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A Christmas Proposal
Mills & Boon presents the Betty Neels collection. Timeless tales of heart-warming romance by one of the world’s best-loved romance authors.
Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe seemed to have met a modern-day Cinderella! Ever since Bertha's father had remarried, the kindhearted woman had been put upon by her family. She appeared to live in her stepsister's shadow, stuck doing the housework and wearing hand-me-downs!
The doctor was about to change all that. In fact, he was about to change Bertha's entire world.
Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe seemed to have met a modern-day Cinderella! Ever since Bertha's father had remarried, the kindhearted woman had been put upon by her family. She appeared to live in her stepsister's shadow, stuck doing the housework and wearing hand-me-downs!
The doctor was about to change all that. In fact, he was about to change Bertha's entire world.
86 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 1996
12 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
589 books423 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 22, 2024
A novella from 1996 that condenses all of the usual later-day BN tropes into a compact 100 page (or so) format. It's a bit on the nose as far as Cinderella tales go: Our helpless heroine has an evil stepmother and stepsister who dress her in neon-hued ill-fitting castoffs; her Queen's Counsel father is MIA, she has no job training and no job and just serves as handmaiden to the stepmonsters. 1896 would have been a slightly more believable year for this story given the heroine's sad lack of options but the BN Victorian time-space wormhole effect is well-documented, so just go with it.
Enter Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe, large, pale-haired, blue eyed, and kindly, who feels the need to rescue our fair maiden from her place among the ashes of family life and soon succumbs to instalove. The heroine reciprocates. The stepmonsters try to keep them apart by banishing our Cinderella to an aunt in faraway Cornwall, who buys her a new wardrobe and tells her that love will find a way. Our hero tracks her down, and, to whit, it's HEA in record time!
Short, sweet, and entirely forgettable--but even at age 87 or so, Betty still had writing chops and manages to sneak in a sweetness and a little angst that make this silly, flimsy tale still oddly engaging. Recommended for BN superfans looking to finish all 134 books; not so much for anyone else. (While it's billed as a Christmas story, I don't recall anything very Christmassy about it--pure marketing.)
Hero drives the standard Rolls (we'll assume Silver Spur), which in 1996 looked like this:
Enter Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe, large, pale-haired, blue eyed, and kindly, who feels the need to rescue our fair maiden from her place among the ashes of family life and soon succumbs to instalove. The heroine reciprocates. The stepmonsters try to keep them apart by banishing our Cinderella to an aunt in faraway Cornwall, who buys her a new wardrobe and tells her that love will find a way. Our hero tracks her down, and, to whit, it's HEA in record time!
Short, sweet, and entirely forgettable--but even at age 87 or so, Betty still had writing chops and manages to sneak in a sweetness and a little angst that make this silly, flimsy tale still oddly engaging. Recommended for BN superfans looking to finish all 134 books; not so much for anyone else. (While it's billed as a Christmas story, I don't recall anything very Christmassy about it--pure marketing.)
Hero drives the standard Rolls (we'll assume Silver Spur), which in 1996 looked like this:
January 4, 2019
I have a soft spot for Betty Neels' books. Whenever I need some relaxing, They are so cozy and realistic with a bunch of daily life chores.
I always want to check and visit the places she mentioned in the story.
And one of things about her stroies makes me smile that her dedication to never skip lunch, supper or tea times with the details of menu. :)
This one is might not one of her best, it is still better than many other books. It helped me to lighten up my mood.
I always want to check and visit the places she mentioned in the story.
And one of things about her stroies makes me smile that her dedication to never skip lunch, supper or tea times with the details of menu. :)
This one is might not one of her best, it is still better than many other books. It helped me to lighten up my mood.
December 7, 2024
A Christmas Proposal is a real Cinderella story. Poor Bertha has a nasty step mother and sneaky, vain stepsister named Clare. Her father is absent for work and she's at the mercy of these two. For some reason she catches the eye of rich doctor Oliver Hay-Smythe. Though some of this story is really unlikely, there are enough of the details Neels does well to make it fun to read. Length-wise it felt like a novella. 2.5 stars rounded up for a decent novella.
This story appears in "A Betty Neels Christmas", along with "Winter Wedding".
This story appears in "A Betty Neels Christmas", along with "Winter Wedding".
September 20, 2018
#49 Reseña : Una propuesta navideña.
