Title: A Caress of Twilight

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Publication Year: 2002

Pages: 368

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Source: E-book version borrowed from the public library

From the cover:

After eluding relentless assassination attempts by Prince Cel, her cousin and rival for the Faerie crown, Meredith Gentry, Los Angeles private eye, has a whole new set of problems. To become queen, she must bear a child before Cel can father one of his own. But havoc lies on the horizon: people are dying in mysterious, frightening ways, and suddenly the very existence of the place known as Faerie is at grave risk. So now, while she enjoys the greatest pleasures of her life attempting to conceive a baby with the warriors of her royal guard, she must fend off an ancient evil that could destroy the very fabric of reality. And that’s just her day job. . . .

(This is the second book in the Merry Gentry series, after A Kiss of Shadows.)

One thing that’s done really well in this book is the character development. We really get to know Meredith and her guards/lovers a lot better, particularly Rhys, Frost, and Doyle. I felt like it was getting into more of the meat of the story, rather than the last book that needed to include a lot more world-building.

Having said that, I feel like the “ancient evil” storyline wasn’t fleshed out very well. It kind of came up a bit late in the book, and then it was mostly ignored until the end. And even then, it just seemed like it was over a bit too quickly and easily. Most of the book dealt, instead, with faerie court intrigue and Meredith’s romances, which were interesting, but could have been interesting and interwoven with more details about the other subplot.

Overall, though, A Caress of Twilight was another good book in the series, and I’m really starting to get into the characters. If you liked the first book, you’ll definitely like this one as well.

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Title: A Kiss of Shadows

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton

Publication Year: 2000

Pages: 480

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Erotica

Source: E-book version borrowed from the public library

From the cover:

Merry Gentry, princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator specializing in supernatural crime. But now the queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her — whether she likes it or not. Suddenly Merry finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men in the world. The reward: the crown — and the opportunity to continue to live. The penalty for failure: death.

(This is the first book in the Merry Gentry series.)

I decided to read this series after going through all of the books in Hamilton’s Anita Blake series. I knew going into the series that this one would have more sex in it than the early Anita Blake books, and I’m going to reiterate that to anyone who reads this. This isn’t the series for you if you don’t like reading erotica Seriously.

A Kiss of Shadows lays out the premise for the rest of the series, and introduces the major characters. Some of them I like, some of them not so much, but I liked the world-building and the way that Hamilton incorporated the fey into the modern world. I also liked that the main focus of the series – at least in this book – is the Unseelie court, the dark fey, and that she doesn’t shy away from their more … violent … nature. Some of the scenes in the book are not for the faint of heart.

I’m looking forward to continuing to read the series after this one. It’s a good setup book: not too much downtime, lots of action and intrigue. Definitely worth a try.

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