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Regency Tales #1
Midsummer Moon
A duke’s well-ordered world is turned upside down when a female inventor sends his heart soaring in this Regency romance by a New York Times–bestselling author.
Merlin Lambourne has invented the “speaking box”—a sort of telephone—which is so valuable that Napoleon has killed for it. Sent by the crown to bring both inventor and invention to safety, Ransom Falconer, Duke of Damerell, is shocked to learn Mr. Lambourne is a Miss.
Perhaps more shocking, however, are his feelings for the eccentric genius. She is everything he doesn’t like: incapable of following orders, unaware of conventional etiquette, preoccupied, disorganized, and unkempt. Yet she beguiles him. One of the most ingenious inventors in England, she is also one of the country’s greatest hopes in the defense against the power mad Napoleon Bonaparte. Now, if he could just get her mind out of the clouds and convince her to marry him . . .
Merlin is not absentminded, it’s just that she only seems to be able to pay attention to one thing at a time. And maybe she does take everything people say literally, but people ought to say what they mean. Now this Ransom Falconer wants her to forget her current interest in flying machines and focus on the speaking box she’s lost interest in finishing. It’s quite disconcerting. In fact, everything about him is disconcerting; in her isolated life Merlin has never met anyone who affects her quite like Ransom does.
Merlin Lambourne has invented the “speaking box”—a sort of telephone—which is so valuable that Napoleon has killed for it. Sent by the crown to bring both inventor and invention to safety, Ransom Falconer, Duke of Damerell, is shocked to learn Mr. Lambourne is a Miss.
Perhaps more shocking, however, are his feelings for the eccentric genius. She is everything he doesn’t like: incapable of following orders, unaware of conventional etiquette, preoccupied, disorganized, and unkempt. Yet she beguiles him. One of the most ingenious inventors in England, she is also one of the country’s greatest hopes in the defense against the power mad Napoleon Bonaparte. Now, if he could just get her mind out of the clouds and convince her to marry him . . .
Merlin is not absentminded, it’s just that she only seems to be able to pay attention to one thing at a time. And maybe she does take everything people say literally, but people ought to say what they mean. Now this Ransom Falconer wants her to forget her current interest in flying machines and focus on the speaking box she’s lost interest in finishing. It’s quite disconcerting. In fact, everything about him is disconcerting; in her isolated life Merlin has never met anyone who affects her quite like Ransom does.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
392 people are currently reading
1675 people want to read
About the author
Laura Kinsale
29 books1,517 followersLaura Kinsale is a New York Times bestselling author and both winner and multiple nominee for the Best Book of the Year award given by the Romance Writers of America.
She become a romance writer after six years as a geologist--a career which consisted of getting out of bed in the middle of the night and driving hundreds of miles alone across west Texas to sit drilling rigs, wear a hard hat, and attempt to boss around oil-covered males considerably larger than herself. This, she decided, was pushing her luck. So she gave all that up to sit in a chair and stare into space for long periods of time, attempting to figure out What-Happens-Next. She and her husband David currently divide their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Texas.
She become a romance writer after six years as a geologist--a career which consisted of getting out of bed in the middle of the night and driving hundreds of miles alone across west Texas to sit drilling rigs, wear a hard hat, and attempt to boss around oil-covered males considerably larger than herself. This, she decided, was pushing her luck. So she gave all that up to sit in a chair and stare into space for long periods of time, attempting to figure out What-Happens-Next. She and her husband David currently divide their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
March 9, 2011
Oh man, this one is hilarious. First it's like, he forces himself on her while under the influence of an aphrodisiac (!?), then he spends two thirds of the book yelling at her, then she loses her memory and he takes advantage of that to get her to marry him (!??), then she remembers and says she hates him but they have sex in a fountain anyway (!!). Also there is a hedgehog. One star for the hedgehog.
July 25, 2014
5 +++ "God Almighty, I'll never sin again" stars!!!!
I loved this story. Loved it! Not just a little, but over the moon loved it! Fun, romantic, sexy, poignant... I'm heartbroken that it's over.
Description...
When a powerful, decisive aristocrat undertakes to protect an absent-minded young inventress from England's enemies, he finds his orderly world turned into chaos. Merlin Lambourne's stubborn dream of flight puts her at risk, not to mention driving Ransom crazy. In spite of himself, he's oddly enchanted by this muddled miss and her eccentric ways... but can he overcome his own fears and realize her invention may be the answer to saving both their lives?I've read some reviews and it seems that Merlin, our 'genius with little common sense or social skills' heroine, grated on some people's nerves, but not mine. Oh, no. Not mine! I love her! In fact, I found her to be refreshingly unique and completely endearing, and she's now one of my all time favorite heroines. She and Ransom, so different, so completely and totally different... but absolutely brilliant together. They made me laugh, made me sigh, kept me listening through the wee hours of the morning.
A whimsical Regency-era tale of flying machines, fancy, and love among the hedgehogs.
Nicholas Boulton is an amazing narrator. I wish he'd narrate ALL audio books. Heck, I wish he'd narrate my name! Just my name... I'd play it over and over and over. Such a deep, rich, sexy voice.
*sigh* I'm just rambling, so I'll quit here, except to say that Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton are, hands down, my favorite author/narrator team. I can't get enough of them! Ms. Kinsale personally chose Mr. Boulton to bring her stories to life, and I hope that she'll have him narrate all her books.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!
April 8, 2018
This book made me feel physically and mentally sick after reading it. I kept reading hoping it gets better but by the end I almost threw up with the unfairness of it all and it pains me to say this since I adored Flowers from the Storm.
I love historical romances specially when there is a quirky heroine involved. But reading this book, I cannot explain how much I loathe Ransom with every fiber of my being. Not only does the honorable upstanding perfect Ransom rape Merlin, who in modern terms can be said to have mental disability that, while making her insanely brilliant on one side, also leaves her with the emotional mentality of a child. She doesn't even understand how sex works or anything really and to force yourself on someone like that, it was sickening to read.
But I still went on in the hopes that Kinsale would address those issues and rectify them, as much as they can be, because my brain simply refused to believe someone who has written Flowers could possible write such a thing.
And if it wasn't enough to have Ransom commit such a crime, he is an overbearing insufferable douche bag cave man!! He constantly bullies and manipulates Merlin into doing things he his way and smothers her will, hopes and dreams to the point that she has to eat, sleep, and breath his way while being unable to do follow through on her desires to make a flying machine. Giving Ransom an acute phobia of flying does not forgive the fact that he rendered Merlin into a slave with no basic rights. Or the fact that he constantly forces himself onto her. Or the fact that he pushes her to marry him to satisfy his own selfish desires to be forgiven for raping her!!!
At the end when she loses her memory following a crash landing of her flying machine he again MANIPULATES her into marrying him and BURNS her life's work in her notes designs and first successful plane!!!
After earning the truth of what happened to her flying machine, he is HURT that she has the audacity to say she hates him and wants to leave this smothered existence under his suffocating rule!!
I hate men or really anyone who would deliberately suppres someone's very identity to force them to mould into someone they think is better all for the sake of the loved ones. FUCK YOU!!
it is nothing more than your SELFISH desire to feel better about yourself!!!
She deserves better.
I cannot for the life of me believe taht Laura Kinsale would write such utter crap!!
to say I am disappointed is an understatement!!!
I love historical romances specially when there is a quirky heroine involved. But reading this book, I cannot explain how much I loathe Ransom with every fiber of my being. Not only does the honorable upstanding perfect Ransom rape Merlin, who in modern terms can be said to have mental disability that, while making her insanely brilliant on one side, also leaves her with the emotional mentality of a child. She doesn't even understand how sex works or anything really and to force yourself on someone like that, it was sickening to read.
But I still went on in the hopes that Kinsale would address those issues and rectify them, as much as they can be, because my brain simply refused to believe someone who has written Flowers could possible write such a thing.
And if it wasn't enough to have Ransom commit such a crime, he is an overbearing insufferable douche bag cave man!! He constantly bullies and manipulates Merlin into doing things he his way and smothers her will, hopes and dreams to the point that she has to eat, sleep, and breath his way while being unable to do follow through on her desires to make a flying machine. Giving Ransom an acute phobia of flying does not forgive the fact that he rendered Merlin into a slave with no basic rights. Or the fact that he constantly forces himself onto her. Or the fact that he pushes her to marry him to satisfy his own selfish desires to be forgiven for raping her!!!
At the end when she loses her memory following a crash landing of her flying machine he again MANIPULATES her into marrying him and BURNS her life's work in her notes designs and first successful plane!!!
After earning the truth of what happened to her flying machine, he is HURT that she has the audacity to say she hates him and wants to leave this smothered existence under his suffocating rule!!
I hate men or really anyone who would deliberately suppres someone's very identity to force them to mould into someone they think is better all for the sake of the loved ones. FUCK YOU!!
it is nothing more than your SELFISH desire to feel better about yourself!!!
