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Polly
Working for Professor Sam Gervis was difficult enough, even if you hadn't fallen in love with him. But Polly had. Luckily she was realistic. Sam was engaged to the lovely Deirdre, and besides, he would never look twice at anyone as quiet and mousy as her. So Polly sensibly decided to get away and take up a new career nursing children. But she soon discovered that Sam wasn't a man to be escaped from easily.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
69 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
564 books418 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 4, 2013
I really loved the family element in this one. All the way from the hero's sister, to Polly's loving parents, to two beautiful, wonderfully nice sisters. Throw in a charming grandmother and it really is an "all in the family" kind of romance.
I enjoyed that we didn't know too much about the hero and that his story was slowly revealed throughout the entire book. I liked how we gained more insight into his feelings as we learned more about him. It was an interesting technique that made me go from disliking him intensely in the beginning of the book to thinking he was "sigh worthy" by the end.
Polly was a very strong heroine with pluck, courage, brains and a whole lot of common sense.
I enjoyed that we didn't know too much about the hero and that his story was slowly revealed throughout the entire book. I liked how we gained more insight into his feelings as we learned more about him. It was an interesting technique that made me go from disliking him intensely in the beginning of the book to thinking he was "sigh worthy" by the end.
Polly was a very strong heroine with pluck, courage, brains and a whole lot of common sense.
October 8, 2023
'I’d like to be a surgeon,’ said Jane shyly.
‘And why not? But I wonder what happens when you get married—I mean, could you go on being a surgeon and running a house and a husband and children too?’ Jane blushed. ‘Well, I don’t suppose so.’ She added ingenuously: ‘I suppose being a surgeon’s wife is the next best thing…’ ‘I daresay it is,’ agreed Polly kindly, ‘and being married to someone who’s interested in surgery would make it awfully nice for him to come home to.’
A sense of humor is essential if you are going to read a Betty Neels book. I’ve read only one before that I know of and liked it pretty well. Like this one, it was an undemanding sweet, and simple placeholder while waiting for a book I really wanted to read to become available. I was spurred to try another one when I read a review on Goodreads, and I saw how many were available on Kindle from my local library. She is mostly known for being the queen of “nurse romances.” I started reading some more reviews to narrow the field down a bit. I was struck by the affection and dedication that many readers hold for this author. She is definitely one of the most beloved, if not the most beloved, of all of the old-timey Harlequin (Mills and Boon in the U.K.) authors. There are other authors that people love, but not with her output -134 separate novels. That’s a lot of books! And she only started writing when she was 60 years old! In the process, I kinda went down a Betty Neels rabbit hole and I ran across a delightful website dedicated to Betty, The Uncrushable Jersey Dress http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.com/. Her fans have their own language. They refer to the RBD (Rich British Doctor), the RDD (Rich Danish Doctor), and have figured out the ratios of couplings by RBDs and RDDs with nurses or non-nurses. Or nurses and non-medical heroes (of which there are only 6.) They call the author “The Betty” or TGB (The Great Betty), or "The Divine BettyN". They call fellow Betty fans Betty-real first name. Betty Keira, Betty Madeleine, Betty Debbie, etc. That just scratches the surface. There is even a spreadsheet for all 134 books, including such things as Hero's car, Names of family retainers, pets, descriptions of the other women, etc. The books are all rated. "Lashings of whipped cream" being a 10 out of 10 and the lowest being "tinned soup." It is a whole world out there, possibly equaled only by Georgette Heyer devotees. This book, I rated 2 stars (beans on toast?). Betty is 3 stars, and her fans are 5 stars.
Anyway, for a variety of reasons, I chose Polly, written in 1984. One reason was that it didn’t appear to be a nurse romance.
Plain, plump, but smart Polly is fluent in ancient Greek and Latin, though she has only attained her A levels in the field, and has not gone to University. She is hired to type out a book manuscript by icy, rude, but good-looking professor Sam Gervis upon the death of the author. He is engaged to an absolute witch but has a nice about-to-be-married sister whom Polly becomes friends with while she is doing her typing at his home, Elmley Castle. We spend a good deal of time with Polly’s nice supportive family, her “learned schoolmaster father” her nice stay-at-home mother, her two dumb but nice sisters, and a little brother.
Cora and Marian had no need of brains; they were so pretty that they would marry just as soon as they could decide which of their numerous boyfriends would make the best husband.
