Book 5), Love in the Afternoon (Hathaways

This story is probably the most heart-wrenching one Lisa Kleypas has written.

I'm not one to get weepy over anything, but this definitely had me shedding tears. It also made me laugh out loud and in general was riveted.

Beatrix is delightfully original and the way the first fell in love was amazingly sweet but I found the wall she spoke about him erecting between them realistic but unexplained. Then it just went away along with all his other problems. So...the idea and beginning were greattttttt but the end was bizarre and abrupt.

Loved Loved Loved this book! The Hathaway books are all good and I didn't think this one would be that good since series novels tend to get weak towards the end and this is the fifth book, but it was really good. The dialogue between the two main characters is both funny and passionate. I have read this one several times and recommend that all romance lovers read this one.

I am distraught to say goodbye to the Hathaways as I was to Wallflower series. Out of all of the historical romance writers out there, Lisa Kleypas is at the top of my list! Her books are engaging, witty, humorous and heartfelt. This last installment did not disappoint and was absolutely fantastic!!! Beatrix and Christopher were strong while still being flawed and vulnerable. I was really taken with how the characters fell in love through their letters to each other. The author evokes the reader to feel every emotion in her characters. I look forward to seeing what she creates next. Please let it not be too long. We dedicated readers can be impatient! Thank you, LK for you are one of the reasons people read this genre!

This story was good because it dealt with the real issue of returning soldiers and lack of physchological help they receive upon their return. This book puts a romantic spin on all that and you feel good at the end of reading it.

Beatrix Hathaway always seemed to be more of the comic relif in the Hathaway novels--that character that shows up with her animals to give the story a plot point. Through a twist of fate, Bea ends up exchanging letters with Captain Christoper Phelan while he's out at war, and they fall in love with each other. The problem is that she is writing them under a friend's name and she and Christopher have never gotten along. The letters turn into love letters and when Christopher comes back home, he's looking for the woman he fell in love with, and he isn't finding her.

The book is a little disapointing. In the other Hathaway books there was passion and a deep conection between the two main characters. But with these two, I didn't feel that. It was almost as if there was no real reason for these two to have gotten together. Yes, they bonded in the letters, but there was just someting missing. And then there were all of these other characters thrown into the story as road blocks to Beatrix and Christopher's love, but the problems are only about one scene each, and then they magically resolved themselves. It's as if (and I love Kleypas and really hate to say this) the author knew she kind of had a weak plot and threw some folks in there to try and liven it up.

That said, you do learn a lot about Bea by watching her with her animals, specifically with Captain Phelan's dog Albert, which he brought back from the war. There are visits from the other Hathaway siblings and their growing families, which add a sense of finality to ther series. All in all it's a nice story to end the series.

For some reason I liked the other books better. This book was so good in the beginning but I thought it dwindled a little bit. After he finds out it was poppy who wrote the letters, which is like straight in the middle of the book after it was predictable and quite boring. I was kind of hoping for more drama like in the other books. This one left me a little bit bored.

WAY too much about the after-war demons a soldier must face. It overshadowed the whole book and brought it down a notch. Still, this book was better than the previous two but not as good as the first two in the series. Would have enjoyed more coverage of the entire Hathaway family instead of the brief glimpses.

Sometimes books can surprise you. After reading through a plethora of generic, rotten, poorly characterized Harlequin romances, I’d more or less sworn off the romance genre, except in YA novels. At least in those novels there were credible reasons why males were toxic nightmares and females stupid doormats. They were adolescent; they hadn’t had that many love affairs to teach them how people in love should behave; their hormones were raging so hard that rational thought was nearly impossible (honestly, they got so dizzy you wondered how they could walk in a straight line), etc., etc., etc.

I could excuse them. I could forgive them. But to read such behaviors in grown-ups set my teeth on edge. But occasionally I found romances that didn’t make me want to regurgitate my last meal down the newest lavatory. This was one of them.

The romantic heroine is one of the unconventional sort. Beatrice Heloise Hathaway could be considered plucky, spunky, perky, all the usual clichés. But she’s not. She’s intelligent, fearless, thoughtful, loving and unconventional. It’s not to the despair of her more rigid, repressed, strait-laced or baffled relatives. She’s not meant to be held up as some specimen against a larger society which she despairs of fitting into or aspires to join.

No, Beatrice lives in a household of people as unconventional as she. They talk properly to one another and don’t give a fig about the rest of society. The men don’t talk down to the women and the women don’t kowtow to the men.

The man she falls in love with was once a hard-living, hard-drinking womanizer. Christopher Phelan wasn’t cruel, mean or vicious. But he was…frivolous. And he found a frivolous woman to love…Beatrice’s flighty friend Prudence. Prudence can’t be bothered to write a return letter to Christopher when he writes to her from the battlefield. So she demands that Beatrice write back for her.