She deserves better.
I cannot for the life of me believe taht Laura Kinsale would write such utter crap!!
to say I am disappointed is an understatement!!!
February 3, 2019
Laura Kinsale is not your flufflifity fluff romantic. And yet, somehow, she has some of the most fluffity fluff "dear god, I wish this hero would strip me naked too," moments mixed with some of the best humor.
The most eligible widower in His Majesty’s domain: rich, titled, powerful, and more than passably attractive, if his female admirers were to be believed—flatly refused, on account of a broken kite.
It's very clear there's a few things I like in books:
-Heroines that I understand. I know we all wax on about 'strong women' and I frankly don't know what that means. I think strength can be demonstrated in many ways. Merlin was essentially super smart, super ambitious and kind of a flake. In all honesty, it suited an inventor and I don't think we'd call a male character like her 'weak' -- It may have been overplayed, but ]...eh, I have a complex relationship with that.
-Relationships that develop. In this book, that was fucking bizarre and I'm not gonna lie. While it may have been a head-scratcher, I went with it. I mean, it was Nicholas Boulton and Laura Kinsale and there's nothing else to be done. What resulted was a battle of wills, a jackass that knows he is manipulative, and a heroine with enough force in her sweetness to bring him down, yet enough tenacity to hold on to herself. And honestly, I loved Ransom. I really, really did. He was lovely and loyal, commanding, clever, and played beautifully by NB in the audio version.
He’d thought his offer of marriage was a matter of duty, of taking responsibility for errors committed—and never questioned why he’d persisted in it past all reason and rebuff.
Well, now he knew why. The explanation sat patiently on the carpet in front of him, with chestnut hair and cloudy gray eyes and skin that glowed like soft midsummer moonlight. He loved her; he wanted to stand beside her forever, be the man she turned to for comfort and companionship; the one she went to first with those crazy, clever notions of hers; the one who listened and smiled and knew when to laugh—who recognized the difference between her accidental absurdities and the rare times she made an authentic quip in that quiet, ingenious way she had.
Oh, and that's it. That's all I need. I get extra-some heat, wonderful family and supporting dynamics, a little danger, some big weaknesses. It was a lovely little novel about two opposite strengths making one completely convincing and supportive couple. They were neither dependent nor overly independent of one another, something I can see lasting for a long, long time. Because they both try.
Wings, indeed.
The most eligible widower in His Majesty’s domain: rich, titled, powerful, and more than passably attractive, if his female admirers were to be believed—flatly refused, on account of a broken kite.
It's very clear there's a few things I like in books:
-Heroines that I understand. I know we all wax on about 'strong women' and I frankly don't know what that means. I think strength can be demonstrated in many ways. Merlin was essentially super smart, super ambitious and kind of a flake. In all honesty, it suited an inventor and I don't think we'd call a male character like her 'weak' -- It may have been overplayed, but ]...eh, I have a complex relationship with that.
-Relationships that develop. In this book, that was fucking bizarre and I'm not gonna lie. While it may have been a head-scratcher, I went with it. I mean, it was Nicholas Boulton and Laura Kinsale and there's nothing else to be done. What resulted was a battle of wills, a jackass that knows he is manipulative, and a heroine with enough force in her sweetness to bring him down, yet enough tenacity to hold on to herself. And honestly, I loved Ransom. I really, really did. He was lovely and loyal, commanding, clever, and played beautifully by NB in the audio version.
He’d thought his offer of marriage was a matter of duty, of taking responsibility for errors committed—and never questioned why he’d persisted in it past all reason and rebuff.
Well, now he knew why. The explanation sat patiently on the carpet in front of him, with chestnut hair and cloudy gray eyes and skin that glowed like soft midsummer moonlight. He loved her; he wanted to stand beside her forever, be the man she turned to for comfort and companionship; the one she went to first with those crazy, clever notions of hers; the one who listened and smiled and knew when to laugh—who recognized the difference between her accidental absurdities and the rare times she made an authentic quip in that quiet, ingenious way she had.
Oh, and that's it. That's all I need. I get extra-some heat, wonderful family and supporting dynamics, a little danger, some big weaknesses. It was a lovely little novel about two opposite strengths making one completely convincing and supportive couple. They were neither dependent nor overly independent of one another, something I can see lasting for a long, long time. Because they both try.
Wings, indeed.
October 10, 2023
So, this James Bond, the Duke of Something, who works for MI6, received a tip about a brilliant inventor who invented something important that the English could use in the war against the French and he went to investigate. There he discovered that his Q is a sexy socially awkward lady inventor who created radio just to help her with chores and she was currently working on a flying machine. She gave him dry muttons to eat, he asked for salt, got aphrodisiac salt instead – honest mistake – and he seduced her. Then a French spy tried to kidnap her. So Mr Bond kidnapped her himself. A lot of ridiculous things happened, there was a pet hedgehog running around, she built her flying machine in secret because Duke Bond is afraid of heights and prohibited her working on it but she did it anyway and then crashed, got a head trauma and amnesia, because of course. So he used her amnesia to trick her into marrying him because he previously proposed 10 times and she said no every time. She remembered right after her wedding and was angry but then they had sex in the fountain. Then she was kidnaped again and it turned out that the French wanted her flying machine designs to build their own. He came to her rescue, and they flew in her machine, despite his intense fear of flying. He admitted his selfishness and wrongdoings for restricting her dreams, and offered to annul their marriage. However, she surprised him by stating that she was content being married to him. Now, she has moved on from planes and has plans to build a rocket to the moon. A very sane book about very sane people indeed.
April 27, 2023
2 stars
this whole book was incredibly boring UNTIL......
this whole book was incredibly boring UNTIL......
February 1, 2023
Read: 2/1/23
4.5 stars
What a surprise! I was shocked that LK could write such a whimsical story.
The bluestocking, absent-minded h was adorable. I also loved the stern Duke. Now, the romance was a bit iffy. These two just meet and sleep together. It was a little too quick and not much substance there. Besides physical, these two don't have anything in common, but who cares? The story is so cute that I can go along with the idea!
Building a flying machine? Speaking box (telephone)? In 1806? Why not! I enjoyed this story too much to care!
I highly recommend this read!
Sidenote: The hedgehog was soo cute 😍 I now want a hedgehog, but I know, can't. 😔 Damn Adulthood!
4.5 stars
What a surprise! I was shocked that LK could write such a whimsical story.
The bluestocking, absent-minded h was adorable. I also loved the stern Duke. Now, the romance was a bit iffy. These two just meet and sleep together. It was a little too quick and not much substance there. Besides physical, these two don't have anything in common, but who cares? The story is so cute that I can go along with the idea!
Building a flying machine? Speaking box (telephone)? In 1806? Why not! I enjoyed this story too much to care!
I highly recommend this read!
Sidenote: The hedgehog was soo cute 😍 I now want a hedgehog, but I know, can't. 😔 Damn Adulthood!
dnf
November 3, 2021There was a hedgehog....
And then it got really, really bizarre.
DNF 30%
And then it got really, really bizarre.
DNF 30%
March 31, 2017
Merlin is absolutely adorable. Mr. Duke needed a skillet. But any book where the h is that awesome AND has a hedgie who makes the H sorry is a gazillion stars of pure bonus.
April 16, 2024
Review from 2013
I have to confess that I haven’t read Midsummer Moon, but knowing I was going to be listening to it, I read a few synopses and a mixture of reviews and quickly realized that it’s a book that seems to divide opinion. I can certainly understand now why that is the case – the idea of Merlin inventing prototypes of both the telegraph and aeroplane does rather stretch credulity and Ransom can come across as dictatorial and somewhat unsympathetic at times. But as sometimes happens with audiobooks, that which may come across as implausible or unpleasant on the page, can be transformed by an intelligent, engaging performance and a new light shed on a character or characters’ motivations and actions.
And that is most certainly the case in Midsummer Moon, thanks to the superb vocal talents of Nicholas Boulton. He is quite simply one of the best narrators it has been my good fortune to hear.
Merlin Lambourne is an inventress. She lives alone in an old Tudor house somewhere in Devon with just a handful of servants, and spends most of her time happily ensconced in her own world of spare parts, blueprints, and experiments. She comes from a very well connected family, but her father died when she was young and her family cast off both Merlin and her deaf-mute mother. After the death of her remaining parent, Merlin was brought up by her eccentric great-uncle and has never been out in society. But she doesn’t miss what she’s never had and is quite happy shut up in her cluttered home working on her inventions.
When Ransom Falconer, Duke of Damerell arrives at her home insisting on seeing one of her inventions, Merlin immediately assumes it is the flying machine she has been working on and tells him it’s not yet ready. The opening chapter details their first encounter and is reminiscent of a screwball comedy with both of them at crossed purposes – Ransom’s barely suppressed irritation mixed with Merlin’s obliviousness (and her confusion as to how to address “Mr. Duke”) amid the clutter of abandoned machines and spare parts.
