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Midsummer Star
Facing bankruptcy, Celine's family was forced to turn their home into a guesthouse to make ends meet. Celine found her new life to be a lot of hard work but great fun, too. And she soon met a young man, Nicky, who seemed very taken with herif only Nicky's overbearing cousin, Oliver, would stop interfering. But when Celine discovered that Nicky was married, she was only too grateful for Oliver's comforting presence. Gratitude wasn't exactly what Oliver had in mind, but it was a start.
191 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1983
77 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
564 books418 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 6, 2013
This has some of the characteristics you'd expect in a Betty Neels books, with some unusual variations. The heroine is attractive and 22 years old. The hero is 35 and not Dutch. But he is, not surprisingly, still a doctor.
The heroine's family has basically come upon hard times (comparatively speaking - they still live in a fancy house; they just can't afford all the luxuries they're accustomed to) but she still has designer clothes and Gucci sandals. She's definitely more privileged than the average Neels heroine but she still has managed to make it to adulthood with no skills. She decides to turn her house into the bed-and-breakfast and that seems to make a profit after a while. So, she's not terribly "poor" when the hero comes along.
She does end up working for him later, not because she's desperate for the money but because she wants to get away from a bruised heart because of his cousin Nicky. Eventually the creepy and persistent Nicky drives her to accept Oliver's suggestion that they fake an engagement. Of course Oliver has told her family that it is a real engagement and he posts an announcement in the newspaper. But the heroine who is oblivious to his gleaming eyes and hidden smiles is also oblivious to the fact that Oliver would like this to be a real engagement.
This story does not have a nasty other woman as the author's books usually do, which I didn't mind at all. I don't usually care for the Other Women in Neels' books. They tend to be really unsubtle and kind of antifeminist - it seems like in Betty's interpretation of the world, women are pitted against each other in these vicious battles to win the perfect husband. Of course perfect means rich. On one side of the battle you have the nasty vicious woman with all sorts of wiles and a fabulous (though too revealing of the bony chest, generally) wardrobe. On the other side of the battle there's the nice women with kind eyes, a gentle mouth, and virtue. I'm not keen on representations of women as a dichotomous opposition of Madonna or whore. I think Neels sometimes upholds that view of women, which why I consider the "Rival for the Hero's Affections/Wallet" trope in Neels less than appealing.
In this particular book, the stolid and self-sacrificing virtue of the heroine is less emphasized than you typically see. She's not downtrodden, she's not dreadfully overworked, and she has enough money for whatever it seems she needs. The kindness ideal that you usually see in Betty's books seems to be emphasized here instead through the lack of kindness in Nicky, the other man.
Anyway the book did have some nice moments. As usual the happy resolution takes place over a course of about two pages. But there's a bit earlier on when the hero thinks that the heroine is basically dumping him and that he should give up, and I think he's grouchy or something which shows, you know, *feelings*.
3.5 stars
April 5, 2017
Celine Bayliss’s parents are country gentry who are not good with money; her father, a retired Colonel, loves his books and fine wines; her mother is a sweet woman who has never done a day’s labor in her life. They have a lovely, if somewhat rundown, Elizabethan manor house in the Dorset countryside. Celine bullies the family solicitor into telling her about their financial situation, which is bleak, to say the least.
Celine hits upon the idea of opening up their home as a bed and breakfast, and gets the business running quite successfully. They are making money and her parents are not finding it too odious, since Celine herself is doing most of the physical labor, along with the FFRs, Angela and Barney. (Barney in particular is a lovely minor character that has a memorable line at the end.)
Not long into the venture, the Seymours, an older couple and their son, Nicky, a 20-something Adonis, arrive. He is all that is charming and attentive and Celine falls for him in a big way. He drops hints about a future for the two of them and Celine is over the moon. His father has a stroke, prolonging their stay and bringing Nicky’s older cousin, Oliver, a doctor, into the picture. Because Nicky is so disparaging of Oliver, Celine finds Oliver to be overbearing and interfering. Oliver finds out that Celine is planning to go away with Nicky for the weekend; he begs her not to go and tells her that Nicky is married. Celine refuses to believe him.
When Nicky comes back and Celine confronts him, Nicky admits the truth, but hands her the old chestnut of “we don’t get on and we’re getting a divorce.” Celine is devastated. Nicky won’t leave her alone, but to be fair, Celine doesn’t exactly tell him to get lost in a convincing way. Instead she keeps daydreaming of a happy ending, somehow.
