What do you think?
Rate this book
Moonlight Becomes Her
Lady Moonlight, a clever and beautiful jewel thief, meets her match in railroad magnate Rafe Belloch, a man she once robbed, and as passion rages between them, revenge threatens to tear them apart.
658 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
5 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Meagan McKinney
72 books211 followersRuth Leslie Goodman Roberson (1961), well-known as Meagan McKinney gave up a thriving career as a biologist to become a full-time romance writer. She is author of over 20 critically acclaimed novels. Divorced, she lives with her two children in in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 22, 2022
I've read several McKinney books by now, and I've buddy read many of them with Nenia, my go-to buddy-reader for McKinney's work (and the one who introduced me to her in the first place!). None of her books have matched up to WHEN ANGELS FALL or LIONS & LACE. This one came really, really close, but unfortunately it fell short in the end.
I thought it was a really interesting setup, with the heroine, Mystere, being a thief who's only posing as one of the Four Hundred (like the ton of Gilded Age New York). The hero, Rafe, was a self-made man who really called to mind Trevor Sheridan from L&L. However, I think he was even more of an asshole, and I never believed that he actually liked Mystere as a person. Also, I had trouble reconciling the Mystere of most of the book from the woman in the prologue who brashly robbed Rafe and laughed about it.
The romance fell short for me because it was mostly just banter ("You're Lady Moonlight." "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are." Rinse, repeat.), with Mystere resisting Rafe's asshole-ishness almost the whole book. There was also a lot of page time where the characters weren't together. They didn't develop a meaningful connection in my opinion, and so by the time they were realizing their love at the end, it still felt like it had come out of nowhere. Also, there wasn't really any resolution besides Rafe and Mystere getting together and Rafe setting aside his revenge.
Still, these characters were really strong, with excellent back stories. Even the side characters were great. What really stood out, though, was McKinney's research and the way she incorporates it into her writing, right down to the slang of the era (I swear, every time a man spoke he used slang). The downside of this is that the attention to detail for the setting is what stands out most in my mind after having finished the book, rather than the romance I'd hoped to love.
I thought it was a really interesting setup, with the heroine, Mystere, being a thief who's only posing as one of the Four Hundred (like the ton of Gilded Age New York). The hero, Rafe, was a self-made man who really called to mind Trevor Sheridan from L&L. However, I think he was even more of an asshole, and I never believed that he actually liked Mystere as a person. Also, I had trouble reconciling the Mystere of most of the book from the woman in the prologue who brashly robbed Rafe and laughed about it.
The romance fell short for me because it was mostly just banter ("You're Lady Moonlight." "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are." Rinse, repeat.), with Mystere resisting Rafe's asshole-ishness almost the whole book. There was also a lot of page time where the characters weren't together. They didn't develop a meaningful connection in my opinion, and so by the time they were realizing their love at the end, it still felt like it had come out of nowhere. Also, there wasn't really any resolution besides Rafe and Mystere getting together and Rafe setting aside his revenge.
Still, these characters were really strong, with excellent back stories. Even the side characters were great. What really stood out, though, was McKinney's research and the way she incorporates it into her writing, right down to the slang of the era (I swear, every time a man spoke he used slang). The downside of this is that the attention to detail for the setting is what stands out most in my mind after having finished the book, rather than the romance I'd hoped to love.
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1647896333i%2F31792110._UX200_CR0%2C96%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
April 16, 2022
McKinney has these amazing, unique ideas, but sadly she doesn't always manage to pull them off.
Here we have Mystere (what a name) who's been raised by a con artist named Paul. Together, they've infiltrated the cream of Gilded Age New York society - an era I'm not overly familiar with, so I was really excited to read about it. There are real people in here like Mrs Astor and Ward McAllister, and on the whole I feel like they were rendered well.
Where this book falls down is the romance. Rafe, a former victim of Mystere, recognises her just a tad too quickly - that could really have been drawn out further. And his transition from 'I'm being forced to marry you' to 'I love you' came out of nowhere.
The best bit of the book is definitely the 'duel' between Rafe and Mrs Astor. What a great villain she is!
