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Discovering Daisy
Daisy Gillard leads a quiet life working in her father's antiques shop, until the handsome pediatrician Mr. Jules der Huizma sweeps her away to Holland! It is a secret joy for Daisy that Jules seems to want to spend time with her. But Daisy knows her feelings can't lead anywhere, since Jules is promised to another woman. Still, he is so attentive and charming that Daisy is starting to hope she could become Jules's bride.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
54 people are currently reading
206 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 46 reviews
February 18, 2025
Delightful! Jules and Daisy are excellent lead characters. I love how their relationship develops. It was fun to have the antiques angle too. This one ends a little like the first Betty Neels I ever read (A Christmas Wish) and so that endears it to me especially.
August 19, 2019
Daisy Gillard is an Araminta in appearance. She does have both parents and they remain living through the book. She doesn't have a great deal of money, but she isn't destitute. She didn't really train for a career, but she did begin helping her father in his antique shop. Through reading and on-the-job training, she is very skilled at the art of assessing, purchasing, restoring and selling fine antiques. I was hooked on this premise - I love going antiquing!
Daisy proves to be a delightful heroine. She is pert without being rude; she values good manners, but is never a doormat.
Jules der Huizma is a consultant paediatrician. He meets Daisy while walking the dog on the beach while visiting friends. They like each other right away. Jules has to repeatedly remind himself that he is engaged.
Which brings me to the one issue that I have with this book. Now, I understand the concept of a gentleman not breaking an engagement; I do read historical romances. However, TGB did not live or write in the Regency or Victorian periods. Was this still a commonly-observed rule of etiquette among the upper class in Betty's day? It's pretty clear that if Helene van Tromp hadn't gotten cocky and started dating an American, Jules would have gone ahead and married her and been unhappy ever after.
I loved the scenes with Jules and his mother and the hints he dropped about Daisy, although I actually yelled at the book, "Jules, confide in your mother - that's what mothers are for, for heaven's sake!"
I really, really liked this one. 4 3/4 stars!
Daisy proves to be a delightful heroine. She is pert without being rude; she values good manners, but is never a doormat.
Jules der Huizma is a consultant paediatrician. He meets Daisy while walking the dog on the beach while visiting friends. They like each other right away. Jules has to repeatedly remind himself that he is engaged.
Which brings me to the one issue that I have with this book. Now, I understand the concept of a gentleman not breaking an engagement; I do read historical romances. However, TGB did not live or write in the Regency or Victorian periods. Was this still a commonly-observed rule of etiquette among the upper class in Betty's day? It's pretty clear that if Helene van Tromp hadn't gotten cocky and started dating an American, Jules would have gone ahead and married her and been unhappy ever after.
I loved the scenes with Jules and his mother and the hints he dropped about Daisy, although I actually yelled at the book, "Jules, confide in your mother - that's what mothers are for, for heaven's sake!"
I really, really liked this one. 4 3/4 stars!
February 20, 2025
It's been a while since I've read a Betty book and this was quite charming. The pace was super slow, but both hero and heroine were lovely. She worked with her family in antiques (not a Betty nurse!!) and he was a Dutch pediatrician. A nice change from the Betty trope, but most other things were similar - an annoying fiancé, sweet parents, pets, drab clothing, and lots and lots of food. It also made me laugh quite a few times with a few sappy silly lines. Good 'ol Betty!
March 14, 2015
One of my favorite Betty books. This is one of her nicest Dutch heroes. Jules is not sarcastic nor does he look at Daisy with "cold blue eyes that seem to see right through her" and he is not as reticent as some of her heroes who seem to think that snubbing a girl when she asks a question or two is quite the thing. I also like that you get to read quite a bit of his POV. Very satisfying and sweet.
October 25, 2020
After a couple of lackluster later-day Neels books, DD (1999) was a refreshing return to likable, well-rounded characters and a slow but satisfying romance. It especially helps that we get a lot of hero PoV in this one, avoiding the usual Big Misunderstandings, and showing him to be a good and genuinely nice man who is bound to someone other than the heroine (one of BN's "hero engaged to another woman" stories).