As she comes to the end of her work, she realizes that she needs to get another job.
She couldn’t teach, she would be hopeless in a shop and the idea of sitting at a desk typing all day quite sickened her, which left only one other thing she might be able to do. She could train as a nurse.
Nothing like a true calling. Going on to University and getting an advanced degree in the field she truly loves and is good at never crosses her mind. She goes to train for her newly chosen vocation in a hospital where she does candy striper-like duties and goes to class. She is glad to escape the company of the uncomfortable professor with whom she has fallen in love. Much to her shock, one day, she runs into the professor in the hospital! It turns out he is a professor alright-a professor of Pediatic Surgery! So I ended up with a doctor-nurse romance after all. Sigh. He takes to driving Polly home and back on weekends. One day he tells her she will “never be a nurse”. Of course, the reader knows this means that Dr. Gervis is going to marry her and she can’t be a wife and a nurse at the same time. But Polly’s confidence is undermined and after a rough day, she ends up going to the head nurse's office to quit. He follows her home to confess his love and propose marriage but he is called away on an emergency. Meanwhile, his nasty fiance comes to her house to tell her they are getting married in two days and Sam is not coming back. Polly flees to her aunt in Scotland, and Sam follows her there and finally clears up all of the lies and misunderstandings.
He put an arm around her and kissed her thoroughly.I gave this book a low rating because of the many WTF moments. First off, He kisses Polly “soundly” once and lightly a second time, when he is still engaged to Deirdre. That is not acceptable behavior. And about that engagement. First, as far as we know he is engaged to be married to Deirdre who is making wedding plans, throughout the whole book while he is sniffing around Polly. Later he claims that they broke off their engagement before his sister Diana's wedding, which occurs well over halfway through the book, but kept it a secret from everyone in order not to spoil her day. I call bullshit on that. Firstly Diana makes it perfectly clear she hates Deirdre, and having her beloved brother call off his engagement would have made her day, not spoiled it. After the wedding is over and done with, Deirdre crashes his fiesty grandmother’s little private tete-a-tete with Polly and Sam. Granny also loathes Deidre and tells her off, but...
‘Sam,’ said Polly weakly, ‘we’re in the middle of Crewe Station.’
He looked around him. ‘So we are. I thought it was paradise.’…she kissed him back.
Deirdre stalked to the door, then turned to put a hand on Sam’s arm. ‘Oh, Sam, I know I’ve been naughty, but you’ll forgive me, won’t you? After all, we’re to be married soon. You haven’t forgotten that?’ She spoke beguilingly and smiled up at him, no trace of bad temper allowed to show. He moved away so that her hand fell to her side. ‘I haven’t forgotten, Deirdre.’
What is he playing at? Whatever game it was, I didn't like it one bit. And if their engagement had been broken for weeks, Why would Deirdre bother to go to Polly’s home to tell her a pack of lies about marrying Sam in two days? Apparently, She is not only a bitch, but a psycho bitch.
When Polly tries to quit nursing, the head nurse tells her to go home to talk with her family about it but be back the day after and if she hasn’t changed her mind, they can arrange matters then. But Polly totally blows off her promise to Nurse Brice and runs off to Aunt Maggie in Scotland. She just leaves her in the lurch and essentially is a "no call-no show" which is the rudest, most immature, and unprofessional thing an employee can do to an employer. Not in character for Polly and quite careless of the “The Betty.” Still another piece of careless writing is that Polly’s family calls Professor Gervis “Sam” right from the beginning because they all get along great from his first meeting with her family (on page 18). But much later in the book, after Diana's wedding, he comes to pick Polly up to take her back to the hospital, it’s as if he is meeting her family for the first time. “…he instantly became one of the family…he was ‘Sam’ withing ten minutes…”
So I could overlook the patronizing, mocking behavior of Professor Sam towards Polly and the outdated attitudes towards women and careers. Betty was just stuck in the 1950s and that’s sort of why people love her. But I was disappointed that I had to overlook careless writing as well. I’m going to give her another chance though partly because I’m curious to see if this is part and parcel of a typical Betty Neels novel. I am determined to crack the mystery of her appeal, but time will tell if I can become a fan.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
May 21, 2019
My first book by ‘The Betty’ - as my friend Linda said 😜.
In my younger days, I would love this kind of story (well, I loved everything in my younger days haha). A distinguish man take notice of a plain girl who was overlooked by others and makes her feel special. Which girl doesn’t?
