Rating: 
Summary: Sidhe kicks butt!!!
Review: I am a huge fan of the Laurell K. Hamilton's Antita Blake series, so I was a little depressed that her next book was not in Anita's world, however, that being said, I am rapidly becoming a rabid fan of Merry Gentry's as well.Merry Gentry, aka Meredith NicEssus, exists in a world where the ancient Celtic gods, faeries, phukas, etc. are a reality-- in fact, they have emigrated to America during the time of Jefferson and have set up their own government here on American soil. Merry's home, the Unseelie court, is a place of great cruelty and caprice, and in an effort to stay alive, Merry has been hiding out in L.A., working as a private detective. The first book, a Kiss of Shadows, saw Merry's reintroduction to her alienated Aunt Andais-- Queen of the Faeries, and her Aunt's ultimatum: if she wants to be safe she can conceive a child and carry on the line, and mortal though she is, she can be Queen of Faerie and change the most heinous of the cruelties perpetrated by her people. This book shows Merry with her harem-- her chosen men who endeavor, nightly to help her concieve that child, knowing that the one who succeeds will be King. It would seem to be an ideal world-- Merry has an exciting job, six interesting (and talented!) lovers, and she is, after all, a faerie princess. But Merry's personal life is complicated by both her varied and sincere feelings towards ALL of her men, and her political life is made VERY complicated by a threat, unknown to Merry and her rapidly bonding family, materialized by a case she accepted and could destroy them all. This was a fun book-- the romance (although difficult to explain) was very real, the action was tightly plotted, and the characterizations very specific. Merry may take each man to her bed, but they are not faceless, and very much not interchangeable. She sincerely likes ALL of them, and also as sincerely, LOVES a few. The question of which man will sire her child and become her king becomes both more pressing and more heartrending with every page....
Rating: 
Summary: Not the worst, Not the best
Review: Fortunately for me, I got this book in advance of its actual release date. I think if I had to wait for it, I might have exploded - yes, I liked Kiss of Shadows that much. This book, though good, is NOT her best. Definitely readable, definitely interesting enough to make you turn the page, but this isn't a shocker or a heart-stopper by any means. It's good, but not grand. Caress of Twilight picks up where Kiss of Shadows left off - Merry has come into her power. Her last hand of power has yet to manifest, and she still isn't pregnant. The royal Ravens (the Queen's guards) have followed her back to LA to protect her/sleep with her (Hamilton has gotten progressively more sexual in her writing . . . not sure if I personally like this, but hey, it must float somebody's boat). Soon, Merry is asked to help out a Seelie who had been cast out of the Fae more than a century ago, and Meredith, being a nice girl, of course offers her aid. Doing so, though, gets Merry in QUITE a bit of trouble with the Seelie court, and suddenly, our wee princess is being hunted down by something big, scary and powerful. What did I like about this book? The dynamic between Frost, Doyle and Rhys (yes, Rhys gets a much bigger part in this book - thank you!). You suddenly see the contention of the three men as they try to win Merry and thus win the seat of King over the Fae. It was well done - Hamilton writes her people VERY well, and that's possibly what I like about her the best. What did I dislike? I miss Barinthus in this one . . . he's barely mentioned (possibly my favorite Character from Kiss). Also, the plot line takes a HUGE backseat to the relationship dynamic, which is okay at times, but very quickly becomes annoying. Ms Hamilton needs to reign in the sex and people aspect, and let loose more on the plot. I find it a bit disturbing that by the end of the book, I didn't care who Maeve was. Considering that the plot revolved around Maeve, that's bad. So - will I read this again? Yes. Probably. Would I recommend it as one of Hamilton's best? No, definitely not. It's good - it's just enough to make me want to read the third book, but not enough to make me want to read it over and over. I hope that the next installment of the Fae series will get a plot, please . . . this one was fairly ignorable and the characters just can't carry the book on their own. Happy Reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Discrepancies in 'A Caress of Twilight'
Review: Bitterly, bitterly, bitterly disappointed. Page 3 still has the WRONG colors for Nicca, even after an assurance from the publisher that the errors in the ARC would be corrected before publication. The ARC was more of the same from the first Merry Gentry and the last Anita Blake. *sigh* Why should I waste my time and money on an author who can't be bothered to remember her own characters? And if the author's memory is that inept, shouldn't editors and proofreaders pick up on discrepancies? Will I read this hardback edition that I made a special trip to the bookstore for? Probably not. It's lying on the floor in a corner from when I flung it across the room at page 3. Sign me a disappointed, and vocal, FORMER fan.
