Rating: 
Summary: Pleasurable, a little too pleasurable
Review: The second series from Laurell K Hamilton is big on sensuality and sexuality. Merry Gentry, a Los Angeles detective, is actually Princess Meredith NicEssus, a faerie princess who's part human and whose family just happens to want to kill her. Then everything changes. Her aunt, the queen of air and darkness, wants her back at court. She offers Merry the chance to claim the throne if she, Merry, can get pregnant with a child before the queen's wicked son, Prince Cel, can create his own heir. Merry sets out to do so, dodging assassination attempts and getting down and dirty with some of the most beautiful immortal men in the world, in the hopes of conceiving a child.That's about it for the story. Hamilton takes a decided break from her Anita Blake series here. Merry is more feminine, more helpless, although still decidedly clever and brave. Merry also has fewer problems with sex, and rather strange, aggressive sex at that. Reading about the faerie courts and the goblin army, you can see that Hamilton's imagination is working hard and having a great time. There are two major problems. First, the sex is gratuitous. It's not WRONG, or BAD, or UGLY, but simply unnecessary. There's too much of it too often, and it becomes almost absurd after a while. Secondly, Hamilton spends as much time explaining about what's going on as she does showing the action. Obviously, this is a political situation, and that makes it tricky. It's a world where the slightest glance can have many meanings, and that's fine. But the description and explanation go on for pages. We do need to understand what's going on, but Hamilton has never been good with subtle explanation. She likes to lay it flat out for us, taking up ten pages to explain why someone shouldn't have lifted their arm at that moment or something, and it gets tedious. She has the same problem in her Anita Blake books, except there it's because the arguments go on forever. It's like a traffic jam you think you're out of, but then you're not. (OK, just a minute, let them fight about her having a gun, ah here's an opening, let's go let's go AH CHRIST now they're arguing about where to PUT the gun, come on, come on.) Despite its flaws, this book is an often engaging and interesting read. The opulent descriptions of the surroundings are quite beautiful, and it's all meant to be fun, which it really is. It had its problems, but I liked it.
Rating:
Summary: mind in the gutter, style in the clouds
Review: I devoured the Anita Blake series, and while I am all a-quiver for the newest, I thought I'd try the Merry Gentry series. I just set down A kiss of Shadows and am, well, dissapointed. Merry Gentry is actually a faerie princess who, for the past three years, has been hiding from her aunt the Queen and her cousin's repeated attempts on her life. Though third in line to the throne, Merry is not pure sidhe, almost without magic, and worst of all: mortal. These things always prevented her from being safe enough to remain at court and so she has ended up working as a P.I. in L.A. under an assumed name. A case comes in which requires her to do some undercover work, in the course of which her identity is revealed and now she is fetched home to the Unseelie court and her Aunt, the Queen, who has some very definite plans for her. The Queen is desperate to continue her bloodline and has decided that whoever produces offspring first, Merry or her cousin, will hold the throne. Now, the plot (when there is one) has much going for it. It is fresh, imaginative, the characters unusual, the descriptions vibrant, and the personalities individual. However, the personalities never really flesh out because they all spend so much time having sex, and half the time it's Merry just giving out some pity sex to whoever is closest. The best way to describe it is to compare it to a fashion mag that consists almost entirely of advertising, so that it's hard to find the articles. In this book, you are sifting through the sex to find the story. However, I gave three stars because the story IS good, and interesting enough that I will read the next one. Hamilton has so much flair that her writing is almost impossible to resist. So, if you want a world that is brand new and so very different from what you've read before, and don't mind gratuitous sex scenes, then I encourage you to introduce yourself the wiles and wonders of A Kiss of Shadows. Now if you want deeper characters that you can really care about and can't wait to get back to, I insist you try the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastical!
Review: Larell K. Hamilton has written books that I have not exactly been interested in because of Vampire's and such. However, I would now like to kick myself because she is a FANTASTIC writer. Although this book was not about vampires it was great. I love fairies and she depicted a perfect faerie society. The way she depicts and describes the characters and scenes are just beautiful. I am hooked and plan to read all of her books.
