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Il tocco della notte (Merry Gentry #2)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 21,135 ratings · 391 reviews

"Il mio nome è Merry Gentry e lavoro presso un'agenzia investigativa di Los Angeles. E una copertura, un nascondiglio che mi ha permesso di allontanarmi dai pericoli e dagli inganni che dominano la mia terra natale. Perché io sono anche la Principessa Meredith, erede del più oscuro trono faerie. Certo, ho grandi poteri, ma a che prezzo? A quale parte della mia umanità ho d...more

Hardcover, 520 pages

Published September 20th 2007 by Editrice Nord (first published March 26th 2002)

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Jun 28, 2007 Emily Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: goths, porn freaks, the feverish

A confession: When I tell you thatI'm doing something really interesting and intellectual (reading theory, writing something new, learning to cook Indian food), I'm probably lying. (Most of time.) What I am actually doing is reading one of these horrible books and eating pretzels, periodically cajoling Mark into bringing me drinks. This book, and the other five books in the series, are HORRIBLE. Really, really bad.

I love them.

Here's the story so far: Fabulous faerie princess Merry, despite bein...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Crystal Starr Light rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, audiobook, erotica, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue

"Quit drawing out the story"

Merry Gentry is Princess of the Unseelie Court and co-heir to the throne--if she can get pregnant. Which she and her harem of interchangeable men are trying very hard to accomplish.

One fine day at the Detective Agency that Merry works (despite being royalty that attracts paparazzi easier than a bald Britney Spears), a man enters. After lots of hemming and hawing--a standard LKH practice to pad out the story and make her MC look supa amazing--Merry finds out the guy is...more

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Apr 23, 2013 John rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Caress of Twilight

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Ballantine, 326 pages, hardback, 2002

I have to confess that, the last time I tried to read one of Ms Hamilton's many novels, I got about halfway through and then threw it across the room. The book in question was called Narcissus in Chains, and was the umpteenth volume featuring Ms Hamilton's series heroine Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. I had fought my way through about two hundred pages of badly written soft porn (I have no aversion at all to well writte...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Donna The Happy Booker rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fae, fantasy

The first in this series was mildly interesting, enough so that I figured I'd see if this second book was better. Unfortunately, the cheesy sex scenes found in the first book were even worse in this second. This has to be the most godawful erotica? writing in the history of life. I didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. The writing is atrocious. I'm definitely done with this series.

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Jun 19, 2011 Loederkoningin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-and-urban-fantasy, pulpy-fun

Kylie Minoque's music video "Slow" in book form part 2.

Hamilton again introduces a parade of Chippendale-ish elfs, who are, without one exception, unable to resist Merry.

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May 07, 2012 Hobbes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Hobbes by: phaedra lewis

In between the copious amounts of incredible sex there is actually a mildly interesting plot in this story. Attempted murder of a most spectacular nature, using the very disowned and hidden darkness of fey power to murder a woman who knows the terrible secret of the Seelie Court's king, but she has been forbidden to speak it, or have any contact at all with an fey. But now Merry and her harem know it and as the heir to the Unseelie Court this gives her a strong influence over the king. Except le...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Gaeadd rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This book makes no pretensions at being something it is not. It is a light read about someone else's problems with enough sex and magic to blur the line between escapism and literotica.

The main character is both likeable and believable, though the circumstances she finds herself in are more of a struggle. I can suspend disbelief to allow for a fairy princess, but I had a harder time accepting 6 adults living in close confines and having a whole lot of sex without having many conflicts or argume...more

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May 14, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An Oxymoron Collaboration of Mediocre Romance and Fantastic Fantasy

Since 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 rehashin...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Roberta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

Pollice verso per questo secondo capitolo della saga di Merry Gentry. Nonostante la Hamilton confermi la sua capacità di confezionare romanzi scorrevoli e accattivanti, questo non basta a farmi dimenticare che rispetto al primo volume (colpevole in vari punti, ma assolvibile a causa della sua funzione propedeutica alla saga) non c'è nessuna evoluzione.
Il tocco della notte può essere definito un romanzo pieno di sottotrame, ma privo di una trama principale. E' un libro pieno di buoni spunti, con...more

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Oct 13, 2011 ***Dave Hill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: text

(Original review, graded 1-3)

Summary (2): Most sequels — especially movies, but book series as well — fall apart because success breeds imitation. If the original had one car chase, then having two car chases will make it twice as popular. Two steamy sex scenes? Let’s make it four!

