Rating: 
Summary: Too much kink, not enough plot or character development
Review: As many have commented before me, I found Anita Blake and the vampire hunter series fascinating. She creates an interesting and in a way realistic alternate universe. Anita's character degression is the most fascinating thing about the series, in my opinion. You had some truly fascinating characters, if a little flat.The faerie series started out somewhat similar. You have a subtle alternate universe with the faeries moving from england to the u.s. and having a treaty with Jefferson. I think that is a very clever idea. Unfortunately, the fascinating character development is absent. Hamilton has definitely substituted bad sex scenes for character development. Let's talk plot...unless you're Hamilton, then we won't discuss it after all. Again, some great ideas, but in her other books, the plots have been slowing down due to way too many kinky sex scenes, and in this book, has been almost substituted completely. Most of the political machinations have a dangerous situation and different "cultural" groups has become, "Do we share or not when we sleep with her?" The big bad evil creature(s) were barely explained because we were too busy getting descriptions of the size of Doyle. Erotic? Good lord no. Crude and shallow. Harlequin had more class than some of those scenes. Yet, I am giving it a two because there are some good points. First, like I said, it has an interesting premise. Second, I felt that there was some hope in the first book, although there was a bit too much kink in that one for me too, however I can't give this a one star when I am holding out hope for improvement in future books.
Rating: 
Summary: Faerie Tales finally Get Real
Review: Before I get serious, I must say that Doyle would make the best consort for Meredith. He knows the Unsidhe Court better than anyone, and is intelligent enough to know when to use his power and when to use diplomacy. Frost is too much like the nickname bestowed upon him by Andais. Rhys still has issues with Goblins, and Galen, while cute, would be nothing more than a boy toy. Not to get racial or anything, but there's something rather cutting edge about a dark-skinned fae character. Most writers (save Emma Bull), tend to stick closely with the typical Celtic-looking faerie folk. I have to admit, Merry was hard to take in the first book, especially for those of us used to the kick-butt attitude of Ms. Hamilton's Anita Blake. However, Meredith has come into her own, and she is definitely not one to be tread upon lightly, as a few of her encounters with The Queen of Air and Darkness show. What I really love about this series is that the fae are NOT these cute little people who help humans in need. In fact, these fae are rather dismissive (and in some cases hostile)to mankind. These fae are far closer literature-wise than the Disney-fied versions that we're familiar with. Some of their actions in the book definitely make one squirm. Even Doyle and Frost, as close to heroes as a character can be, remind the reader in some startling ways not to use human benchmarks to judge their actions. And yes, there is sex in the book--but it does not detract from the gist of the story. After all, Merry does need to get an heir before her psychotic cousin Prince Cel does. However, just as she does in her characterizations of the fae, Ms. Hamilton is trying to get the reader to look beyond our notions of what sex is and isn't. She wants us to see it through the eyes of the fae, who lack all the cultural taboos that humans seem to possess. I also like the subtle discussion of the attitudes of the Sidhe in regards to other faerie beings.
Rating:
Summary: Wasn't disappointed...
Review: I eagerly awaited this book, and wasn't disappointed when I finally got it. It follows the first (which was also great) and left me wanting more. Very enjoyable!
Rating:
Summary: Fairytales return to their mature roots...
Review: I've been a fan of Hamilton's books for a while and I must admit that I was skeptical when I read this one, but I loved it!! I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought the first novel, Kiss of Shadows! Hamilton proves how good a writer she really is by not sticking with popular fiction. Her heroines are smart, sassy, and sexually independent! The supporting male characters aren't just window dressing; they have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. Besides,how many male characters have you read about that were too "macho" to cry? I wouldn't mind having Doyle and Frost guarding MY body 24/7 !! As far as there being too much sex in this book, I think there wasn't enough! Most people don't know that a lot of the fairytales we read as children were actually sanitized by puritanical westerners. Hamilton proves that fairytales can be dark, sexy and simply delicious!!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring boring boring
Review: It's amazing a book can have so little substance. Laurell K. Hamilton used to be an author whose books I awaited eagerly. I received this one for Christmas and I was hugely disappointed. The writing was lazy and slopping, she used "cupid bow lips" twice in the first 15 pages! Get thee to an editor! Yes, yes, beautiful men want to sleep with Merry. /yawn
Rating: 
Summary: The Case of the "Wasted Potential"
Review: "A Caress of Twilight" is the second of Laurell K. Hamilton's books featuring faerie P.I. Meredith Gentry, alias Princess Meredith NicEssus, heir to the throne of the Unseelie Court. The story supposedly hinges on a Hollywood "goddess" (actually a real goddess) who needs Merry's help in a fertility rite and an unnamed evil stalking Los Angeles. It sounds good; the problem is, we spend more time in Meredith's bedroom than anywhere else. Hamilton's prose is wonderfully evocative, and she describes her characters so skillfully you can almost see them (I loved the scene with ex-death god Rhys "helping" the police at a multiple murder scene). She has a great opportunity here to join the ranks of fantasy writers such as Piers Anthony and Mercedes Lackey in her mingling of the mundane and the magickal. Unforunately, she lets this chance slide in favor of delivering a semi-soft-porn romance revolving around Merry and her harem of guards who are in a race to get Merry pregnant and ensure her claim to her aunt's throne. I found it somewhat disturbing that Merry's main method of dealing with her guards' problems involved sex rather than logic or even magic. This is, after all, a woman who may become Queen of the Dark Court; a queen needs more than a seemingly endless sexual appetite to rule well. The confrontation with "the Nameless" at the end of the book is contrived and haphazard, as if Hamilton realized she had to wrap up this storyline somehow but only had a few pages to do it in. I really would have liked to see more of Meredith the P.I. and less of Meredith the sex object.
