Rating: 
Summary: A Waste of Time
Review: LKH let me down again. I second the opinions of sclark39 (a few reviews down) but I think I disliked it even more than that reviewer since I wouldn't even recommend the price of, or time wasted in reading, the paperback; however, I know Laurell's fans will ignore my remarks and some will probably even like the book. If you're new to LKH's work, I'd suggest her earlier Anita Blake works. Ms. Hamilton used to be my favorite author. She's been gradually replaced since the release of OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY, my first disappointment. I thought, with the new Merry series, there was hope but, after this latest letdown, I'm convinced LKH has lost or, at the very least, misplaced her talent (temporarily I hope).
Rating:
Summary: In one word...Pathetic
Review: Somebody pass the vasoline, because Merry has to be chaffing from all the free-lance humping going on in this book. This is not a novel...this is soft porn pulp, which is fine, but even as soft porn goes, I like a little PLOT to make the sex some how significant, take Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series for example. Not only does this book lack anything so extravagant as a cohesive plot, but it is so obviously the author's own gang-bang fantasy committed to paper that it's almost embarrassing. Hey, Merry is very petite...just like Ms. Hamilton! She is very very pale with dark dark hair, that is slightly curly....just like Ms. Hamilton! She has red red lips...My Laurell, that is quite a bright shade of red lipstick your wearing today! And the character Doyle is so much the embodiment of a white woman's Big Black Well-Hung Buck rape fantasy that I wanted to gag. I'm all for artistic expression, the exploitation of archaic racial stereotypes under the guise of fantasy writing doesn't qualify as such. Here's a broadcast for Hamilton, INTERRACIAL SEX IS NO LONGER TABOO, and the generally educated public knows that dark skin doesn't = freakishly large sex organs. Maybe she should take a break from her fantasy writing for a bit and pick up a Newsweek. Another sloppy cliché was to have Galen, the only eunuch in the crew, albeit, temporarily, sussued up in an apron cooking away at the stove. Come on...was this meant to be funny? Somehow I think it wasn't. Beyond these obvious quirks, the characters are 2 dimensional hand puppets meant for one action and one action only....you know it. Only Andeas and Frost were the least bit interesting, but even Frost's angst was beginning to grate on my nerves after an hour. Merry is insipid, and I don't see the so called strength some of the other readers claim to have seen her develop. She just insists upon bringing her "Princess" status into the light when her boys begin to knock heads over who's turn it is to sleep with her...what a power player! This book iritated me, as is plainly obvious,but in a way, I admit it's my own fault. I'm use to reading the work of Octavia Butler, Gwyneth Jones and even Poppy Z. Brite (you want good dark fantasy? Try her). These authors books tend to feature "actual" strong and deep female characters, as opposed to what our Merry here is posing to be. I picked up the audio version of Kiss of Shadows on a whim from the library, so I decided to give the second book a go. First book was tolerable, but this one was just plain pathetic. I 'm guessing those who loved this series this much were either just accepting it for the low quality, mass produced, publishing house stock fodder that it is, or their social awareness is lacking. Oh, and Anita Blake is another travesty...try Nancy A. Collins "Sonja Blue" series instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly Disappointing, Less Enjoyable, but Not Entirely Bad
Review: To start with something positive, the interaction between Meredith and her guards is well written. I was impressed with the description of the emotions in a number of scenes. I found myself nearly brought to tears during certain passages (not going into specifics because I don't want to give spoilers), and absolutely furious with the characters at other points. I also enjoyed the way Ms. Hamilton wrote the climax of the novel and the last chapter/epilogue. The language she uses is vivid: one can literally see what is happening in their head. I also enjoy the fact that this novel, being told from Meredith's point of view, almost reads like a particularly long and very descriptive journal.
Now. I was somewhat disappointed by this work. My biggest gripe with this novel is the fact that it seems to be far too brief once the actual action starts. I could be thinking this simply because the first book in this series had so much more to it. This installment does not seem to be particularly plot-driven. It's like another reviewer said, I knew there were problems after so many pages were read and the only thing that had happened was Meredith attending a meeting. I desperately wanted to know more information about certain events that occurred, and I wanted more background information on other characters and things. It could be that Ms. Hamilton is doing this deliberately, to keep us waiting for the next installment of the series. Readers of this book are given a taste of several different things, but almost none of them are elaborated on. All in all, I'm glad I read it, but I wish that this book had been much longer.
Rating:
Summary: Houston... We have a plot!
