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The Fifth Kiss
A shocking declaration
The fist of Miles, Earl of Langley, smashed down, overturning the crystal decanter and causing Olivia to jump at her brother-in-law's sudden fury.
"How dare you sermonize about my character as a husband and father! Confound your damned spinster meddling!"
Before Olivia had recovered, Miles had seized a handful of her curls and forced her to face him.
"What you need," her brother-in-law growled, "is a man--a husband-who'd handle you as a wench should be handled--like this!"
In a flash, the world was different. His lips pressed to hers, she seemed to be living through a storm or a tidal wave. In the instant before she gave herself to the surging of her blood, she thought: Does one, could one, survive?
The fist of Miles, Earl of Langley, smashed down, overturning the crystal decanter and causing Olivia to jump at her brother-in-law's sudden fury.
"How dare you sermonize about my character as a husband and father! Confound your damned spinster meddling!"
Before Olivia had recovered, Miles had seized a handful of her curls and forced her to face him.
"What you need," her brother-in-law growled, "is a man--a husband-who'd handle you as a wench should be handled--like this!"
In a flash, the world was different. His lips pressed to hers, she seemed to be living through a storm or a tidal wave. In the instant before she gave herself to the surging of her blood, she thought: Does one, could one, survive?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1981
22 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Mansfield
59 books61 followersElizabeth Mansfield is the author of numerous regency romances. She is an intelligent and thoughtful writer, a hidden gem whose novels deserve to be more widely read and enjoyed.
Elizabeth Mansfield is the pen name of the talented Paula Reibel Schwartz. Ms Schwartz also wrote different genres under the pen names Paula Reibel, Paula Reid, and Paula Jonas.
Elizabeth Mansfield is the pen name of the talented Paula Reibel Schwartz. Ms Schwartz also wrote different genres under the pen names Paula Reibel, Paula Reid, and Paula Jonas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 9, 2024
The year is 1812. Kind, meek, 32 year old Clara, was married to 35 year old Earl Miles Strickland for eight years.
Miles was a man admired for his wealth and titles, for his striking appearance, his sharp wit, his honour, his gift for politics.
He was in the House of Lords and had to be in London alone for almost half the year while his wife was miles away in their country estate, raising their two children.
For the last two weeks Clara was in London visiting with her father and her much younger sister Olivia.
Olivia, 20, was what they were calling back then, a bluestocking. So, she was very bookish, could read Greek and Latin, she was interested in politics, literature and Science.
She was pretty and spirited.
Miles only visited his wife Clara twice during her entire visit to London.
That particular evening, Olivia and Clara were riding a coach, when Olivia peering out of the window spied her brother in law, Miles, emerging from a house with a woman who looked like a lightskirt and proceeded in engaging in an intimate embrace and kissing with her.
Olivia disliked him intensely but she would not ever assume that he would be likely to behave in so reprehensible a fashion.
The next day, after Clara departed for the country, Olivia visited Miles. She confronted him with what she witnessed the night before and bargained with him her silence for his acquiescence to stop his affair.
He called her a blackmailer and said that he intended to continue to do what please him and she may tell her tale to whomever she wanted, even Clara.
He lashed out at her to stop meddling with his life and called her a "Damnable, spinsterish, busybody" and proceeded to kiss her, a lengthy, shattering kiss.
Olivia hated and despised him but the kiss made her experience intense feelings.
She'd called him a blackguard and left.
Olivia visited her sister in the country and started to tell her about Miles but Clara already knew he had a mistress. She said he had been forced to seek another woman and that it was her own fault her husband sought out this other woman.
After the difficult birth of her daughter three years ago, she got ill and was in pain. She never told Miles, not wanting his pity and him fussing over her.
Instead she told him that she had no more interest in intimacy.
He was hurt, she dealt a blow to his heart and pride.
Carla confessed to Olivia that she didn't have much to live.
She made Olivia promise to not tell Miles about it and to watch over her family and love them all.
A few months later, Miles overheard the two sisters talking about Clara's imminent death. His pain and despair was so profound that Olivia knew that Miles really did love Clara.
After the funeral, Miles was in a foul mood and did blame Olivia for keeping him in the dark on his wife's situation.
As time went by, the two started to get along. Olivia talked him into getting closer to the children.
He still considered Olivia irritating, impudent and presumptuous, but the children were happier when she was present in the household.
And he had to admit that the girl had charm, was spirited and assertive.
One day he'd found Olivia in the arms of the tutor and he'd felt a murderous, unrestraining jealousy.
For the first time, he had to admit to himself that she meant more to him than he'd supposed.
He was strongly attracted to her but he was fifteen years her senior and he knew she disliked him, so the attraction towards her was not to be encouraged.
