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Tangled Autumn
Sappha Devenish jumped at the chance of a job in Scotland when her romance with Andrew went wrong.The change in scenery -- not to mention the presence of an attractive Dutch doctor -- did take her mind off her heartbreak.
But then Andrew came back -- and Sappha was entangled in the past once more!
But then Andrew came back -- and Sappha was entangled in the past once more!
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
67 people are currently reading
162 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 45 reviews
September 17, 2020
Neels' version of a spitfire heroine and a "brigand" RDD makes for more fireworks than normal, but still a safe, cute story of a nurse-heroine, a dark and slightly dangerous (by Betty standards) doctor-hero, and the usual travelogues (Scotland and Friesland--after so many BNs, I have to make that distinction and not just call it Holland or The Netherlands :-D).
This was a cute and somewhat unusual BN story, with a lot more overt battling between the MCs than is usual, in my experience (Rolf is pretty energetic emotionally for a BN RDD too--no "placid" professor here!). I liked Rolf of the mocking "satyr-like" eyebrows, but Sappha got a bit annoying with her constant sniping at the hero (to be fair, he needed a good smack for always appearing to be laughing at her). Of course, her willingness to take him on, temper for temper, is what made her perfect for him-she stood up to him even in the face of his most implacable baron-like behavior. Sappha is one of BN's really really pretty heroines with a good sense of her own looks and worth without being conceited about it, but like many a BN heroine, she loses her confidence around the RDD at times and lets all kind of silly misunderstandings stand. But love wins in the end, no spoiler there. ;-)
Not my fave Betty but enjoyable enough (although the more BNs I read, the more I find myself speculating way too much about what those massive and oh-so-dominant RDDs would be like in the sack --what is wrong with me? :-D)
This was a cute and somewhat unusual BN story, with a lot more overt battling between the MCs than is usual, in my experience (Rolf is pretty energetic emotionally for a BN RDD too--no "placid" professor here!). I liked Rolf of the mocking "satyr-like" eyebrows, but Sappha got a bit annoying with her constant sniping at the hero (to be fair, he needed a good smack for always appearing to be laughing at her). Of course, her willingness to take him on, temper for temper, is what made her perfect for him-she stood up to him even in the face of his most implacable baron-like behavior. Sappha is one of BN's really really pretty heroines with a good sense of her own looks and worth without being conceited about it, but like many a BN heroine, she loses her confidence around the RDD at times and lets all kind of silly misunderstandings stand. But love wins in the end, no spoiler there. ;-)
Not my fave Betty but enjoyable enough (although the more BNs I read, the more I find myself speculating way too much about what those massive and oh-so-dominant RDDs would be like in the sack --what is wrong with me? :-D)
January 1, 2011
Considering I started reading her when I was 19 years old, I thought I had read and re-read the entire Betty Neels library by now . Alas, I have never read "Tangled Autumn" until today. It's startling to me that 21 years and most of her library later, her writing still has the power to move me.
I even found myself laughing out loud and sighing wistfully and re-reading my favorite parts as soon as I finished. It's no use me summarizing the tale because I'll never do it justice, but I think Rolf and Sappha just edged out Radolf and Sarah in "Roses Have Thorns" as my new favorite Betty Supercouple (if such things exist outside of my wistful heart).
I even found myself laughing out loud and sighing wistfully and re-reading my favorite parts as soon as I finished. It's no use me summarizing the tale because I'll never do it justice, but I think Rolf and Sappha just edged out Radolf and Sarah in "Roses Have Thorns" as my new favorite Betty Supercouple (if such things exist outside of my wistful heart).
February 24, 2019
Sappha has taken a nursing job in the Scottish Highlands primarily to get away from a broken relationship. The ex-boyfriend is Andrew Glover, a real jerk. Sappha is a beautiful girl and I don't understand why she fell for him in the first place.
In Scotland, she meets a big, rough-looking man on the road when she runs out of petrol. He turns out to be the son of her patient. He is a Dutch Baron and a doctor as well, Rolf van Duyren.
Her patient, the Baroness van Duyren, has a broken arm and leg and complications. In her off duty, Sappha makes friends with the local nurse, Gloria, who is engaged to the local doctor, Hamish.
The best scene in the book is when Sappha has to assist Rolf at a breech birth in a croft that can only be reached by boat, or in bad weather, by foot over a causeway in bad repair. The weather is too bad so she goes across on the causeway. During the procedure, Sappha drops the vacoliter of blood and Rolf performs a person-to-person blood transfusion (obviously, this was pre-AIDS). This is when she falls in love with Rolf.
After the Baroness improves enough to return home, of course Sappha goes to Dokkum with them. She had already met the Baroness's youngest child, Antonia, who visited her in Scotland. Now she meets the rest of the family.
Rolf has, by this time, kissed her several times and generally made known his admiration. Sappha is very prickly and inconsistent although she has admitted to herself that she loves him.
Sappha begins to suspect that Antonia is up to something - and she is. Antonia has written to Andrew and persuaded him to come see her. Sappha confronts her and Antonia begs her not to tell Rolf. Of course she promises.
Then early one morning, Sappha catches Antonia coming in at 3 am, having been out with Andrew. Rolf also arrives about the same time, but thinks it is Sappha who was with him. He has already told Sappha he loves her. Now he becomes furious with Sappha and tells her it's best if she goes home.
Sappha prepares to leave and is waiting for the boat train; meanwhile, Antonia's conscience has forced her to confess all to Rolf. He comes and finds Sappha, they get engaged and kisses follow.
The things I liked:
The parts in Scotland
The food
The scenery/travelogue bits
What I didn't like:
Sappha's wishy-washy treatment of Rolf. Rolf was pretty clear about his feelings for her, but she was very inconsistent and never did tell Rolf she no longer had any feelings for Andrew. I'm not quite sure why Rolf fell in love with her.
3 1/2 stars.
In Scotland, she meets a big, rough-looking man on the road when she runs out of petrol. He turns out to be the son of her patient. He is a Dutch Baron and a doctor as well, Rolf van Duyren.
Her patient, the Baroness van Duyren, has a broken arm and leg and complications. In her off duty, Sappha makes friends with the local nurse, Gloria, who is engaged to the local doctor, Hamish.
The best scene in the book is when Sappha has to assist Rolf at a breech birth in a croft that can only be reached by boat, or in bad weather, by foot over a causeway in bad repair. The weather is too bad so she goes across on the causeway. During the procedure, Sappha drops the vacoliter of blood and Rolf performs a person-to-person blood transfusion (obviously, this was pre-AIDS). This is when she falls in love with Rolf.
After the Baroness improves enough to return home, of course Sappha goes to Dokkum with them. She had already met the Baroness's youngest child, Antonia, who visited her in Scotland. Now she meets the rest of the family.
Rolf has, by this time, kissed her several times and generally made known his admiration. Sappha is very prickly and inconsistent although she has admitted to herself that she loves him.
Sappha begins to suspect that Antonia is up to something - and she is. Antonia has written to Andrew and persuaded him to come see her. Sappha confronts her and Antonia begs her not to tell Rolf. Of course she promises.
Then early one morning, Sappha catches Antonia coming in at 3 am, having been out with Andrew. Rolf also arrives about the same time, but thinks it is Sappha who was with him. He has already told Sappha he loves her. Now he becomes furious with Sappha and tells her it's best if she goes home.
Sappha prepares to leave and is waiting for the boat train; meanwhile, Antonia's conscience has forced her to confess all to Rolf. He comes and finds Sappha, they get engaged and kisses follow.
The things I liked:
The parts in Scotland
The food
The scenery/travelogue bits
What I didn't like:
Sappha's wishy-washy treatment of Rolf. Rolf was pretty clear about his feelings for her, but she was very inconsistent and never did tell Rolf she no longer had any feelings for Andrew. I'm not quite sure why Rolf fell in love with her.
3 1/2 stars.
August 23, 2013
All I can say is these two really knew how to push each other's buttons. They went back and forth so much, I felt like I was at a tennis match. Yet, in spite of all the miscommunications, arguing and silliness, I actually enjoyed the chemistry between these two.
My only regret was the ending. In typical Betty Neel's fashion, she concludes a terrible misunderstanding with a simple kiss and an "I love you". For me, that just didn't work here. The hero really needed to make serious amends for some terrible accusations he hurled at the heroine. I love you, just didn't cut it for me.
My only regret was the ending. In typical Betty Neel's fashion, she concludes a terrible misunderstanding with a simple kiss and an "I love you". For me, that just didn't work here. The hero really needed to make serious amends for some terrible accusations he hurled at the heroine. I love you, just didn't cut it for me.
August 16, 2013
I enjoyed this particular Betty Neels, partly because it doesn't feature a desperately destitute mousy heroine. Instead, the heroine is rather glamourous, and at the beginning is recovering from being cheated on by her fiance.
The hero is a little angstier than the usual omniscient and placid Neels hero; he actually has a bit of a tantrum at one point, which was strangely delightful. However, despite a strong start, the heroine gets a little mousy in the personality department, and that definitely detracted from the overall impact. 3.5 stars
The hero is a little angstier than the usual omniscient and placid Neels hero; he actually has a bit of a tantrum at one point, which was strangely delightful. However, despite a strong start, the heroine gets a little mousy in the personality department, and that definitely detracted from the overall impact. 3.5 stars
March 3, 2020
Sappha Devenish jumped at the chance of a job in Scotland, When her boyfriend Andrew breaks her heart. On her first day there she happens to come across Dutch doctor whom seems to have a way of getting under her skin and making her lose her temper. What will happen once Sappha takes up her new job and finds she will be working close to the good doctor.
I just loved this story we had a leading lady who was able to take are leading man to task when need. I found my say cheer along when Sappha put the good doctor in his place.
I just loved this story we had a leading lady who was able to take are leading man to task when need. I found my say cheer along when Sappha put the good doctor in his place.
April 28, 2024
Meh. Two very annoying MCs. Too much melodrama for me.
October 13, 2015
I always borrow Betty Neels books from my mother when she is done with them (Betty is her favourite author). The stories are typically the same - Dutch doctor meets English nurse and the two fall in love and live happily ever after.
This one was enjoyable because the characters seemed real. They weren't perfect, yet they were perfectly suited for each other and managed to find happiness with each other in the end.
This one was enjoyable because the characters seemed real. They weren't perfect, yet they were perfectly suited for each other and managed to find happiness with each other in the end.
October 1, 2012
4 Stars ~ On her uncle's recommendation, Sappha travels to Scotland to take on a temporary private nursing position to an elderly woman. The Baroness had surgery and shortly into her recovery had taken a nasty fall fracturing her left arm and leg. The job is a godsend to Sappha who is anxious to leave London very far behind, and her cheating ex-fiance. She decides to drive herself and the takes extra time to enjoy the trip, only a few kilometers from her destination she runs out of fuel. An arrogant but handsome man stops to assist her and ruffles Sappha's temper. Arriving at her destination, she discovers that the object of her annoyance is non other than the son of her patient, a doctor and a baron to boot. Rolf rather enjoys teasing Sappha if only to raise her temper. He's aware of her reason for leaving London and in a fit of his own temper throws it in her face quite cruelly. Seeing Sappha turn white, he's immediately remorseful and Sappha suggests that they come to an understanding that it's not essential that they like one another, that it's the Baroness that matters. It's with great surprise when her ex-fiance, Andrew shows up, seeking to reconcile. It doesn't take long for Sappha to resent Andrew and his positive assumptions that she'll be happy to fall in his arms. When he leaves, she's quite relieved and admits to herself that she no longer loves him. Rolf however is unaware that she's changed her mind about Andrew and thinks she's still pining. Of course, it's not long for Sappha to realize she's fallen in love with Rolf.
Sappha's determined not to let Rolf intimidate her. He's the eldest of six siblings who have all come to follow his lead since he'd become the head of the family at 25. Sappha admires and respects him but often finds him tyrannical in getting his own way, and she's determined he'll not push her around. Rolf is obviously enchanted with her though he hides it from her very well. He often expresses regret that they'd gotten off on the wrong foot, but assumes Sappha is still very much in love with Andrew. These two spark the other's temper, which makes for a very enjoyable read.
Sappha's determined not to let Rolf intimidate her. He's the eldest of six siblings who have all come to follow his lead since he'd become the head of the family at 25. Sappha admires and respects him but often finds him tyrannical in getting his own way, and she's determined he'll not push her around. Rolf is obviously enchanted with her though he hides it from her very well. He often expresses regret that they'd gotten off on the wrong foot, but assumes Sappha is still very much in love with Andrew. These two spark the other's temper, which makes for a very enjoyable read.
January 12, 2026
Read: 12Jan26
4.5 stars. A lovely read with a moody temperamental hero and a heartbroken pining heroine. I loved all the tension in this one, with tempers and emotions flying high. the hero Rolf was particularly devilish and delicious.
At the start of the book, Gorgeous petite nurse Sappha (24ish), whose name I love, has fled to the Scottish Highlands from London after her despicable fiancé cheated on her and slept with another nurse and humiliated her because the whole hospital knew it but her. Poor Sappha even forgave him, thinking it was a one-off until she saw them again and realised it was a longstanding affair and he was a compulsive liar. this guy, Andrew, who blessedly stays mostly offstage, is a really nasty worthless piece of garbage. So anyway, poor heartbroken Sappha has taken a private nursing job in distant scotland to get away and to care for a sick old lady, a friend of her uncle's. she's nearly reached her destination when she runs out of petrol on an isolated rural road, where she meets a passing driver, a surly huge guy whose snarky observations about her misfortune spark her temper. he basically calls her an idiot female driver and silly city slicker and eyes her fancy clothes disparagingly. but he refills her petrol and she thanks him coldly drives on, fuming, while he watches her drive away. (ooh, hints he likes her muchly.)
when she arrives, she tells her patient, a lovely sweet dutch baroness, about the nasty Demon King she met on the road. and then, much to her patient's amusement and Sappha's horror, the demon king himself walks it. it turns out he is Rolf, 32, the baroness's son, an RDD whose family has friends in Scotland which is a second home to them.
Rolf is the bossy head of his family and he and Sappha frequently cross temperamental swords, especially after he makes a nasty comment about her failed engagement (which she has tried to keep confidential because it still hurts too much). she is shocked and humiliated that he knows. (her uncle told him.) seeing how upset she is, he is immediately contrite and apologises and tries to make it up to her.
SPOILERS AHEAD
so anyway, this nicely sets the scene for an angsty tale. it was clear to me, or so I hoped, that rolf was hugely attracted to sappha from the start and put out that she was in love with another man, and worse, a totally unworthy one. the main tension in the story comes from the fact rolf thinks Sappha dislikes him and that she is trying to make things up with the nasty Andrew, esp when Andrew comes chasing after Sappha to Scotland.
in between snarking at sappha, Rolf also proves himself to be a generous spirited and kind human and skilled doc when he and Sappha work together to save the life of a pregnant woman and do an emergency c section in terrible stormy conditions out at sea. meanwhile, the awful Andrew reveals his true colours by refusing to help. thank goodness, because until that point sappha had been desperate to take him back. now, she realises that Andrew is crap and Rolf is amazing and soon afterwards, realises she is in love with Rolf and no longer gives a toss about Andrew.
but given their spatty relationship and given her recent feelings for Andrew, she can't tell Rolf how she feels because it would make her look horribly fickle and because she thinks he has no reason to like her and because she now knows he's rich and a fave with women and she doesn't want to look like a gold digger. she thinks he would never beleive her anyway.
so poor sappha stays quiet and nurses his mom and puts up with his devilish behaviour, which is unrelenting, with him always trying to get a rise out of her.
another reviewer said she thought sappha always overreacted and was at fault for their spats, but I think he was purposefully trying to rile her and knew exactly how to push her buttons, so of course poor Sappha was going to react. and it was what he wanted anyway. some sort of reaction from her.
anyway, we get to know his family, especially his beautiful teen sister who gets herself and sappha into a spot of trouble. and we get a trip to Holland. and we see sappha pine a little for our devilish hero. we get him courting her and confessing his feelings for her in a delish way and asking her to choose between him and Andrew.
then hits some last minute drama, inadvertently caused by the silly young sister who had a crush on Andrew and persuaded him to come to Holland. the sicko tried it on with the 16 year old. I wish we had seen him get his teeth knocked out at the very least. (I like to think it happens offpage afterwards and that rolf wouldn't let that go.) so anyway rolf misunderstands why Andrew has come and sappha purposefully causes the misunderstanding to protect Rolf's kid sister. and we get to see rolf's delicious angst and anger. but even then, the really sweet part is that in the end, despite all that, he tells sappha he would have come after her anyway. he would have waited for her forever. -- right at the start of the book we are told rolf has a true romantic heart and he believes there is only one woman for him and he will never marry unless he finds her. thus imagine his feelings when he does find her and she barely notices him because she's in love with another man! poor rolf! I loved his words to her in the end. it was so romantic. BUT I wish he had expressed exactly when he fell in love with her and how he felt to know she was out of his reach at that moment. that would have been yummy.
CONCLUSION
a lovely tale filled with tension and emotional drama and passionate longing on both sides. it's not one of my top Betty reads ever as it didn't have the full gamut of magical moments, and it didnt have an underdog waif heroine or any OW drama, nor did it have a hero with a tragic past fighting his feelings. it lacked all my fave things about a betty story, and yet it had so much delicious heightened emotional drama. it was an extremely enjoyable and fun read. probably in my top 25. I have read over 100 betty books by now! I'll read this one again.
4.5 stars. A lovely read with a moody temperamental hero and a heartbroken pining heroine. I loved all the tension in this one, with tempers and emotions flying high. the hero Rolf was particularly devilish and delicious.
