Harriet Klausner

Manannan Mac Lir is the Prince of Annwyn as well as Guardian of Celtic Magical Creatures for the human world. It makes perfect sense to have a half sidhe be guardian. While Mac is visiting his friends Kalen and his wife Christine and their daughter Elspeth, he learns that someone is going around raiding faerie villages of their life essence. Mac goes to investigate who could be doing this. When he arrives at one of the villages he captures the person responsible. Her name is Artemis Black and she is a witch. Tomorrow is Samhain, the changing of the seasons and Artemis needs all the life essence she can get before Samhain takes place. Artemis is brought before Mac's mother and the rest of the counsel and sentenced to exile. Mac knows he should be pleasure with the sentence Artemis received but instead he feels something for Artemis other then hatred. Mac will travel to heaven or hell to bring Artemis back where she belongs.


I devoured Immortal: The Crossing and enjoyed every morsel of it. It had just the right amount of everything. Though I have to admit that Immortal: The Crossing is the first book I have read in the Immortal series. Now after stating that fact, I am excited to say that I was very pleased with Immortal: The Crossing. Ms. Nash writing style made it so effortless to jump right into this book that I never felt like I was missing anything by not reading all of the other books in the series. Immortal: The Crossing can be read as a stand-alone book. Do be warned though that after reading this book you will find yourself like I did wanting to go back and read all of the other books in the Immortal series. I am proud to say I am now a big fan of Joy Nash.

IMMORTALS SERIES: (Paranormal)

The Calling

The Darkening

The Awakening

The Gathering

The Redeeming

The Crossing

The Haunting (Nov 2008)


What an adventure! "Hell" as you have never imagined it before... Joy Nash takes you into 9 levels of Satan's lair, each with an eternal lesson for evil souls.


Mac Lir is a demigod who is bored with eternal life. When he meets Artemis, he feels he has found the richness his life has been missing. The half death/half life magic witch fills his lonely soul.

Artemis has spent months trying to gain the means to save her little boy from the depths of Hell. His innocent soul was stolen by a demon. She will do anything, sell her soul, or Mac's if necessary, to save little Zander.

Mac won't let Artemis face Hell alone. He escorts her into Satan's realm with the intention of bring her and her son to safety. The darkness around them is infectious. Artemis's lack of faith in his abilities is painful. Worse, Mac is coming to agree that he is not strong enough to beat the evil around them. Whatever they must face, Mac won't let Hell drain his hope. He only needs to keep Artemis's hope alive as well.


This story is very unique. The "Hell" Joy Nash created is unlike anything I've read in the romance genera before. She put a lot of imagination into "The Crossing" that Mac and Artemis face. Half of it they face together, the other half separately.

I had trouble liking Artemis because of the way she was so willing to sell out Mac... literally sell his soul... to get to her son. I'm a mom so I understand doing anything to save your kids, but she didn't even bother taking time to try and think of other ways to save Zander. A demon offered her a contract of Mac's soul for her son's and she didn't even blink.

The ending wasn't as well thought-out as the rest of the book. I'm still asking myself: "What did Satan get out of the deal?" I don't want to give it away, so I won't say it specifically, but Mac gave up something that has no value to Satan. The only thing I can think is that Mac's sacrifice leads to the devil eventually getting Mac's soul. Not a happy ending in my mind.


If you are new to The Immortals Series, it is a terrific series by three different authors. Here are the first three books to get you started:

The Calling (Immortals, Book 1)

The Darkening (Immortals, Book 2)

The Awakening (Immortals, Book 3)

For Manannan mac Lir, known as Sidhe, demigod and Guardian of Celtic Magical Creatures, life was one endless party, seven hundred years of light hearted jokes. A popular musician, fans flock to him, tracking his very movements. Mac could have any woman he wanted. With pure life magic brimming full force inside, Mac, this disdainer extraordinaire of death magic and demons, finds himself pulled away from the pristine yet sterile perfection of the Sidhe Otherworld. When he hears a report of a death magic attack on Gilraen's Highland village the day before Samhrain, Mac plans to hunt down the demon. Mac discovers a mysterious clue. Unlike a typical death magic spell, Mac senses the barest trace of a most unusual spell, a spell of life and death magic cast together. Only humans have the ability to handle both and never simultaneously.

Artemis Black is on a race to collect as much life magic as possible to ransom her son before the end of Samhrain. Just as her moonstone pendant finally fills with faerie life essence trapped inside, something goes terribly wrong. A tiny theft, and one so well-intentioned, has disastrous consequences. Trying to rectify her actions only gets her in worse trouble, face to face with Mac, a man determined to hunt her down and learn her secrets. Artemis is one powerful witch precisely because she has within her the perfect balance, a balance disrupted by Mac's powerful presence and determination to uncover her secrets. As Samhrain approaches, the completion of her quest takes on an increased urgency full of complications as a powerful attraction seethes underneath the surface of cross purposes. With Mac hot on her trail, can she allow love to enter her heart enough to trust him? Can Mac find within himself the key and magic to defuse the deadly threat that awaits them?

As the sixth volume in the IMMORTALS series, Joy Nash builds on the theme of the balance between light and dark of the previous book, IMMORTALS: THE REDEEMING by Jennifer Ashley, giving her own unique insights into the magical world. Mac has it all ---fans, his music and a god-like body to match his power and yet deep with a memory of the past, a memory of a battle tortures his very soul. A man of pure life magic feels the taint, the mark of death magic separates him from he perfect Sidhe world, attracting him to this unusually adept witch, but this attraction prove to be his ultimate downfall or the force which heals his inner wounds? Artemis may hold within her the perfect balance, but when trapped into a dangerous alliance, how can she choose one life over another? In IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING, Joy Nash creates moving internal vulnerabilities in her characters, giving a beautiful balance to their romance as Mac and Artemis Black discover not only each other but a healing that touches deep within to the darkest corners. Although some readers might take quarrel with one of Mac's actions that decides the fate of the heroine without her knowledge, as a demigod, his actions alongside other story details will remind other readers of the antic of other ancient immortals, the gods and goddesses who used humans. Unlike these legendary characters, however, Mac's character undergoes a moving transformation as love grows within and he must give up control as he learns to trust not only himself but another. Joy Nash creates a moving romance where two characters' past mistakes become the ground from which they both love and individual growth is born.

Joy Nash creates a wonderful mix of humor and tension-filled danger as Mac and Artemis descend the circles of a Dante's INFERNO, a world infested with demons and nightmares familiar to 21st century living nightmares. Whether you loved Dante's INFERNO or found it the most tedious excruciating school read ---or even if you have never read it, Joy Nash's unusual version is priceless! I could not stop smiling, even laughing aloud, at her imaginative look into shopping and the punishments meted out to the inhabitants of hell.

IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING is a paranormal romance that combines a knowing tribute to the classics of the demon and immortal world while also turning those traditions on their head in just the right proportion to scintillate, amuse and thrill with an imaginative modern romance vision. Laughter interwoven into a tension-filled race against time and a vicious, manipulative villain or two makes this romance a fast, enjoyable read. Joy Nash's IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING is a perfect read for paranormal lovers who want intelligence, imagination and contemporary sass all interwoven together in their romance. Witty, eclectic and just plain reading fun, Joy Nash's addition to the IMMORTALS series adds a delightful flavor to the whole. Complementing the suspenseful drama and awe-inspiring heroes of the series, Joy Nash gives a unique look into the Sidhe world and a hero that will give anything and everything for his soul mate.