Great read ...although a little unoriginal. | A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2)

Good escapism! | A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) | Laurell K. Hamilton

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	• A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) Laurell K. Hamilton Fawcett, 2003 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 206 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Terrific Entertainment!

Princess Meredith Nic-Essus is a member of the High Court of Faerie. When she lives in Los Angles, however, as she has for the past three years, Meredith assumes the name and identity of Merry Gentry. Merry works as a P.I. for Jeremy Grey, owner of the Grey Detective Agency, which specializes in "Supernatural Problems, Magical Solutions." She left the faerie world, the mounds at Cahokia, in Illinois, to go into hiding in California when her cousin Cel, the evil heir to the throne, attempted to have her assassinated once too often.

Meredith's Aunt Andais is Queen of Air and Darkness, and has ruled over the Unseelies, (those not of pure fey blood), for over one thousand years. Those who have pure faerie blood are the Seelies, and her uncle Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, reigns over them. Meredith is mortal, half Seelie Court and half Unseelie, (part of her heritage is Brownie). The Queen sent Doyle, the Captain of her Raven Guard, to the West Coast to bring her niece back to the High Court. Meredith was forced to return because Andais finally realized, what was obvious to many, that her only son and heir did not possess the necessary attributes and character to become King. So the Queen placed Prince Cel and Princess Meredith on equal footing. She stipulated that whoever became a parent first would be her successor. Meredith must bear a child before Cel can father one if she wants to wear the crown. The bit about having a child is paramount, although Andais could have handled the situation more delicately. The sidhe have fertility problems. Thus, childbearing is of the utmost importance if the royal line is to continue.

Meredith is finally allowed to escape the political machinations of court life and return to LA. Accompanying her are some of the Queen's hunkiest Ravens, who are instructed to guard her bodily, and to enjoy it. They are to assist her to become pregnant. Wow!! The lucky father-to-be gets to become King. Excellent motivator! Plus Merry is gorgeous, ruby-red hair, and smart to boot. Oh, a goblin is included in the merry mix of immortal men, due to a pact negotiated with Kurag, Goblin King.

Meredith and her firm are contracted, in utmost secrecy, to assist the glamorous, golden goddess of Hollywood, actress Maeve Reed, who turns out to be a Seelie in exile. Ms. Reed once said "No," to King Taranis - thus the exile. She carries a terrible secret, and the King would kill her immediately if the information became known - which is why she is constantly surrounded by bodyguards. To complicate matters, now that Merry and her men have visited the Reed compound, the King might decide they know too much and order a mass assassination.

Just as things begin to get dangerous, in between bedroom interludes with Merry and the Ravens, "The Nameless" are loosed on humanity. They are the most evil elements of Seelie and Unseelie combined, and much has been sacrificed to keep these beings buried and suppressed forever. So, if anyone says that "A Caress of Twilight" is just about S-E-X, they're only partially correct!

The characters, the settings, the Ravens checking-out America and LA for the first time, Hamilton's take on Celtic mythology, are just a blast - pure entertainment! Of course, I am a major Laurell Hamilton fan and truly enjoyed her entire Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. Merry is certainly not Anita, but she is fun. As always, Laurell Hamilton writes dark fantasy like no other. Her descriptions really bring one's imagination to life. I'm hooked and looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.
JANA

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Great read ...although a little unoriginal.

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.

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Good escapism!

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!

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Laurell K. Hamilton is the Queen

I am such a fan of Hamilton's. Despite this, I was originally resistant to reading the faerie series. I am glad that I did begin reading it though. The faerie series is a bit more dense than the Anita Blake series. There is a more serious tone to it somehow. There is not as much gratuitous sex as the Anita series though. For anyone who was put off by the amount of sex in the latest Anita Blake novel, I suggest you try the faerie series if you haven't already. They are quite excellent.

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