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Sun and Candlelight
Mills & Boon presents the complete Betty Neels collection. Timeless tales of heart-warming romance by one of the world’s best-loved romance authors.
“My children need a mother, but I do not need a wife.” Dr Sarre van Diederijk did a lot to restore Alethea’s damaged pride when Nick Penrose badly hurt and humiliated her, so when, after a short time her asked her to marry him and go to Holland to live, she accepted. Sarre was, after all, a very nice, kind man, and Alethea might have been happier with him than she would have been with Nick, even though there was no love on either side.
But all she found in Holland was a different kind of unhappiness – rejection by the children, and rejection by Sarre. That, she found, was what hurt the most…
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1979
54 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
582 books419 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 27, 2021
Are you a doormat? Take our Kosmo Kwiz and find out!
A good MoC tale from Betty with likable MCs, wonderfully horrible children, understandable misunderstandings, and a believable happy ending. From 1979, a good one from TGB that I enjoyed even more on a second read (even if it didn't have a Nanny vs. Granny smackdown, which would have made it 10 stars).
*Fun fact: The hero in An Apple from Eve is Tane van Diederijk. I wonder if Tane and Sarre are related?
Wonderful car porn in this one!
Hero drives a gun-metal gray Jaguar XJ-S:
He also buys a Bristol 603E as a backup car (lucky guy!):
He tells the heroine that she can of course drive both his cars but he buys her a car as well—and it’s not a Mini or a Fiat for once, it’s a pretty badass Colt Sapporo (made by Mitsubishi—and not a British car as the hero says at one point):
A good MoC tale from Betty with likable MCs, wonderfully horrible children, understandable misunderstandings, and a believable happy ending. From 1979, a good one from TGB that I enjoyed even more on a second read (even if it didn't have a Nanny vs. Granny smackdown, which would have made it 10 stars).
*Fun fact: The hero in An Apple from Eve is Tane van Diederijk. I wonder if Tane and Sarre are related?
Wonderful car porn in this one!
Hero drives a gun-metal gray Jaguar XJ-S:
He also buys a Bristol 603E as a backup car (lucky guy!):
He tells the heroine that she can of course drive both his cars but he buys her a car as well—and it’s not a Mini or a Fiat for once, it’s a pretty badass Colt Sapporo (made by Mitsubishi—and not a British car as the hero says at one point):
January 20, 2013
If you are a Betty Neels fan, then I would recommend this book to you, even though I would only give it 3 stars.
Alethea is left stranded one night at an expensive restaurant by her boyfriend when she refuses to go away for the weekend. Seems she got all "dolled up" for a wonderful evening anticipating that boyfriend was going to propose. He proposed, just not the right question.
Left stranded at the table, with no money to pay the bill, she is rescued by an attractive man. (who pays the bill for her) Turns out the man is a guest surgeon at the hospital where she works. A sort of friendship emerges and they start to casually go out with each other whenever he is in town. However, things are rather turning nasty with the ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be a doctor on the same ward. Alethea decides to leave the hospital so hero proposes a MOC. After all, leaving would admit defeat to lover boy. But if she leaves on the premise of marriage, she saves face. Seems hero was married before, and has twin children that are in desperate need of a mother. So hero proposes a MOC. Her much loved Grandma encourages the match, and so Alethea accepts.
However, life is not as easy as other Betty Neels books. Given that hero is honorable, it really is a very bland MOC with kisses on the cheeks, handshakes and separate bedrooms. His children and their nanny resent her from the start and are quite cruel to her. The good doctor really doesn't spend much time with her always focused on the hospital and his brilliant, female colleague. It seems all Alethea does is eat and walk the dogs. In fact, the beautiful colleague makes sure to point out how much weight Alethea has put on.
Alethea is described as an extremely beautiful 27 year old. She is well poised, kind, nurturing and very successful at her job. I found it interesting that she would entertain such a loveless marriage at such a young age. I was even more appalled that Grandma would encourage her. This poor girl settled for a life that most 50 year olds wouldn't want all because one man (who by the way was really worthless) dumped her.
I found myself angry with the whole premise and felt very short changed by the ending. I don't think the hero truly earned her love. He deserved to end up with his colleague instead of a warm vibrant beautiful woman. I would have so much liked for her to go back home and force the hero to fight for their marriage.
Alethea is left stranded one night at an expensive restaurant by her boyfriend when she refuses to go away for the weekend. Seems she got all "dolled up" for a wonderful evening anticipating that boyfriend was going to propose. He proposed, just not the right question.
Left stranded at the table, with no money to pay the bill, she is rescued by an attractive man. (who pays the bill for her) Turns out the man is a guest surgeon at the hospital where she works. A sort of friendship emerges and they start to casually go out with each other whenever he is in town. However, things are rather turning nasty with the ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be a doctor on the same ward. Alethea decides to leave the hospital so hero proposes a MOC. After all, leaving would admit defeat to lover boy. But if she leaves on the premise of marriage, she saves face. Seems hero was married before, and has twin children that are in desperate need of a mother. So hero proposes a MOC. Her much loved Grandma encourages the match, and so Alethea accepts.
However, life is not as easy as other Betty Neels books. Given that hero is honorable, it really is a very bland MOC with kisses on the cheeks, handshakes and separate bedrooms. His children and their nanny resent her from the start and are quite cruel to her. The good doctor really doesn't spend much time with her always focused on the hospital and his brilliant, female colleague. It seems all Alethea does is eat and walk the dogs. In fact, the beautiful colleague makes sure to point out how much weight Alethea has put on.
Alethea is described as an extremely beautiful 27 year old. She is well poised, kind, nurturing and very successful at her job. I found it interesting that she would entertain such a loveless marriage at such a young age. I was even more appalled that Grandma would encourage her. This poor girl settled for a life that most 50 year olds wouldn't want all because one man (who by the way was really worthless) dumped her.
I found myself angry with the whole premise and felt very short changed by the ending. I don't think the hero truly earned her love. He deserved to end up with his colleague instead of a warm vibrant beautiful woman. I would have so much liked for her to go back home and force the hero to fight for their marriage.
