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A Match for Sister Maggy
Sister Maggy MacFergus's height put off most men. When Dr. Paul Doelsma offers Maggy a job at a nursing home in Holland, she takes it. There was something special about Dr. Doelsma, and it wasn't just that he was taller than her. She was sensible enough to realize he'd never love her in return because he had already chosen himself a wonderful wife. But who is the lucky girl?
Another title: Nurse in Holland
Another title: Nurse in Holland
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
80 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
565 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 44 reviews
February 5, 2021
While I like to recap (sometimes extensively) BN books and note the similarities and differences from book to book, I won’t for the variously titled A Match for Sister Maggy/Amazon in an Apron/Nurse in Holland. I want to clutch it to me and cherish it in my heart and think about it every so often. It’s that good! I’ve been hoarding a few of the earliest BN novels to read for the first time, and based on this one, I’m so glad I have.
There’s an emotional intensity and a degree of romance in AMfSM that seems more muted in most of Betty’s later books (with the exception of the ones that rely on intense angst (e.g., The Secret Pool; The Hasty Wedding)). This one has some of the elements that Betty is known for—the reserved MCs hiding their feelings too well; misunderstandings, some angst. But with a hero who, while typically reserved about revealing details of his life and feelings, is more active in his romantic pursuit of the heroine and a heroine who is less guarded in her reactions, this book just felt more romantic overall. The characters seemed more real and somehow younger than Betty’s more repressed characters. I can’t imagine many of Betty’s other heroes in such hot and immediate pursuit!
There are more kisses in this one, more arguments, an actual (and very romantic) dinner-and-dancing DATE (BN MCs are far more likely to marry for convenience than actually date!), more PASSION. While it’s the typical “kisses only” Neels, there were a moments that I could actually feel the heat between them—I find Neels-style love to be warm and deep but rarely hot. There’s a rare overt reference of imminent conjugal bliss (without any reference to procreation for once), when the hero marshals his Faithful Family Retainers as he prepares to retrieve his fled heroine and instructs them to prepare the master bedchamber for their return. It astonishes me that I found that hotter than scenes in the many far more explicit books I read, but I did. :-D
Sheer OTT capital-R-Romance that I’ve seldom seen from Betty in any of her other books, however satisfying they may be.
I loved this one. No, it’s not perfect: the hero’s ambivalent feelings after making such a strong initial play for her was a little hard to fathom; and I’m not the biggest fan when authors write dialect/accents (Maggy is Scottish), although I did like how Betty signified moments of the heroine’s emotional stress by having her brogue become more pronounced. But despite some quibbles, I found AMfSM to be wonderful—easily a Top 5 BN novel to date, with more than 90 under my belt.
Car porn:
Hero drives a miles-eating Rolls Royce convertible and likes speeds upwards of 100 MPH! This is the ’69 model (same as publication year):
There’s an emotional intensity and a degree of romance in AMfSM that seems more muted in most of Betty’s later books (with the exception of the ones that rely on intense angst (e.g., The Secret Pool; The Hasty Wedding)). This one has some of the elements that Betty is known for—the reserved MCs hiding their feelings too well; misunderstandings, some angst. But with a hero who, while typically reserved about revealing details of his life and feelings, is more active in his romantic pursuit of the heroine and a heroine who is less guarded in her reactions, this book just felt more romantic overall. The characters seemed more real and somehow younger than Betty’s more repressed characters. I can’t imagine many of Betty’s other heroes in such hot and immediate pursuit!
There are more kisses in this one, more arguments, an actual (and very romantic) dinner-and-dancing DATE (BN MCs are far more likely to marry for convenience than actually date!), more PASSION. While it’s the typical “kisses only” Neels, there were a moments that I could actually feel the heat between them—I find Neels-style love to be warm and deep but rarely hot. There’s a rare overt reference of imminent conjugal bliss (without any reference to procreation for once), when the hero marshals his Faithful Family Retainers as he prepares to retrieve his fled heroine and instructs them to prepare the master bedchamber for their return. It astonishes me that I found that hotter than scenes in the many far more explicit books I read, but I did. :-D
Sheer OTT capital-R-Romance that I’ve seldom seen from Betty in any of her other books, however satisfying they may be.