Here we have Mystere (what a name) who's been raised by a con artist named Paul. Together, they've infiltrated the cream of Gilded Age New York society - an era I'm not overly familiar with, so I was really excited to read about it. There are real people in here like Mrs Astor and Ward McAllister, and on the whole I feel like they were rendered well.
Where this book falls down is the romance. Rafe, a former victim of Mystere, recognises her just a tad too quickly - that could really have been drawn out further. And his transition from 'I'm being forced to marry you' to 'I love you' came out of nowhere.
The best bit of the book is definitely the 'duel' between Rafe and Mrs Astor. What a great villain she is!
May 11, 2025
It's no secret that Meagan McKinney is one of my favorite authors of all time. Sadly, only about half of her books are in print right now. About half of her backlist isn't. Cut to me casually hunting them down one by one like an addict trying to get their next fix. When I got my hands on MOONLIGHT BECOMES HER, I was really excited, because the summary reminded me of one of my other favorite romances, Liz Carlyle's THE DEVIL TO PAY.
The book opens with our heroine, Lady Moonlight/Mystere, robbing the hero, Rafe, at gunpoint with the help of her accomplices. She then makes him strip naked, putting a cherry on his humiliation sundae. Obviously, he swears revenge-- and Rafe is the type of dude who makes revenge his hobby. Despite being part of the rich, he blames the upper-crust of society for his parents' ruin and subsequent humiliation, so hunting down the beautiful thief who left him naked by the roadside is just par for the course.
Mystere is not without sympathy, though. She's working for a crime boss posting as her uncle, and he beats her if she doesn't do what he tells her to. So she's stuck in his house, working as his servant with the rest of his household, until the next time that he trots her out to steal. There's sort of a wicked Cinderella bent to this part of the plot, which I really liked. She also is looking for her missing brother and trying to figure out who her missing family is because of a super secret letter she got from her mother. Which I guess maybe is a little more Anastasia than it is Cinderella, but whatever, I still dug it.
When she encounters Rafe at a party, he's pretty sure she's Lady M. Some reviewers seemed to find that unrealistic but to me it seemed kind of like the Clark Kent/Superman phenomenon, where people see what they expect to see, and it's easier to dupe people who aren't suspecting. Rafe, however, is definitely suspecting. Here, the book enters a sort of cat and mouse situation, which leads to some really spicy and steamy scenes. I think that the banter game between the H and the h in this book is almost as sexy as the riposting between Lyssa and Ivan from WHEN ANGELS FALL (my favorite McKinney book out of all the McKinney books, which I recently bought in paperback).
This was SO close to being a five-star read for me, but there were just a few things that kept it from being perfect. I loved the banter between the characters but I do think they fell "in love" both too late and too quickly. Rafe is pretty cruel to Mystere and even though he does redeem himself, I would have liked to have more scenes leading up to that, showing his shifting feelings. I also really didn't like the ending. It was way too abrupt. Like, when I got to the end, I was like, "Wait, is there more?" The whole book dangles Mystere's history over the reader throughout the whole book like there's going to be some kind of dramatic reveal and then... nothing. Also the final scenes with the villains felt kind of anticlimactic. I WANTED A DUEL.
That said, I still loved this book and there were parts where I LITERALLY could not take it from my hands. It was like it had been superglued to them by my own sheer will. I either love or hate McKinney's books, because she seems to be one of those authors who either dials it in or gives it her all. I've given her three two-star reviews and three five-star reviews and I believe one three. This is my first four-star review of her work, which I think is fair, because it was amazing but not the glittering perfection of which I know she is capable. It's still staying on the keeper shelf for those spicy scenes, though.
God, I wish this one had a stepback.
4 stars
The book opens with our heroine, Lady Moonlight/Mystere, robbing the hero, Rafe, at gunpoint with the help of her accomplices. She then makes him strip naked, putting a cherry on his humiliation sundae. Obviously, he swears revenge-- and Rafe is the type of dude who makes revenge his hobby. Despite being part of the rich, he blames the upper-crust of society for his parents' ruin and subsequent humiliation, so hunting down the beautiful thief who left him naked by the roadside is just par for the course.
