Urban Fantasy (Merry Gentry 2) (A Merry Gentry Novel)

Wonderful new adventure of fairies! I love fantasy novels, but have worn the vampire stories out. It was very refreshing to read a story about fairies, goblins, realms, and magic. Hamilton has an intriguing style that keeps you reading. Very happy with this series.

The Good: This series is very addictive. Merry is a wonderful main character - tough in her own right, intelligent but always learning more, open to new experiences and fully embracing where her life is heading. She's also a realist, understanding her situation and the ramifications of her choices. A Caress of Twilight doesn't spend a lot of time rehashing the events and world-building from A Kiss of Shadows, which I appreciate reading the books one right after the other. But, if a lot of time has past since reading the first book, a refresher may be in order. The stand alone mystery in the book is interesting and well thought out, but I especially love the continuing story line of Merry's place within the world of faerie and her mission to ensure her survival among her people.

The Bad: Not a thing.

"Quit drawing out the story"

Merry Gentry is Princess of the Unseelie Court and co-heir to the throne--if she can get pregnant. One fine day at the Detective Agency that Merry works, Merry speaks with a man, representing a Fae movie star, named Maeve Reeds. Maeve would like to hire Merry to help her with a solution to her problem.

I'm really disappointed in this book for quite a few reasons:

1) For an erotica book, there is a severe lack of sex. There are maybe three sex scenes in this book--maybe. One sex scene, a highly anticipated one between Doyle and Merry, is fade-to-black. Even Auel's "Plains of Passage", a historical fiction novel, had more sex than this book.

2) The sex scenes aren't sexy. If reading/hearing "spilling power" makes you all tingly, these are your books; otherwise, they are going to have you bored.

3) There is a ton of time wasting. It's like LKH knew she didn't have much of a story and included her characters arguing a lot to make up for the lack of pages. One of the more ridiculous cases is the beginning. One chapter is just Merry and her men talking about what they are going to do now that they are parked outside Maeve's house. Another couple of chapters involves Merry and her men arguing with Maeve's guards to be let in. Another chapter has Merry finally meet Maeve, but Maeve runs off to the backyard before revealing what she wants Merry to do. A few more chapters pass in which Merry and Maeve talk circumspectly about what Maeve wants Merry to do before she finally reveals it. These nearly half dozen chapters amounts to a couple of hours of listening time (total time is just under 12 hours). If there had been actual content to back up this usage, then maybe I wouldn't complain. But when Merry argues with her boys for a chapter JUST over what they are going to do now that they are at Maeve's house, I can't see it as anything more than shameless padding.

4) The murders don't occur until about halfway through the book. This was quite surprising as the cover blurb implies that the murders will be at least introduced early in the novel. You can't properly solve a good mystery with only half a book to work with--which is why some corners had to be cut, such as having Merry constantly ask, "What does that mean?" and "Are you saying...?" and having...

5) Merry's men know everything. Merry figures out who the murderer is by asking one of her men, who conveniently knows about the Elder Man. This is a guardsman she is talking to; not that he wouldn't know, but half the fun with the mystery is INVESTIGATING, not having solutions fall into the character's lap.

6) Descriptions, descriptions! As with LKH's Anita Blake series, there is a lot of attention to what people are wearing. The story pretty much stops so that every new character can be described in detail. Even Merry's makeup is described in painstaking detail.

7) Political machinations r coolz. I do like some of the dynamics of Faeries and politics and how different they are from human politics. However, a lot of these political machinations are shown in long, boring talking scenes, with Merry intercutting and explaining to the reader the nuances of why she is saying what she is saying and so forth. I understand that LKH wants to clarify her world and make sure the readers aren't in the dark, but I felt this book crossed a line from "interesting and complex" to "overwhelmingly boring".

8) Interchangeable men. There is little distinction between the men. Not that I exactly blame LKH: when you have 6 men, it's pretty hard to make each one a different unique character. So most of them are identifiable (if that) by one trait:
Galen -> Green eunuch *snipsnip* (not permanently)
Doyle -> Queen's "Darkness"
Frost -> Eyepatch
Nicca -> Long hair????
Kitto -> Small, childish, creepy goblin (Seriously, Merry talks about how childlike he is and then has sex in front of him)
Rhys -> Uhhhhhh...