I loved this one. No, it’s not perfect: the hero’s ambivalent feelings after making such a strong initial play for her was a little hard to fathom; and I’m not the biggest fan when authors write dialect/accents (Maggy is Scottish), although I did like how Betty signified moments of the heroine’s emotional stress by having her brogue become more pronounced. But despite some quibbles, I found AMfSM to be wonderful—easily a Top 5 BN novel to date, with more than 90 under my belt.
Car porn:
Hero drives a miles-eating Rolls Royce convertible and likes speeds upwards of 100 MPH! This is the ’69 model (same as publication year):
March 24, 2025
A hard to find very early Neels book in which a RDD meets a UK nurse with an appealing Scottish brogue. She's nursing his ailing mother in England, and he contrives to get her to continue that in Holland, where in typical Neels fashion he woos her with lovely old houses, gourmet food, faithful retainers and family pets - in this case horses.
There was a minor plot about a very sick French woman with surly relatives that didn't make much sense to me, but who cares? Neels books are supremely pleasant to read, and if anyone thinks that sounds boring, fine. But I have times when I desperately need to hang out with nice people doing pleasant things, and then I reach for one of her books. They rarely disappoint. 4.5 stars
NB - If you're having as much trouble as I am in finding some of these Neels books, try Openlibrary. I read this there as part of a three book collection. I'm so glad to have a chance to read them!
There was a minor plot about a very sick French woman with surly relatives that didn't make much sense to me, but who cares? Neels books are supremely pleasant to read, and if anyone thinks that sounds boring, fine. But I have times when I desperately need to hang out with nice people doing pleasant things, and then I reach for one of her books. They rarely disappoint. 4.5 stars
NB - If you're having as much trouble as I am in finding some of these Neels books, try Openlibrary. I read this there as part of a three book collection. I'm so glad to have a chance to read them!
January 27, 2014
Sister Maggy is an Amazon in an Apron (the original title) at six foot tall. When Doctor Paul Doelsma arrives at her hospital, towering over her by six inches, it is a match made in heaven. Unfortunately these Dutch doctors can flirt perfectly well with attractive Dutch women but when it comes to the English love of their life they stuff it up. All those amused looks and mysterious hints about having found the woman he intends to marry might be all very well but Maggy isn't a mind reader and doesn't get the message.
Nevertheless he lures her to Holland as nurse for his mother and establishes her there. Lots of misunderstandings and a very sweet ending later and we are all good.
Nevertheless he lures her to Holland as nurse for his mother and establishes her there. Lots of misunderstandings and a very sweet ending later and we are all good.
August 17, 2025
This one felt a bit long to me but the ending was rom-com worthy. Quite epic! I did enjoy Paul and Maggy a lot, as well as Paul’s mother.
May 7, 2013
3 1/2 Stars ~ Maggy is a very efficient Ward Sister at an England hospital. She's 24, rather pretty and very tall at 6 feet. Paul is a visiting doctor specializing in gastric ailments and while lecturing in the English hospital, Maggy captures his attention. When Paul's mother visits England and ends up on Maggy's ward after suffering a heart attack, Paul is relieved that she is in Maggy's care. He works behind the scenes to ensure that when his mother is fit to travel back to Holland that Maggy will go with her as her private nurse. Realizing that she cares for Paul, Maggy is reluctant to go to Holland but finds herself persuaded. Paul is delighted to find that Maggy shares his deep love of family history and sets out to teach her all about his homes in Holland. He hints of a woman that he'll soon marry and Maggy believes that woman is a pretty nurse she'd been introduced to.
This is a very early story by Betty Neels. Maggy is self conscience of her height and finds it wonderful that Paul towers her by six inches. While on her ward she's unhesitating in her efficiency but off her ward she tends towards a shyness that often sees her blushing. Paul is quite taken with Maggy but he gives her mixed signals and in her inexperience she believes he's in love with another woman. I loved the final chapter and the very satisfying HEA.