Of course, that gets boring, so the second reason they tend to fall apart is that they keep upping the ante for the same game. If in the original the problem was a threat to the entire city, have the sequel be about a...more (Original review, graded 1-3)

Summary (2): Most sequels — especially movies, but book series as well — fall apart because success breeds imitation. If the original had one car chase, then having two car chases will make it twice as popular. Two steamy sex scenes? Let’s make it four!

Of course, that gets boring, so the second reason they tend to fall apart is that they keep upping the ante for the same game. If in the original the problem was a threat to the entire city, have the sequel be about a threat to the entire world. If the protagonist struggled with one problem/weakness/responsibility of type X, have the sequel be about a similar problem, only with type X+5.

Laurell K. Hamilton has been guilty of that with her Anita Blake novels, which have gone from detective procedurals with a large element of horror to gothic soap operas and a Strange New Power That Anita Must Learn To Use To Face A Threat Even More Horrific Than The One Last Book. Oh, and lots of sex, too.

She’s broken that trend, sort of, with the second Meredith Gentry novel, Caress of Twilight, but … well, not in a good way. The original, A Kiss of Shadows, dealt heavily with faerie politics, kinky sex, kinky faerie sexual politics, and how poor half-sidhe princess Meredith manages to survive the murderous machinations of her cousin Cel and the sadistic powerplays of her aunt, Queen Andais, mistress of the Unseelie Court. It was all rushed, and over the top, and at times seemingly just an excuse to write a bodice-ripper about rough sex.

Caress makes Kiss look like the most solidly structured and plotted book ever written. Unseelie threats have died down, but the Seelie court seems to have a renewed interest in Meredith, especially its king, her uncle, Taranis (get it? Taranis? Tyrannis?). Of course, Meredith, and her coterie of bodyguards/lovers now knows a secret about Taranis from a long-time sidhe exile (and current movie star). But, wait, there’s also a mysterious set of murders going on. But, wait, there’s also on the loose some strange critter called the Nameless, the sum total of all the most powerful and godlike faerie magic that the sidhe divested themselves of in ages past, in order to live with humans.

Some of these plots get — well, settled is too organized a word — dealt with or dismissed by the end of the book. Others are allowed to hang out there. But you don’t get the sense that this is merely setting the background for later conflicts, so much as that Hamilton reached the end of her contractual pages and brought everything to a screaming conclusion, regardless of what it did to the story. We go from endless plotting and diplomatic exchanges (most of them, not coincidentally, in the bedroom) to wham! a major battle against a terrible foe, followed by bam! a denouement where the aftermath is told to us, not actually shown. Abrupt doesn’t begin to describe it.

Not that this will stop me from picking up the next one when it comes out. Though I will certainly be waiting on the mass market paperback, and might even look for a used copy. I’m sure there will be some …

Entertainment [2]: Hamilton continues to toss up nuggets about how Faerie and the world of humans works in this setting, but they seem sometimes thrown out just to either complicate or resolve a given problem. Her battle scenes are few and mediocre (compared to the Anita Blake series), and the sex scenes are, frankly, much the same.

Profundity [1]: Beauty and ugliness can hide both good and evil. Those who are openly evil are perhaps less of a threat than those who are hypocritically of the light. Etc.

Re-readability [1]: Definitely not coming back off the bookshelf unless the series picks up and I feel the need to reread the whole thing.(less)

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May 15, 2011 TheFountainPenDiva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: characters-dark-faeries, sub-genre-dark-fantasy, characters-elves, theme-magick, genre-romance, genre-paranormal-romance, sub-genre-urban-fantasy-faeries, characters-killer-queens

Faerie Tales Finally Get Real

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. And there's something rather cool about a dark-skinned fae character. Most writers (save Emma...more

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May 15, 2010 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

Second book: still trashy bordering on decadent, still packed with flowery prose, still moving at a snails pace. I think the whole book moved ahead about five days.

