Love in the Afternoon

by Lisa Kleypas

Book Overview

Love in the Afternoon continues the Hallaways series by Victorian romance author Lisa Kleypas.

As a lover of animals and nature, Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. Even though she participated in the London season in the past, the classic beauty and free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted...and she has resigned herself to the fate of never finding love...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312605390
• ISBN13: 9780312605391
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

a sweeping finish to the Hathaways

(I thought I was daydreaming, to see another installment of the Hathaway series, so close upon the heels of the last one.) Ms. Kleypas hits it out of the park with this wonderful tale of the youngest sister, Beatrix. Like the previous books in this series, the storyline is engaging, and the scenes and dialogue contain all the charm and humor you've come to expect with the lovable, unpredictable Hathaways. The pairing of Beatrix and Christopher, two equally strong characters, is unexpected...yet believable, I was especially moved by the correspondence between the two protagonists in the beginning. The author fully delivers on this last tale in a wonderful series of romances. They are equal to the best of Julia Quinn with the Bridgertons, and Mary Balogh with the Bedwyns.

The perfect end to a wonderful series

Love in the Afternoon (Hathaways, Book 5) is now tied with Seduce Me At Sunrise as my favorite book in Lisa Kleypas' Hathaway series. The story of Beatrix Hathaway, the most eccentric of the eccentric Hathaways, and Christopher Phelan, a man who is wounded both inside and out by the ravages of war, was pure romance. Like Merripen, Christopher struck me as a man who could not survive without the love of his "soul mate." Beatrix and Christopher fit together perfectly because of Beatrix's empathy for wounded creatures and Christopher's need to be loved and accepted for the imperfect man he had become rather than the man he was before the war. Lisa Kleypas should be congratulated for staying so true to Beatrix's character through out the 5 books of the Hathaway series. I loved watching her grow up and find the love of her life. And those love letters . . . oh, my. Totally swoon-worthy. If you're a fan of the previous Hathaway books, or someone just discovering the magic of Lisa Kleypas for the first time, buy this book! You will not be sorry.

A great ending to a great family story!

I was all excited for the last book on the Hathaways to be published and Ms Kleypas did not disappoint! It is a fitting ending to a great series. It's ashamed that Ms Kleypas plans to concentrate on contemporary romance from now on (I'm inclined to start an FB Group to get her to write more historical romance in the future!)... The plot is more serious than I thought - given it's Beatrix, the baby of the family, I thought it would be light-hearted read but was nicely done as the characters were well-developed and the fact that I finished reading the book in 2 1/2 hours attested to Ms Kleypas' ability to keep her readers entranced. As with all the other heroes in the Hathaway family, Christopher has his past demons to deal with but of course, they were conquered with the help of Beatrix (and her menagerie) by the end of the story!

This book is magic!!

I wish I could describe in words how good this book was! As a huge fan of the Hathaway series (maybe because my last name is also Hathaway? lol!), I can say that by far, this was the best. This is, in my opinion, the best book Lisa Kleypas has ever written. Beware that this is a very intense story, and acknowledges war a lot. My cousin, who is also a soldier, had symptoms similar to those that Christopher had (PTSD, inability to stay in crowded places, etc.). So this story rang especially true to me. I loved Christopher and how tortured he was from the war, and how conflicted he was because he wanted Beatrix so much, but was afraid to hurt her. He's definitely by far the best hero (at least in my opinion) ever written. He's damaged, but still loves the heroine more than anything. I got tingles when he first said "Beatrix, I love you." I cried, something I rarely do in romance novels. Beatrix is the perfect heroine for him because she's so caring and just an amazing person overall. She's my favorite Hathaway sister, and possibly my favorite heroine EVER. She's so open to the idea of marriage, which is a refreshing change in a Kleypas heroine. Lisa Kleypas is the only romance author whose books (historicals, not her contemporaries) have ever been an auto-buy for me (well, except for Judith Mcnaught, but she hasn't written a new romance in so long). I love intense stories with bits of humor in them, which is the reason that I don't enjoy Julia Quinn books like other romance readers do. If this book doesn't take your breath away, I don't know what will.

Absolutely delightful and (to my surprise) my favorite Hathaway book

Lisa Kleypas' latest novel is absolutely delightful; she has woven a wonderful and rich tale of love, and has done so with a great deal of skill and depth. I've been a great fan of the Hathaway clan and their stories, but for some reason was never very interested in Beatrix's. The sneak preview at the end of Married by Morning completely changed my opinion and I was ecstatic to only have to wait a month ... as well as a little nervous - my anticipation for MARRIED BY MORNING had been (like every other sane romance reader out there) almost unbearable and had ended in something of a disappointment. That was *not* the case with LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON! SUMMARY: [England, 1854-1855] It all starts innocently enough - Beatrix Hathaway's (23) friend, Prudence Mercer (a horrid girl), has received a letter from one of her suitors, Captain Christopher Phelan (29). Prudence finds the letter boring and tedious and has no intention of replying. Beatrix has no great fondness for the man: he's somewhat shallow and conceited, and she overheard once at a picnic a very rude comment he made about her. However reading his letter makes her feel an odd connection to the man who has written it and when Prudence refuses to write him back and urges Beatrix to pretend to be her and write a response, Beatrix decides that she will. After all, he's in a war zone and he's found a dog with behavioral issues ... what else is a compassionate and animal-loving person to do?! One letter becomes two, which become three, and before she knows it, they are exchanging what almost amount to love letters. What started out as a desire to help has turned into something completely unexpected, and Beatrix feels guilt over the kept-up pretension that Prudence is the one writing the letters and is conflicted with love for this man whom before she only felt dislike for. When Christopher returns a war hero, hailed by all society and having newly inherited substantial property, Prudence becomes interested in him once again and though their friendship ends with difficult parting words, both she and Beatrix agree that neither will reveal the truth to Christopher and the masquerade will continue. Christopher comes home a broken man, having survived two years of intense war and now forced to deal with the reality of his older brother's death. He has changed from the foolish, vain, and shallow society-darling he used to be. The one thing that has kept him going through all the difficulties has been the thought of "Prudence," the woman he's been exchanging letters with. She is in London when he finally feels ready to reengage with the world, but before he is able to leave and see her he has several encounters with his neighbor Beatrix Hathaway - who is annoying, frustrating, contrary, odd ... as well as intriguing, compelling, attractive, and undeniably appealing. He remains committed to meeting the woman of his dreams though - the woman who wrote him such beautiful letters and whom he is determined