Rating:
Summary: A Caress of the Unusual
Review: As usual Ms. Hamilton has created a world that is complete with "the good, the bad, and the ugly" and unlike most writers, that has nothing to do with the appearance and everything to do with the soul.
Some many fantasy/horror writers forget that the soul of the character is what draws the reader in and keeps them interested in these "alien" characters. In our world, we see little that encourages us to look beyond the surface and seek the truth of any situation, not so with this second book about the courts of the faerie. Each of the primary characters begins to reveal more about themselves and we begin to understand more about the motivations of secondary characters that we met in the first novel of this series.
You know that the only problem with Ms. Hamilton's novels is that she will never be able to write fast enought to satisfy the needs of her many fans. Which just goes to show that we can know some of the yearnings of Ms. Hamilton's wonderous characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Yawn - A book of nothing much
Review: Caress takes up shortly after the end of Kiss of Shadows, with Merry Gentry back at her Los Angeles apartment, in bed with Rhys and Nicca, two of her Ravens. Am I going too fast? For those not familiar with the world of Merry Gentry, the Fey are real and live in Cahokia, IL. Merry, a.k.a. Princess Meredith NicEssus, is descended from both the Seelie and the Unseelie Court. She is second in line for the Unseelie throne. She is part Sidhe, Brownie and Human. Her human blood makes her mortal and being mortal Merry is vulnerable to the Courts deadly political maneuverings. Maneuverings that almost got her killed. So, she fled the Court and ended up hiding in LA, employed as a magical consultant for the Grey Detective Agency. In Kiss of Shadows she was discovered, brought back to the UnSeelie Court, made heir to the throne, that is if she gets pregnant before her cousin Cel. Who better to charge with this task than the stud cadre of bodyguards known as the Ravens? Clearly Merry's aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness knows best. The Yuletide season is upon us when we take back up with Merry and her sword-wielding hunks. It seems several of the Ravens have hired on with the Grey Detective Agency as bodyguards. I guess taking care of the Princess' body isn't a full time job or they're just looking for an excuse to get out of the one bedroom apartment. I was endlessly distracted by the idea that six adults and one goblin could share such a confining space - just where do they keep those really big weapons. Maybe they just wanted some extra spending money to buy the princess something nice for winter solstice? Sorry, I digressed, back to the story at hand. The Golden Goddess of Hollywood for 50 years running, who is coincidentally a Fey in exile, hires Merry to help out with a little project that just might draw unwanted attention from the Seelie count. We also get introduced to members of that beau monde, including Merry's mother, via the ever-useful magic bedroom mirror. This works great since most of the book takes place in Merry's bed. When not focused on the boudoir-based encounters, we meet up with this books big bad and learn even more about the Byzantine world of the Fey. Caress of Twilight did surprise me in several places with touching moments between Merry and her Ravens. If only there were more such bits of genuine affection but sadly there aren't. Sexual adventures that should be rife with some sort of emotion are nothing more than a means to an end, much like having to read a technical manual to make sure tab A does indeed fit into slot B. Many events that should have had importance to the story, series and characters came across as trivial and purposeless. After 300 and some odd pages I left the book feeling as if nothing had happened.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but it felt like a filler book...(3 1/2 stars)
Review: This is my least favorite book by LKH thus far. Thats not to say that A Caress of Twilight was a bad book, but it was nowhere near as entertaining as I wanted it to be. It defnitely had the feel of an in between book. It wouldnt really stand alone and I dont think I would have tolerated it as well if I wasnt already so deeply rooted in the story from the previous book. I felt that the lack of characterization was very apparent in this second title. LKH depended too heavily upon physical descriptions and didnt delve deep enough into the core of the main characters IMO. As for the plot, it basically is still following what began in the first installment, but nothing really happens in ACOT until the ending. Still, I cant stop here. I plan on reading the 3rd book ASAP and I also am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Anita Blake series which I think is far superior to the Merry Gentry books. Basically, this wasnt a keeper, but it is a definite must read for any fan of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Great second part of the Merry Gentry series!