Heroine Daisy is likable, too, and a departure from the usual Neels heroines in that she is neither a waif with no marketable skills nor a nurse. Instead, she is learning the antiques business at her father's shop and spends some time in Amsterdam (with the hero's behind-the-scenes help) learning about the antiques trade from a dealer with whom her father is acquainted. The heroine's knowledge and interest in antiques stands her in good stead in her tours of the hero's homes (the "home tour of eternal love" as another BN reviewer amusingly called it). Daisy is quiet and well-mannered but not a doormat or a pushover, and more than holds her own with the skinny, snide fiancee. The RDD admits to his attraction and then love for Daisy quite early on, and the main conflict in the story is his need to break his engagement honorably (to a degree that is very anachronistic but not unusual for a BN hero).
With the new millennium within touching distance, BN shows some slight signs of modernization in this one: the hero goes grocery shopping, for one thing! The heroine goes nowhere near a knitting or tapestry needle! And she's not obsessed with the thought of marrying at all costs, unlike many a BN heroine before her (no matter how skilled or trained)--Daisy plans on learning the antiques trade and eventually taking over for her dad; marriage is a plus, not a necessity.
But that aside, this is pretty much what I've come to expect from BN, and despite all the familiar elements, she pulled this one off with a freshness that's really remarkable. Even pushing 90, with more than 100 more-alike-than-not romances under her belt, Betty could still strut her stuff.
Heroine Daisy is likable, too, and a departure from the usual Neels heroines in that she is neither a waif with no marketable skills nor a nurse. Instead, she is learning the antiques business at her father's shop and spends some time in Amsterdam (with the hero's behind-the-scenes help) learning about the antiques trade from a dealer with whom her father is acquainted. The heroine's knowledge and interest in antiques stands her in good stead in her tours of the hero's homes (the "home tour of eternal love" as another BN reviewer amusingly called it). Daisy is quiet and well-mannered but not a doormat or a pushover, and more than holds her own with the skinny, snide fiancee. The RDD admits to his attraction and then love for Daisy quite early on, and the main conflict in the story is his need to break his engagement honorably (to a degree that is very anachronistic but not unusual for a BN hero).
With the new millennium within touching distance, BN shows some slight signs of modernization in this one: the hero goes grocery shopping, for one thing! The heroine goes nowhere near a knitting or tapestry needle! And she's not obsessed with the thought of marrying at all costs, unlike many a BN heroine before her (no matter how skilled or trained)--Daisy plans on learning the antiques trade and eventually taking over for her dad; marriage is a plus, not a necessity.
But that aside, this is pretty much what I've come to expect from BN, and despite all the familiar elements, she pulled this one off with a freshness that's really remarkable. Even pushing 90, with more than 100 more-alike-than-not romances under her belt, Betty could still strut her stuff.
November 7, 2017
¿Cómo se resiste una a historias así?
Adoro estas novelas, me hacen sentir bien y eso es lo más importante, más allá de que la trama se repita constantemente. ¿Cómo evitar sentirse identificada con cosas como el amor no correspondido, los robos en la calle, la falta de ropa buena y hombres inalcanzables? ;_;
Adoro estas novelas, me hacen sentir bien y eso es lo más importante, más allá de que la trama se repita constantemente. ¿Cómo evitar sentirse identificada con cosas como el amor no correspondido, los robos en la calle, la falta de ropa buena y hombres inalcanzables? ;_;
March 18, 2025
2.5 stars. I liked the antiques business stuff and the ending was pretty cute, but I don't like plots where one of the characters is engaged to someone else for practically the entire book. Also, for a book written in 1999, the idea of it being ok for a girl to break off an engagement but dishonorable for a guy to do so just seems wildly outdated.
May 25, 2013
4 1/2 stars! One of my most favorites by Betty Neels. I loved the heroine, the hero, the story and a most satisfying delicious OW! This is a bit unique in that you absolutely understand the doctor's motivation, his feelings and his focus.
For those BN fans, I highly recommend!
For those BN fans, I highly recommend!