September 4, 2023
4 Stars ~ When Alethea's dinner date leaves her abruptly in the middle of their meal, in anger because she refuses to become his lover, she's worried how she'll take care of the bill. When the waiter brings it, she peeks at the amount, and envisions the scene that is to come when he returns as she can't pay it. Alethea is the sister in charge of the Orthopaedic Unit at a busy London hospital; her date, Nick, was the Orthpaedic Registrar. She'd thought he was going to propose marriage not a dirty weekend. And just as the waiter returns, a tall handsome man who had watched the drama unfold, came to her rescue, pretending to know her and promptly paying the bill. He offers her a ride home, which for Alethea is the Nurses Home at the hospital, and they part ways. The next day, Alethea is surprised to find her rescuer is a consultant surgeon who is in London sharing his skills. Recognizing the Registrar as the man who had dumped her, Sarre befriends Alethea, inviting her to dinner and always seeming to be near when Nick wants to be nasty. An easy friendship forms between them, but Alethea can't stop herself from thinking about Nick.
Sarre is a successful surgeon and also wealthy in his own right, and the single father of 11 yr. old twins. He's quite taken with Alethea, and seeing that she's finding working in the same hospital as Nick, he offers her a way out. He proposes a marriage of convenience; he needs a mistress to run his home and a mother for his children and exchange Althea will have a secure and happy future. Liking Sarre very much, Alethea agrees, but when she goes to Holland as his wife, she realizes it's going to be a battle to win his children's affection. With the children despising her behind their father's back; their Nanny unwilling to cooperate in any way; and Sarre working many hours away from home; Alethea wonders if she's made the right decision.
Betty Neels is quite adept at writing marriage of convenience stories. This is the first though with a divorced hero, though his ex-wife has been totally out of his and the children's lives since the divorce. Alethea is the beautiful nurse, 27, and though she loves her job, she wants more for her life. Nick's rejection of her because she wants marriage not an affair, is a real blow for her. Sarre jumps right in and snaps her up, making her believe that marriage is really for his children's sake, even though we the reader can see that he wants her for himself. There's a lovely scene that leads to the HEA where Alethea guzzles a brandy to give her Dutch courage to tell Sarre that she loves him; something that Sarre finds totally delightful.
Sarre is a successful surgeon and also wealthy in his own right, and the single father of 11 yr. old twins. He's quite taken with Alethea, and seeing that she's finding working in the same hospital as Nick, he offers her a way out. He proposes a marriage of convenience; he needs a mistress to run his home and a mother for his children and exchange Althea will have a secure and happy future. Liking Sarre very much, Alethea agrees, but when she goes to Holland as his wife, she realizes it's going to be a battle to win his children's affection. With the children despising her behind their father's back; their Nanny unwilling to cooperate in any way; and Sarre working many hours away from home; Alethea wonders if she's made the right decision.
Betty Neels is quite adept at writing marriage of convenience stories. This is the first though with a divorced hero, though his ex-wife has been totally out of his and the children's lives since the divorce. Alethea is the beautiful nurse, 27, and though she loves her job, she wants more for her life. Nick's rejection of her because she wants marriage not an affair, is a real blow for her. Sarre jumps right in and snaps her up, making her believe that marriage is really for his children's sake, even though we the reader can see that he wants her for himself. There's a lovely scene that leads to the HEA where Alethea guzzles a brandy to give her Dutch courage to tell Sarre that she loves him; something that Sarre finds totally delightful.
March 27, 2024
I loved the beginning of this one...possibly because it exposes what a terrible man the non-RDD is. It is very dramatic though. The inimitable Uncrushable Jersey Dress blog points out that this BN is unique because the RDD, Sarre, is divorced and has twin children. He swoops in to save the Alethea's day in the dramatic opening scene and decides then and there: Alethea is the woman for me. It's wonderful how certain some characters are in BN. 😂 Alethea is a wonderfully competent nurse, and I always feel a pang when these heroines leave their work to marry. Alethea and Sarre marry and go to his house in Groningen where Alethea immediately realizes that Sarre's two children are her sworn enemies. I very much enjoyed this dynamic and how Sarre starts to pick up on the unease between the three of them. I like both Sarre and Alethea as individual characters, too. The ending scene is quite amusing.
February 20, 2020
Dr. Sarre van Diederijk comes to Alethea's rescue when her boyfriend Nick Penrose walks out on her. She is humiliated by Nick and his actions would make anyone want to run away and hide. Dr. Sarra Van Diederijk asks her to be his Wife and a mother to his two children.
This book had me giggling like a school girl and mad. I would have loved to have shaking Alethea every time she though of Nick and what he would have done.
This book had me giggling like a school girl and mad. I would have loved to have shaking Alethea every time she though of Nick and what he would have done.
December 25, 2020
I have a very high threshold for harmless nonsense in a romance novel because I read them to escape reality. If I wanted something realistic, I wouldn’t read fiction. My threshold for Betty Neels is now shot. I’ve read a few of her books and couldn’t fully understand why they felt sinister to me, but I think I’ve got it down pat.
These women will not have happy endings. The whole process of the society described in Neels’ books is to take an accomplished, independent young woman and place her in a life of dependency, meaningless frivolity, and social isolation.
Let’s look at Alethea.
She is the head of her department at the hospital, well respected by her peers and trusted by the surgeons who also highly esteem her. When a workplace romance goes sour, she is faced with three options;
1. Stay and watch the dude she was with flaunt other women in front of her on a daily basis
2. Change to another hospital and sacrifice her pride as the ex-boyfriend will know she has run away
3. Marry a near stranger who has stalkery tendencies and about whom she knows nothing, but who has promised to remove her from her friends, family and support network and take her to a country where she doesn’t speak the language, will not have a job, and knows no one except for the two pre-teens who hate her that she will be expected to mother.
Naturally she chooses option 3.
Now all this is part of the enjoyably unrealistic set-up, and I really was having fun. What irks and quite frankly terrifies me is the dynamic that emerges after their marriage.
