Enchanted Afternoon

By Susan Wiggs

Book Overview

After a desperate escape from a dangerous marriage, romance brews at a serene lake lodge...

New York, 1880s

Beautiful, charming and respected as the wife of an ambitious senator, Helena Cabot Barnes is the leading lady of Saratoga Springs. But beneath the facade lies a terrible deception. Helena married for all the wrong reasons--and discovered too late that her husband is a dangerous man. Fearing for her safety, she ends her marriage and flees to legendary Moon Lake Lodge, where she creates a refuge for other women in need of a safe haven. And there she finds the courage within to become the woman she was meant to be.

But Helena can't outrun her past. In desperation, she turns to Michael Rowan, a man she once loved, a man who broke her heart. A brilliant inventor, Michael is still ruggedly handsome, still defiantly unconventional. For Helena, the road to trusting Michael again is long and hard. And danger lies ahead. But Michael has just discovered a shattering truth...and a reason to stay and fight for the woman he once lost.

The Calhoun Chronicles

Book 1: The Charm School
Book 2: The Horsemaster's Daughter
Book 3: HALFWAY TO HEAVEN
Book 4: Enchanted Afternoon
Book 5: A SUMMER AFFAIR

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778333760
• ISBN13: 9780778333760
• Release Date: March 2023
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.3" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A good afternoon read

The book is light and fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it as I have all of her books. She is not afraid to touch on difficult themes and her characters are not perfect people without problems. Novels about beautiful perfect people with no real life problems are so boring.

Touching and beautiful

Susan Wiggs has already proven her talent as a writer with some amazing romance novels like Lord of the Night and The Charm School, and it's really nice to see her taking on this new kind of storytelling. She tells this one from the heart, and anyone who's read interviews with her on the subject of this book will see that she is best friends with her own sister and is therefore able to write something that's completely genuine and touching on the subject. For fans of her romance novels, there's still a love story involved, and for fans of simply great reading (or of just Susan Wiggs), this book satisfies across the board. I recommend this, or any of Susan's other books, for anyone who wants to read beautiful and genuine stories of being human.

A love story to dream about

This is definitly one of Wiggs' best. She goes beyond the fairy tale to explore the real meaning of love and commitment. Helena and Michael started out on the wrong foot (some sizzling scenes in the previous book, Halfway to Heaven) and then drifted apart. The wrenching choices each one made are examined in detail. Helena finds herself in the worst possible place--with a husband who has turned on her, running for her life. When Michael comes back, it's not your typical hero to the rescue, but a realistic and emotional journey for the both of them. There are some humorous scenes too. I still think about these characters and look forward to the next one.

AN AFTERNOON'S DELIGHT

This is surely the best book I've read all summer. Seldom have I read a more romantic couple in a novel. Helena and the man from her past, Michael Rowan, have such powerful chemistry it just sizzles off the page! The setting of Saratoga Springs was interesting as was the sticky business of getting the marriage annulled. In this time period (1800's) there were not very many options for a frightened, married woman breaking free of her cruel husband. This made Helena's struggles very compelling to this reader. I normally like more lighthearted stuff, but that is the charm of this book, it's about real people who know how to live life to the fullest.This book is related to the author's previous book Halfway to Heaven about the sister Abigale.

Tears and cheers, a sigh of satisfaction

I've been waiting and waiting for this book, after reading HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, which is the sister to this one. Helena definitely married the wrong man, for all the right reasons. But all the good intentions in the world can't turn a bad man good, and once her father and protector dies, her husband Troy (Helena and Troy-ha)turns on her. Along comes Michael Rowan, the man who tossed her aside years before. This book is the story of why he did that, and why she can forgive him for it. Funny, funny scenes mingle with horrific and harrowing scenes to create a page turner you will never forget.