June 28, 2016
Stories by Betty Neels are often a comfort. Yes, they are quite simple and often I would like to say "really, does the man have to take over so much", but when you just need the fake life to momentarily escape your own current insanity (whatever it be)...stories like this help. Just my opinion. :-)
October 15, 2017
heló aquí,mis primeras cinco estrellas y nada mas y nada menos que para Betty Neels. Esta novelita( gentileza de una avida lectora del genero romántico y quien es mi mentora y descubridora de Betty)conocida también con el título Sentimientos encontrados es una de las muchas novelas que leí de Betty,sin embargo hasta la fecha es LA MEJOR...es la contiene casi todo el dramatismo y sencillez que suelen caracterizar a los relatos de Betty.Creo que esta es buena y también especial porque es casi perfecta.Aveces cuando lees a Betty te pasa que le podes hacer algún reproche o cuestionas algún pasaje pero en este libro encontré todo lo que quería, aunque a diferencia de otros le falto más tazas de té😜si hubo besos y abrazos,un médico de niños(Jules Der Huizma)un compromiso,una heroína(Daisy) en apuros buena sensata y nada bella.en fin,cada libro que he leído de Betty me ha ESTRUJADO el corazón, y me ha hecho sonreír y ser un poquito mas feliz.
July 13, 2012
Someone gave me this harlequin book ... and I really liked the story.
Daisy Gillard wasn't the raving beauty with multi-accomplishments of most romance titles. She was a somewhat mousy, working in her father's antique shop, her world simply a small one. Until a meeting with Jules der Huizma, visiting from Amsterdam ... and even at that point, only quiet undertones let you think something may come of the relationship. Through a series of events, Daisy goes to Holland to make an delivery, and ends up working in an intern capacity with an antiques store temporarily, allowing her relationship with Jules to grow. A different type of romance book, the story develops softly and without the usual passionate episodes and dramas. It proved a sweet and refreshing read.
Daisy Gillard wasn't the raving beauty with multi-accomplishments of most romance titles. She was a somewhat mousy, working in her father's antique shop, her world simply a small one. Until a meeting with Jules der Huizma, visiting from Amsterdam ... and even at that point, only quiet undertones let you think something may come of the relationship. Through a series of events, Daisy goes to Holland to make an delivery, and ends up working in an intern capacity with an antiques store temporarily, allowing her relationship with Jules to grow. A different type of romance book, the story develops softly and without the usual passionate episodes and dramas. It proved a sweet and refreshing read.
May 7, 2009
Okay, so if you've never heard of Betty Neels, don't be put off by the fact that she is a Harlequin romance writer. Her books are entirely sexless and purely romantic. I love them. The girl is usually a regular girl... not necessarily the most gorgeous gal on the block, and the romantic interest is almost always an aloof foreign doctor who tries to not fall in love with the honest, charming, regular girl. They are completely sappy and totally great for when you want to escape into a sweet little love story for an hour or so. Fast reads. LOVE THEM. Apparently I was in the mood for some good old-fashioned romance this week. =)
February 22, 2013
Daisy Gillard was a quiet girl with an eye for antiques, not a great beauty. Jules der Huizma was a dedicated children's doctor who was already engaged to a coldly beautiful, self-centered woman back in Holland. They were merely chance acquaintances with little in common. Yet Jules found himself wishing for more, a life with Daisy. But what about Helene, his fiance?
As I've said before, Betty Neels attracts me because of her use of language. She had a rare talent to use just the right word to set the scene. Gentle situations with a touch of humor and a dollop of mild angst is a hallmark of the late Mrs. Neels' work.
A most pleasant way to spend a few hours.
As I've said before, Betty Neels attracts me because of her use of language. She had a rare talent to use just the right word to set the scene. Gentle situations with a touch of humor and a dollop of mild angst is a hallmark of the late Mrs. Neels' work.
A most pleasant way to spend a few hours.
March 21, 2016
There's something very cozy about sitting down with a Betty Neels romance on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I have read this one, like many of hers, several times. Its a sweet tale with an old-fashioned flavor. Nice.
July 8, 2009
Betty Neels is my go-to comfort read author. I love her stories. This one is no exception.
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October 5, 2020Hızlıca okudum. 2005 yılına göre cinsiyetçi buldum. 😂 "Hayatının en önemli teklifini aldığı için gururluydu. "
Ayrıca şaşırtıcı bir biçimde Çalıkuşu'na benziyordu. 🤔
Ayrıca şaşırtıcı bir biçimde Çalıkuşu'na benziyordu. 🤔
March 24, 2021
Fate
Old school romance, manners and swoon worthy characters, Betty Neels truly knew how to write romance with heart.
She’s a solid go to for me.
It’s a definite yes from me.
Old school romance, manners and swoon worthy characters, Betty Neels truly knew how to write romance with heart.
She’s a solid go to for me.
It’s a definite yes from me.
February 25, 2025
A short but delightful story!
