Book seven of the Merry Gentry saga opens with Princess
Merry now pregnant with twins and grieving the loss of her
lover, Frost. Damaged but recovering from being raped by
her Uncle Taranis, Merry is once again surrounded by her
royal guards, although her duplicitous family is still
doing their level best to separate her from those her love
her.
Now Taranis is claiming to be the father of her unborn
twins, a claim that Merry knows to be a lie. When someone
close to her is killed, Merry, in her fury, calls up the
Wild Hunt and demands vengeance. With the world of faerie
lining up against her and her insane cousin Cel reluctant
to give up his claim on the throne, Merry stands very
little chance of wearing the crown anytime in the near
future. Forced to watch as those she loves are sacrificed
to her quest, Merry begins to question whether being a
fairy queen is what she really wants at all.
The series could and probably should end here. Everything
is finally tied up. Merry has settled down with the men she
loves. Her family has been dealt with. We know who killed
her father and she's finally gone back to work. Although
the Merry Gentry books have never been among my favorite of
the fantasy genre series (pick up Karen Marie
Moning's Fae series for a much better escape into the
world of faerie) the last two have been the best books of
the series. Please let it end on a semi-high note and not
drag on and on and fall apart like the Anita Blake books.
I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands
of
Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child–twins,
fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis,
King
of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father
since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled
me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my
unborn children.
Bearing an heir has placed me
halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign
over the Unseelie Court–and well ahead of her son, my
cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my
children born and claim my place as queen.
But not
all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators
from every court in the realm plot against me and mine.
They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by
poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters,
and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who
will stand by me.
I am Meredith Nic Essus, and
those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a
terrible price–for I am truly my father’s daughter. To
protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if
it
means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies
and
making the most momentous decision ever made as princess
of faerie.