But nowadays, even some simple actions makes me think further. How could Polly fell in love with the Professor when they only have some minimal conversation and such were usually condescending remarks by him? If these were some sort of bickering, then it would makes more sense. And he didn’t open up about himself, just coming and going mysteriously .
At first, I thought this story has a Jane Eyre-ish vibe; plain,sensible heroin and a much older and more prominent hero. I was very excited, Jane Eyre was the most romantic story that I have read. But the similarities ends there, unfortunately.
Happy ending for Polly.
In my younger days, I would love this kind of story (well, I loved everything in my younger days haha). A distinguish man take notice of a plain girl who was overlooked by others and makes her feel special. Which girl doesn’t?
But nowadays, even some simple actions makes me think further. How could Polly fell in love with the Professor when they only have some minimal conversation and such were usually condescending remarks by him? If these were some sort of bickering, then it would makes more sense. And he didn’t open up about himself, just coming and going mysteriously .
At first, I thought this story has a Jane Eyre-ish vibe; plain,sensible heroin and a much older and more prominent hero. I was very excited, Jane Eyre was the most romantic story that I have read. But the similarities ends there, unfortunately.
Happy ending for Polly.
February 7, 2017
loved the story though i felt a genuine lack of chemistry between Polly and Sam. i also cud not understand why Sam dragged on his engagement to Deidre when he was very obviously taken by Polly. he wud find any excuse to drive her home or back at the hospital. he wanted to spend time wid her and then it was revealed dat his engagement had already been broken before Diana's wedding but he did not tell anyone as he did not want to spoil Diana's day.
September 28, 2020
Betty shines in Polly—what fun this was! Heroine Polly herself is charming—maybe not as obviously pretty as her two (nice!) sisters, but put her in Laura Ashley, as Neels does, and watch her bloom. The RBD in this one, Sam, starts off typically grouchy and rude to the heroine, but he is soon intrigued (as he himself admits) and as besotted as our heroine before long. How can he not be, with their shared interest in dead languages, good food, quiet country weekends, and the fact that she, unlike his horrible fiancée, is most definitely not flatchested (one of many laugh out loud moments when our good doctor acknowledges our heroine’s attributes, hee).
Poor Sam has drifted into a “suitable” engagement with the horrible horsey-faced clothes hanger, Deirdre, who everyone, from Sam’s sister Diana to his hilarious sharp-tongue granny, despises. Deirdre sees Polly as a threat from day one and does her best to make her feel inferior and belittled. Polly mostly tries to ignore her, finish as quickly as possible the manuscript she is typing for Sam, and generally avoid the good Professor (of surgery) and his nasty fiancee. Polly starts off disliking him, for his coldness and rudeness towards her, but pretty soon she’s fallen for the good-looking, fascinating, and nice-when-it-counts RBD, who is equally enchanted but has to get rid of Deirdre honorably before he can “have a little talk” with Polly.
Polly decides to become a nursing student once she is done working on the manuscript. As fate and Neels would have it, she applies at the children’s hospital where Sam is, unbeknownst to her, a surgeon. He goes out of his way to drive her home on weekends, have conversations on the ward and in hallways (a no no for student nurses with regard to eminent consultants), and generally seize all opportunities to spend time with her and her delightful family. Neels’ has her usual magic touch in describing the secondary characters, and it’s a nice pack of them in this one.
The usual OW-meddling, misunderstandings, and missed opportunities because of the doctor’s insane work schedule keep the two apart and pretty unhappy until the very end, when the heroine finally flees with her broken heart and the hero chases her down at the train station, clears up misunderstandings, makes it clear they’ll be happily raising babies in the not-too-distant future, and kisses her silly in public! Just a delight, and a nice return to my Betty binge (I needed the break, but what a great one to come back to).
Super clean and anachronistic, as expected—and one seriously WTF moment when the heroine pretty much convinces the hero’s young female cousin that being a surgeon’s wife is far more desirable than being a surgeon herself (but that’s Betty!). The gleam in the hero’s eye when he watches the heroine unashamedly enjoying her food, including dessert with lashings of cream of course, was sexier than a great many far more explicit scenes in other books I’ve read recently. A real charmer of a BN novel.
