The Prince of Midnight

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

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.

79 of 85 people found this review helpful

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.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

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.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

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.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

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!!!

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

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.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

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.

15 of 18 people found this review helpful

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.

26 of 33 people found this review helpful

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.

14 of 18 people found this review helpful

Genius idea making the hero so imperfect.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Prince of Midnight to be better than the print version?

not certain due to the fact I haven't seen the printed version

What other book might you compare The Prince of Midnight to and why?

none I can think of

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

No

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Really well written and had lots of exciting moments.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

*** The Prince of Narrator - Perfect Audiobook ***

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

Without question, the narration skills of Nicholas Boulton.

This is a really great performance and definitely one not to be missed. If you
love historical novels, this is highly recommended for you

What other book might you compare The Prince of Midnight to, and why?

None other comes to mind, simply because books about highwaymen are not usually my cup of tea at all.

What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?

The tone, the pacing, the delivery, the accent, how he can switch between characters effortlessly, and it is very clear who is speaking.

Please can we have more books performed by Nicholas Boulton?

His narration skills are second to none and he is heads and shoulders above ANY narrator I have heard. If you are in the mood to listen to a well written romantic historical, he's your man.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The scene where the hero, ST is drunk is very funny and extremely well performed; you can't help but be amused by it. The narrator really brings the book and this scene to life. Brilliant!

Any additional comments?

I have three favourite Laura Kinsale books and previously have not had too much interest in reading some of her other books (Uncertain Magic or The Shadow and the Star, for example), purely because they did not appeal to me.

Listening to Nicholas Boulton read this book and the brilliant For My Lady's Heart, changed my mind and it would not be an exaggeration to say he has given me a new appreciation for Laura's books. I now have them all.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Audiobook Perfection!

It's no secret that the quality of the narrator can make or break an audiobook, so I'm going to answer the important question first. What most audiobook listeners want to know before buying one is "is the narrator any good?"

You'll be pleased to know that not only can I say a resounding "YES" in response, I can say that Nicholas Boulton is quite possibly the best audiobook performer (I can’t call him a ‘narrator’ because the word doesn’t even begin to do him justice) I’ve ever heard. It certainly helps that he has a beautiful, mellifluous voice that’s soothing and sexy as sin at the same time, but it’s about so much more than that.

He doesn’t just narrate – he inhabits the characters, from the principals right down to the bit-players, and gives each one a distinct voice. He juggles all manner of regional and foreign accents effortlessly (I’m very picky when it comes to accents) and if he had any problems with pronouncing the French and Italian dialogue, then I certainly wasn’t aware of it.

And most importantly – and impressively – he can convincingly voice female characters without using falsetto or making them sound screechy. In fact for Leigh, he uses a register and tone that seems to be not all that far removed from his natural speaking voice – yet there’s no doubt she’s female.

The story is quite complex and to try to write a complete synopsis would take up too much space :)

I wanted to pick out one or two points specifically to illustrate just how good this story is in the audio version.. Even though I haven’t (yet) read the book I’ve been told by people who have and who have listened to the audio that the big thing for them was that they found Leigh to be a much more palatable character in the audio. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that that’s true; Nicholas Boulton’s interpretation almost strips her bare, as it were, and he really brings out the pain and vulnerability she struggles so hard to keep hidden. I didn’t dislike her as much as some readers seem to have done, but I would defy anybody to maintain that opinion after listening to the scene in which S.T makes Leigh train the horse he names Mistral. I had tears running down my face when she finally breaks down and finds she can’t help but feel for this beautiful, mistreated animal.

As for his performance of S.T himself... this is only the first of (I think) eleven of Ms Kinsale’s books that are coming out on audio, and I’m already running out of superlatives to describe just how good Nick Boulton is. God help me when I get to book ten - these reviews are going to be really short if I'm to avoid repeating myself over and over again! But it truly is a wonderfully nuanced portrayal of a complex and multi-faceted character. You can hear his insecurities, his frustrations, his passion; you feel his triumphs and share in his joys – and if you can keep a straight face in the scene where S.T pretends to be totally plastered, then you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Without wishing to do any disservice to Ms Kinsale’s splendid story, I’m going to end by saying that if you read the book and found it hard going because you couldn’t like Leigh – listen to this, and you might find it changes your mind. And if, like me, you haven’t read it before, then listen to this and you’ll wonder how the hell you managed NOT to have read it. And if you’ve read it and loved it – listen to this and you’ll find you love it even more than you did before.

Yes. It’s that good.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

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

The most enjoyable was the depth of character of Leigh and S.T. Leigh who is frozen and cruel with grief and S.T. Who struggles daily with dizziness and deafness.

What did you like best about this story?

Laura Kinsale shows how easily people are manipulated and turned from reason to following blindly all in the name of religion.

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

I have not had the pleasure of listening to him before but loved his voice. Again great characterisation you were never in doubt which character was speaking. Wonderful.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes to both!

Any additional comments?

I have never read anything by Laura Kinsale before but will do so in the future she is a wonderful writer.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great performance

Good story backed by a Brilliant narrator. I had my heart in my mouth in several places!

Wonderful!

I could listen to Nicholas Boulton read the Telephone directory. His voice is like honey - and dead sexy. He is the best audiobook performer EVER. Please, Nicholas, do lots more. I fall just a little in love with every character he reads. Perfect

Ermmmmm heroine was annoying

I absolutely loved this story however the heroine was just so difficult to warm to! Now I know she had been through a lot and maybe I just like my heroines to be strong and feminine but Leigh was just so hard to please in my opinion! No matter what ST did she always seemed to be ungrateful and spoiled the story for me! However Great narration and good story. Will give another LK book ago and hope the female H is a bit 'softer'