He needed someone to act as a buffer between him and his sister in law. He needed a wife.
He set off for London and six weeks later, returned back bringing a group of stylish guests with him, among them a breathtaking beauty, Leonora.
Olivia had soon learned that Miles had plans to marry the young woman.
This knowledge sunk Olivia in misery as she had realised that she was in love with him.
There is a happy ever after.
Miles was a man admired for his wealth and titles, for his striking appearance, his sharp wit, his honour, his gift for politics.
He was in the House of Lords and had to be in London alone for almost half the year while his wife was miles away in their country estate, raising their two children.
For the last two weeks Clara was in London visiting with her father and her much younger sister Olivia.
Olivia, 20, was what they were calling back then, a bluestocking. So, she was very bookish, could read Greek and Latin, she was interested in politics, literature and Science.
She was pretty and spirited.
Miles only visited his wife Clara twice during her entire visit to London.
That particular evening, Olivia and Clara were riding a coach, when Olivia peering out of the window spied her brother in law, Miles, emerging from a house with a woman who looked like a lightskirt and proceeded in engaging in an intimate embrace and kissing with her.
Olivia disliked him intensely but she would not ever assume that he would be likely to behave in so reprehensible a fashion.
The next day, after Clara departed for the country, Olivia visited Miles. She confronted him with what she witnessed the night before and bargained with him her silence for his acquiescence to stop his affair.
He called her a blackmailer and said that he intended to continue to do what please him and she may tell her tale to whomever she wanted, even Clara.
He lashed out at her to stop meddling with his life and called her a "Damnable, spinsterish, busybody" and proceeded to kiss her, a lengthy, shattering kiss.
Olivia hated and despised him but the kiss made her experience intense feelings.
She'd called him a blackguard and left.
Olivia visited her sister in the country and started to tell her about Miles but Clara already knew he had a mistress. She said he had been forced to seek another woman and that it was her own fault her husband sought out this other woman.
After the difficult birth of her daughter three years ago, she got ill and was in pain. She never told Miles, not wanting his pity and him fussing over her.
Instead she told him that she had no more interest in intimacy.
He was hurt, she dealt a blow to his heart and pride.
Carla confessed to Olivia that she didn't have much to live.
She made Olivia promise to not tell Miles about it and to watch over her family and love them all.
A few months later, Miles overheard the two sisters talking about Clara's imminent death. His pain and despair was so profound that Olivia knew that Miles really did love Clara.
After the funeral, Miles was in a foul mood and did blame Olivia for keeping him in the dark on his wife's situation.
As time went by, the two started to get along. Olivia talked him into getting closer to the children.
He still considered Olivia irritating, impudent and presumptuous, but the children were happier when she was present in the household.
And he had to admit that the girl had charm, was spirited and assertive.
One day he'd found Olivia in the arms of the tutor and he'd felt a murderous, unrestraining jealousy.
For the first time, he had to admit to himself that she meant more to him than he'd supposed.
He was strongly attracted to her but he was fifteen years her senior and he knew she disliked him, so the attraction towards her was not to be encouraged.
He needed someone to act as a buffer between him and his sister in law. He needed a wife.
He set off for London and six weeks later, returned back bringing a group of stylish guests with him, among them a breathtaking beauty, Leonora.
Olivia had soon learned that Miles had plans to marry the young woman.
This knowledge sunk Olivia in misery as she had realised that she was in love with him.
There is a happy ever after.
September 9, 2015
This was definitely an uncomfortable, but interesting read. I enjoyed it because the author really pushed the envelope and made no apologies for it. It also was well written and kept me engaged even though there were times that I shuddered.
The hero and heroine are brother/sister in-laws that do NOT get along. They are the epitome of oil and water. The heroine's sister is terminally ill and dies in the middle of the story. Heroine and hero are forced together as she tries to help the children overcome their grief at the loss of their mother.
In spite of the fact that I really enjoyed this book, there are some major issues, so proceed with caution:
I never was convinced of their HEA. He really was an arrogant, self-centered individual who never quite redeemed himself. Though he did get better, unfortunately not enough to wipe the slate clean and not enough to forgive him and wish for a HEA. I never saw the man of "character" that everyone else saw.
If you're looking for a very different regency romance, then I would highly recommend this one. If one of my spoilers, is a showstopper for you, then avoid this one at all cost.
The hero and heroine are brother/sister in-laws that do NOT get along. They are the epitome of oil and water. The heroine's sister is terminally ill and dies in the middle of the story. Heroine and hero are forced together as she tries to help the children overcome their grief at the loss of their mother.
In spite of the fact that I really enjoyed this book, there are some major issues, so proceed with caution:
I never was convinced of their HEA. He really was an arrogant, self-centered individual who never quite redeemed himself. Though he did get better, unfortunately not enough to wipe the slate clean and not enough to forgive him and wish for a HEA. I never saw the man of "character" that everyone else saw.