By turns exasperated and charmed by her, Ransom tries to persuade her to leave the place as he believes she is in danger from foreign agents who want to get their hands on her work. He is also appalled at the fact that Merlin has been left to her own devices and ignored by her family for so long and resolves to do something to rectify her situation. Devious as he can be, Ransom immediately sees that in doing the latter, there is a way for him to serve his own purposes as well – but Merlin obstinately refuses to leave.
Inadvertently, Ransom ingests an aphrodisiac during their meal. The author’s descriptions of how he progresses from disliking the rather tough meat he’s been served to finding it palatable and then to wanting more is quite funny. The following love scene is, while not overly explicit… well, let’s just say I needed a lie down by an open window afterwards! Ransom is ardent and seductive, and Boulton’s gravelly tone as he projects the impression of a man who normally keeps his desires firmly in check while discarding his inhibitions, is note-perfect and incredibly sexy. Merlin is swept off her feet (literally!) and, after her initial confusion, participates unreservedly. I can see that for some, a love scene in which the hero is acting under the influence of a drug and the innocent heroine is befuddled by what’s happening may be off-putting. But I didn’t find it so. In fact, I liked that Merlin was as refreshingly honest and enthusiastic about how Ransom was making her feel as she was about everything else in her life. She didn’t see why something that felt so wonderful could possibly be something to be avoided and became an eager participant in their lovemaking.
Some have criticized Merlin for being too ditzy and a bit of an airhead, but I thought she was neither. She’s incredibly single-minded when it comes to her work (even to the extent of having a severe case of tunnel-vision regarding her obsession with her flying machine), which rings very true for her character. I admit that it did seem a bit odd that a woman who knew enough about anatomy to save Ransom’s life was rather confused as to how babies were made, but I think that may have been another instance of the way she could focus on one thing at a time and everything else was just so much “blah, blah, blah.” Her ditziness was a little reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby; not quite as forceful a character, but endearing and scatty.
When I’m listening to a new-to-me male narrator, I’m always concerned as to how he will interpret the female characters. I imagine it can be a difficult balance to find, making the character sound sufficiently feminine without resorting to falsetto. But once again, Boulton strikes absolutely the right note. He adopts a slightly higher pitch and softens his tone for Merlin. Jacqueline’s voice is soft and throaty and his Dowager Duchess is faintly reminiscent of Edith Evans or Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets!
Ransom is authoritarian and used to getting his own way. His work for the British government frequently requires him to be devious and manipulative, and he’s not above employing the same tactics with his family. While I can certainly understand that those aren’t especially attractive traits, I found it difficult to dislike him as he does what he does out of a desire to protect his dependents and keep them safe. He has one hell of a temper (which he frequently exercises) but when push comes to shove, he’s ruthlessly efficient and definitely the kind of chap you’d want on your side in a crisis.
Quickly realizing that his desire for Merlin wasn’t just fuelled by aphrodisiac-laced salt, Ransom acknowledges (to himself) that he actually wants her rather desperately. Her stubborn refusals to marry him because he adamantly opposes her work on the flying machine, do get rather tiring after a while, and her insistence that he is trying to suffocate her by taking her work away did feel a bit irrational.
Ransom is, of course, terrified that Merlin will be badly injured or killed, but he goes about things in completely the wrong way. He quickly realizes that Merlin finds it hard to resist him and that he can soften her resolve with a touch or a kiss. It’s not long before she begins to see his strategy and suspect his motives, wondering whether he’s doing it because he wants her, or because he wants his own way. It’s ironic that Merlin’s obsession is with flight while Ransom has a phobia about heights and it seems as though they will never be able to find any middle ground.
A difficult character to like at times, Boulton’s performance of Ransom is so wonderfully nuanced that it brings out the fears and insecurities that lie behind his actions, even when he’s losing his temper or being horribly overbearing. But with Merlin, he can be tender, playful and affectionate.
There is a fairly large cast of supporting characters including Ransom’s handsome younger brother and his ex-wife, their sister, the local parson, and the mysterious and wonderfully-named Major O’Sullivan O’Toole O’Shaughnessy. Each character is vocally distinct and consistently portrayed; and Boulton’s interpretation of Ransom’s twelve-year-old nephew, Woodrow, deserves special mention. Woodrow has a very pronounced stammer – something that can be very hard to imitate without sounding unrealistic or too exaggerated. Accurate yet sympathetic, he perfectly conveys Woodrow’s intelligence and underlying frustration.
I admit, accents are a bit of a “thing” for me. I’m a musician by training and thus (I hope!) have a good ear. Sometimes though, that can be a curse rather than a blessing, as others might perceive me as being over critical. So for me, it’s wonderful to hear someone successfully pull off a wide variety of regional and foreign accents. Not many of the performers I’ve heard to date have the ability to sound convincing when using a number of (and switching between) different accents during a single performance. One might manage a good Scottish accent, but be unable to sustain an Irish one. Another might convince me they could be from Yorkshire, but fail at sounding vaguely French. I know it’s one of those things that comes more naturally to some people than others (actors included) but here, Nicholas Boulton pulls it off easily as an Irishman, a Frenchwoman, or a gruff, West-Country servant, without slipping up once. I’ve heard some narrators pull it off 95% of the time, but even my picky ears couldn’t detect a single flaw in this particular performance.
To sum up, Midsummer Moon is an audiobook I have absolutely no hesitation recommending unreservedly. The story is full of humor and tenderness and the characterizations throughout are superb. We have an eccentric but winning heroine, an honorable and upstanding hero (who is often endearingly bewildered by her), grumpy old retainers, a very discerning no-nonsense dowager, and a peripatetic hedgehog. The whole thing moves along at a rattling pace.
Nicholas Boulton’s performance is, quite simply, flawless – and I suspect he may have ruined me for all other narrators! He brings a real depth of feeling to the scenes in which Ransom and Merlin are arguing or loving, and I think that anyone who finds Ransom to be too coldly manipulative on the page might find their opinions revised after listening to Midsummer Moon.
I have to confess that I haven’t read Midsummer Moon, but knowing I was going to be listening to it, I read a few synopses and a mixture of reviews and quickly realized that it’s a book that seems to divide opinion. I can certainly understand now why that is the case – the idea of Merlin inventing prototypes of both the telegraph and aeroplane does rather stretch credulity and Ransom can come across as dictatorial and somewhat unsympathetic at times. But as sometimes happens with audiobooks, that which may come across as implausible or unpleasant on the page, can be transformed by an intelligent, engaging performance and a new light shed on a character or characters’ motivations and actions.
And that is most certainly the case in Midsummer Moon, thanks to the superb vocal talents of Nicholas Boulton. He is quite simply one of the best narrators it has been my good fortune to hear.
Merlin Lambourne is an inventress. She lives alone in an old Tudor house somewhere in Devon with just a handful of servants, and spends most of her time happily ensconced in her own world of spare parts, blueprints, and experiments. She comes from a very well connected family, but her father died when she was young and her family cast off both Merlin and her deaf-mute mother. After the death of her remaining parent, Merlin was brought up by her eccentric great-uncle and has never been out in society. But she doesn’t miss what she’s never had and is quite happy shut up in her cluttered home working on her inventions.
When Ransom Falconer, Duke of Damerell arrives at her home insisting on seeing one of her inventions, Merlin immediately assumes it is the flying machine she has been working on and tells him it’s not yet ready. The opening chapter details their first encounter and is reminiscent of a screwball comedy with both of them at crossed purposes – Ransom’s barely suppressed irritation mixed with Merlin’s obliviousness (and her confusion as to how to address “Mr. Duke”) amid the clutter of abandoned machines and spare parts.
By turns exasperated and charmed by her, Ransom tries to persuade her to leave the place as he believes she is in danger from foreign agents who want to get their hands on her work. He is also appalled at the fact that Merlin has been left to her own devices and ignored by her family for so long and resolves to do something to rectify her situation. Devious as he can be, Ransom immediately sees that in doing the latter, there is a way for him to serve his own purposes as well – but Merlin obstinately refuses to leave.
Inadvertently, Ransom ingests an aphrodisiac during their meal. The author’s descriptions of how he progresses from disliking the rather tough meat he’s been served to finding it palatable and then to wanting more is quite funny. The following love scene is, while not overly explicit… well, let’s just say I needed a lie down by an open window afterwards! Ransom is ardent and seductive, and Boulton’s gravelly tone as he projects the impression of a man who normally keeps his desires firmly in check while discarding his inhibitions, is note-perfect and incredibly sexy. Merlin is swept off her feet (literally!) and, after her initial confusion, participates unreservedly. I can see that for some, a love scene in which the hero is acting under the influence of a drug and the innocent heroine is befuddled by what’s happening may be off-putting. But I didn’t find it so. In fact, I liked that Merlin was as refreshingly honest and enthusiastic about how Ransom was making her feel as she was about everything else in her life. She didn’t see why something that felt so wonderful could possibly be something to be avoided and became an eager participant in their lovemaking.