Some of it I liked. Hamilton comes up with some beautiful descriptions, and the confrontations can be pretty satisfying (Meredith's mirror-argument with her bitch of a mother is a great example.)

But good God, things can get tedious. In the first book I thought it was the endless descriptions that were slowing things down. We've still...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, I'm hooked. When I read the first book in this series, I wasn't sure I liked it. These stories have two tracks: politics in the royal courts of the faerie world, and murder mysteries. When I read the first book, I was a little overwhelmed by all the faerie politics, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue with the series.

But I did, and I'm glad I did. I find it interesting how Laurell Hamilton has set up her faerie world. Sometimes, it gets to be a little overwhelming. But the intrigue get...more

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Dec 18, 2009 BarkLessWagMore rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, dark-fantasy

A Caress of Twilight was entertaining and very difficult to put down but when I finished it I felt like I was missing out on something. It took me a few days to discover exactly what it was. The writing was emotionally empty and the story seemed very rushed. The plot zips along from one crises to another and though Hamilton reveals a little more about Merry's feelings for her group of men (and reveals some interesting bits about their history) when she proclaims that she's in love with one of th...more A Caress of Twilight was entertaining and very difficult to put down but when I finished it I felt like I was missing out on something. It took me a few days to discover exactly what it was. The writing was emotionally empty and the story seemed very rushed. The plot zips along from one crises to another and though Hamilton reveals a little more about Merry's feelings for her group of men (and reveals some interesting bits about their history) when she proclaims that she's in love with one of them I didn't believe her. Maybe I've read too many romances but these guys are all for the most part hunky, adoring and strong but they started to blend together in my head. Especially Nicca, Rhys and Frost. I never felt like I knew all that much about any of them and never felt any true emotional bond between the men and Merry. I'm guessing her king won't be any of the guys in this current group anyway . . .

Another problem for me was the muted gore. Call me a gorehound but the total lack of any sort of detail of the horror distanced me from the horrific impact of a few scenes that should have been tragic. There was absolutely no emotional reaction. Maybe it's that emotional distance thing again. I'm not sure. I just remember feeling horror, disgust, anguish and a wee bit of fear when reading the early Anita Blake books. I never felt any of that here. It all felt too safe.

Despite all that I did manage to enjoy it. I didn't pick it up expecting to be put through the emotional wringer anyway and it was a lot of fun to read. The sex was plentiful but toned down and I think Merry is an interesting character and particularly enjoy the scenes where she's dealing with members of the Unseelie and Seelie court while learning to wield her power and become a tough leader. She's free of sexual hang-ups and I like that too. If Hamilton would flesh out her plot lines (that creature at the end was pretty lame and too darned easy to take down for my liking), add in some of the dark humor that made me love the early Anita books and concentrate on a smaller cast of characters I might be tempted to rave.(less)

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Dec 13, 2009 Leeanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own

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...more 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.(less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Sai rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If your looking for serious plot, I doubt you will find it in this series. However, if your looking for a book to read on the weekend or an off day, then this is your book. There are a few things that I have...issues with, but for some reason after finishing this book I went to the third. It's like roadkill, you just can't stop. That doesn't mean that there are parts that I didn't enjoy.
First, the bad and then the good.

Okay, why are Nicca and Rhys completely and continuously glossed over. Am I...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Noodle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

OK, so I had had higher hopes for this series compared to the Anita Blake Series, and although I did manage to read over ten of the Blake books before giving them away, I still felt it was a poorly written, trashy kind of story. Still, it probably says more about me than the quality of the author's work by the mere fact I have read over ten of the books.

Still, book one in the Meredith Gentry Series had held promise. I thought perhaps we were going to head away from the gratuitous sex scenes with...more OK, so I had had higher hopes for this series compared to the Anita Blake Series, and although I did manage to read over ten of the Blake books before giving them away, I still felt it was a poorly written, trashy kind of story. Still, it probably says more about me than the quality of the author's work by the mere fact I have read over ten of the books.

