The Mistress

By: Danielle Steel

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Incomparable storyteller Danielle Steel illuminates rarely glimpsed precincts of unimaginable wealth and power, where love and freedom are the most dangerous desires of all.

Natasha Leonova's beauty saved her life. Discovered on a freezing Moscow street by a Russian billionaire, she has lived for seven years under his protection, immersed in rarefied luxury, while he pursues his activities in a dark world that she guesses at but never sees. Her home is the world, often on one of Vladimir Stanislas's spectacular yachts manned by scores of heavily armed crew members. Natasha's job is to keep Vladimir happy, ask no questions, and be discreet. She knows her place, and the rules. She feels fortunate to be spoiled and protected, and is careful not to dwell on Vladimir's ruthlessness or the deadly circles he moves in. She experiences only his kindness and generosity and believes he will always keep her safe. She is unfailingly loyal to him in exchange.

Theo Luca is the son of a brilliant, world famous, and difficult artist, Lorenzo Luca, who left his wife and son with a fortune in artwork they refuse to sell. Lorenzo's widow, Maylis, has transformed their home in St. Paul de Vence into a celebrated restaurant decorated with her late husband's paintings, and treats it as a museum. There, on a warm June evening, Theo first encounters Natasha, the most exquisite woman he has ever seen. And there, Vladimir lays eyes on Luca's artwork. Two dangerous obsessions begin.

Theo, a gifted artist in his own right, finds himself feverishly painting Natasha's image for weeks after their first meeting. Vladimir, enraged that Lorenzo's works are not for sale, is determined to secure a painting at any price. And Natasha, who knows that she cannot afford to make even one false move, nevertheless begins to think of the freedom she can never have as Vladimir's mistress. She cannot risk her safety for another man, or even a conversation with him, as Theo longs for a woman he can never have.

From Moscow to the Riviera, Paris, and London, The Mistress is a riveting tale of vast fortune, cruelty, creative genius, and daring courage, as uncompromising individuals chart a course for collision.

©2017 Danielle Steel. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Repetitious

An astonishing amount of repetitions. Very annoying! Disappointing that the writer and the editor dropped the ball on this book.

Absolutely Wonderful

Really liked this very different cast of characters from her usual novels. Unpredictable in many ways. It is now one of my favorites from Danielle Steele.

Flat characters that perpetrate aweful sexism & stereotypes

Women are portrayed as weak creatures that can't think for themselves and live to service men's sexual hunger... ugh. I thought that view was left in the past. The character are all so 1-dimensional... no depth.

Narrator stoic

Narrator told the story like a news reporter. This was why the overall rating was low

It could have been summed up in a short story

This was my first Danielle Steel. For me, many parts of it was redundant. There was little dialog and way too much repetition. I will try her again because there was some story. I liked the depth of the mother and father figure storyline. But they had more depth than the main characters. It wasn't the best read but it was not a huge throw away.

Cheap romance

This book was very disappointing. If you’re in to cheap mindless Romance, still, be warned that it doesn’t have much of a story that it is extremely repetitive and the characters are insipid and shallow.

Repetitive . . . same descriptions over and over!

I hadn't read any Danielle Steel in years, so I took a chance on this one. The story line was OK, but the descriptions of the characters were very, very repetitive . . . . I struggled to get to the end. The narrator was good narrator, but I didn't care for his female voices.

The Mistress

The story was very easy to listen to but I didn't get that much fun out of it like not mususpense and knowing where the story was going
how the story was going to end.
I really did enjoyed the book.

Could have been better but Enjoyed it

The characters and story was enjoyable though the beginning was much too wordy. Intending to read more from this author.

the missing

very easy to listen too. i usually dont like books that are not bazed in the US. Book was ennoyable

The price paid for romance, or not?

Would you listen to The Mistress again? Why?

I don't tend to listen to stories again, but that doesn't mean this isn't worth listening to. Its a story you wished never ended or certainly had a sequel to it. Probably one of my all time top favourites from Danielle Steel and I've read or listened to them all!

What did you like best about this story?

It has a variety of plausible stories running side by side that at times are interlinked. It has plots you just don't see coming and descriptions that take me back to when I lived in France. The story line is deep and whilst its possible to guess what may happen, its how you get to the end that takes you on a fantastic journey.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Too many to mention but probably the parts about the art work as I knew very little and found this fascinating.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The cost of freedom

Any additional comments?

It's a must read or listen to.

Lovely

Another enjoyable book from this author. Very easy to read and can recommend because you won't be disappointed.

Good

Good book. Loved it. Interesting story for women and maybe for some man aswell

Book at Bedtime

A Danieiie Steele fan I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed others. Repetitive , slow and actually hard to finish. My personal view others may disagree.

Wonderful story

Classic Danielle Steel. Loved the.characters. Enjoyable audiobook. Highly recommended for all Danielle Steel fans. Great narration.

brilliant!!!

brilliant audio book, and it certainly takes u into another world of the rich!!!

Beautiful!

Danielle never disappoints with her writing. I listened to this audio book on a road trip and was extremely engaged from the start to the end. I would highly recommend.

The Mistress

Most enjoyable book, beautifully read. There is a moral in the story, everything g is not always what it seems!

Good read

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. Like a happy ending always.

good book

i really loved this book.
the narrotar was really good.
the best bit was when the bloke and woman found each other again.