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Three for a Wedding
What would Lucius do when he discovered the deception?
Phoebe Brook hadn't planned on taking a nursing job in Holland, and certainly not under false pretenses. But when her sister Sybil decided to get married instead of going to work for D. Lucius van Someren, Sybil persuaded Phoebe to take her place.
With Lucius's son Paul so hostile, and Paul's governess acting as if Lucius was her property, Phoebe really didn't need to compound her problems by falling in love with the doctor!
Phoebe Brook hadn't planned on taking a nursing job in Holland, and certainly not under false pretenses. But when her sister Sybil decided to get married instead of going to work for D. Lucius van Someren, Sybil persuaded Phoebe to take her place.
With Lucius's son Paul so hostile, and Paul's governess acting as if Lucius was her property, Phoebe really didn't need to compound her problems by falling in love with the doctor!
189 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1973
107 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
582 books419 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 15, 2021
From 1973, coming right after the sublime Cassandra by Chance, TfaW is a nicely paced story with lots of great "working together" hospital detail; a well-matched pair of very likable MCs; an utterly vile OW who does not, alas, get the comeuppance she deserves (an area where Betty usually falls short); and the usual assemblage of travelogue details, secondary characters, lavish food and surroundings, and fabulous cars that we've come to expect from our Betty. It's a fun ride overall, though some plot developments don't bear too much close scrutiny (something true of most Harleys, after all!).
The title stems from a variation of an old folk rhyme about the number of magpies spotted:
One’s sorrow,
Two’s mirth,
Three’s a wedding,
Four’s a birth,
Five’s a christening,
Six a dearth,
Seven’s heaven,
Eight is hell,
And nine’s the devil his old self.
Or HER old self--Betty pulls no punches in crafting a vile OW who's one of her most evil.
Our MCs--the charmingly absent-minded (sometimes, anyway!) Rich Dutch doctor Lucius and pretty, likable Poor British Nurse Phoebe--are terrific together. Lucius is a little dim when it comes to noticing that his adopted son's governess, the awful Maureen, is a day-drinking psychopath who keeps her charge in line with emotional blackmail and routine threats, but his heart's in the right place. He's one of Betty's sweeter heroes who actually courts our heroine (for once!). Too bad he doesn't notice that latet anguis in herba (as our learned Sir Paul, the hero of The Right Kind of Girl might say--the things I learn from Harleys!) who has infiltrated his household in the form of governess (and Phoebe's romantic rival) Maureen.
Phoebe is lovely--one of Betty's Beauties, with golden hair, sapphire eyes, a good sense of humor, a touch of shyness, and lots of smarts (she impresses the hero with her knowledge of botany and Latin, gleaned from her scientist father). A gold medalist of her year, like quite a few BN heroines before her, Phoebe reluctantly falls in with her (nice, for a change, if prone to dramatics) sister's scheme to have Phoebe pretend to be her and participate in a nursing exchange program in Holland for a few weeks. The scheme goes by the wayside pretty quickly, as our not-so-absent-minded professor sees through it immediately, but it does the trick to get our MCs together.
TGB seemed to have great fun with this one, cheerfully advancing the identity-switcheroo that the heroine admits is ludicrous and likely to fail (as it does, charmingly), an eeeevil OW, some credulity-stretching required with regard to the heroine's (and other characters') unwillingness to unmask our villainess to the hero, and an amusing declaration/HEA involving kitchen goods. Silly good fun for the most part, although the OW adds some pretty dark moments to the action. The hero and heroine are both pretty dense at points but they suit.
Car porn: hero drives an Jaguar XJ12, which the heroine drools over (as do I): "I love it. Only she's so splendid, she took my breath--"
The title stems from a variation of an old folk rhyme about the number of magpies spotted:
One’s sorrow,
Two’s mirth,
Three’s a wedding,
Four’s a birth,
Five’s a christening,
Six a dearth,
Seven’s heaven,
Eight is hell,
And nine’s the devil his old self.
Or HER old self--Betty pulls no punches in crafting a vile OW who's one of her most evil.
Our MCs--the charmingly absent-minded (sometimes, anyway!) Rich Dutch doctor Lucius and pretty, likable Poor British Nurse Phoebe--are terrific together. Lucius is a little dim when it comes to noticing that his adopted son's governess, the awful Maureen, is a day-drinking psychopath who keeps her charge in line with emotional blackmail and routine threats, but his heart's in the right place. He's one of Betty's sweeter heroes who actually courts our heroine (for once!). Too bad he doesn't notice that latet anguis in herba (as our learned Sir Paul, the hero of The Right Kind of Girl might say--the things I learn from Harleys!) who has infiltrated his household in the form of governess (and Phoebe's romantic rival) Maureen.