Still, book one in the Meredith Gentry Series had held promise. I thought perhaps we were going to head away from the gratuitous sex scenes with multiple partners and enter the realm of Paranormal Romance in a more purist form. But alas, that was not to be. Characters such as Sholto from book one, who had potential to become a love interest, more than just a bed partner, failed to even appear in book two, instead we see our lead protagonist, Merry, in bed with all of her personal guard, or better said harem.

Now I'm all for power to the woman and why the heck can't she have more than one sexual partner, and considering she is sidhe and sex seems to be the order of the day in Faerie, it would seem appropriate, but, and there is a big but, I can't help feeling this is more Paranormal Porn, than Romance of any description.

Maybe I'm just not cut out for this free and easy bed hopping, partner sharing scenario, but the actual stories, both Meredith Gentry and Anita Blake have fairly solid mysteries behind them, stories that are worth wading through the bed sheets to get at. It's a shame that on top of the unasked for multiple and ill-placed sex scenes, there is also a poorly edited, (too many of the same words too often, lack of decent flow and continuity) to the language as well.

All in all it would make you think this is an extremely poorly written novel, or series, but despite the multitudes of problems that keep making me hit my head with the book, over and over again, I still read the bloody things. Go figure.

So, what score to give book two?

I'm going with a 5/10: "Finished the book and it was above average, but I won't be seeking this author out again" on the NBRS. And although this score says but, I won't be seeking this author out again I have to say, never say never, because there is just something about sleazy, sexy, poorly written novels such as these, they can be addictive. So watch out!(less)

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Sep 11, 2010 Camille-Dhark Nytmhare rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, read-in-2010, books-i-reviewed

This is the second story in the Merry Gentry series. In this story Merry inadvertently delves a little deeper into fae politics while trying to conceive a baby and maintain her Private Eye job status.

Merry is such an honorable person. I like how the author aligns her allies with her. Merry gains allies not because of her birth right or heritage but because she displays such intelligence and strength of character. In this story we begin to see Merry think like a queen. I have so much respect for...more This is the second story in the Merry Gentry series. In this story Merry inadvertently delves a little deeper into fae politics while trying to conceive a baby and maintain her Private Eye job status.

Merry is such an honorable person. I like how the author aligns her allies with her. Merry gains allies not because of her birth right or heritage but because she displays such intelligence and strength of character. In this story we begin to see Merry think like a queen. I have so much respect for someone who calls people on their bullsh#t and it satisfied my soul each time Merry did it. I loved that she threw caution to the wind and chose to offend rather than be misled into doing things that were detrimental to her safe-keeping.

The conflicts in this story tend to be political or emotional in nature. The nuisances of emotional turmoil are brilliantly described making characters 3 dimensional. For example, the hypnotic rubbing of Merry’s legs by Kitto is one of the descriptions that the author writes about. Continuous descriptions like that confirms that Kitto may be much more that a pet and possibly have a special connection to Merry.

Some readers may consider these types of detailed descriptions are TMI, but coupled with a good story it can add to the physical tension. Detailed descriptions also gives the reader insight to secondary characters and their relationship to Merry.

There is lots of political jousting. The political elements were sometimes confusing. Each immortal character had their own nuisances. Lots of times it was hard to remember the political differences between the demi fey, fairie, sidhe, goblins and many others.

Sex scenes where overblown because there was no connection between her and her lovers. No matter how hard the author tried to make us believe it. No amount of fireworks and sparks flying out your ass can convince me that was good lovin’ , maybe a good boinkin’, but lovin’ nahh.

This really is a memorable book, because much time was spent in character development and world building. It is a detailed well written novel, that puts you deep in the main characters psyche. There was not a lot of action, but enough conflict was created at the climax. You wonder where the author will take us in the next book. I am hoping the story picks up a little more by the next novel.
(less)

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May 03, 2013 Clare dooley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anything-to-do-with-fae, onto-book-2, sex-sex-sex

