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The Vicar's Daughter
All the village assumed that Margo Pearson was to marry George, but unexpectedly meeting Professor Gijs van Kessel made her pause for thought. But being a plain, practical girl, Margo knew the professor was most unlikely to look her way.
It took a tragic accident to bring an offer of marriage - from the professor. It was a practical proposal, but as Margo was taken into the bosom of his family over Christmas in Holland, she did wonder whether he might, someday, return her love....
It took a tragic accident to bring an offer of marriage - from the professor. It was a practical proposal, but as Margo was taken into the bosom of his family over Christmas in Holland, she did wonder whether he might, someday, return her love....
Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
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181 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 40 reviews
November 29, 2016
Nov. 2016 - still a favorite, and a lovely Christmas-time read!
Jan. 2014 - A beloved Betty Christmas story, I decided to kick off the New Year with a reread. Margo is one of my favorite Betty heroines, plain, sensible, loving and kind but not a pushover by any means, and Gijs is a great hero - you can actually see why the two of them gradually come to love each other, at about the same pace, which is nice for a change! My only fault was the silly drawn out misunderstanding at the end, which was ridiculous and annoying but further points out how honorable Margo was about keeping a promise (in this case to Gijs' flirty, spoiled younger sister). Very satisfying HEA with Margo sobbing over the antique baby crib in the attic - Betty can shamelessly pour on the schmaltz and I love it!
Jan. 2014 - A beloved Betty Christmas story, I decided to kick off the New Year with a reread. Margo is one of my favorite Betty heroines, plain, sensible, loving and kind but not a pushover by any means, and Gijs is a great hero - you can actually see why the two of them gradually come to love each other, at about the same pace, which is nice for a change! My only fault was the silly drawn out misunderstanding at the end, which was ridiculous and annoying but further points out how honorable Margo was about keeping a promise (in this case to Gijs' flirty, spoiled younger sister). Very satisfying HEA with Margo sobbing over the antique baby crib in the attic - Betty can shamelessly pour on the schmaltz and I love it!
April 4, 2021
I'm continuing my journey through all my "Betty's". This actually is a strong 4 stars and I can understand how many readers rank this amongst their favorites by Neels. I loved the hero. However, a silly and implausible misunderstanding knocked it down to 3 stars for me.
___________________________________
Interestingly enough I am pretty sure that I read this book before and actually wrote a review. But I can no longer find it.
This isn't one of my favorite MOCs from Betty, but it still worked. I had a hard time connecting with the H/h. I didn't find them as endearing as Tyco and Charity The Final Touch or Matilda and Henry in Matilda's Wedding (White Weddings), or Tabitha and Marius in Tabitha in the Moonlight. I found them to be one dimensional and a bit stiff, like cardboard.
Plus Betty poured just about everything but the kitchen sink into this one. There were times that I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering which way was up.
___________________________________
Interestingly enough I am pretty sure that I read this book before and actually wrote a review. But I can no longer find it.
This isn't one of my favorite MOCs from Betty, but it still worked. I had a hard time connecting with the H/h. I didn't find them as endearing as Tyco and Charity The Final Touch or Matilda and Henry in Matilda's Wedding (White Weddings), or Tabitha and Marius in Tabitha in the Moonlight. I found them to be one dimensional and a bit stiff, like cardboard.
Plus Betty poured just about everything but the kitchen sink into this one. There were times that I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering which way was up.
September 28, 2016
Margo Pearson is a plain, forthright daughter of a vicar, an only child. She is trying to assist some travelers, one of whom is in active labor. She flags down a car, which just happens to be driven by a famous pediatrician, Gijs van Kessel.
Even though she is not pretty, he is intrigued by her and makes several opportunities to see her again. When her parents are suddenly killed in a car crash, he is there to handle matters and offer support. He also offers her a MOC and a home.
This is standard for TGB, but there are unique elements. Four example, he does not own a London home. He buys a small cottage which Margo helps furnish and decorate.
There is a lovely scene in the attic of the family home in Holland. They are going through furniture stored there when Margo comes across an old cradle. Gijs remarks that all the van Kessels have been rocked in it.
There is more shopping that goes on. Then his younger sister, Corrine, comes to visit while her husband goes to Sweden for a couple of weeks. Unbeknownst to them, Corrine and her husband had a falling out, and she is feeling rebellious. While she is visiting, she has been seeing a man every day. Not a man, but a cad.
Corrine confesses all to Margo and tells her that he is pressuring her to have an affair with him. She convinces Margo to meet him and tell him that Corrine has gone back to Holland. She finishes by saying she thinks she's pregnant and gets Margo to promise not to tell Gijs.
Of course, Gijs sees Margo with the man and thinks that she is in love with this guy. Margo does not break her promise to Corrine, even when Gijs goes away for two weeks. Margot goes to Holland to talk to him. She tells him that they should get an annulment. He tells her that he wants her to be happy because he loves her so much.
She still doesn't say anything about Corrine, who has in the meantime, fortunately, made up with her husband. Feeling guilty, Corinne tells her brother all.