If you're looking for a very different regency romance, then I would highly recommend this one. If one of my spoilers, is a showstopper for you, then avoid this one at all cost.
May 24, 2014
Elizabeth Mansfield's "The Fifth Kiss"
Didn't really enjoy this one because of several problems.
1.The lead male character - I can't call him the "hero" - is adulterous, arrogant, rude, insensitive and basically needs to be bashed on the head multiple times before he sees that he is an ass.
2. The male lead is almost twice the age of the heroine (35 to 20), and at least 4 times her age in worldly experience. It's hard to see a happy ending in this situation.
3. The male lead is a dyed-in-the-wool Tory and influential member of the government - politics is his life's work - while the heroine is a reformer and Whig. I see almost no hope of a happy ending in this aspect. (Tory = Republican, Whig = Democrat in today's politics in America.)
4. The heroine is the much younger sister of the male lead's first wife. At the time this story happens (1811), marrying the sister of your deceased wife was not illegal, but I find it hard to believe that it would be an acceptable thing to do at that time given that only 24 years later it was made ILLEGAL by an Act of Parliament! (This was rescinded in the early 20'th century.) So there must have been an unwritten rule against it, even if it was not yet illegal, in 1811 - you can't change society's rules around by 180 degrees, from complete acceptance to illegality, in so short a time. For this reason I see absolutely no possibility of a happy ending for this couple - they would have lost a lot of social acceptance by their marriage, if not being completely ostracized.
On the other hand, the story is interesting and I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole thing.
Funny how rules of consanguinity in marriage have changed over the years - in 1811 marriage between first cousins was accepted and quite common among the rich (to keep the money in the family) but today we think it's rather disgusting, while today we don't have any objections to a widow or widower marrying their dead spouse's brother or sister.
Didn't really enjoy this one because of several problems.
1.The lead male character - I can't call him the "hero" - is adulterous, arrogant, rude, insensitive and basically needs to be bashed on the head multiple times before he sees that he is an ass.
2. The male lead is almost twice the age of the heroine (35 to 20), and at least 4 times her age in worldly experience. It's hard to see a happy ending in this situation.
3. The male lead is a dyed-in-the-wool Tory and influential member of the government - politics is his life's work - while the heroine is a reformer and Whig. I see almost no hope of a happy ending in this aspect. (Tory = Republican, Whig = Democrat in today's politics in America.)
4. The heroine is the much younger sister of the male lead's first wife. At the time this story happens (1811), marrying the sister of your deceased wife was not illegal, but I find it hard to believe that it would be an acceptable thing to do at that time given that only 24 years later it was made ILLEGAL by an Act of Parliament! (This was rescinded in the early 20'th century.) So there must have been an unwritten rule against it, even if it was not yet illegal, in 1811 - you can't change society's rules around by 180 degrees, from complete acceptance to illegality, in so short a time. For this reason I see absolutely no possibility of a happy ending for this couple - they would have lost a lot of social acceptance by their marriage, if not being completely ostracized.
On the other hand, the story is interesting and I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole thing.
Funny how rules of consanguinity in marriage have changed over the years - in 1811 marriage between first cousins was accepted and quite common among the rich (to keep the money in the family) but today we think it's rather disgusting, while today we don't have any objections to a widow or widower marrying their dead spouse's brother or sister.
September 6, 2015
I was at once excited and weary to read this book at first. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to tolerate the heroine falling for her brother in law after the death of her sister. Or tolerate the hero and heroine's veiled attraction for each other through all their banter and insults while the sister was still alive! There were a few twist and turns that might make the match a little more tolerable for some readers but I was surprisingly enjoying the story without the buffers, so the twist and turns kind of took me out of the story a few times. I'm pretty cut and dry with my books, If I make up my mind to read a story with all the gory details, that's what I want to see, so I was kind of thrown for a loop quite a few times. Overall the story was an interesting one, I was just a tad bit disappointed of things not being what they seemed at first, but things wasn't so far off the mark that I lost interest, I really did enjoy the story. It made me laugh and cry and want to try another by this author. A totally un pc story that's not as bad as some of the other reviews make it out to be. 3.5 stars
August 15, 2015
I gave the story a high rating on the first read but it didn't hold on the re-read. I don't know what I was thinking back then but this time I couldn't pass the arrogance, the "everything is the fault of someone else" attitude of the hero. The author tried very hard to justify a reason for the hero's cheating (this is not a spoiler as it happens right at the beginning) but it didn't convince me and only made me dislike him more. On the other hand, the author did admirable job of showing growth and maturity of the heroine from a naive, opinionated, feisty girl to a compassionate, lovely lady.