Poor Sam has drifted into a “suitable” engagement with the horrible horsey-faced clothes hanger, Deirdre, who everyone, from Sam’s sister Diana to his hilarious sharp-tongue granny, despises. Deirdre sees Polly as a threat from day one and does her best to make her feel inferior and belittled. Polly mostly tries to ignore her, finish as quickly as possible the manuscript she is typing for Sam, and generally avoid the good Professor (of surgery) and his nasty fiancee. Polly starts off disliking him, for his coldness and rudeness towards her, but pretty soon she’s fallen for the good-looking, fascinating, and nice-when-it-counts RBD, who is equally enchanted but has to get rid of Deirdre honorably before he can “have a little talk” with Polly.
Polly decides to become a nursing student once she is done working on the manuscript. As fate and Neels would have it, she applies at the children’s hospital where Sam is, unbeknownst to her, a surgeon. He goes out of his way to drive her home on weekends, have conversations on the ward and in hallways (a no no for student nurses with regard to eminent consultants), and generally seize all opportunities to spend time with her and her delightful family. Neels’ has her usual magic touch in describing the secondary characters, and it’s a nice pack of them in this one.
The usual OW-meddling, misunderstandings, and missed opportunities because of the doctor’s insane work schedule keep the two apart and pretty unhappy until the very end, when the heroine finally flees with her broken heart and the hero chases her down at the train station, clears up misunderstandings, makes it clear they’ll be happily raising babies in the not-too-distant future, and kisses her silly in public! Just a delight, and a nice return to my Betty binge (I needed the break, but what a great one to come back to).
Super clean and anachronistic, as expected—and one seriously WTF moment when the heroine pretty much convinces the hero’s young female cousin that being a surgeon’s wife is far more desirable than being a surgeon herself (but that’s Betty!). The gleam in the hero’s eye when he watches the heroine unashamedly enjoying her food, including dessert with lashings of cream of course, was sexier than a great many far more explicit scenes in other books I’ve read recently. A real charmer of a BN novel.
December 26, 2018
3.5 stars. Polly Talbot is an intellectual girl fluent in both Greek and Latin. She lives in a country village with her family - father is a schoolmaster, mother is housewife, younger (in years, anyway) sisters Cora and Miriam who are pretty social butterflies, and younger brother Ben. She gets an opportunity to type a manuscript for a local scholar, Sir Ronald, that compares various aspects of the Greek and Roman worlds and she embarks on this project. All too soon, Sir Ronald dies of a sudden stroke. A grumpy, handsome older man, Professor Sam Gervis, (age 36) takes on oversight of the publication of the book and Polly goes to stay at his home to complete her work. His younger sister, Diana, lives with him and she and Polly become friends. Professor Gervis is engaged to Dierdre who is described as tall, dark, skinny, horsey-faced with beautiful clothes and exquisitely coifed hair. Dierdre is rude to Polly and while Polly doesn't like her, she is polite.
While working on this project and coming in contact with Professor Gervis often, Polly becomes unsettled and unsatisfied with her life. She decides to pursue a career and decides on nursing. She doesn't yet know that Professor Gervis is a professor of surgery and on the Board of Governors at the hospital where she has arranged to train.
Soon, Polly has her DR. Sam tells her she will never be a nurse. Staff Nurse Stockley is mean to her. Dierdre continues to be rude when they meet. Polly saves one of the babies on the ward by taking him to Sam, but Staff Nurse is horrified and chews her out thoroughly. Polly finally decides to give up her nursing and goes home.
Sam comes to her home and is about to make his Declaration and Proposal when he gets a phone call about a block of flats that collapsed and injured a number of babies and children. He leaves post-haste, with Dierdre arriving hard on his heels and telling Polly a whopper that she and Sam are getting married in two days.
Polly tells her mother she wants to visit Aunt Maggie in Scotland and leaves on a train. She will have to change trains at Crewe. Reenter Sam to whom Mrs. Talbot tels all. Sam hotfoots it to Crewe, in spite of having been in surgery all night.
Sam catches up with Polly in Crewe, makes his Declaration in the station. PDA ensues. When Polly remonstrates Sam for kissing her in the middle of the Crewe station, Sam replies that he thought it was paradise. :)
I like that Polly is an intellectual. I, too, enjoyed the peek at the first early bit of nurse's training. I love Sam's explanation of his grumpiness: "I loved you to distraction, and it's getting worse every minute. But at first I didn't quite believe it, so I made a kind of smoke-screen of ill humour and of coldness." Bonus points for one of the nurses, whose name is, I kid you not, Freda Honeybun!
While working on this project and coming in contact with Professor Gervis often, Polly becomes unsettled and unsatisfied with her life. She decides to pursue a career and decides on nursing. She doesn't yet know that Professor Gervis is a professor of surgery and on the Board of Governors at the hospital where she has arranged to train.
Soon, Polly has her DR. Sam tells her she will never be a nurse. Staff Nurse Stockley is mean to her. Dierdre continues to be rude when they meet. Polly saves one of the babies on the ward by taking him to Sam, but Staff Nurse is horrified and chews her out thoroughly. Polly finally decides to give up her nursing and goes home.
Sam comes to her home and is about to make his Declaration and Proposal when he gets a phone call about a block of flats that collapsed and injured a number of babies and children. He leaves post-haste, with Dierdre arriving hard on his heels and telling Polly a whopper that she and Sam are getting married in two days.
Polly tells her mother she wants to visit Aunt Maggie in Scotland and leaves on a train. She will have to change trains at Crewe. Reenter Sam to whom Mrs. Talbot tels all. Sam hotfoots it to Crewe, in spite of having been in surgery all night.
Sam catches up with Polly in Crewe, makes his Declaration in the station. PDA ensues. When Polly remonstrates Sam for kissing her in the middle of the Crewe station, Sam replies that he thought it was paradise. :)
I like that Polly is an intellectual. I, too, enjoyed the peek at the first early bit of nurse's training. I love Sam's explanation of his grumpiness: "I loved you to distraction, and it's getting worse every minute. But at first I didn't quite believe it, so I made a kind of smoke-screen of ill humour and of coldness." Bonus points for one of the nurses, whose name is, I kid you not, Freda Honeybun!
February 15, 2023
3.5 rounded down to 3. Once again, if Betty Neels had made this more a Rosamunde Pilcher style chunky novel with lots more focus on Polly's delightful family and Sam's house and sister, I could easily have rated this more stars. The plot felt a little awkward in places with the transition between Polly's first job and second job and the almost complete lack of communication between Sam and Polly during the first half of the novel. The ending is really adorable though, and I do like Sam and Polly a lot as leads.
December 12, 2014
This was a slightly different but still very typical Betty Neels romance. Polly is bright with A-Levels in Greek and Latin but of course they aren't very useful in a career unless you want to be an academic. She can type so she can get occasional jobs typing manuscripts for scholarly old gentlemen.
Sam Gervis is a friend of the elderly professor she works for so when the old man dies midway through her typing his magnum opus, Sam takes over and Polly gets to know him, his lovely sister Diana and his fiancée Deirdre.
I loved it when she thought she had escaped from Sam by becoming a nurse, only to find he was a Doctor at the hospital she chose for her training.
This is a sweet romance with obligatory evil Other Woman and barely there HEA. Like other readers I would like more Happy Ever After on the page but I suppose for Betty it was all about the journey. She does often give us glimpses down the track of her happily married couples but not all make the cut.
Sam Gervis is a friend of the elderly professor she works for so when the old man dies midway through her typing his magnum opus, Sam takes over and Polly gets to know him, his lovely sister Diana and his fiancée Deirdre.
I loved it when she thought she had escaped from Sam by becoming a nurse, only to find he was a Doctor at the hospital she chose for her training.
This is a sweet romance with obligatory evil Other Woman and barely there HEA. Like other readers I would like more Happy Ever After on the page but I suppose for Betty it was all about the journey. She does often give us glimpses down the track of her happily married couples but not all make the cut.
December 20, 2014
The hero was an ass. He kept his fiancee while leading around the heroine for the entire story...his reason: he needed to be sure he loved the heroine. Talk about selfish. He hurt two women in the process and was entirely disrespectful. Then, what was more outrageous was that he forced the heroine to give up her career so that she could spend all her attention on him and the children that they would eventually have. The heroine enjoyed her work and had only given up her career because of him.
Needless to say, I will not be reading any more from this author.
Needless to say, I will not be reading any more from this author.
December 18, 2018
Me tardé en leer esta novela de Betty quizá porque no es el pobre ratoncito feo, sino más bien una chica común con una familia cariñosa. Me encantan los contrastes entre los personajes buenos y los malos, me hacen sonreír con complicidad y hacen que mi lectura sea cómoda y agradables. Qué haría sin una dosis de The Great Betty en mi vida, sinceramente no lo sé :).