Rating:
Summary: Just wonderful
Review: I loved this book! Merry is a great character. After reading the reviews on this site, I was worried she'd be some promiscuious shallow Anita imitation. She's not! She's strong and fun and smart and sensual. And the world around her is so rich, the creatures so vividly described, that I could almost picture all the gorgeous sidhe and other fey folk Laurell K. Hamilton talks about. I didn't think there was that much sex, just enough - and the plotline was intriguing enough to keep me reading until 2 am. Shakespeare it's not, but I loved every minute of it and can't wait to read the next one!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: This book takes some concentration, but it is worth it. I just ordered the second installment and am looking forward to receiving it. Read it while on the bike at the gym and was so caught up in it that I increased my workout!! Can't ask for much more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Please let me become a Fey Princess
Review: This was my first experience with anything by Laurell K. Hamilton. I got this unabridged audio version from my library and before I was finished with it I was online buying my own copy. Many reviews have told of the Story, so I won't add much of that. This book was a very big change from what I was normally used to. If you come out of this book shocked that it was sexual I have to ask what planet did you come from? This book was very graphic, no closed bedroom doors or waking up feeling glorious and fabulous. Laurell K. Hamilton goes into this mystery/detective/erotic story with an open dialogue about the fact that the Fey are very open with their nudity and sex. In no way did I ever find that I was misled with this book. It was erotic and yet the story line of Merry trying to discover who is ultimately trying to kill her is well written and thought out. The characters are all amazing. Merry of course is this gorgeous beautiful thing but an outcast of her family even though by all rights she is a Princess. Her cast of Merry men are a variety of beautiful, tortured souls who are trying to keep their friendships or relationships with Merry without upsetting their Queen her Aunt, another beautiful but sadistic monarch over her people. We are allowed looks into what really could be things that actual Royalty are concerned with which is gaining the throne and the lengths some people will goal to gain power. Queen Andais is a horrible sadist, but we are allowed a glimpse of her concern for the life of her son. Laurell K. Hamilton made me actually care about the villians of the story. Unlike many my two favorites of this story are Sholto the King who would be one of the chosen if he'd not been born with what the court considered an abomination a set of tentacle like arms that start below his chest. He's a tortured soul that I was hoping could find what he was seeking to be loved by another Fey. Then there is Cel the Prince (Queen Andais's son)the spoiled and sadistic bad guy he was so evil I liked him:) There is a man for everyone in a variety like a pile of snow flakes no two are alike. :) I enjoy this book and have read it and listened to the audio at least 10 or 12 times. This book is definitely an aquired taste. Me, I loved it. Laurell K. Hamilton never ceases to amaze me and I eagerly await the 3rd in this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't even finish it
Review: Lately it seems like Hamilton's books (including Anita Blake) have just gotten to be sex, sex, sex. I got so bored with this that I just left it a quarterway through when I couldn't discern an interesting plot. Honestly, I'd rather just re-read Guilty Pleasures and remember a time when Ms. Hamilton's stuff was engaging and not just some soft-core porn with a supernatural twist.
Rating:
Summary: review of unabridged audiobook version
Review: WARNING: This book has extreme sexual situations that go into very explicit detail. Pornographic writing is contained within this story and may be offensive to some readers. STORY: Meredith, the Elven American Princess of the fairy kingdom has been in hiding for the last three years. Now her cover is blown while investigating a case as a private detective. Everyone is after her to either return and claim her birthright to the throne of fairies or to be killed so she doesn't. MY FEEDBACK: 1) SETTING: As with her Anita Blake series, the author creates an alternate Earth where supernatural beings coexist with humans. The fairy folk and other beings are accepted and given rights, though there are paparazzi that follow the fairy royals around trying to capture the latest scandal or secret. The environment is interesting and adds to the magic of the story. 2) CHARACTERS: The story is filled with the expected characters necessary to make this a fantasy-romance. Chiseled manly bodies, woman of beauty and intelligence and characters willing to do whatever for sex. Meredith is another strong female character as is her vampire hunter Anita Blake. But unlike Anita, Meredith, is very insecure in her abilities, mostly because she doesn't believe she has any. We see her grown in confidence and power as the story goes which keeps a integral part of the story interesting. 3) STORY: My main complaint is that the book starts off as a good mystery but ends up anti-climatical. It is as if the author didn't know how to end the story so she just leaves off at a so-so part in the lives of these characters. The author at least spends several pages in summarizing where everyone is, what the "final" outcome is to each character, and leaves it so that she can write a sequel. I felt a bit cheated. Otherwise, the setting and characters carried the story more for me than the plot...whereas her Anita Blake book, Guilty Pleasures, had a nice mystery that was deftly handled. I wish she could have done something like that here. 4) CONTENT: As mentioned this book contains rated-X sex scenes. There is some but very little profanity. The violence gets pretty gory and may be tough on some readers. 5) AUDIOBOOK READER - this unabridged book is read by Laural Merlington. The reader does a fine job of different voice for different characters, which is needed with this book. The reader's voice is entertaining, clear and well acted. Nice job! OVERALL: I like this author, though this isn't a great example of her writing in my opinion (then again I've only read two of her books). If it wasn't for the overt sex (not found in Guilty Pleasures book, regardless of what the title brings to mind) and the somewhat weak storyline I would have rated this higher. In other words, you can take this book or leave it depending on your opinion on the explicit content you'll definitely find.
Rating:
Summary: Faerie Porn?
Review: If you're the kind of person who flipped through the Anita Blake novels looking for the sex scenes, you'll love A Kiss of Shadows. Nearly every chapter has steamy erotica scenes with gorgeous men and men-shaped creatures.
If you liked the Anita Blake series for the action, the mystery, and the excitement of a tough girl getting by on grit and gunfire, you should look elsewhere.
I loved the sex scenes in the Anita Blake novels, and felt they added a nice touch to the series. On the other hand, just because the chocolate chips are my favorite part of trail mix, doesn't mean I want a bag of only chocolate chips. My review? Too much sex, not enough plot and character development.
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing change...
Review: I too accidently ran into Laurell K. Hamilton's work. My ex husband bought it for me, assuming it was something I would like... and boy was he right! From the moment I picked up "Kiss of Shadows", I could NOT put this book down. Merry was exactly the kind of release I needed from the typical Anne Rice novel. I loved how the storyline curved in all sorts of directions and I loved the introduction to Andais and Doyle. The [physical] scenes were daring and creative and not at all like a typical romance novel. I've always been a lover of fantasy novels and Ms. Hamilton did a BRILLIANT job with this novel. I've been a VERY devoted Hamilton fan since this book and now own every novel she's written. I recommend this novel to anyone who has an open mind for fantasy, [physical activity] and magic.
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