Mouseheadandtales gives book 2 in the "Merry Gentry series" $$$ 3 .
A quick run-down of the series so -far is that "Merry" now "Princess Meredith" a sidhe /human fey halfbreed had been hiding away from faerie because she was mistreated by both the Seelie court of her mother , as well as the UnSeelie court that turns no one away. Though she is royalty she has only dealt with the ugly side of court politics . Usually ads assassination attempts on her life. Before she fled the faerie fealm she had...more Mouseheadandtales gives book 2 in the "Merry Gentry series" $$$ 3 .
A quick run-down of the series so -far is that "Merry" now "Princess Meredith" a sidhe /human fey halfbreed had been hiding away from faerie because she was mistreated by both the Seelie court of her mother , as well as the UnSeelie court that turns no one away. Though she is royalty she has only dealt with the ugly side of court politics . Usually ads assassination attempts on her life. Before she fled the faerie fealm she had not come into her "powers". In the faerie order of things this makes you a pathetic specimen . Add to that that her grandmother was a Brownie & she would never be welcome into the glittering , beautiful albeit cruel Seelie court. Her partial human heritage & lack of powerful magic also works against her in the Unseelie court which is ruled by her bat shit crazy Aunt Andias.
The first book in the series revolves around getting Metedith to return to faerie & speak with her Queen & aunt Andias also known as "the queen of night & air. She is known for her cruelty & never has stopped the constant attacks on Merry so Meredith is wary of answering her invitation .
After a fashion she goes, a number of things have changed since she left & suddenly all of faerie may be dependent on her getting pregnant. If she can get pregnant by another fey before her cousin "Cel" than Merry will be heir to the throne.
That's where the story leaves off & the second begins. If there was a bit more emphasis on the story line & not so much focus on the repetitive description of how beautiful "Princess Meredith.. Power of flesh & blood" it might be a really good story.
On the flip side of that if you enjoy all things fey as well as a drippy over-flowing spoonful of erotica , then this series is just what you need.
In comparison to other series I have read that are steamy & other - worldly this one not one of my favorites. Though I can't dismiss it completely . I will continue to read the series.
"The Merry Gentry series" by Laurell K. Hamilton of "Anita/vampire" series.
I pray that this is never considered for a tv series adaptation . It would be "TrueBlood", with even less focus on a plot & tons of nudity & blood.
I'm not sure what the third book has in store for me but I will keep you posted.
Keep turning those pages! Clare(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brought to you by Deannerenee

Beware of spoilers

This is the second book in the series and again I was impressed by this book. I loved the characters as well as the story line. I love the fact that the author has given enough background without overloading the reader, And you know what you are getting when you are reading it.

I love that Merry is connected to both courts, the Seelie and the Unseelie and how they treated her so badly when she was young and now they both need her. There are threats o...more

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May 18, 2011 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

Well, this book certainly sucked me in and I don't have a clue when it happened. A Kiss of Shadows, the first book, was good and definitely picked up after the first half but this book was good from the beginning. The only problems are getting used to all the descriptions and dealing with the ongoing "discussions" of everything!

Meredith is a stand up person. She is not swayed by good or evil but she does what is right and she takes care of her people. Her journey is very interesting, especially...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance-urban-fantasy

Meredith Gentry or Prince Niceuss Hand of Flesh is back again. Still trying to gain an heir before her cousin Cel to receive the Throne of the UnSeelie court. This time an exiled former deity as well as the queen of Hollywood is asking something of her that none would dare the wrath of the Seelie king to do. Some sidhe ghosts have been awakened by someone and no one knows whats the purpose. And, the UnNamely has been unleashed. A being of old magics that has stolen power from many and all even t...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Nichole (Dirty H) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, urban-fantasy, fae, 2009

Blah blah blah blah.... oh my gosh, this book is so wordy!!!
You may say, "well duh, it's a book, it has words..." But what I mean is... it's all talk and no action. Aside from the sex scenes, of course. But those are also overly wordy. "It was as though you could become laughter..." blech. Not what I'm looking for in a sex scene.

Basically just more political intrigue. Meredith negotiates through her mirror with everyone under the sun. It's always so precarious; I must say the right thing! It wou...more Blah blah blah blah.... oh my gosh, this book is so wordy!!!
You may say, "well duh, it's a book, it has words..." But what I mean is... it's all talk and no action. Aside from the sex scenes, of course. But those are also overly wordy. "It was as though you could become laughter..." blech. Not what I'm looking for in a sex scene.

