Love in the Afternoon: A Novel (Hathaways, Book 5)

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?

TITLE: Love in the AfternoonAUTHOR: Lisa KleypasSERIES: Hathaways, Book 5SETTING: Mid-Victorian, Hampshire, Crimean WarTHEMES/TROPES: hidden identity (Cyrano), war, trauma/PTSD, epistolaryOVERVIEW: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-WrenchingOTHER 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.

Good book

This is the final story in the Hathaway series.Beatrix is perhaps the least conventional of all the Hathaway family (and that takes some doing!)She is most at home roaming the countryside and taking in lost, orphaned or injured creatures of all descriptions.Christopher Phelan has just returned from the Crimean War - he is wounded in body, mind and soul.Bea immediately recognises the needs he has in order to make any kind of recovery to achieve any kind of normal life.We follow the development of their love and Christopher’s realisation that he does deserve to live a good and fulfilling life.

Für mich überraschend der beste Teil der Serie, ich hatte nicht erwartet das mir "Love in the Afternoon" derart gut gefällt. Auch deshalb, weil in den bisherigen Bänden Beatrix eher kindisch und wenig erwachsen rüberkam. Ich muss jedoch sagen, dass Bea in "Love in the Afternoon" überhaupt nicht kindisch wirkte, sondern einfach wie eine unbeschwerte junge Frau, die ihr leben genießt. Ich habe sie auf Anhieb gemocht, sie war mitfühlend und gefühlvoll, im Gegensatz zu ihrer oberflächligen und einfältigen "Freundin" Prudence.Was mir sehr gut gefallen hat ist die Geschichte mit den Briefen, ich liebe Briefe in Romanen, dass ist so eine schöne sachte Art der Annäherung. Die gesamte Story ist nicht so heiter und beschwingt wie teilweise die anderen Romane der Reihe. Dies liegt an Christophers Erfahrungen im Krieg, die ihn verändert haben und sehr belasten. Wenn man demgegenüber allerdings sein Verhalten vor seinem langen Kriegseinsatz betrachtet, ist dies wahrscheinlich sogar zu seinem Besten. Vorher wirkte er arrogant und überheblich, also wie jemand den man als Hauptcharakter wenig mögen könnte. Ich hatte natürlich auch Mitleid mit ihm, das was Christopher erlebt hat, wünscht man wirklich niemanden.Was ich jedoch etwas schade fand, war das nach der Hochzeit Christophers Probleme mit der Verarbeitung des Traumas so wenig in die Geschichte eingeflossen ist. Ich hatte mir auch in Bezug auf Bea mehr Schwierigkeiten gewünscht mit der ganzen Sache umzugehen. Man hat sehr wenig von der Bewältigung mitbekommen. Ich habe schon einige Romane gelesen, wo es hierbei zu größeren Problemen kann, allerdings kann ich mir vorstellen, dass ansonsten die gesamte Story zu düster geworden wäre, es hätte wahrscheinlich einfach nicht gut hineingepasst.Auch den Abschluss der gesamten Serie und des Romans fand ich sehr gelungen, besonders weil dort zwei unglücklichen Menschen ein Happy End in Aussicht gestellt wird. Vielleicht werden wir diese beiden in einem anderen Roman noch einmal zu Gesicht bekommen, ich würde mich freuen, auch wenn die Geschichte sicherlich nicht so unbeschwert wie die der Hathaways werden könnte.Fazit:Mein Lieblingsband in der Hathaways-Serie, ich kann ihn nur empfehlen, er hat alles was man sich wünscht. Eine liebenswerte und besondere Hauptcharakterin und einen traumatisierten, aber sympathischen "Helden", sowie eine wunderbar romantische Liebesgeschichte.Anmerkung:Man sollte die Romane, wenn man vorhat sie alle zu lesen, in der richtigen Reihenfolge lesen. Allerdings steht "Love in the Afternoon" am ehsten von den ganzen Bänden für sich alleine. Da die Liebesgeschichte der beiden weder in vorherigen Bänden begonnen hat, noch weitere "Pärchen" der Serie eingeleitet werden (ist ja auch der finale Band).Weitere Romane in der Hathaways-Serie:Band 1: Mine Till Midnight (Amelia Hathaway und Cam Rohan) (9/10)Band 2: Seduce Me At Sunrise (Win Hathaway und Kev Merripen) (7/10)Band 3: Tempt me at Twilight (Poppy Hathaway und Harry Rutledge) (8/10)Band 4: Married by Morning (Leo Hathaway and Cat Marks) (9/10)Band 5: Love in the Afternoon (Bea Hathaway and Christopher Phalen) (10/10)Bewertung: 10/10 (also 5 Sterne)LucinaMehr Rezensionen von mir findet man in meinem Blog (lucinaswelt.blogspot.com).

"Love in the afternoon" ist insgesamt eine süffig, gute Lektüre, grandios fand ich sie allerdings nur in der ersten Hälfte. Kleypas' Geschichte wurde da von - wenn ich mich richtig erinenre - Eloisa James mit der Cyrano-de-Bergerac-Story verglichen, was insofern stimmt, als Beatrix Hathaway, eine sehr symphathische, unverstellte junge Frau, einen Briefwechsel mit Captain Phelan im Namen ihrer reichlich hohlen Freundin Prudence beginnt. Der hatte Beatrix zwar zuvor verspottet, weshalb sie ihn für den arrogantesten Kerl überhaupt hält, aber sein Brief von der Front - Phelan ist Scharfschütze der Rifle Brigade im Krimkrieg - entpricht dem Bild Beas von Christopher überhaupt nicht und so entspinnt sich ein lebhafter und sehr, sehr interessanter Briefwechsel, der natürlich dazu führt, dass die beiden sich über ihren ernsthaften Briefen verlieben. Beatrix ist Christophers Rettungsleine, im Horror des Kriegs sowas wie Menschlichkeit zu bewahren - meint er jedenfalls (die Momentaufnahmen, die wir sehen dürfen, sprechen eher davon, dass er ein absolut anständiger Kerl ist, Briefe hin oder her). Nach knapp zwei Jahren im Krieg kehrt er als hochdekorierter, mehrfach verwundeter Kriegsheld zurück und ist von den Ereignissen tief geprägt. Heute würde man wohl sagen, er hat posttraumatische Störungen, jedenfalls ist er längst kein oberflächlicher Fopp mehr wie zuvor vielleicht an der Oberfläche.Die Ausgangssituation ist also sehr, sehr interessant und gut und auch gut geschrieben. Danach aber geht alles etwas zu schnell für meinen Geschmack. Weil Beatrix und Christopher Nachbarn sind und über Albert, seinen verhaltensgestörten Terrier schnell zusammenfinden (Beatrix kümmert sich um alle sonderbaren Viecher und macht natürlich auch aus Albert einen goldigen Hund), merkt auch Christopher bald, dass Beatrix die ist, zu der er die innige Verbindung hat, die über den Briefwechsel entstanden ist und nicht Prudence, die angeblich die Briefe verfasst hat.Wenn Kleypas nun sich entweder mehr der PTSD zugewandt hätte oder der nur sehr kurz angedeuteten Rache, die Christopher an der Person nehmen will, die ihn als "Pru" getäuscht hat (wobei ihm schon klar ist, dass die Briefe von Bea "echt" im Gefühl waren), oder wenn sonst ein angedeuteter Konflikt für mehr Spannung genutzt worden wäre, wäre das klar ein 5-Sterne-Buch geworden. Leider ging mir aber alles zu reibungslos und zu schnell und im dritten Drittel (um nicht zu sagen im zweiten Hälfte) ist die körperliche Anziehungskraft der beiden im Vordergrund. Und da ist mir persönlich einfach die Sprache zu genrehaft, zu verblümt, zu klischeehaft. Nix gegen Sexszenen und die hier sind schon okay, aber ich hätte auch gut darauf verzichten können, denn zur Vertiefung des "Character-Developments" trugen sie m.M. überhaupt nichts bei. Man bekommt mit, dass Christopher wirklich ein super Typ ist, der zuerst an sie und erst danach an sich denkt, aber das wusste die Leserin ja an sich schon.Wie eine andere Rezensentin schon geschrieben hat, wird über die "Genesung" von Christopher wie später seines Kriegs-Kumpels flockig leicht hinweggegangen, wobei grade sowas total spannend gewesen wären. Ein bisserl zittern, ob das zentrale Pärchen gegen alle Widerstände (da waren nur nicht wirklich welche außer seiner PTSD und die scheint ihr keine Probleme bereitet zu haben) dochh zusammenkommt, bzw. irgendwas, das länger in der Schwebe gehalten hätte, ob die beiden Risiken und Gefahren überstehen würden (jetzt werd ich auch schon blumig....), wäre aber schon gut gewesen.Schade, aufgrund der eher enttäuschenden zweiten Hälfte nach einem ganz tollen und fesselnden Anfang, nur drei Sterne.

Christopher Phelan has gone off to flight in the Crimean war. Before going he had become acquainted with Prudence and decided to write a letter to her from the battlefield to escape from the horrors of war. But Prudence is an empty headed girl who is only interested in titled and wealthy lords. Her friend Beatrix Hathaway feels a connection to the sentiments expressed in the letter. Though she dislikes Christopher as he had slighted her previously, she writes back and so begins a pen pal friendship. When Christopher comes back, he is much scarred, mentally and physically, not at all the same person he had been. He seeks out Prudence thinking she is his love. He also meets Beatrix but ,inspite of an attraction, he doesn't pay her much attention. But ,before long, he realises that Prudence is not the one who wrote those letters. He sets about finding out who betrayed him by writing under a false name. When he discovers it's Beatrix, he finds she is everything he was looking for. The only woman who has the capability of healing his wounds and thawing his ice cold heart.It was a good and enjoyable read. I loved the Hathaway family. I loved how they talk to each other, so much warmth, camaraderie, teasing and a wonderful sense of humour. The family scenes are a treasure.

I seriously forgot how charming this book was, and Beatrice and Christopher were Fab main characters.There is a nice layer of gentle humour laced throughout, and the moments of intensity that existed were nicely done.Christopher was very believable as a hero, and I loved how the author depicted his struggles with coming to terms with his actions during the war and his PTSD. The fact that he was not magically cured by the love of a Beatrice, as can be the trope in some books, was a nice dimension to the book.Again, it was fun seeing the rest of the Hathaways in this book, and little Rye was adorable.