If you've never read any Merry Gentry books by Ms. Hamilton before don't start here you will be lost. These books aren't really meant to be read as stand alone. You might be able to do it and still enjoy it, but honestly the most enjoyment from these books is the evolving characters and widening of the future for Merry and her men.
If you don't like reading about polyamory, explicit sex, kinky sex, or totally bats**t crazy people, don't bother picking this book up.
If you have a rape trigger, or an incest trigger don't pick this book up.
While there are some really fun and light hearted things that happen in this story, mostly this one is really dark and even somewhat depressing.
I gave it 4 stars because there is some character and plot development in the series here that I just absolutely loved.
It didn't get 5 stars because of some of the darker and creepier implications of things we see or at least imagine we see happening, And the ending was... not to my liking. I know the next book will likely fix it, but it was just unpleasant and did not make me happy.
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A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry, Book 6) Hardcover – October 23, 2007
by
Laurell K. Hamilton
(Author)
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I am Meredith Gentry, princess and heir apparent to the throne in the realm of faerie, onetime private investigator in the mortal world. To be crowned queen, I must first continue the royal bloodline and give birth to an heir of my own. If I fail, my aunt, Queen Andais, will be free to do what she most desires: install her twisted son, Cel, as monarch . . . and kill me.
My royal guards surround me, and my best loved–my Darkness and my Killing Frost–are always beside me, sworn to protect and make love to me. But still the threat grows greater. For despite all my carnal efforts, I remain childless, while the machinations of my sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. So my bodyguards and I have slipped back into Los Angeles, hoping to outrun the gathering shadows of court intrigue. But even exile isn’t enough to escape the grasp of those with dark designs.
Now King Taranis, powerful and vainglorious ruler of faerie’s Seelie Court, has leveled accusations against my noble guards of a heinous crime–and has gone so far as to ask the mortal authorities to prosecute. If he succeeds, my men face extradition to faerie and the hideous penalties that await them there. But I know that Taranis’s charges are baseless, and I sense that his true target is me. He tried to kill me when I was a child. Now I fear his intentions are far more terrifying.
My royal guards surround me, and my best loved–my Darkness and my Killing Frost–are always beside me, sworn to protect and make love to me. But still the threat grows greater. For despite all my carnal efforts, I remain childless, while the machinations of my sinister, sadistic Queen and her confederates remain tireless. So my bodyguards and I have slipped back into Los Angeles, hoping to outrun the gathering shadows of court intrigue. But even exile isn’t enough to escape the grasp of those with dark designs.
Now King Taranis, powerful and vainglorious ruler of faerie’s Seelie Court, has leveled accusations against my noble guards of a heinous crime–and has gone so far as to ask the mortal authorities to prosecute. If he succeeds, my men face extradition to faerie and the hideous penalties that await them there. But I know that Taranis’s charges are baseless, and I sense that his true target is me. He tried to kill me when I was a child. Now I fear his intentions are far more terrifying.
- Print length350 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBallantine Books
- Publication dateOctober 23, 2007
- Dimensions6.4 x 1.11 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-10034549590X
- ISBN-13978-0345495907
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Princess Meredith NicEssus of the Unseelie Court finally reaches an elusive goal in Hamilton's seductive sixth Meredith Gentry paranormal romance (after 2006's Mistral's Kiss). Half-human, half-faerie, Meredith is a former L.A. PI whose current full-time job is trying to get pregnant—trying at least three times a day, in fact, mainly with her devoted retinue of sex-starved guards—to insure her ascendancy to the Unseelie throne of night. Unfortunately, her bedding schedule has been interrupted by Lady Caitrin of the Seelie Court, who claims she was raped by three of Meredith's guards. Meredith must protect her faithful retinue from the terrible wrath of her uncle, King Taranis of the Seelie Court, and defend herself from the dangerous desire Taranis harbors for her. Hamilton depicts Meredith's erotic adventures in her usual breathless, overheated style, but also reveals a deeper glimpse into Meredith's introspective side as she reflects on her favorite lover, Killing Frost, whose strange fate finds her re-evaluating the costs of being a future queen. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for Laurell K. Hamilton
A Kiss of Shadows
“I’ve never read a writer with a more fertile imagination.”
–Diana Gabaldon
A Caress of Twilight
“Sensual, without a doubt . . . This book moves like a whirlwind.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Seduced by Moonlight
“This [faerie] society is one of the most detailed, imaginative, and lovingly drawn in all fantastic fiction, and the Meredith Gentry series has become something special.”