Gijs hurries home and finds Margo in the attic crying over the cradle. He wraps her in his arms and kisses her. Margo says the cradle will need a good polish . . .
Even though she is not pretty, he is intrigued by her and makes several opportunities to see her again. When her parents are suddenly killed in a car crash, he is there to handle matters and offer support. He also offers her a MOC and a home.
This is standard for TGB, but there are unique elements. Four example, he does not own a London home. He buys a small cottage which Margo helps furnish and decorate.
There is a lovely scene in the attic of the family home in Holland. They are going through furniture stored there when Margo comes across an old cradle. Gijs remarks that all the van Kessels have been rocked in it.
There is more shopping that goes on. Then his younger sister, Corrine, comes to visit while her husband goes to Sweden for a couple of weeks. Unbeknownst to them, Corrine and her husband had a falling out, and she is feeling rebellious. While she is visiting, she has been seeing a man every day. Not a man, but a cad.
Corrine confesses all to Margo and tells her that he is pressuring her to have an affair with him. She convinces Margo to meet him and tell him that Corrine has gone back to Holland. She finishes by saying she thinks she's pregnant and gets Margo to promise not to tell Gijs.
Of course, Gijs sees Margo with the man and thinks that she is in love with this guy. Margo does not break her promise to Corrine, even when Gijs goes away for two weeks. Margot goes to Holland to talk to him. She tells him that they should get an annulment. He tells her that he wants her to be happy because he loves her so much.
She still doesn't say anything about Corrine, who has in the meantime, fortunately, made up with her husband. Feeling guilty, Corinne tells her brother all.
Gijs hurries home and finds Margo in the attic crying over the cradle. He wraps her in his arms and kisses her. Margo says the cradle will need a good polish . . .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2021
I really liked most of the book. The heroine is an intelligent girl with a clear head, helpful and caring. The hero is the typical RDD, but he isn't above apologizing when he realizes he's made a mistake in their relationship. I enjoyed watching them become unlikely friends first and then begin a marriage of convenience. I was displeased by the final chapter, which took several turns common to Neel novels but not pleasing for me. Still, one weak chapter doesn't ruin the pleasure I found in the rest of the book.
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
December 28, 2025
A festive vintage Christmas romance—I really enjoyed it!
Now that I'm getting used to the Betty Neels formula for her novels, I feel like I'm enjoying them more. I've read 4 or 5 of her novels this year and I kept wondering why they all sounded exactly the same.
But, now that I know that there will be a doctor/successful businessman from Holland along with a very beautiful (or excessively plain) nurse/caretaker/assistant (usually either an orphan, from a very poor family or a daughter of the clergy) who don't understand each other at first and that, in the end, they will fall deeply in love—I can just sit back and enjoy these light romances.
I liked The Vicar's Daughter more than The Fifth Day of Christmas (even though the latter has a MUCH better cover design) because this book has more likable characters and Christmas-y details/descriptions. This title was definitely a good choice for reading during December.
Many thanks to Gina (@gina.stanyer.books on Instagram) for buddy reading another Betty Neels book with me! It was so fun finding this title together at a local thrift shop in Washington while I was visiting her last month!
A great choice for a light, vintage romance that has a lot of holiday spirit!
Now that I'm getting used to the Betty Neels formula for her novels, I feel like I'm enjoying them more. I've read 4 or 5 of her novels this year and I kept wondering why they all sounded exactly the same.
But, now that I know that there will be a doctor/successful businessman from Holland along with a very beautiful (or excessively plain) nurse/caretaker/assistant (usually either an orphan, from a very poor family or a daughter of the clergy) who don't understand each other at first and that, in the end, they will fall deeply in love—I can just sit back and enjoy these light romances.
I liked The Vicar's Daughter more than The Fifth Day of Christmas (even though the latter has a MUCH better cover design) because this book has more likable characters and Christmas-y details/descriptions. This title was definitely a good choice for reading during December.
Many thanks to Gina (@gina.stanyer.books on Instagram) for buddy reading another Betty Neels book with me! It was so fun finding this title together at a local thrift shop in Washington while I was visiting her last month!
A great choice for a light, vintage romance that has a lot of holiday spirit!
March 8, 2025
Four stars until the final chapter. 😅
November 9, 2020
A later (1996) MoC story from BN, with a slightly less godlike RDD than in some of her earlier story (Gijs actually admits that he's sometimes wrong!) and a non-nurse heroine (the titular vicar's daughter, of course). The story starts off, unusually, from the hero's PoV and with an exciting occurrence--the heroine flags him when she comes across some "Travellers" in need of medical assistance. He amusingly guesses she might be a vicar's daughter since she's so bossy (hahaha, like they grow on trees), but obliges by delivering a baby with the heroine's help. Our RDD, fortunately, is a well-known Professor of Pediatric surgery--very useful in the situation. After their initial encounter, with the heroine already pretty smitten, they continue to run into one another, as FATE would have it.
Fate (aka Betty) is a ruthless bitch in this one: In an unintentional funny moment, the policeman who comes to inform the heroine about the Tragic Event tells her he has a "bit of bad news." Understatement alert!