September 13, 2015
3.5 stars
Big giant plot revealing spoiler!
Whoredog hero and sis-in-law heroine. Lots of foot-stomping fun...well...a little. I'm one of the few who understood the hero's whorey ways and forgave him. I was hoping for more wtfery but was sufficiently satisfied.
Big giant plot revealing spoiler!
Whoredog hero and sis-in-law heroine. Lots of foot-stomping fun...well...a little. I'm one of the few who understood the hero's whorey ways and forgave him. I was hoping for more wtfery but was sufficiently satisfied.
September 24, 2015
Well written. I am never a fan of romance between family members and in the case of this book, I found their romance far fetched and their HEA improbable.
July 10, 2024
I have gotten a few of Elizabeth Mansfield's books on Audible, and, in rereading them, they have not lived up to my memory of how great they are. Still, they are superior to almost every other regency I have picked up lately. Elizabeth Mansfield excels at portraying heroes that are good, even sweet men. This is not one of those. The hero in this one is a nasty piece of work. A bad father and a bad husband to the sister of our heroine. Even though he was neglectful and unfaithful to her she worshiped the ground he walked on. We learn later that she was terminally ill and instead of telling her husband the truth so as not to impede his brilliant political career, she told him she was not interested in intimacy anymore, and encouraged him to find it elsewhere. Miles and Olivia, the dead wife's sister, and our leading lady, have always been antagonistic to each other and this devolves into almost hatred, before the corner is turned and Miles starts to redeem himself with Olivia's help. However, throughout most of the book he is unreasonable, hateful, and angry. The narrator, I suspect, made him even more unpleasant than how he probably was on the page because she voiced him with a particularly villainous, snarly tone. She went too far, and it lessened my enjoyment of the book.
December 29, 2012
This is a pretty uncomfortable book to read in parts. The hero and heroine are brother and sister-in-law and when the story starts the hero is cheating on the ill wife. The wife who is the sister of the heroine dies of course fairly early on and the hero and the heroine have a very acrimonious relationship but are kept in each other's orbit by the children of the hero and the dead sister. However, it is very well written and pretty realistic as to the mores of the times. After a lot of painful stuff they get together. I do recommend it if you can deal with the cheating.
August 19, 2015
Miles' wife Clara, after the birth of her second child, tells him that her "love" for him has cooled. Why? Because she had a tough time delivering and doesn't want the physical intimacy. He's so hot blooded that he has to have some outlet. But instead of taking a mistress from his own class of women, he has one from the lower classes, because he so fastidious. What a great guy.
And there's Clara, slowly dying, 4 years into the life of the 2nd child.
[I classed this under cheating hero because he was cheating on his first wife; doesn't matter that she was complaisant about it, however painfully]
I like the author and her story telling. But the situation between the H/h is so contrived. If the author has to kill off a perfectly nice character for H,h to be together, it's not something that'll make me happy reading. And what's with telling the kids that mama is in heaven and can see her. That just makes them more confused and agitated.
The H calls his wife's sister (the h) a meddling busybody and berates her for not meddling more. Apparently she should have told him her sister was dying. What about him? Should he have had to rely on someone telling him that? Could he not have cared enough about his wife to see that? To talk to her doctor? What doctor would not have told the husband if his wife was so seriously damaged?
H is a self-centered brick. But hey, he's a political mover and shaker, has tons of money, has a title, so let's just forgive him for treating his first wife and his son shamefully, because he simply didn't know.
Apart from the male MC, I liked the other characters. But then, stories about unrakish, decent, caring men are so uninspired. Take the h's brother Charles, who ends up with the children's governess Elspeth. Theirs is the (tiny) secondary romance, wrapped up and done in a few paragraphs. I even liked Leonora, whom the H brought, along with her family to Langley, to get acquainted with his children before officially getting betrothed. I didn't like the H or his martyrdom in marrying so that the h could be free to pursue her life. Didn't he condemn his wife's wish to do the same?
We're told that Miles is a man of honor (quite a few times), but he comes across as an insensitive, unfeeling, uncaring brute and isn't redeemed enough for me to like him. Too little, too late.
What's the use of a well written tale if it doesn't life my spirits. I should probably stop reading Elizabeth Mansfield :(.
The title comes from the h trying to figure out things such as kissing and 'feelings', and finds it bewildering that she liked her brother-in-law's drunken kiss better than the other 3 kisses that she's had, when she doesn't even like him (early on), and that isn't consistent with her theory that kisses are thrilling if you love that person. I guess I didn't keep track correctly, the 5th kiss is was not the H.
And there's Clara, slowly dying, 4 years into the life of the 2nd child.
[I classed this under cheating hero because he was cheating on his first wife; doesn't matter that she was complaisant about it, however painfully]
I like the author and her story telling. But the situation between the H/h is so contrived. If the author has to kill off a perfectly nice character for H,h to be together, it's not something that'll make me happy reading. And what's with telling the kids that mama is in heaven and can see her. That just makes them more confused and agitated.
The H calls his wife's sister (the h) a meddling busybody and berates her for not meddling more. Apparently she should have told him her sister was dying. What about him? Should he have had to rely on someone telling him that? Could he not have cared enough about his wife to see that? To talk to her doctor? What doctor would not have told the husband if his wife was so seriously damaged?
H is a self-centered brick. But hey, he's a political mover and shaker, has tons of money, has a title, so let's just forgive him for treating his first wife and his son shamefully, because he simply didn't know.
Apart from the male MC, I liked the other characters. But then, stories about unrakish, decent, caring men are so uninspired. Take the h's brother Charles, who ends up with the children's governess Elspeth. Theirs is the (tiny) secondary romance, wrapped up and done in a few paragraphs. I even liked Leonora, whom the H brought, along with her family to Langley, to get acquainted with his children before officially getting betrothed. I didn't like the H or his martyrdom in marrying so that the h could be free to pursue her life. Didn't he condemn his wife's wish to do the same?
We're told that Miles is a man of honor (quite a few times), but he comes across as an insensitive, unfeeling, uncaring brute and isn't redeemed enough for me to like him. Too little, too late.
What's the use of a well written tale if it doesn't life my spirits. I should probably stop reading Elizabeth Mansfield :(.
The title comes from the h trying to figure out things such as kissing and 'feelings', and finds it bewildering that she liked her brother-in-law's drunken kiss better than the other 3 kisses that she's had, when she doesn't even like him (early on), and that isn't consistent with her theory that kisses are thrilling if you love that person. I guess I didn't keep track correctly, the 5th kiss is was not the H.
March 14, 2020
It's clean, there's more bickering than romance and most of it is people talking about having tea.
The only gripping part is at the very beginning and once that's done, it's all tea, governesses, and old ladies in turbans. No one gets laid, there's no scheming mistress and no interesting villain.
The only gripping part is at the very beginning and once that's done, it's all tea, governesses, and old ladies in turbans. No one gets laid, there's no scheming mistress and no interesting villain.
August 6, 2015
Kind of your standard regency and the writing is better than most. I wasn't bothered by Mile's sleeping with a light-skirt; I was more bothered by Clara's (Mile's first wife and Olivia's sister) keeping a secret from him and pushing him away without giving him a reason. Apparently Clara and Miles were very much in love and had a great relationship in the beginning, so keeping secrets like that didn't really fit.
Regencies/romances in general always seem to go: he says A, she hears B, so she does C, and he does D in reaction, until E happens, then he explains A and they live happily ever after. But here we have a secondary character act as the go-between and sort things out before they got explosive, which was SO refreshing.
I'm usually into the whole hate-turns-to-love trope, and there was some nice tension here, and you could see some relationship development...but all I could think about was "his d*ck has been inside of your dead sister...and now it's going to be inside you CHILLS BARF"
It's a quick, easy, read.
Regencies/romances in general always seem to go: he says A, she hears B, so she does C, and he does D in reaction, until E happens, then he explains A and they live happily ever after. But here we have a secondary character act as the go-between and sort things out before they got explosive, which was SO refreshing.
I'm usually into the whole hate-turns-to-love trope, and there was some nice tension here, and you could see some relationship development...but all I could think about was "his d*ck has been inside of your dead sister...and now it's going to be inside you CHILLS BARF"
It's a quick, easy, read.
January 28, 2021
NO. No, no no no no no.
It is not romantic to kiss your brother-in-law who is also married to your sister. (This isn't a spoiler, it's literally the summary for this book.)
And they fight CONSTANTLY. I don't care if they're good for each other. Who wants to spend all day every day fighting?!
Ugh.
*I skimmed the last half.
It is not romantic to kiss your brother-in-law who is also married to your sister. (This isn't a spoiler, it's literally the summary for this book.)
And they fight CONSTANTLY. I don't care if they're good for each other. Who wants to spend all day every day fighting?!
Ugh.
*I skimmed the last half.
June 16, 2016
This was a weird one. Not that that's bad - it's good to have an unusual plot.
I know nothing about English law at the turn of the 19th c. However; the book seems to have a similar plot to Heath's The Earl Takes All. In that (which I haven't read) I thought the problem was that the hero couldn't legally marry his brother's widow because it was considered incest (or something like that). Here we have a widower who wants to marry his SIL. It just doesn't seem right and leaves an uncomfortable taste in my mouth.
Somehow, I thought the dead wife/sister was going to bring them both together before she died and the rest of the book would be about them coming to terms with their feelings for each other and the dead wife/sister's wishes and getting over the "ick, we're sort of related" factor. And while that was sort of the case regarding their feelings, neither widower or sister had any qualms about marrying once they confessed their feelings for each other.
I'm about to read up on English law. Heaven help me.
I've read. It seems that while it was considered incest, at the time there wasn't a law prohibiting it. However; if it happened and someone objected, the marriage was considered void. It wasn't outright prohibited until 1835 in the UK & colonies but the marriages were recognized if conducted abroad.
As to the H & h they were a mixed bag. I both liked and disliked them at different times in the book. Sort of like real people who I can both like and find annoying simultaneously. I do think that while Olivia was younger, she eventually acted more grown-up than Miles.
Miles' adultery becomes a nonissue once Clara becomes more ill. I found Clara to be worse than either H or h. If Olivia hadn't deliberately defied her, Miles wouldn't have made it back before she died. I had no problem with the age gap and at least Olivia tried to educate herself to the extent she could in male-female relationships. She sure as heck knew Miles' kiss affected her more than the other 3 "suitors".
I know nothing about English law at the turn of the 19th c. However; the book seems to have a similar plot to Heath's The Earl Takes All. In that (which I haven't read) I thought the problem was that the hero couldn't legally marry his brother's widow because it was considered incest (or something like that). Here we have a widower who wants to marry his SIL. It just doesn't seem right and leaves an uncomfortable taste in my mouth.
Somehow, I thought the dead wife/sister was going to bring them both together before she died and the rest of the book would be about them coming to terms with their feelings for each other and the dead wife/sister's wishes and getting over the "ick, we're sort of related" factor. And while that was sort of the case regarding their feelings, neither widower or sister had any qualms about marrying once they confessed their feelings for each other.
I'm about to read up on English law. Heaven help me.
I've read. It seems that while it was considered incest, at the time there wasn't a law prohibiting it. However; if it happened and someone objected, the marriage was considered void. It wasn't outright prohibited until 1835 in the UK & colonies but the marriages were recognized if conducted abroad.
As to the H & h they were a mixed bag. I both liked and disliked them at different times in the book. Sort of like real people who I can both like and find annoying simultaneously. I do think that while Olivia was younger, she eventually acted more grown-up than Miles.
Miles' adultery becomes a nonissue once Clara becomes more ill. I found Clara to be worse than either H or h. If Olivia hadn't deliberately defied her, Miles wouldn't have made it back before she died. I had no problem with the age gap and at least Olivia tried to educate herself to the extent she could in male-female relationships. She sure as heck knew Miles' kiss affected her more than the other 3 "suitors".
May 2, 2016
this was a fantastic read ! Olivia had the knack of putting herself in the most embarrassing situations. it was obvious they were fiercely attracted to each other, hence the intense mutual dislike. Miles quickly realised what hid beneath the surface while Olivia took her time, she had to come face to face wid Miles's not-quite-betrothed to face reality! the hero then asked her to go so dat he cud smooth things out for our dear Miss Oglesby. this was horribly selfish and so out-of-character of the Miles we had come to know from the previous chapters. well, the man had his moments and no fault of his, for Olivia was quite impossible, she took over his home, ruled roughshod over everyone, insulted the man in question, always begged to differ and even slapped him on one occasion!
February 19, 2011
This one had a massively intriguing back cover blurb - the heroine kissing her brother-in-law. How does the author redeem both the heroine and hero after that?
A sweet regency (published in 1981), and I really enjoyed the romance. Not sure I was entirely comfortable with some of the underlying messages - she marries him to look after his children, six months after the wife/her sister died, but at the same time I did believe in the romance.
I've a soft spot for Elizabeth Mansfield and ended up buying quite a few off Better World Books over Christmas - I'm glad I've a few more to read!
A sweet regency (published in 1981), and I really enjoyed the romance. Not sure I was entirely comfortable with some of the underlying messages - she marries him to look after his children, six months after the wife/her sister died, but at the same time I did believe in the romance.
I've a soft spot for Elizabeth Mansfield and ended up buying quite a few off Better World Books over Christmas - I'm glad I've a few more to read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2011
Olivia is a bookish person. Her sister is married with a large family and resides in the country. Her brother in law is in the House of Lords. She sees him embracing aother woman and is furious. She visits her sister in the country to tell her of Miles unfaithfulness. After her sisters death it is Olivia who discovers another side of Miles. I have all of Elizabeths Mansfields books.
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November 19, 2022"The fist of Miles, Earl of Langley, smashed down, overturning the crystal decanter and causing Olivia to jump at her brother-in-law's sudden fury.
