My rating:

add to my books

The Moonlight Mistress

by Victoria Janssen (Goodreads Author)

3.11 · rating details · 19 ratings · 8 reviews

It is the eve of the Great War, and English chemist Lucilla Osbourne finds herself trapped on hostile German soil. Panicked and alone, she turns to a young Frenchman for shelter. Together they spend a night of intense passion, but their dangerous circumstances won’t allow more than a brief affair.

Even with the memory of Lucilla ever present, scientist Pascal Fo...more

Paperback

Published December 1st 2009 by Harlequin Spice (first published November 11th 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 78)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 29, 2010

Jeannie Mancini rated it

Standing in a German train station attempting to leave for England, Lucilla Osbourne learns that Germany has just declared war on Russia, and that this night begins what we now call the Great War. Lucilla, a 40 year old spinster, is a chemist who has been in Germany working at a scientific Institute on a research project that will enhance pain killing pharmaceuticals. As no outbound trains were leaving, she is turned away and forced to retreat back to the facility. Arriving at the front gate in ...moreStanding in a German train station attempting to leave for England, Lucilla Osbourne learns that Germany has just declared war on Russia, and that this night begins what we now call the Great War. Lucilla, a 40 year old spinster, is a chemist who has been in Germany working at a scientific Institute on a research project that will enhance pain killing pharmaceuticals. As no outbound trains were leaving, she is turned away and forced to retreat back to the facility. Arriving at the front gate in darkness, she finds it chained tight, with no way inside. Screaming for someone to please let her in, another outsider, a young Frenchman named Pascal Fournier, informs her that all foreign scientists associated with the institute are no longer welcome. With concern she will be sleeping on the street, Lucilla accepts an invitation to join Pascal at his hotel room until they can devise a plan to get out of Germany. In the heat of the night, on this forbidding evening that starts off World War I, these two strangers find intimacy, friendship and passion. In each other's arms and as they drift off to sleep, Pascal lies with a pistol under his pillow and a plan to garner help from a relative's friend that may help them escape. Their night of passion is detailed with one erotic sex scene after another, and the following day has them stealing a car and driving all the way to France accompanied by many stop-overs for heated sexual encounters.

Deep in an underground complex beneath the Institute, Herr Krau, a scientist who has proof that werewolves exist, is torturing beautiful Tanneken, a female shapeshifting wolf. He is using her as a lab rat for horrifying experimentation. She endures painful imprisonment day after day, and paces the floors hungry for an escape from her hell. He breaks her bones, he shoots her full of bullets, he tempts her with animal and human flesh, all to watch for healing regeneration and to examine the fascinating mysteries of her wolven body.

Along with Lucilla's brother Crispin, many young men of England and France are called to arms. Gearing up under hasty training, they board a train to the trenches of war. Bullets fly, young boys die, yet friendships bind and boys become men. They talk of their mothers, they write letters to their girls, they sit with rifles in hand as they dream of home, and pray the war will swiftly end. Some sit under the stars and talk bravely of their first sexual encounters, they crave whiskey, cigarettes, and the warm touch of a woman's skin. Or in the case of this novel, sometimes a man's skin as well; for this novel serves up many scenes of steamy straight, gay and menage erotica.

Half way through this very unusual story, I decided to throw in the towel. I wasn't sure if I was reading a war novel, a romance novel, or a werewolf book. The different ingredients didn't blend, and the story did not flow for me. It was executed in a very disjointed way without focus. Midway I was very bored, feeling the characters were very lifeless, and I found no interest in them or how their lives would unfold. The writing style of the author is o.k., not fabulous; adequate but not in my opinion polished. It could be that this book was just not to my personal reading taste, but I wonder if maybe the author tried to do too much at once. I give her two stars credit for creativity that's for sure, and the attempt is certainly not a total disaster. I think more focus and character depth would have helped streamline the plot. I believe the story of Lucilla & Pascal and their involvement with the German institute that revolves around the werewolf twist would have been very sufficient. Removing the extensive war sections and keeping that as a background historical event for the time period feel, would have also worked better I think. I wanted to really like this book because I'm so big on authors who have ingenuity and unique story plots to offer, but I just couldn't find enough to keep me heading toward the finish line. On the whole I say "close, but not quite there".(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 06, 2011

Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, erotica, war-world-war-1, 1-stars, 2011-december, harlequin-2000s, wtf-was-this, when-the-genre-sucks-it-sucks-hard, things-are-doing-things

What a hot mess.

Too many characters. Incoherent or flat-out dull plots and subplots that pass each other like ships in the night for the majority of the book, only to eventually collide willy-nilly like the Three Stooges on a sugar high.

And lastly and specifically, the audiobook is one of the worst and consistently annoying narrations I've ever heard. However, the flaws of the book itself came through loud and clear. Even if I'd read it, rather than listened, I'd still ha...moreWhat a hot mess.

Too many characters. Incoherent or flat-out dull plots and subplots that pass each other like ships in the night for the majority of the book, only to eventually collide willy-nilly like the Three Stooges on a sugar high.

