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Moonlit Splendor
When Pierre Renaud awoke in an isolated cove after a long day of carousing, he saw an enchanting blond beauty strolling amid the moon-washed rocks. Convinced she was a rum-inspired dream, the wealthy adventurer reached out to mold her supple curves with his strong hands and to taste her intoxicating nectar with his sensual lips. His desire knew no bounds when her struggles proved her flesh and blood and nothing could stop him from taking his pleasure with the alluring little witch.
When a towering man loomed at her in the dusk, waves of fear engulfed blue-eyed Charmaine Lamoureux. Then as he clasped her close and she felt his masculine heat, she couldn't resist the rush of ecstasy that surged through her. The innocent beauty knew she should scream, scratch and fight but after one masterful touch, she whimpered, caressed and embraced. Forcibly engaged to be wed on the morrow, Charmaine had to snatch now what little happiness she could and relent to this breathless, fantasy, this exhilarating . . . Moonlit Splendor!
When a towering man loomed at her in the dusk, waves of fear engulfed blue-eyed Charmaine Lamoureux. Then as he clasped her close and she felt his masculine heat, she couldn't resist the rush of ecstasy that surged through her. The innocent beauty knew she should scream, scratch and fight but after one masterful touch, she whimpered, caressed and embraced. Forcibly engaged to be wed on the morrow, Charmaine had to snatch now what little happiness she could and relent to this breathless, fantasy, this exhilarating . . . Moonlit Splendor!
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 20, 2014
Wanda Owen Finally Hits Her Stride.
After starting out with a bit of shakiness in her earliest books, Wanda Owen began to find her mojo with "Moonlit Splendor." While it's not a great book-it's certainly not worthy of five stars-it's not a bad book, and it has a lot of really good qualities.
The Story: The book opens with an introduction to the heroine of the book, Charmaine Lamoureux, a beautiful young French girl living on the island of Jersey in England with her aunt and uncle, Simone and Angus Keene. Charmaine has lived with the Keene’s since her parents passed away four years ago. Charmaine is a dreamer and prone to fantasies. She also likes to take walks on the beach at night. On one of those nights, Charmaine is accosted by the hero of the book, Pierre Renaud. Pierre is a Frenchman being exiled by his family from France because of his many romantic involvements. That night, Pierre kisses Charmaine, and she kisses him back. They both like it and are immediately attracted to each other.
The Keene’s have concerns about Charmaine, most notably, the fact that one of their sons, Johnny, is in love with his beautiful cousin. To cut this off at the pass, they encourage Charmaine to allow an American planter, George Seymour, to court her. Eventually, she agrees and agrees to marry Seymour. Pierre, however, has other ideas and is trying to find her.
Pierre eventually finds Charmaine and they make love, despite the fact that she is engaged to Seymour; she doesn’t love him at all. After making love, Charmaine and Pierre profess their love for each other. However, others have different plans for them. One of those is Sarnia Wakefield, daughter of shipping magnate Martin Wakefield, who Pierre and his friend Jacques Bernay are living with prior to being sent to America to the Missouri Territory. Sarnia comes to Charmaine and tells her that she and Pierre are going to be married, which is a lie. Charmaine, however, is a very naïve, gullible young woman and believes Sarnia’s lie. Sarnia then tells Martin that Jacques behaved inappropriately toward her, thinking that Martin will send Jacques away so she and Pierre can be together. Martin, however, sends Jacques AND Pierre away, having them shanghaied aboard a ship headed for America. While on their way to America, Jacques finds out a secret, that he is really Pierre’s half-brother. Back in Jersey, Sarnia vows revenge against Martin and step two in this is her becoming involved with Johnny Keene. Martin finds out and has Johnny beaten and his ship-his means of making his livelihood-destroyed. While all of that is going on, Pierre and Jacques are on their way to America plotting revenge against Martin, and Charmaine came thisclose to marrying Seymour; she was sick the day she was to be married and he left without her, although he left money for her to come to America later. Charmaine does leave for America after her health improves; realizing that the fact that Johnny loves her is causing a wedge between him and his parents.
Part 2: A Strange New World.
Charmaine leaves Jersey for America aboard the ship, the Sea Sally. While on the ship, Charmaine meets a woman named Tasha Weer, who will become one of her best friends. Both women are heading to Norfolk, Virginia for different reasons; Charmaine to marry George Seymour and Tasha to become caretaker to her widowed brother and his three children. Unfortunately, the boat they are traveling on ends up being destroyed in a huge storm and there are only three known survivors; Charmaine, Tasha, and a crewman named Timbo. Instead of being in Norfolk, Virginia, they end up in Savannah, Georgia, which, in a twist of fate, is where Pierre is. Timbo takes the ladies to his sister, Belle, who is a seamstress for a couturier. Charmaine gets a job working for the couturier and is seen by a customer, who invites her to a party. When she gets there, she realizes that the person who is to be her date, Chauncey Bedlow, is a licentious creep who wants to have sex with her. Bedlow takes Charmaine to an out of the way inn to rape her, when she brains him with a candleholder, and kills him. When Charmaine runs from the site of the murder, she runs into Pierre, who realizes that the law is coming after her, so he and Jacques help Charmaine get out of Savannah.
Charmaine, Pierre and Jacques are now on board another ship, the Linda Lee, heading to New Orleans and then on to Missouri Territory. Also on board the ship is Tasha, who is very happy to see Charmaine and vice versa. Jacques is happy to see Tasha as well, as they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Pierre is very bossy, arrogant and demanding toward Charmaine-he hasn’t told her that she is wanted by the law. This leads to hurt feelings, anger and frustration on both sides which are somewhat resolved; they certainly don’t fight when they are making love!
There’s good and bad as the two couples arrive in New Orleans. The good: Jacques and Tasha get married. The bad: Charmaine is abducted by two men, one of whom is the wastrel son of Renaud family friends. Pierre finds the two men, frees Charmaine and kills the men. This, like in Savannah, leads to another hurried departure from a southern city.
While on a riverboat heading to Missouri Territory, Charmaine and Pierre have fights, mostly relating to pride and ego. Charmaine wants Pierre to tell her he loves her and wants to marry her. Pierre believes that his lovemaking and protection is enough proof of his love for her. This leads to tension that is only slightly alleviated when they reach Missouri Territory.
Part 3: New Madrid, Missouri Territory.
Charmaine, Pierre, Tasha and Jacques travel from New Orleans to New Madrid, Missouri Territory. When they arrive, they meet Pierre’s-and Jacques’-aunt and uncle, Genevieve and Charles Renaud. We also discover that Tasha and Jacques are to be parents. Sadly, tragedy strikes. A major earthquake-which really did happen-strikes the area, and for some time, Pierre and Charmaine are separated from each other. However, with the help of an old Indian man named White Wolf-and some fate and magic and luck-Pierre and Charmaine find each other again and have their happily ever after. There is a sequel to this book, “Deceptive Desires”, featuring Charmaine and Pierre’s daughter.
There is a lot to like here. Charmaine is a wonderful heroine, although she is a bit naïve; the two times she finds herself imperiled are examples of that. However, she is a very sweet, wonderful young woman. Pierre is a good hero. He does have moments of jealousy and arrogance, but not as much as some others, so I can’t fault him too much in that regard. The negatives are the same as all of Wanda Owen’s books, the inability to finish storylines; in this case, the Wakefield storyline is tied up very poorly. But that’s Ms. Owen’s way, and if her editors didn’t check it, that’s on them.
Sex: Some sex scenes, but again, nothing too graphic.
Violence: In addition to the scenes of violence stated in the review, Pierre assaults a crewman aboard the boat that he and his party are traveling on from New Orleans to New Madrid. None of the violence is graphic, however.
Bottom Line: “Moonlit Splendor” is not special, but it’s one of the best from Ms. Owen.
After starting out with a bit of shakiness in her earliest books, Wanda Owen began to find her mojo with "Moonlit Splendor." While it's not a great book-it's certainly not worthy of five stars-it's not a bad book, and it has a lot of really good qualities.
The Story: The book opens with an introduction to the heroine of the book, Charmaine Lamoureux, a beautiful young French girl living on the island of Jersey in England with her aunt and uncle, Simone and Angus Keene. Charmaine has lived with the Keene’s since her parents passed away four years ago. Charmaine is a dreamer and prone to fantasies. She also likes to take walks on the beach at night. On one of those nights, Charmaine is accosted by the hero of the book, Pierre Renaud. Pierre is a Frenchman being exiled by his family from France because of his many romantic involvements. That night, Pierre kisses Charmaine, and she kisses him back. They both like it and are immediately attracted to each other.
The Keene’s have concerns about Charmaine, most notably, the fact that one of their sons, Johnny, is in love with his beautiful cousin. To cut this off at the pass, they encourage Charmaine to allow an American planter, George Seymour, to court her. Eventually, she agrees and agrees to marry Seymour. Pierre, however, has other ideas and is trying to find her.