This is a very early story by Betty Neels. Maggy is self conscience of her height and finds it wonderful that Paul towers her by six inches. While on her ward she's unhesitating in her efficiency but off her ward she tends towards a shyness that often sees her blushing. Paul is quite taken with Maggy but he gives her mixed signals and in her inexperience she believes he's in love with another woman. I loved the final chapter and the very satisfying HEA.
May 4, 2021
This one just did not work for me. The heroine got in the way of a good story. I usually don't mind that Betty's heroines refuse to see what is right in front of them. However, this time, it felt overplayed and things became monotonous rather than endearing. In addition, the story stalled. It was great and entertaining up until they left for Holland, Friesland.
mehhhh...
mehhhh...
March 6, 2021
A quick and delightful read, Betty Neels is a go to for tame and minimal drama. Great stories with an old world feel. Gallant leads with manners and family traditions are a mainstay for her story telling. She brought romance to life and even though she is no longer with us I still find myself going back to her books time and again.
June 11, 2023
4.5*
This is the 2nd book written by Betty Neels and in a way I'm glad I never read these first novels of hers till now. It's awesome to see the favourite elements of her books present right from the first. Indeed her first three books have set the bar so high, some of her later books left me wanting!
This book has the most gorgeous and amazing house tours! Our hero, Doctor Paul was smitten with heroine, Scottish lass Maggy, right from the first. He's 6ft4 while she's 6ft. I would have loved to see them together! Much was made of both their sizes, hers especially.
In the morning they met, Paul already told Maggy he " wanted [her] to remember [him]" and kissed her senseless in her office! All before lunchtime! Woohoo I loved that he made his move fast! I mean it's clear he's VERY interested in her right?? But Maggy thought otherwise. All the avoidance was so frustrating for me but once in Holland/Friesland Paul played hot and cold...argh
Paul behaved rather badly...like a spoilt child. When he saw Maggy riding his great horse, he blew up like a kid denied his toy. Loved how Maggy brushed him off haha! And when his mother thought he's upset with Maggy, and told him upfront she was the one who asked Maggy to drive the Daimler, Paul blew up AGAIN! She's driving his great car too?! LOL...his apology did not last long, as in he put his mouth in in again and they bickered...it's fun to read! It's so great to have Maggy prove herself a great rider and driver. Take that doctor!
I liked how Paul was fishing for information about Maggy's home but other than saying it's in the Highlands she did not reveal more no matter how he probed...so funny because in later books it's always the hero snubbing the heroine and clamming up when being asked about their homes etc.
Back to homes/ house tours. Paul was seriously R.I.C.H. He said so himself. ..more in spoilers below.
SPOILERS
So Paul had MANY HOUSES AND A LOT OF MONEY. His mother lived in a gorgeous house in Friesland, he lived in a magnificent old mansion in Leiden, his uncle lived in another of his beautiful houses near Leiden, AND he had a holiday villa in the south of France. He owned some lands or farms too if I'm not wrong...all part of the family business. We even found out that "the Love of his life in Utrecht" was not the pretty petite Stien, but a house he bought and set up as nursing home for the elderly! This misunderstanding with Stien was drrrraaawwwnnn out till the end!
The Leiden house tour was so detailed haha! And so full of "hidden meanings", like showing her the nursery for "six children and two nurses", and...THE master suite *eyebrows wagging* Apparently it was the family traditional that the bride only got to see the master suite after the wedding! As Paul was still a bachelor he had another room...did that mean no separate bedrooms for the Doelsma ;)
The end was satisfying in a way, but lacking right at the end. The most exciting part to read was not Paul's love declaration and proposal, but right BEFORE!