The hero marries the heroine because he needs the usual BN hostess/helpmeet (or so he tells her) and the heroine, who is in love, agrees, thinking that, given the friendship that has grown between them, perhaps she can make the hero fall in love with her over time. So they marry, and we get the expected shopping trips to turn our homespun mouse into a better-dressed, attractive mouse, a visit to the hero's ancestral manse in Holland, some heroine angst because the hero, while somewhat more attentive than many an RDD before him, is obsessed by his work and doesn't seem to feel the need to spend much time with his wife of convenience, and of course, the big, silly Misunderstanding that almost derails them.
But love will out, so of course we get a nice HEA with promises of consummation and future offspring! The real charm of this one lies in the slowly building relationship between the hero and heroine, as they feather their London nest together and come to know one another over time. While I tend to like BN's earlier books a lot more than her later ones, this is a pretty solid outing from Betty towards the end of her career, with likable characters and a nice slow burn. (Guest stars: Gijs and Beatrice from BN's Wedding Bells for Beatrice (which I haven't read yet), make a brief appearance but don't get lines.)
Fate (aka Betty) is a ruthless bitch in this one: In an unintentional funny moment, the policeman who comes to inform the heroine about the Tragic Event tells her he has a "bit of bad news." Understatement alert!
The hero marries the heroine because he needs the usual BN hostess/helpmeet (or so he tells her) and the heroine, who is in love, agrees, thinking that, given the friendship that has grown between them, perhaps she can make the hero fall in love with her over time. So they marry, and we get the expected shopping trips to turn our homespun mouse into a better-dressed, attractive mouse, a visit to the hero's ancestral manse in Holland, some heroine angst because the hero, while somewhat more attentive than many an RDD before him, is obsessed by his work and doesn't seem to feel the need to spend much time with his wife of convenience, and of course, the big, silly Misunderstanding that almost derails them.
But love will out, so of course we get a nice HEA with promises of consummation and future offspring! The real charm of this one lies in the slowly building relationship between the hero and heroine, as they feather their London nest together and come to know one another over time. While I tend to like BN's earlier books a lot more than her later ones, this is a pretty solid outing from Betty towards the end of her career, with likable characters and a nice slow burn. (Guest stars: Gijs and Beatrice from BN's Wedding Bells for Beatrice (which I haven't read yet), make a brief appearance but don't get lines.)
January 12, 2017
Las novelas de Betty Neels son hermosas; esta particularmente se me hizo un poco tediosa en algunos capítulos, pero en general me quedo con una buena impresión.
Demuestra que puede contar una linda historia y no sólo de amor, sino también de vidas de gente cotidiana, y entretiene mucho. Sus pueblos con nombres difíciles de pronunciar, sus heroínas comunes y anodinas, más los infaltables gatos hacen que la solterona que hay en mí lea feliz y despreocupadamente xD.
Demuestra que puede contar una linda historia y no sólo de amor, sino también de vidas de gente cotidiana, y entretiene mucho. Sus pueblos con nombres difíciles de pronunciar, sus heroínas comunes y anodinas, más los infaltables gatos hacen que la solterona que hay en mí lea feliz y despreocupadamente xD.
December 3, 2023
An easy read for once without the hassle of OW but somehow I found it unsatisfactory. The Hero did nothing to help the situation, Betty should at least made him run after the h to the airport, just to have him sweat a bit.
November 22, 2022
Enjoyable Christmas romance stocked with jumble sales, bicycles, pig farmers, coincidence, unexpected encounters, sick children, tragedies, and unexpected blessings. Heroine is vicar’s only child, age 28, living in Thinbottom village (gotta love these English names) near Sturminster Newton, en route to Dorset (where the author lived at one time).
Margo is a little organizer, capable and quick-witted and a bit plain, but with good legs and the requisite beautiful eyes. She flags down a Rolls Royce after dark — purely by Fate it’s a doctor to deliver a baby for a stranded family in the woods...
Gijs might not know it, but its practically love at first sight.
A sad turn with a car crash is quickly dealt with, yet the grief feels authentic. Then, the only fly in the ointment is Corrinne, his flighty little sister.
Fun to see main characters from Wedding Bells for Beatrice — Gijs and Beatrice van der Eekerk are so happy together. 🎶 And yes, a previous publication featured a hero also named Gijs.
Gotta say, this author implies that 28 is too old for an intelligent woman to start a career. Yup, published in 1996, also set in 1996, Neels writes as if the bygone days of her own youth —say 1936— have never changed.
Not the berry best of the holiday romances our esteemed Neels penned, but good. For more of Neels’ holiday offerings, I recommend Dearest Mary Jane, The Mistletoe Kiss, and A Christmas Romance.
Margo is a little organizer, capable and quick-witted and a bit plain, but with good legs and the requisite beautiful eyes. She flags down a Rolls Royce after dark — purely by Fate it’s a doctor to deliver a baby for a stranded family in the woods...
Gijs might not know it, but its practically love at first sight.