–San Jose Mercury News
A Stroke of Midnight
“Nonstop action . . . This book will leave you breathless.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mistral’s Kiss
“Steamy . . . will have Hamilton’s fans panting for more.”
–Publishers Weekly
A Kiss of Shadows
“I’ve never read a writer with a more fertile imagination.”
–Diana Gabaldon
A Caress of Twilight
“Sensual, without a doubt . . . This book moves like a whirlwind.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Seduced by Moonlight
“This [faerie] society is one of the most detailed, imaginative, and lovingly drawn in all fantastic fiction, and the Meredith Gentry series has become something special.”
–San Jose Mercury News
A Stroke of Midnight
“Nonstop action . . . This book will leave you breathless.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mistral’s Kiss
“Steamy . . . will have Hamilton’s fans panting for more.”
–Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Laurell K. Hamilton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Meredith Gentry novels: A Kiss of Shadows, A Caress of Twilight, Seduced by Moonlight, A Stroke of Midnight, Mistral’s Kiss, as well as fifteen acclaimed Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novels. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Visit the author’s official website at www.laurellkhamilton.org.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
I was sitting in an elegant conference room in the top of one of the gleaming towers that make up part of downtown Los Angeles. The room’s far wall was almost entirely of glass, so that the view was nearly agoraphobic. They’re predicting that if the big one—the big earthquake that is—hits, this section of L. A. will be eight to fifteen feet deep in glass. Anything on the streets below will be cut to pieces, crushed, or trapped underneath an avalanche of glass. Not a pretty thought, but it was a day for ugly thoughts.
My uncle Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, had pressed charges against three of my royal bodyguards. He had gone to the human authorities with charges that Rhys, Galen, and Abe had raped one of his court’s women.
In all the long history of his reign in the Seelie Court he had never gone outside to the humans for justice. Faerie rule; faerie law. Or truthfully, sidhe rule; sidhe law. The sidhe had ruled faerie for longer than anyone could remember. Since some of those memories stretched back thousands of years, maybe the sidhe had always been in charge, but it tasted like a lie. The sidhe do not lie, for to truly lie is to be cast out of faerie, exiled. Since I knew that the three bodyguards in question were innocent, that raised interesting problems with Lady Caitrin’s testimony.
But today we were just giving statements, and, depending on how that went, King Taranis was standing by for a group call. Which was why Simon Biggs and Thomas Farmer, both of Biggs, Biggs, Farmer, and Farmer, were sitting beside me.
“Thank you for agreeing to this meeting today, Princess Meredith,” one of the suits across the table said. There were seven suits across the wide, gleaming table, with their backs to the lovely view.
Ambassador Stevens, official ambassador to the courts of faerie, was sitting on our side of the table, but he was on the far side of Biggs and Farmer. Stevens said, “A word on faerie etiquette: You don’t say thank you to the people of faerie, Mr. Shelby. Princess Meredith, as one of the younger royals, will probably not be offended, but you will be dealing with some nobility who are much older. Not all of them will allow a thank you to pass without grave insult.” Stevens smiled when he said it, his blandly handsome face sincere from his brown eyes to his perfectly cut brown hair. He was supposed to be our voice to the world, but, truthfully, he spent all his time at the Seelie Court sucking up to my uncle. The Unseelie Court where my aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, ruled, and where I might rule someday, was too scary for Stevens. No, I didn’t like him.
Michael Shelby, a U. S. Attorney for L. A. said, “I am sorry, Princess Meredith. I didn’t realize.”
I smiled, and said, “It’s fine. The ambassador is correct, a thank-you won’t bother me.”
“But it will bother your men?” Shelby asked.
“Some of them, yes,” I said. I looked behind me to Doyle and Frost. They stood behind me like darkness and snow made real, and that wasn’t far from the truth. Doyle had black hair, black skin, a black designer suit; even his tie was black. Only the shirt was a rich royal blue, and that had been a sop to our lawyer. He thought black gave the wrong impression, made him seem threatening. Doyle, whose nickname was Darkness, had said, “I am the captain of the princess’ guard. I am supposed to be threatening.” The lawyers hadn’t known what to say to that, but Doyle had worn the blue shirt. The color almost glowed against the rich, perfect black of his skin, which was so black there were purple and blue highlights to his body in the right light. His black eyes were hidden behind wraparound black-on-black sunglasses.
