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Ancient and Immortal
Zuri has secrets. Several of them, in fact.
Secrets like being a witch.
As the daughter of Hasan, ruler of the werecats, being a witch is a dangerous secret to have.
But it's no secret that all she wants is a vacation. Instead, she finds her own adventure. A werecat Zuri is supposed to rule stole from the wrong man, a scarred Immortal by the name of Kushim. She doesn't know him and more interestingly, he doesn't know her.
What he does know is her secret.
She was once a queen...
He will always be a bandit...
And their startling connection will change their lives.
Ancient and Immortal was previously published in the Call of Magic Anthology.
There have been no additions or changes to the story for it's solo-release.
Secrets like being a witch.
As the daughter of Hasan, ruler of the werecats, being a witch is a dangerous secret to have.
But it's no secret that all she wants is a vacation. Instead, she finds her own adventure. A werecat Zuri is supposed to rule stole from the wrong man, a scarred Immortal by the name of Kushim. She doesn't know him and more interestingly, he doesn't know her.
What he does know is her secret.
She was once a queen...
He will always be a bandit...
And their startling connection will change their lives.
Ancient and Immortal was previously published in the Call of Magic Anthology.
There have been no additions or changes to the story for it's solo-release.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2022
209 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
K.N. Banet
37 books722 followersAuthor of the Jacky Leon series, Kaliya Sahni series, and Everly Abbott series, along with standalones that belong in the same world as all of them!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 13, 2022
Short and sweet; a little disjointed and we didn't get to see their relationship develop but it was great peek into what is going to be a great love story. Thanks Ms. Banet!
January 20, 2024
3.5 Stars:)
November 21, 2021
Zuri is magical - even more magical than most might guess. She's also a ruler who does not back down. The rules are to be enforced and she is not afraid to do it. She has secrets - big time. This story reveals an even bigger secret. It is hers and it is special.
If you like the world of magic, but dealing with things which are all too human this story will appeal to you. Read it and definitely enjoy.
If you like the world of magic, but dealing with things which are all too human this story will appeal to you. Read it and definitely enjoy.
May 1, 2022
I've been waiting for Zuri and Kushim's story since Zuri dropped her pregnancy bombshell to Jacky!
This short novella introduced us to the first meeting of Zuri and Kushim, and they are so lovely together. Kushim enters Zuri's territory after a werecat steals something from him. Zuri decides to help him out as the unofficial queen of the werecat, and sparkles fly between them. And when they decide to give in to their passion, Kushim goes back to his place leaving something behind.
I really hope I can read more about these two characters.
This short novella introduced us to the first meeting of Zuri and Kushim, and they are so lovely together. Kushim enters Zuri's territory after a werecat steals something from him. Zuri decides to help him out as the unofficial queen of the werecat, and sparkles fly between them. And when they decide to give in to their passion, Kushim goes back to his place leaving something behind.
I really hope I can read more about these two characters.
June 25, 2024
I WANT A BANDIT!!
K.N. Banet truly has a talent for creating stories that capture you from page one till the end & this novella was no exception. It was extremely well written, good pace, fantastic humor & great ending. For a novella, this is one of the best ones I have ever read. I will admit I have read all the Jack Leon books to date & read the many mentions related to this novella & the new family member and just had to read this novella as well. I was not disappointed, it was epic.
This novella gave us a bit more insight into how Jacky's older sister Zuri thinks & lives. This is also the story of where & how she met her mate, as well as get pregnant with their son. It was a hilarious story, starting with Zuri going to her small rural Tanzania territory for some respite, only to have a gorgeous & scarred Immortal break in to ask her help with a Werecat thief that stole something from him.
They bond together on their short journey to get the Rogue Werecat that was in Zuri's territory & was known to Zuri for being a pest & brat because she was turned way to young. It took a bit to get the item back from her & then Zuri & Kushim spent a wonderful couple of weeks together, before he left for his desert, where he lives.
My favorite character Subira, her mother, comes to visit her & straight away knows she is pregnant. They work out that, Zuri very much wants this baby & she VERY MUCH wants her bandit that she fell in love with. So the duo set of for the Sahara desert to find him & gave him the shock of his very long life. Turns out that he fell utterly in love with her as well & they returned back to her home as a newly mated couple with a baby on the way.
Throughout the later books in the Jacky Leon series, Zuri & Kushim are regular characters because of the very close relationship Zuri & Jacky have and I love seeing them. Kushim is such a hoot & I love his character & just want to see more of him.
All in all, this was a wonderful novella & I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who is a fan of the Jacky Leon series, reads this because it will answer a lot of questions & give insight into this amazing Immortal who has joined the ruling Werecat family.
K.N. Banet truly has a talent for creating stories that capture you from page one till the end & this novella was no exception. It was extremely well written, good pace, fantastic humor & great ending. For a novella, this is one of the best ones I have ever read. I will admit I have read all the Jack Leon books to date & read the many mentions related to this novella & the new family member and just had to read this novella as well. I was not disappointed, it was epic.
This novella gave us a bit more insight into how Jacky's older sister Zuri thinks & lives. This is also the story of where & how she met her mate, as well as get pregnant with their son. It was a hilarious story, starting with Zuri going to her small rural Tanzania territory for some respite, only to have a gorgeous & scarred Immortal break in to ask her help with a Werecat thief that stole something from him.
They bond together on their short journey to get the Rogue Werecat that was in Zuri's territory & was known to Zuri for being a pest & brat because she was turned way to young. It took a bit to get the item back from her & then Zuri & Kushim spent a wonderful couple of weeks together, before he left for his desert, where he lives.
My favorite character Subira, her mother, comes to visit her & straight away knows she is pregnant. They work out that, Zuri very much wants this baby & she VERY MUCH wants her bandit that she fell in love with. So the duo set of for the Sahara desert to find him & gave him the shock of his very long life. Turns out that he fell utterly in love with her as well & they returned back to her home as a newly mated couple with a baby on the way.
Throughout the later books in the Jacky Leon series, Zuri & Kushim are regular characters because of the very close relationship Zuri & Jacky have and I love seeing them. Kushim is such a hoot & I love his character & just want to see more of him.
All in all, this was a wonderful novella & I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who is a fan of the Jacky Leon series, reads this because it will answer a lot of questions & give insight into this amazing Immortal who has joined the ruling Werecat family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2022
It's a short story but quite entertaining.
Anyone who has read the Jacky Leon series will already know Zuri, She is Jackie's eldest sister, a werecat, She is over four thousand years old and is the oldest of Hassan's seven children. We find Zuri in her home in South Africa which she shares with her twin Jabari, but all is not right in her world. Zuri is bored, very bired, all those around her worship her and try to anticipate her every need, She finds it so cloying at times (like now) she can't even wave her hand without someone coming running to see what she wants. In an effort to relieve her boredom Zuri travels to Tanzania where she has a small house with no servants, where she can just be herself. She's not there an hour before a strange man enters he's looking for a female werecat who has stolen a necklace from him. He wants it back, Zuri as the werecat leader in Africa is honour bound to help him, but there's more, this man, Hassan, treats her as no man ever has, he's familiar with her does not fear her or feel terrible need to cater to her, it's a refreshing change and one Zuri quite enjoys. But the man is a nomad and she knows when he has his property back he'll be gone so best not get too attatched. I really enjoyed this story told from Zuri's point of view and I know Jabari also has a short story out so I'm hoping the author will continue and write books for all of Jackie's siblings as they are all very unique characters.
Anyone who has read the Jacky Leon series will already know Zuri, She is Jackie's eldest sister, a werecat, She is over four thousand years old and is the oldest of Hassan's seven children. We find Zuri in her home in South Africa which she shares with her twin Jabari, but all is not right in her world. Zuri is bored, very bired, all those around her worship her and try to anticipate her every need, She finds it so cloying at times (like now) she can't even wave her hand without someone coming running to see what she wants. In an effort to relieve her boredom Zuri travels to Tanzania where she has a small house with no servants, where she can just be herself. She's not there an hour before a strange man enters he's looking for a female werecat who has stolen a necklace from him. He wants it back, Zuri as the werecat leader in Africa is honour bound to help him, but there's more, this man, Hassan, treats her as no man ever has, he's familiar with her does not fear her or feel terrible need to cater to her, it's a refreshing change and one Zuri quite enjoys. But the man is a nomad and she knows when he has his property back he'll be gone so best not get too attatched. I really enjoyed this story told from Zuri's point of view and I know Jabari also has a short story out so I'm hoping the author will continue and write books for all of Jackie's siblings as they are all very unique characters.
January 7, 2026
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
4.25*
Thought I posted this ages ago.
I really enjoyed reading a book from Zuri's POV.
Set in the Jacky Leon universe I can't recall if knowing Zuri from her appearances in those helped with getting into this book, sorry.
First time read the author's work?: No
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
4.25*
Thought I posted this ages ago.
I really enjoyed reading a book from Zuri's POV.
Set in the Jacky Leon universe I can't recall if knowing Zuri from her appearances in those helped with getting into this book, sorry.
First time read the author's work?: No
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
August 11, 2022
I read a copy of this story that was included in the anthology Call of Magic: A Limited Edition Collection of Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romances. The following is a slight edit my original review there:
This was a Tribunal Archives story and followed the werecat FMC Zuri after she found herself tired of werecat politics and retreated to her Tanzania territory to take a much needed solitary break. While there, she ended up helping fellow ancient Immortal Kushim track down a personal belonging that a rogue werecat stole, and Zuri found Kushim more attractive than their initial meeting suggested.
I love all the characters in the author's stories, and this was a great addition to the world and filled in the backstory of Zuri's romance.
This was a Tribunal Archives story and followed the werecat FMC Zuri after she found herself tired of werecat politics and retreated to her Tanzania territory to take a much needed solitary break. While there, she ended up helping fellow ancient Immortal Kushim track down a personal belonging that a rogue werecat stole, and Zuri found Kushim more attractive than their initial meeting suggested.
I love all the characters in the author's stories, and this was a great addition to the world and filled in the backstory of Zuri's romance.
September 22, 2022
It needs to be mentioned that this is my first interaction with this installment. I have not read any other book from it. This novella was my first feeling of it.
And I can`t say I was disappointed. It could have been expanded into a whole series by itself because the plot seems promising and the characters interesting (but maybe this is a novella made to bridge the events between book # 10 and book #11).
The main topic of discussion is to follow how two powerful immortals end up having sex. The plot twist is how the she-immortal was left pregnant even though she knew she could not have a child anymore.
It is short, and that brevity is sometimes welcome. Some people can do a really good job with a handful of words.
July 24, 2022
3 1/2 stars. This was a quick read but a nice look at a character in the Jacky Leon universe that is only touched in other books. Zuri is a strong African woman who used to be a queen. She doesn't apologize for liking being treated as a queen, having nice things and having servants because she has earned them through millennia. She also works very hard at diplomacy to keep her family out of trouble and the werecats from being wiped off the Earth. Kushim is an equally powerful man who treats her as an equal. Their chemistry sparks and it is fun to see their banter and their relationship.
A nice addition to the Jacky Leon universe.
A nice addition to the Jacky Leon universe.
October 3, 2023
Zuri’s got her groove back!
I have been reading the series Jacky Leon series and was pleased to get this glimpse into Zuri’s life especially as it feeds her husband and baby into the secrets that have to be kept as the ruling werecat family. An Immortal, older than her he is looking for a thief who stole a family heirloom when he meets the former queen. Working together heightens their attraction. Really intense love.
I have been reading the series Jacky Leon series and was pleased to get this glimpse into Zuri’s life especially as it feeds her husband and baby into the secrets that have to be kept as the ruling werecat family. An Immortal, older than her he is looking for a thief who stole a family heirloom when he meets the former queen. Working together heightens their attraction. Really intense love.
April 23, 2022
Wonderful
I loved this insight into Zuri & her bandits meeting
Like every other story in this world I read it in one sitting as I just didn't want to put it down, so I didn't
Looking forward to the next Jacky Leon book in the main series very much
Highly recommended by this reader
Enjoy 😉
I loved this insight into Zuri & her bandits meeting
Like every other story in this world I read it in one sitting as I just didn't want to put it down, so I didn't
Looking forward to the next Jacky Leon book in the main series very much
Highly recommended by this reader
Enjoy 😉
June 7, 2022
This is probably 3.5 stars. Its biggest problem is it is a novella. There is not a lot of action and the romance is definitely "instant". I would like to have seen a more developed, slow burn romance between these two and more of a mystery for them to solve. That being said, it is good for what it is.
January 28, 2023
An interesting side note
Zuri was already an important part of the Jacky Leon series but this gives us a little insight into her as a person. Obviously the story of her roughly 4,200 year life is difficult to tell in a novel, much less in a novella but it is still a nice way to learn more about her!
Zuri was already an important part of the Jacky Leon series but this gives us a little insight into her as a person. Obviously the story of her roughly 4,200 year life is difficult to tell in a novel, much less in a novella but it is still a nice way to learn more about her!
September 2, 2023
I loved seeing this depth to Zuri and getting a new perspective into her. I hope we get some more sibling books to get a chance to really see the motivations and pasts of these guys.
As always I absolutely love the writing style, progression pace and plots. Highly recommend - and better read in conjunction with the rest of the series.
As always I absolutely love the writing style, progression pace and plots. Highly recommend - and better read in conjunction with the rest of the series.
