Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading, but did not devour!
Review: I am a big fan of the Anita Blake series and I really enjoyed the 1st book in the Meredith Gentry series. However, this book did not contain the "spark" or excitment that I am use to in her books. The last four chapters did get to that level but there were 2 big "baddies" to face and 1 is handled by a simple sentence like..."Rhys had no trouble putting the xxxxx down." (Don't want to spoil the book for anyone). Something else is that Meredith is not that much different from Anita in this book. While reading it I keep thinking about Anita (that was not a problem in the 1st book).
I see this book as a stepping stone to setting up the next book. As I understand it, this series is a 7 book series. Other than the major event at the end of the book, not sure why this was written. Don't get me wrong, it was a good enjoyable read; but below what I have come to expect from Ms. Hamilton. I was going to only give it 2 stars but then realized it is worth 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: So - So .. but the same mistakes
Review: Although I find this tale to be entertaining and will read the rest of the books in this series (when they are publishe) I find that Laurell makes the same mistakes so many other writers make when they bring the mythic and fanciful into reality. Here's my problem... the Fae in this story are so powerful, so unstoppable, so much more than humans .. then why are they loosing their power. They are so beautiful, that we can become "Fae" struck by being around them too much. According to the reality in the book, there is nothing the Sidhe do worse than man kind. People are like background noise... to easy.I know this is Laurell's world, but it would be so much more interesting if they weren't all fallen gods of some sort. Also if she didn't push every other belief system in reality to the side and make the Sihde(?) the center of the universe. I swear for a moment I though she was going to say Jesus was a Sidhe. I can't see a group of beings so powerful that through their passion of making love they can cause a earthquake of 5+ or the rhichter scale being satisfied with just being you average everyday citizen in the US. I do enjoy her visualization and creativity, but I think it would be more creative if her characters where built up based upon their own strengths and not everyone elses weakness. Now it sounds like I hate the book, I don't. I just I want someone to tackle this issue head on and with a fresh persepctive and some balance. My two cents worth.
Rating: 
Summary: To Caress or not to Caress
Review: I am a big fan of LKH's books, the Meredith Gentry books as well as the Anita Blake series. As a fan I'm more inclined to see its virtues as opposed to its flaws. There are equal doses of both here. The action in this book wasn't as fast or furious as its predecessor, A Kiss of Shadows. Having said that, the book was still interesting as it shows Meredith's personal growth into a position of authority as a 'princess' of the sidhe as well as her learning of the political ropes of faerie. In this book you get to see Princess Meredith think and act more like a future queen, instead of simply reacting to the various forces surrounding her. 'Caress' also deals with the many types and levels of prejudice that exist within the realms of faerie. As always LKH is a mistress of detail, her characters themselves and the descriptions of the different brownies, fairies, goblins, etc. are captivating. I enjoyed the physical and verbal interplay between the guards and Meredith. It also seems that she toned down the amount sexual play in this book, which I don't feel she needs to do. The world of faerie is an erotic and sensual world (be it dark or light), I want it to stay that way or be even more so! The storyline was quite witty and very often I found myself laughing out loud or smiling at the characters reactions. As is the case with LKH's other books, you find yourself quickly entangled in the world that she creates. I couldn't wait to get back and pick up where I'd left off. Kudos to LKH for the Kitto storyline, here she takes some unprecedented risks and does a great job. I won't tell what, but when you read the scene you'll know what I refer to and will hopefully applaud LKH for her artistic courage. Like A Kiss, I really, really, really enjoyed the interaction between the princess and Doyle - just wish there was mmm...mmm ...more of it!!! Doyle is my favorite of all her guards, his background and dark depths are fascinating and could rate a book of their own. The other guards seem more like boys in comparison. The final scene of the books left me wondering, what's next??!! All in all, the book was good, but not great. I've had "A Kiss", "A Caress" and they've just aroused my appetite for more. Can't wait for the next one!!!
Rating: 
Summary: When Can I Read The Next Book in this series
Review: I didn't want to read any more of LKH books, because of Anita Blake series. Don't get me wrong I like some of the books in that series but sometimes Anita's attitude toward casual sex gives me a headache. After a while the books seem redundant. But a friend convince me to read this book and I loved every minute of it. Anita's stories never really scared me as much as Merry's, Meredith seems weaker and more human,and eventually she grows stronger as you go along in the book.I can truly relate to her in some way. I also like this character sexual freedom and the strenght she has without toting and slinging a gun. I feel Meredith is way more women than Anita would ever be. I can't wait until the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: A bore of twilight...