Frost’s skin was as white as Doyle’s was black. As white as my own. But his hair was uniquely his own, silver, like metal beaten into hair. It gleamed in the tasteful lighting of the conference room. Gleamed like something you could have melted down and made into jewelry. He had tied the top layer of it back with a barrette that was silver, and older than the city of Los Angeles itself. The dove-gray suit was Ferragamo, and the white of his shirt was less white than his own skin. The tie was darker than the suit, but not by much. The soft gray of his eyes was bare to the room as he scanned the far windows. Doyle was doing it, too, behind his glasses. I had bodyguards for a reason, and some who wanted me dead could fly. We didn’t think Taranis was one of the people who wanted me dead, but why had he gone to the police? Why had he persisted in these false charges? He would never have done all this without an agenda. We just didn’t know what that agenda was, so just in case, they watched the windows for things that the human lawyers couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Shelby’s gaze flicked behind me to the guards. He wasn’t the only one who kept fighting not to glance nervously at my men, but it was Assistant District Attorney Pamela Nelson who was having the most trouble keeping her eyes, and her mind, on business. The men across the table gave the guards the glances men give when they see another man whom they are almost certain could take them physically without breaking a sweat.
U. S. Attorney Michael Shelby was tall, athletic, and handsome, with a gleam of white teeth, and the look of someone who had plans to rise above being the U. S. attorney for the Los Angeles area. He was over six feet, and his suit couldn’t hide the fact that he worked out pretty seriously. He probably didn’t meet many men who made him feel physically weak. His assistant Ernesto Bertram was a slender man who looked too young for his job, and far too serious with his short dark hair and glasses. It wasn’t the glasses that made him look too serious; it was the look on his face, as if he’d tasted something sour. The U. S. attorney for the St. Louis area, Albert Veducci, was here, too. He didn’t have Shelby’s tan. In fact, he was a little overweight, and he looked tired. His assistant was Grover. He’d actually introduced himself only as Grover, so I didn’t know if it was his first, last, or only name. He smiled more than the rest of them and was attractive in that friendly, walk-you-home-on-campus way. He reminded me of guys in college who were either as nice as they seemed or absolute bastards who only wanted sex, for you to help them pass a class, or, for me, to be close to a real live faerie princess. I wouldn’t know which kind of “nice guy” Grover was for a while. If things went well, I’d never figure it out, because I’d probably never see him again. If they went badly, we might see a lot of Grover.
Nelson was the assistant district attorney to the district attorney for Los Angeles County. Her boss, Miguel Cortez, was short, dark, and handsome. He looked great on camera. I’d seen him on the news often enough here. The trouble was that he, like Shelby, was ambitious. He liked being on the news, and wanted to be on the news more. This accusation of rape against my men had all the earmarks of a case that could make your career or break it. Cortez and Shelby were ambitious; it meant that they would either be very cautious, or very incautious. I wasn’t sure which mood would help us the most, yet.
Nelson was taller than her boss, close to six feet in her not-too-high heels. Her hair was a vibrant red that fell in waves around her shoulders. It was that rare shade that is deep, rich, and as close to true red as human hair can get. Her suit was well cut, but conservative and black, her button-up shirt white, her makeup tasteful. Only that flame of hair to ruin the almost mannish exterior she portrayed. It was as if she were hiding her beauty and drawing attention to it at the same time. Because she was beautiful. A sprinkling of freckles underneath the pale makeup didn’t detract from the flawless skin, it added. Her eyes were green and blue at once, depending on how the light caught them. Those undecided eyes couldn’t stop looking at Frost and Doyle. She tried to concentrate on the legal pad she was supposed to be making notes on, but her gaze kept rising, and finding them, as if she couldn’t help herself.
That made me wonder if there was more going on than just handsome men and a distracted woman.
Shelby cleared his throat sharply.
I jumped and looked at him. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Shelby, were you speaking to me?”
“No, I was not, and I should have been.” He looked down the table on his side. “I was brought into this as a more neutral voice, but let me ask my fellow members of the bar if they are having trouble forming questions for the princess.”
Several of the lawyers spoke at the same time. Veducci just raised his pencil in the air. Veducci got the nod. “My office has dealt more closely with the princess and her people than the rest of you, which is why I’m carrying certain remedies against glamour.”
“What sort of remedies?” Shelby asked.