How he prepared to go after Maggy after she jumped queue to board the flight home to London before he could reach her, him driving home to take out the family heirloom pearls and sapphire and diamond engagement ring, pulling strings to get a special licence (from the Archbishop of Canterbury! ), AND asking Anny the housekeeper TO PREPARE THE MASTER SUITE FOR THEM when they returned! Oh he was THAT confident huh? She just ran away from him! Or was he NOT going to accept a no from Maggy? Right from the get go, Paul and even Sir Charles did say Paul was one who got his way no matter what and he's patient enough to wait...
Maggy had been warned!
Then his epic journey from Leiden to Inverness to Maggy's home...powered by love! I just wished we had more after the love declaration and proposal...heck she didn't even say yes but action and kisses spoke louder than words eh?
The really weird bit of the story came from the Belgian patient and her husband and son. Betty portrayed them as really sinister and antagonistic; I was expecting them to have nefarious intentions on Maggy...but the subplot never amounted to much. We don't need them to show what a great nurse/nice person Maggy was!
Maggy and Paul make cameo appearance in Damsel In Green but just as dinner guests. No update.
This is the 2nd book written by Betty Neels and in a way I'm glad I never read these first novels of hers till now. It's awesome to see the favourite elements of her books present right from the first. Indeed her first three books have set the bar so high, some of her later books left me wanting!
This book has the most gorgeous and amazing house tours! Our hero, Doctor Paul was smitten with heroine, Scottish lass Maggy, right from the first. He's 6ft4 while she's 6ft. I would have loved to see them together! Much was made of both their sizes, hers especially.
In the morning they met, Paul already told Maggy he " wanted [her] to remember [him]" and kissed her senseless in her office! All before lunchtime! Woohoo I loved that he made his move fast! I mean it's clear he's VERY interested in her right?? But Maggy thought otherwise. All the avoidance was so frustrating for me but once in Holland/Friesland Paul played hot and cold...argh
Paul behaved rather badly...like a spoilt child. When he saw Maggy riding his great horse, he blew up like a kid denied his toy. Loved how Maggy brushed him off haha! And when his mother thought he's upset with Maggy, and told him upfront she was the one who asked Maggy to drive the Daimler, Paul blew up AGAIN! She's driving his great car too?! LOL...his apology did not last long, as in he put his mouth in in again and they bickered...it's fun to read! It's so great to have Maggy prove herself a great rider and driver. Take that doctor!
I liked how Paul was fishing for information about Maggy's home but other than saying it's in the Highlands she did not reveal more no matter how he probed...so funny because in later books it's always the hero snubbing the heroine and clamming up when being asked about their homes etc.
Back to homes/ house tours. Paul was seriously R.I.C.H. He said so himself. ..more in spoilers below.
SPOILERS
So Paul had MANY HOUSES AND A LOT OF MONEY. His mother lived in a gorgeous house in Friesland, he lived in a magnificent old mansion in Leiden, his uncle lived in another of his beautiful houses near Leiden, AND he had a holiday villa in the south of France. He owned some lands or farms too if I'm not wrong...all part of the family business. We even found out that "the Love of his life in Utrecht" was not the pretty petite Stien, but a house he bought and set up as nursing home for the elderly! This misunderstanding with Stien was drrrraaawwwnnn out till the end!
The Leiden house tour was so detailed haha! And so full of "hidden meanings", like showing her the nursery for "six children and two nurses", and...THE master suite *eyebrows wagging* Apparently it was the family traditional that the bride only got to see the master suite after the wedding! As Paul was still a bachelor he had another room...did that mean no separate bedrooms for the Doelsma ;)
The end was satisfying in a way, but lacking right at the end. The most exciting part to read was not Paul's love declaration and proposal, but right BEFORE!
How he prepared to go after Maggy after she jumped queue to board the flight home to London before he could reach her, him driving home to take out the family heirloom pearls and sapphire and diamond engagement ring, pulling strings to get a special licence (from the Archbishop of Canterbury! ), AND asking Anny the housekeeper TO PREPARE THE MASTER SUITE FOR THEM when they returned! Oh he was THAT confident huh? She just ran away from him! Or was he NOT going to accept a no from Maggy? Right from the get go, Paul and even Sir Charles did say Paul was one who got his way no matter what and he's patient enough to wait...
