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The Prince of Midnight  By  cover art

The Prince of Midnight

By: Laura Kinsale
Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
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Publisher's summary

He was once a legendary highwayman. Now he's a recluse in a ruined French castle, with only a half-wild wolf for a companion. When Lady Leigh Strachan comes looking for a man to aid in her revenge, she's disillusioned to find that the famed Prince of Midnight couldn't help even if he cared to - which he doesn't. S. T. Maitland wants nothing to do with his legend, or with this fierce, beautiful, broken woman... until the old thrill of living on the cutting edge of danger begins to rise in his blood again.

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

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What listeners say about The Prince of Midnight

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Imagine My Joy!

Imagine my joy when I saw Audible add this book!

First I will stipulate that I'm an old and devoted Laura Kinsale fan. I have been reading romance for over 35 years, and this book, along with another Kinsale wrote called "Flowers From the Storm" are two of the best, and most memorable books I have ever read. I snatched this up right away when I saw it had been released, and even though it was a well loved, well remembered re-read, I was loathe to put it down.

Laura Kinsale is a scrumptious author. She an intelligent romance writer, and I don't think there's anyone out there who writes romance quite like her. She doesn't follow the common tropes. The heroine isn't always a virginal dilettante` (or even likeable at times), the heroes aren't always noble (nor are they always all that heroic), and love isn't always at first sight. The characters are built into real people by her talented pen, and the relationships grow before your eyes, or rather "your ears" since this is an audiobook.

Which brings me to the narration. This was my first time listening to Nicholas Boulton, but I was not in any way disappointed. His accents were very good, his delivery was smooth and his tone stayed faithful to the mood of the material he was reading. He did a fantastic job, and I will admit I was very worried that one of my favourite books would be given to a narrator who couldn't do it justice. Thank goodness, Nicholas Boulton came through with flying colours.

The story is, in as small a nutshell as I can cram it, the story of a girl whose whole family is killed by a religious cult. In the early aftermath of her grief, she wants revenge on the leader of the cult. So she seeks out a fabled highwayman to help reach her goals. She finds him, but he's not quite what she expected. There's plenty of action to follow, but Kinsale uses the action cleverly to also move along (or in some cases, hold back) the relationship aspect of the story. As the two work toward resolving their feelings about each other, they also have to look inward as well. The sex scenes in this book are all meaningful, each for a different reason, and they blend in nicely but, compared to some current bestsellers, are a bit rarer and tamer than what some readers might be used to.

I will be perfectly honest and tell you that if you are looking for an instant relationship, gratuitous sex scenes, or an easy bunch of literary tropes strung together to make a book, you shouldn't read this author. If you are looking for something outside of the box, characters with serious emotional and/or physical flaws that behave in a way real people might, then you will be stunned and pleased by Laura Kinsale.



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Boulton's Performance is Exhilirating! I'm in awe.

Laura Kinsale is my all-time favorite romance author. Her books are magical, unique, funny, and can leave you breathless. I've been a fan of Kinsale's for a very long time. Her books are staple in my libary (and now my Kindle) and I read them multiple times.

Recently, Ms Kinsale decided to bring her stories to audio version and have Nick Boulton do the narration, the first being The Prince of Midnight. TPOM ranks in the top three of my favorite Laura Kinsale books.

Within the first few minutes of listening, I was in awe. It was then I knew I was in for an amazing time with The Prince of Midnight. Nick brought such depth to the voices and to the story. He doesn't merely read the story - he performs it marvelously - and does so with quality for each character no matter how minor the role, male or female.

His characterization of the main protaganist - S.T. Maitland, the Prince of Midnight himself - nearly melted my smartphone on several occasions.

Yes, it's that good.

If you've never experienced the magic a Laura Kinsale book, you're in for a real treat. The Prince of Midnight has adventure, danger, romance, humor, magnificent horses, bashful wolves, and a handsome (if arrogant) injured hero. Love scenes smolder bright without being coarse or explicit. Add in Nick Boulton's performance and a great book got even better. The story becomes alive.

One of my favorite performances in the book by Nick Boulton was the whole drunk S.T. scenario. He was hilarious! I could listen to that repeatedly and not get bored of it.

Toward the end of the book, the story kind of dragged and sounded repetive as the lovebirds try to figure out their strained relationship. But, the epilogue makes up for it in heaps. Oh, boy oh boy, does it make up for it.

Laura Kinsale story + Nick Boulton's performance = Exhilirating story time.

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Do yourself a favor.

Nicholas Boulton reading Kinsale is a dream. This is not a lightweight fluffy story, but at the same time I found it to be an easy listen. Best author, best narration. I honestly don't want to give away any of the story. It is a delicious treat which I will come back to yearly.

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More Laura Kinsale please!!

What did you like best about this story?

So refreshing to read a historical romance that is a real story. This is not the usual formulaic virgin-meets-rogue storyline. These were real characters, not the usual shades of a romance novel. The story itself is compelling and well written. The writing surpasses genre. Ms Kinsale is a true writer. True character development. A "meaty" story.

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

His his British accent, pronunciation of French, and his rich manly voice. He has a true actors command of the material.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, although life got in the way, oh la.

Any additional comments?

We need more Laura Kinsale books on Audible post haste!! If you love historical romance fiction, you will appreciate this book.

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19 people found this helpful

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A Gigantic Leap Above Historical Romance

And masterfully performed. One of my top 3 all time favorites. One of the funniest scenes in any book ever. I can't understand why it isn't more highly rated.

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The Prince of Midnight

Would you listen to The Prince of Midnight again? Why?

I don't often reread books, but every so often, I do. I read The Prince of Midnight years ago and I was overjoyed when I learned it was coming to Audible. The plot is compelling and Leigh and S. T. are wounded and interesting--a refreshing change from so many historical romances with near perfect characters. Nicholas Boulton is an amazing narator and he brought the characters to life. This will definitely be a reread for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Prince of Midnight?

There were so many. Leigh's introduction to horse training, the scene with S. T. and the rose in Leigh's cousin's garden and of course, the memorable epilog. :)

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

S. T. very seductive.

Any additional comments?

This book was wonderful from first to last. Leigh and S. T. are both flawed and far from perfect. The characters are far more interesting as a result. If you enjoy books with intense, suspenseful sexy plots and richly developed characters, this book is well worth a credit. Nicholas Boulton is an amazing narrator and he brought the characters to life. He has quite a talent for the various accents in the story and the way the villain almost sang some of his dramatic lines was one of my favorite things about the audiobook.
If you are tired of all the historical romances that take place in the midst of a London season, you’ll enjoy the refreshing change of scene in this book. I’m overjoyed that more of Laura Kinsale’s books will soon be coming to Audible.

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Wonderful Compelling Romance

The Prince of Midnight is one of the best romantic dramas I have listened to in a long time. The narration was superb. The main characters are endearing--flawed with human weaknesses that make them even more appealing. The wolf, Nemo, will melt your heart with his playfulness and devotion. Worth more than a 5 star rating. Great book.

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One of my FAVORITES! Narration is BRILLIANT!

You cannot go wrong with any of Laura Kinsale's novels. This one happens to be one of my favorites though. I think the interactions the character has with all the animals is what endears it to me the most. As always, an epic and adventurous story by Miss Kinsale and brilliant narration by Mr. Boulton. Loved it!!!

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When the impossible colides with possible.

This is the 2nd book by Laura Kinsale that I have read. She doesn't write the standard love story. I liked it to the very end. It is a great read.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good Book But A Bit Frustrating

This seemed like it was going to be a very strange book and, in some ways, very unlike any other romance I've read. There's a former swordsman named S. T. Maitland who's half-deaf and loves to love and be loved, S. T.'s pet wolf who's afraid of women, and Leigh Strachan, a woman who's disguised herself as a man and wants to learn to use a sword so she avenge her family. In an odd sort of role reversal, it's Leigh who wants nothing to do with love and emotions, and S. T. who wants love (although mostly he wants a willing bedpartner).

One thing that I noticed about this book that was really different from any other romance I've listened to because of the the point of view from which it was told. Most romance novels I've read mainly show things from the woman's point of view, with occasional passages or chapters from the man's. In this book, that was reversed. It isn't even until the fourth chapter that you get to see anything from Leigh's point of view, or know her actual thoughts. It was interesting, and, although I wasn't sure at first how I'd like it, S. T. was fascinating.

The only real problem I had with this book was Leigh, who was often very frustrating. I could understand why she didn't want to open up to S. T. - I though the author got that across quite nicely. However, I got tired of how cruel and cold she could be, and started wishing she'd just learn to trust someone a little. It was a great story, but sometimes Leigh really made me want to scream in frustration. If I could, I think I would give this book a 4.5.

Nicholas Boulton was outstanding with the delivery of the story.

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