At the start of the book, Gorgeous petite nurse Sappha (24ish), whose name I love, has fled to the Scottish Highlands from London after her despicable fiancé cheated on her and slept with another nurse and humiliated her because the whole hospital knew it but her. Poor Sappha even forgave him, thinking it was a one-off until she saw them again and realised it was a longstanding affair and he was a compulsive liar. this guy, Andrew, who blessedly stays mostly offstage, is a really nasty worthless piece of garbage. So anyway, poor heartbroken Sappha has taken a private nursing job in distant scotland to get away and to care for a sick old lady, a friend of her uncle's. she's nearly reached her destination when she runs out of petrol on an isolated rural road, where she meets a passing driver, a surly huge guy whose snarky observations about her misfortune spark her temper. he basically calls her an idiot female driver and silly city slicker and eyes her fancy clothes disparagingly. but he refills her petrol and she thanks him coldly drives on, fuming, while he watches her drive away. (ooh, hints he likes her muchly.)
when she arrives, she tells her patient, a lovely sweet dutch baroness, about the nasty Demon King she met on the road. and then, much to her patient's amusement and Sappha's horror, the demon king himself walks it. it turns out he is Rolf, 32, the baroness's son, an RDD whose family has friends in Scotland which is a second home to them.
Rolf is the bossy head of his family and he and Sappha frequently cross temperamental swords, especially after he makes a nasty comment about her failed engagement (which she has tried to keep confidential because it still hurts too much). she is shocked and humiliated that he knows. (her uncle told him.) seeing how upset she is, he is immediately contrite and apologises and tries to make it up to her.
SPOILERS AHEAD
so anyway, this nicely sets the scene for an angsty tale. it was clear to me, or so I hoped, that rolf was hugely attracted to sappha from the start and put out that she was in love with another man, and worse, a totally unworthy one. the main tension in the story comes from the fact rolf thinks Sappha dislikes him and that she is trying to make things up with the nasty Andrew, esp when Andrew comes chasing after Sappha to Scotland.
in between snarking at sappha, Rolf also proves himself to be a generous spirited and kind human and skilled doc when he and Sappha work together to save the life of a pregnant woman and do an emergency c section in terrible stormy conditions out at sea. meanwhile, the awful Andrew reveals his true colours by refusing to help. thank goodness, because until that point sappha had been desperate to take him back. now, she realises that Andrew is crap and Rolf is amazing and soon afterwards, realises she is in love with Rolf and no longer gives a toss about Andrew.
but given their spatty relationship and given her recent feelings for Andrew, she can't tell Rolf how she feels because it would make her look horribly fickle and because she thinks he has no reason to like her and because she now knows he's rich and a fave with women and she doesn't want to look like a gold digger. she thinks he would never beleive her anyway.
so poor sappha stays quiet and nurses his mom and puts up with his devilish behaviour, which is unrelenting, with him always trying to get a rise out of her.
another reviewer said she thought sappha always overreacted and was at fault for their spats, but I think he was purposefully trying to rile her and knew exactly how to push her buttons, so of course poor Sappha was going to react. and it was what he wanted anyway. some sort of reaction from her.
anyway, we get to know his family, especially his beautiful teen sister who gets herself and sappha into a spot of trouble. and we get a trip to Holland. and we see sappha pine a little for our devilish hero. we get him courting her and confessing his feelings for her in a delish way and asking her to choose between him and Andrew.
then hits some last minute drama, inadvertently caused by the silly young sister who had a crush on Andrew and persuaded him to come to Holland. the sicko tried it on with the 16 year old. I wish we had seen him get his teeth knocked out at the very least. (I like to think it happens offpage afterwards and that rolf wouldn't let that go.) so anyway rolf misunderstands why Andrew has come and sappha purposefully causes the misunderstanding to protect Rolf's kid sister. and we get to see rolf's delicious angst and anger. but even then, the really sweet part is that in the end, despite all that, he tells sappha he would have come after her anyway. he would have waited for her forever. -- right at the start of the book we are told rolf has a true romantic heart and he believes there is only one woman for him and he will never marry unless he finds her. thus imagine his feelings when he does find her and she barely notices him because she's in love with another man! poor rolf! I loved his words to her in the end. it was so romantic. BUT I wish he had expressed exactly when he fell in love with her and how he felt to know she was out of his reach at that moment. that would have been yummy.