So that’s where the novel starts. Through twists and turns and unexpected pitfalls and revelations, Beatrice and Christopher fall in love with each through letter writing (oh, I liked that part especially) and then Christopher searches for the woman who wrote to him…who he thinks is Prudence.

Ms. Kleypas firmly refuses to delve into the farcical, although the plot would seem to demand it. There’s humor here but it often arises out of desperate situations. Captain Phelan comes back a war hero but much changed from the light-hearted man he once was. Modern readers would recognize that he’s suffering from PTSD and that he’s going to need help to overcome it. Beatrice capably provides that help and it arises from her natural tendency to care for wounded creatures not some asinine notion she has that love will fix everything even a man who’s prone to starting, sweating and inward panic at sudden movements, crowds and loud noises.

The novel weds its romance to more mundane manners in believable fashion. Christopher and Beatrice’s romance is wonderfully penned, without unnecessary plot twists, foolish interventions by well-meaning characters or ill-placed drama. There is a startling appearance near the end of the novel by a marginal character but it doesn’t seem forced for the sake of melodrama.

This is definitely one of the better romances with sex scenes that will make your toes curl and your naughty parts dance. If you’re looking for a decent romance to while away the hours, take a hot bath, pour a glass of wine and settle in for love in the afternoon. Just steer clear of squirrels.

*Spoilers*

Love in the Afternoon is the last book in the Hathaways series. As far as ending a series goes this book was great, but I really am not ready to let go of my Hathaways.
While visiting her friend Pru, Bea Hathaway found out that the man that had been courting Pru, Captain Christopher Phelan, wrote Pru a letter of his changes since going to war. Pru being the shallow person she was decided she wouldn't write Mr. Phelan back since he wrote about ugly and boring things that she cared nothing for. Bea ask to see the letter as it spoke of a dog the Captain found. While reading the letter her heart ached for the once shallow Captain who was much changed and hurting from all the ugliness of war. So she ask Pru if she could write him to try to help cheer him up and sign it as Pru. Pru agreed but didn't much care either way. What started out as kind gesture turns into deep feelings of love. When Captain Phelan returns from war will he find out that it wasn't Pru writing him? Will he hate Bea for tricking him?
Bea I adored. I loved all her little quirks. She had a true love for animals and nature. She was outspoken, opinionated, and a little wild. Bea had a sense of humor and she was very sweet. I love the way Bea was with Christopher. I loved that she would use her dog training voice on him. Christopher I loved at first. Then I got a little mad at him . Then I loved him again so uh yeah! Me and Christopher had a up and down relationship. I ached for all he went through in war, but when he first got home he would act rude or judgmental to Bea and it made me want to thump him. I love that when he realized it was Bea that had wrote the letters that he told her it was her he loved. I also loved that he wanted her before he knew she wrote the letters.
Bea and Christopher had a powerful connection. Bea was able to heal his battered soul and bring him peace. Christopher was able to accept and love Bea for who she was. He made her feel safe. I want to say that I hated Pru with a deep passion. I wanted her suffer. She was such a selfish, shallow, air head that every time she showed up in this book I wanted to scream. I was glad that Bea stole Christopher from Pru. I wish she would have did worse. I know, I'm mean. Sorry not sorry! I loved how the series wrapped up. Love seeing all the other couples and their growing families. I loved the HEA that Bea and Christopher got as well.

I've read the entire Hathaways series and this is by far my favorite. Actually, one of my favorite historical romances above all. I've read the book three times and as soon as I get done, I just want to read it again. Maybe it's the animal lover in me that connects with and loves Beatrix so much. The beautiful, but shallow, Prudence has made arrangements to secretly correspond with the dashing Christopher Phelan who is fighting in the Crimea. However, finding his first letter too boring and depressing, she vows not to write back. Beatrix feels great compassion for this soldier from from his home and family and she begs to write to Christopher on Prudence's behalf. She agrees, and so starts a romance through words. One of my favorite chapters is the one completely of excerpts from their letters. Christopher vows to come home and marry the woman who wrote these letters. Unbeknownst to him, that is the unconventional Beatrix Hathaway. Lisa Kleypas left the best for last in this series. This is just a lovely, lovely read.

Christopher Phelan has been writing letter from the front to the girl of his dreams, however, the girl of his dreams is not who he thinks it is. Unbeknownst to the hero Beatrix Hathaway has been writing him letters under the guise of her friend's name and what started out with the best intentions turned into a written love story.

There is no way I could give Beatrix Hathaway less than a five, she is simply a girl after my own heart! I absolutely adored her personality and affinity towards animals of all kinds (I would like to have a little hedgehog running about the halls but I don't think the apartment would allow for it). Her way with dealing with humans just like her animal friends was perfect for the personality of a war fought hero. Christopher needed the kind of patience and understanding that came naturally to Bea.

I loved how eccentric the Hathaway clan was and how everyone was eventually able to get along. They had an unconventional family for the time but it was perfect for them!

Reading the series Amelia and Leo featured in each book. There was was only brief mention of Beatrix in the other books and so I was curious about how this story would unfold. I must say it was the least interesting of all the books. Emotionally tortured soldier meets naive young girl. Meh! I was a okay read however the story doesn't pull you in. I actually stop in the middle read another book then came back to finished this one. It was just okay. I guess the author ran out of steam after writing the other captivating books in this series.

Lisa Kleypas creates wonderful stories that will have you laughing so hard that you have tears running down your face one minute and crying in sorrow the next. This is one of my favorite books that I have re-read several times. Christopher Phelan is a second son who is living the carefree life until he joins the military and is sent to war. Beatrix Hathaway is considered eccentric because she would rather spend time with animals than people. When her friend is reluctant to write back to Captain Phelan, Beatrix writes and signs her friend's name. As the letters continue, feelings develop and the deception grows. When Christopher returns home, he is fighting the horrors that he faced and discovers that his love is misplaced. The hunt is on to find the author of the letters that kept him going. This is a beautiful love story in which opposites attract.

WAY too much about the after-war demons a soldier must face. It overshadowed the whole book and brought it down a notch. Still, this book was better than the previous two but not as good as the first two in the series. Would have enjoyed more coverage of the entire Hathaway family instead of the brief glimpses.

Sometimes books can surprise you. After reading through a plethora of generic, rotten, poorly characterized Harlequin romances, I’d more or less sworn off the romance genre, except in YA novels. At least in those novels there were credible reasons why males were toxic nightmares and females stupid doormats. They were adolescent; they hadn’t had that many love affairs to teach them how people in love should behave; their hormones were raging so hard that rational thought was nearly impossible (honestly, they got so dizzy you wondered how they could walk in a straight line), etc., etc., etc.

I could excuse them. I could forgive them. But to read such behaviors in grown-ups set my teeth on edge. But occasionally I found romances that didn’t make me want to regurgitate my last meal down the newest lavatory. This was one of them.

The romantic heroine is one of the unconventional sort. Beatrice Heloise Hathaway could be considered plucky, spunky, perky, all the usual clichés. But she’s not. She’s intelligent, fearless, thoughtful, loving and unconventional. It’s not to the despair of her more rigid, repressed, strait-laced or baffled relatives. She’s not meant to be held up as some specimen against a larger society which she despairs of fitting into or aspires to join.

No, Beatrice lives in a household of people as unconventional as she. They talk properly to one another and don’t give a fig about the rest of society. The men don’t talk down to the women and the women don’t kowtow to the men.

The man she falls in love with was once a hard-living, hard-drinking womanizer. Christopher Phelan wasn’t cruel, mean or vicious. But he was…frivolous. And he found a frivolous woman to love…Beatrice’s flighty friend Prudence. Prudence can’t be bothered to write a return letter to Christopher when he writes to her from the battlefield. So she demands that Beatrice write back for her.

So that’s where the novel starts. Through twists and turns and unexpected pitfalls and revelations, Beatrice and Christopher fall in love with each through letter writing (oh, I liked that part especially) and then Christopher searches for the woman who wrote to him…who he thinks is Prudence.

Ms. Kleypas firmly refuses to delve into the farcical, although the plot would seem to demand it. There’s humor here but it often arises out of desperate situations. Captain Phelan comes back a war hero but much changed from the light-hearted man he once was. Modern readers would recognize that he’s suffering from PTSD and that he’s going to need help to overcome it. Beatrice capably provides that help and it arises from her natural tendency to care for wounded creatures not some asinine notion she has that love will fix everything even a man who’s prone to starting, sweating and inward panic at sudden movements, crowds and loud noises.

The novel weds its romance to more mundane manners in believable fashion. Christopher and Beatrice’s romance is wonderfully penned, without unnecessary plot twists, foolish interventions by well-meaning characters or ill-placed drama. There is a startling appearance near the end of the novel by a marginal character but it doesn’t seem forced for the sake of melodrama.

This is definitely one of the better romances with sex scenes that will make your toes curl and your naughty parts dance. If you’re looking for a decent romance to while away the hours, take a hot bath, pour a glass of wine and settle in for love in the afternoon. Just steer clear of squirrels.

*Spoilers*

Love in the Afternoon is the last book in the Hathaways series. As far as ending a series goes this book was great, but I really am not ready to let go of my Hathaways.
While visiting her friend Pru, Bea Hathaway found out that the man that had been courting Pru, Captain Christopher Phelan, wrote Pru a letter of his changes since going to war. Pru being the shallow person she was decided she wouldn't write Mr. Phelan back since he wrote about ugly and boring things that she cared nothing for. Bea ask to see the letter as it spoke of a dog the Captain found. While reading the letter her heart ached for the once shallow Captain who was much changed and hurting from all the ugliness of war. So she ask Pru if she could write him to try to help cheer him up and sign it as Pru. Pru agreed but didn't much care either way. What started out as kind gesture turns into deep feelings of love. When Captain Phelan returns from war will he find out that it wasn't Pru writing him? Will he hate Bea for tricking him?
Bea I adored. I loved all her little quirks. She had a true love for animals and nature. She was outspoken, opinionated, and a little wild. Bea had a sense of humor and she was very sweet. I love the way Bea was with Christopher. I loved that she would use her dog training voice on him. Christopher I loved at first. Then I got a little mad at him . Then I loved him again so uh yeah! Me and Christopher had a up and down relationship. I ached for all he went through in war, but when he first got home he would act rude or judgmental to Bea and it made me want to thump him. I love that when he realized it was Bea that had wrote the letters that he told her it was her he loved. I also loved that he wanted her before he knew she wrote the letters.
Bea and Christopher had a powerful connection. Bea was able to heal his battered soul and bring him peace. Christopher was able to accept and love Bea for who she was. He made her feel safe. I want to say that I hated Pru with a deep passion. I wanted her suffer. She was such a selfish, shallow, air head that every time she showed up in this book I wanted to scream. I was glad that Bea stole Christopher from Pru. I wish she would have did worse. I know, I'm mean. Sorry not sorry! I loved how the series wrapped up. Love seeing all the other couples and their growing families. I loved the HEA that Bea and Christopher got as well.

I've read the entire Hathaways series and this is by far my favorite. Actually, one of my favorite historical romances above all. I've read the book three times and as soon as I get done, I just want to read it again. Maybe it's the animal lover in me that connects with and loves Beatrix so much. The beautiful, but shallow, Prudence has made arrangements to secretly correspond with the dashing Christopher Phelan who is fighting in the Crimea. However, finding his first letter too boring and depressing, she vows not to write back. Beatrix feels great compassion for this soldier from from his home and family and she begs to write to Christopher on Prudence's behalf. She agrees, and so starts a romance through words. One of my favorite chapters is the one completely of excerpts from their letters. Christopher vows to come home and marry the woman who wrote these letters. Unbeknownst to him, that is the unconventional Beatrix Hathaway. Lisa Kleypas left the best for last in this series. This is just a lovely, lovely read.

Christopher Phelan has been writing letter from the front to the girl of his dreams, however, the girl of his dreams is not who he thinks it is. Unbeknownst to the hero Beatrix Hathaway has been writing him letters under the guise of her friend's name and what started out with the best intentions turned into a written love story.

There is no way I could give Beatrix Hathaway less than a five, she is simply a girl after my own heart! I absolutely adored her personality and affinity towards animals of all kinds (I would like to have a little hedgehog running about the halls but I don't think the apartment would allow for it). Her way with dealing with humans just like her animal friends was perfect for the personality of a war fought hero. Christopher needed the kind of patience and understanding that came naturally to Bea.

I loved how eccentric the Hathaway clan was and how everyone was eventually able to get along. They had an unconventional family for the time but it was perfect for them!

Reading the series Amelia and Leo featured in each book. There was was only brief mention of Beatrix in the other books and so I was curious about how this story would unfold. I must say it was the least interesting of all the books. Emotionally tortured soldier meets naive young girl. Meh! I was a okay read however the story doesn't pull you in. I actually stop in the middle read another book then came back to finished this one. It was just okay. I guess the author ran out of steam after writing the other captivating books in this series.

Lisa Kleypas creates wonderful stories that will have you laughing so hard that you have tears running down your face one minute and crying in sorrow the next. This is one of my favorite books that I have re-read several times. Christopher Phelan is a second son who is living the carefree life until he joins the military and is sent to war. Beatrix Hathaway is considered eccentric because she would rather spend time with animals than people. When her friend is reluctant to write back to Captain Phelan, Beatrix writes and signs her friend's name. As the letters continue, feelings develop and the deception grows. When Christopher returns home, he is fighting the horrors that he faced and discovers that his love is misplaced. The hunt is on to find the author of the letters that kept him going. This is a beautiful love story in which opposites attract.

Love in the Afternoon (The Hathaways, Book 5) by Lisa Kleypas
This series ending book features the youngest sister Beatrix, the animal loving klepto!
In this book, Beatrix is spending time with her friends Audrey and Prudence, when they learn Audrey’s Brother in law, Christopher Phelan, was being sent off to a way. Officer Chris asked the beautiful Prudence to correspond with him which she agreed to, though she had no intent of doing so. When Beatrix couldn’t convince Pru to answer Chris’ letters, Beatrix started writing to Chris, but as Pru because Beatrix knew that Chris didn’t like her. In fact, Chris had remarked to one of his friends that Bea belonged in stable with the rest of her farm animals. But always the compassionate person, Bea couldn’t erase the anguish she read in Chris’ letters to Pru, and Bea could see that Chris was trying to connect with something at home to keep him sane in all that chaos wrought by the war.
Soon, the friendship letters formed a big connection and the two fell in love over correspondence, but Beatrix knew that she wasn’t the sort of woman Christopher and his family would be proud to be attached to in society. The Hathaways were infamous due to their unconventional ways, ties to the Romany and just sheer eccentricity.

So Bea decided to stop writing Christ, and let him go as she believed he loved Prudence anyway. And Prudence, who didn’t want a simple officer, now wants Chris because his older brother died, leaving him the earldom. So when Christopher returns from war, he is faced with a choice, Prudence or Beatrix. Whom will best fit his life and his needs now?

Beatrix is bold, she is compassionate and she is observant. She was willing to give hope to man who disparaged her to others just because she understood that war changes a man’s psyche. At the same time, she kept her promise to Prudence, who showed time and time again what a shallow and unfriendly person she truly was. I loved Beatrix and Christopher together. They were magic and the chemistry was amazing. I am in awe at how Lisa Kleypas was able to make each heroine different and their journey’s to love different. One thing the Hathaway ladies all had in common was their intelligence and worldliness. They are smart, fun and accepting. Bea was no exception. I loved her touch with the dogs too.

I am truly sad this series is over.

Who wouldn't love Beatrix, lover of all and animals. Her personality is similar to many of LK heroins. Sweet, kind, carefree, independant and totally naive. I loved Bea and it just was very hard and sad to listen to a very immature Christopher downgrade her. Well life has a way of changing and shaping us and as the story continues Christopher is in surroundings he could never imagine. His once cherished promise between him and Prudence to write to each other is ruined when Prudence doesn't want to write back. Bea is so empathetic to the pain hes suffering that she asks Prudence to return a letter to him. Prudence is another Carolyn Bingley (P&P) who only thinks to expand on her social status and claw her way to the top. At the moment Christopher has nothing to offer so she allows Bea to send a letter posing as her.

The letters don't stop at one and before she realizes it Bea needs to tell Christopher who she truly is at the last minute she has doubts, hearing the echo of his earlier statement of her and she decides not to send it.Christopher has survived by waiting for the next letter waiting for his chance to be with Prudence again. Only when he comes back everything changed. He suffers from memories of the destruction, blood, death that he witnessed. His best friend is a dog hes kept from the war who feels his pain.

Prudence isn't anything like the letters he received and then there's Prudence's friend Bea who he finds himself being strangely attracted to. The story is delightful and hilarious as Bea on one of her visits to Christopher is pinned on the bed by Christopher and he admits his attraction to her, but as she uses a line from one of the letters she sent him, the confusion of why he is drawn to her dawns on him. It is very romantic when he tracks Bea down how he finds her in a place she had mentioned in one of her letters. He confronts her asking if it was all a lie and as for what follows I wouldn't take that from anyone interested in buying it because its one of my favorite scenes in the book, that and their honeymoon and should be read in full the way LK intended it.Buy this and read for yourself. Ironically enough they at Westcliffs property from the Wallflower series.

LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON by Lisa Kleypas.

Christopher, a British soldier, had a crush on beautiful but shallow Prudence. He asked her to write to him while he fought in the Crimea. Prudence had no interest, but Beatrix did. So Beatrix wrote letters to Christopher, signing them as Prudence. Christopher fell in love with the letter writer but didn't know it was Beatrix. This was fun with good anticipation - wondering what he will do, how will he find out. The last half was kind of typical - ordinary writing - not much done with the relationship. I was surprised it went on as long as it did after they fell in love. Prudence disappeared from the plot too quickly. The second half could have been better by giving Prudence a larger role.

A couple thoughts: I liked the way Christopher disliked Beatrix in the beginning. I liked the line "Prudence has the depth of a puddle."

There were several sex scenes. They were ok, nothing special.

NARRATOR:
The narrator Rosalyn Landor had a lovely Julie Andrews voice for Beatrix. But I did not like her voice for men. She used a holding your breath low voice which sounded weird. It detracted from Christopher's sexuality. I compare her to the narrator Susan Duerden. Susan is sensual, passionate, sexy, seductive, and shows desire when reading a man. She turns me on. Rosalyn has none of that. It's probably better to read this than listen to her.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 33 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but rarely used. Sexual language: none to mild. Number of sex scenes: 6. Setting: 1854 to 1857 mostly England with a little Crimea. Book copyright: 2010. Genre: historical romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Lisa Kleypas books, see my 4.5 star review of "Sugar Daddy."

`Love in the Afternoon' is the fifth and last book in Lisa Kleypas's `Hathaways' series. As a HUGE Kleypas fan-girl I can unequivocally pledge that this is one of her finest novels to date.

I was very sad to begin `Love in the Afternoon'. I, and many fans, have fallen hopelessly in love with the Hathaway clan. They came from humble country beginnings, thrust into ton society with the unexpected death of distant relative which passed a Lordship title to the only male Hathaway, Leo. With the death of both their parents still fresh in their hearts, the rambunctious Hathaway clan traipsed to Stony Cross to accept responsibilities none of them were equipped for. Amelia, the eldest Hathaway, who was forced to become surrogate mother to her sibling brood. Winifred, who was still frail and feeble, recovering from an illness which killed Leo's beloved fiancé leaving him to drown in grief. Poppy, the beautiful middle sister who only wanted to find contentment and safety in marriage, the same as her parent's had. And youngest Hathaway, Beatrix, who found more in common with animals than the debutante's she was forced to socialize with.
I've read all of their trials and tribulations, heartbreaks and triumphs. Amelia who found love with gypsy-man, Cam Rohan. Win and her childhood crush, Merripen. Poppy and her unconventional rogue husband, Harry Rutledge. Leo and his unlikely pairing with tight-lipped governess, Catherine Marks...

I was reluctant but insanely curious to see how it would all end with the littlest Hathaway, Beatrix.

I admit to going into `Love in the Afternoon' with trepidation, mostly concerning the book's heroine. For four novels now, Beatrix has been an entertaining and charming Hathaway edition... she was always in the background of her sibling's books; a gentle-hearted tomboy who never met an animal she didn't love. But I wondered how she'd be as a romantic heroine, rather than just a bit of comic relief. I think Lisa Kleypas had a very hard task in writing Beatrix's story, in making her character more than just the affable little sister with a sunny disposition... and I am delighted to say that Kleypas not only makes Beatrix into a stunning romantic lead, but `Love in the Afternoon' is an example of Kleypas at her very best.

Beatrix has been writing letters to Captain Christopher Phelan as he fights in the Crimean war. Beatrix writes of the Stony Cross forest, the smell of autumn, the local livestock auction and singing her stockinged feet by the hearth. Her words are a balm to Christopher who is miles and miles away, fighting in a war he doesn't believe in. When he reads Beatrix's letters of banal country life, creature comforts and home he is transported and given a moment of reprieve. From Christopher, Beatrix reads about fighting the Russians, disease spreading through the trenches, and Christopher's faithful canine friend, Albert, who carries messages along the line.
Letter by letter, word by word, Beatrix and Christopher fall in love.
Only, Christophe doesn't know it is Beatrix he's writing to. Christopher is under the impression that he is writing to the beautiful and flirtatious Prudence Mercer. He does not know that Pru was bored by his letters and annoyed with his gloom. Christopher doesn't know that it was Beatrix who happily took up the task of writing to him, offering him relief on the page.

Thus begins one of the most charming and heart-rending historical romances I have ever read.
I loved Christopher and Beatrix's unconventional and complicated courtship - the letters between them are beautiful to read and clearly a progression of feelings developing. It is a tangled web Beatrix weaves for herself, especially because Christopher doesn't actually *like* her. Christopher is an upstanding gentleman, and before leaving for war he met and was unamused by Hathaway antics, especially Beatrix's, commenting that she belonged more in a stable than a drawing room.

The first half of the book is all about Christopher's return home, and his hunt for the `Pru' of the letters. But when he meets the vapid and narcissistic Prudence Mercer, Christopher quickly realizes she is not his beloved letter-writer.

Christopher's hunt for Beatrix, his lettered love, is not the crux of the book however. The real, juicy storyline has to do with Christopher reconciling his time in the war with his new civilian life.
The Crimean war changed him - he has bouts of anger, night terrors and jumps at loud sounds. He is a man recovering from post-traumatic stress, without current psychological jargon to articulate his problems. Therein lays the heart of `Love in the Afternoon', as Christopher struggles with himself in the wake of war. And who better to comfort, care and love him than Beatrix Hathaway whose tender patience has healed many winged and four-footed creatures.

I love, love, loved this book! I was worried about Beatrix as a womanly heroine, having read her for four books past as an entertaining little sister to the other Hathaway's. But in `Afternoon' Beatrix sheds all of her girlish attributes and is a dashing heroine. She and Christopher have a beautiful, burning love and plenty of sensual scenes that banish all thoughts of immaturity. I LOVED them!

I was sad to read the end of the `Hathaways', but `Afternoon' is a fitting conclusion to a wonderful series and I only feel a great sense of closure as the series ends with Christopher and Beatrix's romance. I had a tear in my eye and breathed a happy sigh of relief at the last page, what better way to farewell this lovable family?

I really like the Hathaways !!
Their eccentricity , charisma and delightful banter makes each one of them special in his\her own way ..
Love in The afternoon was a delightful ending to the Hathaway's ..When I finished it ,I felt immediately as if I parted with a dear friend ...
Beatrix and Christopher's story was sweeter than the rest ,Kev and Win's was the most intense ..Cam and Amilia's was light..Harry and Poppy had a hot story !! while Leo and Cat ..well it was such a delight to behold the blooming of their love !!
As for Christopher and Bea ,,Bea is my favorite Hathaway ..She is adorable and unique like a breath of fresh air ,,while I liked Christopher the tortured soldier a lot !!His fear of hurting Bea ,,AH so sexy !!
I like how LK dealt with Christopher's "Madness " and Bea's problem with stealing ..They are so humans in their flaws ,yet both are very unique and had such chemistry ..It was as sweet as Scandal in Spring ..

HOWEVER

I had a little issue with Beatrix ,I felt she was more like a child than a grown woman who is my age !
The way she speaks is like a child ,,also She was sometimes unreasonable

***WARNING :POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***

The horse's incident ,and how very naively she thought she Can tame him .She annoyed me when she said it was ok and there was no danger in it (come on people sometimes become disfigured or even paralyzed when they fall off horses,not to mention that she could have broken her neck )
I don't know about you guys ,but I don't like heroines who walk around wearing breeches and shirts in the VICTORIAN AGE !!

***END OF SPOILER ***

As for Christopher ,,well ,,I felt he was not as exciting as other LK heroes ,,yet he was sweet ..I liked the mixture of torture and vulnerability in him ,,though I felt the issue with his mother should have been dealt with in depth ..That would have brought an enlightment to the person inside ..
Any way that was a delightful read ,great characters,entertaining minor characters ,Hilarious scenes !!Not to mention steamy love scenes !!LK trade mark !!
RECOMMENDED

Reviewed by Francesca & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog

Master storyteller, Lisa Kleypas, has brought another series so dear to my heart to an end...gloriously! Ohh what a beautiful book! I always knew Beatrix was special but she is such a sweetheart in this story I couldn't help but love her to pieces. And her hero, Christopher Phelan, is worthy of all her love and attentions. Truly falling in love with Beatrice's beauty on the inside.

This book has some of my favorite things... a strong lovable heroine who is not afraid to be a bit unladylike and get dirty sometimes; a hero that is truly that, a hero; love letters and notes (I always love books that have that!); a lot of cute and adorable animals.

Beatrix is a favorite of mine. She was always different even in a family like the Hathaways. I love how she started her connection to Christopher through letters while he was during war. Even if she wasn't writing them for herself. And just as she can tame the wildest animals, she's the perfect woman to handle Christopher.

Christopher was amazing as well, he was intense and Beatrix was the only thing that seemed to have pulled him through difficult times and is still helping him now. His PTSD was not addressed as good as I thought it should but I find in a lot of historicals with this subject, they don't go too deep either.

The Hathaway family makes a small appearance, which just makes me sad because I can't believe there won't be any more books in this series. I will miss it dearly and I am on the hunt now for my next Lisa Kleypas read... Suggestions?

Lisa Kleypas wonderful contemporary romance stories but when she's at her best is definitely in historicals. You feel completely transported to the world she describes, as if you were attending the balls and dinners and taking the walks through the gardens with the characters.

In a family full of unique personalities, Beatrix Hathaway stands out. Though lovely, intelligent, and kind, Beatrix is more comfortable outdoors than inside, in forests rather than drawing rooms, and for that reason - combined with her menagerie of unusual rescued animals - Beatrix is considered a bit of an oddity. Beatrix fears she'll forever be alone in a crowd, ever the loving sister and doting aunt, but never a wife or mother. Then Captain Christopher Phelan returns from the Crimean War and Beatrix finds herself straddling the line between happiness and heartbreak.

Christopher, once a handsome, carefree gentleman has come home from war a changed man. He plans on marrying the gorgeous, flirty Prudence Mercer, a woman whose letters kept him going during the war. There's just one problem - it was Beatrix, not Prudence, who wrote the letters. Prudence wants to marry the dashing war hero who can dine with the queen. Beatrix wants the caring, wounded soul she sees in Christopher. When Christopher learns who was behind the letters, will he turn to the woman he once claimed was more suited to the stables? Or will his anger over Beatrix's deception ruin their chance at having a life filled with the love and joy both desperately deserve?

Lisa Klypas ends her magnificent Hathaways series on a high note with the captivating Love in the Afternoon. I have been eagerly awaiting Beatrix's story since she was first introduced in Mine Till Midnight and Ms. Kleypas surpassed any expectations I might have had. I've known for a long time that Ms. Kleypas is an exceptional wordsmith, but even I was amazed at the absolute beauty of some of the sentences and phrases in Love in the Afternoon.

Concerning the hero and heroine themselves, Beatrix and Christopher both left their marks on my heart and will remain with me for years to come. Beatrix is a gorgeous spirit - loving, lively, and possessing a generous heart. She is one of my absolute favorite heroines of Ms. Kleypas's, and believe me when I say, she has some fierce competition in that respect. As for Christopher, my heart broke for him many times over in Love in the Afternoon. He has returned to England forever changed by his time away at war and he finds he can't quite fit into the life he once had. Seeing him start to heal was almost as entrancing as watching him fall in love with Beatrix. The two of them fit one another so perfectly that my heart melted when they were together.

As the Hathaways are a close-knit family, you can be sure Beatrix's siblings and their spouses appear in Love in the Afternoon and between their interactions and the antics of Beatrix's peculiar pets, there are many moments in Love in the Afternoon that made me laugh out loud. Each Hathaway book stands on its own, so readers need not worry they'll miss out on something if they happen to read a book out of order (as I did).

I cannot say enough good things about Love in the Afternoon and I fear any further attempts on my part would fail to express how much I adored Beatrix and Christopher's story. Love in the Afternoon is a brilliantly-penned, exquisite romance that I plan on enjoying over and over and over again. Joyfully Recommended!

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I adore the Hathaways. Simply adore them. Even more than the Wallflower series, the Hathaways enchanted me from the very beginning. Although Poppy has always been my favorite character, Beatrix was a very close second. I was truly afraid that LK would not be able to come up with a man worthy of her. I had the same fear about Poppy's story but Harry Rutledge won me over easily. But when I read the preview for LITA in Leo's story I had very strong reservations about Christopher Phelan. I should have trusted Ms. Kleypas. It was Mr. Phelan's war experience that made him into the man for Bea. Of course Beatrix would find true love with a wounded creature who has been through such horrors that he has been changed forever.

Every bit of Bea's charm is displayed in this story. The criticism that she is a MarySue and too sweet to be real is invalid as far as I'm concerned. I have known women like Bea, sweet, kind, charming and easily loved. These are common traits in those who are animal lovers. They just have huge hearts and a tender, touching innocence that disarms everyone around them. And LK does supply Beatrix with some faults. She is a bit pushy over the dog, she is impatient with Christopher's progress after they marry and she can be a bit of a know-it-all. So the MarySue charge won't wash, Beatrix Hathaway is very much a real woman in every way.

The wedding was pure Beatrix. I would have loved to have been a guest at that wedding. When Leo whispered to Bea that the family wasn't giving her away, but only allowing Christopher to love her too my heart just melted. And when Merripen was pretending reluctance at accepting Bea's beloved but quickly capitulated when told he would be taking her menagerie I laughed out loud. These were some of the classic Kleypas moments that warm the coldest heart.

The novel does have a few weak points. Christopher clearly had a classic case of post traumatic stress from his war experiences and these were resolved much more quickly and easily than would have happened in real life. I actually wanted to shake Beatrix when she complained after only two weeks of marriage that his issues were not yet resolved. She spent three months working with the traumatized dog yet expects her husband to be healed in two weeks? I would have enjoyed seeing this conflict expanded and dealt with in more depth since it was so interesting. Instead LK threw in some unnecessary and artificial subjects for conflict that weren't as compelling and weakened the story. The ending also seemed a little rushed but that could also be my reluctance to see the conclusion of the Hathaway saga. I hope there will be more from this delightful family, maybe a Christmas reunion like we enjoyed with the charming Wallflowers? There are so many characters to love in this series. I want to hear more of Leo's gentle sarcasm, more of Cam and Merripen's gypsy sayings, and any of the Hathaway sisters comments as they enjoy their growing relationships with their men. Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of the Hathaways.

Love in the Afternoon, the last installment in the Hathaway series (oh, the pain in my heart!), is Bea's book, and tells the story of how she falls in love -by letters- with a soldier at the Crimean War. The soldier, Christopher, falls madly in love with her too, but there's a small problem, Bea has been writing under the name of her friend Prudence, because that's who Christopher intended to woo in the first place, but Prudence wasn't interested in replying his letters so Beatrix started doing it... and now Christopher is coming back to England and all he wants is to find and marry his "Prudence" -- oh boy!

I loved how these two characters found each other and fell in love, even if Bea could remember Chris before he became a soldier, and how back then he said something rude about her. In a way, the war changed him for the better, and only dear Beatrix could come to love and understand this kind, yet tormented man.

I really adored this heroine, and how she does what makes her happy and not what society thinks is right. I also admire the way she fights for what she wants, because, you know, it's silly not to do it, or at least try it. What a remarkable heroine. :)

Another thing I loved about this book was Rye (Cam and Amelia's first born)! He's four and a half, doesn't throw potatoes or speaks with his mouth full at the table, and he's the cutest thing on earth. I want him!

I'm hoping Lisa one day gets to write Mark and Audrey's story because I loved that small paragraph about then in the epilogue. Please, please, please, Lisa!