For My Lady's Heart

Medieval Hearts, Book 1

By: Laura Kinsale

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Romance, 2014

Pursued by her enemies, flattered and courted for her lands, a powerful, devious princess is desperate to reach refuge. Haunted by the shadow of the young assassin set upon her, Princess Melanthe knows that an ice cold countenance is her only protection. To succumb to love is the greatest danger of all. She can trust only one man amid the lies, the mysterious Green Knight - a true knight who never wavers once he gives his heart; a man who cannot comprehend deceit. But as an impossible love grows between them, betrayal becomes their only future.

In a mesmerizing performance, Nicholas Boulton brings Laura Kinsale's classic medieval romance to vivid life, creating a colorful world and a unique listening experience that is both true to the times and easy to understand.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1994 Hedgehog Inc (P)2013 Hedgehog Inc

A Masterpiece not to be missed.

Fantastic. Brilliant. Extraordinary. Incredible. Marvelous. Are there enough fawning adjectives to describe For My Lady’s Heart on audio? The list could go on for pages. The book itself is amazing. The prose and the poetry of Middle English will transport you totally into the period and story and the romance of this novel. Never is a detail or word spoken that seems out of place or jars from the moment; the research and care taken to write this book is immense and I am in awe of Laura Kinsale’s power as a writer.

Are you not willing to try a novel with knights and princess? I am not normally a fan of historical novels that take place in the middle ages. Usually, as soon as I see the word “knight” I am out of there. Plus, I have seen some really bad (difficult) adaptations of Old English and ME that don’t interest me to muddle through, the effort not seeming worth the pay off. So when I became a huge fan of Kinsale after reading Flowers from the Storm and bought all her books sight unseen, the last one I picked up to read was For My Lady’s Heart. I thought it would be the one book of hers (plus its companion book, Shadowheart) that simply could not be enjoyed because of my dislike of this time period for romances. In fact, I did not read it for quite some time after finishing all her other books. BUT when I did read it, it ironically became my favorite of all her books and the one that I think sets Kinsale forever apart from her contemporaries as a unique and compelling writer of historical novels.

I hate to even say this is a romance novel, because it rises so far above the genre as to not even share the same galaxy. (Not to dismiss the genre, but it has some really low lows.) But Kinsale as a writer crashes up through and outside that proverbial pink and frilly ceiling like a gyrfalcon on the hunt!

I always love Laura Kinsale’s female protagonists but Princess Melanthe has to be THE heroine that other writers only dream of creating. She is mysterious, aloof, hard-edged, brilliant, and never shows a weakness long enough for anybody, even the reader, to ever even be sure it is a weakness. Kinsale never over-writes her nor gives the reader an overblown description of her emotional landscape like so many authors do, like we readers can’t read between the lines and process the complexities of actions that don’t mirror words. In other words, Kinsale never underestimates her readers’ intelligence. Kinsale never writes overwrought detail so that just in case you don’t get it, she’ll hit you over the head with it.

Since the book is amazing, the audio will either subtract from it or add to it. With the amazing performance of Nick Boulton, he adds layers and layers to this book that recreated the experience of this book, like reading it for the first time. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble with the ME which amazes me since it seems so unnatural to our modern sensibilities. But the whole audio is like listening to beautiful music that tells a tale of love and danger. I can't say enough how powerful his narration is. Every character comes alive and every word is spoken authentically. Minor characters that sort of exist ever so lightly in the book come roaring to life as portrayed by Boulton. I loved the minstrels at Wolfscar. Allegreto from Shadowheart is a large part of the book and I actually liked him after the audio, when I didn't ever warm up to him in the book.

Don’t miss this audio. It is a once in a lifetime experience.

Disappointing

I did not like this book at all except for narrator Nicholas Boulton. I did not like the thees and thous nor did I like the story line. This was a disappointing book by Laura Kinsale.

Tidious and long

I have always enjoyed long books. But not in this case. The book was just too long. I admit that I have forgotten details from the beginning of the book because the chapters were so long.

Many of the references weren't adequately explained. The whole book in my opinion could have been about 2-3 hours shorter. There were no unnecessary details in the book but, it did seem to me that the book dragged on and on.

The sample read that you listen to also isn't until the 10th chapter which is almost near the end of the first part. I didn't like that. Had I known that I wouldn't have bought it. This isn't a book that you can sit down and finish with minimum breaks. It is a tough read.

The characters were.... they just seemed off to me. I can't put my finger on what was wrong with them other then they just didn't seem right. I will say that you should probably read the attached PDF if you want to understand some of the terms. They are pretty synonymous with what you would think they are but for reference it is a good idea.

Wow!

I hardly ever leave a review for a book, but this one I had too!
It’s great, highest praise to the author and the narrator!

Much better than expected-twists and turns

I was expecting not to like this story compared to Ms Kindale’s other books I’ve listened to (Lessons in French) which I loved. But this turned out to be wonderful and rich. Very well narrated as expected.

Give it a chance

The language of the time can feel like a barrier initially. However, it folds into the story and becomes an important piece long before you’ve realized it’s become second nature to enjoying it. Laura Kinsale introduced me to romance when I came upon Flowers From the Storm. That and For My Ladies Heart are my favorites after reading/listening to all. Give it a chance. You’ll be glad you did.

At last! A historical novel with substance.

It was a joy to revel in a complicated plot that had been so well-researched. The characters were well-developed and there was plenty of suspenseful action to draw the reader in, and I particularly enjoyed the characters' usage of authentic sounding language. Nicholas Boulton is a sublime narrator who is a joy to listen to.

Fabulous!

Would you consider the audio edition of For My Lady's Heart to be better than the print version?

Yes. Nicholas Boulton made it come alive. When he rasped the words "My lady..." my heart went pitter patter.

What was one of the most memorable moments of For My Lady's Heart?

The ending. I listened to it several times.

Have you listened to any of Nicholas Boulton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I based my next purchase on his narration. The second one was just as fabulous.

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

If I had the time.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. I bought it on Audible since I never have time to sit down and read. Ruck was perfect: just the right amount of reserve, bafflement toward his lady and strength. Melanthe had a reserve that you could just see through at times, making you root for her until the end. If you are a history geek like me, please don't go for the second version. The Middle English is only in the dialogue. The conversations are so much more lyrical, and the love scenes so much more sweeter, with the authentic speech. I actually rewound and listened to the end again. It is my first read from Laura Kindle and I am really looking forward to the next. The narrator is perfection. The way he says in "my lady" in that gruff voice of Ruck's had my heart skipping every time. And I'm over 50! I highly recommend this book.

Just not into the Middle Ages.

I thought maybe Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton could carry me into the period. Alas, not so. I just could not finish the book.

You can't go wrong with Kinsdale/Boulton!

Any additional comments?

Awesome book! Awesome narration! If you've read LK then you already know what an incredible author she is. With Boulton as her 'personal' narrator.... It's simply magic.