9) Author Appeal. Each person has their own "thing" that they find extremely sexy and makes them hot. Quentin Tarantino likes feet; Joss Whedon likes fragile girls who kick @ss. And I think it is pretty clear that LKH likes long-haired (by that, I mean ANKLE LENGTH long hair), ripped guys. That's her prerogative to like guys like that, and I am NOT insulting that. It's just that I felt when reading this as if I was stepping in on someone...well...AWKWARD. If you catch my drift. Doesn't make for a very sexy novel.

10) Show not Tell. Hand in hand with pretty much every point on this list is the "Show not tell" rule. In fact, if LKH had employed "Show not tell" more, I'll bet I wouldn't have 75% of the complaints. Because you can cut down on conversations, characters knowing things conveniently, etc. if you have your character DOING something, instead of sitting around talking about it.

And because that has been a lot of negativity, let me tell you some things I DID like:

1) Merry is a much more likable character than Anita. She is still painfully similar to AB, but there were some significant differences. Merry isn't ashamed of sex; in fact, she enjoys it. She comes off commanding and powerful instead of b!tchy and belligerent. And I feel she has more respect for her clients and people around her, which in turn makes me respect her more.

2) Faerie. While the political machinations were tedious this time around, I am still impressed with how unique and varied they are. And I think, for the most part, they seem to be consistent and make sense.

While I am hugely disappointed in this particular entry, I am not abandoning Merry. She's a pretty decent character and the land of Faerie is pretty interesting. And I need to read that tentacle sex scene!

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

Second in the Meredith Gentry erotic urban fantasy series revolving around a half-fae princess and her harem in Los Angeles.

My Take
It’s a world we don’t want to acknowledge and yet is so fascinating in its macabre acceptance of what they consider normal. An excellent example of how power corrupts absolutely mixed in with dethroned gods and goddesses.

I love the culture of fae that Hamilton has created. That she chose the Unseelie instead of the Seelie, showing us the more positive side of the Dark versus the negative of the Light. It’s a complex culture with each species within it having yet more subcultures with their own customs and mores.

No, it’s definitely not sweetness and light in the Unseelie Court, but as Merry points out, they are more honest than the Seelie. And certainly more compassionate with all the orphans they take in. But don’t be fooled as both courts are deadly, even if the Dark is more accepting.

Yup, Merry is definitely channeling Anita Blake when she demands Rhys’ cooperation. You can hear Anita in her tone and her stance.

Hmmm, the worshipping rule continues into this story.

Crack me up. The dread Doyle is afraid of driving in a car, and Galen in his peekaboo apron. The men are such a contrast between themselves and similar yet different from other humans. And Frost, poor Frost is so terrified that when Merry does conceive, it won’t be a child with him, and he’ll have to return to the queen. A fear too many of the guard have.

Interesting contrast: Merry and Galen’s fertility ritual is a success and yet the fae are dying.

The Story
An unexpected and very dangerous client wants Merry and her men for an even more unexpected reason. One that could even more firmly cause Taranis to set assassins on their tails.

But humanity is in even greater danger, for the Nameless has been released to hunt. It can only be a fae who set it free, and if the human world should learn of it, the fae could be exiled from America.

The Characters
Meredith “Merry Gentry” NicEssus, Princess of Flesh of the high court of Faerie, has returned to L.A. Prince Essus was her father and Andais’ brother, and he taught her much about the other courts of Faerie. Besaba is Merry’s very vain mother.

Merry’s Unseelie high-court sidhe include:
Each man is a Raven, one of the Queen’s guards, but now they are Merry’s, possible consorts if one of them can get her pregnant. There’s Frost, a.k.a., the Killing Frost who carries Winter Kiss, the one with whom she’s in love. Doyle is part phouka and was the Queen’s Darkness who carries a deadly blade AND Snick and Snack, now he’s Merry’s. Now that he’s realized there are other ways to lose. Rhys is who he is now; before, he was a death god, the Lord of Relics, older than most of the sidhe, and too stubborn to realize that other courts have other customs. Now he has a passion for Bogey and film noir. Nicca is one of the guard, but soft. Galen, the Green Man, is Merry’s first love, too sweet and trusting to survive.

The plus-two-thousand-year-old Kitto is one of Merry’s, but a snake goblin and a symbol of her alliance with the very angry Kurag, king of Goblins. Queen Niceven holds Galen’s cure, until she passes it on to the hateful Sage in her own bid for power. Taranis Thunderer is the King of Light and Illusion of the Seelie Court and Merry’s great-uncle who set aside his second wife of a hundred years, Conan of Cuala, because she didn’t bear him a child. Hedwick is a dimwitted secondary secretary while Dame Rosmerta is the main social secretary.