Maggy had been warned!
Then his epic journey from Leiden to Inverness to Maggy's home...powered by love! I just wished we had more after the love declaration and proposal...heck she didn't even say yes but action and kisses spoke louder than words eh?
The really weird bit of the story came from the Belgian patient and her husband and son. Betty portrayed them as really sinister and antagonistic; I was expecting them to have nefarious intentions on Maggy...but the subplot never amounted to much. We don't need them to show what a great nurse/nice person Maggy was!
Maggy and Paul make cameo appearance in Damsel In Green but just as dinner guests. No update.
August 7, 2025
(Copied from review of alternate title, Nurse in Holland, read June 15, 2015.)
Maggy MacFergus, 6 feet tall with chestnut hair, is head nurse on Women's Medical. We first meet her when she is late for a lecture - she is complaining about the doctor giving the lecture - supposing him to be elderly, bald, fat and near-sighted. Said doctor - Paul van Beijen Doelsma- is the very antithesis of this, AND he's standing right there.
A few days later, Dr. Doelsma's mother is brought in as a coronary patient. When she leaves the hospital, of course Maggy accompanies her back to Friesland. Paul takes out out a few times and kisses her several times. But Maggy sees him with a very pretty nurse named Stien who is from Utrecht. When Paul visits Utrecht several times, Maggy imagines he is going to see Stien.
Is Maggy TSTL? On the very first day they meet, he kisses her and tells her that he wants her to remember him. Yet she goes out of her way to avoid him, and we are supposed to believe that she thinks he dislikes her. He brings her SIX DOZEN red roses - any girl would surely be convinced that a man at least likes her in that case, right? And he even mentions poetry and references "My love is like a red, red rose. . . " Not Maggy. Even on the very last night, after they've been out dancing, she decides to leave without warning.
Of course, Paul doesn't let that stand in his way and he drives through the night to her home in the Highlands. Contrary to her prior behavior, she runs into his arms.
The side story about the Frenchwoman with bad teeth, Madame Riveau. In spite of all the details, the story never really goes anywhere.
I do like the bits about Mrs. Salt, the patient in Women's Medical.
Middle of the pack for me. 3 1/2 stars.
Re-read 17 September 2017. I really enjoyed it this time. I've changed my mind about Match bordering on TSTL. What Match is, is shy and lacking self-esteem with regards to men. Add to that the usual inscrutable nature of our RDD, and it's more understandable why she runs away.
I love the bits of Paul's POV, especially his conversations with his mother.
Re-read 6 August 2025. Once again I really enjoyed this book. Yes, all the tension could have been resolved by Paul declaring his romantic interest to Maggy, but this is just Betty being Betty. Lol. Oh, and I made a Pinterest board for the book. https://pin.it/3RDCiOFnR
Maggy MacFergus, 6 feet tall with chestnut hair, is head nurse on Women's Medical. We first meet her when she is late for a lecture - she is complaining about the doctor giving the lecture - supposing him to be elderly, bald, fat and near-sighted. Said doctor - Paul van Beijen Doelsma- is the very antithesis of this, AND he's standing right there.
A few days later, Dr. Doelsma's mother is brought in as a coronary patient. When she leaves the hospital, of course Maggy accompanies her back to Friesland. Paul takes out out a few times and kisses her several times. But Maggy sees him with a very pretty nurse named Stien who is from Utrecht. When Paul visits Utrecht several times, Maggy imagines he is going to see Stien.
Is Maggy TSTL? On the very first day they meet, he kisses her and tells her that he wants her to remember him. Yet she goes out of her way to avoid him, and we are supposed to believe that she thinks he dislikes her. He brings her SIX DOZEN red roses - any girl would surely be convinced that a man at least likes her in that case, right? And he even mentions poetry and references "My love is like a red, red rose. . . " Not Maggy. Even on the very last night, after they've been out dancing, she decides to leave without warning.
