Merry Gentry, Princess and Heir to the Fey Throne, finds herself slipping and out of reality as the actions in her dreams restore magic to the Unseelie courts with unfortunate consequences. Several weeks after the events of, A Stroke of Midnight, Princess Merry Gentry finds herself slipping in and out of a dreamlike state where acts within her dreams bring about consequences in the real world. While stuck in one of these dreams, Merry finds herself given a horn cup by the Consort, a lost an invaluable relic that belonged to her guard Abeloec who happened to be the God of Wine earlier in his life. While in the dream, Merry and Abeloec are forced to drink from the horn, which restores his god-born powers and abilities.
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When Merry wakes, she find that Abeloec's powers have truly been restored, while her other guards have received mysterious tattoos symbolizing their former powers and linking them to Merry. Confused and searching for answers, Merry and her guard are whisked away magically to the Dead Gardens. Once known for their power and beauty, and the center of the Unseelie Kingdom, Merry is overcome with lust and power which results in her, Abeloec and Mistral falling into an uncontrollable sexual encounter.
During their lovemaking session, the combined powers of Merry, Mistral and Abeloec revive the gardens and rain brings life to the once dead heart of the realm. Unfortunately, Galen, Nicca and Aisling, Merry's other trusted guards and who used to be gods of nature, find themselves absorbed into the earth as sacrifices in return for the abundance of magic.
With the new magic now flowing through, Merry discovers that she can control the gardens and it is discovered that since she drank from the horn cup which used to create goddesses, it is possible she is now immortal. In search for answers to the mysterious events, Meredith and her guards accidently pass through the home of the Slaugh, which is dangerous for those not from there. Trying to escape, Merry is trapped by Sholto and his night hags. Confused, Meredith is accused of being a part of a plot to harm Sholto and it is revealed his tentacle deformity has been shaved from his body. The night hags try to attack Meredith but Sholto kills them when he feels the new power Merry possesses.
Merry and Sholto find themselves pulled into another dream-like state where the Goddess appears and offers Sholto the choice to bring magic back to the Slaugh. But there is a catch, he must either kill Merry or have sex with her. Death would restore the Slaugh back to its dark glory while sex would transform the Slaugh to a place of life and light. Sholto chooses and with Merry at his side, the Slaugh is restored to a glory for which it has never seen.
Unfortunately, the influx in in magical powers overcomes Sholto which sends him into a power-driven rage and he calls on the Wild Hunt to attack Merry and her group. They escape in the nick of time and leave the Unseelie Realm and return to the real world of Los Angeles. Galen and her other guards who she thought were gone forever return but not all is well. The restored magic has released all of the prisoners in the Fey Court, leaving Cel, Merry's mortal enemy free. The Queen Andais tells Merry all magic comes with a price and tells her to run back home and keep her guards close as she cannot protect her from Cel.
As danger begins to mount to a boiling point, Merry realizes she must begin to play her cards right as this new return to power could bring war to not only the Fey but the human world as well.
Best part of story, including ending:
I found the story to not cover much ground. It literally takes place in less than 24 hours and you don't have much time for character development.
Best scene in story:
I loved the scene where Sholto and Merry finally have sex and transform the Slaugh Kingdom into a place of life and beauty.
Opinion about the main character:
Merry is a love/hate character as you know she must do what she can to save her kingdom but she also finds herself continuously adding a ridiculous amount of men to her bed.