Jeremy Grey, a trow, owns the Grey Detective Agency, which specializes in supernatural problems. Teresa is an agency psychic. Detective Lucy Tate is friendly towards the fae. Lieutenant Peterson is terrified of Merry, ever since the Branwyn’s Tears incident at the station in A Kiss of Shadows , 1. Bucca-Dhu is a diminished sidhe god and part of the ritual that brought the ghosts of dead gods, the Starving Ones, to life.

Queen Andais, the vicious and sadistic Queen of Air and Darkness is desperate for a child of her bloodline. Her son, Prince Cel, the Prince of Old Blood, is more likely to be executed for his beyond psychopathic crimes while her niece, Merry, is only a half-blood. Siobhan is the mad head of his guards.

Jeffrey Maison works for Maeve Reed, a fae exiled by Taranis, who took Hollywood and the world by storm. She had been a goddess of beauty and spring, Conchenn, but then Taranis exiled her. Some hundred years ago. Gordon Reed, the director who made her a star, is Maeve’s beloved...and dying...husband. Marie is Maeve’s young assistant.

Ethan Kane of the Kane and Hart Agency, the Grey Detective Agency’s only real rivals in L.A., is hostile toward Merry and her men. Max Corbin and Frank are two of the bodyguards. Jordon and Julian Hart are twins and strong in their own powers. Adam Kane is Julian’s lover and Ethan’s brother.

The Nameless is a conglomeration “of everything too awful, too hungry” in sidhe powers. All that is the worst of the Seelie and the Unseelie. A creation that allowed the Courts to come to America.

The Cover
The cover is dark and purpled in its old Hollywood effect with the wrought iron curls and and frills of the frame partially enclosing Merry, with Doyle’s turn in Merry’s bedroom.

The title is a hint of the Darkness for he and the others are coming out into the Light, and it’s A Caress of Twilight on them all.

This book starts just where the last one left off. When we last saw Fairie Princess Merry Gentry, she had just been ordered by the Queen to have unstoppable sex with her buff bodyguards until she was pregnant. It's so hard being a princess! Tough life, that.

Still, it's not all fun and games. Merry is in a reproductive race with her cousin, Prince Cel. And, if she doesn't have a baby first (the heir to throne), her days are numbered. Cel would love to kill her with his own hands. In her spare time, she also has a day job as a detective. Now that her cover has been blown, she's taking on paranormal cases. Her newest case involves a goddess who has been exiled, and solving this case could also mean Merry's death.

This is not a series that I love. The book is very long without the action needed to make reading it seem effortless. You'll be hard-pressed to find one male character to root for. No one guy stands out, which is maybe why I don't love this series. I am an old-fashioned girl like that, I suppose. I refer to these books as 'paranormal pornography', although they are really more erotica. I like a good romp in the hay as well as the next girl, but this is just too much. I'm exhausted just reading about her sexcapades. One thing I that I really didn't like was Merry's sexual tryst with the brownie/elf. For most of the book, she described this creature's innocence much as a child and treats it like a pet. This part was particularly distasteful to me--almost like bestiality. The detective work is top notch and I would much rather read more about these kinds of skills.

Having given up on Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, I figured I would give her Fae books a try. Unfortunately, A Caress of Twilight is no better than the Anita Blake novels. Just like her vampire books, this novel is oversexed for no particular reason. The story is weak and after about a dozen chapters, it was no longer capable of holding my interest.

In this novel, Faerie princess Meredith Gentry, who has left the land of the Fae, and is our mortal world, is trying to give birth to a child and take her claim to the Unseelie throne. An exiled goddess with a dark secret is Meredith’s latest client. So much of the novel was about Faerie politics and what goes on in the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and very little of it was interesting. This was a forgettable novel that I would recommend skipping.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street

Meredith Gentry 2: A Caress of Twilight, by Laurell K. Hamilton

Fresh from learning that the Queen of the Unseelie Court has officially recognized her as heir to the throne, Meredith Gentry and her bevy of sidhe bodyguards have returned to Los Angeles. Merry's back to work as a private detective, because being a princess doesn't pay the bills. Three months have passed since the events of the first book in the series, "A Kiss of Shadows," and Hamilton fills in the background information as needed (reading the first volume is recommended).

