Summary: Merry Gentry is a fay princess—part elf, part brownie, part human. She's third in line to the throne, which is now occupied by her aunt Andais, the queen of Air and Darkness. Merry has been on the run for three years: Her aunt and cousin, Prince Cel, want her dead to ensure that the royal line stays in their side of the family. When the queen begins to realize that Cel may not be an appropriate heir, she sends her goons out to bring Merry home.

Why I Abandoned the Book: Hamilton has created a complex and internally consistent world of fay that exists side by side with humans in the modern world. The varied creatures and their different powers are well constructed and easy to envision. The fay world is divided into two courts, and the political tension between them is nicely developed. The plot moves along quickly, and it is easy to get caught up in the story.

So what's the problem? It turns out that the fay are very sexual. So sexual that there are laws and restrictions concerning fay and human sex. Merry is particularly gifted in the area of the sensual arts and gains power through sex. Frankly, it begins to get very tiresome: Every time Merry meets a male (of any sort), she is either seduced or she does the seducing. The sex scenes are well written, but I began to be annoyed at the breaks in the overall plot and bored with reading yet another description of sex with yet another type of fay.

I listened to the audio production of this book read by Laural Merlington. The characters were easily distinguishable, and she did a good job with pacing. Perhaps if I had read the book in print, I could have skimmed over the sex scenes and concentrated on the story line itself. But with audio, you listen to every word.

A Quick Look at Reviews: I checked several commercial book sites and discovered that the print version of A Kiss of Shadows averages somewhere around a 4-star rating. Audio sites rate the book at bit lower at 3.5 stars. On the book cataloging sites, the novel is rated at 4 stars. I did not find any book blogger reviews to link to. If you know of any, please leave the link in a comment so I can update this post. ( )

This is a great series, very imaginative new world, but the sex is overpowering. This one isn't as bad as the rest for that, but some of the later books in the series (7 now?) are 1/2 sex - more than it needs, although sex/fertility is the main driver. ( )

In this book we explore the world and life of a true faerie princess in Los Angeles, California, the life in fact of Princess Meredith NicEssus under the assumed name of Meredith 'Merry' Gentry. Merry is working for the Grey Detective Agency in an alternate reality to that of our own where the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of the faeries are a very real and very public--to an extent that is. The faerie courts are like the lives of modern superstars in that the public image is intended to be only what they wish to show rather than what it is.
Merry is in self-imposed exile after having nearly been killed at the courts in the past. When she is brought back to the Unseelie Court after a dramatic and traitorous course of events she is shocked by Queen's 'request.' The Queen reveals that she wishes for her bloodline to continue upon the throne and for that to happen, she is willing to take whoever of Meredith or her own son, Cel, who can produce a child first as her heir. The Queen lifts the order of celibacy upon her Ravens for Meredith alone and insists that she choose at least three or even more of the men in order to increase the chance of her becoming pregnant. ( )

 Awesome read! A faerie princess, unseelie & seelie courts, magical book & cant wait to read rest of series! if you like modern faerie novels and great sex scenes this is a book for you. ( )

This was an okay book. Seeing the set up of the court and the politics was interesting, and there is definitely enough sex. We'll see how the rest of the series plays out. ( )

Perhaps I'm jaded from reading the Anita Blake books first but Merry Gentry is very similar in many ways, especially compared to Anita's later years. And I swear, there are some lines and paragraphs that are directly from the other books. While the story seems to be a bit cliche in some aspects, it's an interesting world of fey politics and I'll keep reading to see how an independent free-thinking half-blood fits into the very regimented courts. ( )

I was nudged by a friend to read this series, and I began this book with my eyes wide open to the fact that it is nothing more than erotic fantasy with a thin veneer of plot; that the series is, in fact, the Anita Blake books without as many hangups, and with no pretence that they're anything other than pretty people getting together to have sex.

With that in mind, this first entry was engaging enough that I found it easy to zip right through. There are obvious issues with Hamilton's writing (most notably her need for a competent editor) and the main character could not be more of a self-insert if she'd named her "Laurell," but this first glimpse of Merry's world is compelling and intriguing enough that I want to read more. I found the plotline reasonably entertaining, and while the mystery was solved ever so easily, it was still engaging enough to hold my attention all the way through. This novel is by no means the pinnacle of literature, and at times the descriptions of sex are awkward and faintly silly, but if you're looking for some mental candyfloss and an excuse to read all about unearthly beautiful men, this story should hit the spot. ( )

Merry Gentry is in hiding, living in Los Angeles as a Private Investigator of supernatural crimes, she is doing pretty well. That is until one case reveals her as Princess Meredeth NicEssus, the lost Princess of the Unseelie, or Faerie court. She is brought back home, to the place where she had been running from for the past three years. The place where attempts on her life had been overlooked by the Queen, and even accepted by some of the nobles. It had been made very clear that she was wanted dead.