Phoebe is lovely--one of Betty's Beauties, with golden hair, sapphire eyes, a good sense of humor, a touch of shyness, and lots of smarts (she impresses the hero with her knowledge of botany and Latin, gleaned from her scientist father). A gold medalist of her year, like quite a few BN heroines before her, Phoebe reluctantly falls in with her (nice, for a change, if prone to dramatics) sister's scheme to have Phoebe pretend to be her and participate in a nursing exchange program in Holland for a few weeks. The scheme goes by the wayside pretty quickly, as our not-so-absent-minded professor sees through it immediately, but it does the trick to get our MCs together.
TGB seemed to have great fun with this one, cheerfully advancing the identity-switcheroo that the heroine admits is ludicrous and likely to fail (as it does, charmingly), an eeeevil OW, some credulity-stretching required with regard to the heroine's (and other characters') unwillingness to unmask our villainess to the hero, and an amusing declaration/HEA involving kitchen goods. Silly good fun for the most part, although the OW adds some pretty dark moments to the action. The hero and heroine are both pretty dense at points but they suit.
Car porn: hero drives an Jaguar XJ12, which the heroine drools over (as do I): "I love it. Only she's so splendid, she took my breath--"
April 16, 2021
This was a fun ride up until the end. So dissatisfying.
How does a fabulous doctor miss all the clues of an abusive nanny? To add insult to injury he verbally attacks the heroine only to try to make it up to her in the household section of a local department store. I personally would have hit him with one of the pans on display and walked out. Such a shame.
Plus what's with the title, I don't get it?
How does a fabulous doctor miss all the clues of an abusive nanny? To add insult to injury he verbally attacks the heroine only to try to make it up to her in the household section of a local department store. I personally would have hit him with one of the pans on display and walked out. Such a shame.
Plus what's with the title, I don't get it?
September 14, 2013
4 1/2 Stars ~ When Phoebe's younger sister Sybil announces that she's getting married, Phoebe's really happy for her. But Sybil has committed to a nurse exchange scheme in Holland for the next two months, and this upsets her wedding plans. As Phoebe and Sybil's identities are often confused, though they are 5 years apart, Sybil proposes that Phoebe takes her place. She's certain that the Dutch doctor who heads the scheme hadn't really looked at her, so Phoebe reluctantly agrees, even though this position is a step down in rank. Lucius is a renowned doctor treating children with cystic fibrosis. He has a brilliant mind when it comes to his patients and research, however, he tends to easily be distracted and absent minded when it comes to his personal life. He's very much impressed with Phoebe, and on the ferry over to Holland he reveals that he's aware of the switch. This is a relief for Phoebe, for she hated deceiving him.
Phoebe fits in very well in Holland, finding the work very rewarding and enjoying the moments that she spends with Lucius. She admires him tremendously on a professional level, and finds him to be charming and very handsome, and she wants to learn everything about him. When Lucius seems to want to spend time with her on her off hours, Phoebe eagerly does. Unfortunately, his adopted son, Paul doesn't seem to like her, but she soon realizes it's because of the gorgeous governess, who has her mind set on marrying Lucius. Maureen uses her influence on Paul, and the two of them constantly put Phoebe in a bad light. When Maureen makes a wrong move with Paul, it's Phoebe he runs to, only Maureen gets to Lucius first and again gains the upper hand.
I found this to be one of Betty Neels more romantic versions of the Dutch doctor and the English nurse. Lucius is thoroughly adorable. I wasn't sure how Ms. Neels could pull off a hero who was brilliant in his field and yet needed to rely on his trusty brown notebook for various reminders, but she does wonderfully. Phoebe finds this quirk totally endearing. She's a strong heroine, confident in her abilities as a nurse and that men find her very attractive. Yet she has a quietness and shyness about her, that Lucius is very drawn too. The big misunderstanding aka black moment is rather emotional, however, Ms. Neels gives Lucius and Phoebe a very satisfying HEA. This is a lovestory that I know I'll be reading again and again.
Phoebe fits in very well in Holland, finding the work very rewarding and enjoying the moments that she spends with Lucius. She admires him tremendously on a professional level, and finds him to be charming and very handsome, and she wants to learn everything about him. When Lucius seems to want to spend time with her on her off hours, Phoebe eagerly does. Unfortunately, his adopted son, Paul doesn't seem to like her, but she soon realizes it's because of the gorgeous governess, who has her mind set on marrying Lucius. Maureen uses her influence on Paul, and the two of them constantly put Phoebe in a bad light. When Maureen makes a wrong move with Paul, it's Phoebe he runs to, only Maureen gets to Lucius first and again gains the upper hand.
I found this to be one of Betty Neels more romantic versions of the Dutch doctor and the English nurse. Lucius is thoroughly adorable. I wasn't sure how Ms. Neels could pull off a hero who was brilliant in his field and yet needed to rely on his trusty brown notebook for various reminders, but she does wonderfully. Phoebe finds this quirk totally endearing. She's a strong heroine, confident in her abilities as a nurse and that men find her very attractive. Yet she has a quietness and shyness about her, that Lucius is very drawn too. The big misunderstanding aka black moment is rather emotional, however, Ms. Neels gives Lucius and Phoebe a very satisfying HEA. This is a lovestory that I know I'll be reading again and again.