The expectations of Alethea and everyone around her is that she will shop and buy pretty clothes for her husband to compliment. The entire romance arc consisted of Alethea being praised for her clothing and beauty as the only useful qualities she could possess. When she worries to her husband that she doesn’t feel useful, he says ‘that’s okay because you’re ornamental’. She seems to love this answer. I did not. The rest of the novel passed with this sick feeling in my gut that this could never turn out well.
You cannot take a capable woman who is used to saving lives and working hard and then put her on a shelf with your other trophies. I saw her devolve into a watering pot who was jealous and slavishly needful of her husband’s attention with grim horror. She seemed to me an Ophelia or a Lady Macbeth - a powerful woman who crumbled into a shadow of herself. I just don’t rate the trajectory of this relationship highly.
It is laudable and wonderful to be a stay-at-home mother, but this was not the life painted for us. We had an absentee, emotionally repressed husband who treated Alethea like an infant who needed constant supervision, and not a single friend to speak of.
The only thing that made the book readable was that Alethea (when not mooning about over a man) was actually very likeable, patient and discerning. She dealt with the children in a way that produced results. It was just so disappointing to see such a woman cast in the restrictive mold of patriarchal marital structures. There was no partnership at all. She was tantamount to an adopted child that her husband arranged things for and gave pocket money and dictated when she could see him and when she could not. It genuinely hurt my soul.
I understand now all those dramatic stories in 18th/19th century literature about women who got married and ‘withered away’ or ‘died of broken hearts’. This is the fate I anticipate for Alethea. Even being ‘in love’ - a girl needs her friends. Your partner should not and cannot be your everything. It’s too much for one person to carry. This book has so many warning signs on it it’s like a radioactive drop site.
So stay away. Do not enter. Turn around. Go back.
These women will not have happy endings. The whole process of the society described in Neels’ books is to take an accomplished, independent young woman and place her in a life of dependency, meaningless frivolity, and social isolation.
Let’s look at Alethea.
She is the head of her department at the hospital, well respected by her peers and trusted by the surgeons who also highly esteem her. When a workplace romance goes sour, she is faced with three options;
1. Stay and watch the dude she was with flaunt other women in front of her on a daily basis
2. Change to another hospital and sacrifice her pride as the ex-boyfriend will know she has run away
3. Marry a near stranger who has stalkery tendencies and about whom she knows nothing, but who has promised to remove her from her friends, family and support network and take her to a country where she doesn’t speak the language, will not have a job, and knows no one except for the two pre-teens who hate her that she will be expected to mother.
Naturally she chooses option 3.
Now all this is part of the enjoyably unrealistic set-up, and I really was having fun. What irks and quite frankly terrifies me is the dynamic that emerges after their marriage.
The expectations of Alethea and everyone around her is that she will shop and buy pretty clothes for her husband to compliment. The entire romance arc consisted of Alethea being praised for her clothing and beauty as the only useful qualities she could possess. When she worries to her husband that she doesn’t feel useful, he says ‘that’s okay because you’re ornamental’. She seems to love this answer. I did not. The rest of the novel passed with this sick feeling in my gut that this could never turn out well.
You cannot take a capable woman who is used to saving lives and working hard and then put her on a shelf with your other trophies. I saw her devolve into a watering pot who was jealous and slavishly needful of her husband’s attention with grim horror. She seemed to me an Ophelia or a Lady Macbeth - a powerful woman who crumbled into a shadow of herself. I just don’t rate the trajectory of this relationship highly.
It is laudable and wonderful to be a stay-at-home mother, but this was not the life painted for us. We had an absentee, emotionally repressed husband who treated Alethea like an infant who needed constant supervision, and not a single friend to speak of.
The only thing that made the book readable was that Alethea (when not mooning about over a man) was actually very likeable, patient and discerning. She dealt with the children in a way that produced results. It was just so disappointing to see such a woman cast in the restrictive mold of patriarchal marital structures. There was no partnership at all. She was tantamount to an adopted child that her husband arranged things for and gave pocket money and dictated when she could see him and when she could not. It genuinely hurt my soul.
I understand now all those dramatic stories in 18th/19th century literature about women who got married and ‘withered away’ or ‘died of broken hearts’. This is the fate I anticipate for Alethea. Even being ‘in love’ - a girl needs her friends. Your partner should not and cannot be your everything. It’s too much for one person to carry. This book has so many warning signs on it it’s like a radioactive drop site.
So stay away. Do not enter. Turn around. Go back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2016
This is the quintessential BN marriage of convenience. Alethea is Men's Orthopedics sister at Saint Theobald's and is in love with Nick, the orthopaedic registrar. During a special evening out (she thinks he's going to propose), he asks her to Brighton for the weekend. He does not take rejection well, and leaves the restaurant, leaving Althaea to pay the bill. She has no money on her, but fortunately is rescued by a handsome Dutchman, Sarre van Diederijk. Alethea's heart is broken and continues breaking every time she sees Nick, so she begins to make plans to get away.
Sarre keeps coming round. After a few dates, he proposes a marriage of convenience. He is divorced with children – twins of 11, and the Faithless First Wife is now married to a rich South American.
In spite of the luxury into which Alethea marries, all is not roses and champagne. The twins are determined to dislike her, aided and abetted by their Nanny. Alethea does begin to forget Nick, only to suddenly discover she is in love - REALLY in love - with Sarre. However, there is the OW; Anna, a doctor who works with Sarre, is a frequent visitor. Alethea thinks Sarre loves Anna.
The kids do several mean tricks to Alethea, culminating with them going to a tumble-down cottage with the idea of locking Alethea inside. This backfires on them and all 3 are trapped in the cellar, necessitating a rescue by Sarre. When all are safe, Sarre says, "By Sun and Candlelight" to Alethea, although she doesn't get the reference then.
The kids and Nanny do an about face; Alethea has won them over. Sarre, however, insists that she go to England to see Nick (although his name is never specifically mentioned). On the way, Alethea decides she will not return and stops by the hospital to tell Sarre why. She admits she loves him; he says he loves her; they go home together; marital relations may now ensue; and all will live HEA.
As usual, there are some great secondary characters: Alethea's wise Granny; Sarre's younger brother Wienand and fiancé, Irene; Al, the Cockney butler; and Mrs. McCrea, the Scottish housekeeper.