“I won’t tell you what I’m carrying, but cold steel, iron, four-leaf clover, St.-John’s-Wort, rowan and ash—either the wood or the berries—have been known to work. Some say bells will break glamour, but I think high-court sidhe won’t be bothered much by bells.”
“Are you saying that the princess is using glamour against us?” Shelby asked, his handsome face no longer pleasant.
“I am saying that sometimes when dealing with King Taranis or Queen Andais, their presence overwhelms humans,” Veducci responded. “Princess Meredith, being part human, though beautiful—” He nodded in my direction.
I nodded at the compliment.
“—has never affected anyone so strongly, but a lot ha...
I was sitting in an elegant conference room in the top of one of the gleaming towers that make up part of downtown Los Angeles. The room’s far wall was almost entirely of glass, so that the view was nearly agoraphobic. They’re predicting that if the big one—the big earthquake that is—hits, this section of L. A. will be eight to fifteen feet deep in glass. Anything on the streets below will be cut to pieces, crushed, or trapped underneath an avalanche of glass. Not a pretty thought, but it was a day for ugly thoughts.
My uncle Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, had pressed charges against three of my royal bodyguards. He had gone to the human authorities with charges that Rhys, Galen, and Abe had raped one of his court’s women.
In all the long history of his reign in the Seelie Court he had never gone outside to the humans for justice. Faerie rule; faerie law. Or truthfully, sidhe rule; sidhe law. The sidhe had ruled faerie for longer than anyone could remember. Since some of those memories stretched back thousands of years, maybe the sidhe had always been in charge, but it tasted like a lie. The sidhe do not lie, for to truly lie is to be cast out of faerie, exiled. Since I knew that the three bodyguards in question were innocent, that raised interesting problems with Lady Caitrin’s testimony.
But today we were just giving statements, and, depending on how that went, King Taranis was standing by for a group call. Which was why Simon Biggs and Thomas Farmer, both of Biggs, Biggs, Farmer, and Farmer, were sitting beside me.
“Thank you for agreeing to this meeting today, Princess Meredith,” one of the suits across the table said. There were seven suits across the wide, gleaming table, with their backs to the lovely view.
Ambassador Stevens, official ambassador to the courts of faerie, was sitting on our side of the table, but he was on the far side of Biggs and Farmer. Stevens said, “A word on faerie etiquette: You don’t say thank you to the people of faerie, Mr. Shelby. Princess Meredith, as one of the younger royals, will probably not be offended, but you will be dealing with some nobility who are much older. Not all of them will allow a thank you to pass without grave insult.” Stevens smiled when he said it, his blandly handsome face sincere from his brown eyes to his perfectly cut brown hair. He was supposed to be our voice to the world, but, truthfully, he spent all his time at the Seelie Court sucking up to my uncle. The Unseelie Court where my aunt Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness, ruled, and where I might rule someday, was too scary for Stevens. No, I didn’t like him.
Michael Shelby, a U. S. Attorney for L. A. said, “I am sorry, Princess Meredith. I didn’t realize.”
I smiled, and said, “It’s fine. The ambassador is correct, a thank-you won’t bother me.”
“But it will bother your men?” Shelby asked.
“Some of them, yes,” I said. I looked behind me to Doyle and Frost. They stood behind me like darkness and snow made real, and that wasn’t far from the truth. Doyle had black hair, black skin, a black designer suit; even his tie was black. Only the shirt was a rich royal blue, and that had been a sop to our lawyer. He thought black gave the wrong impression, made him seem threatening. Doyle, whose nickname was Darkness, had said, “I am the captain of the princess’ guard. I am supposed to be threatening.” The lawyers hadn’t known what to say to that, but Doyle had worn the blue shirt. The color almost glowed against the rich, perfect black of his skin, which was so black there were purple and blue highlights to his body in the right light. His black eyes were hidden behind wraparound black-on-black sunglasses.