And lastly and specifically, the audiobook is one of the worst and consistently annoying narrations I've ever heard. However, the flaws of the book itself came through loud and clear. Even if I'd read it, rather than listened, I'd still have disliked it. Because this book is a huge, boneless blob of ideas with barely any structure and, at best, half-assed execution.

The author couldn't decide what she wanted to write about: a jilted cougar chemist who has an affair with a French scientist, a mad German scientist and his werewolf experiments, or a trench-bound soap opera with gay and bisexual soldiers and a tailoress who put on pants and joined the army to earn more money.

So she did all three, and failed on every single one.

The sex, when it happens, goes on and on and on and on in an interminable and uninteresting style. In most of the scenes, especially the threesome at the end, it was very mechanical and read like actors and a director blocking a scene.

Now, for the narration. As far as I can tell, this is the only title with Patsy Kelland's name on it. For good reason, I think. She does terrible male voices, her deeper tone sounding like some disappointed mother giving a tot the "I mean business" spiel. She's also got a saliva problem and difficulty with cadence, leaving some sentences dangling on the wrong note. There was absolutely no spark between reader and text. And her French and German accents sucked, too. I never want to hear another zee, zat, zhose, zhere, zees, vill, vant, vun, viz, and muzzer (mother - a word that popped up with an odd frequency) etc. for a very, very long time.

I'm hoping that another Janssen audiobook won't disappoint. Since I'm a captive commuter and lunchtime walker, I might as well find out.(less)

· see review

Dec 20, 2010

Elise Logan rated it

Intertwined storylines make this a fast-paced read. The setting is unusual and the mythology is definitely not the norm. Fun read.

· see review

Aug 07, 2011

Mommyreview.com rated it

WTF all I have to say is this books gave me a headache and was all over the freaking place.

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 29, 2010

Tina rated it

This book had a lot going on. I felt like Janssen tried to have too many characters and side plots, and the result was I was just confused. If Janssen could have focused a bit more and had clearer ways of designating the speakers in the dialogue, I could have given it a few more stars

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 30, 2011

Krystle Garrison rated it

very sexxy!

· see review

Nov 21, 2010

Lemonitsa rated it

Shelves: romance, my-own, audio, puf

Oct. 26/10 -- Chapter 3 --
Oct. 29/10 -- Chapter 5 --
Oct. 31/10 -- Chapter 7 --
Nov. 15/10 -- Chapter 11 --
Nov. 16/10 -- Chapter 13 --
Nov. 17/10 -- Chapter 15 --
Nov. 19/10 -- Chapter 18 --
Nov. 20/10 -- Chapter 21 --
Nov. 21/10 -- Finished --

· see review

Aug 13, 2011

Vera rated it

Shelves: country-united-states, romance

It had me at werewolves in WW1.

· see review

Feb 05, 2012

Samantha marked it as to-read

Feb 04, 2012

Jack rated it

Jan 23, 2012

Brittney marked it as to-read

Shelves: 0-audiobook, 1-adult, genre-romance-erotica, genre-romance-historical, genre-fantasy-paranormal, genre-paranormal-shapeshifters

Dec 01, 2011

Satyendra marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Dec 01, 2011

Nisha marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 29, 2011

Kelli marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 10, 2011

David Hoyt added it

Nov 10, 2011

Djenii marked it as to-read

Sep 17, 2011

Barbara marked it as to-read

Aug 28, 2011

Cristina Contilli added it

Aug 17, 2011

farmwifetwo marked it as to-read

Aug 07, 2011

Nikunj Patel added it

Jul 24, 2011

Lesley added it

Jun 25, 2011

Catherine marked it as to-read

Jun 04, 2011

Elaine Golden added it

Shelves: loaned-krista

May 08, 2011

Crystal S marked it as maybe

Feb 19, 2011

Valya Lupescu rated it

Jan 26, 2011

Mely marked it as to-read

Jan 18, 2011

Rebekah marked it as to-read

Dec 27, 2010

Sebina (Classicmaiden) marked it as to-read

Shelves: harlequin-erotic

Dec 11, 2010

Skylar Kade marked it as to-read

Nov 30, 2010

Shanon marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 next »

Romance

3 users

Romance > Historical Romance

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Books by Victoria Janssen

The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom & Their Lover

17 Short Films About Hades and Persephone

More…

Trivia About The Moonlight Mis...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Moonlight Mistress
avg rating	preview: The Moonlight Mistress Goodreads rating: 3.11 (19 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6633873-the-moonlight-mistress?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1250601144m/6633873.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6633873-the-moonlight-mistress?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Moonlight Mistress by Victoria Janssen[/url]

The Moonlight Mistress

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Books by Victoria Janssen

Trivia About The Moonlight Mis...

The Moonlight Mistress

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combine Other Editions (3)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Books by Victoria Janssen

Trivia About The Moonlight Mis...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)