I'm going to review [Her Man of Affairs] because I have access to the book, unlike [Silver Birch, Blood Moon] at the moment.

When I first started reading Regency romances as a teenager, [[Elizabeth Mansfield]] was one of the authors that I liked. So I grabbed [Her Man of Affairs], during one of my now infrequent visits, when I saw this book on my mom's bookshelves. I know I read it decades ago, when I was first exploring the genre, but I don't really remember anything.

I'm afraid I am far more of a critical reader these days. David MacKenzie, the romantic hero, is a Scotsman, and much of the humor in the story revolves around reactions to his Scottish dialect: kerfuffle, fair yald, jingbang, muckle, fernitickles, couthie, etc. Since the dialogue gives a good impression of this Scottish brogue and I don't have other sources at hand that proffer such linguistic gems, I am contemplating keeping this book. Not surprisingly, he is the stereotypical Scots according to the English: pragmatic, fiery temper, cost conscious, plain spoken, and so on, though I haven't seen indication that he's a ginger. This stereotype and some degree of disdain and mockery, not unlike American attitudes toward perceived rednecks, persists in British media today, though I can't recall a specific TV show offhand at the moment.

The romantic heroine is Lady Theodora Fairchild (Theo)--beautiful, poised, and engaged to Lord Gerard St. John, the aspiring politician. The premise is that she is now head of the family as guardian to her young brother Willie, Earl of Massingdale, and the family fortunes are in desperate need of repair. So she goes to the family banker seeking a business manager who can improve their finances.

Enter the reluctant MacKenzie, who is employed in an English bank to gain the necessary experience to open his own Scottish financial institution and doesn't appreciate being sent off to babysit a spoiled aristocrat. The romantic tension is created by their class differences with accompanying disagreements about values, priorities, household spending, yadda, yadda.

Of course, it all ends well, after various misunderstandings, arguments, shuffling of romantic partners, medical crisis and devoted nursing, public declarations--you get the drift. This is another one that I am dubious about. After all, this lady of London society is really going to move to Scotland to become middle class? And she's really going to live within her means, rather than keeping up appearances and the necessary pursuits of the leisured class? She's going to curtail her independence and personal freedom by becoming wife and homemaker rather than premier political hostess? And that's going to lead to long-lasting happiness and fulfillment? As I said, I have my doubts.

So what I like about this book: the colorful dialogue, an examination of class privilege, some coverage of agricultural practices of the era, and a sympathetic portrayal of personal insecurities. Problems: the usual with shallow romances: limited and stereotypical characters, predictable plot, too-easy solutions, and unrealistic ending. ( )

All of Mansfield's romances are intelligent and sensitive, but this one is funny as well, with a very interesting tension created by the class barrier between the hilarious Scottish man of affairs and the heroine. ( )