Some have criticized Merlin for being too ditzy and a bit of an airhead, but I thought she was neither. She’s incredibly single-minded when it comes to her work (even to the extent of having a severe case of tunnel-vision regarding her obsession with her flying machine), which rings very true for her character. I admit that it did seem a bit odd that a woman who knew enough about anatomy to save Ransom’s life was rather confused as to how babies were made, but I think that may have been another instance of the way she could focus on one thing at a time and everything else was just so much “blah, blah, blah.” Her ditziness was a little reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby; not quite as forceful a character, but endearing and scatty.
When I’m listening to a new-to-me male narrator, I’m always concerned as to how he will interpret the female characters. I imagine it can be a difficult balance to find, making the character sound sufficiently feminine without resorting to falsetto. But once again, Boulton strikes absolutely the right note. He adopts a slightly higher pitch and softens his tone for Merlin. Jacqueline’s voice is soft and throaty and his Dowager Duchess is faintly reminiscent of Edith Evans or Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets!
Ransom is authoritarian and used to getting his own way. His work for the British government frequently requires him to be devious and manipulative, and he’s not above employing the same tactics with his family. While I can certainly understand that those aren’t especially attractive traits, I found it difficult to dislike him as he does what he does out of a desire to protect his dependents and keep them safe. He has one hell of a temper (which he frequently exercises) but when push comes to shove, he’s ruthlessly efficient and definitely the kind of chap you’d want on your side in a crisis.
Quickly realizing that his desire for Merlin wasn’t just fuelled by aphrodisiac-laced salt, Ransom acknowledges (to himself) that he actually wants her rather desperately. Her stubborn refusals to marry him because he adamantly opposes her work on the flying machine, do get rather tiring after a while, and her insistence that he is trying to suffocate her by taking her work away did feel a bit irrational.
Ransom is, of course, terrified that Merlin will be badly injured or killed, but he goes about things in completely the wrong way. He quickly realizes that Merlin finds it hard to resist him and that he can soften her resolve with a touch or a kiss. It’s not long before she begins to see his strategy and suspect his motives, wondering whether he’s doing it because he wants her, or because he wants his own way. It’s ironic that Merlin’s obsession is with flight while Ransom has a phobia about heights and it seems as though they will never be able to find any middle ground.
A difficult character to like at times, Boulton’s performance of Ransom is so wonderfully nuanced that it brings out the fears and insecurities that lie behind his actions, even when he’s losing his temper or being horribly overbearing. But with Merlin, he can be tender, playful and affectionate.
There is a fairly large cast of supporting characters including Ransom’s handsome younger brother and his ex-wife, their sister, the local parson, and the mysterious and wonderfully-named Major O’Sullivan O’Toole O’Shaughnessy. Each character is vocally distinct and consistently portrayed; and Boulton’s interpretation of Ransom’s twelve-year-old nephew, Woodrow, deserves special mention. Woodrow has a very pronounced stammer – something that can be very hard to imitate without sounding unrealistic or too exaggerated. Accurate yet sympathetic, he perfectly conveys Woodrow’s intelligence and underlying frustration.
I admit, accents are a bit of a “thing” for me. I’m a musician by training and thus (I hope!) have a good ear. Sometimes though, that can be a curse rather than a blessing, as others might perceive me as being over critical. So for me, it’s wonderful to hear someone successfully pull off a wide variety of regional and foreign accents. Not many of the performers I’ve heard to date have the ability to sound convincing when using a number of (and switching between) different accents during a single performance. One might manage a good Scottish accent, but be unable to sustain an Irish one. Another might convince me they could be from Yorkshire, but fail at sounding vaguely French. I know it’s one of those things that comes more naturally to some people than others (actors included) but here, Nicholas Boulton pulls it off easily as an Irishman, a Frenchwoman, or a gruff, West-Country servant, without slipping up once. I’ve heard some narrators pull it off 95% of the time, but even my picky ears couldn’t detect a single flaw in this particular performance.
To sum up, Midsummer Moon is an audiobook I have absolutely no hesitation recommending unreservedly. The story is full of humor and tenderness and the characterizations throughout are superb. We have an eccentric but winning heroine, an honorable and upstanding hero (who is often endearingly bewildered by her), grumpy old retainers, a very discerning no-nonsense dowager, and a peripatetic hedgehog. The whole thing moves along at a rattling pace.
Nicholas Boulton’s performance is, quite simply, flawless – and I suspect he may have ruined me for all other narrators! He brings a real depth of feeling to the scenes in which Ransom and Merlin are arguing or loving, and I think that anyone who finds Ransom to be too coldly manipulative on the page might find their opinions revised after listening to Midsummer Moon.
February 27, 2019
<2
The writing and my previous love for the other 2 books I read save Midsummer Moon a one star rating, but barely.
As with all her books there's a great general plot, but this book failed totally on the romance. It started with a bang, even with the absurd plot point for the sex within chapter 2, but it went downhill.
I think it was mostly due to the characterization of the heroine. It is extremely difficult to get involved in a story when it's about a girl-child that gets brownbeaten for all the book without a single reaction. She should be a genius, but as you can see in the other reviews she ends up as simply stupid or handicapped. The way she is portrayed goes well beyond naivete (which is a lack of knowledge or cynicism but does not imply a simple mind) and makes her appear brain damaged. Someone in their review has called her a savant, and yes that's the way she is portrayed. A child.
There could be no romance involving a child.
The hero manipulates and lies, directing everyone's life. But as long as there's a strong heroine I don't really mind him. Unfortunately here nothing stands against him. Even when she realizes that he has lied to her, burned *all* her life work and married her without consent, there is no real reaction except a tantrum followed by sex. Err no.
Angst may not be to everyone's tastes, maturity is.
So, a huge disappointment.
The writing and my previous love for the other 2 books I read save Midsummer Moon a one star rating, but barely.
As with all her books there's a great general plot, but this book failed totally on the romance. It started with a bang, even with the absurd plot point for the sex within chapter 2, but it went downhill.
I think it was mostly due to the characterization of the heroine. It is extremely difficult to get involved in a story when it's about a girl-child that gets brownbeaten for all the book without a single reaction. She should be a genius, but as you can see in the other reviews she ends up as simply stupid or handicapped. The way she is portrayed goes well beyond naivete (which is a lack of knowledge or cynicism but does not imply a simple mind) and makes her appear brain damaged. Someone in their review has called her a savant, and yes that's the way she is portrayed. A child.
There could be no romance involving a child.
The hero manipulates and lies, directing everyone's life. But as long as there's a strong heroine I don't really mind him. Unfortunately here nothing stands against him. Even when she realizes that he has lied to her, burned *all* her life work and married her without consent, there is no real reaction except a tantrum followed by sex. Err no.
Angst may not be to everyone's tastes, maturity is.
So, a huge disappointment.
August 31, 2014
Okay, this is a Laura Kinsale title narrated by Nicholas Boulton. Seriously, did you expect anything less than five stars?
I won't go into the plot; other reviews do it better than I would. Let me just share something that happened to me while listening to this audio book. Like the hero, Ransom, I have a fear of heights, although not so debilitating as his. Near the end of the story, there is a lengthy scene where he must navigate a narrow path along a chalk cliff many feet above the beach. Listening to Boulton's narration (which is really acting rather than reading), I was astonished to realize that I felt queasy, as if I was out there clinging to the cliff. (In reality, I was sitting at my desk.)
So if you want to actually feel like you're high up on a narrow chalk cliff, try this book. And if you're not interested in the cliff experience, just imagine what Nicholas Boulton can do with the love scenes.
I won't go into the plot; other reviews do it better than I would. Let me just share something that happened to me while listening to this audio book. Like the hero, Ransom, I have a fear of heights, although not so debilitating as his. Near the end of the story, there is a lengthy scene where he must navigate a narrow path along a chalk cliff many feet above the beach. Listening to Boulton's narration (which is really acting rather than reading), I was astonished to realize that I felt queasy, as if I was out there clinging to the cliff. (In reality, I was sitting at my desk.)
So if you want to actually feel like you're high up on a narrow chalk cliff, try this book. And if you're not interested in the cliff experience, just imagine what Nicholas Boulton can do with the love scenes.
September 5, 2025
Lady Wiz
Merlin lost her parents at an early age, but was cared for by her eccentric uncle until he passed.
By the time Ransom, The Duke of Falconer made his way to her property, she had been abandoned by family long again and was cared for by old retainers. Ransom was interested in a story told in patriotic circles of a communication box invented by a person he had assumed was a man. He wanted to rescue the inventor and invention before they were taken by the French.
I was going to give this three stars, because heaven knows that a great deal of work went into this story and it had elements that I enjoy. (Hedgehogs, science and hedgehogs) However, the male main character was a cad, his excuse being that he was “overcome” by her beauty. He dragged her off against her will and she charms the rest of the household… which is a really weird and overflowing household, by the way. It has all the makings of a really cute story, but got carried away with characters and did a lousy job of helping us really know them. I will be honest and say that I only read 60% carefully and did a skim over the rest. It hurt my order loving brain. Mild spice.