January 11, 2022
3+
After rereading three I thought hm, why not go for five Bettys to start the year and have a good start on my challenge under my belt? So hello, Daisy.
>> "Heart's ease, she thought. That's what I'm feeling."
I'm going to call Daisy an "Araminta outlier." She's plain and plump (with beautiful eyes and dainty hands), kind and practical, useful and composed -- but she's not down on her luck, with terrible family appendages holding her back, or desperate in the Araminta way for marriage against all else.
She's smart and knowledgeable in the antiques trade and glad to learn even more, and make a career of it. She acknowledges that might be a bit lonely, but also isn't beside herself with despair to be A Career Woman (a terrible fate for a Betty heroine).
The plot is gentle and also something of an "Araminta outlier." Jules, the RDD, likes Daisy--and acknowledges he does--quite early on. He's never silky or saying things with a sneer or from under heavily-lidded eyes. He pretty quickly realizes Daisy is the woman for his life, his wife, and future happiness. The hurdle here is he's already engaged to a bony Veronica who only wants his money and claim to some status; an engagement made before Daisy entered his life, when he thought Helene (the Veronica) would suit for reasons nothing to do with a happy home, when Love didn't matter to him.
So now it's up to Jules to figure out how to break the engagement, hope to convince Daisy to love him back -- while fighting that because it isn't the thing, since he's engaged, is it? -- and try to put her out of his mind. Which he simply cannot.
This makes Jules a kinder and more known on-the-page hero for Betty. Betty cleverly tips this off in the first few pages, when she has the horrible and regrettable and easily forgotten Desmond be the one to sneer, in saying 'that preeminent chap firmly believes in frumpy devoted wives and devotion to work enjoying a quiet life' about Jules.
And then moments later, Jules spies Daisy from afar, she piques his sympathy and interest, and so their friendship (and more) begins. Well, well.
They have accidental meetings, and then Jules figures out ways to see her again, and then angles to have Daisy installed in Holland for several months so he can be with her. Including driving Daisy round to see the country, inviting her to the family home, and Jules's mother--doing some gentle meddling of her own--offering Daisy a later visit and treating Daisy to the (usually RDD-led) House Tour of Love.
Jules's mother and dog know Daisy is lovely and meant for him. In this one, it doesn't take the RDD nearly so long to agree.
The whirlwind on the beach is A Moment. Jules must hold Daisy close as they shelter among large rocks, and Daisy considers herself safe and content and you know Jules considers this is his heart's desire, her safe in his arms. No matter the whirlwind and storm.
>> "Mr der Huizma resisted a strong desire to snatch off her chair and carry her off somewhere quiet and tell her that he loved her, but he could see that his desires must take second place to the pork pie. His darling Daisy had obviously not been eating enough to keep a mouse alive."
How can you not be charmed? lol
This RDD is a bit looser than others, although his determination to be honorable in keeping his promise to marry Helene unless given good reason to break it--including her inducement of it--is very reliably Betty. In a book written when this was, modern sensibilities make it so he could simply tell Helene he's realized they aren't right for one another or in love and he must release her, but Jules is somehow all the better for not doing that. And then is rewarded by Helene providing the extremely good reason for them to call everything off.
He matter of fact tells Daisy he loves her over a lovely meal and coffee. Then she mends his heart and bleak picture of his future by revealing certainly she's not engaged and never has been. From there it's only a matter of disentangling from Helene and racing back to claim Daisy, by which time he's a grinning, happy, impatient man about to win his HEA.
He does so in a grocery store, and another cracking bit of prose, where the owner is glad for that nice Daisy to have found love but starts to ring up their cart -- filled while having a back-forth of hesitancy and then declarations -- as business is business, after all.
>> "Tea, to Daisy's relief, wasn't just a cup of weak tea and a tiny biscuit. The tea was a fragrant Assam and there were tiny sandwiches as well as scones and a fruitcake."
After rereading three I thought hm, why not go for five Bettys to start the year and have a good start on my challenge under my belt? So hello, Daisy.
>> "Heart's ease, she thought. That's what I'm feeling."
I'm going to call Daisy an "Araminta outlier." She's plain and plump (with beautiful eyes and dainty hands), kind and practical, useful and composed -- but she's not down on her luck, with terrible family appendages holding her back, or desperate in the Araminta way for marriage against all else.
She's smart and knowledgeable in the antiques trade and glad to learn even more, and make a career of it. She acknowledges that might be a bit lonely, but also isn't beside herself with despair to be A Career Woman (a terrible fate for a Betty heroine).
The plot is gentle and also something of an "Araminta outlier." Jules, the RDD, likes Daisy--and acknowledges he does--quite early on. He's never silky or saying things with a sneer or from under heavily-lidded eyes. He pretty quickly realizes Daisy is the woman for his life, his wife, and future happiness. The hurdle here is he's already engaged to a bony Veronica who only wants his money and claim to some status; an engagement made before Daisy entered his life, when he thought Helene (the Veronica) would suit for reasons nothing to do with a happy home, when Love didn't matter to him.
So now it's up to Jules to figure out how to break the engagement, hope to convince Daisy to love him back -- while fighting that because it isn't the thing, since he's engaged, is it? -- and try to put her out of his mind. Which he simply cannot.
This makes Jules a kinder and more known on-the-page hero for Betty. Betty cleverly tips this off in the first few pages, when she has the horrible and regrettable and easily forgotten Desmond be the one to sneer, in saying 'that preeminent chap firmly believes in frumpy devoted wives and devotion to work enjoying a quiet life' about Jules.
And then moments later, Jules spies Daisy from afar, she piques his sympathy and interest, and so their friendship (and more) begins. Well, well.
They have accidental meetings, and then Jules figures out ways to see her again, and then angles to have Daisy installed in Holland for several months so he can be with her. Including driving Daisy round to see the country, inviting her to the family home, and Jules's mother--doing some gentle meddling of her own--offering Daisy a later visit and treating Daisy to the (usually RDD-led) House Tour of Love.
Jules's mother and dog know Daisy is lovely and meant for him. In this one, it doesn't take the RDD nearly so long to agree.
The whirlwind on the beach is A Moment. Jules must hold Daisy close as they shelter among large rocks, and Daisy considers herself safe and content and you know Jules considers this is his heart's desire, her safe in his arms. No matter the whirlwind and storm.
>> "Mr der Huizma resisted a strong desire to snatch off her chair and carry her off somewhere quiet and tell her that he loved her, but he could see that his desires must take second place to the pork pie. His darling Daisy had obviously not been eating enough to keep a mouse alive."
How can you not be charmed? lol
This RDD is a bit looser than others, although his determination to be honorable in keeping his promise to marry Helene unless given good reason to break it--including her inducement of it--is very reliably Betty. In a book written when this was, modern sensibilities make it so he could simply tell Helene he's realized they aren't right for one another or in love and he must release her, but Jules is somehow all the better for not doing that. And then is rewarded by Helene providing the extremely good reason for them to call everything off.
He matter of fact tells Daisy he loves her over a lovely meal and coffee. Then she mends his heart and bleak picture of his future by revealing certainly she's not engaged and never has been. From there it's only a matter of disentangling from Helene and racing back to claim Daisy, by which time he's a grinning, happy, impatient man about to win his HEA.
He does so in a grocery store, and another cracking bit of prose, where the owner is glad for that nice Daisy to have found love but starts to ring up their cart -- filled while having a back-forth of hesitancy and then declarations -- as business is business, after all.
>> "Tea, to Daisy's relief, wasn't just a cup of weak tea and a tiny biscuit. The tea was a fragrant Assam and there were tiny sandwiches as well as scones and a fruitcake."
January 10, 2022
“They had exchanged barely a dozen words, and yet he had enjoyed every minute of her silent company.”
“Daisy got through her day somehow. She knew how awful it was to live someone who didn’t love you.”
“..sometimes when she looked in a mirror she wondered how it was possible to look exactly the same as usual when one’s heart was broken.”
A typical Neels read but I didn’t much like this one. It gave me butterflies, yes, but the RDD is basically cheating with Daisy. He is engaged for goodness’ sake! It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t love his fiancée or that his fiancée doesn’t love him as well, it’s still cheating because they are engaged. This is what disappoints me when I read Betty’s books where the hero is not single because sometimes she makes an adulteress out of her heroine. As if it justifies the bad character of the other woman, well, guess what, it doesn’t! Betty’s heroes are sometimes not that much of a gentleman, they are just a bunch of selfish cowards who can’t even admit his feelings to the girl he loves and makes her suffer up to the last chapter.