Frost’s skin was as white as Doyle’s was black. As white as my own. But his hair was uniquely his own, silver, like metal beaten into hair. It gleamed in the tasteful lighting of the conference room. Gleamed like something you could have melted down and made into jewelry. He had tied the top layer of it back with a barrette that was silver, and older than the city of Los Angeles itself. The dove-gray suit was Ferragamo, and the white of his shirt was less white than his own skin. The tie was darker than the suit, but not by much. The soft gray of his eyes was bare to the room as he scanned the far windows. Doyle was doing it, too, behind his glasses. I had bodyguards for a reason, and some who wanted me dead could fly. We didn’t think Taranis was one of the people who wanted me dead, but why had he gone to the police? Why had he persisted in these false charges? He would never have done all this without an agenda. We just didn’t know what that agenda was, so just in case, they watched the windows for things that the human lawyers couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Shelby’s gaze flicked behind me to the guards. He wasn’t the only one who kept fighting not to glance nervously at my men, but it was Assistant District Attorney Pamela Nelson who was having the most trouble keeping her eyes, and her mind, on business. The men across the table gave the guards the glances men give when they see another man whom they are almost certain could take them physically without breaking a sweat.
U. S. Attorney Michael Shelby was tall, athletic, and handsome, with a gleam of white teeth, and the look of someone who had plans to rise above being the U. S. attorney for the Los Angeles area. He was over six feet, and his suit couldn’t hide the fact that he worked out pretty seriously. He probably didn’t meet many men who made him feel physically weak. His assistant Ernesto Bertram was a slender man who looked too young for his job, and far too serious with his short dark hair and glasses. It wasn’t the glasses that made him look too serious; it was the look on his face, as if he’d tasted something sour. The U. S. attorney for the St. Louis area, Albert Veducci, was here, too. He didn’t have Shelby’s tan. In fact, he was a little overweight, and he looked tired. His assistant was Grover. He’d actually introduced himself only as Grover, so I didn’t know if it was his first, last, or only name. He smiled more than the rest of them and was attractive in that friendly, walk-you-home-on-campus way. He reminded me of guys in college who were either as nice as they seemed or absolute bastards who only wanted sex, for you to help them pass a class, or, for me, to be close to a real live faerie princess. I wouldn’t know which kind of “nice guy” Grover was for a while. If things went well, I’d never figure it out, because I’d probably never see him again. If they went badly, we might see a lot of Grover.
Nelson was the assistant district attorney to the district attorney for Los Angeles County. Her boss, Miguel Cortez, was short, dark, and handsome. He looked great on camera. I’d seen him on the news often enough here. The trouble was that he, like Shelby, was ambitious. He liked being on the news, and wanted to be on the news more. This accusation of rape against my men had all the earmarks of a case that could make your career or break it. Cortez and Shelby were ambitious; it meant that they would either be very cautious, or very incautious. I wasn’t sure which mood would help us the most, yet.
Nelson was taller than her boss, close to six feet in her not-too-high heels. Her hair was a vibrant red that fell in waves around her shoulders. It was that rare shade that is deep, rich, and as close to true red as human hair can get. Her suit was well cut, but conservative and black, her button-up shirt white, her makeup tasteful. Only that flame of hair to ruin the almost mannish exterior she portrayed. It was as if she were hiding her beauty and drawing attention to it at the same time. Because she was beautiful. A sprinkling of freckles underneath the pale makeup didn’t detract from the flawless skin, it added. Her eyes were green and blue at once, depending on how the light caught them. Those undecided eyes couldn’t stop looking at Frost and Doyle. She tried to concentrate on the legal pad she was supposed to be making notes on, but her gaze kept rising, and finding them, as if she couldn’t help herself.
That made me wonder if there was more going on than just handsome men and a distracted woman.
Shelby cleared his throat sharply.
I jumped and looked at him. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Shelby, were you speaking to me?”
“No, I was not, and I should have been.” He looked down the table on his side. “I was brought into this as a more neutral voice, but let me ask my fellow members of the bar if they are having trouble forming questions for the princess.”
Several of the lawyers spoke at the same time. Veducci just raised his pencil in the air. Veducci got the nod. “My office has dealt more closely with the princess and her people than the rest of you, which is why I’m carrying certain remedies against glamour.”
“What sort of remedies?” Shelby asked.
“I won’t tell you what I’m carrying, but cold steel, iron, four-leaf clover, St.-John’s-Wort, rowan and ash—either the wood or the berries—have been known to work. Some say bells will break glamour, but I think high-court sidhe won’t be bothered much by bells.”
“Are you saying that the princess is using glamour against us?” Shelby asked, his handsome face no longer pleasant.
“I am saying that sometimes when dealing with King Taranis or Queen Andais, their presence overwhelms humans,” Veducci responded. “Princess Meredith, being part human, though beautiful—” He nodded in my direction.
I nodded at the compliment.
“—has never affected anyone so strongly, but a lot ha...
