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A Girl in a Million
"I'm not aware that I am restricted in my actions by anyone or anything." Arrogant, rich and devastatingly attractive, Marius van Houben was the sort of man who was used to getting his own way.
He certainly wasn't prepared for Caroline's plainspoken, commonsense approach. After all, as a student nurse, both qualities were an asset…if only Marius thought the same!
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
97 people are currently reading
362 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 48 reviews
July 16, 2015
Betty Neels. British author. The great dame of medical romances. Born in 1909, she oughta had stock in Mills and Boon. She's written oodles of these things! More than 100, and all after she retired from nursing. Clean stories, profanity free (mostly) and sex free. This particular romance was first published in 1993, and later released in digital format.
In Betty's world of romance, every hero is a rich Dutch doctor and every heroine loves nothing better than waking at sunrise, puttering in the garden, and keeping cats. Usually, her heroines are plain janes and poor as church mice. Often, they are nurses. (Never doctors!)
********************
Marius van Houben is Dutch, but also has a home in England, as a consultant doctor. He is rich, handsome, debonaire, and accustomed to getting his way. Accustomed to fawning females.
Caroline doesn't fawn. She's a plainspoken, plain-faced and stubborn-willed nursing student. At first meeting, she falls down some steps outside his home while on holiday in Amsterdam. Marius takes her inside to patch her up. Then he forgets about her.
But later...when his nephew Marc (adorable 3-year-old) becomes very sick, he makes Caroline nurse him. Makes her come to Holland, to nurse him some more.
He falls in love with her, but is too thick to realize it. His dog knows it before he does! So he's clueless. Until she gets measles (Koplik's Spots). Wherein he finds her spotty face the most beautiful on earth. Why, she's a girl in a million! LOL!
But he thinks it's too late. Thinks she has become engaged to another. To a fellow doctor, no less! How he broods. What a mood he's in, bending his dog's ear late into the night, totally lovelorn.
Happy but rushed ending. With Neels, we're happy if we get a passionate embrace.
See this clever review, at the Neels website: http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.com/2...
In Betty's world of romance, every hero is a rich Dutch doctor and every heroine loves nothing better than waking at sunrise, puttering in the garden, and keeping cats. Usually, her heroines are plain janes and poor as church mice. Often, they are nurses. (Never doctors!)
********************
Marius van Houben is Dutch, but also has a home in England, as a consultant doctor. He is rich, handsome, debonaire, and accustomed to getting his way. Accustomed to fawning females.
Caroline doesn't fawn. She's a plainspoken, plain-faced and stubborn-willed nursing student. At first meeting, she falls down some steps outside his home while on holiday in Amsterdam. Marius takes her inside to patch her up. Then he forgets about her.
But later...when his nephew Marc (adorable 3-year-old) becomes very sick, he makes Caroline nurse him. Makes her come to Holland, to nurse him some more.
He falls in love with her, but is too thick to realize it. His dog knows it before he does! So he's clueless. Until she gets measles (Koplik's Spots). Wherein he finds her spotty face the most beautiful on earth. Why, she's a girl in a million! LOL!
But he thinks it's too late. Thinks she has become engaged to another. To a fellow doctor, no less! How he broods. What a mood he's in, bending his dog's ear late into the night, totally lovelorn.
Happy but rushed ending. With Neels, we're happy if we get a passionate embrace.
See this clever review, at the Neels website: http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.com/2...
June 19, 2016
Student nurse Caroline holidays in Amsterdam and drops off a book as a favour to a colleague. The receiver is big handsome Marius van Houben. She is so immediately struck down by his masculine charms that she falls over in the gutter outside his house.
He brings her inside for a bit of first aid and to advise her to comb her hair. He’s not at all invested in her – she’s plain and cheaply dressed. And has messy hair.
Back at the hospital, Caroline is still thinking about Marius. Her friends all sort of imply that she was hopeless to not flirt with him, or dress better. She needs to be the sort of girl a man takes out to a fancy restaurant, or she’ll never get a boyfriend. Caroline suspects this is true, but what is a shy girl with limited funds and no hairspray to do? When he shows up on the ward as star anaesthesiologist, and uncle to a comatose little boy, they meet again.
And keep meeting, as only sensible Caroline can properly nurse the comatose little boy back to health.
All the way through reading this book, I thought it was set in the early 1970s. I was really sure when Caroline goes shopping for slightly nicer clothes, but still can’t come at a mini skirt. It was actually published in 1993. The whole hospital setting had this air of being 50s era. It all feels very hierarchical, there seemed to be enough time in the day to have tea breaks and regular meals. In fact, when there weren’t tea breaks or regular meals, it was almost apocalyptic in tone. No nurse must go more than 3 hours without a break! Perhaps it was a sign of a properly unionised workplace. Certainly, what I’ve mostly avoided in not watching any US TV shows set around hospitals, is how everything is always heaps urgent. There’s always gunman invading the hospital and the place getting shut down with plague, and turning homeless people away because they don’t have insurance, and medical staff getting it on in the supply closet, or selling drugs in the alley behind the hospital to fuel their gambling addiction. There is no way any of that is going on at Caroline’s hospital. Matron wouldn’t stand for it.
Everyone was very English (unless of course they were Dutch). I imagined the nurses were wearing those big origami style hat things and the patient beds were wooden and in long rows in an echoing hall, and some medical person might show up at any moment to strap you down and saw your arm off, just because. So while I initially thought it was comfortable and old fashioned, and people just lay around and got better or died, realising it could suddenly turn into the random amputation hospital made it terribly shadowy and frightening, probably more so than a US TV hospital. Which is why I like English authors, because you don’t always realise that everything’s getting really dramatic until it suddenly slaps you silly. And then you’re all, where did that torrent of violent emotion come from? I thought they were just going to have a Pims and listen to the gramophone?
The old fashioned feel may be down to the fact that Neels has been a writer for far longer than she’s been a nurse. Certainly, a Sarah Morgan hospital has a very different feel. I also didn’t think anyone has been very much in awe of anaesthetics for ages, because I had the impression they were easy medicine, and most of the time we’re all just lucky we wake up, or lucky we don’t wake up while being operated on. I read about that once, it sounded like a horror novel. I also read that no one really understands how drugs make us unconscious, although since I can’t remember any more than that headline, it’s really not sufficient for me to hold an informed opinion on anaesthesiologists. Plus, I really don’t do medical stuff, and even though I’ve read Sarah Morgan’s hospital books, I tend to vague out when she talks diagnosis and treatment.
