A review by waclements7
Midsummer Moon by Laura Kinsale

1.0

This book has an intriguing premise—a mid-twenties Regency woman mistaken from her name to be a man—she is a great inventor and possibly has a device that can help turn the tide against Napoleon. The stuffy duke sent to find him (her) discovers the Merlin he is looking for is in fact a very eccentric woman who is so inside her head full of the idea of flight she scarcely registers what is happening around her. She carries a hedgehog in her pocket—now that’s pretty adorable. The upright and strictly a gentleman is concerned with her safety, which she barely acknowledges—she can’t even remember his name and his title means nothing to her—in her mind the outside world does not exist. So what’s a poor, mannered duke to do with no one there to chaperone her? Why, make love to her, of course, before the chapter’s out. So much for those morals. She’s not a simpleton—she’s brilliant and abstracted, and what does he do? He takes advantage of her naïveté. Twice. 😳 WT actual F am I reading here? This may be a good book. I just can’t go on with it starting like that. He just can’t control himself and has to have her. As Lee Mack said of Noel Fielding’s kiss on his cheek after Noel’s truly awesome performance of “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush, “I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.” (But Noel does look gorgeous). Also, Lee Mack and Noel Fielding have known each other for years and were actually roommates once—Noel’s performance was glorious and Lee was joking, but I wish I was about this book. Merlin and the Duke of Ramsom or whatever the heck it is are not even communicating on the same level. I am in a rut. Sort of. The Duke of Ransom certainly was. Maybe it’s an early work and I’ll give another of the author’s works a try later. Her name is familiar and maybe a newer work is better. Because I liked the blurb. It could have been awesome. Not even the hedgehog could save it, but it did make me laugh. The hedgehog deserves its own story.