Pierre eventually finds Charmaine and they make love, despite the fact that she is engaged to Seymour; she doesn’t love him at all. After making love, Charmaine and Pierre profess their love for each other. However, others have different plans for them. One of those is Sarnia Wakefield, daughter of shipping magnate Martin Wakefield, who Pierre and his friend Jacques Bernay are living with prior to being sent to America to the Missouri Territory. Sarnia comes to Charmaine and tells her that she and Pierre are going to be married, which is a lie. Charmaine, however, is a very naïve, gullible young woman and believes Sarnia’s lie. Sarnia then tells Martin that Jacques behaved inappropriately toward her, thinking that Martin will send Jacques away so she and Pierre can be together. Martin, however, sends Jacques AND Pierre away, having them shanghaied aboard a ship headed for America. While on their way to America, Jacques finds out a secret, that he is really Pierre’s half-brother. Back in Jersey, Sarnia vows revenge against Martin and step two in this is her becoming involved with Johnny Keene. Martin finds out and has Johnny beaten and his ship-his means of making his livelihood-destroyed. While all of that is going on, Pierre and Jacques are on their way to America plotting revenge against Martin, and Charmaine came thisclose to marrying Seymour; she was sick the day she was to be married and he left without her, although he left money for her to come to America later. Charmaine does leave for America after her health improves; realizing that the fact that Johnny loves her is causing a wedge between him and his parents.
Part 2: A Strange New World.
Charmaine leaves Jersey for America aboard the ship, the Sea Sally. While on the ship, Charmaine meets a woman named Tasha Weer, who will become one of her best friends. Both women are heading to Norfolk, Virginia for different reasons; Charmaine to marry George Seymour and Tasha to become caretaker to her widowed brother and his three children. Unfortunately, the boat they are traveling on ends up being destroyed in a huge storm and there are only three known survivors; Charmaine, Tasha, and a crewman named Timbo. Instead of being in Norfolk, Virginia, they end up in Savannah, Georgia, which, in a twist of fate, is where Pierre is. Timbo takes the ladies to his sister, Belle, who is a seamstress for a couturier. Charmaine gets a job working for the couturier and is seen by a customer, who invites her to a party. When she gets there, she realizes that the person who is to be her date, Chauncey Bedlow, is a licentious creep who wants to have sex with her. Bedlow takes Charmaine to an out of the way inn to rape her, when she brains him with a candleholder, and kills him. When Charmaine runs from the site of the murder, she runs into Pierre, who realizes that the law is coming after her, so he and Jacques help Charmaine get out of Savannah.
Charmaine, Pierre and Jacques are now on board another ship, the Linda Lee, heading to New Orleans and then on to Missouri Territory. Also on board the ship is Tasha, who is very happy to see Charmaine and vice versa. Jacques is happy to see Tasha as well, as they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Pierre is very bossy, arrogant and demanding toward Charmaine-he hasn’t told her that she is wanted by the law. This leads to hurt feelings, anger and frustration on both sides which are somewhat resolved; they certainly don’t fight when they are making love!
There’s good and bad as the two couples arrive in New Orleans. The good: Jacques and Tasha get married. The bad: Charmaine is abducted by two men, one of whom is the wastrel son of Renaud family friends. Pierre finds the two men, frees Charmaine and kills the men. This, like in Savannah, leads to another hurried departure from a southern city.
While on a riverboat heading to Missouri Territory, Charmaine and Pierre have fights, mostly relating to pride and ego. Charmaine wants Pierre to tell her he loves her and wants to marry her. Pierre believes that his lovemaking and protection is enough proof of his love for her. This leads to tension that is only slightly alleviated when they reach Missouri Territory.
Part 3: New Madrid, Missouri Territory.
Charmaine, Pierre, Tasha and Jacques travel from New Orleans to New Madrid, Missouri Territory. When they arrive, they meet Pierre’s-and Jacques’-aunt and uncle, Genevieve and Charles Renaud. We also discover that Tasha and Jacques are to be parents. Sadly, tragedy strikes. A major earthquake-which really did happen-strikes the area, and for some time, Pierre and Charmaine are separated from each other. However, with the help of an old Indian man named White Wolf-and some fate and magic and luck-Pierre and Charmaine find each other again and have their happily ever after. There is a sequel to this book, “Deceptive Desires”, featuring Charmaine and Pierre’s daughter.
There is a lot to like here. Charmaine is a wonderful heroine, although she is a bit naïve; the two times she finds herself imperiled are examples of that. However, she is a very sweet, wonderful young woman. Pierre is a good hero. He does have moments of jealousy and arrogance, but not as much as some others, so I can’t fault him too much in that regard. The negatives are the same as all of Wanda Owen’s books, the inability to finish storylines; in this case, the Wakefield storyline is tied up very poorly. But that’s Ms. Owen’s way, and if her editors didn’t check it, that’s on them.
Sex: Some sex scenes, but again, nothing too graphic.
Violence: In addition to the scenes of violence stated in the review, Pierre assaults a crewman aboard the boat that he and his party are traveling on from New Orleans to New Madrid. None of the violence is graphic, however.
Bottom Line: “Moonlit Splendor” is not special, but it’s one of the best from Ms. Owen.
October 3, 2017
A bit long winded, for sure. Didn't like the hero. He was boring and nothing really stood out to make him seem awesome. I had wished she'd run away with the keel boat captain instead... the book was a bit boring, really.
December 25, 2025
porn and rape disguised as romance would have been way better without the scenes that popped up every 10 pages save yourself the trauma.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews