Review: Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
Submitted by Doll KittNLuv on July 14, 2010 – 4:30 am3 Comments
[Hathaway 5]
The fifth edition to the Hathaway series, Love in the Afternoon, was both eagerly awaited and dreaded equally by me. But with only a month of wait, neither emotion was felt overlong, however, my heartbreak was not just over it being the last in the series.
As the youngest sibling to the eccentric Hathaway clan, twenty – three year old Beatrix Hathaway has always been in love with nature. She’s a free spirit, preferring those of the four legged variety rather than those of her peers on two. Her penchant for being out-of-doors and riding only make more of statement to her half – civilized nature. She may not be the seasons beauty, but she’s not lacking in admires. That is until the courtship turns serious, and then she’s quickly turned over for a more normal Miss.
The story starts off innocently enough with Beatrix’s concern over Captain Phelan’s dog. Bea’s friend and raining beauty of Hampshire, Prudence Mercer, is corresponding with her suitor, Captain Christopher Phelan, through the means of Christopher’s sister-in-law, Audrey. With the arrival of his first letter, Pru is deeply grieved to find that his letter consist of nothing more than that of a mangy dog and war tragedies. She finds it completely boring and tedious. Beatrix has no great liking of Christopher – she finds him 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. But, 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 she is conflicted with love for this man whom before she only felt dislike. Beatrix feels the guilt over the kept-up pretension that Prudence is the one writing the letters and abruptly stops all communication.
Fast forward almost one year, Captain Christopher Phelan returns home a war hero, but at a high price. He’s a much different man than he was before he left. The carefree rake that went off to war no longer exist and in his place is a fierce and broken soul. To make matters worse, he is greeted at home with the news of his brothers death. Now, all Christopher wants to do is find the one woman who can make him whole again, the woman who has kept him going, the woman he loves. Except, after he meets up with Pru in London, he finds it extremely hard to believe that this is the same woman who wrote all those beautiful letters. Confusion really sets in when he finds Bea – the woman he use to find annoying, frustrating, odd – to be intriguing, compelling, attractive, and undeniably appealing.
Love in the Afternoon was a disappointing end to a great series for me. I’ve loved the depth of the characters in this series and Christopher continues to live up to the others. You can feel his pain, sorrow, and conflict, but Ms. Kleypas failure, for me, was in cultivating Beatrix throughout the series. Everything we know about Bea, which is almost nothing, is exactly what she is – kind heartened, pure, and sweet. She doesn’t develop in anyway, and even at a woman of twenty three, she has kept her childlike nature and immaturity.
The other thing that bothered me about Love in the Afternoon is that they fall in love through their correspondence. The letters aren’t anything spectacular and stay squarely in the “almost love letter” column. I did absolutely love the idea that we didn’t have to wait til the end for declarations of love, and instead got to see the development of the relationship. However, Christopher falls in love with a woman he believes to be “Prudence” After meeting Pru, you’ll have no doubt in the contrast betwixt her and Bea. Where Bea is sweet and kind, Pru is shallow and vain. To me, it’s like Christopher fell in love with a different side he thought to have been Pru’s, seeing her in a new light, instead Bea’s genuine personality.
I truly did love the Hathaways, it’s a light, funny, and sinfully sexy series that I believe any historical romance fan will adore. Love in the Afternoon may not have been my cup of tea, but I’m truly going to miss this quirky family.
Hathaways [H]
Mine Till Midnight-2007
Seduce Me at Sunrise-2008
Tempt Me at Twilight-2009
Married By Morning-May 25, 2010
Love in the Afternoon-June 29, 2010[FINAL]
Visit Lisa Kleypas’ Website |
This book was purchased by KittNLuv.
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. Has the time come for the most unconventional of the Hathaway sisters to settle for an ordinary man—just to avoid spinsterhood?Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix’s friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it’s becoming clear that Christopher won’t come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru’s disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru’s letters to Christopher for her. Soon the correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep…and when Christopher comes home, he’s determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as Beatrix’s innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can’t be denied…
Kitt is an avid reader of Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Historical, Classics, Young Adult, and on the occasion she reads some Erotica to spice things up. Her entrance into the world of Paranormal started with Charlaine Harris's Stackhouse series. When not feeding her addiction she can be found slaving away cooking as a Sous Chef, watching movies and Anime, or out looking for trouble. She lives in Florida with her DB Deist and their two cats Salem and Dublin.
Awwwwww Kitt:(
This makes me sad. I hate that feeling when I series comes to an end and your left underwhelmed and unsatisfied. Especially since I know how much you enjoyed the series. :(
Kitt, I totally get what you mean, I read this series, and while I enjoyed some books more and some less, I kept being disappointed by the "almost" aspect.
I "almost" got to understand where the characters are coming from.
We "almost" get a full Beatrix, but really, she remains the pure little innocent.
I'm sorry you didn't love it.
@Day – It is the worst, isn't it? I really loved Lisa Kleypas Historical, so what makes this even sadder is that this was her last. She's moving on to contemporary only and I'm not a huge fan of that genre.
@Noa – I'm so glad you agree. I've seen a couple of reviews for this book and they've all been rave. I thought I might of been the only one or too harsh. :(