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The Ten #3
Moonlit
Award-winning author Emma Jensen returns with the heartfelt tale of a man shattered by life - and the woman destined to heal his broken spirit . . .
Bearing the scars of a violent past, Viscount Trevor St. Wulfstan relishes his sinful reputation as much as he enjoys his dangerous clandestine missions for the British army. His fortune depleted, Trevor cannot afford to take a lover, let alone compete with the rest of the town for the affections of one remarkable lady's. Yet he is powerless to resist the passion she stirs in his soul.
They call her Mrs. Nolan. A notorious courtesan from Ireland, she has been sought out by the men of London, eager to sample her skills. But all Nell Nolan wants is a quick entrée into society to collect an old debt, and then she will be done with her sordid charade. Until she meets St. Wulfstan - so completely, so dangerously unlike any man she has ever known outside her dreams. A single glance at Trevor's ravaged face, and an unforgettable night spent in his arms, seals her fate. For once, long ago, Nell had wished upon the moon. . . .
Bearing the scars of a violent past, Viscount Trevor St. Wulfstan relishes his sinful reputation as much as he enjoys his dangerous clandestine missions for the British army. His fortune depleted, Trevor cannot afford to take a lover, let alone compete with the rest of the town for the affections of one remarkable lady's. Yet he is powerless to resist the passion she stirs in his soul.
They call her Mrs. Nolan. A notorious courtesan from Ireland, she has been sought out by the men of London, eager to sample her skills. But all Nell Nolan wants is a quick entrée into society to collect an old debt, and then she will be done with her sordid charade. Until she meets St. Wulfstan - so completely, so dangerously unlike any man she has ever known outside her dreams. A single glance at Trevor's ravaged face, and an unforgettable night spent in his arms, seals her fate. For once, long ago, Nell had wished upon the moon. . . .
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2002
4 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Emma Jensen
24 books38 followersEmma Jensen is a bestselling author who has won both a Rita and a Reviewer's Choice Award for her Regencies. She grew up in San Francisco and among the vines of the California wine country. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with degrees in nineteenth-century literature, sociology, and public policy.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 14, 2022
Loved it. Definitely for fans of Judith Ivory's "Black Silk," Patricia Gaffney's "To Have and to Hold," and Carolyn Jewel's "Scandal." Books that you either love or hate, are not fluffy and a bit out of the norm...
Millionth Re-read: This is a total go to for me. I must read this book at least a couple times a year. I absolutely love the intensity of the characters. I have read so many stories where the H is supposed to be this tough guy who spied for the government during the war, etc. Only as I read on, I find they’re usually drawn as someone who really isn’t as bad as they seem because though they’re spying, they’re really just ACTING. They’re just pretending to be a rake, etc. NOT with St. Wulfstan. This man is the real deal. Though this story is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. In fact, the first book of the series has only a couple of characters hint at St. Wulfstan and usually in short snippets such as him “being off somewhere, doing…things…the dirty things they don’t talk about.” What things? First, what we have is a secret group of men, called collectively, The Ten. Their job is to go on assignments by the government to steal, cheat, spy and even kill if necessary on orders by the military/government to affect/help their cause during war time AND peace time. Some are better at spying. Some are better at stealing. St. Wulfstan? He’s better at assassinations. This story has St. Wulfstan back in England because 7 of the 10 have died and not all because of accidents (this is more of the plotline in book 1 which is NOT needed to read to understand this story). He’s scarred (though no one knows how or why). He’s a lord but one who is completely broke, making a living by gambling and doing what he can to stay afloat. His estates are mortgaged and falling apart and he is unable to do a single thing about it due to a b*stard of a father who died leaving a will that binds his hands. I cannot even begin to describe St. Wulfstan. We know that he started out in life as a sweet, sensitive boy/young man. We know that he was made to be cruel by his father and what his “work” with the government has made him. Despite his scarred face he has had his legion of lovers (as it’s stated that he’s used to waiting for the 2nd look, 3rd look, 12th look before the woman gets over the scars and falls into his bed). We know he has 2 things left that he enjoys and “baiting his peers is the 2nd one.” He’s stealthy and deadly. In fact, even with re-reads, I find I discover new things. Little things peppered throughout that shows he’s completely capable with whatever life throws at him. Like being at a party and seeing someone walking towards him. He slips behind a column, circles the room and in seconds is behind the man who is STILL walking towards where he was. It’s cool, it’s awesome, it’s a small thing in the grand scheme of the story but we get a lot of these small things that add up to a big thing. We know he has killed both in war and peace time. In fact, we follow him on one of his assassination jobs and it’s not pretty. It’s dark. It’s scary and disturbing. We see how efficiently he can kill a man in the streets and walk away as cool as if nothing has happened. But we also know that later he turns down an alley and throws up. Then gets back up and keeps going.