Merlin lost her parents at an early age, but was cared for by her eccentric uncle until he passed.
By the time Ransom, The Duke of Falconer made his way to her property, she had been abandoned by family long again and was cared for by old retainers. Ransom was interested in a story told in patriotic circles of a communication box invented by a person he had assumed was a man. He wanted to rescue the inventor and invention before they were taken by the French.
I was going to give this three stars, because heaven knows that a great deal of work went into this story and it had elements that I enjoy. (Hedgehogs, science and hedgehogs) However, the male main character was a cad, his excuse being that he was “overcome” by her beauty. He dragged her off against her will and she charms the rest of the household… which is a really weird and overflowing household, by the way. It has all the makings of a really cute story, but got carried away with characters and did a lousy job of helping us really know them. I will be honest and say that I only read 60% carefully and did a skim over the rest. It hurt my order loving brain. Mild spice.
April 6, 2023
When this book was good, it was very good. But it went wrong fourteen different ways from Sunday, and eventually crashed landed in a field and blew over a cliff. What was wrong? (1) the heroine was less of an absent-minded genius than a child in an adult’s body who apparently couldn’t apply her intelligence to any everyday situation and had the attention span of a gnat, which made the romance smell a bit like child abuse (2) no way on earth are these two people falling in love. (See #1) No way. The author gives us no other reason than “because I said so,” (3) plot holes the size of a ‘68 Buick and sporadically intelligent and intuitive people missing clues as big as interstate billboards (4) a woman waking from a week-long coma only to have sex in a fountain before day’s end, (5) dramatic turns of events sliding into farce…etcetera.
So when was it good? First of all, the idea of this book was terrific. A female inventor being corralled into government service hunted by a foreign enemy, under the protective wing of a Duke who insists she abandon HER big idea for HIS big idea—so much potential, ultimately wasted. The Duke’s family dynamics were fascinating—but his sister’s romance was left virtually unexplored and his brother’s failed marriage is still a mystery. However, the scenes between brothers were solid gold. The Duke himself was fascinating—a man so used to bending people to his will he couldn’t see when it was hurting himself.
This book should have been so much better than it was. I’m just sad.
So when was it good? First of all, the idea of this book was terrific. A female inventor being corralled into government service hunted by a foreign enemy, under the protective wing of a Duke who insists she abandon HER big idea for HIS big idea—so much potential, ultimately wasted. The Duke’s family dynamics were fascinating—but his sister’s romance was left virtually unexplored and his brother’s failed marriage is still a mystery. However, the scenes between brothers were solid gold. The Duke himself was fascinating—a man so used to bending people to his will he couldn’t see when it was hurting himself.
This book should have been so much better than it was. I’m just sad.
June 5, 2025
I really liked this one. It reminds me of one of my favorite Amanda Quick books-Ravished. The fmc is a quirky inventor and she’s in the process of building a flying machine. The H -Mr. Duke seeks her out for help
With the Napoleonic war—thinking Merlin the inventor is a man. He ends up having to Rescue her from bad guys so he kidnaps her. This was a fun quirky historical romance. I really enjoyed it!
With the Napoleonic war—thinking Merlin the inventor is a man. He ends up having to Rescue her from bad guys so he kidnaps her. This was a fun quirky historical romance. I really enjoyed it!
May 20, 2010
I thought this was a really fun romance. At first I found Merlin's lack of focus irritating but then I decided to just go with it and ended up enjoying it a lot.
At times I wished that Merlin would open her eyes and see what was going on around her. Because of her inattention it was pitifully easy for Ransom (or Mr. Duke to Merlin) to manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to. Truthfully I don't blame him for his schemes. It's human nature to seize an opportunity that would benefit you. I did like that a lot of his schemes backfired and he turned out worse for it. It made me feel like there wasn't quite as much of a power imbalance between the two as you would first assume.
There were quite a few interesting secondary characters. I never felt that they horned in on any time that should be devoted to Merlin and Ransom (which was nice for a change). I thought they added something special to the story and felt that some element which made me enjoy the story so much would be missing if we hadn't gotten to know them so well.
I do wish that a little more time had been spent on what exactly was going on with that salt. We, the reader, know what it was, but if you were in the story and didn't have a reader's perspective wouldn't you have been more concerned with what your Mutton was spiked with? I just expected it to matter more to Ransom. Even just a vague question after the fact of what exactly that was would have satisfied me. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal.
After a while of reading I started to love Merlin's quirkiness. I can't think of any other female character I've read that was like that, so it was very nice to have a unique heroine. At first I thought that it was odd that Merlin didn't really connect the dots with how babies are made, especially after we find out that Merlin knows anatomy. However, after thinking about it for a while I realized that it did make sense. I don't think she didn't know how babies were made so much as she just never really thought about it long enough to connect the dots. I mean look how she was the second time around with sex. She didn't really remember until it started happening again and then it all clicked for her. I kind of felt bad for Ransom because it was so easy for her to ignore him and focus on something else. He'd try to get her to eat or have a conversation and it was like she wasn't there with him.
I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was Merlin's interaction with the children. I cracked up at her first meeting with them. I loved when she defensively told them she didn't have any sweets. I felt bad for both Merlin and Ransom over their different views of the aviation machine. I could see both their sides and sympathized with both too. I was amused by Merlin's constant need to be rescued. I loved when they joked about it toward the end. I also liked how they made Ransom have a real fear that he couldn't get over even when he knew he wasn't being reasonable.
I definitely recommend this book, but I do have to warn you that if you're expecting another Flowers From the Storm as you open this book you will be disappointed. It's very good and show's the author's skill, but it's a much different style from Flowers From the Storm even though they're both good in their own way.
At times I wished that Merlin would open her eyes and see what was going on around her. Because of her inattention it was pitifully easy for Ransom (or Mr. Duke to Merlin) to manipulate her into doing what he wanted her to. Truthfully I don't blame him for his schemes. It's human nature to seize an opportunity that would benefit you. I did like that a lot of his schemes backfired and he turned out worse for it. It made me feel like there wasn't quite as much of a power imbalance between the two as you would first assume.
There were quite a few interesting secondary characters. I never felt that they horned in on any time that should be devoted to Merlin and Ransom (which was nice for a change). I thought they added something special to the story and felt that some element which made me enjoy the story so much would be missing if we hadn't gotten to know them so well.
I do wish that a little more time had been spent on what exactly was going on with that salt. We, the reader, know what it was, but if you were in the story and didn't have a reader's perspective wouldn't you have been more concerned with what your Mutton was spiked with? I just expected it to matter more to Ransom. Even just a vague question after the fact of what exactly that was would have satisfied me. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal.
After a while of reading I started to love Merlin's quirkiness. I can't think of any other female character I've read that was like that, so it was very nice to have a unique heroine. At first I thought that it was odd that Merlin didn't really connect the dots with how babies are made, especially after we find out that Merlin knows anatomy. However, after thinking about it for a while I realized that it did make sense. I don't think she didn't know how babies were made so much as she just never really thought about it long enough to connect the dots. I mean look how she was the second time around with sex. She didn't really remember until it started happening again and then it all clicked for her. I kind of felt bad for Ransom because it was so easy for her to ignore him and focus on something else. He'd try to get her to eat or have a conversation and it was like she wasn't there with him.
I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was Merlin's interaction with the children. I cracked up at her first meeting with them. I loved when she defensively told them she didn't have any sweets. I felt bad for both Merlin and Ransom over their different views of the aviation machine. I could see both their sides and sympathized with both too. I was amused by Merlin's constant need to be rescued. I loved when they joked about it toward the end. I also liked how they made Ransom have a real fear that he couldn't get over even when he knew he wasn't being reasonable.
I definitely recommend this book, but I do have to warn you that if you're expecting another Flowers From the Storm as you open this book you will be disappointed. It's very good and show's the author's skill, but it's a much different style from Flowers From the Storm even though they're both good in their own way.
January 17, 2022
This was the most lighthearted Kinsale I've ever read. It doesn't give me the same weighty "you have to read this" feelings as For My Lady's Heart and Flowers from the Storm but I can easily see myself returning to this one as a comfort read.
Ransom, the Duke of Damerell, pays the inventor Merlin Lambourne a visit in hopes to get information on Merlin's invention, a speaking box, before the French have a chance to run interference. When a flighty, hedgehog-bearing young woman answers the door, he's surprised to discover that that's Merlin.
Merlin is the addled genius, a delightfully nonsensical woman who was raised away from the peerage and therefore has no thought for propriety. (She hilariously mixes up Ransom's title and name quite frequently, referring to him as "Mr. Duke.") Ransom is quite taken with her, but he's not the type to seduce young maidens... unless he accidentally ingests an aphrodisiac that he thinks is table salt.