So Oliver offers her an out – he suggests that she go to London with him and work at his East End clinic. She accepts. When Nicky still keeps pursuing her, Oliver suggests that Celine become engaged to him so that Nicky will leave her alone. Over the weeks that she has been in London, she has gotten over Nicky and seen him for the douchebag that he is (she meets Nicky’s wife at the theater – she’s a nice girl), and it is now that she has her DR.
A chance remark by a friend of Oliver’s makes Celine believe that he’s in love with another girl. So, after a trip to Holland, Celine calls off the “fake” engagement and tells him that she is ready to return to her home. Then she finds out the “other girl” is just 14 years old and their so-called romance is a running joke. She tries to see Oliver before she leaves London, but he has gone to Birmingham.
Not to worry, though; soon enough, Oliver comes to her home and finds Celine. Declaration and Proposal = HEA.
This was my first time reading this book (I’ve read most Betty Neels books multiple times). I liked it a lot. The descriptions of country life were lovely; the characters were believable; I felt sympathy for Celine even while I was frustrated at her naïveté about Nicky. She was educated at a girls' boarding school and then a fancy finishing school; since that time, she has lived in their small village, so she has not had much experience with men.
As a middle-class American, it's difficult for me to understand women like Celine's mother. Celine excuses her mother's seeming indolence: "...mother wouldn’t know where to start...Why should she? She’s never been used to it..." I've never had a menial job, like janitorial work or being a cashier, either, but I certainly would if necessary. You do what you've gotta do!
The same goes for Celine's father, who obviously is well educated but apparently never even considered earning a living; instead he "had drawn steadily on his capital for years now." Ah, well, I suppose it takes all kinds.
The interlude in Holland was nice; it was also a departure from TGB's norm of revisiting characters from previous books. Instead, Oliver's Dutch friend, Theo, is married to a French girl!
Oliver was a wonderful hero, good – but not too good to be true (good-looking but not mind-numbingly handsome; comfortably well off but not titled or fabulously wealthy; nice home but not a baronial castle with several other homes as well).
Reread and edited 12/10/16.
Celine hits upon the idea of opening up their home as a bed and breakfast, and gets the business running quite successfully. They are making money and her parents are not finding it too odious, since Celine herself is doing most of the physical labor, along with the FFRs, Angela and Barney. (Barney in particular is a lovely minor character that has a memorable line at the end.)
Not long into the venture, the Seymours, an older couple and their son, Nicky, a 20-something Adonis, arrive. He is all that is charming and attentive and Celine falls for him in a big way. He drops hints about a future for the two of them and Celine is over the moon. His father has a stroke, prolonging their stay and bringing Nicky’s older cousin, Oliver, a doctor, into the picture. Because Nicky is so disparaging of Oliver, Celine finds Oliver to be overbearing and interfering. Oliver finds out that Celine is planning to go away with Nicky for the weekend; he begs her not to go and tells her that Nicky is married. Celine refuses to believe him.
When Nicky comes back and Celine confronts him, Nicky admits the truth, but hands her the old chestnut of “we don’t get on and we’re getting a divorce.” Celine is devastated. Nicky won’t leave her alone, but to be fair, Celine doesn’t exactly tell him to get lost in a convincing way. Instead she keeps daydreaming of a happy ending, somehow.
So Oliver offers her an out – he suggests that she go to London with him and work at his East End clinic. She accepts. When Nicky still keeps pursuing her, Oliver suggests that Celine become engaged to him so that Nicky will leave her alone. Over the weeks that she has been in London, she has gotten over Nicky and seen him for the douchebag that he is (she meets Nicky’s wife at the theater – she’s a nice girl), and it is now that she has her DR.
A chance remark by a friend of Oliver’s makes Celine believe that he’s in love with another girl. So, after a trip to Holland, Celine calls off the “fake” engagement and tells him that she is ready to return to her home. Then she finds out the “other girl” is just 14 years old and their so-called romance is a running joke. She tries to see Oliver before she leaves London, but he has gone to Birmingham.
Not to worry, though; soon enough, Oliver comes to her home and finds Celine. Declaration and Proposal = HEA.
This was my first time reading this book (I’ve read most Betty Neels books multiple times). I liked it a lot. The descriptions of country life were lovely; the characters were believable; I felt sympathy for Celine even while I was frustrated at her naïveté about Nicky. She was educated at a girls' boarding school and then a fancy finishing school; since that time, she has lived in their small village, so she has not had much experience with men.
