Midsummer Moon

By: Laura Kinsale

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

When a powerful, decisive aristocrat undertakes to protect an absent-minded young inventress from England's enemies, he finds his orderly world turned into chaos. Merlin Lambourne's stubborn dream of flight puts her at risk, not to mention driving Ransom crazy. In spite of himself, he's oddly enchanted by this muddled miss and her eccentric ways... but can he overcome his own fears and realize her invention may be the answer to saving both their lives?

A whimsical Regency-era tale of flying machines, fancy, and love among the hedgehogs.

Laura Kinsale personally chose the exceptional talent of Nicholas Boulton to narrate Midsummer Moon as a fully voiced audiobook, creating a unique work that brings all the life and color of the original to audio.

©1987, 2010 Hedgehog Inc (P)2013 Hedgehog Inc

Critic reviews

Earphones Award Winner and Editor’s Choice

“…personalities and wit expertly delivered, further adding to the charm of this delightful performance.” ( Audiofile Magazine)

Sent this one back . . .

What would have made Midsummer Moon better?

Have no idea. Didn't get far enough to find out where this was going.

Has Midsummer Moon turned you off from other books in this genre?

Really irritating heroine - self-absorbed and strange. Bad enough to tolerate people like that in real life, let alone in a book you're supposed to read for entertainment.

What does Nicholas Boulton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Love Mr. Boulton's interpretation of characters and wonderfully deep voice. However, the story couldn't hold me long enough.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Midsummer Moon?

Scratch the whole story or at least come up with a different kind of heroine. Introverted, quiet, shy, adt, egotistical is all fine to a point, but each of these qualities was used in one character and pushed way too far for me to enjoy.

Nicholas Boulton makes the characters come alive

What made the experience of listening to Midsummer Moon the most enjoyable?

The narrator made the characters come alive, not by trying to sound like a girl by raising his voice rather by changing the way each character spoke. He gave them all credible and realistic personalities that made the book come to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I believe the heroine with her absentminded professor mind but she was still kind and honest and strong-willed.

Perfect

Absolutely beautiful writing. This heroine is so smart and so socially awkward. Borderline Aspergers. And I loved"Mr. Duke" also.

The Duke The Inventor The Hedgehog

if you want to read a romance that has a different twist to it choose this book. The Duke who wants to Merlin, the woman who wants to build her flying machine and cares naught to marry the man who has ruined her and the Hedgehog.

Excellent narrator. Good story ...

Good story, if a bit slow moving.
Love detail but this one went just a tad too far on that front.
Worth listening to Boulton.

Cute enjoyable story, fantastic narrator

What did you love best about Midsummer Moon?

This book was really cute. I totally enjoyed it, the characters were great and given SUCH personality by a fantastic narrator. It was more acted like a play. Fantastic. The story is about a very eclectic woman who invents things like her uncle before her. She is in danger from the French because one of her inventions is something that would give them power. Ransom takes it upon himself to keep her, and the item, safe. As continued attempts to kidnap her take place, he is now also tasked with who is trying to betray his trust among his household full of family and guests. It was a little silly with how instantly they fell in love, but thats often par for the course in romance novels. The ending is quite fun. I also appreciated that the book continued with an easy flow without TOO much suspense.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Midsummer Moon?

There was one scene where Ransom, who is afraid of heights, looked to jump over a wall, only to find it a cliff on the other side. I really felt the shock of that and was so relieved when he got down. Lol

Which character – as performed by Nicholas Boulton – was your favorite?

I enjoyed every single character. I did think the character of Shelby sounded a lot like Carey Grant and so every time he spoke it was Careys face I oictured. Lol. I loved Ransoms little stuttering mephew. Fantastic addition. I have no clue how Nicholas manages such individual characters with such consistency. I have heard a lot of great narrators, but for some reason he really stood out so much. Could be because I tend to avoid men narrators. In any event, I am going to listen to another of her books. The narrator really makes or breaks an audio book. He hit this one out of the ballpark.

Captivating & Delightful!

This was my first book by Ms Kinsale, not knowing what to expect I must say I was happily surprised. I found the characters realistic and totally charming. Nicholas Boulton was great! I never listened to this type of book with a man narrating but I'll tell you I could listen to him all day long! His performance really brought all the characters to life and he brought out the subtle humor throughout the story which was really fun.

Thanks for a fab read. I really recommend this story and I look forward to another of Ms Kinsale's books.

Art of anticipation and suspense

The author has a gift for building tension and describing details beautifully. An engaging plot.

Hahahahahaha...! Loved eeeeet!

I loved the narrator. He did a great job of the creating voices for the characters. I love a good narration and the Story! Absolutely fantastic! 5 stars plus 1!

Captivating and delightful

Any additional comments?

This book is about an autistic woman with a great capacity for inventions but reduced abilities to interact within the society and a duke with his shortcoming and debilitating fears. Both characters are lovely but I admire Merlin. She manages to win everyone over with her childish innocence, kind heart and brilliance. Her greatest asset is that she is persistent and dedicated to her goals. Yes she is very different and the book obviously points that out but how everyone behaves toward her and accepts her oddities is very endearing.

Merlin invents the “speaking box’ as well as a flying contraption which makes her highly sought after by not only her government (British) but also the French since this story takes place during the war. The duke must not only save and protect her but also encourage her to complete the speaking box, which can prove very beneficial for the Brits in the war. He takes Merlin to his estate but finds that she is not safe there either. The story takes great twists and turns and the family’s interpersonal conflicts that get worked through are very heartwarming in the process.

I love how Laura selects her main characters with disabilities and shows how it makes them any not worse but really just different but great in their own way.