Me gustó esta novela.
Una Cenicienta "moderna"(novela del año 1996) con una madrastra y una hermanastra que vale por dos.
Un protagonista al que no le vienen con cuentos y que no logran embaucarle, él sabe que decir y que hacer para lograr lo que quiere, un príncipe moderno que rescata a la doncella y se casa con ella.
Una novela muy, muy Neels.
Estas novelas son como comer una caja de chocolate o un paquete de papas fritas, una vez que empiezas no puedes acabar sino hasta consumir toda la caja o el paquete. Adictivas!
Me gustó esta novela.
Una Cenicienta "moderna"(novela del año 1996) con una madrastra y una hermanastra que vale por dos.
Un protagonista al que no le vienen con cuentos y que no logran embaucarle, él sabe que decir y que hacer para lograr lo que quiere, un príncipe moderno que rescata a la doncella y se casa con ella.
Una novela muy, muy Neels.
Estas novelas son como comer una caja de chocolate o un paquete de papas fritas, una vez que empiezas no puedes acabar sino hasta consumir toda la caja o el paquete. Adictivas!
March 1, 2021
The story was simple but it’s difficult to believe a rich handsome doctor can fall in love with an extremely plain girl with hardly any skills or job but having only a good eye and sweet voice. Bertha is always subdued by her step mom and stepsister so she hardly has any good education or training to peruse a job. She is just waiting for any man to notice her and if lucky marry her.
Oliver is a kind hearted as well as successful doctor who notices Bertha standing in a corner in a birthday party and befriends her and eventually falls in love with her.
Even though Bertha is a good and kind hearted girl I can’t understand what the doctor saw in her to fall for her, and also every time he meets her she is shabbily dressed in her step sister’s discarded clothes.
Oliver is a kind hearted as well as successful doctor who notices Bertha standing in a corner in a birthday party and befriends her and eventually falls in love with her.
Even though Bertha is a good and kind hearted girl I can’t understand what the doctor saw in her to fall for her, and also every time he meets her she is shabbily dressed in her step sister’s discarded clothes.
December 8, 2018
Classic Cinderella story set at Christmas time -- very enjoyable and satisfying.
October 1, 2019
“Proposición navideña” con este título podemos leer esta (casi )versión Betty de la cenicienta! Esta historia podría decirse que se estructura como un cuento de hadas con los personajes característicos: la pobre chica casi huérfana Bertha Soames (con una cruel madrastra y una hermanastra casi peor )el héroe encarnado por el doctor Oliver Hay-Smythe,y hasta una tía lejana que oficia casi como hada madrina.la historia básicamente nos lleva a los lugares magistralmente escritos a los que nos tiene acostumbradas Betty Neels:algún apacible pueblo,alguna reconfortante posada,ricos almuerzos y cenas,la hora del té sumado a eso una joven protagonista cuya vida monótona y gris se ve mejorada con la presencia del Doctor.en el caso de Bertha ella es una joven común y ordinaria sin atractivo físico alguno,cuyo cabello castaño casi rubio no ayuda en su imagen,y que para colmo de males viste fatal con la ropa donada que su hermanastra le da:ropa fea de mal gusto y encima que le queda grande.a esto hay que sumarle un abrigo 🧥 ya viejo que la protagonista utiliza porque no tiene otra cosa que ponerse pobrecita🥺Apenas comienza la novela los protagonistas se conocen en la noche del cumpleaños de Grace.el doctor Oliver es el primero en percatarse de la solitaria muchacha sin gracia alguna pero con hermosos ojos.Y así sin más el destino de los protagonistas los unirá al hermoso final que tan bien nos acostumbra Betty.esta novela contiene muchos besos,declaraciones de amor muy claras y directas ,hecho que me sorprende muchísimo!pero es muy corta para mi gusto de ahí las 4 estrellas y no 5 que le doy .
February 17, 2026
A Christmas Proposal (1996) is a novella from Betty's very late period. I'm not totally sure the voice is authentic Betty but that may just be because the usual wealth of mundane but so delightful details has to be condensed in short form. I really like this story and find myself coming back to it often. It's a shameless Cinderella story but one I enjoy a lot.