CONCLUSION
a lovely tale filled with tension and emotional drama and passionate longing on both sides. it's not one of my top Betty reads ever as it didn't have the full gamut of magical moments, and it didnt have an underdog waif heroine or any OW drama, nor did it have a hero with a tragic past fighting his feelings. it lacked all my fave things about a betty story, and yet it had so much delicious heightened emotional drama. it was an extremely enjoyable and fun read. probably in my top 25. I have read over 100 betty books by now! I'll read this one again.
December 27, 2021
This may turn out to be one of my favorite Neels. It has everything - a smart nurse seeking change in her life, a nice RDD who actually talks to the nurse a little bit, friendly family, a medical emergency, . The first part takes place in Scotland, later it moves to Holland. If I preferred the first bit, I still enjoyed it all enough to stay up and finish the book in one sitting.
Reread: I wasn't as enthusiastic about this book the second time around. I thought the heroine was too passive and needed to speak up for herself more, and the hero didn't actually make sense. 3 stars for the reread.
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
These MCs show up again in Enchanting Samantha.
Reread: I wasn't as enthusiastic about this book the second time around. I thought the heroine was too passive and needed to speak up for herself more, and the hero didn't actually make sense. 3 stars for the reread.
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
These MCs show up again in Enchanting Samantha.
February 1, 2014
On the scale of why I give a book five stars this warrants them because it made me all misty and I don't really know why. It is a fairly typical story with the rich Dutch Doctor Rolf van Duyren who also happens to be a Baron.
He's not a standard hero having a more obvious temper and looking like a Demon King with his slanty eye brows. Sappha is recovering from a cheating fiance so she's probably not in a good headspace to meet the new man in her life.
Rolf certainly puts Andrew in the shade really quickly but with the usual stubborn miscommunication from the heroine and the lordly assumptions from the hero we manage to hold off until the end when his sister throws a spanner in the works just as things looked like sorting out.
He's not a standard hero having a more obvious temper and looking like a Demon King with his slanty eye brows. Sappha is recovering from a cheating fiance so she's probably not in a good headspace to meet the new man in her life.
Rolf certainly puts Andrew in the shade really quickly but with the usual stubborn miscommunication from the heroine and the lordly assumptions from the hero we manage to hold off until the end when his sister throws a spanner in the works just as things looked like sorting out.
August 28, 2011
My all-time favorite Betty Neels.
April 1, 2018
3.75*
Sappha and Rolf bickered on for way too long! But I can definitely understand how she could not suddenly do a 180deg change from foe to lover...even though her dawning realisation came on so suddenly!
Rolf the Demon King haha! It's right up there with Haughty Harry and Ogre's Relish, my favourite nick names in the Betty Neels Canon!
It was quite clear Rolf liked Sappha after their bad meet cute but he was always provoking her. She, a normally sociable girl with both sexes, felt awkward with Rolf...but when she's relaxed enough she had a good time with him.
Now there's no drama mama Other Woman in this story, but Sappha's ex fiancé kept turning up like a bad penny! She had so many missed/interrupted opportunities to tell people, especially Rolf, that she'd dumped Asshole Andrew but being reticent, she did not feel right to just blurt it out. It might be construed as her telling Rolf she's free and easy now! She felt out of his league because he was rich, a baron, and a successful and an important doctor! That might be good enough excuse, but after the museum kiss and pancakes lunch, she could no longer be in doubt of Rolf's feelings for her!
The bit about not telling tales or breaking promises not to tell, is frustrating as hell but it's definitely a favourite trope of The Great Betty. At least Antonia redeemed herself by dumping the louse ASAP, and confessing to Rolf early enough!
Ooh it's so funny the slutty nurse carrying on with Asshole Andrew was called "Beatty"!
Spoilers spoilers spoilers
With a name like Sappha, I thought it was finally fitting that our heroine got the standard sapphire and diamond engagement ring...but no! TGB diabolically gave her a RUBY and diamond ring instead haha! Just as diabolical as Rolf?
I like Rolf, he was not the playboy hero we usually see squiring other ladies around even though they meant nothing. Here we only read others saying he's having a good time, but we never saw it or worse, have him say something like " I've brought all my girlfriends here before!" It's so sweet when eating pancakes, he told Sappha he'd one girlfriend and she's someone else's gf too and her name was...SAPPHA! Aww...
It was pointed out our heroine was very clumsy: she dropped the O+ blood (what if Sappha was not an O+ herself), the Baroness's make up sponge, the hymn book and the fork while eating pancake at the castle!
Sappha and Rolf bickered on for way too long! But I can definitely understand how she could not suddenly do a 180deg change from foe to lover...even though her dawning realisation came on so suddenly!
