A Lick of Frost; L.K. Hamilton

A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton was published this fall by Ballantine Books. This is the sixth book in the Meredith Gentry series and cannot be read as a stand alone. ALOF is short, only 274 pages- although the previous book Mistral's Kiss has only 212 pages. There are lots of readers out there who can't or won't read either of Ms. Hamilton's series or who have given up reading them for many different reasons. I only read this one & while I have misgivings and there are elements that put me off I have continued with Merry and her band of lovers. Read my comments on the previous book HERE.

In this installment, three of Merry's guards have been charged with raping a member of her Uncle Taranis' court. We watch as the platoon of lawyers carefully parse their every word, playing out an intricate chess game of words and hidden motives. Another assassination attempt is made which one of her men barely escapes with his life and that only with the help of a human weapon. The goblin twins arrive in Los Angeles with the Red Caps, each of whom want something different. Odd and unusual events happen to the house and land where Merry and her men are living- but what does it all mean?

Quite a bit happens in this action packed 274 pages. I wonder about Merry's claim of loving Frost and yet being remarkably intolerant with what she perceives as his biggest shortcoming. To me love means accepting all of your partner's flaws and loving them anyway, but Merry constantly whines about Frost all the while claiming to love him. It rings as a dissonance with me, I suppose. There is a big plot event, actually one of several, toward the end that strikes me as odd and unbelievable and too far fetched even for fiction. I'm curious about how Ms. Hamilton will try to pull it off.

If you're new to Ms. Hamilton's Merry series or are a fence sitter you might want to wait for the paperback. I've bought all of these as hardbacks, and despite some doubts and disappointments I plan to continue reading the Merry books. Ms. Hamilton has managed to pique my curiosity and hold my attention over the course of this series. There is plot momentum a plenty in this title, hang on to your seat!

Perking up~ or, better days ahead

Went book hunting today & bought four titles: Dreams of Stardust by Lynn Kurland, The Subtle Serpent by Peter Tremayne, Weeping on Wednesday by Ann Purser & A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K Hamilton. As of tonight, all books are on hold until I finish the LKH. I've anxiously waited for this one & she rarely disappoints. Any opinions on any of these?

I finished Suffer Little Children. I got lost toward the end, but it wrapped up neatly. I really like the main character, so I've kept on with them although they can be a bit dry. I read a short story collection featuring this character (all by this author) whose stories had been published over a longer span of time. His writing becomes more animated & evolves in the newer works. Discovering this has helped me continue. I very much want to catch up & I'm woefully behind. Plus there's a beta hero in the works & I want to know *blushes* to they do the dirty in the end? Silly & juvenile of me I know, but there it is.