This has long been one of my favourites. I think it was the first MOC story by TGB that I ever read and I have reread it many, many times!
Sarre keeps coming round. After a few dates, he proposes a marriage of convenience. He is divorced with children – twins of 11, and the Faithless First Wife is now married to a rich South American.
In spite of the luxury into which Alethea marries, all is not roses and champagne. The twins are determined to dislike her, aided and abetted by their Nanny. Alethea does begin to forget Nick, only to suddenly discover she is in love - REALLY in love - with Sarre. However, there is the OW; Anna, a doctor who works with Sarre, is a frequent visitor. Alethea thinks Sarre loves Anna.
The kids do several mean tricks to Alethea, culminating with them going to a tumble-down cottage with the idea of locking Alethea inside. This backfires on them and all 3 are trapped in the cellar, necessitating a rescue by Sarre. When all are safe, Sarre says, "By Sun and Candlelight" to Alethea, although she doesn't get the reference then.
The kids and Nanny do an about face; Alethea has won them over. Sarre, however, insists that she go to England to see Nick (although his name is never specifically mentioned). On the way, Alethea decides she will not return and stops by the hospital to tell Sarre why. She admits she loves him; he says he loves her; they go home together; marital relations may now ensue; and all will live HEA.
As usual, there are some great secondary characters: Alethea's wise Granny; Sarre's younger brother Wienand and fiancé, Irene; Al, the Cockney butler; and Mrs. McCrea, the Scottish housekeeper.
This has long been one of my favourites. I think it was the first MOC story by TGB that I ever read and I have reread it many, many times!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2016
Sarre and Alethia. This is another one which I loved the title reference. A quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Alethia thinks her doctor boyfriend Nick is about to propose at a special dinner. He does, but only an illicit weekend in Brighton. Not something a parson's daughter would agree to. Nick takes it badly and leaves her with the bill. She is rescued by Sarre who turns out to be the new consultant at her Orthopedic ward.
With Nick also on the ward as registrar, making her life miserable, it's only a matter of time for Sarre to step up to the plate and offer a marriage of convenience. Betty Neels does MOC stories well. Sarre has eleven year old twins, a boy and girl and they need a mother and he needs someone to run his home.
Unfortunately, the children, egged on by the governess, don't take kindly to Alethia's arrival and some nasty scenes ensue, out of sight of the professor. There is also the typical OW.
Overall a sweet read with some special moments.
Alethia thinks her doctor boyfriend Nick is about to propose at a special dinner. He does, but only an illicit weekend in Brighton. Not something a parson's daughter would agree to. Nick takes it badly and leaves her with the bill. She is rescued by Sarre who turns out to be the new consultant at her Orthopedic ward.
With Nick also on the ward as registrar, making her life miserable, it's only a matter of time for Sarre to step up to the plate and offer a marriage of convenience. Betty Neels does MOC stories well. Sarre has eleven year old twins, a boy and girl and they need a mother and he needs someone to run his home.
Unfortunately, the children, egged on by the governess, don't take kindly to Alethia's arrival and some nasty scenes ensue, out of sight of the professor. There is also the typical OW.
Overall a sweet read with some special moments.
January 31, 2021
Note to self: Alethea is left to pay the dinner bill by her "boyfriend" Nick & is rescued by Dr. Sarre van Diederijk. MOC & hateful children
Decent story, but Alethea could have come to her senses much sooner. I loved the poem that gave the book its title.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - 1806-1861
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Decent story, but Alethea could have come to her senses much sooner. I loved the poem that gave the book its title.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - 1806-1861
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
July 30, 2021
I liked this one, but for one thing. I don't like books where the children are nasty to their new stepmother for no reason. It's a small thing and gets settled in the end, but I couldn't enjoy that part of the book. I feel for the poor girl coming into a marriage of convenience. She has to deal with her feelings for her new husband and his for her, as well as those little brats. Otherwise, the characters of Sarre and Alethea were well-drawn. I forgot about the kids until I got a little way through the book, but didn't want to stop then.
September 1, 2017
This was a strong Neels book, with better-than-usual dialogue (especially early on) and a pluckier heroine than many of Neels' ladies. Perhaps my favorite part, though, was the framing of the marriage of companionship. Midway through, Neels makes what might be the closest she's come to a statement of the philosophy on marriage that surely underlies all her books with an early marriage plot:
"Love, if there is nothing else with it, can be utterly destroyed and leave nothing in its place, but liking and respect can grow into deep affection and even love" [says the grandmother in chapter 3]. I maintain that many of Neels' books -- which frequently employed this plot device -- sought to make their case for this slightly counter-cultural view of love and marriage, notwithstanding all the other heaving-bodice tales among Neels' numerous peers at Harlequin.
Neels offers a similarly unusual perspective on the significance of marriage a few chapters later. In chapter six, her heroine reflects (if somewhat ungrammatically): "he was a man at the height of his career with wide interests, he had made his mark in the world, he had his home and children, all that was behind him, whereas a younger man would probably see his wedding as the beginning of these things." In this, Neels suggests a different place for marriage amid life's larger events -- perhaps even that it need not impute the key meaning in life.
Though many today do indeed marry later and sometimes with the same accomplishments behind them as Neels attributes to her late-30s doctor*, we too often persist in unachievably lofty visions of soulmate marriages that sometimes doom relationships which would have otherwise had a strong chance at lifelong companionship, however intermixed the ordinary sorrow and joy.
*Side note: Now that I know a bit more about the medical profession, it cracks me up how consistently Neels under-ages her characters. The acclaim and success she credits to men in their late 30s probably wouldn't happen until early 40s, while the way she often describes women in their late 20s probably holds more truth of women in their mid-30s. Ah, romance.
"Love, if there is nothing else with it, can be utterly destroyed and leave nothing in its place, but liking and respect can grow into deep affection and even love" [says the grandmother in chapter 3]. I maintain that many of Neels' books -- which frequently employed this plot device -- sought to make their case for this slightly counter-cultural view of love and marriage, notwithstanding all the other heaving-bodice tales among Neels' numerous peers at Harlequin.