Ransom sees only one way forward: marriage, but Merlin isn't having it. She wants to work on her flying machine in peace, and Ransom was fool enough to reveal early on that he thinks this, her passion project, is a waste of time. Ransom is used to getting his way, so he will try just about any form of manipulation to get Merlin to bend to his will.
While Merlin is undeniably smart (Not only is she an inventor, but she catches on when Ransom is trying to manipulate her), she and Olympia from Kinsale's Seize the Fire share an extreme naivete that is really fun to read in a historical heroine. I love this All About Romance interview where Kinsale talks about how readers are typically much more harsh on heroines than heroes (which I think some of the other Goodreads reviews of this book that call Merlin stupid would back up):
Ransom, the Duke of Damerell, pays the inventor Merlin Lambourne a visit in hopes to get information on Merlin's invention, a speaking box, before the French have a chance to run interference. When a flighty, hedgehog-bearing young woman answers the door, he's surprised to discover that that's Merlin.
Merlin is the addled genius, a delightfully nonsensical woman who was raised away from the peerage and therefore has no thought for propriety. (She hilariously mixes up Ransom's title and name quite frequently, referring to him as "Mr. Duke.") Ransom is quite taken with her, but he's not the type to seduce young maidens... unless he accidentally ingests an aphrodisiac that he thinks is table salt.
Ransom sees only one way forward: marriage, but Merlin isn't having it. She wants to work on her flying machine in peace, and Ransom was fool enough to reveal early on that he thinks this, her passion project, is a waste of time. Ransom is used to getting his way, so he will try just about any form of manipulation to get Merlin to bend to his will.
While Merlin is undeniably smart (Not only is she an inventor, but she catches on when Ransom is trying to manipulate her), she and Olympia from Kinsale's Seize the Fire share an extreme naivete that is really fun to read in a historical heroine. I love this All About Romance interview where Kinsale talks about how readers are typically much more harsh on heroines than heroes (which I think some of the other Goodreads reviews of this book that call Merlin stupid would back up):
"I feel that a character’s flaws are what allow the reader to relate to them. I’m well-known for not being a fan of the ‘perfect’ heroine. Our admiration may be aroused by perfection, but that is a distant emotion. Empathy comes from a shared sense of humanity, and that’s what interests me.”
August 21, 2016
Adventurous, quirky, and unique!! Magnificent storytelling!!!
I felt I was transported back in time while reading this gem of book. At first I didn’t know what to make of it, the language seemed spot on for this time period but I admit there were moments I didn't know what they were talking about. But before I knew it Midsummer Moon grabbed hold and I couldn’t stop reading. I loved all the eclectic and imperfect characters, really spectacular writing, and plot. I highly recommend this book!!!
August 1, 2019
DNF
Is this the same Laura KInsale of 'Flowers from The Storm'? Has some bodysnatcher taken over? While the hero was interesting the plot was utterly inane, to match the ridiculous heroine. Oh the heroine! Someone should have pinched Ms Kinsale when she conceived this cartoon and thought of her as heroine material. Infantile, petulant, pathetically and boringly quirky (and I can't stand the category of quirky in any case), she was just a trigger for more inane plot points. I abandoned ship half way through, for all that clunkily written, cartoonish and forced eccentricity started grating on my nerves. It will take me some time to pick up another Kinsale book after this ordeal.
Is this the same Laura KInsale of 'Flowers from The Storm'? Has some bodysnatcher taken over? While the hero was interesting the plot was utterly inane, to match the ridiculous heroine. Oh the heroine! Someone should have pinched Ms Kinsale when she conceived this cartoon and thought of her as heroine material. Infantile, petulant, pathetically and boringly quirky (and I can't stand the category of quirky in any case), she was just a trigger for more inane plot points. I abandoned ship half way through, for all that clunkily written, cartoonish and forced eccentricity started grating on my nerves. It will take me some time to pick up another Kinsale book after this ordeal.
April 25, 2021
A surprisingly light, often funny, verging on silly steampunk regency from Laura Kinsale. It doesn’t suffer from the significant problems of some of her other novels - the orientalism of The Dream Hunter and The Shadow and the Star; the racism of Seize the Fire - but the quid pro quo is that it doesn’t have the angst or high octane conflict either. It promises some of those things, and it is certainly gripping in parts, but they are never truly delivered with the gut punch I’m used to in her work.
It partly makes up for it with the wild premise: the heroine Merlin is a genius inventor, who has built a flying machine and a mobile phone in the 1810s; the hero Ransom has to constantly rescue her from kidnapping by the French who want to use her ideas to win the war. The plot doesn’t get any more usual from there. Their relationship may or may not be precipitated by the consumption of some aphrodisiac love salt. Merlin’s pet hedgehog is constantly saving the day. Ransom’s family and friends are a raggle taggle bunch, with a mystic mother, an opera singer sister in law, and a cheeky Irish (or possibly not?) secret agent. There is never a dull moment. And it’s fun! So much fun! So, if I didn’t feel as invested as I wanted to be in the central romance I still quaffed it down at speed.
CWs: dubious consent; amnesia following serious accident; hero’s brother has gambling addiction; kidnapping involving drugging; gender essentialism; light orientalism; heroine’s mother was deaf and mute; references to death of first wife and children; secondary character has a stutter; fear of heights.
It partly makes up for it with the wild premise: the heroine Merlin is a genius inventor, who has built a flying machine and a mobile phone in the 1810s; the hero Ransom has to constantly rescue her from kidnapping by the French who want to use her ideas to win the war. The plot doesn’t get any more usual from there. Their relationship may or may not be precipitated by the consumption of some aphrodisiac love salt. Merlin’s pet hedgehog is constantly saving the day. Ransom’s family and friends are a raggle taggle bunch, with a mystic mother, an opera singer sister in law, and a cheeky Irish (or possibly not?) secret agent. There is never a dull moment. And it’s fun! So much fun! So, if I didn’t feel as invested as I wanted to be in the central romance I still quaffed it down at speed.
CWs: dubious consent; amnesia following serious accident; hero’s brother has gambling addiction; kidnapping involving drugging; gender essentialism; light orientalism; heroine’s mother was deaf and mute; references to death of first wife and children; secondary character has a stutter; fear of heights.
June 22, 2015
Historic romance with an espionage twist, set in England during the Regency period, when Britain was at war with France. The duke is sent to track down a reclusive inventor who has supposedly created a machine that could turn the tides of war. He expects to find a Merlin type character, and he does, but she's not at all what he expected.
Loved it! A delicious hero with a secret phobia. Mmmm-Mmm. The accidental aphrodisiac scene...sublime. And funny.
Loved that peripatetic hedgehog. Cute critter. Fun scenes. And the invention worked! What a fabulous scene! Enjoyed the kids, helping her build it. The kids seemed authentic.
Secondary characters have texture. The scenes involving his brother were heartrending. Loved his sister-in-law, a no-nonsense, beautiful, and ferocious French woman.
I've read this book twice and more recently I listened to it, narrated by Nicholas Boulton. Delicious reader.
My main quibble is that I felt the Duke and his absentminded inventor were too often at odds with each other. I wanted them to get along more frequently. Their estrangement got frustrating.
I think my favorite by Kinsale is Flowers from the Storm, but this is a close second.
Loved it! A delicious hero with a secret phobia. Mmmm-Mmm. The accidental aphrodisiac scene...sublime. And funny.
Loved that peripatetic hedgehog. Cute critter. Fun scenes. And the invention worked! What a fabulous scene! Enjoyed the kids, helping her build it. The kids seemed authentic.
Secondary characters have texture. The scenes involving his brother were heartrending. Loved his sister-in-law, a no-nonsense, beautiful, and ferocious French woman.
I've read this book twice and more recently I listened to it, narrated by Nicholas Boulton. Delicious reader.
My main quibble is that I felt the Duke and his absentminded inventor were too often at odds with each other. I wanted them to get along more frequently. Their estrangement got frustrating.
I think my favorite by Kinsale is Flowers from the Storm, but this is a close second.
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March 30, 2022
Yet another one of my favourite books - can't believe I've never reviewed. RTC
dnf
October 4, 2023DNF 60% - the heroine was treated like a child and acted like a child. Hero acted like a stern father to her. Made me super uncomfortable.
January 23, 2020
This was rather fun.
Wait! What?
Oh, dear. By now I've forgotten a lot from this book. Partly because it's been a few months since I've read it, but mostly because even when I was reading it, my mind was occupied by other real life things. Isn't it most annoying when real life interferes with reading time?
Anyways, determined to write something of a review of Midsummer Moon, I read the last chapter, some snippets from the book, and some comments which managed to trigger my feeble memory.