Rolf the Demon King haha! It's right up there with Haughty Harry and Ogre's Relish, my favourite nick names in the Betty Neels Canon!
It was quite clear Rolf liked Sappha after their bad meet cute but he was always provoking her. She, a normally sociable girl with both sexes, felt awkward with Rolf...but when she's relaxed enough she had a good time with him.
Now there's no drama mama Other Woman in this story, but Sappha's ex fiancé kept turning up like a bad penny! She had so many missed/interrupted opportunities to tell people, especially Rolf, that she'd dumped Asshole Andrew but being reticent, she did not feel right to just blurt it out. It might be construed as her telling Rolf she's free and easy now! She felt out of his league because he was rich, a baron, and a successful and an important doctor! That might be good enough excuse, but after the museum kiss and pancakes lunch, she could no longer be in doubt of Rolf's feelings for her!
The bit about not telling tales or breaking promises not to tell, is frustrating as hell but it's definitely a favourite trope of The Great Betty. At least Antonia redeemed herself by dumping the louse ASAP, and confessing to Rolf early enough!
Ooh it's so funny the slutty nurse carrying on with Asshole Andrew was called "Beatty"!
Spoilers spoilers spoilers
With a name like Sappha, I thought it was finally fitting that our heroine got the standard sapphire and diamond engagement ring...but no! TGB diabolically gave her a RUBY and diamond ring instead haha! Just as diabolical as Rolf?
I like Rolf, he was not the playboy hero we usually see squiring other ladies around even though they meant nothing. Here we only read others saying he's having a good time, but we never saw it or worse, have him say something like " I've brought all my girlfriends here before!" It's so sweet when eating pancakes, he told Sappha he'd one girlfriend and she's someone else's gf too and her name was...SAPPHA! Aww...
It was pointed out our heroine was very clumsy: she dropped the O+ blood (what if Sappha was not an O+ herself), the Baroness's make up sponge, the hymn book and the fork while eating pancake at the castle!
January 6, 2023
I've finally read all 134 novels by the Great Betty Neels. Sadly Tangled Autumn will not be added to my list of favorites. IMO Betty's pretty heroines are really annoying and Sappha proved no different. She runs away from London to escape from her cheating fiancee and claims to want nothing to do with men in general, only to throw herself at every available man once she arrives in Scotland. When she isn't squabbling with the H, she is crying for no good reason. If she had not been called away to help with a difficult birth, she would have gone back to London with her lying cheating fiancee who didn't even acknowledge that he had cheated on her or apologized for his behavior. Sappha is a complete moron!
The part that bothered me the most is when Sappha finds out that her soon-to-be 16 year old sister-in-law is fooling around with her lying cheating ex-fiancee and she tells NO ONE!!!?! What?!!! I know that TGB had this "don't tattle schoolgirl" code in some of her novels, but this is a step to far. Sappha is a complete moron!
Well I wish I had finished with a bang and not a fizzle. However I found some new favorites and I continue to reread my old favorites. Happy reading everyone!
The part that bothered me the most is when Sappha finds out that her soon-to-be 16 year old sister-in-law is fooling around with her lying cheating ex-fiancee and she tells NO ONE!!!?! What?!!! I know that TGB had this "don't tattle schoolgirl" code in some of her novels, but this is a step to far. Sappha is a complete moron!
Well I wish I had finished with a bang and not a fizzle. However I found some new favorites and I continue to reread my old favorites. Happy reading everyone!
June 11, 2019
For some reason, Neels seemed to do better work with stories set in Scotland (at least, for my reading) — as if the setting opened her up in certain ways. I'd rate this higher than the ladies of Every Neels Thing, but do agree it had some unevenness. Some aspects seemed a bit more heavy-handed than in later books — especially the foreshadowing re: the island. And other plot aspects seemed dropped in without a clear reason.
Yet, when the story works, it really works. I'd probably rate this among my top 15 Neels, at least. Perhaps given that she wrote it so early in the canon, aspects of the story and characterization stand out from the rest. Quite charming, once the story gets going.
Yet, when the story works, it really works. I'd probably rate this among my top 15 Neels, at least. Perhaps given that she wrote it so early in the canon, aspects of the story and characterization stand out from the rest. Quite charming, once the story gets going.
July 2, 2023
Good until the very end!