Review: Okay, it isn't a big plot or an even terribly interesting plot, but at least there is a reason for the story to exist other than for Laurell K. Hamilton to prove she should be writing screenplays (do they have screenplays?) for porn films. Merry and Co. are enlisted by an exiled Seelie court fairie turned movie actress who is so desperate to have a child she risks her life and the wrath of the Seelie court King. It is a situation pregnant with possibilities as Merry herself is also desperate to have a child and win the Unseelie throne from her evil aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Unfortunately the delicious ironies such parallel stories might suggest go wasted in this lightweight plot. A short book in total page length, it is also short on plot and action. Basically you could probably skip the second book and move right on to the third (whenever that may be) since number two does little to advance the overall story arc other than some revelations about Kitto and some more magic for Merry. Where is the conflict that drives the narrative? Merry's chief foe, Cel, is conveniently locked away and his partisans only have small roles, all off-stage. The evil whirlwind of lost fairie magic, good and bad, that has been unleashed is supposed to be frightening but it just felt like another routine thing for them to defeat. And Merry borrows a page from Anita when she decides that it isn't enough to save her own skin, but that the men of her guard need her protection as well. Although on the whole I dislike this conceit I admit I thought the scene with Frost that prompts this was rather affecting. On the upside it is short on the meaningless sex-scene filler that marred A Kiss of Shadows - hurrah! And frankly Merry is a much more appealing protagonist than Anita. Anita may be the more complex character, but her angsty whining was annoying. Merry is more self-aware of who she is and what it means to be a fairie princess. While not yet in a position of power, she is gaining not only in magical gifts but in political astuteness. By taking charge of her guard and the dealing with the consequences she is setting herself up to seize the power she will need to rule. Anita, never comfortable with her powers and roles of leadership (see the werewolves and pards)suffers by comparision. Merry has a lot of potential, as does this series but Hamilton seems intent on churning out meager plots and endless descriptions of clothing, hair and assorted accessories. Longtime fans of Hamilton, of whichever series will probably enjoy this story. A little something to tide them over until the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: I read this one in one night
Review: Actually, I found this book more enjoyable than the first in the series. Up front, I want to tell anyone who reads Hamilton's books simply because she gives great sex scenes, then this book is definitely for you. I read all the previous reviews and I can see the point of all of them, bad and good. ...You need to realize that writing (and reading) is purely for enjoyment. It is easy to see that Hamilton wrote this book as a go-between of the first and those to come. She is setting the scene of something big to come. I thought this was an important bases to help the readers get a better understanding of each character. I for one enjoyed reading about how each has grown and changed from the first novel to the end of this second one. She also gave background on a few (All the Guys). ...[N]ot all sexy guys have got to have long hair. I mean, come on, it's getting a bit redundant. I know the fairie court has a thing with long hair, but between the vampire series and this one, the long hair is getting soooo old. Happy Reading. I hope L. Hamilton hurries with the next book.
;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the plot?
Review: I knew I was in trouble when I had read over 150 pages, and Merry and her guards had been to a meeting--that's it. Hamilton used to write really different erotic horror novels, but both this series and the Anita Blake series have of late been suffering from severe plot anemia. Hamilton has fallen into the worst of writer's traps: she tells rather than shows. If you like reading detailed physical descriptions of beautiful and unusual men, you'll like Caress of Twilight just fine. Otherwise, my advice is to wait until this comes out in paperback. It's definitely not worth the price of the hardback.
Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to the next
Review: Merry's situation becomes more clear, her powers grow, new characters are introduced, but the basic dilemma comes no closer to resolution. She's still sleeping with all her men and still not pregnant. I may be wrong, but this series does seem to have an inescapable inevitability about it. There will be high drama, daring escapes, passionate love scenes, delayed redemption, and finally, Merry will be pregnant, have babies and become Queen. Prince Cel will either be dead or bound to an eternity of damnation. All the other issues pale: will the Seelie and Unseelie Court become one? Will Faerie rule the Earth? Will the government of the United States wise up and exile all these magical lunatics to someplace where they won't trouble for their long suffering hosts? Stay tuned...
Rating:
Summary: SO LAME ...
Review: This book was a disapointment I should have been prepared for. Like so many other authors who have gained popularity,Hamilton has succumbed to the lure of quick money. No story line ,no character developement, but plenty of sex. Not interesting sex, with tension between characters, but BORING partner rotation to service Merry. Hey!! Hamilton ,just because a guy has long hair, it dosen't make him sexy. Did you forget Jean-Claude and Richard??? I won't spend any more of my money on this...
Rating:
Summary: All promise, but no bite (though not, uh, literally)
Review: This book probably rates 3 1/2 stars, but three will do. I enjoyed this book just like I've enjoyed everything else LKH has written. Her writing style is to keep things moving quickly so I didn't realize that I was one third into the book before I got a hint of plot (and not a terribly complicated one, just "I want a baby.") I hoped the murders might have led somewhere but they played a very VERY minor role, not to mentioned being resolved almost as an afterthought. A lot of characters make a brief one-time appearance, then are just given passing comments, Queen Niceven, Queen Andais (seen a couple times), King Taranis, Dt Peterson, Jeffrey, Jeremy Grey, even Sage only has one other brief appearance at the end of the novel. There's only so much that sex, or the promise of sex, or sexual innuendo can do to carry the story. In this case, sex is the story, and everything else is just filling the pages. On second thought, maybe 3 stars is too much. Hey, I enjoyed it regardless of the weak plot, it just wasn't that great.
Rating:
Summary: a caress of... disappointment
Review: I've read everything Laurell K. Hamilton has published. All of it. I have my critisms of her writing -- but the only book by her that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, the only book I have actively regret reading, is A CARESS OF TWILIGHT. It's got her trademark steamy sex (both physical and metaphysical), and lots of magic and magical warfare. What it doesn't have is a focus. Several scenes continue on for far too long, much of the dialogue is circumlocutory, and more than one storyline is started but not finished. I had similar complaints with NARCISSUS IN CHAINS (not to mention the shoddy copyediting in that one), but CARESS takes it a step further. If you must read it (and, of course, anyone truly addiction to Hamilton's writing, like me, must!), wait for the paperback.
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