The hero and the heroine were an interesting, unusual couple. She, a genius inventress, with her mind on equations, and dozens of projects, the most important of which was inventing a flying machine, and yet so unaware of the world around her. He, a powerful, cold aristocrat with a(n) (in)famous glare that runs in the family who's used to manipulating people to get what he wants. Merlin and Ransom. I remember their meeting in the first chapter, where his serious demeanor and his glare were met with her absent-mindedness. Where he became Mr. Duke. In chapter two he got a healthy dose of a love potion, and Merlin was the object of his desire.
Once Ransom came to his senses, he had two main goals in mind: to keep Merlin and her inventions away from enemies, and to marry Merlin to make things right. Both tasks proved to be terribly difficult to accomplish, but made for a rather fun read. It still seems wrong using the word fun to describe a Laura Kinsale book, after all the emotional, dark, nerve-wracking stories, but it's happened. I found a fun LK book.
Ransom went about being all cold and stern, manipulative, trying to trick Merlin into marrying him, and keep her from her flying machine, for he, with a dread of heights, saw it as a death trap. Merlin went about being stubborn, with a determination to make a flying machine, and a determination not to marry the man who would keep her away from it. All the while, danger was present from the forces who wanted to get their hands on Merlin's inventions.
Laura Kinsale's characters tend to tug at the heartstrings. They get me emotionally invested, anxious for their fate. I'm not sure I could say the same about Ransom and Merlin. The nature of their characters was such. They didn't seem much in touch with their emotions. Still, I liked them just fine. I liked the hedgehog, too. And the side characters. Especially Ransom's brother Shelby and Shelby's ex-wife Jacqueline. Those two were in touch with their emotions. I would love to read a whole novel about them. If this were another author, I'd go pleading they write a book about them. But it isn't. This book was published in 1987, so I believe it's safe to say that's not gonna happen.
Wow, 1987. Boy, this book is older than I am.
May 18, 2022
Midsummer moon (1987) es de las novelas más flojas de Kinsale y, aún así, mantiene el interés.
Ransom Falconer acude a casa de Merlin Lambourne en busca de un invento que puede ser útil al Almirantazgo en su Guerra con Napoleón. Así descubre a una científica despistada, Merlin, obsesa por volar. Después de un inesperado episodio de fogosidad sexual, él le propone matrimonio y ella lo rechaza. Luego van al casoplón de él y ahí pululan secundarios que se supone que son divertidos, o interesantes, o algo.
Por lo visto, Kinsale quería hacer aquí algo parecido a los regencias de Georgette Heyer. Solo que, como es Kinsale, lo de los duques, la Regencia y el humor, no son lo suyo y la cosa le salió regulera, hasta algo pesadota.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
Ransom Falconer acude a casa de Merlin Lambourne en busca de un invento que puede ser útil al Almirantazgo en su Guerra con Napoleón. Así descubre a una científica despistada, Merlin, obsesa por volar. Después de un inesperado episodio de fogosidad sexual, él le propone matrimonio y ella lo rechaza. Luego van al casoplón de él y ahí pululan secundarios que se supone que son divertidos, o interesantes, o algo.
Por lo visto, Kinsale quería hacer aquí algo parecido a los regencias de Georgette Heyer. Solo que, como es Kinsale, lo de los duques, la Regencia y el humor, no son lo suyo y la cosa le salió regulera, hasta algo pesadota.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
January 9, 2019
5 huge stars for the narration by Nicholas Boulton *I'm crushing so hard on this narrator. Who needs movie actors when we have narrators like this? ;-) *
4 big stars for the story
4.5 stars overall
Merlin, our h, was a quirky, nerdy, science geek. Socially awkward and inept, she somehow managed to capture the heart of our ruthless, uptight Duke. I adored both of them but together they made for a fun and inspiring read.
This is FREE as a selection in the Audible Romance Package.
4 big stars for the story
4.5 stars overall
Merlin, our h, was a quirky, nerdy, science geek. Socially awkward and inept, she somehow managed to capture the heart of our ruthless, uptight Duke. I adored both of them but together they made for a fun and inspiring read.
This is FREE as a selection in the Audible Romance Package.
October 9, 2012
Merlin Lambourne, es una joven científica que ha vivido recluida en una casa de campo desde su niñez, en compañía de un par de criados, un puercoespín y las memorias de su fallecido tío Dorian. Esto por supuesto le ha generado un grado de ingenuidad de tamaño colosal en cuanto a los aspectos más mundanos de la vida en sí, sobre todo en lo que se refiere a relaciones personales que son prácticamente nulas.
Si bien se siente protegida en su pequeño mundo de fantasía y construcciones de artilugios que para la época (en plena guerra Napoleónica) podrían verse de imposibles y ridículas, Merlin consigue armar a base de sueños y mucho trabajo una “máquina voladora” (mirad los escritos de Da Vinci porque es algo parecido).
Esta aún no construida máquina llegará a oídos del Duque de Damerell y por consiguiente a un encuentro con el supuesto científico para prevenirle que los franceses están enterados y van tras ella. Si bien Ransom creía saberlo todo, se encontrará totalmente sorprendido al descubrir que el científico es una mujer, y, a pesar de estar mal vestida, tener un despiste descomunal en cada momento y no prestar la debida atención a las formas sociales de su época, Ransom quedará cautivado por ella desde el primer momento.
Esta obsesión o llámese fijación será lo que le dé al libro el hilo conductor de la historia. Después de un intento de secuestro en la desvencijada casa de la protagonista, Ransom decide protegerla llevándola a su propiedad prometiéndole antes que podría continuar con su proyecto. Esto generará un caos en la vida personal del duque, pues todos y cada uno de las personas que viven en el castillo se aliarán de una forma u otra con Merlin para que pueda realizar su sueño de volar.
He de decir que este libro me ha sorprendido, esperaba algo realmente a la altura de los otros libros publicados por la autora, pero no ha sido así. A mitad del primer capítulo me sentía francamente desconcertada, todo sucedía rápido bajo la misma influencia de los mismos tópicos que encontramos en muchas novelas románticas a día de hoy.
El despiste ingenuo de nuestra protagonista que la autora trata de simplificar con escenas supuestamente llenas de humor nos dejan apabulladas de incredulidad ante lo que leemos. Si bien es cierto que cada uno interpreta el humor de una forma diferente, en este caso el humor llega a ser algo tonto, es imposible reír cuando en un diálogo entre protagonista masculino guapo, inteligente, en misión para su majestad, duque! pregunta a nuestra protagonista por el Sr. Lambourne (que es ella misma) nuestra excéntrica joven comienza a divagar sobre la raíz cuadrada, alambres, Thaddeus (el criado) y demás cosas y luego le pregunta ¿sí?, ¿qué?, ¿cómo dice?, el “qué” y el resto de frases de índole dudosa se nos atragantarán así durante todo el libro, este despiste continuará hasta el final. Sobra decir que se utiliza la palabra “cachonda” en un momento dado restándole esa elegancia que caracterizan a los libros de Kinsale, por lo que pude comprobar que por primera vez no estoy satisfecha con la traducción que se ha hecho de esta novela, en mi opinión personal ha sido nefasta y es probablemente uno de los puntos negativos de este libro.
Los personajes secundarios son muy variados, todos bien desarrollados y con una misión diferente pero importante durante todo la trama.
Me he obligado a terminar de leerlo, ha sido francamente frustrante poner unas expectativas tan altas para algo tan descorazonador, porque este libro lo es, quizás alguna ría con las tonterías de esta científico -ingenua -despistada que aprende muy rápido las artes amatorias pero se rehúsa continuamente a las propuestas de matrimonio de nuestro héroe (incomprensible de principio a fin), héroe que no soy capaz de entender pues su deseo por llevarla a la cama desde la primera página se me hizo inverosímil. Una lujuria tan poco creíble como que un puercoespín sea capaz de ayudar a una persona a encontrar a otra o que con una púa clavada en un dedo (hasta el hueso prácticamente) nuestro hombre se sienta lleno de pasión por la cercanía de esta mujer llena de polvo, un delantal tipo bolsa canguro de la que saca de todo menos un árbol. Sí, el panorama que doy es aterrador, pero después de tres secuestros, muchos qué???!!! Puerco espines trepadores con un grado de inteligencia equiparables a un delfín, pérdidas de memorias temporales y las dichosas alas de nuestra protagonista terminé de leerlo y suspirar de alivio.
A pesar de todo esto, no descarto a Laura Kinsale, personalmente para mí es una de las mejores autoras en romántica y alguien que concibió libros como Flores en la Tormenta o Sueños del desierto puede perdonársele todo, incluso un libro como éste. Seguiré leyéndola y creyendo que si pudo escribir una obra maestra como la del inolvidable Jervaux, puede volver a escribir algo a su altura; pero siendo objetiva desde mi punto de vista éste podría ser el libro que menos me ha gustado de ella hasta la fecha.
Si bien se siente protegida en su pequeño mundo de fantasía y construcciones de artilugios que para la época (en plena guerra Napoleónica) podrían verse de imposibles y ridículas, Merlin consigue armar a base de sueños y mucho trabajo una “máquina voladora” (mirad los escritos de Da Vinci porque es algo parecido).