I do have an informed opinion on Dutch men, as in I have some in my family. I know Neels thinks they make awesome heroes, but I’ve avoided her for years because I really could not think about them that way. I did really like Marius. He’s like this old fuddy duddy man who likes the company of sexy young girls, but realises that if he thinks about it too deeply, he’ll have to face the fact that he’s kind of a creep. He spends most of the novel alternately forgetting Caroline exists, and wondering why he’s thinking about her when she’s such a little plainy pants. I completely approved of him feeling guilty about being old when he realises he definitely wants to get in those pants. I chose to find this endearing and funny, rather than unromantic and chilling.
Caroline has this very sturdy personality with a wildly romantic streak … I liked her despite thinking she was throwing away the poetry of her soul on an old guy.
He brings her inside for a bit of first aid and to advise her to comb her hair. He’s not at all invested in her – she’s plain and cheaply dressed. And has messy hair.
Back at the hospital, Caroline is still thinking about Marius. Her friends all sort of imply that she was hopeless to not flirt with him, or dress better. She needs to be the sort of girl a man takes out to a fancy restaurant, or she’ll never get a boyfriend. Caroline suspects this is true, but what is a shy girl with limited funds and no hairspray to do? When he shows up on the ward as star anaesthesiologist, and uncle to a comatose little boy, they meet again.
And keep meeting, as only sensible Caroline can properly nurse the comatose little boy back to health.
All the way through reading this book, I thought it was set in the early 1970s. I was really sure when Caroline goes shopping for slightly nicer clothes, but still can’t come at a mini skirt. It was actually published in 1993. The whole hospital setting had this air of being 50s era. It all feels very hierarchical, there seemed to be enough time in the day to have tea breaks and regular meals. In fact, when there weren’t tea breaks or regular meals, it was almost apocalyptic in tone. No nurse must go more than 3 hours without a break! Perhaps it was a sign of a properly unionised workplace. Certainly, what I’ve mostly avoided in not watching any US TV shows set around hospitals, is how everything is always heaps urgent. There’s always gunman invading the hospital and the place getting shut down with plague, and turning homeless people away because they don’t have insurance, and medical staff getting it on in the supply closet, or selling drugs in the alley behind the hospital to fuel their gambling addiction. There is no way any of that is going on at Caroline’s hospital. Matron wouldn’t stand for it.
Everyone was very English (unless of course they were Dutch). I imagined the nurses were wearing those big origami style hat things and the patient beds were wooden and in long rows in an echoing hall, and some medical person might show up at any moment to strap you down and saw your arm off, just because. So while I initially thought it was comfortable and old fashioned, and people just lay around and got better or died, realising it could suddenly turn into the random amputation hospital made it terribly shadowy and frightening, probably more so than a US TV hospital. Which is why I like English authors, because you don’t always realise that everything’s getting really dramatic until it suddenly slaps you silly. And then you’re all, where did that torrent of violent emotion come from? I thought they were just going to have a Pims and listen to the gramophone?
The old fashioned feel may be down to the fact that Neels has been a writer for far longer than she’s been a nurse. Certainly, a Sarah Morgan hospital has a very different feel. I also didn’t think anyone has been very much in awe of anaesthetics for ages, because I had the impression they were easy medicine, and most of the time we’re all just lucky we wake up, or lucky we don’t wake up while being operated on. I read about that once, it sounded like a horror novel. I also read that no one really understands how drugs make us unconscious, although since I can’t remember any more than that headline, it’s really not sufficient for me to hold an informed opinion on anaesthesiologists. Plus, I really don’t do medical stuff, and even though I’ve read Sarah Morgan’s hospital books, I tend to vague out when she talks diagnosis and treatment.
I do have an informed opinion on Dutch men, as in I have some in my family. I know Neels thinks they make awesome heroes, but I’ve avoided her for years because I really could not think about them that way. I did really like Marius. He’s like this old fuddy duddy man who likes the company of sexy young girls, but realises that if he thinks about it too deeply, he’ll have to face the fact that he’s kind of a creep. He spends most of the novel alternately forgetting Caroline exists, and wondering why he’s thinking about her when she’s such a little plainy pants. I completely approved of him feeling guilty about being old when he realises he definitely wants to get in those pants. I chose to find this endearing and funny, rather than unromantic and chilling.
Caroline has this very sturdy personality with a wildly romantic streak … I liked her despite thinking she was throwing away the poetry of her soul on an old guy.
October 12, 2020
Such a good one from Betty--no bombs or crashes in this one, and really no high drama, even the slight OM drama is muted and quickly revealed to be a small misunderstanding. The story is like the heroine--quiet, unassuming, and absolutely delightful. I'm hardly unbiased--I love Betty and I forgive her things that I would fume at from another author: her sexism; her managing, overbearing heroes. Her particular magic is that she makes me believe in the love between her MCs and in the essential goodness of most people. Me! Cynical me! That is magic.
I also love how in the midst of BN"s ridiculous, anachronistic fairy tales, so "British," so old-fashioned and comforting and bucolic, the real world intrudes, with road accidents and horrible injuries, sick children and abusive parents, muggers and bombs--just a day at work for BN's nurses and doctors and matters they deal with sensibly, skillfully, caringly. And somehow that touch of grit and darkness just enhances the escapism of the romances she writes. It's really pretty astonishing, and I don't do justice to BN's wonderful ability to balance the sweet and light with those dark touches of the real world.
AGiaM, in particular, won my heart with its pacing and its details: The gradual and touching way in which the baffled hero comes to acknowledge that he cannot get the ordinary girl with the beautiful eyes out of his head, gradually coming to realize that he's lost his heart to her. His amusing conversations with his rescue pup about her. The way he comes to think of her as "his Caroline." The likable heroine, who is doing her level best to try to keep the unattainable (she thinks) hero out of her head even though she knows she's also lost her heart to the handsome RDD.
In particular, though, both Marius and Caroline were just so likable, so real, so right for one another. Their coming together was just charming and oh-so-satisfying.
I also love how in the midst of BN"s ridiculous, anachronistic fairy tales, so "British," so old-fashioned and comforting and bucolic, the real world intrudes, with road accidents and horrible injuries, sick children and abusive parents, muggers and bombs--just a day at work for BN's nurses and doctors and matters they deal with sensibly, skillfully, caringly. And somehow that touch of grit and darkness just enhances the escapism of the romances she writes. It's really pretty astonishing, and I don't do justice to BN's wonderful ability to balance the sweet and light with those dark touches of the real world.
AGiaM, in particular, won my heart with its pacing and its details: The gradual and touching way in which the baffled hero comes to acknowledge that he cannot get the ordinary girl with the beautiful eyes out of his head, gradually coming to realize that he's lost his heart to her. His amusing conversations with his rescue pup about her. The way he comes to think of her as "his Caroline." The likable heroine, who is doing her level best to try to keep the unattainable (she thinks) hero out of her head even though she knows she's also lost her heart to the handsome RDD.
In particular, though, both Marius and Caroline were just so likable, so real, so right for one another. Their coming together was just charming and oh-so-satisfying.
February 17, 2017
Caroline Frisby, orphan and trainee nurse, is on holiday in Amsterdam with her only relative, Aunt Meg. As a favor to another student nurse, she delivers a package to a lovely house beside a canal just off the Herengracht. As she is leaving, a dark blue Bentley pulls up, catching her attention. She falls and gets some scrapes and bruises. A tall, blond, handsome man gets out of the Bentley, helps her us, takes her inside the house, introduces himself as Marius van Houben, and tends to her injuries.
End of holiday, back to work. Except, she can’t stop thinking about Mr. van Houben. And guess who shows up at the hospital one day? Of course. Mr. van Houben is a renowned anesthetist who travels all over.
Marius’s young nephew has a brain injury and Caroline is assign as his special nurse. She is a caring, devoted nurse, so when little Marc recovers enough to go home, his parents ask Marius to arrange for Caroline to accompany them home to Holland.
Marius tries to dismiss Caroline as plain and probably uninteresting, but as work continues to throw them together, he finds he can’t stop thinking about her. She has discovered that she is in love with him but is determined not to let him see how she feels. Once Marius realizes he loves Caroline, he’s pretty straightforward about pursuing her, except when he mistakenly thinks Caroline is dating one of the house doctors. Once he realizes they are just friends, he makes his move.
He comes to the Casualty Dept where she is working and when she asks what he wants, he says, “You.” Caroline says that she is likely just a passing fancy. Marius tells her, “My dear, darling girl, most certainly I fancy you, I have indeed fancied you for some time and have no doubt of it, I shall continue to do so for the rest of my life. Moreover I’m in love with you, and life without you does not bear contemplation.” He suggests going to Aunt Meg’s and then to see a “rather worthy bishop” to get a special license.
This is standard TGB comfort food, like a creamy mac-n-cheese. What does make this one rather special is that we see quite a lot of Marius’s viewpoint. His conversations with Neptune, the dog rescued from a canal, are really adorable. After he proposes, he tells Caroline that he had promised Neptune he would bring her back home as soon as possible. So cute!
End of holiday, back to work. Except, she can’t stop thinking about Mr. van Houben. And guess who shows up at the hospital one day? Of course. Mr. van Houben is a renowned anesthetist who travels all over.
Marius’s young nephew has a brain injury and Caroline is assign as his special nurse. She is a caring, devoted nurse, so when little Marc recovers enough to go home, his parents ask Marius to arrange for Caroline to accompany them home to Holland.
Marius tries to dismiss Caroline as plain and probably uninteresting, but as work continues to throw them together, he finds he can’t stop thinking about her. She has discovered that she is in love with him but is determined not to let him see how she feels. Once Marius realizes he loves Caroline, he’s pretty straightforward about pursuing her, except when he mistakenly thinks Caroline is dating one of the house doctors. Once he realizes they are just friends, he makes his move.
He comes to the Casualty Dept where she is working and when she asks what he wants, he says, “You.” Caroline says that she is likely just a passing fancy. Marius tells her, “My dear, darling girl, most certainly I fancy you, I have indeed fancied you for some time and have no doubt of it, I shall continue to do so for the rest of my life. Moreover I’m in love with you, and life without you does not bear contemplation.” He suggests going to Aunt Meg’s and then to see a “rather worthy bishop” to get a special license.
This is standard TGB comfort food, like a creamy mac-n-cheese. What does make this one rather special is that we see quite a lot of Marius’s viewpoint. His conversations with Neptune, the dog rescued from a canal, are really adorable. After he proposes, he tells Caroline that he had promised Neptune he would bring her back home as soon as possible. So cute!
January 30, 2019
What can I say, I love to read Betty Neels' books. When I need something sweet and easy, her books help me to loosen up.
About the book, it was nice to read hero's feelings and thoughts. Usually in a Betty Neels' book, we follow the progress from heroine's pov and daily events MC's attended to.
A few times, it was mentioned that hero couldn't understand why his mind occupies with heroine, even though she's not a beauty etc.
It was fun to watch how he fell in love with the heroine.
I think, contemporary writers should check Ms Neels' books to comprehend how to develop a slowly building romance and how to write a few daily chores without being bored, yet adding reality to the tehir story.
However more or less author's books' similar story development, I still love to read her books and I hope, I'll have the time to finish all of her products.
I'm really grateful my GRs friend Linda to introduce the author to me.
About the book, it was nice to read hero's feelings and thoughts. Usually in a Betty Neels' book, we follow the progress from heroine's pov and daily events MC's attended to.
A few times, it was mentioned that hero couldn't understand why his mind occupies with heroine, even though she's not a beauty etc.
It was fun to watch how he fell in love with the heroine.
I think, contemporary writers should check Ms Neels' books to comprehend how to develop a slowly building romance and how to write a few daily chores without being bored, yet adding reality to the tehir story.
However more or less author's books' similar story development, I still love to read her books and I hope, I'll have the time to finish all of her products.
