Book Review: 1 Treasure Box
Merry Gentry series, Book 1
Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Thus edition (February 26, 2002), Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0345423402, ISBN-13: 978-0345423405

Is this a fantasy or a book about sex? Merry Gentry is princess of the Faery courts and the ancestor of five fertility gods and goddess’.  She is mortal, unlike the other faery creatures she is related to because she has mixed blood which includes Human, Brownie, and Sidhe.  She is of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts. This story takes place in modern times, but in this world Faery creatures exist and not only are they recognized but they have celebrity status. Merry spends a huge portion of the book having sex with various people, including Human, Faery, Unseelie and Goblin.

There are 8 books in the Merry Gentry Series.  This series revolves around Meredith NicEssus, also known as Merry Gentry.  Laurell K. Hamilton has also written nineteen books in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series as well as numerous other books.  A Kiss of Shadows is told in the first person narrative with Meredith’s voice and thoughts. These are all considered Urban or Contemporary Fantasy. These books also fall under Erotica as there is plenty of sex in each and every book.

Initially, Merry is incognito living in LA and working as a private detective for the supernatural community as she hides from the Faery courts. However, after working on a case that involves humans who worship Faery she gets dragged back into the Faery community.  I thought this book was just OK, I did not think it had enough story or plot to really keep me engaged or wanting to come back for more.  The beginning of the book was intriguing but I felt it went downhill as the book progressed. There were some interesting concepts and I liked the concept of life as a Faery.

If you enjoy reading a book that primarily focuses on sex and is set within a contemporary fantasy genre, then you will enjoy this book.  I did not think there was enough plot and will not be reading the next book in the series.