Merry knows she will be assassinated when she returns home but Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness--Merry's aunt--has other plans for her.

I wanted to love this book; I really did. The imagination and thought that Laurell K. Hamilton put into this book is amazing. She created a world where humans and Faerie (or Sidhe) live and cooperate together. Her Fae are imaginative, unique, and glorious; my favorite Fae characterizations yet. I love the plot and premise, and Laurell's writing style only adds to the story.

That having been said, I can only give this book three stars. Why? The main reason is that I felt as if the story ended in the middle of the book. There were a couple of things that happened which made it suspenseful, but the book had no real story arc. I felt cheated at the end, as if there should have been more to the story.

I loved the characters in this book, but I feel as if I didn't get to know them well enough. Merry moved from one man to the next, then back again so fast that we only got to see the personalities of a few men. I loved the imaginative way the intimate scenes were described, but the feeling of detachment we often received afterward was offsetting. It was as if those moments meant little to Merry, so they meant little to me. This book had the potential to be one of my favorite paranormal romances, but I don't think it pulled it off.

Though it came short of being a great book, Laurell K. Hamilton's descriptive writing and interesting world are too tempting, and I am still interested in reading the next in the series. ( )

This book is best categorized as "light on plot, heavy on sex"�. It wasn't bad, if you like to see how many different characters can have sex in the same book, sometimes under quite extraordinary circumstances. However, I like Laurell K Hamilton, so I'll probably read more of these. ( )

Wow! This is just starting out to be great. Very good.

so, LKH is obviously obscenely popular. i had tried one of her short stories once and thought it was crap, but i figured well, maybe short stories aren't her forte; maybe it's the anita blake world that doesn't do it for me; maybe this was a throwaway project... etc. so i figured i would give it another shot, and i picked up 'a kiss of shadows,' which is the first book in her meredith gentry series.

well, it did not change my mind, and i think in fact that i do hate LKH's writing. i will not be spending any more cash on this bs, but i do feel the need to share some of my thoughts.

- first; i have no objection to erotic literature. however, i think if the main point of your book is soft porn, don't try to sell it as a novel. 'a kiss of shadows' does not have a plot; it has a couple flimsy attempts at one but they are pathetic and secondary and mostly get completely forgotten during all the sex scenes. i bought this book looking for something both sexy and worth reading; sadly i didn't really get either one.

- the sex scenes themselves are pretty boring, not to mention mostly gratuitous (if you're going to have something that's both smut and a novel, please to make the smut at least be connected to the plot, not be totally and completely random). there is no leadup, there is no tension, there is no 'at last, they get together' - there are just many many scenes of sex or making out, and iirc the heroine (merry) is with a different man every time. and the characters don't treat the sex as anything out of the ordinary or special, so why should the reader?

- i am pretty sure LKH's mind is still stuck in HS. merry is a total mary sue; she is beautiful and smart and exotic (especially with the triple-ringed iris) and asskicking and omg _EVERYONE_ wants her (and have we mentioned that her last name is the same as that of the author's grandmother?) - yes, ok, the everyone wanting her is sometimes due to the mystical magic potion that has spilled on her, but still. EVERYONE. ...i would say the book is about 60% smut and another 20% descriptions of appearance and clothing. the amount of time devoted to merry's lingerie collection...? yeah. exactly.

- the writing is bad. painfully bad. one thing that really bugged me: merry's aunt, the supposed antagonist, is repeatedly described as a 'sexual sadist.' very basic rule of writing, though? 'show, don't tell.' LKH tells, a lot, and shows not a damn thing. (i think she's just not creative enough to come up with something! ...she'd rather talk about the aunt's fashion and home decorating sense anyway.)

a particularly egregious example of bad writing + omg still in HS:

the shirt was completely see-through, to the point where i wasn't sure if the cloth was actually white, or if it was clear and it was his skin that made it look white. the shirt was cut like a second skin to his chest, but the sleeves had a large puff of diaphanous material, cut tight just above the bend of his elbow by a broad applique of glittering silver. the rest of the sleeves fell in a long full tube like a crystal morning glory. the thread that kept the shirt together (arrrgh. sewn. sewn is a really useful word here!) was silver and gleamed at every seam. the pants were silver satin cut so low around the waist that his hip bones showed through the cloth of his shirt. if he'd tried to wear underwear they would have shown at the waist of the pants. the only thing that kept the pants up was that they were unbelievably tight. a series of white string over the groin, like the ties on the back of a merry widow, took the place of a zipper.

that passage is probably my favorite love-to-hate bit in the book. how ridiculous can you get, and was it really worth taking up an entire paragraph to say 'he wore silver lame and sheer glittery chiffon, and omg pants TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT'? ...the above is followed by yet another paragraph in which we are treated to a description of his HAIRDO (his hair, by the way, is also silver - like christmas tinsel - and floor length).

