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Winter Wedding
Emily was the envy of the nursing staff
She worked with the tall, handsome Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn! Not that Emily considered her position enviable at all. She knew the great man's opinion of her--and she'd trade with the others any time!
Anyway, Emily shrugged it off. She was in the hospital to be a good nurse, not to win a beauty pageant! The professor's views showed just what a loathsome type he was.
But why did it hurt so when he found her vivacious sister, Louisa, so enchanting?
She worked with the tall, handsome Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn! Not that Emily considered her position enviable at all. She knew the great man's opinion of her--and she'd trade with the others any time!
Anyway, Emily shrugged it off. She was in the hospital to be a good nurse, not to win a beauty pageant! The professor's views showed just what a loathsome type he was.
But why did it hurt so when he found her vivacious sister, Louisa, so enchanting?
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1979
91 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
564 books418 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 65 reviews
November 27, 2023
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After revisiting this one, I have to say I really REALLY dislike Renier and am lowering my rating to one star because he was such an inconsiderate ass while FINALLY begrudgingly professing his love on the last page. HE intimates to her that it was essentially her fault that he didn't show his love sooner cause she should have known right??? wrong. She's not psychic dumbass...
I kinda wish he had ended up with her sister Louisa afterall. It would have served him right ; )
..............................................................................
Very much your quintessential Betty Neels but a bit more frustrating by the end.
Homely nurse who is a wonderful person but is much put upon by family members.
Visiting dutch doctor who frowns down on her at first and hides his interest with a stiff upper lip.
Why do I love this author. I really can't say. But sometimes her books work a quiet magic.
Emily and Renier danced a rather confusing courtship.
I really don't get what was going on in his brain.
It was obvious after a while that he was becoming quite captivated by Emily, and yet he kept squashing her interest with other women.... including her fricken snot-nosed tw*t of a little sister!
The same little sister that conveniently never gets any comeuppance.
Gosh I would have loved a scene where Renier puts Louisa in her place or she gets her face rubbed in his affection for Emily!
But Betty Neels is much too nice to treat her horrid side characters that way, dammit.
Renier flirted and smiled and took out other girls whenever he felt that Emily wasn't showing him affection. Affection that he rarely encouraged. It made Emily feel like a ping pong ball.
But still I would have given it 4 stars easily, except that it's never explained why he takes Louisa to the Doctor's dance. The other times he takes her out, Louisa begged him to in the first place. But the dance... well the reader never learns what his asinine reasoning was then. It just seemed obviously hurtful to me and made no sense.
If you really admired someone, would you ask out their brother to the big annual dance? wtelf??
Is it any wonder that Emily thought he was interested in her sister and not her?
Sheesh.
It all just seemed such a waste when I finished the story. The usual second to last page reveal of his true feelings.
safety is ok
After revisiting this one, I have to say I really REALLY dislike Renier and am lowering my rating to one star because he was such an inconsiderate ass while FINALLY begrudgingly professing his love on the last page. HE intimates to her that it was essentially her fault that he didn't show his love sooner cause she should have known right??? wrong. She's not psychic dumbass...
I kinda wish he had ended up with her sister Louisa afterall. It would have served him right ; )
..............................................................................
Very much your quintessential Betty Neels but a bit more frustrating by the end.
Homely nurse who is a wonderful person but is much put upon by family members.
Visiting dutch doctor who frowns down on her at first and hides his interest with a stiff upper lip.
Why do I love this author. I really can't say. But sometimes her books work a quiet magic.
Emily and Renier danced a rather confusing courtship.
I really don't get what was going on in his brain.
It was obvious after a while that he was becoming quite captivated by Emily, and yet he kept squashing her interest with other women.... including her fricken snot-nosed tw*t of a little sister!
The same little sister that conveniently never gets any comeuppance.
Gosh I would have loved a scene where Renier puts Louisa in her place or she gets her face rubbed in his affection for Emily!
But Betty Neels is much too nice to treat her horrid side characters that way, dammit.
Renier flirted and smiled and took out other girls whenever he felt that Emily wasn't showing him affection. Affection that he rarely encouraged. It made Emily feel like a ping pong ball.
But still I would have given it 4 stars easily, except that it's never explained why he takes Louisa to the Doctor's dance. The other times he takes her out, Louisa begged him to in the first place. But the dance... well the reader never learns what his asinine reasoning was then. It just seemed obviously hurtful to me and made no sense.
If you really admired someone, would you ask out their brother to the big annual dance? wtelf??
Is it any wonder that Emily thought he was interested in her sister and not her?
Sheesh.
It all just seemed such a waste when I finished the story. The usual second to last page reveal of his true feelings.
safety is ok
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2022
The hero was despicable at first! I haven’t fully forgiven him. Then he had to grovel, and for the second half of the book we see a nicer guy, trying to win her heart. 
Dutch Doctor Professor Jurres-Romeijn is a consulting specialist at a hospital in England, where Emily works as a nurse. When he realizes he is going to have to work closely with her on a special case, he complains. Emily overhears him:
The cad! So Emily and I turn our frostiest shoulders to thisice-cold dim-wit doctor.
In a temper, and in a snowstorm, Emily bicycles home, where her irresponsible sister Louisa has been neglecting the twin babies. (Her other sister Mary went to the Middle East with her husband George, leaving their babies at home for her sisters to watch, supposedly for a few weeks, but they got stranded there in a political brouhaha).
Emily — who already worked a full shift -- gets busy making the twin babies comfortable and cleaning up the kitchen, with no complaining (Betty's heroines MANIFEST endurance!). Life goes on like this for some time, with Emily juggling the babies and the meager budget AND working full-time at the hospital (freezing out the Despicable Dutchman).
Her sister is no help whatsoever. (Emily really needed to slap her silly! I would have helped — could have held her down.) Emily does everything, including decorating a little for Christmas:
When the twin babies suddenly go into a coma, Despicable Doc blames Emily. Thinks her lazy, irresponsible, selfish, etc. Without knowing the story, he brings the house down on her head.
The injustice!!! Emily and I really REALLY wanted to see this huge man get down on his knees and grovel!
And when he learned the truth, he felt quite bad. And even groveled a little, in "dignified Dutch doctor" style. He needed to grovel more.And stay away from Louisa and Heleen.
But we decided to forgive him. He seems a real mess. The final paragraph. His manner of speaking here reminds me of Mr. Beaumaris, in Heyer's Arabella:
***************
Betty Neels wrote about 130 romances, usually involving a doctor, and usually set in London and Holland. All her books are sex-free.
Dutch Doctor Professor Jurres-Romeijn is a consulting specialist at a hospital in England, where Emily works as a nurse. When he realizes he is going to have to work closely with her on a special case, he complains. Emily overhears him:
"He was speaking now, his voice, with its faint Dutch accent, very clear, although not loud. ‘Good lord, Harry, am I to be fobbed off with that prim miss? Surely there’s another nurse...?’ He sounded annoyed.
Mr Spencer put up a hand to rub the bald patch. ‘Sorry, sir— she’s first class at her job...’
‘I take your word for that— we are talking about the same girl, I suppose? A small, plump creature who merges into the background from whatever angle one looks at her.’
Mr Spencer chuckled. ‘That’s our Emily— a splendid worker and marvellous with children. You’ll find that she grows on you, sir.’
The cad! So Emily and I turn our frostiest shoulders to this
In a temper, and in a snowstorm, Emily bicycles home, where her irresponsible sister Louisa has been neglecting the twin babies. (Her other sister Mary went to the Middle East with her husband George, leaving their babies at home for her sisters to watch, supposedly for a few weeks, but they got stranded there in a political brouhaha).
Emily — who already worked a full shift -- gets busy making the twin babies comfortable and cleaning up the kitchen, with no complaining (Betty's heroines MANIFEST endurance!). Life goes on like this for some time, with Emily juggling the babies and the meager budget AND working full-time at the hospital (freezing out the Despicable Dutchman).
Her sister is no help whatsoever. (Emily really needed to slap her silly! I would have helped — could have held her down.) Emily does everything, including decorating a little for Christmas:
"She stopped on the way home that evening and bought some paper chains and ornaments for the tree she intended to have; the twins would notice them and so, for that matter, would she. One made Christmas, even for two babies."
When the twin babies suddenly go into a coma, Despicable Doc blames Emily. Thinks her lazy, irresponsible, selfish, etc. Without knowing the story, he brings the house down on her head.
The injustice!!! Emily and I really REALLY wanted to see this huge man get down on his knees and grovel!
And when he learned the truth, he felt quite bad. And even groveled a little, in "dignified Dutch doctor" style. He needed to grovel more.And stay away from Louisa and Heleen.
But we decided to forgive him. He seems a real mess. The final paragraph. His manner of speaking here reminds me of Mr. Beaumaris, in Heyer's Arabella:
Emily began to sit up but he pushed her head gently against his shoulder. ‘We must make a few plans, my love; we’ll marry just as soon as I can arrange it.’
‘But what about Mary and George— and the twins...?’
‘If you think that I am prepared to wait until the twins are old enough to be your bridal attendants, then you are grossly mistaken, Emily. Now sit still, dearest, while I tell you what a beautiful girl you are.’
Emily sighed blissfully into his shoulder. It seemed likely that she was going to be rushed down the nearest aisle without so much as a new hat on her head, but somehow it didn’t matter at all. She said in a happy voice: ‘I’m listening, Renier.’
***************
Betty Neels wrote about 130 romances, usually involving a doctor, and usually set in London and Holland. All her books are sex-free.
February 3, 2021
OK, I was wrong about Winter Wedding. I get it now (4.5*), on a re-read. It’s Betty doing what she does best; a self-sacrificing, sweet heroine; an arrogant RDD hero who is mostly well-meaning; angst; shitty relatives; misunderstanding; OW drama. Straight out of the BN playbook, and Betty works it! One of her angstier tales.
Great car porn!
Hero drives a Jaguar XJ Spider (concept car; never actually produced commercially):
And a 1940 Lagonda V12 drophead coupe:
Heroine drives an elderly Rover to Holland:
Great car porn!
Hero drives a Jaguar XJ Spider (concept car; never actually produced commercially):
And a 1940 Lagonda V12 drophead coupe:
Heroine drives an elderly Rover to Holland:
April 30, 2017
Emily Seymour is a 23-year old nurse. She has an 18-year old sister, Louisa, as well as an older sister, Mary. Mary is married to George and they have twins, a boy and girl, a bit less than a year old.
George was sent to the Middle East by his company and Mary went with him, supposing they would be gone for no more than 3 months. They asked Emily to care for the babies and she agreed, saying that with Louisa's help, she could manage quite well. However, George was arrested on a "trumped-up charge" and Emily overestimated Louisa's willingness to help.
Louisa is very pretty and even more spoilt and she likes to party. She has been accepted to modeling school and is just waiting till classes begin; meanwhile, she is living with Emily. Upon hearing about the handsome Professor, she contrives to meet him and succeeds in getting him to take her out and about.
Emily is working night duty; then she is asked by Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn to special an old friend, Dr. Wright. She is working long days; she asks Louisa to watch the twins until she gets home. Louisa whines that there was a dress show she wanted to attend.
After a long day, Emily returns home but finds no Louisa, only the twins who are comatose; she sees a bottle of Seconal (which is a barbiturate used most frequently in the US in physician-assisted suicides!!!). The Professor happens to show up; he assumes that Emily drugged the twins while she was working rather than hiring a babysitter for them. Nevertheless he works quickly and saves their lives; but Louisa shows up at the hospital, shedding great crocodile tears and blurts out what she had done.
Now the Professor had begun to rake Emily over the coals when he thought she drugged the twins. But Louisa doesn't even get a scolding!!! And he still takes her out a few times afterward!
Then to put the icing on the cake. Emily is invited to the hospital ball and intends buying a new dress; however, the Professor has invited Louisa and SHE needs a new dress and shoes, etc. So Emily gives her the money and wears an old dress herself. When she looks for her family-heirloom silver locket, Louisa confesses to hocking it to buy some black patent shoes because she really NEEDED them.
Even after all this, when Louisa is moving out, Emily STILL gives her the last £10 she has in her wallet.
The second half of the book is much more standard Neels fare - Emily is asked to accompany Dr. Wright and his wife to Renier's home for the Christmas and Nee Year holidays. His family love Emily and drop not-so-subtle hints that he has decided to marry. Renier himself continues to escort/flirt/dance with a succession of beautiful girls, whilst occasionally kissing Emily.
On Christmas, he gives Emily a present - her silver locket, which he had bought back from the pawn shop. This is the sole nice thing he does for Emily in the entire book.
She is determined to return to England and find a new job; she finds a top- floor flat, but no job. One day she returns home, Renier is there, says he loves her, yada yada, will she marry him. She will. The End.
This is one of the most controversial of TGB's books and opinions are both strongly held and sharply divided among the Betties. I am not enamoured of Renier. Both he and Emily were far too tolerant and forbearing with Louisa, regardless of her "young age." I got married at age 18; many girls have babies by that age, and manage to care for them without drugging them into a coma.
One of my bottom 10, I think.
George was sent to the Middle East by his company and Mary went with him, supposing they would be gone for no more than 3 months. They asked Emily to care for the babies and she agreed, saying that with Louisa's help, she could manage quite well. However, George was arrested on a "trumped-up charge" and Emily overestimated Louisa's willingness to help.
Louisa is very pretty and even more spoilt and she likes to party. She has been accepted to modeling school and is just waiting till classes begin; meanwhile, she is living with Emily. Upon hearing about the handsome Professor, she contrives to meet him and succeeds in getting him to take her out and about.
Emily is working night duty; then she is asked by Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn to special an old friend, Dr. Wright. She is working long days; she asks Louisa to watch the twins until she gets home. Louisa whines that there was a dress show she wanted to attend.
After a long day, Emily returns home but finds no Louisa, only the twins who are comatose; she sees a bottle of Seconal (which is a barbiturate used most frequently in the US in physician-assisted suicides!!!). The Professor happens to show up; he assumes that Emily drugged the twins while she was working rather than hiring a babysitter for them. Nevertheless he works quickly and saves their lives; but Louisa shows up at the hospital, shedding great crocodile tears and blurts out what she had done.
Now the Professor had begun to rake Emily over the coals when he thought she drugged the twins. But Louisa doesn't even get a scolding!!! And he still takes her out a few times afterward!
Then to put the icing on the cake. Emily is invited to the hospital ball and intends buying a new dress; however, the Professor has invited Louisa and SHE needs a new dress and shoes, etc. So Emily gives her the money and wears an old dress herself. When she looks for her family-heirloom silver locket, Louisa confesses to hocking it to buy some black patent shoes because she really NEEDED them.
Even after all this, when Louisa is moving out, Emily STILL gives her the last £10 she has in her wallet.
The second half of the book is much more standard Neels fare - Emily is asked to accompany Dr. Wright and his wife to Renier's home for the Christmas and Nee Year holidays. His family love Emily and drop not-so-subtle hints that he has decided to marry. Renier himself continues to escort/flirt/dance with a succession of beautiful girls, whilst occasionally kissing Emily.
On Christmas, he gives Emily a present - her silver locket, which he had bought back from the pawn shop. This is the sole nice thing he does for Emily in the entire book.
She is determined to return to England and find a new job; she finds a top- floor flat, but no job. One day she returns home, Renier is there, says he loves her, yada yada, will she marry him. She will. The End.