And then there’s the h, Nell. I loved her. She is a widow turned “courtesan.” A plain woman with beautiful eyes (she could be a Betty Neels’ character!). She’s nice. She’s kind. She has a core of iron. She’s not helpless. The connection with St. Wulfstan is incredibly strong as these 2 injured people come together. St. Wulfstan is not nice which makes his small gestures towards Nell that much more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not always nice to her. However, it’s not so much as he’s purposely setting out to hurt her. He just says things without thinking and realizes after the fact that his words hurt. And if you’re into possessive heroes (of which I am TOTALLY a fan), then this would definitely fill that requirement. When St. Wulfstan tells you not to run from him and that he’d find you no matter where you go? Well, it’s no idle boast. He means it and what’s more, this man can do it. He has a lot of on the job experience at this sort of thing.
I can tell I’ll re-read it a couple more times this year. And the next year. And the next. I simply love the depth of the story. The well-drawn characters. The dark themes. Emma Jensen is an excellent writer but this definitely stands out to me as her best.
Millionth Re-read: This is a total go to for me. I must read this book at least a couple times a year. I absolutely love the intensity of the characters. I have read so many stories where the H is supposed to be this tough guy who spied for the government during the war, etc. Only as I read on, I find they’re usually drawn as someone who really isn’t as bad as they seem because though they’re spying, they’re really just ACTING. They’re just pretending to be a rake, etc. NOT with St. Wulfstan. This man is the real deal. Though this story is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. In fact, the first book of the series has only a couple of characters hint at St. Wulfstan and usually in short snippets such as him “being off somewhere, doing…things…the dirty things they don’t talk about.” What things? First, what we have is a secret group of men, called collectively, The Ten. Their job is to go on assignments by the government to steal, cheat, spy and even kill if necessary on orders by the military/government to affect/help their cause during war time AND peace time. Some are better at spying. Some are better at stealing. St. Wulfstan? He’s better at assassinations. This story has St. Wulfstan back in England because 7 of the 10 have died and not all because of accidents (this is more of the plotline in book 1 which is NOT needed to read to understand this story). He’s scarred (though no one knows how or why). He’s a lord but one who is completely broke, making a living by gambling and doing what he can to stay afloat. His estates are mortgaged and falling apart and he is unable to do a single thing about it due to a b*stard of a father who died leaving a will that binds his hands. I cannot even begin to describe St. Wulfstan. We know that he started out in life as a sweet, sensitive boy/young man. We know that he was made to be cruel by his father and what his “work” with the government has made him. Despite his scarred face he has had his legion of lovers (as it’s stated that he’s used to waiting for the 2nd look, 3rd look, 12th look before the woman gets over the scars and falls into his bed). We know he has 2 things left that he enjoys and “baiting his peers is the 2nd one.” He’s stealthy and deadly. In fact, even with re-reads, I find I discover new things. Little things peppered throughout that shows he’s completely capable with whatever life throws at him. Like being at a party and seeing someone walking towards him. He slips behind a column, circles the room and in seconds is behind the man who is STILL walking towards where he was. It’s cool, it’s awesome, it’s a small thing in the grand scheme of the story but we get a lot of these small things that add up to a big thing. We know he has killed both in war and peace time. In fact, we follow him on one of his assassination jobs and it’s not pretty. It’s dark. It’s scary and disturbing. We see how efficiently he can kill a man in the streets and walk away as cool as if nothing has happened. But we also know that later he turns down an alley and throws up. Then gets back up and keeps going.
And then there’s the h, Nell. I loved her. She is a widow turned “courtesan.” A plain woman with beautiful eyes (she could be a Betty Neels’ character!). She’s nice. She’s kind. She has a core of iron. She’s not helpless. The connection with St. Wulfstan is incredibly strong as these 2 injured people come together. St. Wulfstan is not nice which makes his small gestures towards Nell that much more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not always nice to her. However, it’s not so much as he’s purposely setting out to hurt her. He just says things without thinking and realizes after the fact that his words hurt. And if you’re into possessive heroes (of which I am TOTALLY a fan), then this would definitely fill that requirement. When St. Wulfstan tells you not to run from him and that he’d find you no matter where you go? Well, it’s no idle boast. He means it and what’s more, this man can do it. He has a lot of on the job experience at this sort of thing.