Merry has not yet managed to fulfill her aunt's requirement for taking the throne - to rule the Unseelie, Merry must become pregnant. Because sidhe nobles rarely have children, they go for children first, then marriage. It's a bit like the monarchies of old - sidhe marry for duty, not necessarily love; and their duty is to carry on the race.

"A Caress of Twilight" has quite a bit happening. A mystery starts at the detective agency when an exiled sidhe noble contacts Merry for help. After she agrees to help Maeve, who was banished from the Seelie - light - Court, a nameless evil is unleashed by an unknown sidhe. The evil sweeps over Los Angeles, leaving mass murders in its wake. Merry and her men must figure out who released it, as well as how to contain it, before the humans associate it with the fey. For in Hamilton's world, when the fey moved to America from Europe, they agreed not to unleash such magic against humans, and doing so would be cause for expulsion from the country.

One of the reasons I like Merry so much is that she's a heroine who realizes when she's overwhelmed, and when she isn't. Her father, hinted at in the books, raised her to be a good ruler, and she would be the first sidhe ruler to acknowledge her strengths *and* weaknesses. When her men combat the Nameless, Merry aches to join them in battle despite the fact that she could be killed, because she knows that a good ruler doesn't ask men to do anything they wouldn't do first.

We also get some insight into the Seelie court, the fey who are "all light and good." Hamilton shows that the boundary between light and dark is very fine, and is sometimes just a matter of perspective.

I found "A Caress of Twilight" to be pretty good. It was a fast read for me, clocking in at about one night. The book provides a nice amount of character development, expanding on the personalities of Merry's sidhe bodyguards, who are each intriguing in their own right. Encounters with goblin and demi-fey culture also occur, showing the intricacies of fey politics, as well as the differences between the assorted faerie cultures. The ending will likely send you hunting for the next volume in the series.

4/5.

This is the second book in the Meredith Gentry series; I wouldn't read it without reading the first book, "A Kiss of Shadows". I think that a new reader wouldn't really have much of an understanding of what was going on in this book without having read that one. This is not a flaw; a reader who has read the first book of the series would not want to have to wade through re-establishing the characters and background plot the way they would need to if the author chose to assume that the first book had not been read. So if you've not read the first book, read that first. If you have, and liked it, you'll doubtless enjoy this one. If you've read that one and didn't enjoy it, there's no reason to think that you'll enjoy this one any better.

SiSince there are over 200 reviews for this book, my review will be brief. This second installment was pretty good but could have been better. I went in reading this book fully aware of the fact that Laurell has a mini obsession with conveniently writing in outlandish sexual situations just so Merry can have sex and I was ok with that. However this second installment really tried my patience. There was a lot of unnecessary rehashing and explanations, almost as if she were stalling and drawing out the storyline; in addition, the sex she writes in for Merry just sucks!

I like the twist of a female having a harem of men to serve her but in Merry's case the men don't seem to be going out of their way to please Merry or even consider pleasing her. It mainly feels like Merry gives a lot of pity sex or just plain passionless and pointless quickies or pretty much just gives. Apart from the nuisances, the fantasy portion of this installment was creative, action-packed and electrifying.

Laurell has a created a magical world filled with danger, darkness and excitement. I recommend this series to only those fellow dark urban fantasy readers who are fully forewarned of the many bizarre sexual settings and the portrayal of Merry as the center of the universe or the one that everyone desires. If you have the patience to tolerate these things, only then do I recommend this series to you.

Aside from my frustrations with the sexual aspect of this installment, when Laurell is sticking to the storyline, the storyline is phenomenal. Fantasy wise, I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment Seduced by Moonlight.

I also recommend:
Forbidden Magic (Magic Series, Book 1)
Dragon Wytch (Sisters of the Moon, Book 4)
Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1)
The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 1)
Hell's Belles

Merry Gentry, Faerie Princess of America, is still finding her way thru the Unseelie Court. She had lovers among her guards. When unknown magic is killing people in Los Angeles Merry and her allies are caught in a web that none of them expect. Maeve Reed, an exiled fey, is asking to meet with Merry and her guards but is stunned by the shocking secret and request Maeve has of her and her guards. Maeve has found true love and desires what all women want a child but is this something Merry can help her with. Rhys harms Kitto nearly ruining the alliance with the Goblins by his actions. Doyle learns that Merry may have given her heart to Frost, so he must prevent Merry from giving more of her heart away now before it's too late. Merry's Uncle Taranis,the King of Light and Illusion, wants something from her as well. What will Doyle do next? How can Merry fix her alliance with the Goblins? What is killing people in LA? Can Merry give Maeve what she wants? Will Taranis believe what she is telling him? Will the Queen of Air and Darkness be able to help Merry and her guards? Your answers await you in A Caress of Twilight.

I enjoyed the first Meredith Gentry book, so I decided I would continue with the series and see what LKH had up her sleeve. The answer is, plainly, nothing much.

This book reads like I imagine the first book in the series should have. Meredith spends so many time trying to explain the rules and regulations between the fey and the sidhe, the Seelie and the Unseelie, goblins, ghosts, demi-fey, and every other type of creature that it's more like reading an instruction manual to world building than reading a story with actual plot and substance. I understood it the first time it was mentioned that when a noble deliberately neglects to use another's title he's doing the other a grave insult. I get it. But yet every time someone calls Meredith "Meredith" instead of "Princess Meredith" we're reminded of the insult. We also learned in the first novel that it's considered un-PC to use magic against another fey or to not offer a compliment when they are deliberately trying to be attractive. Again, we get it. Yet it's reiterated so many times over the course of the novel, I wonder if LKH had any other intention than to make this story merely an etiquette lesson. I don't appreciate having my time wasted and this was, without a doubt, a waste of time.

This book doesn't allow the Meredith Gentry plot to move forward in any way. It is about Merry's different sexual conquests with her guards (got enough of that in book 1, thank you), her realization that her men don't respect her since she treats them as equals and not as a future queen should (it's about time), and at the last possible moment a subplot with very little bearing on the rest of the book is developed and resolved quicker than you can snap your fingers. As a whole, this book offers nothing to the series and I have to wonder what the point was.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Sunny's Monere series, and many of the comments indicated that those stories are based on the Meredith Gentry novels. I can see the comparison and, at times, the downright plagiarism employed by Sunny, but if nothing else her books are well-written, entertaining, and once things are said once there's no need to reiterate the point 1000 times. I might just have to stick with those books since LKH so obviously runs hot and cold.

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!

"A Caress of Twilight" is the second instalment in Laurell K. Hamilton's new series about faerie Princess Meredith NicEssus, and it does not disappoint. This book picks up where the first of the series "A Kiss of Shadows" left off, and focuses on developing the intriguing characters we met in the fantastic first book. This is a sexy, dangerous, and fun-filled adventure that you won't want to miss!
In order to fully appreciate this novel, it is actually quite important to read "A Kiss of Shadows" first. This book jumps right into Merry's world without much preamble, and without the background from the first of the series, it would be tough to follow.
Meredith NicEssus, Princess of Flesh and co-heir to the Unseelie throne has returned to LA from her home in Illinois to continue her life as an investigator for Grey's Detective Agency. But she has not returned alone. Merry has brought five members of the Queen's royal guard and a half-sidhe goblin along with her. These fearsome and beautiful sidhe warriors are auditioning with pleasure for the role of future king, as Merry desperately tries to conceive a child in order to gain the throne.
Merry's evil and unbalanced cousin, Prince Cel, will do just about anything to keep Merry from becoming queen. Whoever can produce an heir first, Merry or Cel, will become the next Unseelie ruler. Luckily for Merry, she has a six-month head start while Cel undergoes a punishment for his crimes against her. But even with Cel out of the picture, Merry is far from safe. When Merry agrees to assist an exiled Seelie goddess, Maeve Reed, she angers the ruler of the Seelie court, King Taranis, who has forbidden any sidhe to have contact with Maeve.
In addition to this, a creature known as the Nameless, made up of all the most bizarre and formidable powers of all the Seelie and Unseelie fey has been set free. And chances are that someone has loosed this unstoppable monster in an attempt to murder Merry.
With all the danger she is in, Merry needs each and every one of her guards, who we really get to know in this book. I love all of Merry's men, and though she is intimate with six men, she has deep and sincere feelings for all of them. Hamilton has done a fabulous job in this book of fleshing out Merry's lovers. Doyle and Frost are my two favorites, and I just can't get enough of them. These two add great depth to the story. Rhys, Galen, and Nicca, the other three guards, are also very interesting characters. Another of my favorites is Kitto the goblin. He is sooo cute, and his growth throughout the novel was wonderful to see.
So, while Merry tries to stay alive, deals with Unseelie court politics and forms alliances, she is building some very complex and intimate relationships with her guards. And it is this bonding and the way Merry and the men interact, that makes this story so interesting. Hamilton has created a wonderful cast of characters in Merry's magical world. These characters are so skilfully rendered and so fascinating, that readers will desperately want to get to know them better.
I really enjoyed "A Caress of Twilight". Merry is an exceptional character who promises great things in books to come. You don't want to miss this new series; it is tons of thrilling and sensual fun, so buy both of Merry's books today!