Hmm okay that was a bit heavy. 😂
*shakes head*
“Daisy got through her day somehow. She knew how awful it was to live someone who didn’t love you.”
“..sometimes when she looked in a mirror she wondered how it was possible to look exactly the same as usual when one’s heart was broken.”
A typical Neels read but I didn’t much like this one. It gave me butterflies, yes, but the RDD is basically cheating with Daisy. He is engaged for goodness’ sake! It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t love his fiancée or that his fiancée doesn’t love him as well, it’s still cheating because they are engaged. This is what disappoints me when I read Betty’s books where the hero is not single because sometimes she makes an adulteress out of her heroine. As if it justifies the bad character of the other woman, well, guess what, it doesn’t! Betty’s heroes are sometimes not that much of a gentleman, they are just a bunch of selfish cowards who can’t even admit his feelings to the girl he loves and makes her suffer up to the last chapter.
Hmm okay that was a bit heavy. 😂
*shakes head*
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July 27, 2011Daisy Gillard leads a quiet, sedate life working in her father's antique shop. She is small, plain, and unassuming. After the man she had been seeing, half in love with, treated her cruelly and left her, she vowed to avoid all men. But Jules der Huizma is a man who seems to keep popping up at all times.
Jules is already engaged to a woman he doesn't love, but feels committed to. Meeting Daisy brought out how much was missing from the relationship between him and Helene. Trying to not spend time with Daisy proved beyond him, but he was unsure of her feelings, even knowing he loved her. He also needed to deal with Helene.
Daisy worked to further her knowledge of antiques, and to come to terms with the fact that she would never marry, especially not Jules, even though she loved him.
A very sweet and romantic story.
Jules is already engaged to a woman he doesn't love, but feels committed to. Meeting Daisy brought out how much was missing from the relationship between him and Helene. Trying to not spend time with Daisy proved beyond him, but he was unsure of her feelings, even knowing he loved her. He also needed to deal with Helene.
Daisy worked to further her knowledge of antiques, and to come to terms with the fact that she would never marry, especially not Jules, even though she loved him.
A very sweet and romantic story.
August 30, 2010
I loved this one! Rich Dutch Doctor Jules falls in love with Daisy at (almost) first sight. But (Oh Noes!!)he is engaged to Helene. But he can't get Daisy off his mind. She is likewise interested, but...he's engaged and she doesn't poach another woman's guy. But wait--his mom like Daisy ever so much more that Helene(who just wants him for his money and doesn't understand him at all).
Of course it all works out in the end. Did you have any doubts?
Typical Neels romance, with a lovely heroine, a charming RDD. Great fun.
Of course it all works out in the end. Did you have any doubts?
Typical Neels romance, with a lovely heroine, a charming RDD. Great fun.
June 11, 2016
Not a Book That Can't Be Put Down
If it hadn't been for the ending, "Discovering Daisy" would have earned barely three stars! Found the characters to be made of cardboard, with little of interest otherwise. Cute ending, though.
If it hadn't been for the ending, "Discovering Daisy" would have earned barely three stars! Found the characters to be made of cardboard, with little of interest otherwise. Cute ending, though.
September 11, 2016
I always love a Betty Neels book. Easy read, nothing too difficult, but still enjoyable.
December 7, 2016
Star Rating: ★★½☆☆
November 12, 2012
Dull and drab...:(
October 20, 2024
The reason for the two stars is how self-centred people seem to be and it’s not BN’s fault. She portrays them accurately enough but it’s off putting nevertheless: the professor being aware of his feelings for the plain antique shop owner, and clearly unsuitable, heroine, did his best to persuade his fiancée to marry him before his trip to Africa so that he could be saved from temptation. That having failed he went to the h’s shop before leaving for said trip to kiss her goodbye and ask her if she’d miss him, then he reasoned to himself that not having been kissed much before she’d probably think it was the way everyone said goodbye and figured she’d either marry someone else or stay single for the rest of her life. The unspoken thought of because she’s plain hovering over this and all his interactions with her throughout the book.. It wasn’t the sort of romance you’d open a book to read about. In the end he’s driven by circumstances to break his engagement with his fiancée, whom he discovered in flagrante delicto, the act being confessing to her rich American lover that she intended to go back and forth between the socially superior rich aristocratic professor and the rich and fun Californian lover. And when the professor came out in the open to give her to understand nothing of the sort was going to happen the rich American struck while it was hot and it was him who carried the day.
