Mistral's Kiss

Genre fantasy Author Laurell K. Hamilton Publisher Ballantine Books External Links Official Ballantine Books Official Laurell K. Hamilton

After a mysterious dream, Princess Meredith - or "Merry" to her friends - awakens to find herself in bed with her bodyguards and holding the chalice from her dream - a bit unusual, even for a faerie. Merry and Abeloec drink from the cup - then start having sex while the rest of the Ravens (bodyguards) laugh in approval. When strange, glowing lines creep over everyone's skin, they realize some powerful magic has overtaken them. Mistral, the Queen's captain of the guard, is uncontrollably drawn into a threesome with Merry and Abeloec. As he kisses Merry, everyone is transported to the Dead Gardens - setting the stage for the marathon sex scene that opens Mistral's Kiss, the fifth book in the Merry Gentry series.

Don't judge Merry before you hear her plight, however. Fans of the series know she's banging as many of her Ravens as possible - in an effort to save her life. The evil Queen Andais is barren and has promised the Unseelie throne to either her son, Prince Cel, or her niece, Princess Merry. Whoever conceives an heir first wins. Faeries are not a fertile bunch; Merry and Cel have been trying to sleep their way to the top since the first book. And all along Prince Cel, Queen Andais, and other Unseelie fey - who fear a queen with mortal blood would bring death upon them all - have been trying to kill Merry. Being promiscuous increases her chances of staying alive by serving several purposes, besides conceiving a child to win the throne. Merry also forms political alliances and increases the magical powers of everyone she sleeps with. But that doesn't mean she isn't enjoying her barrage of sexual encounters - she is, immensely.

Once, the Unseelie Court's faerie mound contained an entire underground world. As their powers waned, it shrunk until only the Dead Gardens remained. While Merry has rough sex with Mistral, a former storm god, a life-giving rain begins to fall causing the Dead Gardens to grow. Afterwards, they realize some of the Ravens are missing, while others have marks of favor on their bodies - glowing tattoos signifying their ancient powers have returned. From here, the story becomes more of an action-filled adventure. During their journey, the group stumbles upon Sholto, King of the Sluagh. He's been attacked and shorn of his tentacles, the one physical feature belying his dark blood. Sholto's jealous hags and Merry get into a fight over him. Afterwards, Merry (of course) has sex with Sholto to cement their alliance. From their sex-magic, the Sluagh's Dead Gardens spring to life and Sholto's powers increase. Jealous of Doyle, Merry's favorite Raven, Sholto summons the Wild Hunt and sends it after her. A formidable battle ensues with Merry enlisting the aid of the goblins, with whom she's also formed an alliance. Have Merry and her men acquired enough magical power to defeat the Wild Hunt? Can the Wild Hunt even be beaten? The answers to these questions and more are revealed at the end of the novel.

Mistral's Kiss is an exhilarating ride full of fantasy, myth, adventure, and sex - can't forget the sex. While the sex scenes are entertaining and do further the plot, they take up too much space that could've been better used to flesh out the fight scenes. Hamilton is skillful at balancing erotic scenes with playful humor, though. The series contains a detailed cast of characters belonging to the fey forces of darkness (Unseelie) and light (Seelie). As in all good fantasy, there are also indefinite characters that belong to several groups simultaneously or switch sides readily. Many of Merry's problems stem from her mixed heritage - for she has Seelie, Unseelie, and human blood in her veins - and bloodlines are very important to the fey. Prejudice concerning race and class abounds, but an underlying message of the book is acceptance - not only of others, but also of oneself. Those who learn to embrace their true selves - tentacles and all - end up finding peace within.