This is one of the most controversial of TGB's books and opinions are both strongly held and sharply divided among the Betties. I am not enamoured of Renier. Both he and Emily were far too tolerant and forbearing with Louisa, regardless of her "young age." I got married at age 18; many girls have babies by that age, and manage to care for them without drugging them into a coma.
One of my bottom 10, I think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2016
*Not quite 4 stars*
Well, darn. I cannot recover my review for Winter Wedding that I wrote earlier today.
Suffice-to-say, it was a typical Betty Neels romance with a Plain Jane young English nurse and an older handsome professor/doctor from Holland. In a Darcy/Jane Bennet moment, Emily Seymour unintentionally overhears Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn slur her looks. And he doesn't even know her! Fortunately, the gentleman that he made the comment to gently takes him to task. The rest of this predictable romance had Renier having his comeuppance and becoming her champion.
And, crazy me, I liked this story; it was very old-fashioned. It had an air of restfulness with an essence of sweetness. I found myself in the unspoken job of Emily's cheerleader. I just have to make sure that I allow a good amount of time before I start something else by this author. Again, because her plots are very similar.
Well, darn. I cannot recover my review for Winter Wedding that I wrote earlier today.
Suffice-to-say, it was a typical Betty Neels romance with a Plain Jane young English nurse and an older handsome professor/doctor from Holland. In a Darcy/Jane Bennet moment, Emily Seymour unintentionally overhears Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn slur her looks. And he doesn't even know her! Fortunately, the gentleman that he made the comment to gently takes him to task. The rest of this predictable romance had Renier having his comeuppance and becoming her champion.
And, crazy me, I liked this story; it was very old-fashioned. It had an air of restfulness with an essence of sweetness. I found myself in the unspoken job of Emily's cheerleader. I just have to make sure that I allow a good amount of time before I start something else by this author. Again, because her plots are very similar.
February 10, 2019
The second half of Winter Wedding is adorable. 4-star all the way. The rich Dutch doctor maneuvers the poor/plain British nurse into accompanying a recuperating colleague (and his wife) to the RDD's home near Utrecht for the Christmas holidays. Houseparty! She gets to see his gorgeous home and bask in the approval of his loving family, all while toddling around convinced he's way out of her league (in the first chapter, she overheard him describing her to a hospital colleague as "a small, plump creature who merges into the background from whatever angle one looks at her"). Meanwhile, he's subtly trying to hint he's in love with her by hanging out with a beautiful OW. (Yeah, there's a basic flaw in most RDDs' courtship strategies.) I like this one more than most because the RDD recognizes in the end how that strategy has backfired. His self-effacing heroine refuses an invitation to linger in Holland, so he has to follow her to London to propose. HEA.
Unfortunately, the adorable second half of Winter Wedding is overshadowed by the awful first half. Winter Wedding is The One with the Beautiful Spoiled Younger Sister who . Oh yeah, Louisa is a winner.
Seriously, Louisa is a winner because she gets away with it. If that outcome were simply an internal family dynamic (our heroine is quite the enabler where her selfish younger sister is concerned), I wouldn't let it blight my rating. Yes, Louisa almost killed , but I don't need her siblings to punish her for that. In a sense, the overindulgent heroine Emily created the monster Louisa. However, Louisa's misdeeds are exposed to the hero and he continues to take her out on dates and chauffeur her to London. No. Just no. At a minimum, I expect the hero to punish the younger sister with cool indifference, not reward her with his time and attention whenever she requests it. Dutch dude, if you have time to spare, help the heroine with the dishes her sister never washes.
I think the reason the hero's continued attentions to the future-model younger sister are so problematic for me is that I don't speak the Betty Code. I don't understand why he's doing this. Is this just her usual RDD indulging in a flirtation with a pretty girl until he recognizes he's in love with the heroine? Is this the typical RDD dangling a pretty girl under the heroine's nose so she'll get jealous and recognize she's in love with him? (If so, ewww. You don't use little sisters in that plan. Stepsisters, maybe.)
I'll tell you what I want his motivation to be. I want it to be the RDD keeping the troublesome younger sister out of the heroine's hair and out of trouble as a favor to the heroine. But good luck finding the slightest hint in the narrative to support that theory. I suspect -- again, without any narrative support -- that he continues to take the beautiful younger sister out after the because he's "detoxing" the younger sister of her infatuation for him in preparation for his courtship of the heroine. It would be soooo awkward for his now-beloved heroine if the younger sister were to become jealous or spiteful when the RDD and her plain sister get together. *eyeroll* How about we just let her get jealous and slap her when she's rude? Or, better yet, detach from this narcissist?
Almost all Neels romances contain both 2-star elements and 4-star elements for me, which averages them out to 3s. Winter Wedding underperforms the average by taking the 2-star element all the way down to 1.
Unfortunately, the adorable second half of Winter Wedding is overshadowed by the awful first half. Winter Wedding is The One with the Beautiful Spoiled Younger Sister who . Oh yeah, Louisa is a winner.
Seriously, Louisa is a winner because she gets away with it. If that outcome were simply an internal family dynamic (our heroine is quite the enabler where her selfish younger sister is concerned), I wouldn't let it blight my rating. Yes, Louisa almost killed , but I don't need her siblings to punish her for that. In a sense, the overindulgent heroine Emily created the monster Louisa. However, Louisa's misdeeds are exposed to the hero and he continues to take her out on dates and chauffeur her to London. No. Just no. At a minimum, I expect the hero to punish the younger sister with cool indifference, not reward her with his time and attention whenever she requests it. Dutch dude, if you have time to spare, help the heroine with the dishes her sister never washes.
I think the reason the hero's continued attentions to the future-model younger sister are so problematic for me is that I don't speak the Betty Code. I don't understand why he's doing this. Is this just her usual RDD indulging in a flirtation with a pretty girl until he recognizes he's in love with the heroine? Is this the typical RDD dangling a pretty girl under the heroine's nose so she'll get jealous and recognize she's in love with him? (If so, ewww. You don't use little sisters in that plan. Stepsisters, maybe.)
I'll tell you what I want his motivation to be. I want it to be the RDD keeping the troublesome younger sister out of the heroine's hair and out of trouble as a favor to the heroine. But good luck finding the slightest hint in the narrative to support that theory. I suspect -- again, without any narrative support -- that he continues to take the beautiful younger sister out after the because he's "detoxing" the younger sister of her infatuation for him in preparation for his courtship of the heroine. It would be soooo awkward for his now-beloved heroine if the younger sister were to become jealous or spiteful when the RDD and her plain sister get together. *eyeroll* How about we just let her get jealous and slap her when she's rude? Or, better yet, detach from this narcissist?
Almost all Neels romances contain both 2-star elements and 4-star elements for me, which averages them out to 3s. Winter Wedding underperforms the average by taking the 2-star element all the way down to 1.
July 28, 2013
Oh my what can I say. All the things I love about Betty Neels and so much more. This was a very fun read.
You have your typical arrogant (but really very kind under the covers) Rich Dutch Doctor (RDD), the plain and plump English heroine who is an extremely capable nurse (who borders on martyrdom), a selfish beautiful OW (who this time happens to be the heroine's beautiful, but extremely spoiled younger sister). Throw in a set of baby twins, a tough old granny, a colleague that is dying of cancer and you have quite an exciting ride.
Betty drops a lot of hints early on that Doctor is quite smitten with her young heroine. She's no longer that prim, plump young nurse that fades into the background. RDD does everything he can to get her to notice him, including taking out younger beautiful sister, but our heroine refuses the bait and leads RDD a merry dance. (serves him right, taking out younger sister who is half his age)
Definitely shot up to first place this week in my BN rankings!
You have your typical arrogant (but really very kind under the covers) Rich Dutch Doctor (RDD), the plain and plump English heroine who is an extremely capable nurse (who borders on martyrdom), a selfish beautiful OW (who this time happens to be the heroine's beautiful, but extremely spoiled younger sister). Throw in a set of baby twins, a tough old granny, a colleague that is dying of cancer and you have quite an exciting ride.
Betty drops a lot of hints early on that Doctor is quite smitten with her young heroine. She's no longer that prim, plump young nurse that fades into the background. RDD does everything he can to get her to notice him, including taking out younger beautiful sister, but our heroine refuses the bait and leads RDD a merry dance. (serves him right, taking out younger sister who is half his age)
Definitely shot up to first place this week in my BN rankings!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2014
Why?
I expected something sweet, a really nice read, that would me leave with warm and fuzzy feelings. It left me angry and grumpy and as I finished it in the evening, I couldn't fall asleep because I was so frustrated by it.
In the beginning I liked the heroine. She was a levelheaded woman, who really loved her niece and nephew and did her best to care for them. Also I liked that she was not head over heels in love with the doctor and didn't get lost in daydreams.
Then there was this thing with her sister and the doctor going out together, which I found pretty weird. I mean... okay. He ist older than her and her sister was like 18 or something? If a man so much older would go after my little sister, I would give him a good beating with the broom.
Nothing against the large age gap between hero and heroine, but I had large difficulties with it, as the "thing" with her sister was from the beginning nothing more than a fling. If it is a serious relationship - okay. No problem. But a fling with an eighteen year old airheaded sexbomb? Nope, dear doc, I believe you have some issues, that don't endear you to me.
The heroine was pushed around by her sister pretty bad and did nothing against it. If in the end she would have started to see how her sister really was, that would have changed things, but she stayed oblivious to it and forgave her sister pretty much everything.
But till the drug-incident I swallowed it, believed in change for the better. Then there was this major thing I can't - nope, nope, nope - forgive.
I can't forgive this.
However I was waiting for the heroine to slap her sister, throw her out or whatever. To do something. I mean, she nearly killed them! I was trembling with anger, literally trembling, because I imagined my niece being drugged and nope, that was not funny.
But oh no - little sis gets off easy. The heroine is understanding, loving - she even has compassion for her! Hello? She nearly killed those babies.
I think I never hated a heroine this much. I wouldn't have cared about everything else, but this made me sick to the stomach.
So. I read on, because... I don't know why. I read on. I got sick a bit, when the mother of the babies came back and vented a little bit of anger on the little sister and the heroine tried to smooth both of their anger, because little sis is sooooo poor.
She is a spoiled slut, not some poor thing.
Okay. That's the reason I hated the heroine and pretty much every other character in the book at this time. But - oh wonder - it got worse!
The doctor. Why? Why does such a man exist? His existence was as important as a... uh. I don't know. He was not important. He was a waste of space. Duh.
Let's stop this rant by promising I will never ever pick a book by Betty Neels up again, only to leave it out lying in the rain.
Note to every author out there:
-Don't let babies get hurt and the main character just stands by and feels bad for the offender.
-Characters are allowed to grow in the book. They don't have to stay the way they were at the beginning of the book.
-A consistent story line with a main problem is really useful for an interesting book.
-More SHOW, less TELL.
I expected something sweet, a really nice read, that would me leave with warm and fuzzy feelings. It left me angry and grumpy and as I finished it in the evening, I couldn't fall asleep because I was so frustrated by it.
In the beginning I liked the heroine. She was a levelheaded woman, who really loved her niece and nephew and did her best to care for them. Also I liked that she was not head over heels in love with the doctor and didn't get lost in daydreams.
Then there was this thing with her sister and the doctor going out together, which I found pretty weird. I mean... okay. He ist older than her and her sister was like 18 or something? If a man so much older would go after my little sister, I would give him a good beating with the broom.
Nothing against the large age gap between hero and heroine, but I had large difficulties with it, as the "thing" with her sister was from the beginning nothing more than a fling. If it is a serious relationship - okay. No problem. But a fling with an eighteen year old airheaded sexbomb? Nope, dear doc, I believe you have some issues, that don't endear you to me.
The heroine was pushed around by her sister pretty bad and did nothing against it. If in the end she would have started to see how her sister really was, that would have changed things, but she stayed oblivious to it and forgave her sister pretty much everything.
But till the drug-incident I swallowed it, believed in change for the better. Then there was this major thing I can't - nope, nope, nope - forgive.
I can't forgive this.
However I was waiting for the heroine to slap her sister, throw her out or whatever. To do something. I mean, she nearly killed them! I was trembling with anger, literally trembling, because I imagined my niece being drugged and nope, that was not funny.
But oh no - little sis gets off easy. The heroine is understanding, loving - she even has compassion for her! Hello? She nearly killed those babies.
I think I never hated a heroine this much. I wouldn't have cared about everything else, but this made me sick to the stomach.
So. I read on, because... I don't know why. I read on. I got sick a bit, when the mother of the babies came back and vented a little bit of anger on the little sister and the heroine tried to smooth both of their anger, because little sis is sooooo poor.
She is a spoiled slut, not some poor thing.
Okay. That's the reason I hated the heroine and pretty much every other character in the book at this time. But - oh wonder - it got worse!
The doctor. Why? Why does such a man exist? His existence was as important as a... uh. I don't know. He was not important. He was a waste of space. Duh.
Let's stop this rant by promising I will never ever pick a book by Betty Neels up again, only to leave it out lying in the rain.
Note to every author out there:
-Don't let babies get hurt and the main character just stands by and feels bad for the offender.
-Characters are allowed to grow in the book. They don't have to stay the way they were at the beginning of the book.
-A consistent story line with a main problem is really useful for an interesting book.
-More SHOW, less TELL.
April 7, 2018
4 1/2 Stars ~ Emily's 23 and a staff nurse at a hospital on the outskirts of London. She hadn't formed her opinion of the consulting Dutch Professor until she'd over heard his own opinion of her ....
... and from then she decided to dislike him. Emily is well aware she holds little appeal for the opposite sex but that doesn't mean her feelings can't be hurt. When she's asked to special nurse a very difficult case under the Professor, she only agrees because she knows the patient. The eve of the surgery, Emily gets her own little dig in ....
As they work together, the Professor comes to agree with his colleague that Emily did indeed "grow on you". And as her private life is slowly revealed, he learns to admire her too, for Emily not only is devoted to her patients but she faces the huge responsibility of caring for her elder sister's eight month old twins. For Emily, the Professor too is to be admired, but she knows she could never compete with her younger sister Louise in gaining his affection. Louise is afterall, one of those beautiful blondes he claims to prefer.
This is one of favourites from Ms. Neels. Emily outwardly appears to be a push over, always placing the needs of others before her own, but inside we know she has spunk and at times a rather sharp temper. She throws our Professor for a loop, for every time someone asks her what her opinion is of him, she replies "He's an excellent surgeon" and never comments on him as a man. So he decides he's going to make her jealous and pays attention to a beautiful blond dutch girl, only for it to backfire, for she's too kind hearted to interfere in the other girl's happiness. The HEA is lovely, with Emily finally calling him Renier.
Edited to add --- I have this book on my phone. Rediscovering it's charm is a pleasant way to while away waiting times. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Emily and Renier's story.
‘Good lord, Harry, am I to be fobbed off with that prim miss? Surely there’s another nurse...?’ He sounded annoyed.
Mr Spencer put up a hand to rub the bald patch. ‘Sorry, sir—she’s first class at her job...’
‘I take your word for that—we are talking about the same girl, I suppose? A small, plump creature who merges into the background from whatever angle one looks at her.’
Mr Spencer chuckled. ‘That’s our Emily—a splendid worker and marvelous with children. You’ll find that she grows on you, sir.’
‘Heaven forbid! The only females who grow on me are beautiful blondes who don’t go beetroot red every time I look at them.’
... and from then she decided to dislike him. Emily is well aware she holds little appeal for the opposite sex but that doesn't mean her feelings can't be hurt. When she's asked to special nurse a very difficult case under the Professor, she only agrees because she knows the patient. The eve of the surgery, Emily gets her own little dig in ....
She wrote the last name without undue haste and looked up at the Professor, towering over her. He looked cross, but then he often did; perhaps he had a gastric ulcer...
‘You’re looking at me as though I were the patient,’ he said blandly.
She said hastily that she really hadn’t been looking at him, ‘Only into the background,’ she added, just as blandly, and saw his eyebrows go up. ‘And that will give you something to think about,’ she told him silently.
As they work together, the Professor comes to agree with his colleague that Emily did indeed "grow on you". And as her private life is slowly revealed, he learns to admire her too, for Emily not only is devoted to her patients but she faces the huge responsibility of caring for her elder sister's eight month old twins. For Emily, the Professor too is to be admired, but she knows she could never compete with her younger sister Louise in gaining his affection. Louise is afterall, one of those beautiful blondes he claims to prefer.
This is one of favourites from Ms. Neels. Emily outwardly appears to be a push over, always placing the needs of others before her own, but inside we know she has spunk and at times a rather sharp temper. She throws our Professor for a loop, for every time someone asks her what her opinion is of him, she replies "He's an excellent surgeon" and never comments on him as a man. So he decides he's going to make her jealous and pays attention to a beautiful blond dutch girl, only for it to backfire, for she's too kind hearted to interfere in the other girl's happiness. The HEA is lovely, with Emily finally calling him Renier.
Edited to add --- I have this book on my phone. Rediscovering it's charm is a pleasant way to while away waiting times. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of Emily and Renier's story.
October 20, 2010
A nice, gentle little Neels, with a few WTF kickers. Typical mousy (and in this case, plump) British Nurse, and our older, aloof, Rich Dutch Doctor. Twists included younger, very pretty sister who is helping our heroine take care of twin babies (children of their oldest sister and her husband, who are trapped by politics in a dicey overseas situation!!!). Pretty sister gets bored and wants to go out and drugs the babies!!
Unforgivable moment--our RDD, who has flirted with pretty sister, continues to flirt with her and take her out-even after he knows she drugged the babies!!!
Our nurse's role is to take care of one of the senior doctors who is recovering from surgery. And, oh my, he happens to be a good friend of our RDD--and the recovery visit takes place in Holland---and so on and so on.
Somewhere along the line our mousy nurse has a Dawning Realization that she loves the RDD, and we come to realize that he no longer sees her as 'prim' and 'fading into the background'. The tension, of course, lies in the fact that neither of our main characters realizes how the other feels (until the very nice HEA conclusion).
This is the favorite of one of the Founding Bettys of The Uncrushable Jersey Dress. For me--it is one of the top, but not The Top.
Unforgivable moment--our RDD, who has flirted with pretty sister, continues to flirt with her and take her out-even after he knows she drugged the babies!!!
Our nurse's role is to take care of one of the senior doctors who is recovering from surgery. And, oh my, he happens to be a good friend of our RDD--and the recovery visit takes place in Holland---and so on and so on.
Somewhere along the line our mousy nurse has a Dawning Realization that she loves the RDD, and we come to realize that he no longer sees her as 'prim' and 'fading into the background'. The tension, of course, lies in the fact that neither of our main characters realizes how the other feels (until the very nice HEA conclusion).
This is the favorite of one of the Founding Bettys of The Uncrushable Jersey Dress. For me--it is one of the top, but not The Top.
September 16, 2013
4.5 stars. An adorable older read. Very sweet story, both characters were very likable. Very light on the romantic action given its age, but still quite enjoyable.
October 16, 2016
Classic Betty Neels. The heroine, Emily, is a plain, slightly plump and very hard working nurse, juggling her responsibilities with the care of twin babies, left with her while the parents were in the Middle East and caught up in some dangerous situation. Her younger, prettier sister is supposed to be helping her with the babies but she does as little as possible.
The hero, Professor Renier van Jurres Romeijn, takes one look at her and dismisses her as prim and unmemorable. He is told by a colleague that Emily will grow on him but he doubts it and says so. Unfortunately for him, Emily overhears the exchange and writes the Professor off as someone she could never like.
Thrown together through work they start to gain a better understanding but it is all for nothing when Emily's sister does something horrendous and Renier blames Emily.
Betty Neels is the master of the slow burn. Often her hero and heroine, or at least one of them, begin by disliking each other and it takes the length of the book to change that. But we get to see each step of the way as the heroine in particular starts to become aware of the hero. Even if it is the constant reminder to herself that she dislikes him (evil laugh). The hero is often enigmatic, typical of this era of romance writing, but the reader is clued into his changing feelings through small actions and the occasional glimpse into his thoughts. It's a very different style of writing to what is the current trend but it remains enjoyable and engaging.
Renier, like many Neels heroes, thinks that taking gorgeous blondes out and about will 1. Protect him from the disturbing heroine or 2. Make her jealous. He tries both methods and makes things worse. Emily, once she realises that Renier is not the demon king, knows that a man with a predilection for attractive and slender blondes is not going to look at a small plump nonentity so his actions only confirm her suspicions.
But of course he will redeem himself, although Betty doesn't make them suffer as much as they should.
The hero, Professor Renier van Jurres Romeijn, takes one look at her and dismisses her as prim and unmemorable. He is told by a colleague that Emily will grow on him but he doubts it and says so. Unfortunately for him, Emily overhears the exchange and writes the Professor off as someone she could never like.
Thrown together through work they start to gain a better understanding but it is all for nothing when Emily's sister does something horrendous and Renier blames Emily.
Betty Neels is the master of the slow burn. Often her hero and heroine, or at least one of them, begin by disliking each other and it takes the length of the book to change that. But we get to see each step of the way as the heroine in particular starts to become aware of the hero. Even if it is the constant reminder to herself that she dislikes him (evil laugh). The hero is often enigmatic, typical of this era of romance writing, but the reader is clued into his changing feelings through small actions and the occasional glimpse into his thoughts. It's a very different style of writing to what is the current trend but it remains enjoyable and engaging.
Renier, like many Neels heroes, thinks that taking gorgeous blondes out and about will 1. Protect him from the disturbing heroine or 2. Make her jealous. He tries both methods and makes things worse. Emily, once she realises that Renier is not the demon king, knows that a man with a predilection for attractive and slender blondes is not going to look at a small plump nonentity so his actions only confirm her suspicions.
But of course he will redeem himself, although Betty doesn't make them suffer as much as they should.
August 14, 2013
It reminded me a bit of Cinderella with the selfish beautiful younger sister, the twin niece and nephew, working 18 hours a day,...
The male lead character as in most Ms. Neels' books was 18+ years older...a successful rich Dutch doctor and she was once again a very average looking competent nurse. The evil other woman a heartless selfish gorgeous bitch.
It amazes me that I keep enjoying her books even though they are basically the same characters and very similar plot lines.
The male lead character as in most Ms. Neels' books was 18+ years older...a successful rich Dutch doctor and she was once again a very average looking competent nurse. The evil other woman a heartless selfish gorgeous bitch.
It amazes me that I keep enjoying her books even though they are basically the same characters and very similar plot lines.
December 17, 2024
Ugh, no.
October 15, 2016
My first Betty Neels! I had no idea what I was in for.
Emily is rather spirited for a Neels heroine, not the usual doormat. Her bitchy sister gets whatever she wants mostly because she runs away before Emily can do the shouting she plans to do. She's working too hard to support and care for her niece and nephew, but it's shown to be because her sister and brother-in-law are in quite a jam, and they are properly appreciative when they return on the scene. The hero is a bit of a dick, taking bitchy sister out and not really showing Emily much attention, but I did like him fussing over the twins. I also liked him grumpy, near the end, complaining to his grandmother that Emily wants a career.
Emily is rather spirited for a Neels heroine, not the usual doormat. Her bitchy sister gets whatever she wants mostly because she runs away before Emily can do the shouting she plans to do. She's working too hard to support and care for her niece and nephew, but it's shown to be because her sister and brother-in-law are in quite a jam, and they are properly appreciative when they return on the scene. The hero is a bit of a dick, taking bitchy sister out and not really showing Emily much attention, but I did like him fussing over the twins. I also liked him grumpy, near the end, complaining to his grandmother that Emily wants a career.
November 17, 2015
This is the excellent story of Emily, a young nurse who finds herself caring for her older sister's infant twins. Her younger sister is supposed to be helping, but in the way of younger sisters everywhere, she's more trouble than she's worth. :) Thankfully for our budding Cinderella, Emily meets a RDD who entices her to Holland and introduces her to love.
I really enjoyed this sweet romance. It had humor, Christmas parties, pretty clothes and told the story of two unlikely people finding themselves falling in love. One of Betty's better stories, I think. And the perfect antidote to a tough day.
I really enjoyed this sweet romance. It had humor, Christmas parties, pretty clothes and told the story of two unlikely people finding themselves falling in love. One of Betty's better stories, I think. And the perfect antidote to a tough day.
March 29, 2020
I think the 'hero' Renier, is kind of a douche.
February 13, 2010
I learned that I really need to explore Betty Neels books in more depth, with more respect and that is a charge I accept! Onward to more Betty Neels books :)
July 15, 2013
Finally!!! And ending that elaborated! (But I still want more.)
November 11, 2021
I enjoyed this book but left it feeling so frustrated. The H was such a tool. He initially judged the h on her looks to one of her colleagues (which she overheard and he soon finds out she did), proceeded to take pretty women out (starting off with the h's younger sister!) and often comments to her how beautiful they were, hired her to take care of a recovering patient at his home over the holidays and proceeded to mostly ignore her while taking beautiful women out for the day or kissing them in full view of the h and then at the end he tells the h how much he loves her and they're to be married. The h is so in love that of course, she says yes.
First off, I lay the blame 100% at the author's feet for not clarifying the H's motivations. She made the H's motives TOO ambiguous. He states at the end that he took "Heleen" (just one of the women around him BTW) out to make her jealous. He never mentions the sister though. At all. It is never clear why he kept taking the younger sister, Louisa, out. To make the h jealous? I don't know about that. I mean, you don't do that. And btw, if someone takes your sister out, no matter how much you like him, you STRIKE. HIM. OFF. THE. LIST. OF. ELIGIBLES because you never date your sister's or friend's crush/ex-boyfriend unless they give you 100% of their approval. But even so, you shouldn't even ask for permission. As far as you're concerned, he should be dead to you!
So a few things to make me shake my head about the H's motivations that are never made clear with so much as a look, inuendo, etc., I present to you the following exhibits for my case:
"When is Louisa coming back?" she asked idly. "Is she out for lunch?"
The Professor's quiet: "Yes, she's having it with me," sent Emily's heart, already in the depth, plunging just as far as it would go."
She gazed at him with astonished eyes. "Message? No - how could she?"
"Easily enough." He was staring at her hard. "I took her out last night." He frowned. "She told me that you knew...No, don't trouble to think up an answer, I can see for myself that she didn't tell you." He frowned down at her. "There was no intention of secrecy, Emily - she begged so prettily to be taken, I hadn't the heart to refuse." The frown disappeared and he smiled. "I didn't want to refuse, anyway."
And of course, the h is not pretty so his constant comments to her about the pretty women he takes out is cruel. Like the one where he is taking her sister out (again):
"Very well," said Emily, and watched the Professor's face relax. "You'll be late for lunch," she reminded him, "and Louisa hates being kept waiting." For a fleeting moment he looked ferocious. "I seldom forget dates with pretty girls," he told her silkily..."
So at the end, he mentions only the one woman, Heleen, as one he used to make her jealous. Nothing about Louisa. Oh and the marriage non-proposal at the end? He lets her leave after the holidays thinking she'll never see him again. She goes to her apartment and he's there. Inside. WTF? Then she tells him that if he loved her why did he let her leave. His response? "What was I supposed to do, lock you up?" No. But how about tell her you love her and ask her to marry you. I mean, that's what normal people do.
This is the kind of frustration that makes you think about a novel over and over because it just makes you want to pull your hair out with frustration. It's like a Charlotte Lamb novel but with out the bitch-slapping H's (Betty Neel writes very clean stories). And yet, Neel's H's are such a tool! I almost prefer Lamb's awful H's because at least there's no mistaking their motivations...
Having said that, Neel does write enjoyable stories which just torments me more because I know I'll keep reading...
First off, I lay the blame 100% at the author's feet for not clarifying the H's motivations. She made the H's motives TOO ambiguous. He states at the end that he took "Heleen" (just one of the women around him BTW) out to make her jealous. He never mentions the sister though. At all. It is never clear why he kept taking the younger sister, Louisa, out. To make the h jealous? I don't know about that. I mean, you don't do that. And btw, if someone takes your sister out, no matter how much you like him, you STRIKE. HIM. OFF. THE. LIST. OF. ELIGIBLES because you never date your sister's or friend's crush/ex-boyfriend unless they give you 100% of their approval. But even so, you shouldn't even ask for permission. As far as you're concerned, he should be dead to you!
So a few things to make me shake my head about the H's motivations that are never made clear with so much as a look, inuendo, etc., I present to you the following exhibits for my case:
"When is Louisa coming back?" she asked idly. "Is she out for lunch?"
The Professor's quiet: "Yes, she's having it with me," sent Emily's heart, already in the depth, plunging just as far as it would go."
She gazed at him with astonished eyes. "Message? No - how could she?"
"Easily enough." He was staring at her hard. "I took her out last night." He frowned. "She told me that you knew...No, don't trouble to think up an answer, I can see for myself that she didn't tell you." He frowned down at her. "There was no intention of secrecy, Emily - she begged so prettily to be taken, I hadn't the heart to refuse." The frown disappeared and he smiled. "I didn't want to refuse, anyway."
And of course, the h is not pretty so his constant comments to her about the pretty women he takes out is cruel. Like the one where he is taking her sister out (again):
"Very well," said Emily, and watched the Professor's face relax. "You'll be late for lunch," she reminded him, "and Louisa hates being kept waiting." For a fleeting moment he looked ferocious. "I seldom forget dates with pretty girls," he told her silkily..."
So at the end, he mentions only the one woman, Heleen, as one he used to make her jealous. Nothing about Louisa. Oh and the marriage non-proposal at the end? He lets her leave after the holidays thinking she'll never see him again. She goes to her apartment and he's there. Inside. WTF? Then she tells him that if he loved her why did he let her leave. His response? "What was I supposed to do, lock you up?" No. But how about tell her you love her and ask her to marry you. I mean, that's what normal people do.
This is the kind of frustration that makes you think about a novel over and over because it just makes you want to pull your hair out with frustration. It's like a Charlotte Lamb novel but with out the bitch-slapping H's (Betty Neel writes very clean stories). And yet, Neel's H's are such a tool! I almost prefer Lamb's awful H's because at least there's no mistaking their motivations...
Having said that, Neel does write enjoyable stories which just torments me more because I know I'll keep reading...
September 14, 2016
This the second Neels book I've read; both were given to me. Both follwed the same formula. English nurse must work with/for visiting Dutch doctor. After prickly start, there's a bumpy courtship, complete with visit to Holland to meet the family, after which nurse realizes that doctor really does love her.
Very old-fashioned, no sex, just kissing. But sweet.
Makes you wish modern romances contained a little more courting and maybe a little less sex.
Very old-fashioned, no sex, just kissing. But sweet.
Makes you wish modern romances contained a little more courting and maybe a little less sex.
February 21, 2019
I've wanted to try a Betty Neel for quite sometime, unfortunately I picked one of her more controversial ones. I think the problem was a mix of strong, silent (read jerk) of a hero, plain, plump (read Martyr) of a heroine and the OW is the spoiled, beautiful sister of our trampled heroine. I think, to be fair, it just didn't translate well to a modern reader (but I did pick up the echoes of a 90's era HP, quite watered down, of course).
October 9, 2018
Un 2.5
May 1, 2022
"Boda invernal"
October 5, 2024
love Betty Neels, have read all of them....
December 4, 2019
Love Betty Neels...
A sweet romance with a lovely ending. Have read this before but it always makes one feel good. A must read.
A sweet romance with a lovely ending. Have read this before but it always makes one feel good. A must read.
March 10, 2018
1979 copyright
2.5* The hero was not nice in the beginning, and I needed more grovelling from him to be satisfied!
Emily was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she overheard Renier making unkind remarks about her to his fellow surgeon Mr Spencer. It was hurtful, but did not stop Emily from doing a good job because the patient was Dr Wright, whom Emily worked for and respected in her previous hospital.
Renier found out Emily had heard him, but to give him the benefit of the doubt, he being a well brought up gentleman, must have been too embarrassed to be caught out. He never did apologise, instead asking if he should! Argh that took some points off him as a hero! He also called her plump on a couple of occasions!
We did see his acts of kindness to Emily, wanting to make amends and later on, win her heart. I think. Because he'd act hot and cold with her, so poor Emily was confused as hell.
But I really hated that he spent waaaaay more time wining and dining girls like Louisa and Heleen... oh Renier explained it was to make Emily jealous, but still! I hope he spent the rest of his life making it up to her! Louisa was a really nasty b!tch... I would love to see her face when she heard Emily and Renier were getting married! After her ghastly actions time after time, Emily let her get away with nothing. Glad Mary told Louisa she'd never be forgiven with the Seconal fiasco! And Renier continued to be so nice to Louisa, argh! He was prepared to give Emily hell when he thought SHE drugged the twins, but when Louisa confessed, all he did was put her in her cab and when Mary and George returned, made her confess again, and offered her a lift to London like a reward! Gosh!
Renier's granny and family were nice people, as were the Wrights, and Dolly and Peter.
2.5* The hero was not nice in the beginning, and I needed more grovelling from him to be satisfied!
Emily was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she overheard Renier making unkind remarks about her to his fellow surgeon Mr Spencer. It was hurtful, but did not stop Emily from doing a good job because the patient was Dr Wright, whom Emily worked for and respected in her previous hospital.
Renier found out Emily had heard him, but to give him the benefit of the doubt, he being a well brought up gentleman, must have been too embarrassed to be caught out. He never did apologise, instead asking if he should! Argh that took some points off him as a hero! He also called her plump on a couple of occasions!
We did see his acts of kindness to Emily, wanting to make amends and later on, win her heart. I think. Because he'd act hot and cold with her, so poor Emily was confused as hell.
But I really hated that he spent waaaaay more time wining and dining girls like Louisa and Heleen... oh Renier explained it was to make Emily jealous, but still! I hope he spent the rest of his life making it up to her! Louisa was a really nasty b!tch... I would love to see her face when she heard Emily and Renier were getting married! After her ghastly actions time after time, Emily let her get away with nothing. Glad Mary told Louisa she'd never be forgiven with the Seconal fiasco! And Renier continued to be so nice to Louisa, argh! He was prepared to give Emily hell when he thought SHE drugged the twins, but when Louisa confessed, all he did was put her in her cab and when Mary and George returned, made her confess again, and offered her a lift to London like a reward! Gosh!
Renier's granny and family were nice people, as were the Wrights, and Dolly and Peter.
December 23, 2022
Get the reading challenge done / get Bettys reread and onto the GR / read the winter-or-Christmas titles, for tis the season.
This is the one with watching the older sister's baby twins and a spoiled and odious younger sister and the sleeping tabs and then Holland. It's also one where we get a lot of insight to how Betty figured the world worked.
A bit of an RDD outlier, in that he isn't merely vast and handsome, but not wholly stoic and implacable and given over to some real thickheadness -- he's human and can't believe he's falling for Emily and then is poleaxed in a way that he gets wooing her all wrong, while being very worried about his incredibly invested heart, but that makes him all the more interesting and their ending all the more swoon. It's also one of the more controversial titles in TGB canon between the reading Bettys -- is Renier awful or merely at sea? is Emily too much a martyr or just to a certain Betty type? do the sisters get enough comeuppance and why are all those leggy blondes paraded around?
I fall on the side of quite liking it, in part because of the differences in Reiner to other RDDs and because Emily simply refuses to not make the best of it in what ways she can. Mary the older sister gets too much a pass for the "watch the twins" set-up, for it's clear TGB wants us to like Mary and George, but let's read in that Emily volunteered, and overrode doubt, that it was never to be for so long, and odious as Louisa is, taking responsibility also in the name of your 18 year old selfish flighty sister isn't so great an idea either.
Quick notes:
-- Louisa, the odious brat younger sister, Mary the older sister and we'll just handwave she didn't 'dump' the twins on Emily & Louisa thinking she'd only be gone for maybe 10 days and now it's a muddle and a mess they're all snared in
-- Emily overhears her hero dismissing her as plump and plain and merging into the background, oh dear (unkind of Renier but also he's asleep and urbane at this point, with no realizations dawned to recognize the high regard Emily deserves), all the same it rightly puts Emily out and so they start out on bad footing
-- She specials for RDD all the same, a doctor friend of Renier's who she once worked for, and of course she's marvelous
-- Louisa scheming, RDD gets his head briefly turned, for he's still dedicated to work and uncaring of a fulfilling personal life, and probably thinks very little more of Louisa aside she's pretty vs plain; can't completely forgive RDD for his ongoing "interest" in Louisa, but I think we can decide some of it is percolating fascination with Emily, a pricked conscience, and a bit of carelessness
-- He takes Emily for granted, but when he finds out, sends her an unheard of meal on a tray in the sister's room Emily is gratefully having a night's stay in
-- The Ball, odious Sammy, RDD annoyed at having to care for spiked-punch affected Emily, but seeing more of her worth beyond 'worthiness' through all this
-- Louisa pawns the locket to buy fabulous sandals! Awful, scheming, RDD finds out and is not impressed (but keeps a lid on any other reaction for quite a long time)
-- It's here I think RDD pivots to recognizing Emily as far more than plain and prim, and dismisses Louisa, but he's that mix of dense and entitled and doesn't think to recognize *him* now regarding and wanting Emily doesn't mean she should automatically recognize all the reasons he's to be trusted and wanted right back
-- Emily is poorly used by family and excuses too much, but she finally puts her foot down
-- THE SECONAL and RDD blaming Emily, rage I believe from thinking he's misjudged her and is building castles in the clouds around who he thought she was, but then he finds it was Louisa all along and those castles are being built again, but more cautiously this time, and while Louisa never really gets hers, she's now superfluous to the story so TGB dispatches of her, and RDD does immediately apologize for accusing Emily
-- I think RDD has a big shift in thinking here, a rocking realization about Emily and also Louisa and any other useless leggy blonde
-- The SECONAL incident isn't as far into the book, or RDD as indulgent of Louisa, as I remembered
-- We basically get a whole different book in the second half, the Holland Book
-- Mary & George collect the twins, a bit of nodding about Emily's very good goodness with RDD
-- Holland is a grand house, Emily fitting in quite well, home tours and RDD making sure Emily likes it (well enough to live there forever after), walks in the cold, and the elderly dragon taking to Emily immediately and being her quiet champion
-- Christmas and all the trappings
-- "She whirled and twirled with the unselfconscious pleasure of a little girl" a line that has always stuck with me (Betty loves her plain girls who make that up by being reliable and hardworking and a delightful dancer and beloved by retainers and salty old relatives, etc etc)
-- The small silver mouse! "Small enough to go into a pocket or for that matter tuck away in a drawer and forget" (what a great, evocative line), which Renier immediately slips into a pocket!