Neels offers a similarly unusual perspective on the significance of marriage a few chapters later. In chapter six, her heroine reflects (if somewhat ungrammatically): "he was a man at the height of his career with wide interests, he had made his mark in the world, he had his home and children, all that was behind him, whereas a younger man would probably see his wedding as the beginning of these things." In this, Neels suggests a different place for marriage amid life's larger events -- perhaps even that it need not impute the key meaning in life.
Though many today do indeed marry later and sometimes with the same accomplishments behind them as Neels attributes to her late-30s doctor*, we too often persist in unachievably lofty visions of soulmate marriages that sometimes doom relationships which would have otherwise had a strong chance at lifelong companionship, however intermixed the ordinary sorrow and joy.
*Side note: Now that I know a bit more about the medical profession, it cracks me up how consistently Neels under-ages her characters. The acclaim and success she credits to men in their late 30s probably wouldn't happen until early 40s, while the way she often describes women in their late 20s probably holds more truth of women in their mid-30s. Ah, romance.
Read
July 27, 2011Wonderful as always. Betty Neels at her best.
Sarre and Alethea come together in a great story.
Sarre and Alethea come together in a great story.
September 6, 2013
Good sweet story
August 6, 2017
This is my 2nd books by Neels and all of her stories (there were 3 in one and 1 in this one) seem to have the same premise. This will be the last one of hers that I read.
March 15, 2018
This H did not earn the h's love, period.
Read
February 11, 2022She deserved better!
March 24, 2018
3.5* BRIGHTON!!!
Yes, THIS is the book which gave us the euphemism of Brighton in Neelsland! I do so want to like this book more, but overall it's really just an above average story. Coming from the high of reading Betty's first three books, they'd really set the bar high, this just fell short of awesome.
That's not to say there's nothing to love in this book. The opening was pretty good: our heroine Alethea was dining in a posh restaurant with NICK. Now why do I have a feeling he'd be a jerk just based on his name? We were told she's a beautiful girl, but not appreciated by a sulking Nick. He was sulking because Alethea REFUSED TO GO TO BRIGHTON WITH HIM! Aha! AND we knew he was just after a good time...After accusing her of being prissy, he walked out on her, in full view of the restaurant! Jerk! Bastard! The worst was Alethea had bought a new dress, thinking Nick would be proposing this evening!
Poor Alethea had to drag out the rest of her meal alone, hoping Nick would come back...and settle the bill which was larger than she could pay. Horrid Nick! Luckily our Rich Dutch Doctor Sarre, came to Alethea's rescue. It was soooo sweet of him and the taxi driver to watch over her while they had coffee at a coffee stall...how interesting! It so happened that Sarre was a visiting consultant at their hospital and he was there to protect Alethea from Nick's nasty behaviour most of the time. Nothing good happened whenever we saw "Nick" on the page!
Anyway out of the blue Sarre's proposal of a marriage of convenience took us by surprise, and Sarre was so adamant he was NOT marrying for love or a wife, but a mother for his twins and a hostess. His ex-wife was still alive! Which was why they couldn't marry in church...
SPOILERS
Anyway I read the book with trepidation because the stepchildren were EVIL! They behaved properly in front of their father but hatred and animosity shone out of their little eyes. Gosh! Thankfully Sarre was neither blind nor deaf but he did NOTHING to make the situation better for Alethea, like talk to the kids and Nanny!
The supposed Other Woman didn't really do much except it was convenient for Sarre to use her and make Alethea jealous...for a long time Alethea was still hung up on nasty Nick, even though she was fully aware of his faults! It was frustrating!
Oh it was funny that the kids had to point out to Sarre that they had not liked Alethea because she seemed like a visitor, "always sleeping alone" unlike their friends ' mothers and fathers who were always kissing! Wonder what Sarre felt at that moment!
The usual supporting cast of characters were good, especially Sarre's brother Wienand. I don't think Sarre personally gave Alethea a house tour of love; he did not even put on the engagement ring for her...but he did give her a very good wedding day not just in England but also in Groningen. Sarre was rich, the whole family very rich, so we actually went to the lawyer's for the marriage settlement and will update. But no shopping spree for our mevrouw! I love how Sarre was always complimenting Alethea on her appearance and it didn't come across as mere flattery!
Sarre drove both a Jaguar and bought a new Bristol, which was an exclusive, limited hand built car brand! He bought a British Colt for Alethea too.
I wonder when was our RDD's dawning realisation...Alethea's was rather sweet. She caught him alone in his study, looking...SAD. I think he was sad because he thought she's still in love with Nasty Nick!
Yes, THIS is the book which gave us the euphemism of Brighton in Neelsland! I do so want to like this book more, but overall it's really just an above average story. Coming from the high of reading Betty's first three books, they'd really set the bar high, this just fell short of awesome.
That's not to say there's nothing to love in this book. The opening was pretty good: our heroine Alethea was dining in a posh restaurant with NICK. Now why do I have a feeling he'd be a jerk just based on his name? We were told she's a beautiful girl, but not appreciated by a sulking Nick. He was sulking because Alethea REFUSED TO GO TO BRIGHTON WITH HIM! Aha! AND we knew he was just after a good time...After accusing her of being prissy, he walked out on her, in full view of the restaurant! Jerk! Bastard! The worst was Alethea had bought a new dress, thinking Nick would be proposing this evening!
Poor Alethea had to drag out the rest of her meal alone, hoping Nick would come back...and settle the bill which was larger than she could pay. Horrid Nick! Luckily our Rich Dutch Doctor Sarre, came to Alethea's rescue. It was soooo sweet of him and the taxi driver to watch over her while they had coffee at a coffee stall...how interesting! It so happened that Sarre was a visiting consultant at their hospital and he was there to protect Alethea from Nick's nasty behaviour most of the time. Nothing good happened whenever we saw "Nick" on the page!
Anyway out of the blue Sarre's proposal of a marriage of convenience took us by surprise, and Sarre was so adamant he was NOT marrying for love or a wife, but a mother for his twins and a hostess. His ex-wife was still alive! Which was why they couldn't marry in church...
