Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

Okay, so this book is really not an inspirational and uplifting book. It was, however, pretty good.
She harbors a secret yearning. 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? He is a world-weary cynic. 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...
This is the fifth book in the Hathaway series, and although the rest of the family is present in this book, you don't need to hear their stories to understand this one. That, I like. I haven't read/listened to the other books yet, but I believe I will eventually get to them. I'd kinda like to see what Beatrix is like before we get to hear her story. The book starts with Beatrix and her friend, Pru, discussing a letter Pru received from Captain Christopher Phelan who is off fighting in the war. When it appears that Pru has no desire to write back, however, Beatrix says that she will write for her. Just this once. But then Captain Phelan writes back, and Beatrix enjoys his letters. The correspondence continues until Beatrix realizes she has feelings for Christopher and does not believe that he will be happy to find out that it is her who has written and not the beautiful and flirtatious Pru. The war ends, and Christopher returns home a hero, although he doesn't feel like one. He goes in search of Pru, feeling she is the only one who can help him return to himself.
This was a fun story. Beatrix is a little bit eccentric, Christopher is a lot bit depressed, and the two of them together make for quite the scene. This is definitely a romance book, so if you don't like the romance scenes I won't recommend you read this. There was also a little bit of swearing, which I don't particularly mind, but I know some people do. For me, this book deserves at least a 4 star rating.