Loved this start to the series. It didn't start to go downhill until 7 or 8 books in so I consider #8 the ending. Really a shame as it's such a great premise. After reading the reviews, I didn't even bother with #9.

If you're disappointed with this series, try the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire to cleanse your palate. THat said, I can recommend the series thru #8 even though that was the weakest IMO. ( )

LKH really likes writing about women "forced" to have sex with multiple guys, doesn't she? At least Merry seems to enjoy it, unlike Anita Blake, who is constantly whining about having several good-looking men at her beck and call. I've read the entire Anita Blake series, and it looks like I'll be reading more of Merry Gentry, too. I did like the story, although LKH tends to be be repetitive with some of her characters. (Some of the characers from AKOS remind me of some of Anita's friends.) I suppose there is only so much out there, and she is a good story-teller. ( )

Merry Gentry, detective for the Grey Detective Agency and sidhe princess in hiding from the Unseelie Court for the last 3 years. Well.. until an undercover mission goes wrong and she ends up being revealed as the lost princess.
Forces gather, many trying to kill Merry but some unlikely allies are helping her stay alive to reach the Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness. Her aunt has a purpose for the seemingly weak princess...

My take on the book:

I loved the world the author created, so alive. I can’t actually believe its 468 pages long, I couldn’t put it down and pretty much finished it in one go.

While the story only contains happenings of a few days, the pacing is excellent and while we have a lot going on, it doesn’t feel rushed and you have plenty of time in between to catch your breath without it getting boring (and before you're off again).

Character development is good. While of course the emphasis is on Merry, the author sheds a light on all characters, even those we only see fleetingly. It makes for a very immersive read, being able to connect to the characters and have a bit of insight in who they are and why they behave as they do. Doyle’s inner conflict for example or Galen’s naiveté.

The book in itself was very well written and I found no errors.
This series does contain sex, although I must say that this book is still pretty normal contrary to the following books.

While this was a reread for me I thoroughly enjoyed it once again and will absolutely read the rest of the series when ermm.. I have some time? ( )

This is the lowest 2-star rating I have given so far.
Blatant reverse harem wish-fulfilment.
The world itself isn't bad and I somewhat liked the cruel and ruthless court intrigue setting so 1 star wouldn't be fair but sadly 95% of this book consists of sexual tension building and outright sex.
I tried for a while to take the reverse harem as a new and interesting take on open fae sexuality especially as almost everything else in the genre is littered with love-triangles (or other geometry) and strict monogamy and this probably could've worked but it didn't. It just felt cheap.
I was almost able to connect to the mc again and again but it never quite worked out.
Maybe I just tried too hard to make this simple sex fantasy with a bit of story padding into something it just isn't. ( )

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. ( )