Love in the Afternoon (Hathaways, Book 5)

TITLE: Love in the Afternoon AUTHOR: Lisa Kleypas SERIES: Hathaways, Book 5 SETTING: Mid-Victorian, Hampshire, Crimean War THEMES/TROPES: hidden identity (Cyrano), war, trauma/PTSD, epistolary OVERVIEW: Charming, eccentric, animal-obsessed Beatrix Hathaway has about given up on finding a man who can appreciate her and spends her time trying to find contentment with her family and pets in Hampshire. When her beautiful friend Prudence receives a letter from gorgeous, arrogant Captain Christopher Phelan, away fighting in Crimea, Beatrix can see that the man is in desperate need of some friendly words, no matter how disdainful he may have been to her the few times they’ve met. Unfortunately, Prudence doesn’t wish to respond—so Beatrix agrees to do it in her name. The correspondence becomes much more than Beatrix expected, and when Christopher finally comes home, it breaks her heart to find herself once again an object of scorn to him and know that she’s not the woman he wants. Christopher’s heart aches even more when he finds that Prudence isn’t anything like the woman he corresponded with, not only because it dashes the hopes that carried him through hell, but because he knows that the woman he fell for was purposefully deceiving him. They become stuck in a web of lies, trauma, and pain that can’t be resolved all at once, but Beatrix is determined to untangle it all to help the man whose letters opened her heart. PROS: This book is just delightfully heart-wrenching…is that a thing? I think it must be because this story is so touchingly full of heartbreak and pain, both in terms of the romance and from Christopher’s memories and trauma from the war. It’s particularly touching and refreshing to see a male lead experience a feeling of being fooled and spurned, which is so often the purview of jilted or misled young women. Beatrix is the sweetest, loveliest heroine. Her love of and adeptness with animals shows a gentleness and a cleverness that is incredibly endearing, and it also gives her a great ability to read and manage people because she can see how they relate to animal behavior. I also enjoy that her preference for animals is used as a way to explain her problems and insecurities rather than just her positive traits. Christopher, on the other hand, can be very harsh and rude, but his experiences in the war both changed his way of looking at life and illustrate his strength of character. One of the best things about how Christopher is written is how thoroughly his PTSD is represented and incorporated. I’m certainly no expert on PTSD, but I have found in other books I’ve read with war-traumatized characters that the effect is written very one-dimensionally as one or two dramatic symptoms, like nightmares or flashbacks. Christopher, very realistically for someone who has only just arrived home form war, has nightmares and flashbacks and anxiety and depression and jumpiness, which are incorporated both explicitly and subtly into the plot and his character. I loved the letters shared between Beatrix and Christopher toward the beginning of the book. Not only were the letters very sweet, but a correspondence like that also serves to create a strong basis for the romance before the story gets in full swing, which helps avoid the hard-to-believe speed at which many couples in romance (particularly historical romance) fall in love. CONS: I can’t think of anything that I disliked much about this book—and not for lack of trying. If anything, I had the slight sense at some points that there should be more acknowledgement that love can’t cure everything. This is not to say that love was a “cure” for Christopher’s PTSD in this book, but rather that there’s too much “you would never hurt me.” I think I would have liked a little more understanding on Beatrix’s part that Christopher wasn’t being paranoid or over-careful about how dangerous he could be to her. RATINGS: Writing: 5/5 Top notch as always from Kleypas. Characters: 5/5 Well rounded and believable. Plot: 5/5 Compelling and believable for characters. Setting: 5/5 Vibrant animals and countryside; good war details. Romance: 5/5 Very sweet and heart-wrenching. Sexiness: 5/5 Well integrated with emotional story. Humor: 4/5 Funnier than you would expect for all the emotional turmoil. Average: 4.86 Sweet and Heart-Wrenching OTHER INFO: This is the last of the five-book Hathaways series, but I think this is the one of the series most able to stand on its own because it is the farthest removed in time from the other books, and there isn’t a lot we learn about Beatrix in the previous books that we don’t see in this story. The other books are certainly worth reading though, both because they’re each fabulous individually, and it’s more fun to see all the other siblings in this book after reading their romances.

I enjoyed this book immensely due to the fact that the heroine was one of my favorites from the other books and I think that the hero balanced her out quite well. There was enough twists that the story was enjoyable and not too predictable (I like when the story is a little bit predictable). The supporting cast (yes, that includes all the animals) adds just enough humor to not let the subject matter bring the reader down. Speaking of subject matter, I think the insight into the hero definitely opened my eyes about what its like for someone to have PTSD (like the constancy, the triggers, etc.) without hating on the hero for his actions. I recommend this book moreso for those wanting to read something enjoyable but have a story with some depth.

