The Prince of Midnight

By: Laura Kinsale

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins

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.

©1990 Hedgehog Inc (P)2013 Hedgehog Inc

Brilliant!

"Don't let that happen to me." Her words shook. "Don't leave me to be what I'll become without you."

This is a review of the audio book as well as the story itself.

Once again Laura Kinsale has written an amazing novel, and Nicholas Boulton has made it real. I can’t even explain what he brings to the stories he narrates. How he makes the hero and heroine so much more than just characters in a book. He doesn’t merely read their lines, he exists in them. The people, their lives, their passions and trials and triumphs… he becomes them! He makes them living, feeling human beings – flawed, tormented, irredeemable people who I can’t help but fall in love with.

The Story

Leigh’s need for revenge drives her far from home to La Paire, in the foothills of the French Alps, seeking the help of the man known as le Seigneur du Minuit – The Prince of Midnight. She needs someone with his strength, his cunning, and his skills at swordplay if she has any hope of destroying the man that destroyed her family. But convincing le Seigneur to help is harder than Leigh anticipated, and so begins a battle of wits and wills.

S.T. Maitland isn’t the man he once was – not physically or emotionally. As Leigh’s masquerade unravels and her story comes out, bit by bit, S.T. knows that her’s is a cause le Seigneur du Minuit would have championed. But now, barely able to stand up without falling over, hope he once had of healing, any high esteem he’d once regarded of himself is gone, and S.T. doesn’t imagine to be any use to anyone.

My Thoughts

Oh, what an emotional roller-coaster ride this is! At times I loathed Leigh, at times I loved her. At times I hated S.T., at times I worshipped him! From one scene to the next I didn’t know what to expect from these two equally tortured souls! It’s a heartbreaking, uplifting, romantic, painfully brilliant story, and that, lovely readers, is why I was up until the wee hours, listening, unable to close my eyes until the end.

I’m not usually a fan of high-angst stories, but this one sucked me in, chewed me up and spit me out - and I loved every minute of it! I wanted to kill Leigh and S.T. at the same time I couldn’t help but love them both. I desperately needed them to get their happily ever after just as desperately as I wanted them to give up on each other and walk away.

But, in the end, when it was all said and done and I was listening to those final words of the story, I knew it was right. I knew that even though their happily ever after was hard fought, it was so, so well deserved, and that made it right.

Perfect.

Brilliant!

loved it

What made the experience of listening to The Prince of Midnight the most enjoyable?

wonderful narration

What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?

everything, he made the characters really come alive, will look for more by him.

Excellent Read!

This is the first time I have read Laura Kinsale and I really loved the story. Many historical romances are short and don't go in-depth. Not so with this story. The narration was superb, I felt like I knew the characters. Her writing was interesting and detailed but not over the top. Highly recommend and will definitely buy more of her books.

Conflicted

Any additional comments?

I have not read any other book by Laura Kinsale and struggled with this one. I gave it 4 stars because it was, or could have been, a good story. I listened to the end, despite the fact that I kept putting it aside for a break; it was at times painful and tedious.This is the story of 2 people who had both suffered traumatic events in their lives, which is why I kept making excuses for them. There was no obvious reason why he fell in love with her in the very beginning of the book, except that he was lonely and she was beautiful. She was not a nice person, nor did she have any apparent redeeming qualities. She treated him badly, yet he followed her and bought into her quest for revenge. Their relationship was not believable.Why were they together?I might try another book by this author because of the reviews and ratings of others. I also think her writing intrigues me. I would not recommend this book, however,

Very good book that fell just a little short.

I would give this closer to 3 1/2 stars. Kinsale has a beautiful prose that is inviting, imminently descriptive and flowing. And the narrator is sublime. Mr. Boulton's voice is pure silk and truly makes the story come alive.
The sparring between the hero and heroine starts out sweetly, moves toward wickedness and continues throughout the book. Unfortunately the author just overdoes it. Too much of a good thing is still too much. It gets silly and I felt myself rolling my eyes wishing they would "get on with it." This is a beautiful story about two very flawed human beings who don't know how desperately they need to heal. If they would get over their preconceived assumptions and prejudices, they could help one another find peace, resolution and love. Their story is of that difficult and painful journey. Intrigue, murder, and the dark debauchery of some 18th century noblemen are peppered artfully throughout, tantalizing the reader toward the elusive conclusion Leigh and the Prince of Midnight seek.

Well worth a credit. I am definitely a fan of Laura Kinsale and shall eagerly look for any book read by Nicholas Boulton.

Flawless!

Been reading since age of 4. Bravo, Laura! Nicholas Boulton painted these characters so vividly for me. Very enjoyable. More, please.

The Prince of Midnight

Laura Kinsale is by no means a new author. But, she is new to me. This book was long as it appears that most of her books are. The story was great! You don’t hear the true subject of this book in any other books of this time period, plus there was a lot of romance, action and at times angst. But, mostly a great story! I happily look forward to another of her books and would recommend her books to anyone who loves books from this time period.
I must not forget to mention the talented narrator Nicholas Boulton. Holy cow, he’s great. His narrations sound as if they are dual narrations!

Nicholas Boulton!!!

The narrator was absolutely fantastic! The story was somewhat slowpaced, ansgty, building up to a most romantic conclusion. Wonderful wonderful hero, broken heroine.

Face it. This is trash.

Would you try another book from Laura Kinsale and/or Nicholas Boulton?

No. The characters have way too many about faces. All the time you know how it is going to turn out, but they just can't seem to get on with it. The plot is also in-credible. Yes, I put a hyphen into a word that isn't normally spelled with hyphen. Why? Because it is important to make it clear that this word is not intended as a compliment. I'm as willing as the next person to suspend disbelief, but this plot strains my ability to do so.

What could Laura Kinsale have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She drew both characters in the same way. They were fully conscious of their true feelings but unwilling to share them honestly with each other. She overdid this annoying quality for so many chapters that it became really wearing. Maybe if only one character had done this it would have been better. Otherwise, perhaps she could have had them become more forthcoming earlier on, so that they would seem to be growing to trust each other.

What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?

Everything. He is a really good reader. One stops being conscious of him after a while. He can even deliver lines that are the same word repeated four or five times without sounding at all stagey. That was pretty impressive, especially since this text is mind-bogglingly melodramatic.

Was The Prince of Midnight worth the listening time?

Well, no. I feel embarrassed to have read it and hope that my more intelligent friends don't find out about it. It is possible that this genre is just not for me.

Any additional comments?

After the fire (I don't want to say too much, because someone might actually want to read this) it is unbelievable that the two characters could go back to their former stupid ways of relating to each other. One would think that an event so momentous would have helped the characters to present their best selves, but alas, this author was married to additional twists and turns, so that if they had come to their senses too soon the plan would have been disarranged. aargh.

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.