Review: I sort of abandoned this series when I discovered Anita Blake's world, so reading about Merry Gentry after reading five Anita Blake novels was a refreshing change of pace. Merry Gentry, the sexy, sassy faerie princess-slash-L.A. private detective, is back for another dangerous and erotic adventure. Bearing a child is the only way Merry can beat Prince Cel to the thrown, so she sets out to conceive a baby with various warriors of her royal guard. If her life weren't complicated enough, there is a series of mysterious, gruesome deaths that endanger the faerie world. Could the deaths be connected with the exiled Hollywood faerie goddess Merry has agreed to help? And will Merry bear the child that's needed to be Queen? There are various twists throughout the novel... A Caress of Twilight, like A Kiss of Shadows, is full of erotic scenes and wonderful suspense. Merry is quite an earnest female character that isn't afraid of her sexuality and of acknowledging her harem. I do like this heroine very much. She isn't as tough as Anita Blake, but she isn't as self-righteous as the aforementioned character either, which is refreshing. I was also glad to get reacquainted with her bodyguards, especially Doyle and Rhys. I've noticed that Doyle is the Jean-Claude of this series -- a dark and sensual character whose feelings for Merry are noble. He is quite irresistible. Laurell K. Hamilton has once again written an enthralling fantasy novel that I couldn't put down. I cannot recommend A Caress of Twilight enough!
Rating:
Summary: Good escapism!
Review: I enjoyed this book.
I think you have to consider the source of your entertainment before you can pass literary judgement. If you want a classic,...read a classic.
I wanted to read about faerie folk and I wanted to be entertained, this book accomplished that very well.
I look forward to the next book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Great read ...although a little unoriginal.
Review: Enter into the Faerie world of Princess "Merry" who is currently in competition for the Unseelie throne. Merry is actually a fascinating character that is coming into her own powers as a faerie and understanding what it means to be a ruler. (If you loved Anita Blake you won't be disappointed with the female protagonist here.)
The political drama in here is very high with 2 worlds (Seelie and Unseelie) contesting each other for power. Merry is tied to both worlds but stands to inherit the Unseelie throne. There is a huge mystery surrounding the relationships Merry has to the characters involved that is cleverly revealed through the political dealings Merry has to endure.
The sex is also at a high level since Merry can only inherit the throne when she becomes pregnant. As a result she has 5 lovers living with her. These men are more than simply concubines however, since they were once worshiped as gods themselves. The scenes are a bit graphic but not overwhelming as the later Anita Blake novels became.
The plot has several twists and well developed characters which make the book a fantastic read. I gave it four stars because a lot of the catch phrases were recycled from the Anita Blake series. The crime scenes are also set up in a way that was a bit too familiar. Overall LKH has definitely paved the way for an exciting series.
Rating:
Summary: I just want to be done...
Review: A friend gave me the first book in this series, I liked it a lot. So I picked up the second one figuring it would tie up all the loose ends and finish the story.... I was wrong... Onto book three, where nothing at all happens as far as plot. When do we get answers to anything that happened in book one? Why is this story being draw out so far? I doubt I'll read book four,unless it's the last one, the story wasn't that good.
|