SPOILERS
Anyway I read the book with trepidation because the stepchildren were EVIL! They behaved properly in front of their father but hatred and animosity shone out of their little eyes. Gosh! Thankfully Sarre was neither blind nor deaf but he did NOTHING to make the situation better for Alethea, like talk to the kids and Nanny!
The supposed Other Woman didn't really do much except it was convenient for Sarre to use her and make Alethea jealous...for a long time Alethea was still hung up on nasty Nick, even though she was fully aware of his faults! It was frustrating!
Oh it was funny that the kids had to point out to Sarre that they had not liked Alethea because she seemed like a visitor, "always sleeping alone" unlike their friends ' mothers and fathers who were always kissing! Wonder what Sarre felt at that moment!
The usual supporting cast of characters were good, especially Sarre's brother Wienand. I don't think Sarre personally gave Alethea a house tour of love; he did not even put on the engagement ring for her...but he did give her a very good wedding day not just in England but also in Groningen. Sarre was rich, the whole family very rich, so we actually went to the lawyer's for the marriage settlement and will update. But no shopping spree for our mevrouw! I love how Sarre was always complimenting Alethea on her appearance and it didn't come across as mere flattery!
Sarre drove both a Jaguar and bought a new Bristol, which was an exclusive, limited hand built car brand! He bought a British Colt for Alethea too.
I wonder when was our RDD's dawning realisation...Alethea's was rather sweet. She caught him alone in his study, looking...SAD. I think he was sad because he thought she's still in love with Nasty Nick!
November 11, 2020
A Pleasure
This story doesn't really depart from the norm for Ms Neels, but there's a certain extra pleasure to reading this one. Alethea is a lovely, capable Sister who unwisely falls for the wrong man. When her hopes of marriage are dashed (and she's abandoned at an expensive restaurant while her fella does a most ungallant fine and dash) she meets Sarre.
To no one's surprise he's an RDD. Unlike a lot of Neels' heroes he isn't a towering jerk, but rather charming. Although he does keep to her tried and true formula of falling in love on sight but being annoyingly vague about his feelings and proposing a marriage in name only for the sake of his kids.
Enter Sarel and Jacomina, twin brats pred hu dear old Nanny to hate their new stepmother. Of course there's no good reason for this. For some vague, groundless purpose Nanny feared being usurped with no evidence whatsoever and turned the twins against her. All comes right in the end, natch.
We have a red herring in Anna, the attractive but slightly catty surgeon friend of Sarre's, whom Alethea is naturally jealous of right off the bat, well before she discovers she has any feelings for her husband.
Despite Alethea's good looks and money of her own she's treated to some splurge in the clothing department--one of my favorite parts of Neels books. I do so love when the heroine marries the much much wealthier hero and gets a shopping spree and all new wardrobe, lol. Then too, we have loving descriptions of homes and countryside, rhapsodies over meals, and endless cups of tea. It's a wonder these women don't all weigh a million pounds with three ample meals a day, teas, and the odd cup of coffee accompanied by biscuits and/sandwiches. Especially as they end up the pampered wives of rich men with loving servants to wait on the hand and foot.
It sounds like I despise these books, and yet it's anything but. I've been reading Neels for more than 20 years, and I adore them. They are a world of unchanging comfort on bad days.
This story doesn't really depart from the norm for Ms Neels, but there's a certain extra pleasure to reading this one. Alethea is a lovely, capable Sister who unwisely falls for the wrong man. When her hopes of marriage are dashed (and she's abandoned at an expensive restaurant while her fella does a most ungallant fine and dash) she meets Sarre.
To no one's surprise he's an RDD. Unlike a lot of Neels' heroes he isn't a towering jerk, but rather charming. Although he does keep to her tried and true formula of falling in love on sight but being annoyingly vague about his feelings and proposing a marriage in name only for the sake of his kids.
Enter Sarel and Jacomina, twin brats pred hu dear old Nanny to hate their new stepmother. Of course there's no good reason for this. For some vague, groundless purpose Nanny feared being usurped with no evidence whatsoever and turned the twins against her. All comes right in the end, natch.
We have a red herring in Anna, the attractive but slightly catty surgeon friend of Sarre's, whom Alethea is naturally jealous of right off the bat, well before she discovers she has any feelings for her husband.
Despite Alethea's good looks and money of her own she's treated to some splurge in the clothing department--one of my favorite parts of Neels books. I do so love when the heroine marries the much much wealthier hero and gets a shopping spree and all new wardrobe, lol. Then too, we have loving descriptions of homes and countryside, rhapsodies over meals, and endless cups of tea. It's a wonder these women don't all weigh a million pounds with three ample meals a day, teas, and the odd cup of coffee accompanied by biscuits and/sandwiches. Especially as they end up the pampered wives of rich men with loving servants to wait on the hand and foot.
It sounds like I despise these books, and yet it's anything but. I've been reading Neels for more than 20 years, and I adore them. They are a world of unchanging comfort on bad days.
June 2, 2017
Gallantry has it's rewards.
Alethea was sure tonight would be so special, although they had only been seeing each other for a few months, Nick had told her he had something important to ask her. Had it not been for the kindly and oh so timely actions of a complete stranger Alethea's mortification would have been complete. I have always enjoyed Betty Neels books as a teenager, her characters are usually so charming in their mistaken thoughts. From a different time period than the current independent feminist, the heroine is usually a very lady-like young woman. Her stories while very vanilla in the romance department is very delightfully written. The hero usually a doctor of outstanding repute usually is very large and placid in his manner. We are only given his POV in very minute detail. Her plots while always finishing with a HEA, is quite enjoyable and can be considered "light reading". If you're tired of all the graphic or eroticism in so many of today's novels, I recommend books by this author. Ms. Neels definitely has lived through a more genteel period and that comes through her writing splendidly
Alethea was sure tonight would be so special, although they had only been seeing each other for a few months, Nick had told her he had something important to ask her. Had it not been for the kindly and oh so timely actions of a complete stranger Alethea's mortification would have been complete. I have always enjoyed Betty Neels books as a teenager, her characters are usually so charming in their mistaken thoughts. From a different time period than the current independent feminist, the heroine is usually a very lady-like young woman. Her stories while very vanilla in the romance department is very delightfully written. The hero usually a doctor of outstanding repute usually is very large and placid in his manner. We are only given his POV in very minute detail. Her plots while always finishing with a HEA, is quite enjoyable and can be considered "light reading". If you're tired of all the graphic or eroticism in so many of today's novels, I recommend books by this author. Ms. Neels definitely has lived through a more genteel period and that comes through her writing splendidly
February 28, 2024
Alethea and her boyfriend, Nick Penrose have an argument over dinner with Nick walking out on her in the restaurant and she didn't have enough money to pay the bill. Nick wanted her to spend a weekend away with her which she wouldn't do.
A man dining at a nearby table, Dr. Sarre van Diederijk came to her rescue by looking after the bill and taking her home...he heard her story regarding Nick, and told her she had to turn the page forward, not backward but Alethea had a hard time doing that because she felt she still loved him so matter how mean he was to her.
Dr. Sarre van Diederijk has been divorced for 10 years after his wife gave birth to twins who are now 11 years old...he asks her to marry him...he didn't need a wife, he needed a mother for his twins....who decided even before meeting her, that they disliked Alethea even before they met her. They did some really mean things to her, one being smashing her beautiful singing globe.
After a few weeks, Alethea realizes she loves Sarre but doesn't want him to know because he told her he didn't need or want a wife......but all works out very well in the end....
A man dining at a nearby table, Dr. Sarre van Diederijk came to her rescue by looking after the bill and taking her home...he heard her story regarding Nick, and told her she had to turn the page forward, not backward but Alethea had a hard time doing that because she felt she still loved him so matter how mean he was to her.
Dr. Sarre van Diederijk has been divorced for 10 years after his wife gave birth to twins who are now 11 years old...he asks her to marry him...he didn't need a wife, he needed a mother for his twins....who decided even before meeting her, that they disliked Alethea even before they met her. They did some really mean things to her, one being smashing her beautiful singing globe.
After a few weeks, Alethea realizes she loves Sarre but doesn't want him to know because he told her he didn't need or want a wife......but all works out very well in the end....
August 18, 2023
I had to keep in mind that this book was written over 40 years ago & that times have changed in many ways.
Alethea works in a hospital & she has been dating Nick for some time. They go out for dinner and she thinks he is going to propose, but instead she is left with the bill & without money to pay. Luckily , Sarre, a Dutch doctor is at a nearby table and ends up fabricating a story to the waiter in order to pay the bill without causing a scene for Alethea.
Sarre and Alethea hit it off and a whirlwind romance ensues. Some things which stike me as odd, are that after they marry and she moves in with him and his children, they share separate rooms.
Also, the fight at the end of the novel in which Alethea is going to leave for food & return home to England seems to smooth over very quickly.
Alethea works in a hospital & she has been dating Nick for some time. They go out for dinner and she thinks he is going to propose, but instead she is left with the bill & without money to pay. Luckily , Sarre, a Dutch doctor is at a nearby table and ends up fabricating a story to the waiter in order to pay the bill without causing a scene for Alethea.
Sarre and Alethea hit it off and a whirlwind romance ensues. Some things which stike me as odd, are that after they marry and she moves in with him and his children, they share separate rooms.
Also, the fight at the end of the novel in which Alethea is going to leave for food & return home to England seems to smooth over very quickly.
September 24, 2023
Well. This was a very plain Jane, very chaste romance, which had characters doing things that seems ridiculous to me. I almost set it aside multiple times, but I did get interested enough in it to read on as fall-asleep reading.
January 28, 2026
Read: 12Dec25, 27jan26
4.5 stars. I liked this one a lot more than i thought i would, and I love that the title comes from one of my fave poems "I love thee to the level of every day’s / Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light." Beautiful.
Alethea is one of Betty's tall beautiful nurses. At 27, she's a ward sister and is in love with Nick, a doctor at her hospital, who she hopes to marry. But right at the start of the book, the horrid selfish Nick dumps her in a public and unpleasant way and leaves her to pay for an expensive dinner when she hasnt any money with her. Hero Sarre happens to witness this and, like a gentleman, he very politely and sensitively pays for the dinner and drives her home. She is grateful to the kind stranger but, being in love with Nick, is hugely upset and hoping that he will regret his actions and beg to have her back. Unfortunately for her, the nasty Nick proceeds to get it on with a different nurse at the hospital instead, one whose family has the money he needs to fast track his career.
It turns out that Sarre (39) is a visiting dutch consultant at the hospital. Every time the nasty Nick says something nasty to Alethea and rubs his new relationship in her face, Sarre happens to sweep in and rescue her from heartache and wretchedness and embarrassment.
Poor Althea appreciates his kindness and friendship and the times he takes her out for meals etc, but she's still in love with Nick and, unable to bear seeing him with his new girl, she starts to consider leaving the hospital and finding a new job. Instead, Sarre proposes that she enter a MOC with him instead. He needs a hostess and a mother for his 11 year old twins. After some consideration, she finds herself agreeing to marry him.
SPOILERS AHEAD
When they get married and move to holland, they agree she should try to put the past behind her. She soon finds some obstacles in her new married life - the twins seem to hate her and so does their nanny, and Sarre has an attractive female assistant doc who he is good friends with and who seems all too interested in Sarre and Althea finds herself jealous, and also struggling to deal with the twins' resentment and their mean behaviour towards her.
In the meantime she finds herself valuing all the time she's spending with Sarre, who treats her well, until she realises she has fallen in love with him, which shocks her, and now she is not sure what to do because he said he didn't really want a wife, only a MOC, and she is worried he might have feelings for his assistant.
ENDING SPOILERS
Anyway, the twins cause some drama and get her into a dangerous situation, and Sarre comes to rescue them, and the twins finally realise that she is really good to them and they want her for a mom. But Sarre asks her if, during the fraught event, she thought of her ex. And she replies yes. But before she can tell him that she felt nothing when she thought of him and thought he would be useless in that situation and really she thought mostly of Sarre, he interrupts her and tells her that he has been selfish and he wants her to go back to England. It's obvious to us that he thinks she still loves Nick and needs her to properly decide what she wants.
Luckily for our girl, she decides to confront Sarre before going home, and is brave enough to interrupt him during a conference of important doctors. She tells him she wont be coming back from England, at which point he expresses his regrets for how she's been treated by his kids and for himself trying to make her jealous with his assistant doc. But she confesses she loves him, and he confesses her loves her. I would have liked his expression of regret to last a bit longer but there is an immediate resolution with her blurting that she's in love with him. He confesses his love too and we get a happy ending. I would have liked to hear from him when exactly he fell for her - was it at first sight - but we don't get to find that out. Hopefully i will notice during a re-read. ( Nope, couldn't tell during the reread but subtext tells me possibly he loved her even before their wedding day.)
CONCLUSION
I really liked the book and enjoyed reading it. It perhaps didn't quite have some of the emotional depth that I got from reading other Betty books and yet it drew me in and kept me interested, and i loved the fact he was always there for her, helping her deal with trauma and shielding her from pain and embarrassment while she figured her own feelings out, and I always love when a h seems to fall first and then pines for him a little bit. I have given it 4.5 stars because it felt like it deserved it, but is on the bottom end of my 4.5 star betty reads because i enjoyed some of the others a lot more, and yet i think this one deserved that rating too.
4.5 stars. I liked this one a lot more than i thought i would, and I love that the title comes from one of my fave poems "I love thee to the level of every day’s / Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light." Beautiful.
Alethea is one of Betty's tall beautiful nurses. At 27, she's a ward sister and is in love with Nick, a doctor at her hospital, who she hopes to marry. But right at the start of the book, the horrid selfish Nick dumps her in a public and unpleasant way and leaves her to pay for an expensive dinner when she hasnt any money with her. Hero Sarre happens to witness this and, like a gentleman, he very politely and sensitively pays for the dinner and drives her home. She is grateful to the kind stranger but, being in love with Nick, is hugely upset and hoping that he will regret his actions and beg to have her back. Unfortunately for her, the nasty Nick proceeds to get it on with a different nurse at the hospital instead, one whose family has the money he needs to fast track his career.
It turns out that Sarre (39) is a visiting dutch consultant at the hospital. Every time the nasty Nick says something nasty to Alethea and rubs his new relationship in her face, Sarre happens to sweep in and rescue her from heartache and wretchedness and embarrassment.
Poor Althea appreciates his kindness and friendship and the times he takes her out for meals etc, but she's still in love with Nick and, unable to bear seeing him with his new girl, she starts to consider leaving the hospital and finding a new job. Instead, Sarre proposes that she enter a MOC with him instead. He needs a hostess and a mother for his 11 year old twins. After some consideration, she finds herself agreeing to marry him.
SPOILERS AHEAD
When they get married and move to holland, they agree she should try to put the past behind her. She soon finds some obstacles in her new married life - the twins seem to hate her and so does their nanny, and Sarre has an attractive female assistant doc who he is good friends with and who seems all too interested in Sarre and Althea finds herself jealous, and also struggling to deal with the twins' resentment and their mean behaviour towards her.
In the meantime she finds herself valuing all the time she's spending with Sarre, who treats her well, until she realises she has fallen in love with him, which shocks her, and now she is not sure what to do because he said he didn't really want a wife, only a MOC, and she is worried he might have feelings for his assistant.
ENDING SPOILERS
Anyway, the twins cause some drama and get her into a dangerous situation, and Sarre comes to rescue them, and the twins finally realise that she is really good to them and they want her for a mom. But Sarre asks her if, during the fraught event, she thought of her ex. And she replies yes. But before she can tell him that she felt nothing when she thought of him and thought he would be useless in that situation and really she thought mostly of Sarre, he interrupts her and tells her that he has been selfish and he wants her to go back to England. It's obvious to us that he thinks she still loves Nick and needs her to properly decide what she wants.
Luckily for our girl, she decides to confront Sarre before going home, and is brave enough to interrupt him during a conference of important doctors. She tells him she wont be coming back from England, at which point he expresses his regrets for how she's been treated by his kids and for himself trying to make her jealous with his assistant doc. But she confesses she loves him, and he confesses her loves her. I would have liked his expression of regret to last a bit longer but there is an immediate resolution with her blurting that she's in love with him. He confesses his love too and we get a happy ending. I would have liked to hear from him when exactly he fell for her - was it at first sight - but we don't get to find that out. Hopefully i will notice during a re-read. ( Nope, couldn't tell during the reread but subtext tells me possibly he loved her even before their wedding day.)
CONCLUSION
I really liked the book and enjoyed reading it. It perhaps didn't quite have some of the emotional depth that I got from reading other Betty books and yet it drew me in and kept me interested, and i loved the fact he was always there for her, helping her deal with trauma and shielding her from pain and embarrassment while she figured her own feelings out, and I always love when a h seems to fall first and then pines for him a little bit. I have given it 4.5 stars because it felt like it deserved it, but is on the bottom end of my 4.5 star betty reads because i enjoyed some of the others a lot more, and yet i think this one deserved that rating too.
August 9, 2018
Lovely
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
October 14, 2018
Absolutely Perfect. Perfect Heroine and even more perfect Hero, all characters were well characterized and an even well written storyline. I Absolutely loved it and recommend it to all.
October 16, 2018
Wow, terrible parenting on display here.
A cute sweet book as are all Neels', but got to call that out, for sure. Made me lose respect for him, definitely.
A cute sweet book as are all Neels', but got to call that out, for sure. Made me lose respect for him, definitely.
December 9, 2018
Wonderful
Enjoyed another great story by Betty Neels. Although I don't know the British countryside very well, I enjoy the descriptions.
Enjoyed another great story by Betty Neels. Although I don't know the British countryside very well, I enjoy the descriptions.
May 18, 2019
This one I really enjoyed
This author tends to have similar plot points in most of her stories, but this one felt fresh and a bit different. I enjoyed it.
This author tends to have similar plot points in most of her stories, but this one felt fresh and a bit different. I enjoyed it.
January 3, 2021
Another HEA Betty Neels. 😊
June 12, 2021
Very nice. Easy read. A-typical Betty Neels.
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