Another star deducted here because BN always makes sure the nasty other women would always land on their feet as opposed to her heroines who seem to always need to go through the trials of Hercules before getting their sometimes dubious happily ever afters. But Daisy is a refreshingly sweet, sensible and daring heroine. She’s one of the BN heroines who, had she been born a half century later would have thrived, she’d be independent, she’d travel, she’d have a career, and she’d surely find someone who’d sincerely appreciate her, instead of being forced to succumb to his love for her.
Another star deducted here because BN always makes sure the nasty other women would always land on their feet as opposed to her heroines who seem to always need to go through the trials of Hercules before getting their sometimes dubious happily ever afters. But Daisy is a refreshingly sweet, sensible and daring heroine. She’s one of the BN heroines who, had she been born a half century later would have thrived, she’d be independent, she’d travel, she’d have a career, and she’d surely find someone who’d sincerely appreciate her, instead of being forced to succumb to his love for her.
March 23, 2021
this has frustrated me the most out of all BN's books. H keeps kissing the h/seeing her/taking her somewhere even he was already engaged to a woman whom he claims to be somewhat in love with. I mean ok the OW was such b***h but still they were in a committed relationship. This bothers me so much because it feels like he's dangling both women. In the latter part of the book, H obviously has fallen in love with h but he was still engaged. There were so many opportunities to talk to OW to break off the engagement but he doesn't do it? because he is honorable? But all the same kissing the h. And from what I understood in this shitty book..if Daisy our heroine loves him he will talk to OW about ending the engagement if not, he will go ahead with the marriage even if he was unhappy because AGAIN he is honorable. But in the end, H found out that OW was cheating on him, the engagement ended, H goes to h yada yada, and then HEA.
Sorry, Betty gotta give this 1 star. This book literally sucks!
Sorry, Betty gotta give this 1 star. This book literally sucks!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2022
This is such a sweet little story, I found it to be a very enjoyable read. The hero Jules was a superb gentleman with no airs about him even after being an eminent paediatrician. Heroine Daisy works for her father in their antique shop in England and meets Jules who comes to buy some antiques. They end up meeting several times in England and Holland. Jules is engaged to Helene who is after his money and position. Though Daisy is most ordinary looking Jules cannot help but fall in love with her simplicity humbleness and friendliness. He clearly sees the mistake he will do in marrying Helene .
In course of time Daisy too falls for Jules but she hides her feelings as Jules is engaged. Helene spares no chance to show to Daisy how different her world is from Jules who is very rich but finally Jules comes out of his engagement and confesses his love to Daisy in a supermarket and the story ends on a happy note.
The only drawback with all of BN novels is the ending is hurried up with hardly a proper love confession and a good ending still i found this to be an enjoyable read.
In course of time Daisy too falls for Jules but she hides her feelings as Jules is engaged. Helene spares no chance to show to Daisy how different her world is from Jules who is very rich but finally Jules comes out of his engagement and confesses his love to Daisy in a supermarket and the story ends on a happy note.
The only drawback with all of BN novels is the ending is hurried up with hardly a proper love confession and a good ending still i found this to be an enjoyable read.
October 14, 2018
A most satisfying story
I only have to read the author to know that I will love the story. In this story they both have a dawning love and appreciation for one another.
The story unfolds at an unhurried pace, and Betty Neels, take us with them to real places in Holland, eating lovely meals and visiting lovely old houses.
One is gently educated about the food, customs, buildings of interest, that at the end of the story leaves you with a desire to visit her Holland so you can continue the story yourself. A thoroughly Happy Ever After story, I can't get enough of her mind of stories.
My one big wish I is that more of her books were put into audible form, as an older reader I love having my reading matter read to me, I have all available, but still many more could be adapted? More please!
I only have to read the author to know that I will love the story. In this story they both have a dawning love and appreciation for one another.
The story unfolds at an unhurried pace, and Betty Neels, take us with them to real places in Holland, eating lovely meals and visiting lovely old houses.
One is gently educated about the food, customs, buildings of interest, that at the end of the story leaves you with a desire to visit her Holland so you can continue the story yourself. A thoroughly Happy Ever After story, I can't get enough of her mind of stories.
My one big wish I is that more of her books were put into audible form, as an older reader I love having my reading matter read to me, I have all available, but still many more could be adapted? More please!
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