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.
This review is from the hardback edition.
I am Meredith, princess of faerie, and at long last, I am
with child–twins, fathered by my royal guard. Now I must
stay alive to see my children born, as conspirators from
every court 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. Those who would
defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price. To
protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if it
means waging a battle against my darkest enemies and making
the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.