Review: I was disappointed in this book. It had the usual wonderful character descriptions and smooth flow, but lacked the substance of her prior works. Previous books by Ms. Hamilton just grabbed you by the collar and dragged you through the story steadily building to what you knew was going to be an awesome...ending and ultimately leave you craving for more. It seemed that this book just "lolligaged" its way through a story and then it seemed that she realized that she was almost out of paper and just threw in the quick "last 5 minutes of Star-Trek" ending that kind of neatly wraps it up, but leaves you disappointed and craving for "something". It seemed to me that Ms. Hamilton just "phoned" this one in. I am disappointed, but still a fan, and I anxiously await further works, but in a different way. I find myself hoping new works will make up for this one, rather than just assuming it will be great like all of her great stories I had grown accustomed to.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for the paperback!
Review: Laurell K. Hamilton must have been rushed to get this one out. If you are a fan of hers, and I am, after having read this book you will understand. This book will make you think of a short story that has been added to (to fill in space), but nothing is added to the story. There are many, many, sex moments. The mirror is used in place of a telephone, and there are many, many repeated incidents of using the mirror. And the details of what every character is wearing, or may ever wear, at any given time is graphically and boringly repeated everytime the scene changes.
I have been a LKH fan since her first book and hope that this is not a trend caused by becoming a bestselling author. But I would still buy the paperback!
Rating:
Summary: A Step Up, A Step Down
Review: Definitely better than NIC, but not quite up to par with the earlier books written by LKH. Has her popularity gone to her head? Lately, she relies on frequent, and pointless, sex to carry the plot, instead of having a real story going on. I've been reading her work since Nightseer. I'd hate to have to stop, but if the books don't improve, why waste the money? As is, I don't recommend buying this book in hardcover. Wait for the paperback, or buy it used.
Rating:
Summary: Where is the plot?
Review: I'm a huge Laurel K. Hamilton fan and found this lacking a true plot. The politics and interplay of the guards were an interest but it soon became boring. The book did keep you turning the page just to see if a true plot and sense of direction would emerge, but it just never happened. Also what happened to some steamy sex scenes, and descriptions of outfits and nude bodies just wasn't enough.
Rating:
Summary: if only...
Review: I have been an avid Hamilton reader sense "Guilty Pleasures" was on the new relese shelf. She has out done herself on this one, and is accually turning out her books at a good clip, consedering she is working on 2 series at once, and this one is not of her "main" seris.
It is a good book, I do warn anyone who is offended easily by printed erotica should tread carefully. This book is after all, about an unseelie fairie princess trying to get pregnant, and hers, and her lovers adventers on the way.
Rating:
Summary: A Spoiler Comment.
Review: When I read Bloody Bones in the Anita Blake series, I became hooked and bought all the previous books. Indeed, Anita had become one of my favorite fantasy characters. However, I've become less interested as the books progress thanks to two factors: 1) Anita's seemingly unending accumumlation of new magical powers, making each bad guy just a bit more tame in comparison to her; and 2) a focus on sex or sexual acts. Granted, I can take sex along with the plot of the novel IF the plot isn't simply fabricated to allow for more sex. This is the impression I get with the Meredith Gentry series. While I'll allow for Hamilton's display of research for the storyline and characters, I don't see why Meredith simply must have sex OUTSIDE of those she deems worthy to bear her children. Let's face it...the very fact that the demi-fey Sage grew to human male proportions only foreshadows Merry involving herself with him at some point later on. Readers may also get the impression that Galen, Frost, or Doyle are doomed to heartache somewhere in the scheme of things. It's easy to pick a favorite among them and it appears predictable that at least one of our picks is going to lose out. I think this second installment sets us up for disappointment once love becomes entangled with unadulterated sex. Finally, the books drags. I read it very quickly only to realize that the climax would be extremely short and somewhat flat. Merry's new hand of power appears more convenient than anything else. Nevertheless, I continue to read Hamilton's work in hopes of finding that spark that drew me to her stories in the beginning. Each of her series has immense promise and that's what makes me a loyal reader. P.S. I'm not disappointed that Kitto is sidhe but was there really a need for all *gestures* that to happen? I picture him as a child more than anything else.
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