February 26, 2010
I liked Polly a lot, she knows Latin and Greek, and wants to do something with her life, but she doesn't have much she could train for. Lots of fun side characters in the Hero's sister and cousin, Polly's two pretty (but nice!) sisters, and another doctor at the hospital.
Worth reading just for an awesomely hilarious scene where Polly convinces a woman not to become a surgeon because getting married to a surgeon and raising his children would be way better.
Worth reading just for an awesomely hilarious scene where Polly convinces a woman not to become a surgeon because getting married to a surgeon and raising his children would be way better.
July 6, 2018
Solid good read from TGB. Sam and Polly meet and take an instant dislike to each other and we all know what that means. He has a skeletal and unpleasant fiancée and Polly has an affinity for dead languages and no looks to speak of. So our Sam is smitten and like hundreds of men (and boys) before him he is mean and cynically sarcastic to her. The joy is in the journey to Polly's happiness.
July 9, 2010
Polly is a lovable character. Plain face with clever brain. Cheerful girl, happy with just the way she is. Her relationship with the Hero, describing how far distance between them. Poly just twenty years old and Sam thirty Six with fashionable fiancee.
Very interesting story.
I like it.
Very interesting story.
I like it.
September 28, 2019
The only Betty Neels book I didn’t like. The hero is so highhanded with the h and disrespectful to the OW. The h believes that females cannot both be a surgeon and a mother. 🙄 oh and the H said that the h will not be a good nurse because he apparently intended for her to be his wife.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2011
rustic chatterbox!
July 23, 2015
To think, it almost seemed like they weren't a doctor and nurse.
October 10, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. A bit silly but very Betty Neels.
November 1, 2019
It became one of my favourites in Betty Neel's books. Also it is little bit different pattern than others so far I read.
November 24, 2022
Old-fashioned but good.
I enjoyed this significant age-gap romance (Polly is 20 and Sam is 36) even though it had somewhat sexist misogynistic messaging and dialogue (discouraging Sam’s niece from being a surgeon for example). The premise is that Polly is kind of a Latin and Greek savant living at home when she gets an opportunity to type up the book of a Latin and Greek scholar through whom she meets the man’s friend and protégé, Sam. Sam is rude and bad-tempered to Polly and when they’re forced to work together, sparks fly and love is ignited.
This story is kind of in two parts that for me felt like 2 different books- the Greek and Latin book part and the part where Sam and Polly are health professionals. For that reason, the book felt like it ran a little long and the revelation of Sam’s actual profession did not make a lot of sense. That said, for me the best part of this book was Sam and Polly’s extended families. I enjoyed that unlike many Neelsian heroines, Polly had a strong support system at home that she could be vulnerable with and that would look after her. I liked this but of course I see it’s problematic.
I enjoyed this significant age-gap romance (Polly is 20 and Sam is 36) even though it had somewhat sexist misogynistic messaging and dialogue (discouraging Sam’s niece from being a surgeon for example). The premise is that Polly is kind of a Latin and Greek savant living at home when she gets an opportunity to type up the book of a Latin and Greek scholar through whom she meets the man’s friend and protégé, Sam. Sam is rude and bad-tempered to Polly and when they’re forced to work together, sparks fly and love is ignited.
This story is kind of in two parts that for me felt like 2 different books- the Greek and Latin book part and the part where Sam and Polly are health professionals. For that reason, the book felt like it ran a little long and the revelation of Sam’s actual profession did not make a lot of sense. That said, for me the best part of this book was Sam and Polly’s extended families. I enjoyed that unlike many Neelsian heroines, Polly had a strong support system at home that she could be vulnerable with and that would look after her. I liked this but of course I see it’s problematic.
September 20, 2015
This was a delightful story. It has the typical Neels rich doctor, (though not Dutch this time), engaged to a rich, beautiful, nasty young woman. In this case the Dr. has a fun sister and spunky Grandmother who gently push him toward the girl they think he should marry. You can't help but wonder about the intelligence of a Dr. who tells a young nursing student "You'll never be a nurse," but if you're going to read Neels books you have to accept that kind of thing.
I especially liked Polly, who is good at Latin and Greek and willing to work hard but doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She eventually takes up nurses training, of course. :) She and her family are very enjoyable and by the end of the book I wished I could read more about them.