Bertha is kind, submissive, plain but with a lovely figure, presumably in her early twenties. She lives with her father, stepmother and stepsister. Dad is a lawyer who never seems to be home (he never actually appears in the story), and this leaves the field wide open for Bertha to be mistreated by the steps. It's 1996, but in Betty's timewarp where social customs and mores from decades and decades earlier still hold sway, Bertha doesn't have a job, is not really allowed out without permission and has chafed at her restricted life but never rebelled. Instead, she does small chores for stepmother, submits to stepsister Clare's evil and dismissive ways, and is forced to wear Clare's ugly cast offs, chosen specifically by Clare to make Bertha as unattractive as possible. Enter Oliver Hay-Smythe, a Rolls-driving, country house-owning Rich British Doctor (RBD). He turns up at Bertha's birthday party, which Clare has managed to make all about herself after dressing Bertha up in a hideous pink dress which does exactly what Clare wants, which is to draw eyes away from Bertha and keep them focused on the hideous dress. But Oliver isn't that shallow. He singles Bertha out, draws her out a bit, then absconds with her to a pub where he provides a homely, down-to-earth birthday dinner of sausages and mash. Good plain fare that Bertha enjoys almost as much as Oliver's company.
Having made Bertha's acquaintance, Oliver starts making inroads into getting to know her. At first, his efforts seem to stem from the pity he feels and that pity colors the story, although I posit that he recognizes very quickly that Bertha is his ideal wife (sweet, modest, kind, yada, yada). Clare and stepmother seem convinced he's interested in Clare and he doesn't exactly disabuse them of this notion since it means he can use the connection to get Bertha out of the house. He gets Bertha a job reading to a sick elderly lady and then later reading to disabled children. Bertha loves both jobs. She's a sweet, sympathetic and kind soul, Clare's polar opposite. Soon Clare and stepmother realize they may be in danger of losing Oliver to Bertha, as incredulous as they are that this could happen. Together they cook up a plot to get Bertha out of town and out of Oliver's orbit so Clare can snaffle him for herself. How Oliver comes riding to Bertha's rescue is very sweet indeed.
A Christmas Proposal is a little cartoonish in that the villains are portrayed in an almost Disney-fied way. Bertha might as well sing and dance with the birds and mice who are her only friends and Oliver only needs a white horse, a prince's crown and a cape. But despite the broad, cartoonish strokes the story is painted with, it's an enjoyable, feel-good piece of fluff and a sweet little companion to some of the more edgy and complicated stories in Betty's oeuvre. 4 stars!
Bertha is kind, submissive, plain but with a lovely figure, presumably in her early twenties. She lives with her father, stepmother and stepsister. Dad is a lawyer who never seems to be home (he never actually appears in the story), and this leaves the field wide open for Bertha to be mistreated by the steps. It's 1996, but in Betty's timewarp where social customs and mores from decades and decades earlier still hold sway, Bertha doesn't have a job, is not really allowed out without permission and has chafed at her restricted life but never rebelled. Instead, she does small chores for stepmother, submits to stepsister Clare's evil and dismissive ways, and is forced to wear Clare's ugly cast offs, chosen specifically by Clare to make Bertha as unattractive as possible. Enter Oliver Hay-Smythe, a Rolls-driving, country house-owning Rich British Doctor (RBD). He turns up at Bertha's birthday party, which Clare has managed to make all about herself after dressing Bertha up in a hideous pink dress which does exactly what Clare wants, which is to draw eyes away from Bertha and keep them focused on the hideous dress. But Oliver isn't that shallow. He singles Bertha out, draws her out a bit, then absconds with her to a pub where he provides a homely, down-to-earth birthday dinner of sausages and mash. Good plain fare that Bertha enjoys almost as much as Oliver's company.
Having made Bertha's acquaintance, Oliver starts making inroads into getting to know her. At first, his efforts seem to stem from the pity he feels and that pity colors the story, although I posit that he recognizes very quickly that Bertha is his ideal wife (sweet, modest, kind, yada, yada). Clare and stepmother seem convinced he's interested in Clare and he doesn't exactly disabuse them of this notion since it means he can use the connection to get Bertha out of the house. He gets Bertha a job reading to a sick elderly lady and then later reading to disabled children. Bertha loves both jobs. She's a sweet, sympathetic and kind soul, Clare's polar opposite. Soon Clare and stepmother realize they may be in danger of losing Oliver to Bertha, as incredulous as they are that this could happen. Together they cook up a plot to get Bertha out of town and out of Oliver's orbit so Clare can snaffle him for herself. How Oliver comes riding to Bertha's rescue is very sweet indeed.
