Meredith Gentry Series, Book 1: A Kiss of Shadows

Dragon Jude: I am visiting another old friend and enjoying the visit immensely. I think this might be the fourth or fifth reread since it was published. I like to leave enough time in between reads so that the details somewhat fade.
What I love is the incredibly descriptive writing of Laurell K. Hamilton. Her characters easily take shape in my mind in vivid detail and they are definitely multi-layered with depth.
The world-building is consistent and strong. The plots are not complex or overly twisted. They are interesting with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. While some have complained that they are just soft porn without depth, I would argue that they are being literary snobs and have never read any true porn - I could recommend some if they would like.
For pure luxury of your reading senses - this is the book for you.

Canada on Oct 11, 2023

belinda: This book sets the scene for what is to come in the next books. Background on some of the characters. Already wanting the bad guys to die. Some sex scenes. Love it

Australia on Aug 14, 2023

Kindle Customer: This is an interesting take on faeries. I love Merry, she is a very realistic character that faces many challenges over the course of the series. She is a fairy princess in hiding working as a magical detective. This series was written long before trigger warnings were a thing. In this first book there is discussion and threat of torture as well as , and I hate to phrase it this way, but a quickly interrupted nonviolent rape, as much of an oxymoron as that sounds. There is a kind of magical roophie. Much, much later in the series there is an off the page rape of a main character. There is some sexual sadism throughout the series and some inventive torture punishments as well as some familial emotional abuse. However, I do strongly recommend the series if you're looking for something steamy with a nice fairy plot and those things will not be too problematic for you. Oh, it's also a reverse harem, but a HEA is not completely guaranteed, one or more of the men may die during the series. This first book sets up things to move forward and ends well, no cliffhanger but clearly not all is resolved.

United States on Jul 09, 2023

Deborah Peach: This is the series that I turn to when I need to read about the Fae. Who wouldn't want to be Princess Merry with all those men? The bedroom (and everywhere else scenes) are detailed and set the pages on fire! The descriptions are so vivid you can see the men clearly if you close your eyes. There are no monsters in the Dark Court, only enemies who are after Merry's throne, and she isn't about to give it up now that she has a chance at tasting all her men and gaining that coveted place in Court.

Canada on May 23, 2023

Kindle Customer: This is such a great series, the only problem is the author decided to stop writing the story after book 9, I’ve waited years and nothing. Apparently the Anita Blake series brings in more money. I just wish she’d at least write one last book to end the series.

Australia on Feb 21, 2023

Hannah: I enjoyed some parts of this books, others just repelled me. It is not badly written and at first I liked Merry - for once a short woman, who likes to dress up, was also capable of fighting for herself. Merry is intelligent, diplomatic and sexy. However, it did not take long for me to get rather annoyed with her casual attitude towards the men in her life. Sexual liberation? Hell, yeah. Casually f****** everything (and anything) if need be - hell, no. No matter how scared she had been just a minute ago, no matter how deformed somebody might be (I am talking stuff like tentacles here) - might as well give it a try, eh? I did not mind it the first few times. I really started to mind it when every. single. man. she met was first described as in some way desirable and later on hit on her. Or slept with her. Or at least tried to sleep with her. It got to the point where a new character was introduced and you already knew that he would be another boytoy for Merry. Yay. I just really missed the emotional attachment. Even with the first 'boyfriend', and later on a childhood friend she claims to love, Merry seems oddly detached. I just could not relate to her at all when it came to that...

Germany on Oct 09, 2014

Amazon Customer: My first exposure to Laurell Hamilton's writing was the Anita Blake series. That series was mildly entertaining but, at the end of the day, I just wasn't connected enough to that series to continue reading it. When I expressed my disappointment with Anita to a coworker, she suggested that I try Meredith Gentry and I'm sooooooooooo glad I took that advice!!! Hamilton's writing is as dazzling and exciting as it is intense. She does such a wonderful job building her character's that I can't decide which one of them I love the most!!

The plot in the beginning of this book was a touch slow and the terminology a bit confusing. As the book progresses, you slowly discover the differences in the terminology; however trying to figure out the difference between the Seelie and Unseelie Court, what a `sidhe' is and what all is included in the term `fey' is a bit confusing at first. Example: Meredith refers to herself as being a Sidhe Princess (which makes her a member of the royal court) but then refers to herself as `less than true fey'. I wish Hamilton had elaborated a bit more on what Merry's mixed heritage consisted of as well as the differences between the good and bad Sidhe...

United States on Jan 30, 2012

Jana L.Perskie: I am a major Laurell Hamilton fan. Having read her entire Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, I truly enjoyed eleven of the twelve books, rating most of them 5 Stars. I also became extremely attached to her cast of characters, the driving forces behind many of her storylines. Few authors are able to create superb dark fantasy, complex characters, and also tell a riveting tale like Ms. Hamilton. So it was with great anticipation that I picked up "A Kiss of Shadows," the first of the Merry Gentry novels.

Princess Meredith Nic-Essus, "Child of Peace," "Princess of Flesh," "Besaba's Bane," is a member of the High Court of Faerie, the "only one ever born on American soil." She is in hiding from the fey folk - self-imposed exile, because there had been too many assassination attempts when she lived at court. When the fey originally left Europe, Thomas Jefferson invited these immortal and magical beings to the United States. He offered them land to settle and gave them the privilege to live in this country as an autonomous minority. They chose the mounds at Cahokia, in Illinois, as their home. The Princess' Aunt Andais is Queen of Air and Darkness, and has ruled over the Unseelies,...

United States on Apr 16, 2005