so, in summary: this book was crap, but could be amusing to dissect over cocktails. i think it lends itself well to reading aloud. anyone want to have a party? ( )

Way back when I used to find that these books were too sexed up, to the point that it was annoying and repetitive. But now, with perspective gained from the most recent books in this series ( Lick of Frost, Swallowing Darkness), I think I can appreciate why the author put so much in. Aside from that, très, très, magnifique! ( )

Laurell K is fabulous at world-building. Her fae society kicks so much ass!! I liked this book a lot. Just not any of the others in the series. Merry Gentry is kind of like a watered down Anita Blake. I like her but not as much as Anita. ( )

I really liked this book. Her characters were described with so much rich detail I couldn't put the book down! I stayed up till 3am just to finish reading the book. ( )

This is looking like another erotica series with minor dashes of adventure à la her Anita Blake series...only the heroine doesn't start out as likable as Anita did. ( )

If you stripped this story of all the sexual encounters (I think Merideth 'had a good time' with at least 5 different guys, but think that might be more), I doubt the plot could have filled 15 pages. ( )

There are definitely some parallels between this book and the Anita Blake series, but I'm just happy to have more to read from Laurell K. Hamilton. I think her books are awesome, and I love the new characters. We all know we wish like was like this! ( )

I was introduced to LKH through her Anita Blake series; I'm only on book 10 but I continue to be interested in that character. So I thought the idea of LKH doing a series on Faerie sounded intriguing. I made it through the first half of the book. Merry, the missing faerie princess on her way back to the Unseelie Court, gets to know people in her life by having sex with them. Now I am not opposed to well-written sex scenes (see my SMUT tag), but the frequency got me giggling. He has tusks? I better have sex with him. He has tentacles? I better have sex with him. He is a seal? I better have sex with him. Yeesh!

Series opener. If you're a Laurell K. Hamilton fan, then you already know what you're in for -- sex, violence, and sex and violence. But the plot is good, and the characters are entertaining, too.

Meridith Gentry has a secret -- she's only half-human. And she's a faerie princess. Not the tiny, has wings and hides in flowers kind, either. She's been hiding in plain sight disguised as a mortal and working as a private detective in L.A.

Now her cover's blown, and her aunt, Queen of Air and Darkness (and the Unseelie Court) has a new task for her -- get pregnant, or else.

Definitely a page-turner. ( )

My first Laurell K. Hamilton. A wonderful blend of genres, sympathetic characters, and a hell of a plot. This was my initiation into urban fantasy with an erotic kick. ( )

Great series by Laurell K. Hamilton that is very different from the Anita Blake series. ( )

Meredith Gentry is a faerie detective in LA. She's of royal blood, but she's in hiding from the courts because there were too many attempts on her life. She's not a particularly powerful member of the sidhe, so instead she hides, putting on a glamour and worked as a detective. But one day, a strange case leads to Meredith finding her true power (and, incidentally, blowing her cover). Then Meredith's aunt, the Queen of Faerie, sends a guard to fetch her home. Yes, Meredith will be welcome in the court once more, but at what price? And who can she really trust?

A fun, sexy fantasy novel, the wealth of characters and details of the faerie world make this novel absorbing. There's plenty of romance and intrigue. Be warned: if sex scenes make you blush, this may not be the novel for you... ( )

All it would take was my true name being mentioned after dark, and it would float back to my aunt. She was the Queen of Air and Darkness, and that meant that anything said in the dark was hers to hear, eventually. The fact that spotting the missing Elven American Princess had become more popular than spotting Elvis helped. Her magic was always chasing blind leads. Princess Meredith skiing in Utah. Princess Meredith dancing in Paris. Princess Meredith gambling in Vegas. After three years I was still a front-page story for the tabloids, though the latest headlines had been speculating that I was as dead as the King of Rock and Roll . . .' In fact, Meredith has been posing as a human in Los Angeles, living as a private investigator specializing in supernatural crime. But now Doyle, the Queen's chief bodyguard and assassin, has been dispatched to fetch her back - whether she likes it or not. And suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt's plans . . . plans that affect the future of the entire UnSeelie Court. The requirements of the job: to enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful - and immortal - men in the world. The reward: the crown - and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty; death.

This was a fun read in the same way that a soft-serve ice cream cone is fun to eat. It wasn't very deep or intense as stories go and the characters are kind of two-dimensional, but Hamilton's world of the Unseelie Court makes for a fascinating and enjoyable read. I prefer the darker, meatier Anita Blake stories, but I will probably keep reading this series too. ( )

I absolutely love Merideth Gentry. The world of Faerie is fantastic and exciting. One of my favorite quotes is from this book...it also sums up the beat and feel of Hamilton's intense writing style.

'If you have a choice between extra makeup or extra weapons, always take the weapons. Just the fact that you're debating between those two choices proves that you're going to need the weapons more.' ( )