October 25, 2018
Well, this is the most loony Betty Neels I've ever read. I liked the leads: absent-minded, mild-mannered Lucius and temperamental, Jane-Eyre-ish flaring-up Phoebe. They were good together: sharing the care of their patients, an ease of conversation, and obviously physically attracted to each other. All pretty staid and Neelsian, wouldn't you say? On the surface, yes, BUT Phoebe faces Neels's most diabolical OW ever, like villainess nasty: her viciousness WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD ...
involves the beating of small animals!!!!!! And the blackmailing of an orphan. And bringing dissipation into the doctor's house. I believe she and her friends ... HORRORS!!! ... listen to rock-n-roll when he's not home. Now the Cruella-OW isn't enough, but the HEA takes place in a department store in the housewares dept. A pan and hard-egg boiled slicer play major roles. I was both overjoyed and overtaken by hilarity. This is La Neels at her most absurd. LOVED IT.
involves the beating of small animals!!!!!! And the blackmailing of an orphan. And bringing dissipation into the doctor's house. I believe she and her friends ... HORRORS!!! ... listen to rock-n-roll when he's not home. Now the Cruella-OW isn't enough, but the HEA takes place in a department store in the housewares dept. A pan and hard-egg boiled slicer play major roles. I was both overjoyed and overtaken by hilarity. This is La Neels at her most absurd. LOVED IT.
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January 23, 2026Okay, I can totally see how this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If Lucius was so observant as to notice immediately that Phoebe was not Sybil then surely he could pick up on Maureen’s Evil Villain moves. And surely it would be kinder of Phoebe to say what she knows about Maureen than not to say it. That was frankly absurd.
Nevertheless, I thought this was delightful. I love the moment when Phoebe’s Sybil persona falls through. I love Lucius’s playfulness with Phoebe and all the time they spend together. I love Paul and the side plot with Rex. I love Mies and her fiancé. I like that the medical setting is present but not the focus. I like the Delft setting. Lucius is my current age (34), so the jokes about him and Phoebe (27) being old were funny. (Also too far apart in age. Seven years is a lot closer than some other Betty couples and 34 is quite young for a hero!) I love thinking about how happy Paul will be with Phoebe as his mother.
Nevertheless, I thought this was delightful. I love the moment when Phoebe’s Sybil persona falls through. I love Lucius’s playfulness with Phoebe and all the time they spend together. I love Paul and the side plot with Rex. I love Mies and her fiancé. I like that the medical setting is present but not the focus. I like the Delft setting. Lucius is my current age (34), so the jokes about him and Phoebe (27) being old were funny. (Also too far apart in age. Seven years is a lot closer than some other Betty couples and 34 is quite young for a hero!) I love thinking about how happy Paul will be with Phoebe as his mother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2015
For the first time when reading a Betty book, I found myself very angry. The book covers years of manipulation and emotional abuse against a small orphaned child and few scenes of animal cruelty. Not only I was angry at the disgusting attractive creature that happened to be the child governess/ OW but at Phoebe the lead female for not only keeping her own silence but by asking the veterinarian to do so as well which he unfortunately did. IMHO, anyone who has been emotionally manipulating and terrorizing a small child and was cruel enough to try to kill a puppy by kicking it to near death wa capable of greater physical violence against a child and by remaining silence, Phoebe put the child's life and his puppy in constant danger.
I was mad that the witch was just let go and didn't get the just punishment.
I was mad that the witch was just let go and didn't get the just punishment.
May 12, 2021
This book was a bore for me as it lacked the usual Betty Neels charm. Apart from a few mornings swimming and having tea I found there was hardly any interaction between her and heroine other than their work related talks. Phone the heroine is very beautiful nurse and can under hero Lucius falling for her but I found it hard for her to fall for him when there were many other young handsome doctors around
Anyways this is one of my least favourite BN stories
Anyways this is one of my least favourite BN stories
February 23, 2014
Lucius van Someren is an adorable hero. He is a widower with a young son and an absent minded professor. He keeps a little brown notebook as a memory aid.
Phoebe is an experienced nurse feeling a little unsettled, so when her sister Sybil needs someone to take her place in a nursing exchange program in Holland so she can marry, it seems a perfect solution.
What is rather funny is that Sybil is positive the Professor didn't take any notice of her, yet he knows there is something different about Phoebe immediately. I like to think it was the first seeds of attraction that he hadn't felt with Sybil.
Of course no Betty Neels romance would be complete without the evil Other Woman who tries to put a spanner in the works. In this case it is Paul's governess Maureen who intends to marry the rich professor. She also turns the boy against Phoebe and there are several instances where Phoebe is put into a difficult position because of the boy.