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Product details
- Publisher : Ballantine Books; 1st Edition, 1st Printing (October 23, 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 350 pages
- ISBN-10 : 034549590X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0345495907
- Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.11 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,208 in Gothic Romances
- #4,082 in Gothic Fiction
- #23,820 in Romantic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Laurell K. Hamilton is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novels. She lives near St Louis with her husband, her daughter, two dogs and an ever-fluctuating number of fish.
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Really enjoyed this one. So many different emotions. Great visuals of a faerie world. The descriptions are fantastical. Many sexual encounters. Many OMG moments. This was definitely a roller coaster ride with many twists and turns. The sexual chemistry with Merry and these men will leave you in awe. Faerie is growing, things are coming alive, some are coming into their old powers and the action and suspense will keep you wanting more. Many are still out to kill Merry, too many enemies to keep track of. I will say I almost cried in this one. I was upset and happy all at the same time. I've definitely fallen in love with several of these characters.
The Seelie court is more evil and twisted than the Unseelie court. Taranis is insane and someone needs to kill him or get him off the throne already.
You can't help but laugh during moments of this book. But there are moments where you want to cry, you want to scream, you want to be happy, or you say WTF.
The Seelie court is more evil and twisted than the Unseelie court. Taranis is insane and someone needs to kill him or get him off the throne already.
You can't help but laugh during moments of this book. But there are moments where you want to cry, you want to scream, you want to be happy, or you say WTF.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2020
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Merry must be pregnant in order to get the UnSeelie throne. That means she must have sex with numerous guards that the Queen of Air and Darkness has helped to choose. Merry has had the bad taste to fall in love with Frost and the Darkness, two of the most talented guards that the Unseelie Court have.
Unfortunately during one of the many magical blessings of the Goddess, Frost was changed and is no longer in the picture. What might Merry do? What happens when her uncle kidnapps her and Frost is not there to help her get away from him? Will she and her men ever be safe?
Unfortunately during one of the many magical blessings of the Goddess, Frost was changed and is no longer in the picture. What might Merry do? What happens when her uncle kidnapps her and Frost is not there to help her get away from him? Will she and her men ever be safe?
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
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Love merry gentry. Not so much anita blake. The bondage puts me off blake. But merry is a woman sure of her sexual needs. The rape angle sorta sucked because it was incest but. Sad that frost tripped off in the moonlight. I want him back. What we want and what we get maybe 2 different things. Onward and upward to book 7
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Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2011
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I loved the first couple of Merry Gentry books, then gave up on the series when they became less plot than interminably long descriptions of her and her guards making love.
I'd sworn not to buy any of the series again, but I checked this one out of the library. Now that I've finished it, I'm glad I did.
This book is so much better than the last several, although Hamilton can't seem to get through more than a few days of Merry's life per book. Too much time is spent with Merry and one or more of her consorts doing a lot of emotional processing about who loves whom more, and how the less-favored men handle their pain -- but there are also some intense scenes with Taranis and/or Andais, and of course more magic coming into being due to Merry's special status.
Most surprisingly to me, there are events which caused me to really feel in response. Most of the Merry Gentry books are popcorn: fun, quick, sexy reads with a beautiful half-fairy princess and her gorgeous harem having adventures and lots and lots of sex. There was some true pathos in this one -- at least for me. In fact, after a couple of years of shunning the series, I find I want to buy this book and keep it around to read again.
I'd sworn not to buy any of the series again, but I checked this one out of the library. Now that I've finished it, I'm glad I did.
This book is so much better than the last several, although Hamilton can't seem to get through more than a few days of Merry's life per book. Too much time is spent with Merry and one or more of her consorts doing a lot of emotional processing about who loves whom more, and how the less-favored men handle their pain -- but there are also some intense scenes with Taranis and/or Andais, and of course more magic coming into being due to Merry's special status.
Most surprisingly to me, there are events which caused me to really feel in response. Most of the Merry Gentry books are popcorn: fun, quick, sexy reads with a beautiful half-fairy princess and her gorgeous harem having adventures and lots and lots of sex. There was some true pathos in this one -- at least for me. In fact, after a couple of years of shunning the series, I find I want to buy this book and keep it around to read again.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2014
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OMG! What a great Merry Gentry book!
Merry and her men are finally back in LA. But that doesn't stop the threats coming her way now does it? Hell-no. Freaking King is gone mad and wants Merry for his wife, the Queen is gone sadistic on one of the guards because she didn't talk with Merry first about rumors, Frost....dear lord, Frost....OMG!! I can't even handle it!