I'm really grateful my GRs friend Linda to introduce the author to me.
April 22, 2014
This book is billed as the "The Best of Betty Neels," but I assume by "Best" Harlequin means "Easiest for us to transfer to digital." Because this book is far from best of anything. I can't believe it was originally published in 1993. The dynamic of the relationship, the medical details, the attitude of the secondary characters, are all more like 1953 than 1993.
Our introduction to the heroine is when she falls down some steps and injures herself while on holiday in Amsterdam. The Dutch hero is there to scoop her up (she's outside his house when she falls) and takes her inside to clean her up. He examines her and then produces gauze, bandages, and some ointment from a black bag on his desk to dress her wound. Amazingly, that is not enough information for the nursing-student heroine to tumble to the fact that the hero is a doctor. Not a good sign. This very brief encounter--they exchange about thirty words--is enough for the heroine, Caroline, to become completely obsessed with the hero, Marius van Houben, for no reason that I could figure out. The hero comes across as arrogant and manipulative throughout the book, using Caroline for her skills and ignoring her as a person. In fact, it is the 67% mark of the digital edition before he feels "a faint stirring of interest" toward her. Thrilling. She of course, falls in love with him well before that, but again, for no reason that I could discern. Given the difference in age and status between them, it seems more like a girl's crush on her teacher than anything. In fact, I have no idea why either of them falls for the other--other than that it's a romance novel and that's what they're supposed to do. Since he's a wealthy, sought-after doctor and she's a struggling student he dresses down for daring to think she can finish eating before jumping to carry out his wishes, the romance was bound to be uneven, but the way the author portrays the heroine makes it even worse. She seems like a rather clueless child most of the time in constant need of rescue and/or direction from him.
To add to the annoyance factor, the digital transfer seems inadequate. Even though Marius van Houben is an anaesthetist, he's consistently referred to as Mr Van Houben, even in scenes in his point of view or in the hospital:
Our introduction to the heroine is when she falls down some steps and injures herself while on holiday in Amsterdam. The Dutch hero is there to scoop her up (she's outside his house when she falls) and takes her inside to clean her up. He examines her and then produces gauze, bandages, and some ointment from a black bag on his desk to dress her wound. Amazingly, that is not enough information for the nursing-student heroine to tumble to the fact that the hero is a doctor. Not a good sign. This very brief encounter--they exchange about thirty words--is enough for the heroine, Caroline, to become completely obsessed with the hero, Marius van Houben, for no reason that I could figure out. The hero comes across as arrogant and manipulative throughout the book, using Caroline for her skills and ignoring her as a person. In fact, it is the 67% mark of the digital edition before he feels "a faint stirring of interest" toward her. Thrilling. She of course, falls in love with him well before that, but again, for no reason that I could discern. Given the difference in age and status between them, it seems more like a girl's crush on her teacher than anything. In fact, I have no idea why either of them falls for the other--other than that it's a romance novel and that's what they're supposed to do. Since he's a wealthy, sought-after doctor and she's a struggling student he dresses down for daring to think she can finish eating before jumping to carry out his wishes, the romance was bound to be uneven, but the way the author portrays the heroine makes it even worse. She seems like a rather clueless child most of the time in constant need of rescue and/or direction from him.
To add to the annoyance factor, the digital transfer seems inadequate. Even though Marius van Houben is an anaesthetist, he's consistently referred to as Mr Van Houben, even in scenes in his point of view or in the hospital:
It was Staff Nurse who told her later that the child in the side-room was to be operated on that evening. 'That's why Mr van Houben came--he's a wizard with anaesthetics.'I suspect nearly all the instances of "Mr van Houben" (278 of them) are supposed to be "Dr van Houben." Pretty careless, if so. I hope Harlequin has transferred some older Betty Neels titles to digital, because I would like to read the work she produced when she was in her prime. I know she was a favorite author of many romance fans--my grandmother among them--but it's hard to understand why from this particular offering.
September 3, 2013
Another feel good book by Betty Neels. There is one thing that bugs me about her books though. Why do all her lead female characters have to be almost ugly, not plain, not average, but to the point that everyone says to their face, you have no look but you are a good person?
December 18, 2014
4.5 stars
Another amazing feel-good book by Betty Neels! I loved this one so much, I loved the heroine and her kindness and caring nature, I loved how the hero couldn't get her out of his mind and kept making excuses to take her out, and most of all, I loved little Marc. He was such a dear! <3 I loved the relationship between Marc and Caroline.
Th only thing that put me off and disappointed me was how short and hurried the ending was. It wasn't enough! Betty's endings are never quite up to the mark. When she asks him That was the main reason why the ending seemed so hurried.
But since I enjoyed the rest of the book so much, I'm giving it a 4.5 star rating.
Betty Neels FTW!
Another amazing feel-good book by Betty Neels! I loved this one so much, I loved the heroine and her kindness and caring nature, I loved how the hero couldn't get her out of his mind and kept making excuses to take her out, and most of all, I loved little Marc. He was such a dear! <3 I loved the relationship between Marc and Caroline.
Th only thing that put me off and disappointed me was how short and hurried the ending was. It wasn't enough! Betty's endings are never quite up to the mark. When she asks him That was the main reason why the ending seemed so hurried.
But since I enjoyed the rest of the book so much, I'm giving it a 4.5 star rating.
Betty Neels FTW!
October 10, 2024
This is a very nice Neels book, one where both MC's are pleasant people. Our heroine is an orphaned nursing student who lives with her Aunt, the hero a RD anesthetist with a female cousin who works with the heroine. (Despite what the description says, I didn't find him arrogant at all. Simply preoccupied at first.) There's no nasty OW or terrible parent causing trouble, just two people who don't think they have anything in common spending time together and gradually falling in love. Sometimes I really want to spend time with pleasant grownups and be quietly entertained, and this book worked quite well.
February 18, 2023
This is definitely a different Betty in some ways. It’s unusual with the Bettys I’ve read for the hero to be oblivious to his feelings for so long. At first, Marius is only connected to Caroline through her nursing of his small nephew, Marc, and it seems to be only that for quite a while. We get glimpses of Marius’s perspective and I think it is over halfway before he finally realizes he loves Caroline. Two things help with that: Caroline’s supposed connection to Robert Brewster and her getting the measles and needing support and protection. I thought it was particularly sweet how Marius cared for her in her illness.
Caroline is a student nurse and she gets transferred to the children’s ward early in the story where she clearly excels. I loved the details of her nursing the children under her care. She has a natural gentleness with the children that Betty describes beautifully. I love the relationship she develops with Marc, and I love that she’ll get to be his aunt!
I enjoyed the part Marius’s cousin and Caroline’s fellow student nurse Corinna plays. She’s a matchmaker but a clever one and knows how to lightly manipulate Marius in regards to Caroline. I also enjoyed the head of Children’s, Sister Crump. A delightful name and a savvy nurse and observer. I love her training of Caroline and the good relationship they develop between them.
Though this was written in the 90s, it seems that married women weren’t nurses. I don’t know if that was actually true or if it was just an old-fashioned Betty-ism, but that note at the end rang sour for a 21st century reader. Marius rather highhandedly smooths the way for Caroline to drop out of nursing school so she can marry him and beget many children. Of course, it’s obvious she’ll be a wonderful wife and mother, but she’s also such a good nurse. I am sad that she has to drop that part of her personhood.
Oh, and Aunt Meg was a great character!
Caroline is a student nurse and she gets transferred to the children’s ward early in the story where she clearly excels. I loved the details of her nursing the children under her care. She has a natural gentleness with the children that Betty describes beautifully. I love the relationship she develops with Marc, and I love that she’ll get to be his aunt!
I enjoyed the part Marius’s cousin and Caroline’s fellow student nurse Corinna plays. She’s a matchmaker but a clever one and knows how to lightly manipulate Marius in regards to Caroline. I also enjoyed the head of Children’s, Sister Crump. A delightful name and a savvy nurse and observer. I love her training of Caroline and the good relationship they develop between them.
Though this was written in the 90s, it seems that married women weren’t nurses. I don’t know if that was actually true or if it was just an old-fashioned Betty-ism, but that note at the end rang sour for a 21st century reader. Marius rather highhandedly smooths the way for Caroline to drop out of nursing school so she can marry him and beget many children. Of course, it’s obvious she’ll be a wonderful wife and mother, but she’s also such a good nurse. I am sad that she has to drop that part of her personhood.
Oh, and Aunt Meg was a great character!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2021
This was such a wonderful book, I remember reading it 20 years ago and has found it to be so sweet and felt the same this time around. There is not much of a story in this book but the sheer narrative makes it very interesting and the scenes are all very well described.
We all can relate with the heroine Caroline and the feelings she goes through when she meets the handsome doctor Van houben . I liked the way her character progresses and her hardworking nature and simplicity which makes her a girl in a million for our hero. This is a clean neat romance which will appeal to any lover of romantic stories , highly recommended and looking forward to reading more books by Betty Neels
We all can relate with the heroine Caroline and the feelings she goes through when she meets the handsome doctor Van houben . I liked the way her character progresses and her hardworking nature and simplicity which makes her a girl in a million for our hero. This is a clean neat romance which will appeal to any lover of romantic stories , highly recommended and looking forward to reading more books by Betty Neels
December 4, 2019
TGB delivers again. Wonderfully romantic story of a PBN in training who aids in the recovery of the RDD's nephew from a catastrophic head injury. Caroline is sweet yet vinegary when roused and Marius who has sworn off entanglements of the ❤️ finds himself more and more intrigued by her. There are the usual cast of supporting characters, Aunt Meg, little Marc and his parents, the FFRs and various pets, and hospital staff. One in particular, Robert; who has a loving fiancée in Birminham, befriends Caroline out of abject loneliness and nearly throws a spanner in the works. The end is romantic and satisfying
July 19, 2011
I love Betty Neels. She is so easy to read. There is nothing traumatic, or grim, or crude. Just simple people with a simple love story that has no urgency or angst. Her books are so comforting.
Read
December 13, 2021A very standard Betty Neels novel, nothing to set it apart from any other Betty Neels novel, really. Pleasant enough if that's what you're looking for but definitely not one of her best.
March 9, 2021
A wonderful feel good story, slow buns a given with this author. Betty Neels certainly brings romance and old school charm to life with her stories.
For me personally she was a leader when it came to strong, gallant Alphas to life. They are nothing like the leads of today, manners and family bonds are strong. She also delivers a message within. Not all leading ladies have to be stunningly beautiful. I think for me it brings a touch of realism to her books.
I wholeheartedly recommend her stories.
It’s a yes from me.
For me personally she was a leader when it came to strong, gallant Alphas to life. They are nothing like the leads of today, manners and family bonds are strong. She also delivers a message within. Not all leading ladies have to be stunningly beautiful. I think for me it brings a touch of realism to her books.
I wholeheartedly recommend her stories.
It’s a yes from me.
March 7, 2021
This is a reread, In fact, I have read all of my Betty Neels before. I gave this one four stars only because it lacks a bit of tension in the plot. There is no other woman, or just a vague mention of women that Marius dates casually. Caroline seems to have almost never dated before, which seems a bit unbelievable. Both of the main characters are slow to realize their feelings, and the main thing keeping them apart is being unsure of the other's feelings. I enjoyed the book anyway. It is a sweet romance with a sweet ending. Very much a typical Betty Neels gentle love story.
July 10, 2012
Entre "estuvo bien" y "me gustó".
El tema del libro, los personajes, la historia y todo estuvo bien, pero no me gustó mucho la forma de escribir de la autora, te encandilabas con la lectura y ¡zaz! de repente se cambiaba, tiene así como que cortes que se me hicieron feos, y pues igual las declaraciones amorosas me parecieron... pff.
Como sea, a pesar de todo, no puedo decir que me arrepienta de haberlo leído.
El tema del libro, los personajes, la historia y todo estuvo bien, pero no me gustó mucho la forma de escribir de la autora, te encandilabas con la lectura y ¡zaz! de repente se cambiaba, tiene así como que cortes que se me hicieron feos, y pues igual las declaraciones amorosas me parecieron... pff.
Como sea, a pesar de todo, no puedo decir que me arrepienta de haberlo leído.