" 'How dare you sermonize about my character as a husband and father! Confound your damned spinsterish meddling!'
"Before Olivia could recover, Miles had seized a handful of her curls and forced her to face him.
" 'What you need,' her brother-in-law growled, 'is a man - a husband - who'd handle you as a wench should be handled -- like this!'
"in a flash, the world was different. His lips pressed to hers, she seemed to be living through a storm or a tidal wave. In the instant before she gave herself to the surging of her blood, she thought: 'Does one, could one, ' "
A charming little Regency romance although the plot is very predictable after the first few pages. But enjoyable nonetheless.
~~back cover
" 'How dare you sermonize about my character as a husband and father! Confound your damned spinsterish meddling!'
"Before Olivia could recover, Miles had seized a handful of her curls and forced her to face him.
" 'What you need,' her brother-in-law growled, 'is a man - a husband - who'd handle you as a wench should be handled -- like this!'
"in a flash, the world was different. His lips pressed to hers, she seemed to be living through a storm or a tidal wave. In the instant before she gave herself to the surging of her blood, she thought: 'Does one, could one, ' "
A charming little Regency romance although the plot is very predictable after the first few pages. But enjoyable nonetheless.
~~back cover
July 4, 2023
A great book that got me out of my reading slump. The author is a wonder, her characters "jump of the face", she knows how to set the scene. Who cares about the nitty gritty of love scenes when you can chuckle and tear up over conversations and moments between Miles and Olivia, Olivia and her dear sister, Olivia and Perry and Amy? There are kisses, there are embraces but have no fear (or hold your disappointment!), The Fifth Kiss by Elizabeth Mansfield has no love scenes. Just a gal figuring what love is, using logic (& falling short & having to ponder and ponder on about it); and a dude who goes through some shit, trying to ignore the signals.
Tags: bluestockingxTory, quarelling couple, death in the family, a library moment, age gap (15 years), well meaning but absentee father (Olivia's), likable extended family, independent FMC.
Tags: bluestockingxTory, quarelling couple, death in the family, a library moment, age gap (15 years), well meaning but absentee father (Olivia's), likable extended family, independent FMC.
September 25, 2025
Some readers have had a problem with the heroine and hero falling in love since he is her late sister's widower. There is also a 15-year age difference between the pair. Although I prefer a closer age match than that, overall, the book was good in my opinion! I realized that the two sisters were very different from each other in looks and temperament thus it was not as if he was marrying his late wife's twin in any way! So, I think the book was well-worth the read! Will read again sometime in the future!
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October 14, 2025I've just realised that I read this regency a while ago, too long ago to remember exactly how much I liked it and rate it correspondingly.
I do remember that it was a traditional regency, that there was a certain chemistry between the protagonist couple and that I wasn't too convinced by the historical accuracy of the premise. But altogether, I suppose I enjoyed it (that I remember the plot without hating or loving it says much in its favour). So, quite surely it deserves 3 stars, but I can't say if it was good enough for the fourth one.
I do remember that it was a traditional regency, that there was a certain chemistry between the protagonist couple and that I wasn't too convinced by the historical accuracy of the premise. But altogether, I suppose I enjoyed it (that I remember the plot without hating or loving it says much in its favour). So, quite surely it deserves 3 stars, but I can't say if it was good enough for the fourth one.
November 12, 2017
She pulled it off
A difficult plot that started from hate and moved to love. The children's characters are beautifully drawn as is the naivete of the heroine.
A difficult plot that started from hate and moved to love. The children's characters are beautifully drawn as is the naivete of the heroine.
May 8, 2020
Nostalgic fluff. I used to read a lot of regency back in the day, but what I enjoyed was the setting, clothing, manners, etc. This struck my as a regency in name only. Just a romance.
April 19, 2025
Catchy title! A romp in the grumpy, not so sunshiny, but more bluestocking romance. It was almost like reading a play. Fun argumentative banter, change of hearts, growth into a charming HEA.
November 4, 2025
The MMC started out as a bit of an ogre.
Seems like she lost count of the kisses at some point.
Seems like she lost count of the kisses at some point.
January 1, 2026
Loved it!
This might be my favorite by Ms. Mansfield. The writing was excellent and the story very engaging, if a wee bit unconventional. I highly recommend.
This might be my favorite by Ms. Mansfield. The writing was excellent and the story very engaging, if a wee bit unconventional. I highly recommend.
