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Title: An Encounter With Venus (Signet Regency Romance)
ISBN: 0451209974
Author:
Elizabeth Mansfield
Publicate Date: 2003-12-02
Publish: 2003-12-02
List Price: $4.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $16.66
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
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1: sadly, really bad last novel...
I hate to have to write a bad review for Miss Mansfield's last book before her death, but I must be honest in saying this book is not worth reading.
While the premise is interesting(older heroine35/younger hero 27)-the immature characterization of every character in the book had me quitting in disgust 60 pages in.
The hero's excitement with finally meeting his "Venus" 10 years after seeing her naked, then his boorish and unkind manner when he finally meets her and sees she-lo and behold-has aged is very unrealistic for a 27 year old man of the world. The author also has the hero do something very uncharacteristic in spilling his drink on a young lady he simply wants to get away from? Very unrealistic for the period-and surprising from an author who wrote many novels in the period.
I understand that Elizabeth Mansfield wrote many other, better Regency romances. Do yourself a favor a skip this one.
1 star...
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2: Enjoyable to read
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with some of the other reviews. I couldn't put the book down! I really enjoyed it though it didn't have any great mystery or action to it. It was just a good regency romance. The only complaint I had was that it was focused on the first glimpse of her naked. There are other ways to make a man never forget a woman. But otherwise I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.
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3: Good; but could have been so much better
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 "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.
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4: Implausible
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.
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5: Not her best, but well worth your time.
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.
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