A sad turn with a car crash is quickly dealt with, yet the grief feels authentic. Then, the only fly in the ointment is Corrinne, his flighty little sister.
Fun to see main characters from Wedding Bells for Beatrice — Gijs and Beatrice van der Eekerk are so happy together. 🎶 And yes, a previous publication featured a hero also named Gijs.
Gotta say, this author implies that 28 is too old for an intelligent woman to start a career. Yup, published in 1996, also set in 1996, Neels writes as if the bygone days of her own youth —say 1936— have never changed.
Not the berry best of the holiday romances our esteemed Neels penned, but good. For more of Neels’ holiday offerings, I recommend Dearest Mary Jane, The Mistletoe Kiss, and A Christmas Romance.
September 8, 2025
3.5 stars
February 2, 2026
3.9 stars. A nice little take from Netty Neels. never boring, but didn't reach the highs of some of the best betty books, nor the lows of the few I really didn't like. damned by faint praise! and yet I will probably read this one again as it's a nice little story that ambles along gently and ends with a nice bit of angst for our poor heroine (and hero.)
Plain practical Margo (28) is the only beloved child of a vicar and his wife, who busied herself with helping out in her village with her fathers flock. the local young farmer wishes to marry her, saying she'll make a decent farmers wife, a tepid arrangement where he calls her "old girl' and hasn't even proposed and expects her to do the bidding of his bullyish stern old mum. the book starts off with the hero's POV. he is Gijs, an RDD (39?) and exalted prof of paediatrics, who is fairly happy with his lot in life, a calm man with no precious relationship trauma, happily busy with his job and staying with friend while over in England for work. he is driving down to London one night when a girl runs in front of his car to stop him, and urges him to go find a doctor because a traveller woman is about to give birth and needs help.
being a doc, Gijs steps in and delivers the baby with Margo's practical help and then when mum and child are safely sent off to hospital, he insists on driving the bossy little mouse of a vicars daughter home. that's how he thinks of her. then proceeds on his way and thinks of her no more.
they keep meeting again randomly. First when she drives the local Lords granddaughter to her aunt in London, where gijs is called in to tend to a sick child. he finds her waiting in thr hallway hungry, so drives her all the way home, giving her lunch on the way. they get along fairly well, as he is a friendly chap, and she is a nice girl, used to talking with people.
unlike him, she has been thinking of him quite frequently, comparing her farmer to him, and fast coming to the conclusion she can't bear a tepid loveless marriage and wants to marry someone like gijs, with whom she feels she has no chance, plain brown mouse that she is. he leaves her behind yet again with no backward glance, much to her sadness.
so anyway, after being treated like a nobody once too often by farmer and his mother, she dumps him, satisfying, and yet not for her because farmer boy is full of himself and doesn't give a hoot to lose her. alas.
her parents send her to an aunt near London for 2 weeks to stay while village gossip dies down. there she rescues a drowning young girl, and the specialist called in is Gijs again! he helps ensure the frozen Margo is well taken care of. but again, his interest in her is mostly mere politeness. unfortunate, as margo has realised she is in love with him. he leaves with no plans to see her again, except the pity-plan to take her out to view his hospital one day.
which he does to, leaving her with a young doc to show her around because he thinks poor Margo of the failed farmer relationship must be lonely, poor plain thing, and he wants to do his part to help her meet a young man her own age.
SPOILERS
but the young doc happens to inadvertently convey to Margo that the prof thinks she's a plain little nonentity (in a nice way), leaving Margo in a rage full silence on the drive home. when he insists of knowing what is wrong, she furiously tells him, and says she doesn't need his pity and never wants to see him again, and she storms off. and afterwards is upset with herself because seeing him intermittently was all she could have hoped for and she has spoiled it.
I thought that her behaviour was a bit juvenile there, esp for a 28 year old.
anyway, betty then ruthlessly kills off the kindly parents in a car crash. the prof finds out because he happens to be visiting Margo's aunt when Margo phones the aunt to inform her.
He steps in and kindly and capably becomes their rock, dealing with everything, and letting the stunned Margo sob in his arms. When the aunt frets about what is to become of Margo, who will need to search for work and a new home in her grief and all while untrained, the prof calmly replies, "I shall marry her."
a few friends had dropped hints that it was time he wed, and he supposes Margo will do. she needs a home and he needs a wife.
loving him, margo agrees. the marriage is pleasant. he is pleasant. and richer than she ever dreamed. but despite the big Dutch house and the new London one, and all the new clothes, and meeting his rambunctious family over xmas, margo is lonely and the profs mind in mostly on his work.
anyway, it's a slow slow burner, never boring but never quite ramping up, never angsty enough for my tastes because both are sensible, calmish individuals.
only when they return to England to we get a bit of drama..the profs youngest sister corinne comes to visit without her hubby and, lying to Margo that she is shopping, is actually daily going out on the town with a nasty young ladies man named Jerome. I find it gross how fickle young cheats like her are treated kindly as the "meant no harm" favored young wife and beloved young sis. yuck.