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.

A Caress of Twilight picks up the story of Meredith, Princess of Flesh, several months after she had been elevated to co-heir of the Unseelie Court. She will be Queen of the court if she has a child before her cousin does, and she has a six month's lead on him, as he's being "punished" for six months. She is back in California, with her own court of various men, ranging from Sidhe bodyguards from the Queen's court to a representative of the Goblin Court.
Hamilton fans may be a bit disappointed: the sex is not as frequent as in the first book or as raunchy as has become the standard in the Anita Blake series. Which is a bit surprising, as Meredith's bloodlines are rich in fertility goddesses and sexual healing.
It feels like a transitional book. Storylines continue from the first book, and are still incomplete in this one. But there is progression. Meredith continues to consolidate her power base among the demi-fey courts, forging short-term (and uneasy) alliances. She also learns a fair amount about being a leader, a needed lesson surrounded by strong men who tend to dominate any situation. As whoever fathers her future child will become her King, she juggles her feelings for some who would make disastrous kings, and those who would be strong kings, if perhaps uneasy longterm companions. And her second Gift, the Hand of Blood, manifests itself in a battle against a lethal magical foe, resulting in Wild Magic being released and many of the Sidhe regaining powers they had once sacrificed to emigrate to America.
Not the strongest of Hamilton's books, but a good fix for the addict (to which I confess to being a charter member, starting with the first, Guilty Pleasures). I look forward to the next one.

A Caress of Twilight continues the saga of Merry Gentry, Fey princess. When Merry and her gang are called upon to speak to an Seelie court exile, Maeve, little do they realize what they're getting into. Maeve holds a terrible secret which could spell death for Merry and friends. Their lives are further complicated when they are called to investigate a gruesome murder....

I really enjoyed A caress of Twilight. Merry is an engaging character and her men (with the exception of Kitto and Sage), very hot! I particularly like Rhys, and Hamilton's style of writing. Very descriptive and engaging. This writing syle is greatly enhanced by the narrators command of the English language, and ability to change her voice to match each character! Well done!

I did feel the ending was a bit rushed. I'd like to see Hamilton 'tie up the cases' in the actual story. I also am probably one of the few people in the world who find Kitto...A bit annoying. He seems to cower and shiver like Golum from Lord of the Rings. And the dog bed thing only enhances the fact that this character seems more of a pet than a person....Erkk... I much prefer Rhys and Doyle!

This was a fun sexy read. Due to mature content, I'd recommend for adults only. Viva la Merry!

Princess Meredith is now an heir to the Unseelie Court--but will inherit only if she becomes pregnant and bears young. Given that the fair folk have become remarkably infertile lately, this isn't exactly a slam dunk despite Meredith's prodigious and kinky sexual appetites. When she is contacted by an exiled member of the Seelie Court, Meredith learns that there is a reason for the infertility that affects the lands of magic--a reason that the King of the Seelie Court will gladly kill--or worse--to prevent from becoming public.
Meredith is under attack both from her cousin and rival Cor in the Unseelie Court and from King Taranis of the Seelie Court. Her alliance with the Goblins is halfway toward its expiration and may expire a lot more quickly if Meredith doesn't take action to preserve it. Worse, the ancient and evil magics that have been suppressed by both Seelie and Unseelie Courts is once again awake and walking in the human world. For Meredith to survive long enough to have a chance at fertility, she must gather her alliances, make her bodyguards truly members of her court rather than rivals for power, and walk the tightrope between weakness and a lust for control.
Author Laurell K. Hamilton deepens the character of Meredith (who first appeared in her novel A KISS OF SHADOWS) as well as the complex political struggle between the humans, Seelie, Unseelie, Meredith, and the darker forces of magic. A CARESS OF TWILIGHT delivers plenty of the kinky sex that Hamilton novels are known for, but also reveals interesting and compelling characters.
Hamilton fans will be overjoyed at this fine novel. Although the enjoyment of TWILIGHT will be enhanced by reading SHADOWS, the novel stands on its own. Hamilton's writing style continues to mature and TWILIGHT is compelling and hard to put down.

