Love in the Afternoon

[RomanceNovelNews.com]

When Beatrix Hathaway last met Christopher Phelan, she wasn’t all that enamored with the dashing aristocrat. In fact, she was rather put off by his arrogance. In true Austen-style, Beatrix overheard him telling a friend that she is “more suited to the stables than the drawing room.”

Truth is, Beatrix is somewhat of a strange bird. She cares for a bevy of animals, mostly injured or unwanted, including a pet hedgehog named Medusa. Although some find her strange, others find her charming and original.

While fighting for England in the Crimean Peninsula, Christopher believes he is corresponding with the beautiful Prudence Mercer, but in actuality, he owes his admiration to Beatrix, for it is her words that give him comfort. Bea’s intentions are honorable. She feels a man at war needs to know someone cares.

After Christopher returns from war, he learns that Prudence was not the author of the letters and sets out to find the one responsible for the “betrayal.” And while it seems painfully obvious, it takes him a while to figure it out.

An altruistic Beatrix exercises the same patience and understanding with the battle-scarred Christopher as she does with the wounded creatures she cares for, and together they work through his post-traumatic stress.

Lisa Kleypas writes an entrancing love story between a war hero and an unconventional beauty. Kleypas provides an array of charming, insightful and laugh-out-loud moments that keep the story lighthearted, even though the effects of war are quite dreadful.

“Love in the Afternoon” makes a felicitous finale to the Hathaway series. It is required reading for every lover of romance.

[RomanceNovelNews.com]

This was my first Kleypas book. I see now why she is a leader in romance fiction. People have said this book, the final in the Hathaway series is the best book in the collection. What do you think?

[Emery]

RomanceNovelNews.com wrote: "This was my first Kleypas book. I see now why she is a leader in romance fiction. People have said this book, the final in the Hathaway series is the best book in the collection. What do you think?"

I wholeheartedly agree. This was, unexpectedly, my favorite of the Hathaway series. I loved the epistolary romance - very touching, and the chemistry between the H/H, I found compelling and believable.