I can tell I’ll re-read it a couple more times this year. And the next year. And the next. I simply love the depth of the story. The well-drawn characters. The dark themes. Emma Jensen is an excellent writer but this definitely stands out to me as her best.
February 28, 2022
A well-written Regency featuring Irish main characters and a mystery subplot.
I also found a couple of similarities between this one and ‘To Have and To Hold’, mainly when it came to the hero’s ambivalent motivations and personality, although the latter is unmatched when it comes to character depth and authenticity. ‘Moonlight’ takes fewer risks and therefore reaps smaller rewards, but is an enjoyable and at times very emotional read.
I also found a couple of similarities between this one and ‘To Have and To Hold’, mainly when it came to the hero’s ambivalent motivations and personality, although the latter is unmatched when it comes to character depth and authenticity. ‘Moonlight’ takes fewer risks and therefore reaps smaller rewards, but is an enjoyable and at times very emotional read.
March 13, 2018
Wonderful Finish to the Regency spy trilogy… An Irish Romance to Remember!
As far as I can tell—and I’ve tried to research it—this is part of a trilogy of Regency romances that involve former spies for England during the wars with France. There were 10 spies to begin with (“the Ten”). Some were nobility. The first book, ENTWINED, written in 1997, was set in England in 1810, and tells the story of Nathan, Viscount Oriel and his Scottish love, Isobel. It was excellent and I gave it 5 stars in my review. The second, FALLEN, written in 2001, is set in Scotland in 1812, and is the story of Gabriel Loudon, Earl of Rievaulx (also one of the Ten), and Maggie, Isobel’s beautiful sister. It was superb and also justified 5 stars. MOONLIT is the 3rd in the trilogy and an amazing finish to an amazing trilogy. It’s the story of Viscount Trevor St. Wulfstan (another member of the Ten) and Nell Nolan.
Once, when she was a young girl in Ireland, Nell wished on the moon and looked into a mirror hoping to see a picture of the man who would one day be her lover. And she saw him. As a young man, his father beat Trevor so badly he remains scarred, both inside and out. Years later, both have grown up. Trevor is an impoverished Irish lord, who lives by his gambling and his work for the Crown. A member of the Ten, Trevor gets the assignments the others don’t want, the assassinations, for example. Now, someone is trying to kill him. Nell, now a widow named Mrs. Nolan, is staying in London only long enough to tie up a loose end: a British lord cheated her out of her husband’s pay owed him when he was killed in the war years ago. Because she cared for a Duke who was sick during his last years, everyone in the Ton assumes Nell was his mistress and she a courtesan. She won’t correct the impression, though false, because it serves her purpose. The Duke left her a wealthy woman but she wants her husband’s money for the principle, for his honor. Knowing nothing of this, Trevor decides he must have the notorious Mrs. Nolan. Neither shares the pain they carry nor the story of their past.
As with the two others in this trilogy, Jensen weaves a beautiful story with very real passions and hurts, in this case, children hurt by the sins of others. Her writing is wonderfully descriptive with no overly long introspection passages as some writers of romance engage in. It’s a well-told story. Her dialog is not mere banter, either, but meaningful conversations that bring you into the heart of the characters’ longings and fears. The love scenes are well placed and fit perfectly. Highly recommended.
My only regret is that she stopped at three stories. The tales are so good, one could have hoped for a dozen. They are all related so read them in order—and don’t miss them!
The Regency Spy trilogy:
Entwined
Fallen
Moonlit
As far as I can tell—and I’ve tried to research it—this is part of a trilogy of Regency romances that involve former spies for England during the wars with France. There were 10 spies to begin with (“the Ten”). Some were nobility. The first book, ENTWINED, written in 1997, was set in England in 1810, and tells the story of Nathan, Viscount Oriel and his Scottish love, Isobel. It was excellent and I gave it 5 stars in my review. The second, FALLEN, written in 2001, is set in Scotland in 1812, and is the story of Gabriel Loudon, Earl of Rievaulx (also one of the Ten), and Maggie, Isobel’s beautiful sister. It was superb and also justified 5 stars. MOONLIT is the 3rd in the trilogy and an amazing finish to an amazing trilogy. It’s the story of Viscount Trevor St. Wulfstan (another member of the Ten) and Nell Nolan.