Mystere is not without sympathy, though. She's working for a crime boss posting as her uncle, and he beats her if she doesn't do what he tells her to. So she's stuck in his house, working as his servant with the rest of his household, until the next time that he trots her out to steal. There's sort of a wicked Cinderella bent to this part of the plot, which I really liked. She also is looking for her missing brother and trying to figure out who her missing family is because of a super secret letter she got from her mother. Which I guess maybe is a little more Anastasia than it is Cinderella, but whatever, I still dug it.
When she encounters Rafe at a party, he's pretty sure she's Lady M. Some reviewers seemed to find that unrealistic but to me it seemed kind of like the Clark Kent/Superman phenomenon, where people see what they expect to see, and it's easier to dupe people who aren't suspecting. Rafe, however, is definitely suspecting. Here, the book enters a sort of cat and mouse situation, which leads to some really spicy and steamy scenes. I think that the banter game between the H and the h in this book is almost as sexy as the riposting between Lyssa and Ivan from WHEN ANGELS FALL (my favorite McKinney book out of all the McKinney books, which I recently bought in paperback).
This was SO close to being a five-star read for me, but there were just a few things that kept it from being perfect. I loved the banter between the characters but I do think they fell "in love" both too late and too quickly. Rafe is pretty cruel to Mystere and even though he does redeem himself, I would have liked to have more scenes leading up to that, showing his shifting feelings. I also really didn't like the ending. It was way too abrupt. Like, when I got to the end, I was like, "Wait, is there more?" The whole book dangles Mystere's history over the reader throughout the whole book like there's going to be some kind of dramatic reveal and then... nothing. Also the final scenes with the villains felt kind of anticlimactic. I WANTED A DUEL.
That said, I still loved this book and there were parts where I LITERALLY could not take it from my hands. It was like it had been superglued to them by my own sheer will. I either love or hate McKinney's books, because she seems to be one of those authors who either dials it in or gives it her all. I've given her three two-star reviews and three five-star reviews and I believe one three. This is my first four-star review of her work, which I think is fair, because it was amazing but not the glittering perfection of which I know she is capable. It's still staying on the keeper shelf for those spicy scenes, though.
God, I wish this one had a stepback.
4 stars
November 22, 2010
I used to be a big fan of Meagan McKinney. The first book I read by her was Lions and Lace and I just loved Trevor and Alana's story. I enjoyed many others of her books but none to same degree. I kept looking for new books but it seems she stopped writing after publishing this Moonlight Becomes Her.
Imho the story has many parallels to Lions and Lace, there's an alpha hero, self made man who has a settle to score with the New York society. The heroine is not the society darling that Alana was but she does play that role for a time. In fact, this heroine is a thief, she lost her parents and her only brother as a child and was "rescued" by a supposed gentleman who taught her to steal and who pretends to be her uncle when they go out in public.
Once the hero starts suspecting she is the thief who once stole from him, and left him naked, he decides to prove himself correct. The only problem is that he is also very much attracted to her. Mystere (the heroine's name really annoyed me btw) only wants to be free of her "uncle", look for her long lost brother and find out who her parents were. Unfortunately said "uncle" sees her as his ticket to a good life and doesn't want to let her go. As Mystére and Rafe become closer and closer she tries to hide from him what she truly is and he decides that she will be his, a mistress that he will keep. I must say I found him pretty ruthless at this point, even when he decides to marry her it seems to be against her wishes and Mystére becomes unsure of herself the more we get to know her.
I think McKinney does a great job describing the gilded age of New York society, both here and Lions and Lace we can really visualise the people, the clothes, the balls... the old families (the Astors and the Vanderbilts) snub everyone who they consider "new money" and make or destroy reputations.
Rafe and Mystére eventually acknowledge their feelings for each other but I while in the Trevor / Alana story I felt that he really had learned his lesson and that Alana while suffering was still assured of her worth as a person and sure of herself I wasn't totally convinced of that here. I enjoyed reading this story but it did fall short of my expectations.
It ends with a cliffhanger (and a special appearance by Trevor Sheridan), where is Mystére's brother and who are they and will they be able to prove it? Unfortunately it doesn't seem like McKinney has written his story yet...
Grade: 3.5/5
Imho the story has many parallels to Lions and Lace, there's an alpha hero, self made man who has a settle to score with the New York society. The heroine is not the society darling that Alana was but she does play that role for a time. In fact, this heroine is a thief, she lost her parents and her only brother as a child and was "rescued" by a supposed gentleman who taught her to steal and who pretends to be her uncle when they go out in public.
Once the hero starts suspecting she is the thief who once stole from him, and left him naked, he decides to prove himself correct. The only problem is that he is also very much attracted to her. Mystere (the heroine's name really annoyed me btw) only wants to be free of her "uncle", look for her long lost brother and find out who her parents were. Unfortunately said "uncle" sees her as his ticket to a good life and doesn't want to let her go. As Mystére and Rafe become closer and closer she tries to hide from him what she truly is and he decides that she will be his, a mistress that he will keep. I must say I found him pretty ruthless at this point, even when he decides to marry her it seems to be against her wishes and Mystére becomes unsure of herself the more we get to know her.
I think McKinney does a great job describing the gilded age of New York society, both here and Lions and Lace we can really visualise the people, the clothes, the balls... the old families (the Astors and the Vanderbilts) snub everyone who they consider "new money" and make or destroy reputations.
Rafe and Mystére eventually acknowledge their feelings for each other but I while in the Trevor / Alana story I felt that he really had learned his lesson and that Alana while suffering was still assured of her worth as a person and sure of herself I wasn't totally convinced of that here. I enjoyed reading this story but it did fall short of my expectations.
It ends with a cliffhanger (and a special appearance by Trevor Sheridan), where is Mystére's brother and who are they and will they be able to prove it? Unfortunately it doesn't seem like McKinney has written his story yet...
Grade: 3.5/5
January 17, 2021
She was an orphan plucked off the slums of 19th century New York by an unscrupulous con who taught her to steal for a living. But all Mystere really wants is to be free of the clutches of her devious ‘uncle’, find her long lost brother and trace her family legacy.
He was the orphaned heir to a ruined society elite who climbed back from near destitution to become one of gaslight New York’s rich ‘robber barons’. But what railroad magnate Rafe Belloch really wants is revenge on the Four Hundred whom he scorns for turning their backs on one of their own.
They first met in a dark alley where her accomplices held him at gunpoint while she relieved him of his money … and for fun, his clothes. He swore justice on the masked lady thief even as he committed the shape of her body and her blue eyes to memory.
Their paths crossed again two years later at a high society event. Only this time she’s disguised as a New Orleans miss making her debut in New York high society. No one, saved Rafe, ever suspected that she’s also the elusive jewel thief the newspapers christened Lady Moonlight … for even with her bosom bound and her lush womanly charms hidden under demure clothes, her unforgettable eyes betrayed her resemblance to another thief from his recent past. Their fates became inextricably bound as their dance around the truth begins …
With that kind of seductive plot and delicious character development, could you doubt that I wouldn’t get caught up? This sure is one emotionally charged romance, and McKinney weaves a powerful tale that vividly captures the setting of New York in the 1880s, allowing readers a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy elite, as well as the poor.
this book was a fresh breath of air. The verbal sparring and matching of wits between the leads heightened the romantic tension that the author so expertly built. There were tender, poignant moments that left a lump in my throat, such as their profession of feelings towards each other, the one night of passion before Mystere stole away in order not to endanger Rafe’s life. The heroic rescue towards the end, as well as the love confession, were other high points that had me turning the pages. And re-reading the book immediately after finishing.
I love the two central characters. His forceful personality, and tenacious pursuit of her certainly gets my stamp of approval. Her spunky, gutsy determination to regain her freedom from an oppressive ‘guardian’ and selfless love for him touched me deeply.
Original blog post here.
He was the orphaned heir to a ruined society elite who climbed back from near destitution to become one of gaslight New York’s rich ‘robber barons’. But what railroad magnate Rafe Belloch really wants is revenge on the Four Hundred whom he scorns for turning their backs on one of their own.
They first met in a dark alley where her accomplices held him at gunpoint while she relieved him of his money … and for fun, his clothes. He swore justice on the masked lady thief even as he committed the shape of her body and her blue eyes to memory.
