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Rating: 
Summary: Ms Mansfield's Last Regency
Review: At the age of seventeen, George Frobisher caught a glimpse of his sister's friend... in the nude. For many years, he has fantasized about her--though he's never met her. George has an infatuation with an image and a name. Ten years later, he finally has an opportunity to meet his "Venus." However, she is not what he expects. And Olivia Henshaw (aka, Venus) is vexed by George's company. I loved this book. The characters were well-crafted, the dialogue was great, and the story was touching. The book captured my heart. For the first time in a long time, I was very eager to return to the book after I'd put it down. The story's theme seemed to center around "taking risks." In a sense, Elizabeth Mansfield took a great risk... you hardly ever see a romance, especially a Regency romance, about an older woman with a younger beau. What a refreshing change! If anything bothered me about the book (and it's a stretch) it would be the fact that Olivia often seemed over-critical of our well-meaning hero. There was also a great secondary romance woven into the book. The secondary romance, about George's crippled friend, was just as compelling as the primary. I would highly recommend this book. It was never dull, and I was absorbed by every word.
Rating:
Summary: An Encounter with Greatness
Review: At the age of seventeen, George Frobisher caught a glimpse of his sister's friend... in the nude. For many years, he has fantasized about her--though he's never met her. George has an infatuation with an image and a name. Ten years later, he finally has an opportunity to meet his "Venus." However, she is not what he expects. And Olivia Henshaw (aka, Venus) is vexed by George's company. I loved this book. The characters were well-crafted, the dialogue was great, and the story was touching. The book captured my heart. For the first time in a long time, I was very eager to return to the book after I'd put it down. The story's theme seemed to center around "taking risks." In a sense, Elizabeth Mansfield took a great risk... you hardly ever see a romance, especially a Regency romance, about an older woman with a younger beau. What a refreshing change! If anything bothered me about the book (and it's a stretch) it would be the fact that Olivia often seemed over-critical of our well-meaning hero. There was also a great secondary romance woven into the book. The secondary romance, about George's crippled friend, was just as compelling as the primary. I would highly recommend this book. It was never dull, and I was absorbed by every word.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best, but well worth your time.
Review: At the age of seventeen, George Frobisher, Earl of Chadleigh, attended his older sister's wedding. As his sister, Felicia, dressed for her walk down the aisle, George caught a glimpse of one of guest (Livy) emerging nude from a bathtub. For ten years George regretted being unable to approach her. Now he has the chance. Felicia is throwing a party. When George hears that Miss Olivia "Livy" Henshaw will attend, he agrees to go. Livy is well past the normal marriageable age. She is eight years older than George. So when he begins paying attention to her, Livy assumes he sees her as a spinster aunt. He could never be interested in her romantically ... right? *** This is not Elizabeth Mansfield's best work by far. However, it is still a delightfully romantic read. No real crisis, no trauma, just pure romance. Do not go by the cover as to what Livy looks like. The story says auburn hair, not brown, and the character is older than the cover's pictures suggests too. We all know the cover is sometimes wrong though. All-in-all, this is a sweet book that will leave you smiling. *** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating:
Summary: an interesting 3 1/2 star read
Review: George Frobisher (the current Earl of Chadleigh) was seventeen when he accidentally caught sight of Olivia Henshaw as she was stepping out of her bath. Struck with the very picture of perfection that she presented, George knew had to make the young lady's acquaintance. Unfortunately circumstances kept him from meeting her. And now, ten years later, it looks as if George will finally meet his IDEAL. His married sister, Felicia, is having a house party, and she's invited Olivia as well as several other young ladies (and gentlemen) in order to do a spot of matchmaking -- Felicia wants to set George up with one of current Season's beauties, while she's rather hoping to match Olivia with gentlemen she's invited. But when George finally comes face to face with Olivia, he's shocked to discover how the years have changed Olivia. However, while Olivia may lack the vibrancy of youth and beauty, she more than makes up for it with her intelligence and wit, so that he rather enjoys conversing with her. Unfortunately Olivia seems to dislike him immensely. Can George get Olivia to change her mind about him. For, much to his surprise, obtaining Olivia's good opinion seems to be a matter of great important to George... While the plot premise of "An Encounter with Venus" was a very good one, and Elizabeth Mansfield's character portrayals were very good, I found myself not really being able to lose myself in the novel. Part of the problem was that Elizabeth Mansfield took a little too long to explain why Olivia constantly kept George at an arm's length. As such Olivia's curtness to George and her habit of getting angry with him at the drop of a hat made me wonder why on earth the man tried so hard to win her approval in the face of such hostility. The other problem with the book was that for me, the romance between George and Olivia was really convincing enough. And then there was the fact that everyone was running about addressing each other by their first names. The authour does a credible job of explaining this away but the fact is that it still jarred. Nicely done though was Elizabeth Mansfield's portrayal of the friendship between George and his best friend, Bernard. Also nicely done was the subplot that focused on Bernard and the lady he was smitten with. So that I'd say that in spite of these few "niggles" that I had with the novel, "An Encounter With Venus" was an interesting 3 1/2star read.
Rating:
Summary: Good; but could have been so much better
Review: I had looked forward to reading this regency. Regencies about older women and younger men are not very common in the regency circle. But it was terrible. When George, Lord Chadleigh, first spies Livy, she is stepping out of her bath looking oh-so-gorgeous. George was 17 and she would have been 25; ten years later, he is 27 and she 35 and no longer looking like his dream venus. When he first meets her, he is shocked at how much she looks like a dried up spinster. The romance between them does not work. She not only is dried up, but is rude to him - and bossy. If she had a great personality and was not so sour, maybe, but what was there about her that would would peak his interest? Nothing!!!! Also, George had promised his friend Bernard that he would be back to London in time to take him to a ball sponsored by the family of the girl Bernard likes and she him. Bernard is in a wheel chair so meeting women (he is homely as well) had been difficult. So why in the world would George willingly escort Livy home to Scotland when he was supposed to go home to London to help George get the the ball? Livy's carriage was coming to get her the next day and that would have sufficied to get her home. The cover also make Livy more attractive than she is. This story was just a bore which is too bad - great subject and I hope some other regency writer tries it too but with a better story
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I had looked forward to reading this regency. Regencies about older women and younger men are not very common in the regency circle. But it was terrible. When George, Lord Chadleigh, first spies Livy, she is stepping out of her bath looking oh-so-gorgeous. George was 17 and she would have been 25; ten years later, he is 27 and she 35 and no longer looking like his dream venus. When he first meets her, he is shocked at how much she looks like a dried up spinster. The romance between them does not work. She not only is dried up, but is rude to him - and bossy. If she had a great personality and was not so sour, maybe, but what was there about her that would would peak his interest? Nothing!!!! Also, George had promised his friend Bernard that he would be back to London in time to take him to a ball sponsored by the family of the girl Bernard likes and she him. Bernard is in a wheel chair so meeting women (he is homely as well) had been difficult. So why in the world would George willingly escort Livy home to Scotland when he was supposed to go home to London to help George get the the ball? Livy's carriage was coming to get her the next day and that would have sufficied to get her home. The cover also make Livy more attractive than she is. This story was just a bore which is too bad - great subject and I hope some other regency writer tries it too but with a better story
Rating:
Summary: Good; but could have been so much better
Review: I was sorry that I did not enjoy this very last Mansfield novel as much as I should have. I have been a fan for so long and am only missing three of her books. Normally, I love Mansfield characters to distraction but not this time. The premise is wonderful. An older lady and a young lord. George Frobisher carried a vision of a lovely young woman in his mind for ten years. He had caught a glimpse of Olivia Henshaw a beautiful 23 year old "Venus" as she stepped from her bath ten years earlier when he was 17. Circumstances delayed his ever meeting her face to face and now, ten years later he is given the chance. He is 27 and Olivia (Livy) at 35 is well past the marrying age. Their first meeting does not go well. His face was transparent as he viewed her in disappointment. Tired from her journey, Livy looks the old maid. The relationship goes downhill from there. That is what bothered me. We should have felt some empathy for Livy on why she had never married and why she looked so old for her age, but that understanding really didn't come. She was actually very nasty to George who tried in several instances to apologize to her. Yet, Livy dresses carefully for him and tries to appear animated, all the time believing he thinks her a "maiden aunt" and she talks abominably to him. I couldn't figure out why he continued to pursue her! An unexpected journey to Livy's uncle (Sir Andrew) in Scotland where George is forced to escort her gives us a little insight into her personality. I found Sir Andrew (Livy's uncle) the most interesting character if truth be told. Grumpy and horrible, at least he was true to himself! George gives Sir Andrew a proper set down and returns to London. So the "romance" is at an end ... or is it? I shall leave the reader to find out the ending. Being a Regency, you know that Livy must somehow meet George again. How will it end? There is a secondary romance that deserved the spotlight. Bernard, George's friend, crippled in an accident many years before is pursued by a young lady (Harriet). Their romance is rocky also and I wished more time had been spent on that relationship than on George's! Anyway, I would not have missed reading this book, but it was lacking in many ways. It could have been so much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Implausible
Review: Mansfield is usually a very dependable Regency writer; however, while the premise is quite interesting (younger man/older woman), she misses the mark with this book. The characters just aren't very appealing, and their motivation is very thin.
One of the hallmarks of a Regency novel (ala the modern mistress of the genre, Georgette Heyer, and her predecessor, Jane Austen) is that it be a comedy of manners; if one must give someone a set down, it is done in the most deliciously polite way. I found the behavior of both protagonists, especially the heroine, to be extraordinarily boorish. Worse, there is no basis for their attraction to each other, and everything that proceeds from there simply doesn't track.
In short, save your time and money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Ms Mansfield's Last Regency
Review: Once again, Elizabeth Mansfield charms her readers with a romantic tale set in the Regency period. This will be her last new novel, as she passed away on December 21, 2003. More details can be found on the author's website, www.elizabethmansfield.com
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