Princess Meredith gets to return to LA with her entourage under the condition that she continue to try to conceive. Merry strategically forms/maintains critical alliances whilst delicately trying to knead the personalities of her vastly dissimilar ravens (guards). They encounter some opposing forces and challenging situations as Merry grows into the power she's destined to wield. Mind you, she must balance her responsibilities with those demanded by her Aunt, the Queen.

Interwoven into the plot are careful reflections & explanations of circumstances & characters from A Kiss of Shadows, Book 1. So much that may not have been understood from the 1st installment becomes apparent as "Caress..." unfolds. Again, Hamilton's technique for illustration and articulation are exceptional. Sometimes I find myself impatient with her propensity to abuse her prose. Thank God for the narration speed feature... LOL, yes, I simply advance the speed to propel forward through it. I enjoyed Caress..., Book 2 so much more than Kiss..., Book 1.

The sexual pleasures she and her men exploit in an effort to conceive are no doubt liberating. Some readers may find their morality compromised as she embraces lust, enjoys her multiple sexual partners, and falls in love. I adore a woman who isn't afraid to explore and have fun with her sexuality. Go Merry!

As others have already noted, the narrator, though the same one employed in all installments, seems to have failed her homework. Laural Merlington's enunciation of central characters (Frost & Doyle) are inconsistent not to mention the pronunciation of character names like Dole instead of Doyle. Such continues in Book 3 especially with relationship to Doyle's character. Nevertheless, the awkwardness and annoyance in audio interpretation isn't worthy of abandoning the series!

Merry is a Fey princess who lives in an alternate USA where all sorts of creatures from the fairy realm live alongside mortals. But Merry is also half human and now has become the co-heir to the Unseelie throne with her cousin Prince Cel. Cel has tried to kill her before and will again. To gain the throne either Merry or Cel must sire an heir.
Merry is now obliged to make love to the select Queens Guard in the hope of having a child. The Guard are all immortal fey with their own long history that is becoming evident with each novel. They are not just 'studs' but once were much more.While the story has many erotic and sensual scenes, it remains a great read with well written plot elements and characters that are the central elements of a good book.
If starting to read this series go back and get the first book as it explains some of the various convoluted characters that surround Merry. Not everything in Fairie is as it seems and everything and everyone have their own game.
But Merry is not just a cute half-fairy Princess she packs weapons and magic and is not afraid to use either. Novel by novel the characters are developing and the overall tale is evolving.
It is so engrossing that I read it in less than a day - I couldn't wait to find out the end and now am waiting impatiently for the next story to find out what will happen next.

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.

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.

Picking up right where A Kiss Of Shadows left off, this book continues the story of Meredith and her quest to stay alive by gaining the throne of the Unseelie court. Back in L.A. Meredith continues her job as an investigator while trying to get pregnant by one of her sexy sidhe guards. In one of her cases, Meredith meets up with an exiled member of the Seelie court and becomes privy to a powerful secret. But it also paints a new target on her back. Now she has to navigate the treacherous political waters of the Seelie court as well as the Unseelie. We get to meet the King of the Seelie court (great scene) and also Merry's mother.
I am enjoying this series immensely. It is unabashedly erotic and extremely imaginative. I enjoyed the first book, but felt it was a 'setting the stage' book somewhat. Now that I know many of the players, I was ready to sit back to watch them on their continuing adventures. We learn a little bit more about Doyle, Frost, Rhys and even Kitto. We also learn more about the deep past of the Faerie. The politics of the Seelie court make for an interesting contrast to those of the Unseelie and it is fascinating to 'watch' the infighting amongst the faerie world.
The ending was slam-bang and promises a fascinating future for our Merry band. I can't wait to see where they go from here. My only quibble with the book is that it was too short! I wanted it to last longer.

This second tale in the adventures of Princess Meredith is one of secrets, sheet ripping sex and personal growth.
In this, the second installment of the tales of a princess of farie we learn more of the backgrounds of some of our favorite characters. We learn who they were, where they've been and what they've lost. But we still haven't learned the whole story. Hamilton keeps us in suspence and yet fills in parts of the picture.
The sex keeps getting better for Merry, but there are things out there killing/hunting. While most might find this book a bit slower than the first, the reader would do well to pay attention and read between the lines.
Meredith is beginning to realize what it is to truely be queen. She is realizing that there are going to be sacrifices to be made and choices that she is not going to enjoy. But she is also becoming more sure of herself in that she is willing to make those sacrifices to insure she will be a queen with power and not just a queen in name.
All in all a wonderful read, with details that begin to give us a glimmer of the world of Farie, and of things to come!