January 18, 2015
Several reviewers have commented on the age differences (and differences in points of view) and on the author's inaccuracy of having a widower marrying his wife's sister:
Marriage between a widower and his deceased wife's sister did happen prior to the the 1835 Act of Parliament. A well-known example: Rear Admiral Charles John Austen, married his deceased wife's sister in 1820; lst wife died 1814. The 1835 Act was passed in order to protect the rights of inheritance of a son of a Duke; the Act stated that such marriages (between a widower and his deceased wife’s sister) already in existence would continue to be legal, but subsequent marriages would not. There was much discussion about the Act, both pro and con, based on religious, biological, etc. reasons. How much it affected those of the lower classes it is hard to say; they may have continued to contract such “marriages” without benefit of clergy. One practical reason for such a marriage is that the widower might expect that his sister-in-law would treat her nieces and nephews more kindly than a non-related step-mother would. Clearly people would react to such marriages as they pleased. I recall one friend of my mother’s seeking mom’s counsel when the friend’s widowed brother-in-law and she were thinking of marrying, and this was in the 1950’s. As far as political views go: we have today in politics some prominent examples of dyed-in-the-wool Republicans and Democrats happily married. As far as the difference in age goes, married people close in age are not always happy in the marriages, as our current divorce rate shows, and I have known a number of happy /content marriages with age differences of 20 years or more. It all depends on the individuals involved.
Marriage between a widower and his deceased wife's sister did happen prior to the the 1835 Act of Parliament. A well-known example: Rear Admiral Charles John Austen, married his deceased wife's sister in 1820; lst wife died 1814. The 1835 Act was passed in order to protect the rights of inheritance of a son of a Duke; the Act stated that such marriages (between a widower and his deceased wife’s sister) already in existence would continue to be legal, but subsequent marriages would not. There was much discussion about the Act, both pro and con, based on religious, biological, etc. reasons. How much it affected those of the lower classes it is hard to say; they may have continued to contract such “marriages” without benefit of clergy. One practical reason for such a marriage is that the widower might expect that his sister-in-law would treat her nieces and nephews more kindly than a non-related step-mother would. Clearly people would react to such marriages as they pleased. I recall one friend of my mother’s seeking mom’s counsel when the friend’s widowed brother-in-law and she were thinking of marrying, and this was in the 1950’s. As far as political views go: we have today in politics some prominent examples of dyed-in-the-wool Republicans and Democrats happily married. As far as the difference in age goes, married people close in age are not always happy in the marriages, as our current divorce rate shows, and I have known a number of happy /content marriages with age differences of 20 years or more. It all depends on the individuals involved.
August 10, 2016
I'm feeling very conflicted regarding this book. There's no doubt this is quite well written, and realistic, too. Olivia is a bluestocking, but not the impossibly feisty (and sometimes downright rude) type. Miles is a man of character, but only within the bounds of the morals of the time. They have flaws and they learn to temper it without authour pointedly announcing EPIPHANY! every time. Plot is not too contrived. So, yes, this was a cut above the usual traditional regencies you meet.
However, it wasn't an easy read. Not only was I disturbed by their relationship (I don't think it was even legal back then), but the overall atmosphere was just too painful. Olivia's finding out the adultery, her sister's death, frustrated at Miles for both being so right but so wrong, just everything seemed so gloomy and stifling that I felt like crying at times. Maybe this is an evidence of the author's good skill. Had the characters been more perfect, more to the taste of modern readers, it would have been a very comfortable read(and to be quickly forgotten). But it wouldn't have felt so real, I suppose.
However, it wasn't an easy read. Not only was I disturbed by their relationship (I don't think it was even legal back then), but the overall atmosphere was just too painful. Olivia's finding out the adultery, her sister's death, frustrated at Miles for both being so right but so wrong, just everything seemed so gloomy and stifling that I felt like crying at times. Maybe this is an evidence of the author's good skill. Had the characters been more perfect, more to the taste of modern readers, it would have been a very comfortable read(and to be quickly forgotten). But it wouldn't have felt so real, I suppose.
August 19, 2015
There were many things I adored in the novel: May-December relationship, enemy lover, the humor, and a very strong sense of deja vu. It remind me of one of my favourite movie - The Sound of Music, Oliver was strongly opposed to mix with Miles and vice versa. Such is the sparring at almost every page has become a must-watch scene in these paragraph. However, I think the kiss accidents were contrived and wee mary sue, this was why I gave 4 stars instead 5.
March 31, 2025
Una storia molto più ricca di tensione di quelle in genere scritte da Elizabeth Mansfield; ma, in generale, una buona storia, anche se il capovolgimento di fronte dei due ex nemici sembra nel complesso un po' troppo repentino...
Mi chiedo, però, se il mio giudizio un po' troppo positivo non sia stato influenzato dalla gran quantità di 'rubbish' in cui mi sono imbattuta negli ultimi tempi.
Mi chiedo, però, se il mio giudizio un po' troppo positivo non sia stato influenzato dalla gran quantità di 'rubbish' in cui mi sono imbattuta negli ultimi tempi.
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