when Jerome gets himself invited to a dinner party of Margo and Gijs's, Gijs warns Margo and Corinne to stay far from Gijs. Corinne sneaks of with him that evening for a while. later, in floods.of tears, she tells Margo that she has been going out with Jerome as revenge on her husband because they had an argument, but apparently it was all harmless, only now Jerome is blackmailing her for "an affair". Betty's euphemism for sex. and that he has insisted ahe must meet him tomorrow or else. and please will.Margo go instead and tell him to get lost, but please keep it a secret from gijs, with a helping of emotional blackmail by telling Margo she is preggers. what a nasty selfish little cow.
poor margo of the big heart and conscience reluctantly agrees..only, gijs sees them meeting and,.knowing that Jerome is a seducer of women, assumes the worst, esp when Margo tries to keep her days activities a secret.
he confronts her and asks her to be honest with him..she refuses, unable to break her promise.
he goes distant on her, first sending her to her aunts place, pleading he will be busy with work, and then when she hopefully returns home, he is still only coldly civil. when she still refuses to confide, he takes himself away to Holland for at least 3 weeks,.leaving her behind.
she tries desperately to stay busy for a whole week, but no calls or word from him leaves her frantic. she goes to Holland where, thinking he can't trust her and things will never work, she offers him an annulment. he says, "as you wish. I love you too much to make you unhappy."
omg, now she is heartbroken. he loves her but she still can't tell him the truth! (the naive stupidity. just tell already.) he takes himself off the Friesland to get away from her, but contemplating a life without her is unbearable. he thinks he is too old and that perhaps the loser Jerome actually loves her and that he is young...
but he comes back to utrecht the next day, planning to talk to Margo again before she leaves that evening. luckily, his sister corina is sent by her sensible and fsr too forgiving husband to confess the truth to gijs, because its not fair to make Margo keep a secretfrom her hubby when she may have wished to talk to gijs about it. that wise man.
Gijs is utterly releived and immediately rushes home and finds Margo sobbing over an antique cradle in the attic. cheesefest. he confesses he has loved her for a long time and had been waiting for her to love him. he asks her forgiveness for the misunderstanding. that was lovely. she confesses she loves him too. it was sweet but not the most dramatic ending. some Betty endings left me feeling that "Ah that was so good" kinf of satisfied, but this one was just a gentle nice ending.
CONCLUSION
a nice book..nothing wrong with it but nothing special or memorable either. in fact, the first half is probably quite lackluster in a non-boring way, and on the first read the anticipation of some potential future angst kept me going, even if the angst didn't quite fully arrive.
gijs was sweet and tender and the rare betty hero who asked for forgiveness with such a genuine heart. he hated that he hurt her. not a touch of arrogance, despite the initial disregard of her. and Margo was quite likable.
the book didn't make the most of the plain jane girl and waif tropes, nor did it make the most of the hugely revered and out of reach prof trope because she wasn't a nurse so didn't really see him much in that hospital setting.
I liked it overall and would have given it 4 stars but I already gave 4 to many that are much more memorable than this one, so had to settle on 3.9.
Plain practical Margo (28) is the only beloved child of a vicar and his wife, who busied herself with helping out in her village with her fathers flock. the local young farmer wishes to marry her, saying she'll make a decent farmers wife, a tepid arrangement where he calls her "old girl' and hasn't even proposed and expects her to do the bidding of his bullyish stern old mum. the book starts off with the hero's POV. he is Gijs, an RDD (39?) and exalted prof of paediatrics, who is fairly happy with his lot in life, a calm man with no precious relationship trauma, happily busy with his job and staying with friend while over in England for work. he is driving down to London one night when a girl runs in front of his car to stop him, and urges him to go find a doctor because a traveller woman is about to give birth and needs help.
being a doc, Gijs steps in and delivers the baby with Margo's practical help and then when mum and child are safely sent off to hospital, he insists on driving the bossy little mouse of a vicars daughter home. that's how he thinks of her. then proceeds on his way and thinks of her no more.
they keep meeting again randomly. First when she drives the local Lords granddaughter to her aunt in London, where gijs is called in to tend to a sick child. he finds her waiting in thr hallway hungry, so drives her all the way home, giving her lunch on the way. they get along fairly well, as he is a friendly chap, and she is a nice girl, used to talking with people.
unlike him, she has been thinking of him quite frequently, comparing her farmer to him, and fast coming to the conclusion she can't bear a tepid loveless marriage and wants to marry someone like gijs, with whom she feels she has no chance, plain brown mouse that she is. he leaves her behind yet again with no backward glance, much to her sadness.
so anyway, after being treated like a nobody once too often by farmer and his mother, she dumps him, satisfying, and yet not for her because farmer boy is full of himself and doesn't give a hoot to lose her. alas.
her parents send her to an aunt near London for 2 weeks to stay while village gossip dies down. there she rescues a drowning young girl, and the specialist called in is Gijs again! he helps ensure the frozen Margo is well taken care of. but again, his interest in her is mostly mere politeness. unfortunate, as margo has realised she is in love with him. he leaves with no plans to see her again, except the pity-plan to take her out to view his hospital one day.
which he does to, leaving her with a young doc to show her around because he thinks poor Margo of the failed farmer relationship must be lonely, poor plain thing, and he wants to do his part to help her meet a young man her own age.
SPOILERS
but the young doc happens to inadvertently convey to Margo that the prof thinks she's a plain little nonentity (in a nice way), leaving Margo in a rage full silence on the drive home. when he insists of knowing what is wrong, she furiously tells him, and says she doesn't need his pity and never wants to see him again, and she storms off. and afterwards is upset with herself because seeing him intermittently was all she could have hoped for and she has spoiled it.
I thought that her behaviour was a bit juvenile there, esp for a 28 year old.
anyway, betty then ruthlessly kills off the kindly parents in a car crash. the prof finds out because he happens to be visiting Margo's aunt when Margo phones the aunt to inform her.
He steps in and kindly and capably becomes their rock, dealing with everything, and letting the stunned Margo sob in his arms. When the aunt frets about what is to become of Margo, who will need to search for work and a new home in her grief and all while untrained, the prof calmly replies, "I shall marry her."
a few friends had dropped hints that it was time he wed, and he supposes Margo will do. she needs a home and he needs a wife.
loving him, margo agrees. the marriage is pleasant. he is pleasant. and richer than she ever dreamed. but despite the big Dutch house and the new London one, and all the new clothes, and meeting his rambunctious family over xmas, margo is lonely and the profs mind in mostly on his work.
anyway, it's a slow slow burner, never boring but never quite ramping up, never angsty enough for my tastes because both are sensible, calmish individuals.
only when they return to England to we get a bit of drama..the profs youngest sister corinne comes to visit without her hubby and, lying to Margo that she is shopping, is actually daily going out on the town with a nasty young ladies man named Jerome. I find it gross how fickle young cheats like her are treated kindly as the "meant no harm" favored young wife and beloved young sis. yuck.
when Jerome gets himself invited to a dinner party of Margo and Gijs's, Gijs warns Margo and Corinne to stay far from Gijs. Corinne sneaks of with him that evening for a while. later, in floods.of tears, she tells Margo that she has been going out with Jerome as revenge on her husband because they had an argument, but apparently it was all harmless, only now Jerome is blackmailing her for "an affair". Betty's euphemism for sex. and that he has insisted ahe must meet him tomorrow or else. and please will.Margo go instead and tell him to get lost, but please keep it a secret from gijs, with a helping of emotional blackmail by telling Margo she is preggers. what a nasty selfish little cow.
poor margo of the big heart and conscience reluctantly agrees..only, gijs sees them meeting and,.knowing that Jerome is a seducer of women, assumes the worst, esp when Margo tries to keep her days activities a secret.
he confronts her and asks her to be honest with him..she refuses, unable to break her promise.
he goes distant on her, first sending her to her aunts place, pleading he will be busy with work, and then when she hopefully returns home, he is still only coldly civil. when she still refuses to confide, he takes himself away to Holland for at least 3 weeks,.leaving her behind.
she tries desperately to stay busy for a whole week, but no calls or word from him leaves her frantic. she goes to Holland where, thinking he can't trust her and things will never work, she offers him an annulment. he says, "as you wish. I love you too much to make you unhappy."
omg, now she is heartbroken. he loves her but she still can't tell him the truth! (the naive stupidity. just tell already.) he takes himself off the Friesland to get away from her, but contemplating a life without her is unbearable. he thinks he is too old and that perhaps the loser Jerome actually loves her and that he is young...
but he comes back to utrecht the next day, planning to talk to Margo again before she leaves that evening. luckily, his sister corina is sent by her sensible and fsr too forgiving husband to confess the truth to gijs, because its not fair to make Margo keep a secretfrom her hubby when she may have wished to talk to gijs about it. that wise man.
Gijs is utterly releived and immediately rushes home and finds Margo sobbing over an antique cradle in the attic. cheesefest. he confesses he has loved her for a long time and had been waiting for her to love him. he asks her forgiveness for the misunderstanding. that was lovely. she confesses she loves him too. it was sweet but not the most dramatic ending. some Betty endings left me feeling that "Ah that was so good" kinf of satisfied, but this one was just a gentle nice ending.
CONCLUSION
a nice book..nothing wrong with it but nothing special or memorable either. in fact, the first half is probably quite lackluster in a non-boring way, and on the first read the anticipation of some potential future angst kept me going, even if the angst didn't quite fully arrive.
gijs was sweet and tender and the rare betty hero who asked for forgiveness with such a genuine heart. he hated that he hurt her. not a touch of arrogance, despite the initial disregard of her. and Margo was quite likable.
the book didn't make the most of the plain jane girl and waif tropes, nor did it make the most of the hugely revered and out of reach prof trope because she wasn't a nurse so didn't really see him much in that hospital setting.
I liked it overall and would have given it 4 stars but I already gave 4 to many that are much more memorable than this one, so had to settle on 3.9.
December 30, 2020
This was a very nice, softly romantic Christmas story. It was a bit sad in the beginning, but that was necessary to the plot. The problem that threatened to break up the marriage before it had time to grow was a bit contrived, but not too badly done. I enjoyed the celebration of Christmas in Holland even though Gijs went to some trouble to make it as English as possible for Margo. I liked that Margo's village decided to chip in on her wedding reception. I also enjoyed the couple going house shopping together in London. A little bit different story from Betty Neels.
May 9, 2013
A marriage of convenience story with Margo, who never really hoped for anything more but when she meets Gijs falls hard.
He is the typical enigmatic Dutch hero who doesn't give anything away right until the end. No real surprises and with all the standard bits and pieces that make up a Betty Neels story. The lavish Dutch homes, the faithful servants, dogs and cats and the yummy food and clothing.
Always an easy read, I liked the way the happy ending played out.
He is the typical enigmatic Dutch hero who doesn't give anything away right until the end. No real surprises and with all the standard bits and pieces that make up a Betty Neels story. The lavish Dutch homes, the faithful servants, dogs and cats and the yummy food and clothing.
Always an easy read, I liked the way the happy ending played out.
February 12, 2016
Ow, but no drama. Sweet hero. Rather convenient killing off of h's parents, but... cant have everything. Small "big misunderstanding " (H's sister flirts with somene, he thinks his wife is in love with him). Didnt like that too much, but eh, it was still sweet (didnt drag on with the mu)
May 16, 2016
A Story Without Characters
Although all the ingredients are there - travel, clothes, food, beautiful homes - the story never develops beyond its outline. The characters remain rather like stick figures. Too bad.
Although all the ingredients are there - travel, clothes, food, beautiful homes - the story never develops beyond its outline. The characters remain rather like stick figures. Too bad.
February 26, 2013
I'm a re-reader. Betty Neels is one of my favorite authors. When life is busy, it is nice to revisit old friends.
January 31, 2014
What girl doesn't want a quiet, strong hero who comes to her rescue? The scene at the end by the cradle broke my heart. Very much enjoyed the story. Always love a Betty Neels romance.
January 20, 2013
Good story.
Read
December 29, 2014Miniseries: The Best of Betty Neels
April 13, 2018
If I read this as just a Betty Neel's novel, I probably would have given it three stars, because it was okay. However, I didn't really like the heroine. She didn't quite fit my idea of what a vicar's daughter would be like. To me, she came off a bit whiny and immature, even though I think she was supposed to be around 28 years old, which is actually quite a bit older than most BN heroines. Also, because she is supposed to be a vicar's daughter, I couldn't help but compare her to heroines in actual faith based novels that I've read. Margo, the aforementioned vicar's daughter, is self sacrificing, and a sheltered good girl. However, I didn't really get a sense that faith made much of an impact in her life. So, being a vicar's daughter means that she's a self sacrificing person who does good because it's expected of her. When she's orphaned (at 28) without options for her future (she has no job skills), our resident handsome older wealthy Dutch doctor swoops in to her rescue and offers her a marriage of convenience.
He really does rescue her. He offers her several new homes, new clothes, and a new large insta-extended family. And she is secretly in love with him anyways.
However, the journey to a long lasting love gets sidelined when Gijs (the doctor) misunderstands what actually happens when Margo assists one of her new sister-in-laws (yes, his sister!) and thinks that Margo regrets marrying him.
Well, on the plus side, the novel is clean.
This was not my favourite BN novel, but it wasn't the worst that I've read either.
He really does rescue her. He offers her several new homes, new clothes, and a new large insta-extended family. And she is secretly in love with him anyways.
However, the journey to a long lasting love gets sidelined when Gijs (the doctor) misunderstands what actually happens when Margo assists one of her new sister-in-laws (yes, his sister!) and thinks that Margo regrets marrying him.
Well, on the plus side, the novel is clean.
This was not my favourite BN novel, but it wasn't the worst that I've read either.
November 21, 2018
1996
Took me a long time to read this, partly because I've been very busy and also partly because this is kind of draggy.
I was kind of shocked, but should have known our Great Betty better, when our heroine's lovely parents were just killed off instantly in the middle of the story. Gijs did not really show his interest in Margo before this so his offer of a marriage came as a surprise to me.
Even after they got married but did not consummate it, things were dragging...Things came to head when RDD's useless sister was up to mischief and Margo got drawn in. Our Great Betty's "no snitching" rule really was demonstrated by our vicar's daughter here, Margo was TSTL to give up her own marriage and the man she loved, just to keep a promise. "At ALL COSTS." I rolled my eyes so hard...stupid Margo! This was even AFTER our RDD declared his love for her! One of the rare heroes who did so before the heroine! Argh!
I could be hormonal, but the end bits when Gijs was separated from Margo, and her sobbing over the cradle in the attic, made me cry too...
(Yet another stupid RDD sister who got away scot free... but at least she cleared the air for our couple.)
The cradle reference has got to make Margo one of the boldest heroines in Neelsdom! And she being a vicar's daughter haha!