As a middle-class American, it's difficult for me to understand women like Celine's mother. Celine excuses her mother's seeming indolence: "...mother wouldn’t know where to start...Why should she? She’s never been used to it..." I've never had a menial job, like janitorial work or being a cashier, either, but I certainly would if necessary. You do what you've gotta do!
The same goes for Celine's father, who obviously is well educated but apparently never even considered earning a living; instead he "had drawn steadily on his capital for years now." Ah, well, I suppose it takes all kinds.
The interlude in Holland was nice; it was also a departure from TGB's norm of revisiting characters from previous books. Instead, Oliver's Dutch friend, Theo, is married to a French girl!
Oliver was a wonderful hero, good – but not too good to be true (good-looking but not mind-numbingly handsome; comfortably well off but not titled or fabulously wealthy; nice home but not a baronial castle with several other homes as well).
Reread and edited 12/10/16.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2010
This is about as close to mediocre as Neels gets, certainly not top drawer. Our heroine is not one of Neels' shining best. She starts by acting very strongly in finding a solution for her family's financial woes (and doing almost all the hard work too!).
Then she turns into a sappy 16 year-old when she meets the 'charming' Nicky!
Nicky's lying ways are revealed by 'cousin Oliver', but dear Celine (bad name choice) is still acting like a petulant 16 year old--lots of crying 'Oh Nicky" into her pillow!
Celine does get her act together, eventually, thanks to Oliver--but it's a hard slog. When all seems to be working out just fine, the author realized she still needed X pages to fulfill her contract--so we have this half-hearted sub plot that introduces another set of problems. If only the book had ended without that last bit of unpleasantness, it would have gotten a higher rating. (or maybe not--that whole infatuation with Nicky thing just didn't sit well with me--)
I don't regret the time spent reading this book--but I shan't be reading it again.
Then she turns into a sappy 16 year-old when she meets the 'charming' Nicky!
Nicky's lying ways are revealed by 'cousin Oliver', but dear Celine (bad name choice) is still acting like a petulant 16 year old--lots of crying 'Oh Nicky" into her pillow!
Celine does get her act together, eventually, thanks to Oliver--but it's a hard slog. When all seems to be working out just fine, the author realized she still needed X pages to fulfill her contract--so we have this half-hearted sub plot that introduces another set of problems. If only the book had ended without that last bit of unpleasantness, it would have gotten a higher rating. (or maybe not--that whole infatuation with Nicky thing just didn't sit well with me--)
I don't regret the time spent reading this book--but I shan't be reading it again.
December 21, 2025
This was a rather disappointing Neels book. I loved the way it started. Celine is a young woman given a good education for a lady, which means she has no useful skills at all. But when she realizes that the family needs money she doesn't waste time feeling sorry for herself. Instead she organizes the house into a bed-and-breakfast and her hard work helps make it a success. There's a heroine I can like!
One of the visitors is Nicky, a young man Celine rather inexplicably falls in love with. And he returns this love. However, when Nicky's cousin shows up and tells Celine that Nicky is married, she reacts without believing him. Even when she learns that it's true, she continues to have feelings for Nicky and dislikes Oliver.
The reason I disliked this book is that Celine turns into a silly, emotional girl who pouts a lot and can even be caught whining. Not at all what I expected starting out. Also, their many problems would have been solved if Oliver just would have asked a question or told Celine what was going on. She jumps to one wrong conclusion after another and her lets her. Not my idea of fun. :(
One of the visitors is Nicky, a young man Celine rather inexplicably falls in love with. And he returns this love. However, when Nicky's cousin shows up and tells Celine that Nicky is married, she reacts without believing him. Even when she learns that it's true, she continues to have feelings for Nicky and dislikes Oliver.
The reason I disliked this book is that Celine turns into a silly, emotional girl who pouts a lot and can even be caught whining. Not at all what I expected starting out. Also, their many problems would have been solved if Oliver just would have asked a question or told Celine what was going on. She jumps to one wrong conclusion after another and her lets her. Not my idea of fun. :(
May 13, 2013
To start with I wasn't sure I liked the heroine and her silly infatuation with the cousin of the hero. But Oliver, the hero is so lovely, if rather enigmatic (such a surprise in a Betty Neels story).