I especially liked Polly, who is good at Latin and Greek and willing to work hard but doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She eventually takes up nurses training, of course. :) She and her family are very enjoyable and by the end of the book I wished I could read more about them.
December 18, 2017
Dulce Polly.En esta novelita la heroina es Polly una joven muy inteligente que sabe leer lenguas muertas(griego y latín) ella ayuda a un hombre importante realizar un trabajo sobre un glosario,cuando esté muere sin haber terminado su obra ,es el puntapié para unir a Polly a la vida del profesor Sam Gervis (que no podía tener otra profesión que la de médico)por supuesto que este hombre orgulloso,frío y algo brusco está comprometido con una mujer tan bella y alta como frívola.Esto no impedirá que una vez q conozca a Polly todas sus paredes se derrumben y caiga rendido a sus pies.Una hermosa novela,con varios elementos que la hacen diferente a los más clásicos de Betty Neels. Súper recomendable.
April 2, 2020
So obviously every Betty Neels book is dripping in BS general societal misogyny. And I can mostly overlook it as another type of fantasy world...but when the young cousin said she wanted to be a surgeon and Sam said “talk her out of it” and then Polly said “but could you be a surgeon AND take care of a house and husband and children?” it was really quite a bit too far. The young girl, who in my imagined continuation of the story would have been an excellent fucking surgeon, decides being the wife of a surgeon is ‘the next best thing’ and I wanted to shake everyone in the book.
August 2, 2017
I love it
September 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It started of quite different from the regular Betty Neels books, with a main character that, shock, wasn't a nurse! But then halfway through she went into nurse training. The male lead also didn't appear to be a doctor, but, you guessed it, he was. At least he wasn't Dutch this time. Still massively rich though.
Somehow this was a really fun and easy read. The family relationships were a lot of fun and I enjoyed the characters, especially the supporting ones. The main characters are pretty much what you'd expect with a Betty Neels book.
Somehow this was a really fun and easy read. The family relationships were a lot of fun and I enjoyed the characters, especially the supporting ones. The main characters are pretty much what you'd expect with a Betty Neels book.
March 29, 2021
Fairytale
Pure romance with all the feels. Betty Neels wrote from the heart. She’s in my top ten of authors. I can re-read her stories time and again and still have that same feeling once finished. A fairytale romance that she she excelled at.
It’s a yes from me.
Pure romance with all the feels. Betty Neels wrote from the heart. She’s in my top ten of authors. I can re-read her stories time and again and still have that same feeling once finished. A fairytale romance that she she excelled at.
It’s a yes from me.
January 7, 2024
The first half of the book was tedious; Polly was working out of the Professor's home but they hardly saw each other! Polly probably spent more time with his sister and dogs! Annnnd we never really knew what field he was in but since he was working on Sir Ronald's Greek and Latin book, it's not far-fetched to assume he was a publisher or in related business.
Since she had no other skills than in dead languages, the practical heroine decided to write in to be a trainee nurse at the nearby Birmingham Children's Hospital. Fearing ridicule from the Professor, Polly kept this secret and rushed to finish her work on the book.
By the end of the job assignment, Polly realised she loved Sam...yes she started calling the Professor Sam in her head too.
Sam also acted strangely but only readers got the clues hehe...Much ado was made by Sam about their 16-year age gap. But as Polly said she felt much older than 20 and she'd make Sam a very good wife! It really depressed her to think of him married to the obviously incompatible Deidre!
SPOILERS
It was so funny to have Sam the Prof walk into Polly's ward; he's a paediatric consultant so that explained his frequent absence from the house!
I loved reading about Polly's time in hospital and how Sam always contrived to drive her here and there. He's very smart to make himself part of Polly's delightful family! I want Polly's parents to adopt me! Even Sam told her mom she'd make a great mother-in-law. Sam's sister and granny were very nice too. This whole book has very warm and cozy family times...contrasting sharply with the time Sam spent with Deidre's family and friends.
I just wish Sam had spoken to Polly about his feelings sooner; how and why Deidre decided to call on Polly and cause mischief, we'll never know. He kept telling Polly they needed to talk, but I don't know what he's waiting for. ..for her to grow up? Maybe he just wasn't sure if his love for Polly was reciprocated?
The biggest clue Sam was serious about Polly was when his granny showed such great interest her at Diana's wedding and insisting on dinner before she went home. Deidre's crass behaviour then was also awkward but we knew later that Sam had already broken the engagement before Diana's wedding!