November 13, 2020
For romance books these books have so little romance. They meet, fall in love, never talk, or if they do are horrible to each other, and then get married, always quickly. Kinda every Betty Neels book.
I enjoyed the hospital parts, especially when the heroine worked at the childrens ward. Sometimes I got confused between Caroline and Corinne, which is completely my fault, but also shows how little I cared about the characters in this book.
I enjoyed the hospital parts, especially when the heroine worked at the childrens ward. Sometimes I got confused between Caroline and Corinne, which is completely my fault, but also shows how little I cared about the characters in this book.
September 29, 2013
Love Betty
September 12, 2016
Not the best of Neels' books. Very little plot. The main characters seemed two dimensional.
February 20, 2016
Very slow and sweet:)
March 21, 2016
Yet again a very abrupt ending. I wonder how a Neels hero would make out today?
November 8, 2025
What is it about Betty Neels? What makes her so fascinating? She re-uses the same few plots over and over. There is precious little variation in the descriptions of her heroes. Her heroines are usually one of two types (the plain and sensible "Araminta" with lovely eyes, or the tall and beautiful "Olivia"), with the occasional outlier. Betty was born in 1909 so she likely wrote what she knew and was comfortable with; her books are set in a vague timewarp that showcases values and culture more fitting of the 1930s-1950s than their actual publishing date (1969 to 2001). Some of those values are very outdated indeed, and they were already very outdated by the time she reached the early years of her writing career. Her descriptions of food, clothes, venerable stately homes, etc. are wonderful if repetitive. But despite all this, her books are a fascinating glimpse into the past, written in a way that is very accessible.
Betty also had some odd ideas about female beauty and the lack of it. To a newcomer to her work, it can be off-putting in the extreme to have other characters comment quite matter-of-factly on the heroine having "no looks." Sometimes this insistence (harping, really) on the heroine's plain face is annoying as all hell. (I note that Betty frequently observed makeup made no difference but using modern makeup techniques, I assert that with their flawless skin, thick and shiny hair, and large, lovely eyes, there is very little chance they wouldn't be stunning. But Betty's point is that it is their characters that give them spiritual beauty, and that's not a bad point at all. I just wish Betty hadn't relied so much on the perceived lack of physical beauty as a plot device.)
Which brings us to A Girl in a Million. Written in 1993 but smacking of the 1950s or early 1960s, it features the Araminta type and her romance with one of Betty's archetypal tall, "vast," blond, blue-eyed Rich Dutch Doctors (RDD), this time an anesthesiologist named Marius Van Houben. The heroine Caroline Frisby is a student nurse. She's calm, practical, kind, gets along with everyone. The story is that after meeting Marius briefly in Amsterdam while on vacation (she delivers some books to him from his cousin Corinna, who is Caroline's friend and fellow nurse), she meets him again when he comes to her hospital. It seems his very young nephew has had a bad accident while his mother is in England and Caroline is the nurse chosen to "special" him following brain surgery. Caroline eventually accompanies the family to Holland for several weeks to care for the child while he recovers.
So Caroline and Marius get thrown together quite a bit. She's definitely interested in him but she knows she has no chance because she isn't pretty. Sadly, Marius agrees with her, as we understand from both the considerable hero POV we get as well as conversations he has with his dog about Caroline. This goes on for most of the book. Marius finds himself wishing for her company, or arranging dates with her, all while telling himself that He Is Not Interested.
Meanwhile, Caroline is pining away but also trying to talk herself into being sensible about her poor chances of attracting him. I got a little tired of this. It went on too long. We needed a catalyst to bring things to a tipping point and lo and behold, Betty delivers in the form of a lonely young doctor working for a short time at Caroline's hospital until he can marry his fiance Miriam. He befriends Caroline (Miriam knows and approves because Caroline and the young doctor feel like brother and sister to each other). But the hospital grapevine, not reading the situation quite right, eventually lets Marius know Caroline has a love interest. Marius is suddenly struck down with a severe case of jealousy. Events unfold. He finally allows himself to acknowledge the truth of his feelings.
I liked this one. I didn't love it. Unlike some Araminta-focused BN stories, it didn't feel like he was marrying her out of pity or because the Araminta is always the right child-bearing, housekeeping wife for an RDD. Or at least, not profoundly so. But even though we can see that he is developing feelings, even if it takes him getting hit over the head with a brick (that is, a brick called JEALOUSY) to acknowledge those feelings, I did struggle a bit to feel any chemistry between them. Maybe this particular RDD was written specifically to be very closed off, but a few kisses a little earlier in the story would have been nice and helped me understand the attraction better.
So: three and a half stars, rounded down to three.
Betty also had some odd ideas about female beauty and the lack of it. To a newcomer to her work, it can be off-putting in the extreme to have other characters comment quite matter-of-factly on the heroine having "no looks." Sometimes this insistence (harping, really) on the heroine's plain face is annoying as all hell. (I note that Betty frequently observed makeup made no difference but using modern makeup techniques, I assert that with their flawless skin, thick and shiny hair, and large, lovely eyes, there is very little chance they wouldn't be stunning. But Betty's point is that it is their characters that give them spiritual beauty, and that's not a bad point at all. I just wish Betty hadn't relied so much on the perceived lack of physical beauty as a plot device.)
Which brings us to A Girl in a Million. Written in 1993 but smacking of the 1950s or early 1960s, it features the Araminta type and her romance with one of Betty's archetypal tall, "vast," blond, blue-eyed Rich Dutch Doctors (RDD), this time an anesthesiologist named Marius Van Houben. The heroine Caroline Frisby is a student nurse. She's calm, practical, kind, gets along with everyone. The story is that after meeting Marius briefly in Amsterdam while on vacation (she delivers some books to him from his cousin Corinna, who is Caroline's friend and fellow nurse), she meets him again when he comes to her hospital. It seems his very young nephew has had a bad accident while his mother is in England and Caroline is the nurse chosen to "special" him following brain surgery. Caroline eventually accompanies the family to Holland for several weeks to care for the child while he recovers.