A Christmas Proposal is a little cartoonish in that the villains are portrayed in an almost Disney-fied way. Bertha might as well sing and dance with the birds and mice who are her only friends and Oliver only needs a white horse, a prince's crown and a cape. But despite the broad, cartoonish strokes the story is painted with, it's an enjoyable, feel-good piece of fluff and a sweet little companion to some of the more edgy and complicated stories in Betty's oeuvre. 4 stars!
August 28, 2024
He studied her thoughtfully; anywhere else she would have minded being stared at like that, but here in hospital it was different; here he was a doctor and she was just another patient.
‘Can I go home soon?’ she asked.
It was the last place he wished her to go. She looked very small, engulfed in a hospital gown far too large for her, with her face clean now but pale and the damaged eye the only colour about her. Her hair, its mousy abundance disciplined into a plait, hung over one shoulder.
He said after a moment, ‘No, you can’t, Bertha. You’re in one of my beds and you’ll stay here until I discharge you.’ He smiled suddenly.
.......
‘I hope she comes home soon.’ Clare sounded wistfully concerned. ‘I shall miss her.’
As indeed she would, reflected the doctor. There would be no one to whom she might pass on her unsuitable clothes. She was wearing a ridiculous outfit now, all frills and floating bits; he much preferred Bertha in her startling lime-green. Indeed, upon further reflection he much preferred Bertha, full-stop.
.......
Since Freddie had behaved in a very well-bred manner he accompanied his master, spreading his length across the foot of the bed.
'This is definitely not allowed,’ Oliver told him. ‘But just this once, since it is a special occasion. I only hope that Bertha’s aunt likes dogs.’
Freddie yawned.
‘Can I go home soon?’ she asked.
It was the last place he wished her to go. She looked very small, engulfed in a hospital gown far too large for her, with her face clean now but pale and the damaged eye the only colour about her. Her hair, its mousy abundance disciplined into a plait, hung over one shoulder.
He said after a moment, ‘No, you can’t, Bertha. You’re in one of my beds and you’ll stay here until I discharge you.’ He smiled suddenly.
.......
‘I hope she comes home soon.’ Clare sounded wistfully concerned. ‘I shall miss her.’
As indeed she would, reflected the doctor. There would be no one to whom she might pass on her unsuitable clothes. She was wearing a ridiculous outfit now, all frills and floating bits; he much preferred Bertha in her startling lime-green. Indeed, upon further reflection he much preferred Bertha, full-stop.
.......
Since Freddie had behaved in a very well-bred manner he accompanied his master, spreading his length across the foot of the bed.
'This is definitely not allowed,’ Oliver told him. ‘But just this once, since it is a special occasion. I only hope that Bertha’s aunt likes dogs.’
Freddie yawned.
January 31, 2026
3.5 stars. An enjoyable novella in Neels' old-fashioned but appealing style. It's a Cinderella story, with Bertha the much put-upon young lady who has a truly nasty, selfish stepmother and stepsister (Clare) both of whom you love to hate. Luckily Oliver, the mature doctor, sees through their self-interested overtures to reel him in as a potential rich and well-connected husband for Clare. Oliver is instead attracted to the quiet, somewhat shy but sweet and kind Bertha, and luckily Bertha returns the attraction.
It's a novella, so a short read with no opportunity for the story to drag or become boring. The characters are well-enough drawn, although Clare and her mother are of course somewhat of caricatures. Bertha and Oliver's gentle romance is convincing enough, and the mean stepmother and daughter's cruel plans are foiled. The HEA is nicely done. A satisfying read. My only query is the title. There is almost no mention of Christmas. LOL. Oh well. I enjoyed it anyway. A quick, easy, clean read.
It's a novella, so a short read with no opportunity for the story to drag or become boring. The characters are well-enough drawn, although Clare and her mother are of course somewhat of caricatures. Bertha and Oliver's gentle romance is convincing enough, and the mean stepmother and daughter's cruel plans are foiled. The HEA is nicely done. A satisfying read. My only query is the title. There is almost no mention of Christmas. LOL. Oh well. I enjoyed it anyway. A quick, easy, clean read.