-- He gifts her the locket, and is well past his Dawning Realization now but going about goading her into hers all the wrong ways, as he's now in the muddle and impatience and unaccustomed to how the Emilys of the world tick (any one of those leggy blondes would have confronted him and gotten their declarations out in the open already, resolved, but not Emily!)
-- Grandma goes on a walk, is injured, Emily stays close and nearly freezes, RDD to the rescue
-- "She won't come for the diamonds, dear bo"
-- Renier asks her to stay but does it all wrong, making it seem like he wants her to go from nursing the doctor friend to grandma, and of course she must leave, get away and escape her love for him in London, meanwhile he's frustrated and clueless
-- She leaves, he lets her go -- arguing to himself he can't force her to stay, when lol he could just tell her how he feels and have it out and done and her forever captured -- then milk and apples are dropped and forgotten on the floor when Emily finds Renier in her little bedsit -- he's there and finally declares and loves her! as she of course does him
-- A rockier start, a rockier middle, but destined to be a wonderful HEA
This is the one with watching the older sister's baby twins and a spoiled and odious younger sister and the sleeping tabs and then Holland. It's also one where we get a lot of insight to how Betty figured the world worked.
A bit of an RDD outlier, in that he isn't merely vast and handsome, but not wholly stoic and implacable and given over to some real thickheadness -- he's human and can't believe he's falling for Emily and then is poleaxed in a way that he gets wooing her all wrong, while being very worried about his incredibly invested heart, but that makes him all the more interesting and their ending all the more swoon. It's also one of the more controversial titles in TGB canon between the reading Bettys -- is Renier awful or merely at sea? is Emily too much a martyr or just to a certain Betty type? do the sisters get enough comeuppance and why are all those leggy blondes paraded around?
I fall on the side of quite liking it, in part because of the differences in Reiner to other RDDs and because Emily simply refuses to not make the best of it in what ways she can. Mary the older sister gets too much a pass for the "watch the twins" set-up, for it's clear TGB wants us to like Mary and George, but let's read in that Emily volunteered, and overrode doubt, that it was never to be for so long, and odious as Louisa is, taking responsibility also in the name of your 18 year old selfish flighty sister isn't so great an idea either.
Quick notes:
-- Louisa, the odious brat younger sister, Mary the older sister and we'll just handwave she didn't 'dump' the twins on Emily & Louisa thinking she'd only be gone for maybe 10 days and now it's a muddle and a mess they're all snared in
-- Emily overhears her hero dismissing her as plump and plain and merging into the background, oh dear (unkind of Renier but also he's asleep and urbane at this point, with no realizations dawned to recognize the high regard Emily deserves), all the same it rightly puts Emily out and so they start out on bad footing
-- She specials for RDD all the same, a doctor friend of Renier's who she once worked for, and of course she's marvelous
-- Louisa scheming, RDD gets his head briefly turned, for he's still dedicated to work and uncaring of a fulfilling personal life, and probably thinks very little more of Louisa aside she's pretty vs plain; can't completely forgive RDD for his ongoing "interest" in Louisa, but I think we can decide some of it is percolating fascination with Emily, a pricked conscience, and a bit of carelessness
-- He takes Emily for granted, but when he finds out, sends her an unheard of meal on a tray in the sister's room Emily is gratefully having a night's stay in
-- The Ball, odious Sammy, RDD annoyed at having to care for spiked-punch affected Emily, but seeing more of her worth beyond 'worthiness' through all this
-- Louisa pawns the locket to buy fabulous sandals! Awful, scheming, RDD finds out and is not impressed (but keeps a lid on any other reaction for quite a long time)
-- It's here I think RDD pivots to recognizing Emily as far more than plain and prim, and dismisses Louisa, but he's that mix of dense and entitled and doesn't think to recognize *him* now regarding and wanting Emily doesn't mean she should automatically recognize all the reasons he's to be trusted and wanted right back
-- Emily is poorly used by family and excuses too much, but she finally puts her foot down
-- THE SECONAL and RDD blaming Emily, rage I believe from thinking he's misjudged her and is building castles in the clouds around who he thought she was, but then he finds it was Louisa all along and those castles are being built again, but more cautiously this time, and while Louisa never really gets hers, she's now superfluous to the story so TGB dispatches of her, and RDD does immediately apologize for accusing Emily
-- I think RDD has a big shift in thinking here, a rocking realization about Emily and also Louisa and any other useless leggy blonde
-- The SECONAL incident isn't as far into the book, or RDD as indulgent of Louisa, as I remembered
-- We basically get a whole different book in the second half, the Holland Book
-- Mary & George collect the twins, a bit of nodding about Emily's very good goodness with RDD
-- Holland is a grand house, Emily fitting in quite well, home tours and RDD making sure Emily likes it (well enough to live there forever after), walks in the cold, and the elderly dragon taking to Emily immediately and being her quiet champion
-- Christmas and all the trappings
-- "She whirled and twirled with the unselfconscious pleasure of a little girl" a line that has always stuck with me (Betty loves her plain girls who make that up by being reliable and hardworking and a delightful dancer and beloved by retainers and salty old relatives, etc etc)
-- The small silver mouse! "Small enough to go into a pocket or for that matter tuck away in a drawer and forget" (what a great, evocative line), which Renier immediately slips into a pocket!
-- He gifts her the locket, and is well past his Dawning Realization now but going about goading her into hers all the wrong ways, as he's now in the muddle and impatience and unaccustomed to how the Emilys of the world tick (any one of those leggy blondes would have confronted him and gotten their declarations out in the open already, resolved, but not Emily!)
-- Grandma goes on a walk, is injured, Emily stays close and nearly freezes, RDD to the rescue
-- "She won't come for the diamonds, dear bo"
-- Renier asks her to stay but does it all wrong, making it seem like he wants her to go from nursing the doctor friend to grandma, and of course she must leave, get away and escape her love for him in London, meanwhile he's frustrated and clueless
-- She leaves, he lets her go -- arguing to himself he can't force her to stay, when lol he could just tell her how he feels and have it out and done and her forever captured -- then milk and apples are dropped and forgotten on the floor when Emily finds Renier in her little bedsit -- he's there and finally declares and loves her! as she of course does him
-- A rockier start, a rockier middle, but destined to be a wonderful HEA
October 1, 2021
This is not my first reading of Winter Wedding, probably my third or fourth. I always enjoy it, partly because it involves a Dutch Christmas celebration. Not as much description of the Christmas holiday here as in other Betty Neels books, but a nice holiday for the heroine, Emily. After a really bad beginning with Emily, Renier realizes his mistake and begins to notice her for all her good qualities. Of course, Emily gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks he is planning a winter wedding with one of the many young, beautiful ladies who hang around him. Renier's grandmother is a sweetheart and is always one step ahead of the prospective lovers.
August 28, 2024
He insults the h, gives faint praise, takes her sister out repeatedly even after she nearly kills her niece & nephew, accuses the h of overdosing the kids, apologizes halfheartedly, kisses numerous pretty girls (and points it out to the h), says he prefers "beautiful, blonde, unblushing" women, and literally forgets the h one night. Not a winning hero. ~~shakes head sadly~~ Betty, I'm addicted to your books but I was pretty grouchy about this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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