An overall delightful read.
Since she had no other skills than in dead languages, the practical heroine decided to write in to be a trainee nurse at the nearby Birmingham Children's Hospital. Fearing ridicule from the Professor, Polly kept this secret and rushed to finish her work on the book.
By the end of the job assignment, Polly realised she loved Sam...yes she started calling the Professor Sam in her head too.
Sam also acted strangely but only readers got the clues hehe...Much ado was made by Sam about their 16-year age gap. But as Polly said she felt much older than 20 and she'd make Sam a very good wife! It really depressed her to think of him married to the obviously incompatible Deidre!
SPOILERS
It was so funny to have Sam the Prof walk into Polly's ward; he's a paediatric consultant so that explained his frequent absence from the house!
I loved reading about Polly's time in hospital and how Sam always contrived to drive her here and there. He's very smart to make himself part of Polly's delightful family! I want Polly's parents to adopt me! Even Sam told her mom she'd make a great mother-in-law. Sam's sister and granny were very nice too. This whole book has very warm and cozy family times...contrasting sharply with the time Sam spent with Deidre's family and friends.
I just wish Sam had spoken to Polly about his feelings sooner; how and why Deidre decided to call on Polly and cause mischief, we'll never know. He kept telling Polly they needed to talk, but I don't know what he's waiting for. ..for her to grow up? Maybe he just wasn't sure if his love for Polly was reciprocated?
The biggest clue Sam was serious about Polly was when his granny showed such great interest her at Diana's wedding and insisting on dinner before she went home. Deidre's crass behaviour then was also awkward but we knew later that Sam had already broken the engagement before Diana's wedding!
An overall delightful read.
September 30, 2017
Prior to the professor's surprising-not-surprising career revelation, I was feeling so-so about this book. It still doesn't rank among my favorite, but I liked it more than expected, thanks to entertaining side characters like his sister Diana and Polly's generous family.
Among its shortcomings, Polly has a conversation with an aspiring young female surgeon to fit make any modern female doctor weep with rage:
"'I wonder what happens when you get married--I mean, could you go on being a surgeon and running a house and a husband and children, too?'
Jane blushed. 'Well, I don't suppose so.' She added ingenuously: 'I suppose being a surgeon's wife is the next best thing...'"
I also couldn't ever entirely get past the 36-20 age difference and its slightly creepy overtones. Twenty is SO young -- which Polly shows at times. I'm sure I thought myself quite grown and mature at 20, but you can't help but wish for her to know her own mind a bit more before accepting Sam's advances, charming though he may be.
That notwithstanding, Neels' sly-boots touch with Sam's work gave me more amusement than I expected (though I'd begun to suspect something of the sort). I'd still take this over some of the more claustrophobic, misery-laden tales like A Little Moonlight.
Among its shortcomings, Polly has a conversation with an aspiring young female surgeon to fit make any modern female doctor weep with rage:
"'I wonder what happens when you get married--I mean, could you go on being a surgeon and running a house and a husband and children, too?'
Jane blushed. 'Well, I don't suppose so.' She added ingenuously: 'I suppose being a surgeon's wife is the next best thing...'"
I also couldn't ever entirely get past the 36-20 age difference and its slightly creepy overtones. Twenty is SO young -- which Polly shows at times. I'm sure I thought myself quite grown and mature at 20, but you can't help but wish for her to know her own mind a bit more before accepting Sam's advances, charming though he may be.
That notwithstanding, Neels' sly-boots touch with Sam's work gave me more amusement than I expected (though I'd begun to suspect something of the sort). I'd still take this over some of the more claustrophobic, misery-laden tales like A Little Moonlight.
November 5, 2014
I enjoy her books while I'm reading them but they are all very similar, like rereading the book with different names and places. They have sweet characters in them though that you can't help but root for.
April 13, 2021
this was awful.
1. H is so unlikable
2. no chemistry
3. hardly any interaction. Didnt get why they fell in love
4. didn't also get why the H dragged on his engagement to OW
The only thing I like about this book is the h.
1. H is so unlikable
2. no chemistry
3. hardly any interaction. Didnt get why they fell in love
4. didn't also get why the H dragged on his engagement to OW
The only thing I like about this book is the h.
January 24, 2011
Very relaxing read, lighthearted and basic.
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