Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am Meredith Gentry, P.I. and Princess Merry, heir to the throne of Fairie. Now there are those among me who whisper I am more. They fear me even as they protect me. And who can blame them? I've awakened the dazzling magic that's slumbered in them for thousands of years. But the thing is, I can't figure out why. My aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness, is no longer distracted by her usual sadistic hobbies. Her obsession has turned unwaveringly to me. The mission to get me pregnant and beat my cousin Prince Cel to the crown is taking longer than expected. Even though I spend each night with the Queen's Ravens, my immortal guards, no child has come of our decadent pleasures. But something else is happening. My magic courses through me uncontrollably. And as I lock my half-mortal body with their full-Sidhe blooded ones, the power surges like never before. It all began with the chalice. I dreamed of it, and it appeared, cool and hard, beside me when I awoke. My guards know the ancient relic well--its disappearance ages ago stripped them of their vital powers. But it is here with us now. My touch resonates with its force, and they're consumed with it, their Sidhe essences lit up by it. But even as they cherish me for this unexpected gift, there are those who loathe me for it. Me, a mongrel, only half fey and part mortal. The Unseelie court has suffered for so long, and there are some who would not have it weakened further by an impure queen. My enemies grow in number every day. But they do not know what I am capable of. Nor, for that matter, do I. . . . In Seduced by Moonlight, Laurell K. Hamilton brings the dark, erotic reign of the immortal fey to a startling new depth. Full of sensuality and the consuming anticipation of latent powers unleashed, this world of gods, shapeshifters, and immortal souls is unveiled in all of its supreme magnificence and its treacherous deceits. Editorial Reviews SEXY . . . MERRY'S ADVENTURES ARE ENGAGING AND KEEP THE READER TURNING THE PAGES. -St. Louis Post-Dispatch STUNNING . . . STEAMY . . . AN EXCITING AND ORIGINAL WORLD. -San Jose Mercury News A sizzling new series that blends supernatural fantasy with detective adventure . . . Memorable characters and wicked wit make it all delicious, ribald fun. -Publishers Weekly - From the Publisher Considering all the complications, sexual and otherwise, that Merry Gentry, heir to the faerie throne, endured in A Kiss of Shadows (2000) and A Caress of Twilight (2002), it's no surprise to find the start of Hamilton's third book in her erotic fantasy series weighed down by attempts to conversationally recap earlier convolutions. Even readers of the first two books might have problems sorting out exactly why Merry is messing with the goblin king via magic mirror. Though the author maintains interest through such devices as an imaginative sex scene involving Merry, two of her sidhe studs and a doll-sized, winged, blood-sucking demi-fey, it takes a milieu switch from L.A. to St. Louis and the Unseelie court for the plot to take off and become a page turner. Merry confronts faerie politics that make Machiavelli look like a rookie, while her aunt's sadistic madness leads to what must rank as one of the bloodier scenes of fictional slaughter. Since Merry's previous role as a private eye has almost completely disappeared, nefarious deeds require magic to solve rather than detection. Hamilton's trademark mix of the personal and emotional along with the sexual will as usual delight her fans. Add yet another tour de force ending, a new final total of 16 lustful sidhe male immortals with whom to couple (or triple or...), and a fair future is assured for Merry for at least another few books. (Feb. 3) FYI: Hamilton is also the author of the bestselling Anita Blake vampire series (Cerulean Sins, etc.). Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Meredith Gentry, half-mortal Sidhe princess, is engaged in a contest to produce a child before her cousin Prince Cel does. The stakes are high: the winner will be heir to Queen Andais and the throne of the Unseelie Court. A powerful artifact mysteriously appears, and Merry becomes a trigger for the goddess Danu to restore long-lost powers of Celtic godhood to any Sidhe who has sex with Merry. In addition to sex, there is interminable conversation and explication about who, where, why, and how to have sex. Almost no plot movement takes place until late in the book, when situations at the court become graphically violent. Any listener unfamiliar with the two earlier episodes in this series may be confused, while fans might be impatient with the lengthy explanations. Hamilton does provide sensual erotica, faultlessly performed by Laural Merlington. Recommended only for large collections that include adult material.-Janet Martin, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Pinehurst, NC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Library Journal Third entry in Hamilton's series about p.i. /Faerie Princess Meredith Gentry. Meredith, she of the moonlight skin and blood-auburn hair, handles supernatural cases for the Grey Detective Agency while involved in endless faerie court politics. As we learned in A Caress of Shadows (2002), the now-mortal Meredith will replace her aunt as the Queen of Air and Darkness only if she becomes pregnant, a state she chases hard with the help of her many bodyguards and lovers, including thousand-year-old assassin Doyle, a celibate creature of absolute blackness and a member of the Queen's Ravens. But Prince Cel hopes to assassinate her and become ruler himself by providing an heir before Meredith can deliver a child. The series background is Hollywood, whose tabloid media and paparazzi pursue Meredith for photo ops. Merry first comes up against Siun, a nightmarish bloated black spider the size of a large German shepherd, with eyes everywhere, a head, hands, and breasts. Then Maeve Reed, the golden goddess of Hollywood, who looks 20 but has been top star for 50 years, tries to seduce her. Can Merry's ultimate orgasmic lovemaking reawaken Maeve's true godhead of lost power? Can Merry's body return his lost godhead to oceanic Barinthus? Will she sink into Adair and into the power that lay in the muscles and meat of him? Given all the rolling around beforehand, it seems only right that at this novel's climax, Meredith finds herself abed with 16 males. Steamy embraces wispily laced together by moonlit shadow-webbing. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz/Writers House - Kirkus Reviews In the third book in Hamilton's Land of Faerie series, Princess Meredith Gentry finds that she's the possible heir to the throne of Faerie--if she can get pregnant by her bodyguards. While embarking on her sexual adventures--described in exquisite detail--she is also dodging assassination attempts by her rival, Prince Cel, and learning to deal with the magic of Faerie, which she is awakening in herself and anyone else she touches. Laural Merlington performs this fantasy/romance with flawless narration and soft, sibilant tones, capturing the listener's imagination as she depicts scenes of love and passion. Merlington's voice ensnares listeners in Hamilton's story, daring them to miss one thrilling moment as Merry and her men travel to the Land of Faerie. M.B.K. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine - JUN/JUL 04 - AudioFile