Of course everything is sorted in the end when the evil OWs machinations are revealed.
Phoebe is an experienced nurse feeling a little unsettled, so when her sister Sybil needs someone to take her place in a nursing exchange program in Holland so she can marry, it seems a perfect solution.
What is rather funny is that Sybil is positive the Professor didn't take any notice of her, yet he knows there is something different about Phoebe immediately. I like to think it was the first seeds of attraction that he hadn't felt with Sybil.
Of course no Betty Neels romance would be complete without the evil Other Woman who tries to put a spanner in the works. In this case it is Paul's governess Maureen who intends to marry the rich professor. She also turns the boy against Phoebe and there are several instances where Phoebe is put into a difficult position because of the boy.
Of course everything is sorted in the end when the evil OWs machinations are revealed.
November 8, 2014
4 1/2 stars. Lucius is truly a gentle-man in the best sense of the word. Perhaps his own gentle nature may explain why he was so blindly tolerant of the Malicious Maureen "caring" for his adopted son Paul. The OWs in Neelsland range from selfish and manipulative to various evil step-mothers, -sisters, and -sisters-in-law, but MM is this worst of the worst. Threatening a child? Check. Bribery? Check. Beating a poor, recovering-from-abuse puppy? Check. I was rather disappointed that she only went away; I would have liked her to have met with a horrid accident. Anyway, all's well that ends well, right? I love that Lucius proposed in the housewares department!
I was disturbed by the running away episode. Why didn't Phoebe just call the vet and have him come get the dog on some pretext? Technically (speaks my legal side) what she did was kidnapping. Ah well, chalk that up to fiction where RDDs knock out the teeth of the OM and don't get charged with assault!
I was disturbed by the running away episode. Why didn't Phoebe just call the vet and have him come get the dog on some pretext? Technically (speaks my legal side) what she did was kidnapping. Ah well, chalk that up to fiction where RDDs knock out the teeth of the OM and don't get charged with assault!
January 9, 2023
No idea why this one has the title it does--possibly because the usual Dutch doctor hero has an adopted son? Anyway, this one is a departure for Betty Neels in some minor ways--there's an actual villainess and some extremely mild peril--but the rest is all as you might imagine. I do wonder about these English nurse girls who get kissed by Dutch doctors and think the guy is just being friendly, but clearly this is all pre-#MeToo. Haha.
January 27, 2022
I love a good Betty Neels! Predictable....yes, but I enjoy them nonetheless.
January 19, 2020
The title of this doesn't have much to do with the book. Sybil Brooks wants to get married RIGHT NOW and persuades her older sister, Phoebe, to take her place in a nursing job. Hmm. That doesn't sound like a good idea and Phoebe isn't keen on the deception but agrees to go along with it when Sybil bursts into tears. Luckily for us readers that's about the last we see of Sybil!
Phoebe doesn't fool Lucius, the Dutch doctor who employs her so that she can learn his cystic fibrosis treatment. Lucius immediately realizes Phoebe is not Sybil and finds her delightful.
All would be well and we'd be well on the road to romance except this is a novel and we need 197 pages and that means we need... ta da! The Other Woman! Maureen is the governess for 10 year old Paul, Lucius' adopted son, and is determined to marry Lucius (or Lucius' money). She's also lovely and manipulative and catty. Very catty. Catty enough that it's hard to believe that Lucius doesn't see it, even when Maureen's catty in front of him.
Things progress. Lucius rescues Phoebe; Phoebe rescues the puppy destined to be Paul's devoted pet; Maureen tries to kill the puppy; Maureen threatens Paul with puppy-death if he doesn't do what she wants; Lucius travels to England and gets a special license, Maureen tells Lucius, and Phoebe and Paul a tub-full of lies. Finally Paul gets Phoebe to help him rescue his puppy and the flee to Amsterdam where Lucius finds them. He's breathing smoke and fire, thinking all sorts of dire thoughts. (Yes, Phoebe took Peter without permission and without informing Lucius. Apparently she didn't think to phone him.)
All eventually ends well, but with several soap-opera level twists and turns. No, there is no amnesia but we do get locked into an abandoned warehouse and we do swipe a boat to rescue the puppy.
One of the best scenes is at the end. Phoebe has handed Paul and puppy over to Lucius and now is wandering the department stote looking at saucepans. Lucius finds her and together they decorate their kitchen... nope, wrong story. Together they look like shoplifters and Lucius has to dissuade the sales lady from calling the police. Kissing and I-love-yous proceed.
Here is a slightly longer review on my blog: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/thr...
Phoebe doesn't fool Lucius, the Dutch doctor who employs her so that she can learn his cystic fibrosis treatment. Lucius immediately realizes Phoebe is not Sybil and finds her delightful.
All would be well and we'd be well on the road to romance except this is a novel and we need 197 pages and that means we need... ta da! The Other Woman! Maureen is the governess for 10 year old Paul, Lucius' adopted son, and is determined to marry Lucius (or Lucius' money). She's also lovely and manipulative and catty. Very catty. Catty enough that it's hard to believe that Lucius doesn't see it, even when Maureen's catty in front of him.
Things progress. Lucius rescues Phoebe; Phoebe rescues the puppy destined to be Paul's devoted pet; Maureen tries to kill the puppy; Maureen threatens Paul with puppy-death if he doesn't do what she wants; Lucius travels to England and gets a special license, Maureen tells Lucius, and Phoebe and Paul a tub-full of lies. Finally Paul gets Phoebe to help him rescue his puppy and the flee to Amsterdam where Lucius finds them. He's breathing smoke and fire, thinking all sorts of dire thoughts. (Yes, Phoebe took Peter without permission and without informing Lucius. Apparently she didn't think to phone him.)
All eventually ends well, but with several soap-opera level twists and turns. No, there is no amnesia but we do get locked into an abandoned warehouse and we do swipe a boat to rescue the puppy.
One of the best scenes is at the end. Phoebe has handed Paul and puppy over to Lucius and now is wandering the department stote looking at saucepans. Lucius finds her and together they decorate their kitchen... nope, wrong story. Together they look like shoplifters and Lucius has to dissuade the sales lady from calling the police. Kissing and I-love-yous proceed.
Here is a slightly longer review on my blog: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/thr...
September 14, 2017
A very sweet story. It's unusual in a Betty Neels' book for the lead character to try and fight back against the antagonist, but in this story that's exactly what Phoebe does. Usually the lead character just gives up and it's up to the male lead to fix things. But in this story Phoebe actively pursues a relationship with the professor. She agrees to go out with him, tries to create a relationship with his son, buys a new dress to look her best, accepts the professor's short-but sweet kisses, and even breaks the law to save a beleaguered puppy. She also has temper enough to stand her ground. However, it's still up to the professor to solve the problem in the end. Well, I guess some things never change. A very nice, undemanding read; just the thing for a rainy afternoon.
April 22, 2012
A lovely Betty Neels classic.
December 7, 2016
Star Rating: ★★½☆☆
February 17, 2026
Read: 14Dec25, 17Feb26
4.6 stars. This book is an absolute delight and one of betty's most romantic books. The hero is so sweet to the heroine in this one. He's an absent minded prof and yet he is always absentmindedly seeking her out and spending time with her, but she thinks he is involved with someone else so she doesnt even dare think he might like her. I normally am a fan of Betty's angstier books and like her icehole heroes, but this guy really won my heart. He was just adorable!
h Phoebe (27) is an english nurse with angelically beautiful looks. Blonde, sparkly blue eyes, medium height. usually i love Betty's plain Janes but Phoebe was a lovely character, never once arrogant, and seemingly unaware of her looks in terms of the way she behaves. She has been looking forward to her younger sister, also a nurse, to finally qualify so that they can go work abroad for a year or two and have an adventure. Only, now her sister has suddenly met the man of her dreams and is in a big rush to marry, but she had already signed a contract to do a few months abroad in holland and she is devastated at the idea of delaying her wedding. she cant bear it. She begs phoebe to take her place on the transfer scheme because they both look so alike, and also the dutch doc who hired her is so absent minded that he wont even notice the difference, she assures phoebe.
Phoebe is tired of her current work situation, her dreams of travelling with her sister are gone, some young guy is chasing her and she doesnt really want to end up saying yes to him by default, and she feels sorry for her sister who has threatened to run away and have a dingy elopement instead of the grand wedding of her dreams. Thus Phoebe agrees to go on the holland scheme.
But then she meets Lucius (34), the dutch doctor. He seems confused when he meets her, always staring at her, asking if she is Sybil Brook (sybil the sister.) but he really is absent minded and he goes along with it when she confirms she is Nurse Brook. But suddenly she is panicked because she likes him and he's nice and she doesnt want to lie to him, but what can she do?
SPOILERS AHEAD
After a few days of working together in England, she always makes sure to be vague about herself, and things seem to be going okay. However when they have disembarked from the ferry in Holland he calls her Phoebe and she distractedly answers him, and she realises he knows the truth! ( I like how he waited until he had her safely in Holland before confronting the truth, because he didn't want her to quit the job!) She is mortified and explains the truth and he doesnt chastise her for it and says she can go ahead with the holland job. She asks him how he knows who she was and he says her sis had mentioned a sister Phoebe. She says but noone can tell us apart! And he says you are nothing alike, but he wont explain why. (HInt: Because he LOVES her, lol, or so I was guessing.)
So anyway, they work together in holland and this part of the story is so romantic because even though we never get his POV and even though he never says as much, as a reader we can feel that he likes her a lot, and he is always coming by to see her even when she is worried she wont see him - and she is liking him a lot too - he asks her subtly whether she is single, he gets subtly anxious when she is going back to England for the sister's wedding because he knows she will see her ex there. He gets concerned when she gets an injury and also when she goes missing once he is extremely anxious and asks her to never do it again as he cant stand the anxiety (in a sweet way etc.) And even when he gets jealous when she goes sightseeing in amsterdam with another young doctor, he is so concerned that she is having to travel in that young docs really beat up old car that although he walks away after seeing them together, he come back and tells her to call him if there is car trouble and he will make sure to send a car for them. this guy is so so sweet with how besotted he is about her!
Also, they have wonderful banter. It's quite amusing at times, sweet at times. I want to re-read just to read those bits again. I love the way they talk to each other.
The main story conflict comes from the fact that firstly she thinks he is married, but it turns out he is not married, then his adopted son doesnt like her and is out to make trouble for her, plus his son has an attractive and manipulative governess who has clearly staked her claim on Lucius, plus Lucius manages to give Phoebe the idea that he will be marrying the governess, which is heart-breaking for Phoebe because she realises she has fallen in love with him and that she must now avoid him, and yet he is always seeking her out and wanting her company, and doing things like driving her to the coast every morning to take her for sea swimming because when she is on night shift they otherwise wouldn't see each other. it is so romantic how keen he is to spend time with her and makes it happen just when she is pining that she might not see him, and how pleased he is when she needs help and comes directly to him in an urgent situation, and so sweet how he leaves everything else behind to help her. UUGG, the sweetness of the romance levels on this one were just so delightful, so delicious, so SUBLIME.
ENDING SPOILERS
In the ending we do get that climactic scene with a bit of angst and a confrontation between h and H and she sends him away, and then he comes hunting all over the city for her to find her and begs for forgiveness in a non begging way because betty never makes her heroes beg. oh the romance levels on this one! The most delicious bit was at the end when she says to him "when we met you scribbled something down in your notebook about me. what was it?" And he takes his notebook out and shows her and he had written "A darling English Girl. I shall marry her." AAAAARGGGHHHHHHHHH, SOBBBBBING, let me die of diabetes sweetness overload right NOW! sob sob sob
I think I am going to EXTREMELY enjoy re-reading this one. It was just too too delicious. The only reason i didn't give it a full five stars is because i reserve the 5 stars for the angsty betty books, but to be honest i might upgrade this to the full five after my re-read. Another reason is that it didn't have the full depth of lovely caring servants or the cozy xmas scenes or the h being introduced to the H's wonderful family etc, however even without those added richness factors, this book was just a beautifully romantic read and focussed on pure romance.
4.6 stars. This book is an absolute delight and one of betty's most romantic books. The hero is so sweet to the heroine in this one. He's an absent minded prof and yet he is always absentmindedly seeking her out and spending time with her, but she thinks he is involved with someone else so she doesnt even dare think he might like her. I normally am a fan of Betty's angstier books and like her icehole heroes, but this guy really won my heart. He was just adorable!
h Phoebe (27) is an english nurse with angelically beautiful looks. Blonde, sparkly blue eyes, medium height. usually i love Betty's plain Janes but Phoebe was a lovely character, never once arrogant, and seemingly unaware of her looks in terms of the way she behaves. She has been looking forward to her younger sister, also a nurse, to finally qualify so that they can go work abroad for a year or two and have an adventure. Only, now her sister has suddenly met the man of her dreams and is in a big rush to marry, but she had already signed a contract to do a few months abroad in holland and she is devastated at the idea of delaying her wedding. she cant bear it. She begs phoebe to take her place on the transfer scheme because they both look so alike, and also the dutch doc who hired her is so absent minded that he wont even notice the difference, she assures phoebe.
Phoebe is tired of her current work situation, her dreams of travelling with her sister are gone, some young guy is chasing her and she doesnt really want to end up saying yes to him by default, and she feels sorry for her sister who has threatened to run away and have a dingy elopement instead of the grand wedding of her dreams. Thus Phoebe agrees to go on the holland scheme.
But then she meets Lucius (34), the dutch doctor. He seems confused when he meets her, always staring at her, asking if she is Sybil Brook (sybil the sister.) but he really is absent minded and he goes along with it when she confirms she is Nurse Brook. But suddenly she is panicked because she likes him and he's nice and she doesnt want to lie to him, but what can she do?
SPOILERS AHEAD
After a few days of working together in England, she always makes sure to be vague about herself, and things seem to be going okay. However when they have disembarked from the ferry in Holland he calls her Phoebe and she distractedly answers him, and she realises he knows the truth! ( I like how he waited until he had her safely in Holland before confronting the truth, because he didn't want her to quit the job!) She is mortified and explains the truth and he doesnt chastise her for it and says she can go ahead with the holland job. She asks him how he knows who she was and he says her sis had mentioned a sister Phoebe. She says but noone can tell us apart! And he says you are nothing alike, but he wont explain why. (HInt: Because he LOVES her, lol, or so I was guessing.)
So anyway, they work together in holland and this part of the story is so romantic because even though we never get his POV and even though he never says as much, as a reader we can feel that he likes her a lot, and he is always coming by to see her even when she is worried she wont see him - and she is liking him a lot too - he asks her subtly whether she is single, he gets subtly anxious when she is going back to England for the sister's wedding because he knows she will see her ex there. He gets concerned when she gets an injury and also when she goes missing once he is extremely anxious and asks her to never do it again as he cant stand the anxiety (in a sweet way etc.) And even when he gets jealous when she goes sightseeing in amsterdam with another young doctor, he is so concerned that she is having to travel in that young docs really beat up old car that although he walks away after seeing them together, he come back and tells her to call him if there is car trouble and he will make sure to send a car for them. this guy is so so sweet with how besotted he is about her!
Also, they have wonderful banter. It's quite amusing at times, sweet at times. I want to re-read just to read those bits again. I love the way they talk to each other.
The main story conflict comes from the fact that firstly she thinks he is married, but it turns out he is not married, then his adopted son doesnt like her and is out to make trouble for her, plus his son has an attractive and manipulative governess who has clearly staked her claim on Lucius, plus Lucius manages to give Phoebe the idea that he will be marrying the governess, which is heart-breaking for Phoebe because she realises she has fallen in love with him and that she must now avoid him, and yet he is always seeking her out and wanting her company, and doing things like driving her to the coast every morning to take her for sea swimming because when she is on night shift they otherwise wouldn't see each other. it is so romantic how keen he is to spend time with her and makes it happen just when she is pining that she might not see him, and how pleased he is when she needs help and comes directly to him in an urgent situation, and so sweet how he leaves everything else behind to help her. UUGG, the sweetness of the romance levels on this one were just so delightful, so delicious, so SUBLIME.
ENDING SPOILERS
In the ending we do get that climactic scene with a bit of angst and a confrontation between h and H and she sends him away, and then he comes hunting all over the city for her to find her and begs for forgiveness in a non begging way because betty never makes her heroes beg. oh the romance levels on this one! The most delicious bit was at the end when she says to him "when we met you scribbled something down in your notebook about me. what was it?" And he takes his notebook out and shows her and he had written "A darling English Girl. I shall marry her." AAAAARGGGHHHHHHHHH, SOBBBBBING, let me die of diabetes sweetness overload right NOW! sob sob sob
I think I am going to EXTREMELY enjoy re-reading this one. It was just too too delicious. The only reason i didn't give it a full five stars is because i reserve the 5 stars for the angsty betty books, but to be honest i might upgrade this to the full five after my re-read. Another reason is that it didn't have the full depth of lovely caring servants or the cozy xmas scenes or the h being introduced to the H's wonderful family etc, however even without those added richness factors, this book was just a beautifully romantic read and focussed on pure romance.
July 4, 2023
Lots of action!!
Wow!! Although this story follows the same lines as most of Betty Neels' books, this one has a lot of action to it! The horrible nanny is there almost right from the beginning to make things hard for Lucius and Phoebe. The little boy makes things a little harder, but of course Phoebe is sweet, loves children - even ones who act out, and is a very genuine person. It helps that she's beautiful on top of everything else. You'll love Phoebe and Lucius, and you'll hate Maureen as much as I do. This story keeps traction right up until the end. Only..... I wish I could have been a fly on the wall towards the end. Sigh.
Wow!! Although this story follows the same lines as most of Betty Neels' books, this one has a lot of action to it! The horrible nanny is there almost right from the beginning to make things hard for Lucius and Phoebe. The little boy makes things a little harder, but of course Phoebe is sweet, loves children - even ones who act out, and is a very genuine person. It helps that she's beautiful on top of everything else. You'll love Phoebe and Lucius, and you'll hate Maureen as much as I do. This story keeps traction right up until the end. Only..... I wish I could have been a fly on the wall towards the end. Sigh.
November 29, 2021
This story begins with two sisters, both nurses, differing in age but hard to tell apart, the older one taking an exchange job overseas for her sister without telling anyone. Once you swallow that it's pretty typical Betty. The RDD has a young son with an evil governess who would like to become the Other Woman. There are the usual fascinating descriptions of the interior of old Dutch houses and side streets. I didn't particularly like the heroine, though the hero's absentmindness was a nice touch.
April 13, 2025
Phoebe works with Dr. Lucius in Holland. She’s quite fond of him and begins to have stronger feelings. However he has a small son and the governess Maureen has Designs on the Dr. Maureen is manipulative and nasty to the young boy Paul but the doctor sees none of this. He feels as though she is perfect in her job. Phoebe sees right through her yet. Maureen has told her that she has the doctor exactly where she wants him and intends to marry him. A gift Paul receives on his eighth birthday changes everything. As with all of Betty Neels’ books There is a very happy ending.