One of the minority English heroes we still managed a short trip to Holland and spent some time in Bethnal Green which at the time was a rather run down part of London and Chiswick by the River which was rather nice.
This was a fake engagement story, to discourage the unworthy cousin who was in hot pursuit of our heroine in spite of being married. Altogether a sweet story once the heroine got over the loser guy and started to appreciate the mature, responsible and of course rich hero.
One of the minority English heroes we still managed a short trip to Holland and spent some time in Bethnal Green which at the time was a rather run down part of London and Chiswick by the River which was rather nice.
This was a fake engagement story, to discourage the unworthy cousin who was in hot pursuit of our heroine in spite of being married. Altogether a sweet story once the heroine got over the loser guy and started to appreciate the mature, responsible and of course rich hero.
February 25, 2018
This is one of the sweetest Betty Neels story!
Celine was a statuesque "big girl" and beautiful. She's brought up a lady, even attended a Swiss finishing school! But she's not trained for much so when she finally found out the family coffers are quite empty, she got the idea to run a bed and breakfast, as they had rooms to spare in their old Tudor house.
I got rather frustrated with her parents especially the mother. After a few paying guests and she's asking to go buy a new dress...but it's fun reading about them running the B&B, it wasn't all romance and nice guests!
When the Seymours came, Celine fell fast for the handsome Nicky. But he's married with a kid! He turned out to be a real b@$tard, harassing Celine to "marry" him when I think he just wanted to bed her! All the lies about getting divorced! It was frustrating to read Celine not believing Oliver when he told her Nicky was married; worse she entertained idea of a HEA with Nicky after all, thinking he'd really leave his wife for her. Thank God for Oliver's intervention! He was Celine's Midsummer Star, a guardian angel/fairy godmother!
Oliver was so unlucky to be saddled with such a cousin often going to the rescue ie. $$$!
Oliver has got to be one of my favourite heroes of BN. He was gentlemanly, taking charge so beautifully, never brusque or curt. He betrayed quite early on and often that he's smitten with Celine. All those gleams in his eyes hidden from her with lowered lids, and by the end even Celine caught on that the more serious he looked and sounded, the more amused he was and laughing at her inside! So funny and sweet! I enjoyed the bit when Celine asked if her middle name could be omitted from the engagement announcement, and Oliver declared he'd name his daughter that!
Spoilers
It was soooo transparent to us how he conned Celine into the sham engagement. I was really hoping after the Holland trip they'd declare their feelings, but Oliver was too nice and gentlemanly to reveal his feelings and maybe force Celine? She took his politeness as disinterest and felt she was imposing on him...the misunderstanding over Hilary was hilarious! Pun intended!
All the unnecessary angst but loved the ending.
Celine was a statuesque "big girl" and beautiful. She's brought up a lady, even attended a Swiss finishing school! But she's not trained for much so when she finally found out the family coffers are quite empty, she got the idea to run a bed and breakfast, as they had rooms to spare in their old Tudor house.
I got rather frustrated with her parents especially the mother. After a few paying guests and she's asking to go buy a new dress...but it's fun reading about them running the B&B, it wasn't all romance and nice guests!
When the Seymours came, Celine fell fast for the handsome Nicky. But he's married with a kid! He turned out to be a real b@$tard, harassing Celine to "marry" him when I think he just wanted to bed her! All the lies about getting divorced! It was frustrating to read Celine not believing Oliver when he told her Nicky was married; worse she entertained idea of a HEA with Nicky after all, thinking he'd really leave his wife for her. Thank God for Oliver's intervention! He was Celine's Midsummer Star, a guardian angel/fairy godmother!
Oliver was so unlucky to be saddled with such a cousin often going to the rescue ie. $$$!
Oliver has got to be one of my favourite heroes of BN. He was gentlemanly, taking charge so beautifully, never brusque or curt. He betrayed quite early on and often that he's smitten with Celine. All those gleams in his eyes hidden from her with lowered lids, and by the end even Celine caught on that the more serious he looked and sounded, the more amused he was and laughing at her inside! So funny and sweet! I enjoyed the bit when Celine asked if her middle name could be omitted from the engagement announcement, and Oliver declared he'd name his daughter that!
Spoilers
It was soooo transparent to us how he conned Celine into the sham engagement. I was really hoping after the Holland trip they'd declare their feelings, but Oliver was too nice and gentlemanly to reveal his feelings and maybe force Celine? She took his politeness as disinterest and felt she was imposing on him...the misunderstanding over Hilary was hilarious! Pun intended!
All the unnecessary angst but loved the ending.
Read
May 15, 2011might have 2 copies
March 14, 2014
I'm not sure why but her books are some of my favorites to re-read. My aunt got me hooked on them when I was about 13, and I still love them.
October 31, 2011
Another lovely gentle read.
February 1, 2014
I liked the ending of this one better then others.
November 14, 2022
I was not very excited to read this because of the love triangle-esque situationship described in the synopses. The premise is that Celine, who was brought up in a rich-but-now-done-on-their-luck family in a fancy country estate decides to turn her family’s estate into a B&B with the help of her parents. In the course of business, she meets Nicky, a spoiled but handsome man and she falls in love with him, so that she is constantly annoyed when his annoying cousin, Oliver keeps butting in.
I think Nicky was clearly a villain from the beginning and so Celine definitely appeared less than smart falling in love with him. That said, I really did enjoy this story of infatuation, heartbreak and finding new love. I felt like quite a lot happened in this book and there were several settings and locations. Despite how oblivious the characters could be and a heavy reliance on the “singular misunderstanding that could be repaired in one sentence” trope, this was a gentle, soothing read as one can enjoy from BN and I will add it to my roster of regular re-reads.
I think Nicky was clearly a villain from the beginning and so Celine definitely appeared less than smart falling in love with him. That said, I really did enjoy this story of infatuation, heartbreak and finding new love. I felt like quite a lot happened in this book and there were several settings and locations. Despite how oblivious the characters could be and a heavy reliance on the “singular misunderstanding that could be repaired in one sentence” trope, this was a gentle, soothing read as one can enjoy from BN and I will add it to my roster of regular re-reads.
December 30, 2016
Aston Martin, Triumph, and a Renault.
While all of Neels' books feature a good amount of food, I felt this one had more than usual. These people were ALWAYS eating. It's amazing anything ever got done.
Celine's family has fallen on hard times so she takes it into her head to turn the manor into a B&B. Somehow it's successful from the stat. She meets the Seymour family when they are guests and falls for Nicky who's a man on the prowl. Medical emergency brings cousin Dr. Oliver Seymour to the rescue in more ways than one. Typical Neels' misunderstandings and lack of communication ensue.
Not bad but not Neels' best. Oliver was a saint to put up with the dithering Celine.
To her credit, Celine wasn't an idiot, just very naive.
While all of Neels' books feature a good amount of food, I felt this one had more than usual. These people were ALWAYS eating. It's amazing anything ever got done.
Celine's family has fallen on hard times so she takes it into her head to turn the manor into a B&B. Somehow it's successful from the stat. She meets the Seymour family when they are guests and falls for Nicky who's a man on the prowl. Medical emergency brings cousin Dr. Oliver Seymour to the rescue in more ways than one. Typical Neels' misunderstandings and lack of communication ensue.
Not bad but not Neels' best. Oliver was a saint to put up with the dithering Celine.
To her credit, Celine wasn't an idiot, just very naive.
July 15, 2024
This book took longer to read than it should have, but the struggle was palpable!! First, the heroine was so unlikable and arrogant and she mistreated the hero only because someone else told her he was annoying… she couldn’t wait to meet the hero and form her own conclusions, no. She let herself get influenced by this bland simpleton in the book. The hero was actually friendly and elegant, and he seemed interested right away in the heroine which isn’t something Betty always does. Luckily, the heroine corrected her manner near the end of the book.
This is the second book in the Betty Neels world that disappoints me a bit. But I guess I refuse to give up, her books bring comfort.
This is the second book in the Betty Neels world that disappoints me a bit. But I guess I refuse to give up, her books bring comfort.
August 20, 2024
Estrella de verano.
No es de mis historias favoritas de Betty porque aquí la heroína es una muchacha que junto a su familia deciden abrir su casa como hospedaje para ganar algo de dinero dado que el dinero familiar escasea.
Ella es Celine y él Oliver un médico pediatra,ah y hay un tercero en discordia,un tal Nicky.
No es de mis historias favoritas de Betty porque aquí la heroína es una muchacha que junto a su familia deciden abrir su casa como hospedaje para ganar algo de dinero dado que el dinero familiar escasea.
Ella es Celine y él Oliver un médico pediatra,ah y hay un tercero en discordia,un tal Nicky.
December 21, 2020
The first chapter? maybe the first half of the first chapter, up until she met Nicky, this book actually looked like it was going to be good. It wasn't. Cheating, insta-love x2, and of course no communication. Why am I still reading these books?
August 12, 2019
Just good
I got bored reading this story. I found the female character tiresome and immature. Not as romantic as other novels by this author.
I got bored reading this story. I found the female character tiresome and immature. Not as romantic as other novels by this author.
October 8, 2019
I don't care about the doctor or the married playboy -- tell me more about running a bed and breakfast!
July 19, 2020
A delightful Betty Neels romance to idle through on a lazy weekend.
It's soft, gentle, and humorously chaste.
It's soft, gentle, and humorously chaste.
March 30, 2021
Easily the best Betty Neels if only for being significantly less sexist than all the others.
March 29, 2023
2.5 stars and probably my least favorite Neels so far
August 11, 2023
Slight variations, the girl has some nice clothes and Gucci bags! Still a serious lack of communication between her and the large doctor!
September 14, 2024
Not my favorite but still fun. Love that the hero has two jack russell terriers
November 7, 2025
The Best of Betty Neels
I loved all of Betty Neels books. I had all of them at one time. I will read the ones I can find again.
I loved all of Betty Neels books. I had all of them at one time. I will read the ones I can find again.
December 28, 2019
Wonderful!
As all other Betty Neels books, this book was fun to read. The descriptions of the Country side and homes is great. She uses names of actual restaurants in the different towns.
As all other Betty Neels books, this book was fun to read. The descriptions of the Country side and homes is great. She uses names of actual restaurants in the different towns.
September 4, 2024
Almost two years to the day that I finished this book (again). I still don't remember reading it. That being said, I concur what I said about it two years ago.
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This is one of a handful of Betty Neels books that I didn't have in my collection. So this was a first read for me. Meh! It wasn't good but it wasn't awful. Once again, while I liked Oliver - a lot, Celine was mostly annoying in her childish infatuation of Nicky. Many times during the story, I wanted Oliver to just leave Celine to fend for herself. For a woman who could start up a bed-and-breakfast business without assistance, all ambition and drive certainly went out the door when some guy gave her a second glance. Granted these books are set during a different time, but the "why-am-I-nothing-without-a-man" attitude certainly was not a new concept. Meh!
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This is one of a handful of Betty Neels books that I didn't have in my collection. So this was a first read for me. Meh! It wasn't good but it wasn't awful. Once again, while I liked Oliver - a lot, Celine was mostly annoying in her childish infatuation of Nicky. Many times during the story, I wanted Oliver to just leave Celine to fend for herself. For a woman who could start up a bed-and-breakfast business without assistance, all ambition and drive certainly went out the door when some guy gave her a second glance. Granted these books are set during a different time, but the "why-am-I-nothing-without-a-man" attitude certainly was not a new concept. Meh!
February 17, 2025
This is the second BN book that has a touch of pride and prejudice in it, I forget the other one but it will come back to me probably.
There’s a charming womanizer who is a blight on his family, and then there’s the quietly handsome and commanding hero whose employees sing his praises. It’s a wonderful formula except that instead of bright Lizzie Bennet we have a slightly dim witted heroine, who takes a long time to realise how the charming wickham projection keeps lying to her about divorcing his wife and wanting to marry her. That part was annoying to me. Personally I think the heroine didn’t deserve the hero.
There’s a charming womanizer who is a blight on his family, and then there’s the quietly handsome and commanding hero whose employees sing his praises. It’s a wonderful formula except that instead of bright Lizzie Bennet we have a slightly dim witted heroine, who takes a long time to realise how the charming wickham projection keeps lying to her about divorcing his wife and wanting to marry her. That part was annoying to me. Personally I think the heroine didn’t deserve the hero.
January 7, 2017
Very GOOD Reading!
I have great time reading Betty Neels' books. You can depend on smiling, being well entertained, sighing with enchantment.
The characters are things you remember, and make you turn page after page. The heroine in this work is a little bratty, but developed into a reasonable young lady. Would have given this one a rating of 4.5, if I knew how.
I have great time reading Betty Neels' books. You can depend on smiling, being well entertained, sighing with enchantment.
The characters are things you remember, and make you turn page after page. The heroine in this work is a little bratty, but developed into a reasonable young lady. Would have given this one a rating of 4.5, if I knew how.
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