So Caroline and Marius get thrown together quite a bit. She's definitely interested in him but she knows she has no chance because she isn't pretty. Sadly, Marius agrees with her, as we understand from both the considerable hero POV we get as well as conversations he has with his dog about Caroline. This goes on for most of the book. Marius finds himself wishing for her company, or arranging dates with her, all while telling himself that He Is Not Interested.
Meanwhile, Caroline is pining away but also trying to talk herself into being sensible about her poor chances of attracting him. I got a little tired of this. It went on too long. We needed a catalyst to bring things to a tipping point and lo and behold, Betty delivers in the form of a lonely young doctor working for a short time at Caroline's hospital until he can marry his fiance Miriam. He befriends Caroline (Miriam knows and approves because Caroline and the young doctor feel like brother and sister to each other). But the hospital grapevine, not reading the situation quite right, eventually lets Marius know Caroline has a love interest. Marius is suddenly struck down with a severe case of jealousy. Events unfold. He finally allows himself to acknowledge the truth of his feelings.
I liked this one. I didn't love it. Unlike some Araminta-focused BN stories, it didn't feel like he was marrying her out of pity or because the Araminta is always the right child-bearing, housekeeping wife for an RDD. Or at least, not profoundly so. But even though we can see that he is developing feelings, even if it takes him getting hit over the head with a brick (that is, a brick called JEALOUSY) to acknowledge those feelings, I did struggle a bit to feel any chemistry between them. Maybe this particular RDD was written specifically to be very closed off, but a few kisses a little earlier in the story would have been nice and helped me understand the attraction better.
So: three and a half stars, rounded down to three.
January 25, 2018
3.5* upgraded to 4* upon re-reading!
For once our BN hero did not suddenly reveal his feelings only in the last couple of pages! I'd say around the 80/90% mark Marius realised Caroline was indeed the one "girl in a million" to make him lose his heart! Only to think she and the young doctor from Birmingham are getting married! The angst!
It was great to read about his strong emotions; his "towering rage" when he thought Caroline was going to marry the young doc, his nasty temper held in control, and the more he felt the more expressionless his face was. His desire to bundle the sick Caroline home was so sweet! And the best? When he found out young Robert Brewster had a fiancée NOT Caroline, he "resolved to make her a bride before" she could be a bridesmaid for Robert and his Miriam haha!
But Caroline felt the angst for far longer. No specific Other Woman but Marius was so good in acting cool, Caroline felt invisible to him and thus her love would be hopelessly unrequited.
It was very sweet reading about Caroline with the kids. She's so loving! Being a paediatric nurse seemed to be her calling! I felt sad when she got rotated out of the Children's Ward too. Little Marc and his family were so lovely. And Corinna the cousin got the credit for matchmaking them! In this story we got to see the English countryside of Basing and Holland/Amsterdam.
Caroline had a crush on Marius at first sight, but the sudden realisation of her love was sudden indeed! Marius' feelings really slowly developed and caught him unawares...it's funny how initially it was only Caroline who couldn't stop thinking about Marius, while he could totally forget about her. Later on, it was he who couldn't concentrate on his date or work and had to confide in his puppy Neptune or Nep, working out his feelings for Caroline.
All in a sweet read. Satisfying ending too.
Re-reading right away!
For once our BN hero did not suddenly reveal his feelings only in the last couple of pages! I'd say around the 80/90% mark Marius realised Caroline was indeed the one "girl in a million" to make him lose his heart! Only to think she and the young doctor from Birmingham are getting married! The angst!
It was great to read about his strong emotions; his "towering rage" when he thought Caroline was going to marry the young doc, his nasty temper held in control, and the more he felt the more expressionless his face was. His desire to bundle the sick Caroline home was so sweet! And the best? When he found out young Robert Brewster had a fiancée NOT Caroline, he "resolved to make her a bride before" she could be a bridesmaid for Robert and his Miriam haha!
But Caroline felt the angst for far longer. No specific Other Woman but Marius was so good in acting cool, Caroline felt invisible to him and thus her love would be hopelessly unrequited.
It was very sweet reading about Caroline with the kids. She's so loving! Being a paediatric nurse seemed to be her calling! I felt sad when she got rotated out of the Children's Ward too. Little Marc and his family were so lovely. And Corinna the cousin got the credit for matchmaking them! In this story we got to see the English countryside of Basing and Holland/Amsterdam.
Caroline had a crush on Marius at first sight, but the sudden realisation of her love was sudden indeed! Marius' feelings really slowly developed and caught him unawares...it's funny how initially it was only Caroline who couldn't stop thinking about Marius, while he could totally forget about her. Later on, it was he who couldn't concentrate on his date or work and had to confide in his puppy Neptune or Nep, working out his feelings for Caroline.
All in a sweet read. Satisfying ending too.
Re-reading right away!
January 17, 2024
"Una en un millón" y la traducción para Arlequín ibérica fue "Lo que siempre soñé".
Esta novela tiene todo el encanto clásico de Betty Neels...Una joven huérfana Caroline Frisby de veintitantos años soltera y enfermera que vive en Londres pero que viaja a las afueras para estar con su amable tía siempre que su trabajo se lo permite y por otro lado tenemos al apuesto médico holandés Marius Van Houben.
La novela inicia con el encuentro fortuito entre ambos sin tanto preámbulo, ella va a llevar un libro a la casa del primo de una amiga enfermera que resulta ser este doctor,y mientras baja unos escalones cae y él la ayuda a levantarse invitándola a que se componga en su casa,a pesar de la resistencia de ella , acepta y bastan esos breves minutos para dejar al doctor interesado en ella.
Luego devienen los encuentros casuales en el hospital,los idas y vueltas entre ambos,las invitaciones a comer,algún paseo en el parque,el tan ansiado viaje laboral a Holanda oportunamente ofrecido a nuestra heroína y ya tenemos el canon en su máxima expresión.
Sin embargo,en esta novela, vamos a tener la posibilidad de saber lo que él siente por ella y es más lo que él piensa de ella.Eso es lo que más llamó mi atención, porque la Betty tradicional dejaba fuera el punto de vista de lo que nuestro héroe piensa muchas veces,y aquí sabemos cuánto el quiero a la muchacha pero duda de que ella se sienta igual que él.Sabemos que Marius la quiere antes de que Caroline se sepa enamorada.
La novela se resuelve con un final feliz sin malentendidos de último momento,y todos felices.
Super recomendable!Una Betty pura.
Esta novela tiene todo el encanto clásico de Betty Neels...Una joven huérfana Caroline Frisby de veintitantos años soltera y enfermera que vive en Londres pero que viaja a las afueras para estar con su amable tía siempre que su trabajo se lo permite y por otro lado tenemos al apuesto médico holandés Marius Van Houben.
La novela inicia con el encuentro fortuito entre ambos sin tanto preámbulo, ella va a llevar un libro a la casa del primo de una amiga enfermera que resulta ser este doctor,y mientras baja unos escalones cae y él la ayuda a levantarse invitándola a que se componga en su casa,a pesar de la resistencia de ella , acepta y bastan esos breves minutos para dejar al doctor interesado en ella.
Luego devienen los encuentros casuales en el hospital,los idas y vueltas entre ambos,las invitaciones a comer,algún paseo en el parque,el tan ansiado viaje laboral a Holanda oportunamente ofrecido a nuestra heroína y ya tenemos el canon en su máxima expresión.
Sin embargo,en esta novela, vamos a tener la posibilidad de saber lo que él siente por ella y es más lo que él piensa de ella.Eso es lo que más llamó mi atención, porque la Betty tradicional dejaba fuera el punto de vista de lo que nuestro héroe piensa muchas veces,y aquí sabemos cuánto el quiero a la muchacha pero duda de que ella se sienta igual que él.Sabemos que Marius la quiere antes de que Caroline se sepa enamorada.
La novela se resuelve con un final feliz sin malentendidos de último momento,y todos felices.
Super recomendable!Una Betty pura.
April 8, 2024
Another good story by Betty Neels.
Caroline is in her second year of training to be a nurse. She lives with an aunt and they are both very kind to one another.
She and her aunt are touring Amsterdam and having a wonderful time and hoping to go there again.
Her favourite place to work in the hospital is with the children...she is very kind, loving and seems to be able to calm scared children. She becomes very close to a little boy, Marc who has had a fall and damaged his lungs and ribs. His uncle, Marius van Houben is the best known anesthethist working both in the Netherlands and England so he is there when needed and watches over Marc's recovery. Caroline has become Marc's favourite person ...he clings to her and she tells his stories, sings to him, plays games.
When he goes home to Amsterdam, the family asks that Caroline come with him because he is devoted to her. Naturally Marius and Caroline meet often ...she is not pretty but very capable and kind....Marius cannot understand how he can be so interested in her.
All ends well....a good story once again.
Caroline is in her second year of training to be a nurse. She lives with an aunt and they are both very kind to one another.
She and her aunt are touring Amsterdam and having a wonderful time and hoping to go there again.
Her favourite place to work in the hospital is with the children...she is very kind, loving and seems to be able to calm scared children. She becomes very close to a little boy, Marc who has had a fall and damaged his lungs and ribs. His uncle, Marius van Houben is the best known anesthethist working both in the Netherlands and England so he is there when needed and watches over Marc's recovery. Caroline has become Marc's favourite person ...he clings to her and she tells his stories, sings to him, plays games.
When he goes home to Amsterdam, the family asks that Caroline come with him because he is devoted to her. Naturally Marius and Caroline meet often ...she is not pretty but very capable and kind....Marius cannot understand how he can be so interested in her.
All ends well....a good story once again.
February 10, 2021
Same formula:
H: A Dutch rich doctor who treats the heroine abdominally, but supposedly kind to others.
h: A poor plain mouse looking woman who has a heart of gold. It shines upon everyone.
This book was longer than the other BN's that I've read. I guess for me it's a little bit drawn out. I eventually got tired of the H's churlishness and h's martyrdom. If the H knows that he might possibly not get what he wanted from the h or he'll sense some uncertainty from her, he'll sweetly say "please" and flashes her with a smile that melts her heart. And of course, our h, being a girl in a million! will fall for it. What an ass! I would love to see developments in their characters especially the H.
H: A Dutch rich doctor who treats the heroine abdominally, but supposedly kind to others.
h: A poor plain mouse looking woman who has a heart of gold. It shines upon everyone.
This book was longer than the other BN's that I've read. I guess for me it's a little bit drawn out. I eventually got tired of the H's churlishness and h's martyrdom. If the H knows that he might possibly not get what he wanted from the h or he'll sense some uncertainty from her, he'll sweetly say "please" and flashes her with a smile that melts her heart. And of course, our h, being a girl in a million! will fall for it. What an ass! I would love to see developments in their characters especially the H.
September 28, 2025
4 stars. lovely gentle romance. there is no big source of conflict - like another woman - in this one, so it's a less angsty read. I still enjoyed it. the main source of story tension came from the mmc not realising his own feelings until he was faced with the possibility of losing her. he was not as icy and chilled as some of her mmcs but did have a couple of deliciously arrogant things to say to our fmc every once in a while. lol. neither eas she a doormat. she was a hard working woman determined not to give in to selfpity after she realised she'd fallen for a man who barely knew she existed as a woman.
November 2, 2019
Fantastic, Amazing, Wonderful. another beautiful story from Betty Neels, She writes wonder. Every time I read one of her books, I close the book with a smile and a heart full of love. It's a well written story with perfect characters. I LOVED IT SO MUCH AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL.
May 29, 2023
A little different
As usual with Betty Neels, I loved this book. It's a little different from most of the others. Caroline likes Markus right away. She's friendly from the start. Markus likes her too because he almost immediately realizes how great a person Caroline is. There are some misunderstandings along the way, and those misunderstandings get in the way of the romance, but they get resolved in the end as usual. A good, sweet story I know will be loved by other Betty Neels readers as much as I loved it.
As usual with Betty Neels, I loved this book. It's a little different from most of the others. Caroline likes Markus right away. She's friendly from the start. Markus likes her too because he almost immediately realizes how great a person Caroline is. There are some misunderstandings along the way, and those misunderstandings get in the way of the romance, but they get resolved in the end as usual. A good, sweet story I know will be loved by other Betty Neels readers as much as I loved it.
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