Basically just more political intrigue. Meredith negotiates through her mirror with everyone under the sun. It's always so precarious; I must say the right thing! It would be impolite to say this, I have to show my power by saying that, blah blah blah. It's exhausting. And everyone says "And well you know it" way too much.

Hamilton way overexplains things. Yeah, I get it. You're trying to become queen. If Cel becomes king, he'll kill you. If such and such happens, so and so will kill you. If such and such does not happen, so and so else will kill you and destroy everyone else. Blah blah blah...

Meredith finally gets it on with Doyle, which was freaky, Galen, which was anticlimactic, and Kitto, which was... weird. (And of course she's still sleeping with Frost, Rhys and Nicca.) But although Meredith seems to be open for business for everyone else, she won't sleep with the demi-fey-who-can-become-regular-size in order to heal Galen. Really? I thought we were gonna get faerie sex.... but Meredith's not a whore.

So between sex scenes and talking-through-the-mirror scenes, I think there was a plot... though it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Maybe I just didn't pay attention because it didn't seem to really matter much. There was a big nasty at the end that they all killed and then suddenly everyone had new powers. Ta da!

Bottom line... it's all a lot of blah blah blah. And yet, I'm still strangely intrigued. I'll probably keep reading. Go figure. Maybe it would have seemed less tedious if I'd read it instead of listening to it at work.

Review of audiobook: Not bad. The narrator seems to think that all males talk really really slow. But otherwise she did a pretty good job. (less)

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Jul 29, 2011 Corie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-books-i-read, audio-books

Really, this book was a 3.5, not 4 stars. But I do enjoy Laurell Hamilton's books, so am rounding up. I might have actually gave it only 3 stars, but the lasts 50 pages kind of picked up and things happened and left some new openings for the next book. So for me it kind of redeemed itself an extra 1/2 star.

So much of this book just dragged on, and on, and on. The descriptions of what people looked like and what they were wearing was very complete. I definitely felt like I was there seeing all th...more Really, this book was a 3.5, not 4 stars. But I do enjoy Laurell Hamilton's books, so am rounding up. I might have actually gave it only 3 stars, but the lasts 50 pages kind of picked up and things happened and left some new openings for the next book. So for me it kind of redeemed itself an extra 1/2 star.

So much of this book just dragged on, and on, and on. The descriptions of what people looked like and what they were wearing was very complete. I definitely felt like I was there seeing all the characters. And besides the description, I felt like another huge chunk of the story was spent policitally maneuvering every situation. "Be my ally, don't be my ally." The main character, Meredith is constantly worring over and talking with her men about how to find out info and make allies and being all faery-politically correct the whole time. I think there was a point where Meredith spends 10 pages complimenting and describing a rival king on his eyes and hair...UGH! I kept trying to pay close attention thinking something important was going to happen and I need all of these details. But no.

I guess I am used to the Anita Blake series that Hamilton has also written, and that main character tends to plow through life, shoot first, ask questions or beg appology later. Action, Action, Action. Meredith is instead all about the analysis and careful-pre-thought or agenda to every move she makes. She spends most of her time either in bed with a warrior on the 'mirror-phone' with various court members. It just got a bit boring.

But the sex part was, um, NOT SO BORING. **Ahem** (slight blush)*** Since Meredith is supposed to provide an heir to the throne or be killed, she rotates her 5 or so warriors (all hot, beautiful men) through her bed every night. Life could be worse right? Having orgasims that cause earthquakes.

Sex aside, most of the book was politicing and sex. I felt like the book needed more action. And finally the last 50 pages or so had some. Meredith gets some new powers which leave the future seem more interesting. I actually alrealy own the next 4 books of this, so I guess I'm in for reading them. But just might put a few other things in between this and the next.(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Welcome back to the world of Merry Gentry, sidhe princess living in L.A. with her small army of hunky guards (and one goblin). This time around there are quite a few plots going on: (view spoiler)

The sexuality continues to...more Welcome back to the world of Merry Gentry, sidhe princess living in L.A. with her small army of hunky guards (and one goblin). This time around there are quite a few plots going on: (view spoiler)

The sexuality continues to have an awkward or problematic cast to it: Merry is in a situation where she must have sex daily, without fail, without question. What would happen if she just didn't feel like it one day, or if she had the flu and could barely move, or something? Unsurprisingly, this never occurs, and our Merry is always both willing and able. This is absolutely not to say that Merry's being in a non-consensual situation would be good. Just to say that there's an undercurrent of it that is conveniently never addressed.