Took me a long time to read this, partly because I've been very busy and also partly because this is kind of draggy.
I was kind of shocked, but should have known our Great Betty better, when our heroine's lovely parents were just killed off instantly in the middle of the story. Gijs did not really show his interest in Margo before this so his offer of a marriage came as a surprise to me.
Even after they got married but did not consummate it, things were dragging...Things came to head when RDD's useless sister was up to mischief and Margo got drawn in. Our Great Betty's "no snitching" rule really was demonstrated by our vicar's daughter here, Margo was TSTL to give up her own marriage and the man she loved, just to keep a promise. "At ALL COSTS." I rolled my eyes so hard...stupid Margo! This was even AFTER our RDD declared his love for her! One of the rare heroes who did so before the heroine! Argh!
I could be hormonal, but the end bits when Gijs was separated from Margo, and her sobbing over the cradle in the attic, made me cry too...
(Yet another stupid RDD sister who got away scot free... but at least she cleared the air for our couple.)
The cradle reference has got to make Margo one of the boldest heroines in Neelsdom! And she being a vicar's daughter haha!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2017
Although Harlequin romances are anathema to me, I was looking for a cozy Christmas read and my library offered this option. (I would never have given it a chance if I'd seen the original cover!) I was tempted to give it a second look because I love anything with the word "vicar" in the title, it was written by a British author, AND because Neels is known for her clean stories.
Yes, it's fluffy, but I thoroughly enjoyed its English flavor. There are LOTS of episodes of afternoon tea, dog walking in the country, and friendly, frank conversations. Margo, the vicar's daughter, is a sweet heroine trying to find her way as a 28 year old spinster. My heart cringed when her boyfriend told her "with a well-meaning lack of tact, that she might not have much in the way of good looks, but she had plenty of common sense and was almost as good a cook as his mother." (!)
It's fun to see Margo get her happily ever after.
Yes, it's fluffy, but I thoroughly enjoyed its English flavor. There are LOTS of episodes of afternoon tea, dog walking in the country, and friendly, frank conversations. Margo, the vicar's daughter, is a sweet heroine trying to find her way as a 28 year old spinster. My heart cringed when her boyfriend told her "with a well-meaning lack of tact, that she might not have much in the way of good looks, but she had plenty of common sense and was almost as good a cook as his mother." (!)
It's fun to see Margo get her happily ever after.
August 5, 2024
Margo Pearson was the only child of her parents....her father was a vicar and his wife was a perfect wife for him.
The Vicar and his wife were killed in an auto collision which meant that Margo couldn't live in the vicarage any longer. The doctor, Gijs van Kessel came to her aid and asked her to marry him....she was a plain, practical girl and wouldn't seem the type that the doctor would want.
Because she had no place to live now, Gijs asked her to marry him so she would have a home, money to spend and more people to meet. They married and went to Holland for Christmas where she met many relatives of Gijs.
Even though they were married, they had a lot of problems to solve...but they did work through them.
The Vicar and his wife were killed in an auto collision which meant that Margo couldn't live in the vicarage any longer. The doctor, Gijs van Kessel came to her aid and asked her to marry him....she was a plain, practical girl and wouldn't seem the type that the doctor would want.
Because she had no place to live now, Gijs asked her to marry him so she would have a home, money to spend and more people to meet. They married and went to Holland for Christmas where she met many relatives of Gijs.
Even though they were married, they had a lot of problems to solve...but they did work through them.
January 2, 2018
love for partner and a desire to keep them happy always can lead to strange situations. Vicar's daughter is a story where i felt two introvert personalities have been described. How there life takes tragic turn probably due to not sharing feelings with each other is overwhelming. In the end Love prevails.
This story keeps you along with it right from the beginning.....
This story keeps you along with it right from the beginning.....
May 31, 2022
3.5 stars
I liked most of the story. The H treats the h well. The h is brave and competent and full of common sense. It was the H's ridiculous sister who annoyed me. The "big misunderstanding" could have been cleared up so easily and I didn't buy that the H and h were willing to give up on their marriage so quickly.
I liked most of the story. The H treats the h well. The h is brave and competent and full of common sense. It was the H's ridiculous sister who annoyed me. The "big misunderstanding" could have been cleared up so easily and I didn't buy that the H and h were willing to give up on their marriage so quickly.
January 1, 2023
Its Betty Neels - rich Dutch doctor, mousy plain heroine, lots of chaste yet romantic moments. It sounds dull as dish water but truth is I absolutely love love love these books. They are so warm and comforting and really the most perfect thing to read while drinking tea in the afternoon.
January 24, 2025
Swoon loaded read, especially in the first half, however it was a bit dull in the last part, and the plot at the end was a bit tiresome as both MCs could have worked it out if one of them gave the effort to communicate.
February 13, 2026
Intricate story
Interesting characters and unusual, made you wonder what was really going on, however people do things differently in other countries so sometimes its hard go understand how they do things.
Interesting characters and unusual, made you wonder what was really going on, however people do things differently in other countries so sometimes its hard go understand how they do things.
September 19, 2017
I always love Betty Neels!
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