Such a great read. Some great news in this book! But of course it isn't just a simple thing...it's gotta be all complex and s***, lol.
As with most of LKH's work, I want to really to just spill the beans about everything that's happened, but for those that haven't read it yet, I really really really don't want to give away any spoilers.
Let's just say, very emotional book. Very good book. Very, well, just a great continuation of Merry's life.
Merry and her men are finally back in LA. But that doesn't stop the threats coming her way now does it? Hell-no. Freaking King is gone mad and wants Merry for his wife, the Queen is gone sadistic on one of the guards because she didn't talk with Merry first about rumors, Frost....dear lord, Frost....OMG!! I can't even handle it!
Such a great read. Some great news in this book! But of course it isn't just a simple thing...it's gotta be all complex and s***, lol.
As with most of LKH's work, I want to really to just spill the beans about everything that's happened, but for those that haven't read it yet, I really really really don't want to give away any spoilers.
Let's just say, very emotional book. Very good book. Very, well, just a great continuation of Merry's life.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2018
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The series up until this point is pretty engaging and good, I just don't much like where she chose to go.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:
Trigger warning: rape. The book ends on a curious and really unpleasant note and then the whole subplot started there is almost entirely lost in the next book. I think Hamilton lost her way a bit- I really enjoyed the beginning of the series but the end is just such a let down.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:
Trigger warning: rape. The book ends on a curious and really unpleasant note and then the whole subplot started there is almost entirely lost in the next book. I think Hamilton lost her way a bit- I really enjoyed the beginning of the series but the end is just such a let down.
Top reviews from other countries
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yet another fab read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2018Verified Purchase
This book is number 6 in the "Meredith Gentry" series by Laurell K. Hamilton. It is the continuing story of her life, that she is a real "Faerie Princess" and her bid for the throne of the "Unseelie Court". It is riddled with intrigue, plots against her life and about those she loves. These books are part of one of the best series in the fantasy genre. I would recommend them to anyone over the age of consent as there are frequent sexual scenes that are well written, so that they aren't at all smutty. I would let my 16 year old read them. Well done yet again Ms Hamilton! ☺️
L. LYONS
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2008Verified Purchase
I used to be a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton's books. That was, until the plot got railroaded in favour of sex.
I didn't mind if the sex scenes had a reason behind them, as they tend to in the Merry Gentry books, but I admit that I put off reading this book, until I had a holiday coming up.
Now I wish I hadn't waited! I'm glad I took two books with me, even though I'm not a fast reader, because I finished this in a single day! It usually takes a few weeks for me to read a book about this size, but once I started it, I couldn't put it down! That says a lot about this book.
The story starts slow, but as it grows you find yourself sympathising with Merry... when the moment that this book was written for comes, you feel the same emotions that Merry does (trying not to spoil it for you), I even shed a tear at this point, and I'm not afraid to admit it!
It is a good book, easy to read and a welcome return to form for LKH!
I didn't mind if the sex scenes had a reason behind them, as they tend to in the Merry Gentry books, but I admit that I put off reading this book, until I had a holiday coming up.
Now I wish I hadn't waited! I'm glad I took two books with me, even though I'm not a fast reader, because I finished this in a single day! It usually takes a few weeks for me to read a book about this size, but once I started it, I couldn't put it down! That says a lot about this book.
The story starts slow, but as it grows you find yourself sympathising with Merry... when the moment that this book was written for comes, you feel the same emotions that Merry does (trying not to spoil it for you), I even shed a tear at this point, and I'm not afraid to admit it!
It is a good book, easy to read and a welcome return to form for LKH!
Bex79
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far too short...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2014Verified Purchase
Yet as it's part of a series it just leaves me wanting more. I do love this series and there were some interesting revelations and some really tear inducing moments. I wasn't as impressed with this book as others in the series and yet it hasn't put me off the series or even made me lower my rating. There are a few too many men in my opinion and it can get a little confusing and yet I just can't quite put one of Merry's books down until I absolutely have to. There is something very irresistible about them.
Gillian Heath
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laurel Hamilton is fabulous.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2020Verified Purchase
I only began buying Meredith Gentry because I had run out of Anita Blake: I was not disappointed!
JanDaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2014Verified Purchase
Laurell K Hamilton is in a league of her own. Feisty, witty and very sexy. A brilliant read.