Once, when she was a young girl in Ireland, Nell wished on the moon and looked into a mirror hoping to see a picture of the man who would one day be her lover. And she saw him. As a young man, his father beat Trevor so badly he remains scarred, both inside and out. Years later, both have grown up. Trevor is an impoverished Irish lord, who lives by his gambling and his work for the Crown. A member of the Ten, Trevor gets the assignments the others don’t want, the assassinations, for example. Now, someone is trying to kill him. Nell, now a widow named Mrs. Nolan, is staying in London only long enough to tie up a loose end: a British lord cheated her out of her husband’s pay owed him when he was killed in the war years ago. Because she cared for a Duke who was sick during his last years, everyone in the Ton assumes Nell was his mistress and she a courtesan. She won’t correct the impression, though false, because it serves her purpose. The Duke left her a wealthy woman but she wants her husband’s money for the principle, for his honor. Knowing nothing of this, Trevor decides he must have the notorious Mrs. Nolan. Neither shares the pain they carry nor the story of their past.
As with the two others in this trilogy, Jensen weaves a beautiful story with very real passions and hurts, in this case, children hurt by the sins of others. Her writing is wonderfully descriptive with no overly long introspection passages as some writers of romance engage in. It’s a well-told story. Her dialog is not mere banter, either, but meaningful conversations that bring you into the heart of the characters’ longings and fears. The love scenes are well placed and fit perfectly. Highly recommended.
My only regret is that she stopped at three stories. The tales are so good, one could have hoped for a dozen. They are all related so read them in order—and don’t miss them!
The Regency Spy trilogy:
Entwined
Fallen
Moonlit
June 27, 2009
Trevor, Viscount Wulfstan is nicknamed "Sin" about the ton. Wulf carries with him not only physical scars from his childhood but mental ones as well. Then in walks the infamous Mrs. Nolan, whose protector has died before she can complete one secret reason for actually making it to London. She goes to a renowned courtesan Anastasia Balashova and asks assistance in finding someone who can help her gain admission to the Golden Ball. She finds no one who really interests her until Wulf, ignoring protocol, introduces himself to her and agrees to her terms, as long as she will spend the night with him. He takes her to the ball and discovers that she only wants to confront the Lord holding the ball and demand a small sum of money from him due to her upon her husband's death. He helps her get it, but then, Nell Nolan disappears, unable to go through with the rest because she is actually no courtesan at all! Angered, he still wants his night and slowly with persistence and kindness he gets not only his night but a wife as well. I found the characters with a depth that was believable. And I enjoyed the escape it gave me. I could read it again....
March 2, 2022
4.5 stars
February 26, 2024
Something was just missing in this book. I just didn’t like how hero couldn’t really communicate at all yet somehow heroine was always understanding. Maybe I’m just too prideful to accept such treatment in the name of love.
June 7, 2020
My heart still feels tender, after I have closed the last page. I wish Jensen wrote more, what she has on her shelf is always an A rate. Romances of substance, a rare thing to find nowadays. This one was published in 2003.
If you like tortured (and scarred) heroes and women who have the inner strength and intelligence to love them - including weather the emotional storms which come with loving such men - pick this up if you can find a copy. As far as I know, this author's books are not on Kindle yet - and I hunted this secondhand copy on Amazon. It sat on my TBR for several years until I picked it up today - and yes I finished it today. I had the same feels I had reading Laura Kinsale's The Flower in the Storm.
The book is a journey of 2 people who are not at all what they seemed in the beginning but who find their way to each other in the end. There are scenes where he lashes out at her, but which she still sees him and recognises hurt and pain talking. It is through these interactions the reader is brought to understand how perfect they are for each other. It's a romance through and through; because the MCs are also from Ireland, expect fairies and the moon weaved in this lovely heartfelt tale.
Highly highly recommended. Again, I wish Jensen were still writing.
If you like tortured (and scarred) heroes and women who have the inner strength and intelligence to love them - including weather the emotional storms which come with loving such men - pick this up if you can find a copy. As far as I know, this author's books are not on Kindle yet - and I hunted this secondhand copy on Amazon. It sat on my TBR for several years until I picked it up today - and yes I finished it today. I had the same feels I had reading Laura Kinsale's The Flower in the Storm.
The book is a journey of 2 people who are not at all what they seemed in the beginning but who find their way to each other in the end. There are scenes where he lashes out at her, but which she still sees him and recognises hurt and pain talking. It is through these interactions the reader is brought to understand how perfect they are for each other. It's a romance through and through; because the MCs are also from Ireland, expect fairies and the moon weaved in this lovely heartfelt tale.
Highly highly recommended. Again, I wish Jensen were still writing.
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February 20, 2011I got about 1/2 way through it but found that i couldn't follow the motivations of the characters. I just didn't find that I cared about them at all. I can't stand it when two characters who don't seem to like each other jump in to bed without good reason. some may think this is romance, but I think it smut.
June 18, 2013
Some parts were good, some parts were boring.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews