A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) (Paperback)

by Laurell K. Hamilton (Author) "MOONLIGHT SILVERED THE ROOM, PAINTING THE BED IN A HUNdred shades of grey, white, and black..." (more)
Key Phrases: lesser fey, sidhe princess, sidhe warrior, Maeve Reed, Princess Meredith, Queen Niceven (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Faerie princess and private detective Meredith Gentry juggles love, sex, intrigue, magic, and more in this witty and sensual novel from Laurell K. Hamilton. Merry has her hands full: she's desperate to conceive a child and thereby claim the Unseelie throne; she's the target of intrigue from both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts; her newest client is an exiled goddess with a secret that could get them all killed; and a hideous fey force that alarms even her formidable lover-warriors is loose in Los Angeles.

A Caress of Twilight is infused with Hamilton's characteristic appealing blend of sex, magic, wit, and romantic dilemma. The mystery takes a back seat to the concerns of Faerie power and politics, making the book less balanced, but Merry's growth in leadership and power, along with a bang-up ending, won't leave fans disappointed. Readers new to Hamilton might be advised to start with A Kiss of Shadows or the extremely popular Anita Blake series. --Roz Genessee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
In the second R-rated outing (after 2000's A Kiss of Shadows) from bestseller Hamilton to feature bright and winsome faery princess Meredith Gentry, the unlikely shamus, who runs an L.A. detective agency with a staff of faery musclemen (plus a pet goblin), seems to spend almost as much time pondering her position in the fey world as attending to her client, glamorous film star Maeve Reed, actually a Seelie goddess, who needs Meredith's help in getting pregnant. Meredith does what she can for Maeve, although she has troubles enough of her own in the conception game. As one of two possible heirs to the Unseelie throne, the other being her nasty cousin, Prince Cel, Meredith must produce her own child and then, by faery tradition, marry her partner. It isn't easy, since any father must be kingly material, but our heroine is a game lass, and her failure is not for lack of trying. In an exciting climax, the LAPD Bureau of Human and Fey Affairs summons Meredith to battle a fearsome, crawling, tentacled and slobbering monster, the Nameless, which was too blithely created by opposing faery courts her own, the Unseelie, ruled by her millennium-old aunt, Queen Andais, and the Seelie, ruled by the ruthless and equally ancient King Taranis. More attention to the detective motif might have made the story more fun, but steamy prose and Meredith's obsessive personal conflicts should keep the faithful turning the pages. (Apr. 2)Forecast: With a 10-city author tour, national print advertising and the success of last year's Narcissus in Chains and other novels in her Anita Blake vampire series, Hamilton should make another run at the bestseller lists.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345478169
• ISBN-13: 978-0345478160
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (201 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Meredith Gentry Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fairy-tale continues, April 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Last year, I happened upon Kiss of Shadows in my library. Ever since reading that book, I have read all of the Anita Blake Series as well. I had to wait for months for Caress of Twilight to come out, and needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. People that have not read KOS first will find this story a bit confusing because there isn't as much background history in COT. COT was written with the assumption that the first in the series was already completed. Ms. Hamilton does not take the time to review every single character (which I am grateful for, nothing is more irritating than having to learn the history of each character over and over again in a new book). COT picks up about three months after KOS ended. Merry and her men are still working for the Grey detective agency, and they are given a case to resolve for someone not only famous in the human world, but infamous in the fey world. For those that have a yearning for romance, there is plenty to be had. For those that are more into the paranormal/violent part, there is also a good amount of that. I found that the sex scenes in this novel are much less disturbing than the ones in the Anita Blake ones (at least in Narcissus in Chains), in fact, the sex scenes are not made to be a deviation from the norm, rather they are a part of the story (although one was a bit weird for me...but it was a height issue for me personally...if you've read the book, you'll understand, I don't want to reveal it because it is a surprise). I even discovered that I no longer have a favorite heroine between the two series. Anita's story is more about trying to keep true to herself, but there's so much torment in her life that it's very hard to do. I feel that Merry is much more secure in who she is and what she needs to do. I think that Ms. Hamilton does a fabulous job of weaving a story of a world that is much like our own, but vastly different as well. I think that my only complaint about this book is that it was much too short. The hardback is only about 350 pages long + or -, not over 400 as posted on this site. I would be willing to pay extra for one of her books if that's what it takes to get a longer story, especially now that we have to wait until next year (2003) for the next installment of either Anita or Merry.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Please Don't Hate Me For Not Loving It!!, April 11, 2002

By	DC Tower "dctower" (Banks, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I do not know if her writing has changed or I am outgrowing her characters, but I do not feel that this lived up to LKH. This is the last hardback I purchase of hers. I loved the 1st in the series, but this one was a real let down. I really feel she gets Anita(see Anita Blake series) confused w/Merry.

She seems to be rushing thru these books and not giving them the previous depth that the others had. I did not feel that her characters were as well developed as previous novel and it lost my interest about 1/2 way thru. Forced myself to finish, and like I said, will no longer eagerly await her books, or purchase hard backs.

From now on I am a paperback used book store girl for LKH until she goes back to better development. I would recomend 1st book in series and Anita Blake series 1-6, lost me on those after that.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meredith and Frost...enough said!, March 27, 2002

By	smartgal "ivybelle" (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I got this book last evening and read it in one sitting. It's that good. The author's Anita Blake series has become all but unreadable, but this series is fun and sexy and darkly beautiful. The faerie world and the modern human world are so well blended you can almost believe it's real-life, and the detective story in this novel is interesting. But I bought this book for one reason only:to see more of Killing Frost, sidhe warrior and contender for the love of Princess Meredith. All the men, and Merry too, are well drawn characters, with strengths, weaknesses and delightful little quirks(I won't give anything away but Doyle, Rhys and the goblin Kitto have some great scenes in this book). But Frost is the one to watch, as his emotions thaw and his vulnerabilty shows through his formidable sidhe armor. Hamilton does us all a great favor and allows Meredith to recognize fairly early on that Frost is her strength and her true love. I can't wait for the next installment, and I intend to read this book again to fully enjoy the sensual imagery and clever dialogue. And Frost.