Captain Christopher Phelan is surprised by the insightful and lovely letters he receives from Prudence. Soon their correspondence is plumbing the depths of both of their hearts but it is not enough. Christopher yearns for England and for the chance to finally make Prudence his forever. She has kept him going amidst the blood and death.
When Christopher arrives back in England, the deception starts to fall apart. How will these two reunite in the face of lies? And will Christopher fall to pieces before it is too late for Beatrix to help him?
LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON is the final book in the Hathaway family series and it is immensely satisfying. Throughout the course of these books, I wondered who Ms. Kleypas would pair Beatrix with and I was not disappointed in the least. Christopher and Beatrix have a strong bond that is tested as the book continues. Beatrix quickly realizes she cannot solve all of Christopher’s issues with the war. As she tells him, only time will heal that, but she wants to be there for him and despite their differences, they are so wonderful together! Letter writing is a lost art form unfortunately but Lisa Kleypas showcases just how romantic and personal it can be. I wished there had been more letters throughout the course of the book in fact.
I loved seeing Beatrix’s menagerie again, particularly Medusa’s fun cameos. Christopher quickly sees that what may have once been an eccentricity is just another wonderful and loving side to Beatrix’s personality. The rages of war are not done with Christopher, even as he returns to England and I am glad Ms. Kleypas left him battle scarred throughout the course of the story. It had a very authentic feel to it, and not even Beatrix and her loving support, could solve his problems for him.
LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON was so hard to finish because once it was done, I knew I would never have another new Hathaway book to read again! Fortunately, revisiting past characters is always a wonderful experience and I foresee many happy re-reads of this book. LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON is exceptionally lovely!
