Prince of Midnight

This is the first Laura Kinsale novel I read. Wow! Chosen at random, what an unexpected blockbuster of a story it was.

Very well written, there's a strong story line of revenge and redemption and three vividly drawn characters: the golden Seigneur du Minuit (aka S.T. Maitland) who can't seem to escape his renown as a highwayman and consummate swordsman even when he is in hiding and devoting himself to his painting. (He's concealing from the world that he is now deaf in one ear and suffering from vertigo); Nemo, his devoted wolf; and Lady Leigh Strahan, revenge seeker and healer who plods from England to Italy dressed as a lad to find him. She needs his help to expose a villainous preacher who has done away with her family under the guise of piety and who has brainwashed the whole town into becoming his slavish followers. Their quest to do so is a humdinger of an engrossing and captivating adventure.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Didn't connect with the characters, but that's probably a matter of taste...

I've loved all of LK's previous works. I simply live for heroes like of Jervaulx in Flowers from the Storm, Sheridan in Seize the Fire and Sam in Shadow and the Star, but somehow, though likeable enough, I just wasn't able to get into S.T. I guess that's because I'm not into the sweet, cuddly beta type of guys. I like my men, and thus my heroes, mean, lean and adorable. As for Leigh, I didn't really like her all that much, and I thought LK's previous heroines like Maddy and Olympia from the first two books named above made more of an impact on me with their quiet but steely strength than Leigh did. I totally agree with one reviewer who said she could be very frustrating with all her cynicism. Get over it and fall in love with the guy already! He's a great catch! was all I kept thinking throughout the book. I just don't have the patience for those novels where the romance starts at the end of the book instead of in the middle, at least. p What I did like about the book, though, was its realism. In life you set out on journeys expecting to meet people and places of a certain sort but it is never like what you expected. LK writes wonderfully realistic love stories that are among the truest to real life I've ever come across. They end happily ever after but with a certain poignancy to them that is often pertinent to life. She gives you enough room to escape the real world but at the same time cling to the true essence of human nature. And I just love that. p All in all, this book didn't touch me emotionally like LK's other books, but I gave it three stars mainly because of what I said in the previous paragraph, and because LK is a very talented and deserving author. In all her books that I've ever read, this is the first one I didn't like and I've read them ALL. So, buy everything else, is basically what I'm saying but burrow this one from the library. Cheers.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

great adventure

Laura Kinsale does it again in this adventure of a book. Leigh is looking to avenge her family, and finds the most likely, and unlikely hero...S.T. Maitland. Together they set out to defeat and particularly evil nemesis. Her sense of location, language (French), and passion are dead on. If you like For Your Lady's Heart, you will also like this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good story, poor formatting

ST Maitland and Lady Leigh are quite a pair; he's the dreamy, intuitive painter, she's the athletic heroine burning for revenge who seeks him out. As usual, Kinsale excels at the wounded or handicapped hero who finds his strength in the love of a spirited woman. Nobody does this kind of story better. This novel has a weaker structure than her others; at times it felt like the confrontation with the villain went on forever.

Kinsale is at her best in the heroine's journey through pre-Revolutionary France, alone with her erratic and reluctant hero. My problem with this edition was the sloppy copyediting, which dropped punctuation at random.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.