Esta aún no construida máquina llegará a oídos del Duque de Damerell y por consiguiente a un encuentro con el supuesto científico para prevenirle que los franceses están enterados y van tras ella. Si bien Ransom creía saberlo todo, se encontrará totalmente sorprendido al descubrir que el científico es una mujer, y, a pesar de estar mal vestida, tener un despiste descomunal en cada momento y no prestar la debida atención a las formas sociales de su época, Ransom quedará cautivado por ella desde el primer momento.
Esta obsesión o llámese fijación será lo que le dé al libro el hilo conductor de la historia. Después de un intento de secuestro en la desvencijada casa de la protagonista, Ransom decide protegerla llevándola a su propiedad prometiéndole antes que podría continuar con su proyecto. Esto generará un caos en la vida personal del duque, pues todos y cada uno de las personas que viven en el castillo se aliarán de una forma u otra con Merlin para que pueda realizar su sueño de volar.
He de decir que este libro me ha sorprendido, esperaba algo realmente a la altura de los otros libros publicados por la autora, pero no ha sido así. A mitad del primer capítulo me sentía francamente desconcertada, todo sucedía rápido bajo la misma influencia de los mismos tópicos que encontramos en muchas novelas románticas a día de hoy.
El despiste ingenuo de nuestra protagonista que la autora trata de simplificar con escenas supuestamente llenas de humor nos dejan apabulladas de incredulidad ante lo que leemos. Si bien es cierto que cada uno interpreta el humor de una forma diferente, en este caso el humor llega a ser algo tonto, es imposible reír cuando en un diálogo entre protagonista masculino guapo, inteligente, en misión para su majestad, duque! pregunta a nuestra protagonista por el Sr. Lambourne (que es ella misma) nuestra excéntrica joven comienza a divagar sobre la raíz cuadrada, alambres, Thaddeus (el criado) y demás cosas y luego le pregunta ¿sí?, ¿qué?, ¿cómo dice?, el “qué” y el resto de frases de índole dudosa se nos atragantarán así durante todo el libro, este despiste continuará hasta el final. Sobra decir que se utiliza la palabra “cachonda” en un momento dado restándole esa elegancia que caracterizan a los libros de Kinsale, por lo que pude comprobar que por primera vez no estoy satisfecha con la traducción que se ha hecho de esta novela, en mi opinión personal ha sido nefasta y es probablemente uno de los puntos negativos de este libro.
Los personajes secundarios son muy variados, todos bien desarrollados y con una misión diferente pero importante durante todo la trama.
Me he obligado a terminar de leerlo, ha sido francamente frustrante poner unas expectativas tan altas para algo tan descorazonador, porque este libro lo es, quizás alguna ría con las tonterías de esta científico -ingenua -despistada que aprende muy rápido las artes amatorias pero se rehúsa continuamente a las propuestas de matrimonio de nuestro héroe (incomprensible de principio a fin), héroe que no soy capaz de entender pues su deseo por llevarla a la cama desde la primera página se me hizo inverosímil. Una lujuria tan poco creíble como que un puercoespín sea capaz de ayudar a una persona a encontrar a otra o que con una púa clavada en un dedo (hasta el hueso prácticamente) nuestro hombre se sienta lleno de pasión por la cercanía de esta mujer llena de polvo, un delantal tipo bolsa canguro de la que saca de todo menos un árbol. Sí, el panorama que doy es aterrador, pero después de tres secuestros, muchos qué???!!! Puerco espines trepadores con un grado de inteligencia equiparables a un delfín, pérdidas de memorias temporales y las dichosas alas de nuestra protagonista terminé de leerlo y suspirar de alivio.
A pesar de todo esto, no descarto a Laura Kinsale, personalmente para mí es una de las mejores autoras en romántica y alguien que concibió libros como Flores en la Tormenta o Sueños del desierto puede perdonársele todo, incluso un libro como éste. Seguiré leyéndola y creyendo que si pudo escribir una obra maestra como la del inolvidable Jervaux, puede volver a escribir algo a su altura; pero siendo objetiva desde mi punto de vista éste podría ser el libro que menos me ha gustado de ella hasta la fecha.
September 17, 2023
3.5 stars **minor spoilers**
This was hilarious, charming, and I simply loved the beautiful, brainy, ditzy-adorable, inventor heroine. It even had a cute hedgehog pet that ended up saving the heroines life, how could you not love that! Not gonna lie, I had to watch a few YT videos on hedgehogs after reading this book lol.😂
The start of the book, when they first met was SO funny, and imo the best part of the book (H asked for salt, h hands him aphrodisiac by accident, she swore it was salt😂).
But romance fizzled out after an incredible start, and the story simply started to drag, it got boring until towards the end.
I like my romance to focus on the couple, but in this story, the heroine is obsessively fixated on working on her invention -air plane- that you could even call this a historical fiction with a love triangle,
Grumpy Mr Duke + absent minded heroine + Flying Machine.
Even when they were living under the same roof (huge mansion), they barely spent any time together! It was all about her work, even the side characters were helping her with her invention…😑
Hero wasn’t her priority, her work was, and that was kinda annoying.
⛑️Safety⛑️
Totally safe
- H’s first puppy love, only other love, or infatuation was her mom when he was a small boy of 14. I know he was just a boy but it’s still kinda gross. (Her mom died when she was a child)
- H, the Duke, is a widow. His wife and 2 daughters died at birth. It’s been 12 years. Not a love match but he cared about her.
This was hilarious, charming, and I simply loved the beautiful, brainy, ditzy-adorable, inventor heroine. It even had a cute hedgehog pet that ended up saving the heroines life, how could you not love that! Not gonna lie, I had to watch a few YT videos on hedgehogs after reading this book lol.😂
The start of the book, when they first met was SO funny, and imo the best part of the book (H asked for salt, h hands him aphrodisiac by accident, she swore it was salt😂).
But romance fizzled out after an incredible start, and the story simply started to drag, it got boring until towards the end.
I like my romance to focus on the couple, but in this story, the heroine is obsessively fixated on working on her invention -air plane- that you could even call this a historical fiction with a love triangle,
Grumpy Mr Duke + absent minded heroine + Flying Machine.
Even when they were living under the same roof (huge mansion), they barely spent any time together! It was all about her work, even the side characters were helping her with her invention…😑
Hero wasn’t her priority, her work was, and that was kinda annoying.
⛑️Safety⛑️
Totally safe
- H’s first puppy love, only other love, or infatuation was her mom when he was a small boy of 14. I know he was just a boy but it’s still kinda gross. (Her mom died when she was a child)
- H, the Duke, is a widow. His wife and 2 daughters died at birth. It’s been 12 years. Not a love match but he cared about her.
January 4, 2014
Laura Kinsale es una de mis autoras favoritas... tiene un estilo inconfundible que a muchas lectoras no les gusta pero que a mí me encanta.
Su último libro El profesor de francés me sorprendió, era totalmente distinto a lo que esta autora me tenía acostumbrada pero me encantó.
En este libro sigue esa linea, intenta hacer un libro muy cómico y divertido con situaciones totalmente extravagantes, principalmente de la mano de su protagonista femenica.
Pero a mí no me ha gustado, se me ha hecho lento, pesado, repetitivo, a Merlin no sé si definirla como una protanogista que ha estado en la selva y no sabe nada de nada o simplemente a pesar de su alto coeficiente intelectual para la invención científica, socialmente hablando no llega al coeficiente de la media.
Y el amor.. dónde está? El pasa del deseo más ferviente al enamoramiento tan rápidamente y sin explicación que me ha dejado anonadada, pero ni al final ha sido Laura Kinsale capaz de convencerme de que Merlin estaba enamorada de nuestro Duque.
No negaré que el libro tiene pasajes divertidos y que al final la historia se anima, pero en conjunto no me ha convencido nada.
Su último libro El profesor de francés me sorprendió, era totalmente distinto a lo que esta autora me tenía acostumbrada pero me encantó.
En este libro sigue esa linea, intenta hacer un libro muy cómico y divertido con situaciones totalmente extravagantes, principalmente de la mano de su protagonista femenica.
Pero a mí no me ha gustado, se me ha hecho lento, pesado, repetitivo, a Merlin no sé si definirla como una protanogista que ha estado en la selva y no sabe nada de nada o simplemente a pesar de su alto coeficiente intelectual para la invención científica, socialmente hablando no llega al coeficiente de la media.
Y el amor.. dónde está? El pasa del deseo más ferviente al enamoramiento tan rápidamente y sin explicación que me ha dejado anonadada, pero ni al final ha sido Laura Kinsale capaz de convencerme de que Merlin estaba enamorada de nuestro Duque.
No negaré que el libro tiene pasajes divertidos y que al final la historia se anima, pero en conjunto no me ha convencido nada.
June 1, 2019
Kindle sale USD 0.99 today (June 1st 2019)
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