The pace-stalling paragraphs of info dump from the first book are mostly gone in this one, replaced by world-building through dialogue. There's so much of it that it gets tedious. And the repetition and reiteration (alluded to in my comment) doesn't help.

Merry's being separated by a couple thousand miles from her fae home means that practically all of the communication with it is done through what amounts to teleconferences through mirrors. Merry spends quite a few of the 300-something pages of this book in her bedroom, either talking on the phone or having sex, giving the story a claustrophobic feeling. The fae melodrama is the most interesting thing about this series, in my opinion, and having these confrontations be face-to-face would have spiced things up considerably and truly tested Merry's strengths as a politician, negotiator, and magic user. The L.A. specific characters from the first book are given barely a glance this time, so I wonder if the action will move back to Illinois' Cahokia Mounds soon.

The low vocabulary level made this an easy read, but that isn't exactly a compliment. There's no depth of character, or character building, in this series (adding a superpower or backstory is not the same thing), no attempt at decent prose, it bears marks all over of being hastily written, and I don't see those things improving any time soon, so it firmly keeps its place as guilty pleasure material.

I'm caught between interest in the fae aspects of Merry's story and groaning aloud at its mashup between erotica and Dragon Ball Z.(less)

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Oct 28, 2010 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pn-and-uf

This book was a fantastic sequel to the first, which I also enjoyed. This is something great to escape from the mundane run off the mill grind. Meredith is an engaging and vibrant character and has life breathed into her by the show of flaws and temperament. She is not untouchable (despite the magical nature of the story) as she remains a witty, sensual and honest character throughout. The sex in the book is delightfully wicked not averse to picking on the more kinky aspects. This was a witty, s...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like most Hamilton books she has a good premise and starts with a great story that can really hook you, assuming of course you can handle the gratuitous sexual content. I'm no prude, but there is simply far more sex than is necessary. Merry is trying to get pregnant, and Hamilton feels the need to tell us about each and every attempt.

I tend to just skim the sex scenes now. I'd skip them entirely but Hamilton has stated in interviews that she purposely puts plot points there now. She heard that o...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Lori rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Laurell K. Hamilton is back to her sex obsession in this one. It had some story to it which I liked, but the sex scenes, once again, took too long to describe every little detail. She then rushes through other scenes that are part of the plot. I think that the author has no sense of time. Also, what is up with her fascination with blow jobs!! Meredith and Anita both LOVE it and she talks about it with such detail! I don't know any woman who has ever loved to do that! It is bizarre. Right along w...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Patrícia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quando o mundo te oferece mil e uma noites de paixão para atingires o objectivo supremo para a tua própria segurança e nenhuma dessas oportunidades gera fruto, serás capaz de sobreviver aos mais inebriantes e mesquinhos esquemas políticos quando a tua mortalidade é, por si só, um problema?
Meredith NicEssus, princesa da Carne e futura herdeira do trono da Corte Unseelie – caso consiga conceber um filho antes do seu primo Cel –, decidiu voltar à sua já conhecida Cidade dos Anjos em busca de um pou...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, paranormal, fantasy

This one starts out slow so I wasn't sure about it, but then BAM. There's tons of action and faerie court politics, and the doomsday to save the world from, and a fertility rite.

Fun read and well written for a harem style romance.

There is a loose ends that never tied up nicely at the end of this book, I don't expect resolution in a series book, but I personally like it when everything is tidied up that is mentioned, or worse yet, the forced resolution like "oh yea and all this bs just happened"...more

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About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES and continues to thrive with over sixteen volumes to the series and an comic adaptation. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilt...more

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Books by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1)

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3)

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #2)

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4)

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #5)

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Il tocco della notte (Merry Gentry #2)

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