In a family full of unorthodox people, Beatrix Hathaway takes gold. A fun-loving young woman with a propensity for running about in trousers with her animal menagerie, Beatrix finds fitting into London society and finding love quite difficult. Until one day, her callous friend receives a letter from a soldier, and Bea strikes up a correspondence with him disguised as her friend. This opens her up in a way she never expected! The Hathaways series is near and dear to my heart. Every single book has been top-notch, funny, heartwarming, and entertaining. Throughout the journey, I often wondered who would be right for Bea. She definitely dances to her own beat, especially in this time period. Kelypas didn’t disappoint with this one, and I am so pleased! So, I have probably read this book like thirty times (no exaggeration) since it was published. I absolutely adored Bea and her unorthodox ways. She was always sweet, innocent, and had such an earnest attitude. She's an absolute delight of a character who made me laugh so many times. And don't even get me started on Christopher! He is so swoony and protective that it makes my lil heart go putter patter! God, when they strike up with those letters...they are so sweet and real in a way you don't always see between couples and it made my inner fan girl jump up and down, squealing all the way! Seeing the way this couple interacts is amusing and heartwarming, especially because Christopher has no idea she is the one from the letters. I also love how Kleypas introduces real issues into her novels, like Bea’s grief over her parents and PTSD, and how it honestly was viewed back in the 1800s. It's beautiful to see how supportive the Hathaways are of Christopher, especially when he believes he is just crazy. I still laugh and smile and inwardly swoon at so many aspects of this book despite the fact that I have read it so many times. To me, that speaks to the quality of the writing and storytelling. Historical romances are a hard sell for me, but sell me any Lisa Kleypas book. I am in it and am a diehard fan! I will never not recommend this book and this series! It's amazing. Please go try it out! Tropes include: MF Love Interests Set in 1800’s Secret Identity Love Letters Long Distance He’s a Soldier War Hero Hurt/Comfort Grief PTSD Rep She is Unorthodox Protective MMC Wild/Independent FMC Dislike-to-Love Quirky/Lovable Family Menagerie of Animals Grumpy x Sunshine

I don't often award five stars to historical romances. I enjoy them a lot, but they rarely distinguish themselves from one another. If you've read one, you've read them all, for the most part. But Love in the Afternoon rises above the others. I adored this book. After falling a bit in the fourth Hathaway book and relying on cliched physical encounters to drive the story, Lisa Kleypas finally came back to the thing that makes her books so enjoyable to me ... quirky and enjoyable characters and strong relationships that help one another rise above the trying circumstances of life. This was Beatrix's story, and I loved her to death. Beatrix is an overwhelming eccentric in a family of eccentrics. She collects a menagerie of animals, caring for the weak and afflicted animals that come around her. She has an innate understanding of animal nature, and for this she seems to be destined to never marry. While the men she meets love talking to her, they are not interested in bringing her eccentricity into their lives. Until Captain Christopher Phelan arrives. Beatrix has met Christopher before when he told a friend that she was better suited to the stables than proper society. He seemed rude and arrogant and totally foreign to anything that Beatrix would want in a man. But then he purchases a commission in the military and heads to a brutal war in Crimea that hardens him in some ways and humbles him in others. In the midst of the horrors of war he writes to Beatrix's beautiful friend, Prudence. He was interested in her before the war, but Prudence isn't interested in him at all. She thinks his tale of war is boring and has no desire to write him back. But once Beatrix reads his letter she is transfixed. She has to write him, so Prudence allows Beatrix to send a letter pretending to be her. Thus begins a series of absolutely beautiful letters between the two. I LOVED these letters. I could have read chapter after chapter of the letters between the two of them. Wonderful! Through these letters Christopher and Beatrix fell in love, except for one GIGANTIC problem ... Beatrix was pretending to be Prudence. Christopher was going to be sadly disappointed when he returned to find that Prudence wasn't the same person he thought he was falling in love with. The love between Beatrix and Christopher in this story was absolutely beautiful. Christopher is a very damaged man. He is suffering from severe PTSD in an era where no one talked about such things. Fortunately, he fell in love with the perfect woman, someone who could handle his mood swings and panic attacks with patience at times, firmness at others, and a humor that could push through his walls in many instances. The quirkiness that made others shy away from the Hathaway family perfectly matched what Christopher would need as he recovered from his emotional war scars. The Hathaway family shines in this story, and we get the chance to spend a bit more time with Cam and Amelia than we have in the last few books. That was nice. I loved reading about the humor of this family as well as their open love for one another. In so many historical romance series it seems as if the stories progressively decline with each book, but I think that this story may be my favorite of the Hathaway series. It perfectly encapsulates the best parts of the series, and I felt totally satisfied at the end after seeing everyone get their well deserved Happily Ever After. This one is a story that I will definitely add to my favorites shelf. Five stars!

I read this book in one sitting yesterday. While reading the Hathaway series, I had not anticipated any real interest in Beatrix, so I was more than a little surprised to find the character so compelling. I had originally imagined a female Dr. Dolittle that would walk around with birds flying around her head, and animals of the forrest in her wake, and let's face it, how do you make a character like that work? Beatrix does maintain her fascination with animals. What started out as a slightly odd quirk as a child, has developed into actual knowledge that she pursues instead of just automatically knowing everything because she is so attuned with nature. She does not walk around in some world of her own singing "If We Could Talk to the Animals". She understands that her personality is considered to be somewhat unusual, but her desire for additional knowledge is stronger than her desire to "fit in", and her character is fortunate enough to have a family that does not wish to quash this very essential part of who she is. ***SPOILERES AHEAD*** I thought the hero, Christopher Phelan, was portrayed very well also. Upon his return from the war, it is apparent that he is suffering from what we would refer to today as PTSD. Having just read another book where the hero also suffers from this condition (Quinn's "Ten Things I Love About You"), I found this to be a far more realistic and superior protrayal. Christopher experiences several problems: frustration, confusion, anger and irrational outbursts as a result of his situation that are addressed throughout the story that do not simply disappear magically. The only time I thought his character was a little over done was before he was certain of Beatrix's identity, and was pursuing Prudence. Even though he knew Prudence was not the author of his letters, he continued to court her and all but propose. His character was rightfully angry, but I'm not entirely clear on how marrying Prudence was going to help him to exact the revenge he felt he needed at that time. While Christopher's situation was handled in a compelling fashion, I thought everything was a little simplistic with his friend Mark. I cannot explain why - I am not saying it was poorly written - but the "surprise" with Mark was not a surprise for me at all. As soon as the situation regarding Christopher's past with him was described, I said to myself, "We'll be seeing Mark later". Mark's recovery was the one that came across as being far too quick and easy (or maybe I just wasn't clear on the amount of time that had passed). Either way, simplistic or not, I thought it fit into the story well, and I was happy for his good outcome as well. I liked that neither Christopher's or Mark's difficulties magically disappeared completely. They had to learn how to cope and to return to "regular" life, and even though they adapted, they did not go back to being the people they were before having gone to war. ***END SPOILERS*** I enjoyed the glimpses and conversations with the other Hathaways, and the fact that they were in the story without taking over large portions of it. I have read other series where the author includes past characters, and it becomes cumbersome and takes the reader out of the present story. I was even hoping for mentions of more of the Wall Flower characters, but realized that would have been too much . Finally, my one very minor complaint. I know Beatrix has a gift when it comes to working with animals, but there were a few scenes here and there that went a little overboard. The scenes when she speaks to animals (primarily Albert, the dog) and they understand her. For instance, in one scene, I believe Beatrix and Christopher are in the library. Beatrix tosses Albert a dog biscuit and tells him that the cook has his food ready for him in the kitchen. The dog picks up his biscuit, and trots off to the kitchen. What was going to be next? "Hey Albert, I need you to run into the village to return these hair ribbons I bought, and as long as you're there, why don't you stop at the pub for a pint and visit with some of the villagers?" It was perilously close to an old Lassie movie: "ARF! ARF!" "What's that Lassie? Timmy's fallen down the well and needs a doctor? I'll go help Timmy - you go get the doctor!" These scenes were kind of silly, but I was enjoying the story so much, it didn't matter (but I couldn't help but shake my head once or twice as I read). I was extremely happy with this book. It's a fun and entertaining read. Although I'm sorry to see the series end, it seems like all is right in the Hathaway world. I know I wouldn't mind if any future HR series that Lisa Kleypas may do were to have connections to the Hathaways and any of them were to appear in the periphery of the story (sort of how some of the Wall Flowers made guest appearances in The Hathaways). What do you say Lisa? I'm sure the children of some of the Hathaways or Wall Flowers could be minor characters in another novel somewhere down the line. Maybe some puppies for Albert?

LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON is the fifth and final book in the Hathaways Series. It is the story of Beatrix Hathaway, the youngest Hathaway sibling. Beatrix is very unconventional. As readers of the series will recall, Bea has a great affinity for animals and in fact has an interesting menagerie from an orphaned hedgehog and a three legged cat to an unbroken horse and goats. Bea is friends with Prudence who has a suitor, Captain Christopher Phelan, who is off fighting in the Crimean war. Prudence gets a letter from Christopher yearning for some news from home and reporting about a camp dog. Bea is intrigued by Christopher's letter, especially his problem with the dog. When Prudence has no intention to reply, Bea agrees to masquerade as Prudence with a response. Soon Christopher and Bea are falling in love by letter. When Christopher returns from war, he comes looking for his love "Prudence". I really liked this book. Christopher is a man who has been deeply changed by war and still deals with PTSD from his experiences. The deception about the identity of the letter writer only lasts for about half the book. The two then have to deal with the consequences of Christopher's war experiences. I really enjoyed that Christopher is a good man. His demons are well represented and dealt with in a serious fashion. As to Bea, I have always enjoyed her crazy animals. It is entirely fitting that she is brought together with her mate by concern over a dog. The discussion about the mating habits of squirrels was hysterical As the last book in the series, it was nice to see the family again and get an update on them. For fans of the series, this book is absolutely necessary. For those who haven't read the other books, this book can exist without them, but you get a better, fuller experience if you read them in order.

This is my favorite of all the Hathaway books and I could not put it down. The story line is perfect and the characters are so likable, believable and very real. The story arc wraps up all the storylines of the Hathaways in a very satisfying way.

If you've read the Hathaway stories from the start, you can't help but be pulled into the magic of this conclusion of Beatrix Hathaway's love story. I could easily picture the animal loving eccentric in dresses too short as a little girl turning into a patient and free loving woman who falls for the damaged soul in need of rescuing. This book does not hold the angst of earlier books like Seduce me at Sunrise, but focuses on a relationship built on communication and solid bonding. When I started it, I saw millions of ways it could steer into the hero being an idiot falling for the wrong woman, but our hero is smart and caring and doesn't waste much time going after what he wants. Beatrix Hathaway, the youngest of the Hathaway family is a free spirit who tends to wounded animals and has her own menagerie to show for it. Intelligent to a fault, men are completely taken with her, but have not pursued her due to her unconventional style and her downright inappropriateness as a bidding and acceptable wife in society. When her friend Prudence receives a letter from a suitor gone off to war, she shares her boredom and dislike with Beatrix. Beatrix, already inclined to dislike said suitor for insulting her years prior, is touched when she reads the letter and implores Prudence to write back. Prudence essentially laughs at her, but Beatrix's romantic notions kick in and she figures that a response may be what a wounded soldier of war needs as a distraction, so she responds instead, pretending to be Pru. As she continues her correspondance, she finds herself falling in love with the man behind the words of those letters, but when he declares his love in one of them, Beatrix realizes she's screwed up big time and cuts the correspondance. Christopher Phelan was a careless cad who purchased a commission in the regiments because that's what second sons did for an easy living until he finds himself in The Rifles and fighting war on the front lines. Motivated by loneliness and a new maturity brought on by war and death, he reaches out to the beautiful Prudence whom he did not have much time getting to know before. When he receives a response from Pru, aka Beatrix, he is completely smitten and finds her letters are the only thing keeping him going. All he wants is for the war to be over so he can come home and claim Pru as his own. When the war finally ends, Christopher finds himself more than eligible as war hero and searches for Pru who is now interested in him for his newly acquired status. Only when he finds her, he realizes she can't possibly be the woman behind such lovely, insightful and inspiring words, but he has a pretty good idea who is. This is a tender love story filled with patience, love and laughter. There are absolutely priceless scenes such as when Bea thinks she's going to be ravished, and especially when Leo and Cam bicker over who's going to have the man to man talk with Christopher. If you stayed with this from the start, you just know this family and their personalities stayed in character if not matured slightly since Mine Til Midnight, except maybe Leo, who's dry wit and sarcasm is still irresistable. Beatrix is everything you expect her to be and Christopher is as intent on soulmates as Merripen but much less stubborn. It is simply a wonderful ending to a great series that I literally read in a manner of short hours and I already feel like I have to go back and reread them all again. Although I recommend reading them in order, I rank them 1. Seduce me at Sunrise, 2. Love in the Afternoon, 3. Married By morning, 4. Mine Til Midnight, 5. Tempt me at Twilight.