Rating:
Summary: gimme more, GIMME MORE!!!
Review: OH MY GOD!
This book is awesome! I'm not sure where to start...
I loved the descriptions of the sidhe's eyes!
Also, I don't care what anyone says, the book is not all "porn"... the plot is awesome, and those little bits of erotica just make it all the more so. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is into celtic mythology or faeries, and especially those with an imagination.
Rating:
Summary: More plot less porn
Review: As usual, Laurell K. Hamilton has delivered a book that promises more than it delivers. There's an intriguing and suspenseful plot waiting to be developed, and in some ways, it is - we get hints of intrigue at the Courts and hints of anti-fey prejudice in L.A., which contribute to the noir atmosphere LKH seems to flirt with. Unfortunately, it seems that Princess Meredith and her chronicler are more interested in giving us the Harlequin romance version of faery sex. Meredith never stops. To Ms. Hamilton's credit, though, the constant playtime does lead to a power struggle between Merry and her harem.
I'm very divided on this book and on the series in general. I like her ideas of alternate history - the golden goddess of Hollywood and the development of the politics in the Courts were well worth reading about, and I really liked hearing the speculations on ancient magical history. But it seems that... well...there's too much of a focus on how much and by whom Merry's getting some. I would really like to see that change a bit, and more focus placed on Merry's future.
Unfortunately, Merry is also limited in her options for work - she cannot be the 'decoy' she had been, she cannot interview clients alone, etc. What can she do? Other than the publicity value, what does she do to earn her paycheck? I'd like to see some more hints of real life stuck in at work. I'm weak-willed. I admit it. Despite the rather unfriendly review above, I'm going to keep reading the series, just like I've kept reading the Anita Blake series. But that doesn't mean I can't be the loyal Opposition. My advice? Read the books, but read them with critical eyes.
Rating:
Summary: A Caress of Twiilght Review
Review: A Caress of Twilight is Laurell K. Hamilton's latest installation of the Meredith Gentry series. Merrideth, also known as Merry, finds herself trapped deeper in the problems of the faerie court and her lover's lives. Balancing her assassin cousin, evil aunt, competitive lovers, and a full-time job is just another day in the life of Meredith Nic-Essus.
There is a great sense of urgency as Merry must produce an heir to the throne with one of the royal guards before her psychotic cousin is able to. She must also face the fact that everyone around her will live for eternity and her mixed blood damned her to a mortal life.
Being a long-time reader and owner of Hamilton's books, I have found her works to have become increasingly racy , but the content of each book is still full of the womanly spunk and determination in which her readers desire. She has really outdone herself this time. Magic and mythical creatures dominate the story with a more organic and magical feeling than the Anita Blake series.
The development of characters is done with excruciating detail which makes each of them all the more tangible. The terribly evil Queen, "Darkness" Doyle, and Frost are among some of the characters that one can get a real feeling for. There is a character for everyone in this series. Hamilton's vivid writing style and developmental nature never make a single moment dull or boring. The next book in line is eagerly anticipated. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the Anita Blake novels or who has a love of mythical lore.
Rating:
Summary: Entralling
Review: Oh my goodness, can a series get any better. I do not know how I will be able to wait until the next book to come out! I would just like to say that I am a major Frost fan. My friend and I are betting between one another on who the lucky one will be. She is wanting Doyle, I want Frost. However, after the last few chapters in this book, I am also vying for Rhys. I would want Galen, and truly would, except he doesn't show the maturity. Oh my. I just want to tell everyone to read the book. Ten stars if possible!
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