September 20, 2022
🎉 5 Betty Stars ⭐️
I enjoyed this Betty Neels Cinderella-story short about Bertha who’s pretty much an actual Cinderella except her father is very much alive, just incredibly absent, and that her wicked stepsister is the beauty, not her. Other than this, her wicked stepmother is as awful as can be imagined, and our archetypal Prince, Oliver, an RBD, is as out to rescue Bertha as the Cinderella trope calls for. What I did find amusing and by amusing, I mean odd, is the fact that Oliver tries to build Bertha’s agency to rescue herself by finding her work… which sounds good, but unpaid work… which is odd given the fact that her stepmother and stepsister have enriched themselves of Bertha’s father and have a financial hold over her… despite the fact that she’s an heiress through her mother. It didn’t really add up for me. And yet this is the kind of Betty I like. It was breezy, the characters didn’t dent their feelings needlessly, and none of the protagonists were particularly toxic.
I enjoyed this Betty Neels Cinderella-story short about Bertha who’s pretty much an actual Cinderella except her father is very much alive, just incredibly absent, and that her wicked stepsister is the beauty, not her. Other than this, her wicked stepmother is as awful as can be imagined, and our archetypal Prince, Oliver, an RBD, is as out to rescue Bertha as the Cinderella trope calls for. What I did find amusing and by amusing, I mean odd, is the fact that Oliver tries to build Bertha’s agency to rescue herself by finding her work… which sounds good, but unpaid work… which is odd given the fact that her stepmother and stepsister have enriched themselves of Bertha’s father and have a financial hold over her… despite the fact that she’s an heiress through her mother. It didn’t really add up for me. And yet this is the kind of Betty I like. It was breezy, the characters didn’t dent their feelings needlessly, and none of the protagonists were particularly toxic.
March 6, 2024
This is a short, romance novella of British literature. It was sort of a "Cinderella" story and so it was quite predictable. I really enjoyed the Betty Neals detailed descriptions of meals that were eaten. LOL
Although it was a very simple read for a lazy afternoon and a "spot of tea", the ending was quite abrupt and not as satisfying as the rest of of the story.
Although it was a very simple read for a lazy afternoon and a "spot of tea", the ending was quite abrupt and not as satisfying as the rest of of the story.
November 1, 2024
This is one of Betty Neels’ very rare heroes who shall clearly cherish the lovely heroine, he single handedly set about rescuing her from the clutches of her evil step family and then correctly realised they’d want her out of the way, so he found her and HEA.
December 10, 2025
I find Betty Neels' books to be just what I need when I want a sweet, gentle romance. In this one, Bertha is Cinderella, and Oliver is Prince Charming. I enjoyed their relationship as they became friends and thought they were the sweetest couple.
December 8, 2020
I liked it. I skimmed a bit, which I rarely do but it was a nice little Cinderella story.
November 28, 2022
A cute Cinderella story
January 25, 2026
Read: 19Dec26,
3.9 stars. Great for a novella. though it doesn't have the depth of a full novel, it's a well told and satisfying story.
Bertha has an absentee father who is working abroad so she is mistreated by her stepmother and beautiful spoiled stepsister whose awful hand-me-downs she must wear, and never permitted to socialise because she's never allowed to steal her stepsister thunder, not that she could anyway because she is a plain little thing. she quietly and uncomplainingly accepts her lot in life.
on her birthday, and at a party thrown for her stepsister and not for her, she meets RBD Oliver, who wonders why this plain girl isn't even allowed to celebrate her own bday and has been set to work to ensure her stepmother guests have a nice time. it's quite funny how he is bored at the party so he decides to sneak Bertha out to have dinner with her.
but, being handsome and rich and successful, he also catches the stepsister's attention, and pretty soon stepsister and stepmother are conspiring on how to make Oliver marry stepsister. the forward stepsister is always asking Oliver to take her out in dates...
SPOILERS AHEAD
Oliver does what he can to get Bertha out of her home (where she's used as a servant) by finding a job for her reading to the elderly and to sick children, and he sweet talks stepsister and stepmother to get them to agree or else they would never let Bertha do it. in fact, in order to do anything nice for bertha, he must hide it and have to take stepsister out sometimes to make it seems his interest lies there.
heroic Bertha impresses him by saving an old lady from being mugged (stepsister tries to take credit) and later also saving a child from being run over, thus landing herself in hospital and having doc Oliver looking out for her.
she realises she has fallen for Oliver, so she is heartbroken at idea Oliver loves the horrid stepsister. she thinks she must leave home and get a job as she can't bear to see Oliver and stepsister together.
when she gets out of hospital, Oliver persuades her she must come stay with his mom for a while. he intends to ask her to marry him. he fell for her at first sight. stepmother hears about plans for Bertha to stay at his mum's house and thinks Bertha is conspiring to steal Oliver away from her daughter.
she cruelly conspires to send Bertha to farflung Cornwall to stay with her disapprovingly paternal aunt by lying and saying the aunt is ill. she hopes the aunt will be cruel, but the aunt welcomes Bertha with open arms, buying her new clothes, listening to her, reassuring her any man will come find her if he loves her.
Oliver tracks her down and comes to Cornwall to confess his love and take her home to marry. kisses. the end.
I quite liked this tale as the hero Oliver remained inscrutable at the start, so we werent sure if he only felt sorry for her. I do wish Bertha had a bit more going for her to make her more interesting, but she was likeable enough in a quietly heroic way. a decent tale that I enjoyed and a quick read.
3.9 stars. Great for a novella. though it doesn't have the depth of a full novel, it's a well told and satisfying story.
Bertha has an absentee father who is working abroad so she is mistreated by her stepmother and beautiful spoiled stepsister whose awful hand-me-downs she must wear, and never permitted to socialise because she's never allowed to steal her stepsister thunder, not that she could anyway because she is a plain little thing. she quietly and uncomplainingly accepts her lot in life.
on her birthday, and at a party thrown for her stepsister and not for her, she meets RBD Oliver, who wonders why this plain girl isn't even allowed to celebrate her own bday and has been set to work to ensure her stepmother guests have a nice time. it's quite funny how he is bored at the party so he decides to sneak Bertha out to have dinner with her.
but, being handsome and rich and successful, he also catches the stepsister's attention, and pretty soon stepsister and stepmother are conspiring on how to make Oliver marry stepsister. the forward stepsister is always asking Oliver to take her out in dates...
SPOILERS AHEAD
Oliver does what he can to get Bertha out of her home (where she's used as a servant) by finding a job for her reading to the elderly and to sick children, and he sweet talks stepsister and stepmother to get them to agree or else they would never let Bertha do it. in fact, in order to do anything nice for bertha, he must hide it and have to take stepsister out sometimes to make it seems his interest lies there.
heroic Bertha impresses him by saving an old lady from being mugged (stepsister tries to take credit) and later also saving a child from being run over, thus landing herself in hospital and having doc Oliver looking out for her.
she realises she has fallen for Oliver, so she is heartbroken at idea Oliver loves the horrid stepsister. she thinks she must leave home and get a job as she can't bear to see Oliver and stepsister together.
when she gets out of hospital, Oliver persuades her she must come stay with his mom for a while. he intends to ask her to marry him. he fell for her at first sight. stepmother hears about plans for Bertha to stay at his mum's house and thinks Bertha is conspiring to steal Oliver away from her daughter.
she cruelly conspires to send Bertha to farflung Cornwall to stay with her disapprovingly paternal aunt by lying and saying the aunt is ill. she hopes the aunt will be cruel, but the aunt welcomes Bertha with open arms, buying her new clothes, listening to her, reassuring her any man will come find her if he loves her.
Oliver tracks her down and comes to Cornwall to confess his love and take her home to marry. kisses. the end.
I quite liked this tale as the hero Oliver remained inscrutable at the start, so we werent sure if he only felt sorry for her. I do wish Bertha had a bit more going for her to make her more interesting, but she was likeable enough in a quietly heroic way. a decent tale that I enjoyed and a quick read.
July 24, 2014
Reading Betty Neels' books is like eating potato chips. It's hard to stop after just one.
This one isn't my favorite. The evil step-mother and evil step-sister are just a little too overdone.
Still, I get a kick out of reading old romance books. There is something so innocent about them.
This one isn't my favorite. The evil step-mother and evil step-sister are just a little too overdone.
Still, I get a kick out of reading old romance books. There is something so innocent about them.
May 18, 2020
LOVED IT SO MUCH.
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