Their paths crossed again two years later at a high society event. Only this time she’s disguised as a New Orleans miss making her debut in New York high society. No one, saved Rafe, ever suspected that she’s also the elusive jewel thief the newspapers christened Lady Moonlight … for even with her bosom bound and her lush womanly charms hidden under demure clothes, her unforgettable eyes betrayed her resemblance to another thief from his recent past. Their fates became inextricably bound as their dance around the truth begins …
With that kind of seductive plot and delicious character development, could you doubt that I wouldn’t get caught up? This sure is one emotionally charged romance, and McKinney weaves a powerful tale that vividly captures the setting of New York in the 1880s, allowing readers a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy elite, as well as the poor.
this book was a fresh breath of air. The verbal sparring and matching of wits between the leads heightened the romantic tension that the author so expertly built. There were tender, poignant moments that left a lump in my throat, such as their profession of feelings towards each other, the one night of passion before Mystere stole away in order not to endanger Rafe’s life. The heroic rescue towards the end, as well as the love confession, were other high points that had me turning the pages. And re-reading the book immediately after finishing.
I love the two central characters. His forceful personality, and tenacious pursuit of her certainly gets my stamp of approval. Her spunky, gutsy determination to regain her freedom from an oppressive ‘guardian’ and selfless love for him touched me deeply.
Original blog post here.
October 21, 2024
I really wish Meagan were still writing because I just love her writing so much. Slow burns and angst and engaging stories ... she does it all to perfection! I can't remember the last time I stayed up that late to finish a book. :)
October 21, 2024
I wish Meagan were still writing because I just love her writing so much. Slow burns and angst and engaging stories ... she does it all to perfection! I can't remember the last time I stayed up that late to finish a book. :)
April 2, 2023
So much dubcon. I don’t know.
October 17, 2021
I owned a physical copy of this for years and recently got rid of it during a move. Then, of course, I decided I wanted to read it again - so naturally I had to get another copy. This is part of an unofficial TBR where I re-read former 5-star romances and see if they hold up to my adult-self. It's been a mixed bag so far, and this one was one of the most confusing for me. I distinctly remember really liking this book which is why I kept a copy on my shelf for so many years when other books came and went. However I think I had only read it once - and rereading it I genuinely don't get it.
Keeping the rating because I felt that way at some point, but my "now" self was bored to tears by the endless descriptions of New York during this time period. I'm sure it was well researched and seemed to use a lot of contemporary language of the time but it just didn't work for me. I was either bored or confused by most of it and by the end was skipping the paragraphs that I could tell were going to be just historical facts. Not much to say about the character or the plot... It was ok, but I tend to not read stories that novelize read people's lives and Mrs. Astor was a big player in this story. Wasn't a fan, especially considering how she was portrayed.
I think this is my biggest 180 so far. I would give this 1 star if reading it today, although honestly I likely would have DNFd once I realized how big a character Mrs. Astor was going to be.
Keeping the rating because I felt that way at some point, but my "now" self was bored to tears by the endless descriptions of New York during this time period. I'm sure it was well researched and seemed to use a lot of contemporary language of the time but it just didn't work for me. I was either bored or confused by most of it and by the end was skipping the paragraphs that I could tell were going to be just historical facts. Not much to say about the character or the plot... It was ok, but I tend to not read stories that novelize read people's lives and Mrs. Astor was a big player in this story. Wasn't a fan, especially considering how she was portrayed.
I think this is my biggest 180 so far. I would give this 1 star if reading it today, although honestly I likely would have DNFd once I realized how big a character Mrs. Astor was going to be.
June 11, 2010
For this genre, I enjoyed reading this book. The book takes place in the late 1800s after the Civil War. It centers around high society at the time: the Astors, Vanderbilts, etc. Among the high society is a mystery thief, called Lady Moonlight, in the newspapers. It is one man's goal to find her and reveal her after she has robbed from him. But, there is much more to the story. A fun read!
July 20, 2013
Good solid Meagan McKinney. I enjoyed the book. Rafe Belloch was a classic McKinney hero (rich and mean). Mystere was a good match for him. I didn't LOVE the book, but I'd certainly recommend it for a one-time read.
August 26, 2016
Fairly by-the-numbers romance,starring plucky Mystere as the orphan forced to become a thief during the 1880s in New York City society and Rafe Belloch as the dangerous, self made man who taunts her, abducts her, and then falls in love with her.
September 25, 2009
Regency
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews