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.

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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.

Awesome narrator

Not sure what lead me to this series but I fell in love with Nichlous voice he is awesome the story was great too love happy ending worth every second.

Epic and unexpected

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

Absolutely. The characters are fractured souls who do not miraculously overcome their emotional trauma and have endless orgasms. They try, they fail, they win and still can't find happily ever after. They both have to work for love and health and happiness.

What did you like best about this story?

That characters actually ate - or not - the cuisine du jour of the region and period. Garlic soup. Shudder!

What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?

French accent, ability to perform female voices without making them out to be brittle or overly emotional

Any additional comments?

Very credit worthy. I like long books that allow the storyline to be fleshed out and details drawn out. This story does this exceptionally well.

So rich

I am not going to lie you will be mad at the characters and you will think I don't understand them. I think that's what made the romance seem all the more real. It's was fantastic. There was a journey and a goal and romance along the way and Boulton's narration always makes my ovaries want to explode

Wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!

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

This romance is one to listen to more that once. Loved the characters, the story. First time reading Laura Kinsale and now I want to hear them all. The narrator Nicholas Boulton has fabulous.

Wonderful book, wonderful narration.

Lovely story, makes me cry every time! Solid writing, rich characters, and a fast moving story. Read it. You won’t be sorry.

Absolutely loved the animals and generosity of spirit of the man

My first Kinsale book, it was quite interesting, very different storyline and great characters. I loved that it covered several countries. It’s very unique that the man falls so in love first, but I did get a little tired of the female’s ups and downs and unable to make up her mind. Absolutely loved the details given to the horses and wolf and the training of each. Surprisingly sexier than I thought her book would be, loved that element. Wonderful narration by Nicholas Boulton.

wow, just wow. Different and fantastic.

This is not your ordinary romance. The last scene was scorching.

There's also a beautiful description of natural horsemanship training. As a horse owner I was pleased with the accuracy of the description.

The characters learn and grow as the story advances from the woman's search for revenge to the man's search for his own identity.

A flawed couple find love

Any additional comments?

This is the first book I listened to by Laura Kinsale. The storyline, set in the late1700s, is very original and full of surprises: a young lady whose family had been murdered by a fanatic religious cult seeks revenge, and enlists the aid of a famous ex-highwayman who lives in hiding in France. his reason for retiring, however, was an injury which leaves him not quite as capable as he used to be. They wander through France and England and discover each other's flaws and scars and hurts as well as the charms and strengths. Their growing love for each other, however, is full of conflicts. To find happiness, they both need to face their own long buried hurts and accept their own vulnerability - which only happens at the very end of the story.
The complex characters were well developed and realistic, but their contrary reactions, the prolonged and repeated themes were very frustrating. The hero, S.T., clings to his persona as the charming highwayman, trying to win the heroine's love with his swashbuckling actions, which at first makes his "love" appear formulaic and superficial. The heroine, however, is too hurt by having lost everyone she loved, and doesn't want to become close to anyone, to avoid the pain of losing them, so she hurts the hero deeply by blowing hot and cold, and hurling insults at him when her emotions become too entangled. The resulting angst of the romantic relationship is rather high, and there are other angst factors of the action/swashbuckling aspect that add to it. The religious cult leader's way of fanatizing and brainwashing his followers is very well described. The historical details like meeting the Marquis de Sade and members of the Hellfire Club enrich the story as well as the delightful relationship between the hero and the animals, his tame wolf and his horses - and the way the heroine becomes involved in these relationships as well.
The narrator's outstanding performance was a great pleasure. He made all the complex emotions of the characters appear realistic and understandable, gave distinct voices to all the cahracters of different background, and the narration reflected the tension, the romance and the adventure beautifully. Nicholas Boulton deserves high praise for this audiobook experience.

A "not so perfect" love story

This is a serious love story, with generous amounts of angst. There are two people with real issues and you can't help but just totally get wrapped up in the story almost immediately. There is really good banter between characters. This is just such a well written book. The character development is out of sight. And when it comes to listening to books….. I would prefer good characters over a fabulous story line any day, but this book has both great characters and a great story line.

Nemo is a delight. He's actually an integral part of the pack and you'll understand that once you listen to the book.

I'm so glad I've discovered Laura Kinsale, her writing is real - it's not the same old love stories and romance novels that you get on a regular basis (which I admit – I also enjoy!) Her books have some substance. I can't wait to read more of her books.

On a side note....Laura Kinsale is definitely a horse person. She describes horse handling extremely well and accurately. Although, the “horse scene” at the end, did leave me scratching my head to say the least.

This is not the usual light and mindless listen. There’s more angst and turmoil (but not too much) in this story line.

It's worth a credit and I will read more Kinsale.