I was surprised to see all the negative reviews. I really liked A Caress of Twilight.
I agree that plot is rather weak, but I think the characters and relationships more than compensate. There is a lot of sex, but there was also a lot of sex in A Kiss of Shadows. Sex plays a significant role in fey life and that is reflected in Merry's dealings with other fey characters, whether they be sidthe or not.
You can see that Merry's feelings for the men in her life are being tempered by political realities. She needs a king, not just a husband and a father for her child. Perhaps that is why Galeen has such a small role in this book compared to the first.
Merry is a very different character than Anita Blake and some fans of that series may not like the Merry Gentry books. Anita is very independent, rather violent and won't let men open the door for her. Merry relies more on others, especially men, prefers to deal with things politically rather than with violence and is much less abrasive. I like both characters and think the contrasts between them help keep the series distinct.
I imagine that the Anita Blake books have a greater appeal for men. The Merry Gentry books remind me more of fantasy romance novels. If you prefer action with a strong sprinkling of violence, I would suggest starting with Guilty Pleasures. If you prefer books with more of an emphasis on the relationship between characters, I would start with A Kiss of Shadows.

"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.

The second book in LKH's Merry Gentry series slips a notch from the first.

In her role as supernatural detective, Merry and her band of guards and lovers are faced with investigating mysterious mass deaths in California, despite resistance and prejudice from local authorities. In her role as would-be queen to the sidhe, she continues to investigate her convoluted and perilous political position, to nurture alliances, to consolidate her power base, and above all to try to get pregnant (which is, after all, the only way to actually become Queen and thus survive).

The mystery sub-plot is jerkily developed, and insufficiently realized. The focus of the story has definitely shifted to Merry having sex in more ways with more characters, for a multitude of purposes. Very little happens in this book without being in some way tied to sex. However, LKH continues to develop her playground: the world of the sidhe grows in richness of history, detail, and intrigue. For this alone, the book would be a worthy addition to the series.

Do NOT read this book if you didn't like the first, or if you are conservative about sex or violence. Do read this book if you have a high tolerance for these topics and are looking for entertainment.

While it stands a perfect bridge between Kiss of Shadows and the next book, A Caress of Twilight is a wonderfully fun, exciting and witty read. While I am rooting for Frost in the contest among the men, the character developments of Doyle, Rhys, Kitto, and Galen are just as interesting. I particularly liked Merry's realization of her need for each of them. My only problem with the book was that even at 448 pages it was too short. I would have liked more on Maeve Read, the Nameless and seen more of Andais and Barinthus, but, hey, being a writer myself, I figure that Hamilton is setting us up for one whiz-dang conclusion!
The character of Killing Frost has really developed wonderfully. I went back and read Kiss of Shadows and realized how far he has come. Especially in allowing his vulnerabilty to be revealed to Doyle and Merry. Hamilton uses wit, wonderful imagery and understands how to fully meld her fey dominated world into modern society. While I like the earlier Anita Blake books, I find the Meredith Gentry books far more interesting and compelling. Stick with the series, I think it is going places!

A Fair-Folk-in-modern-day fantasy, character-driven, with a lot of romance and a bit of darkness.
I actually really enjoyed both this book and its prequel.
Granted, this isn't great literature--it's definitely light entertainment. Though this volume doesn't have any scene as (inadvertently?) funny as the who's-going-to-clean-up-the-tentacles scene in the last one, Hamilton's thoroughly bizarre idea of what makes for attractive male clothing goes a long ways to add humor.
I like the "romantic" aspects of these books, and I actually think quite a few of the characters are well written, though there are a few too many so we don't get quite enough of each. I particularly liked the small and angstful Sage, but all Meredith's harem are appealing. There are interesting worldbuilding elements. Yeah, it's light stuff, romance fiction for fantasy readers, but there's a place in my world for that.
In this one, the plot wasn't great -- particularly the climax, which had promise but fell apart, segueing into an expository wrap-up. The ideas were good, but not developed. However, it did set up for a sequel, and if I see a third book I'll read it.