April 24, 2022
Good
I Loved seeing how zuri met her man, I was just totally disappointed that it wasnt longer, I wanted to see how zuris parents (mainly her dad lol) reacted to her being pregnant and meeting kashim
I Loved seeing how zuri met her man, I was just totally disappointed that it wasnt longer, I wanted to see how zuris parents (mainly her dad lol) reacted to her being pregnant and meeting kashim
May 22, 2022
Fantastic book
I was so excited to get a chance to read Zuri's story! What a wonderful story! If you haven't read any of K.N. Banet's books, what are you waiting for? She is a superb story teller!
I was so excited to get a chance to read Zuri's story! What a wonderful story! If you haven't read any of K.N. Banet's books, what are you waiting for? She is a superb story teller!
June 9, 2022
I’m not a fan of short books. Story had a lot of possibilities and deserved to be a full length book. It’s been a while since I’ve read this author’s books but the writing style seemed a bit different too.
July 17, 2022
Zuri and Kushim’s story and to this reader’s taste at less than 100 pages there’s so many pieces for possibilities yet not a lot of room to get things done except the conception, of course. That’s unfortunate because it affected this reader’s rating.
Rating: 3.5stars
Rating: 3.5stars
July 19, 2022
awww love
Nice insight on Zuri. She sounds so much more normal than she does in Jacky’s head. But I like that she wasn’t completely modernized and still kept to her regrets and decisions of her past lives.
Fast but consistent pacing, liked the guy, enjoyed the chase.
Nice insight on Zuri. She sounds so much more normal than she does in Jacky’s head. But I like that she wasn’t completely modernized and still kept to her regrets and decisions of her past lives.
Fast but consistent pacing, liked the guy, enjoyed the chase.
November 3, 2022
Jackie Leon books
I loved the series. Great story. I don't want the series to.end. I just have one more left, due out in 1/23. Thanks so much writing that great story. Keeps your interest.
SLA
I loved the series. Great story. I don't want the series to.end. I just have one more left, due out in 1/23. Thanks so much writing that great story. Keeps your interest.
SLA
December 23, 2022
quick but good
Quick lil slice of life snapshot into how Jacky Leon’s older sister got pregnant. Not as fully fleshed out as Jabari’s love story but definitely worth the read. I would rent it on kindle but I bought Jabari’s story
Quick lil slice of life snapshot into how Jacky Leon’s older sister got pregnant. Not as fully fleshed out as Jabari’s love story but definitely worth the read. I would rent it on kindle but I bought Jabari’s story
February 7, 2023
short but sweet.
Not a long book, nor one that is full of action and intrigue, just a book that will fill out a side character in the world that the Author has built. This is the story inside the other stories that will fill in the gaps for those that love this character.
Not a long book, nor one that is full of action and intrigue, just a book that will fill out a side character in the world that the Author has built. This is the story inside the other stories that will fill in the gaps for those that love this character.
July 31, 2023
Wished for more!
I love this series
But the only problem I had was it just wasn't long enough. I wanted to know more about the relationship and how they raised their child.
I really enjoy your books and please don't stop writing 🙂
I love this series
But the only problem I had was it just wasn't long enough. I wanted to know more about the relationship and how they raised their child.
I really enjoy your books and please don't stop writing 🙂
February 8, 2024
This is a must read if you read the Jacky Leon series. It was really great getting to see another side of Zuri and this adds an exciting twist for the future. If you follow the series like I do, they all need more happiness. Great novella
May 20, 2025
Good story
What a good story to fill in the back story of Zuri pregnancy and how she found her new mate. Not a necessary read for the over all series but a fun interlude to add depth to the overarching story.
What a good story to fill in the back story of Zuri pregnancy and how she found her new mate. Not a necessary read for the over all series but a fun interlude to add depth to the overarching story.
December 18, 2021
Fantastic. I really enjoyed seeing Zuri’s point of view and learning about her relationship with Kushim.
February 5, 2022
Loved this, Zuri has always been an intriguing character and it was great getting more of her. Hopefully we will see Zuri and Kushim again in future Tribunal books.
April 25, 2022
Kushim is Just as Amazing as I Thought
This was such an amazing novella. We get an intimate look at both Kushim and Zuri, and it was wonderful.
This was such an amazing novella. We get an intimate look at both Kushim and Zuri, and it was wonderful.
April 27, 2022
Sibling info
This was interesting; finally some insight into Jacky's family. It gives context to some things in the other stories. Thanks, K.N.! Please, can we have some more?
This was interesting; finally some insight into Jacky's family. It gives context to some things in the other stories. Thanks, K.N.! Please, can we have some more?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews