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Love in the Afternoon
339 pages
A tender, epistolary romance where words forged in the darkness of war blossom into a profound, healing love in the light of day.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping from a shadowed, war-torn landscape into a sunlit, chaotic English garden. It is deeply intimate, anchored by the quiet thrill of falling in love through letters before the terrifying vulnerability of meeting face-to-face. The narrative balances the heavy, lingering ghosts of battlefield trauma with the warm, eccentric comfort of a heroine who prefers rescuing hedgehogs to dancing at balls. The prose is lush and emotionally intelligent, wrapping the reader in a steady, swoon-worthy progression from mistaken identity to soul-deep recognition. It is a story that delights in the healing power of being truly understood, perfect for readers who crave historical romances where tender wit and profound emotional stakes walk hand-in-hand.
- Mood
- intimate
- swoony
- healing
- cozy
- Tone
- tender
- witty
- earnest
- romantic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- healing from trauma · the power of being seen · epistolary intimacy · hidden depths · unconventionality
- The writing
- Lush, emotionally resonant, and laced with warm wit and vivid sensory details.
- The arc
- Moves from the quiet thrill of anonymous connection and wartime despair to profound vulnerability and passionate, healing devotion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave deeply emotional historical romances featuring the Cyrano trope, eccentric heroines, and love as a healing force.
Content notes
- war trauma and PTSD
- grief
- recounted combat violence
About the book
Lisa Kleypas (The fifth book in the Hathaways series)
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.
The Hathaways Series: Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways, #1) Seduce Me at Sunrise (The Hathaways, #2) A Hathaway Wedding (The Hathaways, #2.5) Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways, #3) Married by Morning (The Hathaways, #4) Love in the Afternoon (The Hathaways, #5) Multi-book: A Season for Love: 2-in-1 (Wallflower Christmas/Mine Till Midnight) Perfect Temptations: 2-in-1 (Seduce Me at Sunrise/Tempt Me at Twilight) Falling for You: 2-in-1 (Married by Morning/Love in the Afternoon)
Description from Open Library.
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