April 5, 2019
The OW -other woman- in this story was a real witch, swap out the w for a b? It was an enjoyable story. The hero was an absentminded professor type and the heroine beautiful. The plot was incomplete, but I can over look that as the story was good.
April 17, 2018
This story is over forty years old. It still makes for a good read.
August 9, 2018
Lovely
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
December 27, 2019
Loved it!
Wonderful book, couldn't stand Maureen of course but I loved the puppy. All of Betty Neels books are a delight to read!
Wonderful book, couldn't stand Maureen of course but I loved the puppy. All of Betty Neels books are a delight to read!
April 27, 2020
Really fun - the other woman was satisfyingly witchy, although I have to say my opinion of the hero's parenting skills was pretty much in the dirt by the end.
May 17, 2021
Two of Betty Neels's most extreme examples of completely unbelievable deluded hero and "villain". This novel includes two detailed instances of overt animal abuse.
March 15, 2023
An interesting look into nursing in the 60’s in England and Holland with a fun romance ❤️
May 6, 2024
Great read! Very dense doctor! Nurse is too nice. But still…. Lots to enjoy.
June 19, 2024
Love all of Betty Neels' books. Very relaxing and easy to read.
February 17, 2025
Una Betty Neels nella media:gradevole e non troppo eccitante, e con un happy ending, come sempre, piuttosto affrettato. Ideale comunque come 'genere di conforto'.
October 20, 2018
3.8* A 1973 book but it's different from the usual placid RDD romance. We got to see our hero's interest in the heroine pretty early on, with those kisses and cryptic but delightful comments!
The RDD was not as unobservant or absentminded as Phoebe and her sister thought. He was very forgetful and aware, so the little notebook and his constant reminders was endearing but not really helpful. He'd still forget to mention things or invite Phoebe along to outings though he had meant to. So many last minute outings!
Overall it's very delightful watching the two of them together. Lucius had another diabolical child in Neelsdom but Paul was not wicked, just manipulated and emotionally abused by the true viper -- governess Maureen. Her years of lies and threats kept Paul in line and blur Lucius really thought Paul liked Maureen and was happy to keep her on, despite being unhappy with her uninvited guests at times etc.
Maureen was truly one of the worst villains in Neelsdom. Child abuse, and trying a puppy! On top of her scheming and lies. Her barbs and crossing swords with Phoebe was some of the most entertaining and amusing in Betty Neels books! Phoebe can be bitchy and fight back haha! She knew she looked good but was not vain or showy, lovely heroine! She had class!
The plot had some incredible points, like how could the spoilt and ditzy sister Sybil ever be a Gold Medalist too?! What an insult to fellow winners like Phoebe and other Neels heroines like Rose! Anyway it's so sweet the supposed clueless Lucius immediately knew Phoebe was not the nurse he interviewed, and at first sight, he made a note to himself that she's a delightful English girl and he was going to marry her! Awww so this was a love at first sight story! But we didn't know till the end.
The love declaration and proposal was so funny and sweet. After the nasty misunderstanding, miserable Phoebe was pretend shopping in the departmental store when Lucius appeared. He was not shy kissing her in full view of staff and customers! Overall a very good book.
The RDD was not as unobservant or absentminded as Phoebe and her sister thought. He was very forgetful and aware, so the little notebook and his constant reminders was endearing but not really helpful. He'd still forget to mention things or invite Phoebe along to outings though he had meant to. So many last minute outings!
Overall it's very delightful watching the two of them together. Lucius had another diabolical child in Neelsdom but Paul was not wicked, just manipulated and emotionally abused by the true viper -- governess Maureen. Her years of lies and threats kept Paul in line and blur Lucius really thought Paul liked Maureen and was happy to keep her on, despite being unhappy with her uninvited guests at times etc.
Maureen was truly one of the worst villains in Neelsdom. Child abuse, and trying a puppy! On top of her scheming and lies. Her barbs and crossing swords with Phoebe was some of the most entertaining and amusing in Betty Neels books! Phoebe can be bitchy and fight back haha! She knew she looked good but was not vain or showy, lovely heroine! She had class!
The plot had some incredible points, like how could the spoilt and ditzy sister Sybil ever be a Gold Medalist too?! What an insult to fellow winners like Phoebe and other Neels heroines like Rose! Anyway it's so sweet the supposed clueless Lucius immediately knew Phoebe was not the nurse he interviewed, and at first sight, he made a note to himself that she's a delightful English girl and he was going to marry her! Awww so this was a love at first sight story! But we didn't know till the end.
The love declaration and proposal was so funny and sweet. After the nasty misunderstanding, miserable Phoebe was pretend shopping in the departmental store when Lucius appeared. He was not shy kissing her in full view of staff and customers! Overall a very good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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