Rolf and Sappha's story is filled with emotion and a lot of misunderstandings. It makes the story really interesting because you never know what they are going to fight about next! 😂 Rolf seems to try his best for a while to live down to Sappha's first impression of him. It doesn't work because Sappha falls in love with him anyway. Of course she goes to great lengths to make sure he doesn't know. Rolf does get around to telling her that he loves her, but doesn't give her an opportunity to let him know she loves him. He just throws the ex into the conversation. You'll understand more when you read it. Needless to say, this book is well worth the read!!
Rolf and Sappha's story is filled with emotion and a lot of misunderstandings. It makes the story really interesting because you never know what they are going to fight about next! 😂 Rolf seems to try his best for a while to live down to Sappha's first impression of him. It doesn't work because Sappha falls in love with him anyway. Of course she goes to great lengths to make sure he doesn't know. Rolf does get around to telling her that he loves her, but doesn't give her an opportunity to let him know she loves him. He just throws the ex into the conversation. You'll understand more when you read it. Needless to say, this book is well worth the read!!
September 10, 2024
It was another good novel by Neels but the word "Tangled" was very apt. There were times when I was 'tangled' in the story.
Sappha had a bad romance with Andrew....he was seen several times with another woman. So Sappha wanted to get away from London so she took a job in Scotland suggested by her uncle who lived there. Even though she and Andrew had broken up, he seemed to pop up when she didn't want to see him.
Dr. van Duyren was very interested in Sappha but it seemed Andrew would appear in life or conversation so he was confused about Andrew's status with Sappha.
All ends well...
Sappha had a bad romance with Andrew....he was seen several times with another woman. So Sappha wanted to get away from London so she took a job in Scotland suggested by her uncle who lived there. Even though she and Andrew had broken up, he seemed to pop up when she didn't want to see him.
Dr. van Duyren was very interested in Sappha but it seemed Andrew would appear in life or conversation so he was confused about Andrew's status with Sappha.
All ends well...
May 17, 2021
While the dominating and chauvinism from the lead was a slight put off, I do believe since the era that this was written in is very different from what we are in right now. There are several moments where you’ll feel your heart strings pulled and that’s the beauty of how this book has been written. Without the vulgar display of affection, this book still has the ability to leave you wanting for more. I will definitely be reading more in this series!
April 29, 2020
Highly satisfying although the heroine's refusal to tell anyone that her ex was, in fact, her lying, cheating stalker ex was taking it a bit far even for Betty Neels. Also, seriously, dude shows up and tries to pick up where they left off without even discussing the fact that he was caught cheating on her during their engagement? That's weird, right?
November 17, 2025
Lugu on noorest kaunist ja hakkajast naisest nimega Sappha Devenish ning sobib enam-vähem ühe õhtu täitmiseks. Lõpp on põhimõtteliselt algusest peale teada, nii et hoolimata peategelaste omavahelisest pidevast nägelemisest on selge, et lugu jõuab paarikese õnneliku teineteiseleidmiseni. Ups, vabandust, et see sai nüüd kohe ära öeldud...
June 6, 2022
2.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️This was an annoying book! There was a Dumb misunderstanding throughout the whole book. There was no reason to not tell H that she was broken off from old boyfriend. It was silly and contrived. I don't know why I keep reading BN🤦♀️
December 31, 2023
Kinda boring but still Betty
This isn't my favorite. Kind of sped through it. Not bad or anything, just wasn't super worth the 2nd read.
This just might be a personal preference. However there are many good exciting parts.
This isn't my favorite. Kind of sped through it. Not bad or anything, just wasn't super worth the 2nd read.
This just might be a personal preference. However there are many good exciting parts.
February 7, 2026
If the heroine of a Betty Neels book ever had the gumption to say, "You've got the wrong end of the stick, and I love you, you big dummy," the book would be 50 pages shorter.
But I keep reading them, so she must be doing something right.
But I keep reading them, so she must be doing something right.
August 24, 2018
Closer to 3 1/2 stars. Reviewed at the blog thing
September 4, 2018
Lovely
Another great story by Betty Neels. So charming and sweet, delightful. Also easy to read and no violence or such. No descriptive sex scenes either
Another great story by Betty Neels. So charming and sweet, delightful. Also easy to read and no violence or such. No descriptive sex scenes either
October 3, 2019
I tried and could not finish this book. Read a hundred pages and didn't't find anything interesting enough to see this one through.
June 7, 2020
Betty neal
I loved this book and try to read all of them.if there as good as this one I want be disappointed.
I loved this book and try to read all of them.if there as good as this one I want be disappointed.
November 7, 2020
I loved Betty Neels’ descriptions of the Scottish and Dutch towns in this story as well as the romantic thread. Her books never fail to delight me!
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