The General's Mistress by Jo Graham

A sinful, decadent story about an adventurous woman and her lovers!




Liberté, Egalité, Sensualité. . . .As a spirit of change overturns Europe’s old order, strong-willed
Elzelina Versfelt enters her own age of revolution. Married as a romantic young
girl to a man who wanted only her money, but neither loves nor desires her,
Elza refuses to be chained any longer. Leaving Amsterdam, her marriage, and her
home, she flees to France—where the old rules no longer apply, debauchery is
not a sin . . . and nothing is forbidden.




Yet Elza finds herself bound in a new way, to the ambitious General
Moreau. And while they share pleasure, pain, and carnal adventures, she dreams
of another man, an unruly red-haired soldier she first saw in the promise of a
Tarot card. Drawn by this half-real, half-imagined hero, Elza defies her
relationship with Moreau, and begins a perilous search across war-torn Europe.
. . . But will this woman with the instincts of a survivor, the passion of a
courtesan, and the gift of second sight ever find the destiny for which she has
risked it all?




This stunning novel blends history with the language of the heart to
tell a sensual story of an era of upheaval . . . and of the clamoring,
dangerous desires of a woman’s soul.









Ida Saint-Elme




The General’s Mistress by Jo Graham is a novel
based on the personal memoirs of  Elzelina
av Aylde Jonghe, also known as Ida Saint-Elme (27 September 1776 – 19 May 1845). She became
an actress, writer, and led a most audacious life.






The General’s Mistress by Jo Graham is a novel
based on the personal memoirs of  Elzelina
av Aylde Jonghe, also known as Ida Saint-Elme (27 September 1776 – 19 May 1845). She became
an actress, writer, and led a most audacious life.




In 18th century Amsterdam, Elzelina,
at the tender age of twelve, is married to a man old enough to be her father –
a man who married her solely for her generous dowry. Unhappy, when she turns
nineteen, she leaves her husband and two sons and flees to start a new life in Paris.
There, she encounters a strong, controlling man named General Victor Moreau who
aids Napoleon’s rise to power and later becomes his enemy.









General Victor Moreau




Elzelina inevitably succumbs
to his allure and becomes his mistress. She harbors the hope that she will one
day be married to him, but a reading of the tarot cards reveals she will meet
and fall in love with a red haired man who will be the true love of her life.
This man turns out to be Michel Ney, a commander in Napoleon’s army. 









Marshal Michel Ney

1st Duc d'Elchingen

1st Prince de la Moskowa 




Both of her lovers were fabulously handsome and desirable. Illicit love, violence, betrayal, the theatre, and
historical detail are carefully interwoven to make a great story narrated by
the heroine herself. Even though Elzelina is not a heroine that is easily
admired or respected, she is nevertheless a true historical person and the
decisions she made in her life she personally recorded in the writing of her personal
memoirs that catapulted her into fame. Elzelina’s story is sinful and captivating
with its séances, tarot cards, battles, romance, and intrigue set in Napoleonic
France. A most fascinating woman!





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