Of course, Paul doesn't let that stand in his way and he drives through the night to her home in the Highlands. Contrary to her prior behavior, she runs into his arms.
The side story about the Frenchwoman with bad teeth, Madame Riveau. In spite of all the details, the story never really goes anywhere.
I do like the bits about Mrs. Salt, the patient in Women's Medical.
Middle of the pack for me. 3 1/2 stars.
Re-read 17 September 2017. I really enjoyed it this time. I've changed my mind about Match bordering on TSTL. What Match is, is shy and lacking self-esteem with regards to men. Add to that the usual inscrutable nature of our RDD, and it's more understandable why she runs away.
I love the bits of Paul's POV, especially his conversations with his mother.
Re-read 6 August 2025. Once again I really enjoyed this book. Yes, all the tension could have been resolved by Paul declaring his romantic interest to Maggy, but this is just Betty being Betty. Lol. Oh, and I made a Pinterest board for the book. https://pin.it/3RDCiOFnR
November 6, 2017
Maggy MacFergus, 6 feet tall with chestnut hair, is head nurse on Women's Medical. We first meet her when she is late for a lecture - she is complaining about the doctor giving the lecture - supposing him to be elderly, bald, fat and near-sighted. Said doctor - Paul van Beijen Doelsma- is the very antithesis of this, AND he's standing right there.
A few days later, Dr. Doelsma's mother is brought in as a coronary patient. When she leaves the hospital, of course Maggy accompanies her back to Friesland. Paul takes out out a few times and kisses her several times. But Maggy sees him with a very pretty nurse named Stien who is from Utrecht. When Paul visits Utrecht several times, Maggy imagines he is going to see Stien.
Is Maggy TSTL? On the very first day they meet, he kisses her and tells her that he wants her to remember him. Yet she goes out of her way to avoid him, and we are supposed to believe that she thinks he dislikes her. He brings her SIX DOZEN red roses - any girl would surely be convinced that a man at least likes her in that case, right? And he even mentions poetry and references "My love is like a red, red rose. . . " Not Maggy. Even on the very last night, after they've been out dancing, she decides to leave without warning.
Of course, Paul doesn't let that stand in his way and he drives through the night to her home in the Highlands. Contrary to her prior behavior, she runs into his arms.
The side story about the Frenchwoman with bad teeth, Madame Riveau. In spite of all the details, the story never really goes anywhere.
I do like the bits about Mrs. Salt, the patient in Women's Medical.
Middle of the pack for me. 3 1/2 stars.
Re-read 17 September 2017. I really enjoyed it this time. I've changed my mind about Maggy bordering on TSTL. What Maggy is, is shy and lacking self-esteem with regards to men. Add to that the usual inscrutable nature of our RDD, and it's more understandable why she runs away.
I love the bits of Paul's POV, especially his conversations with his mother.
A few days later, Dr. Doelsma's mother is brought in as a coronary patient. When she leaves the hospital, of course Maggy accompanies her back to Friesland. Paul takes out out a few times and kisses her several times. But Maggy sees him with a very pretty nurse named Stien who is from Utrecht. When Paul visits Utrecht several times, Maggy imagines he is going to see Stien.
Is Maggy TSTL? On the very first day they meet, he kisses her and tells her that he wants her to remember him. Yet she goes out of her way to avoid him, and we are supposed to believe that she thinks he dislikes her. He brings her SIX DOZEN red roses - any girl would surely be convinced that a man at least likes her in that case, right? And he even mentions poetry and references "My love is like a red, red rose. . . " Not Maggy. Even on the very last night, after they've been out dancing, she decides to leave without warning.
Of course, Paul doesn't let that stand in his way and he drives through the night to her home in the Highlands. Contrary to her prior behavior, she runs into his arms.
The side story about the Frenchwoman with bad teeth, Madame Riveau. In spite of all the details, the story never really goes anywhere.
I do like the bits about Mrs. Salt, the patient in Women's Medical.
Middle of the pack for me. 3 1/2 stars.
Re-read 17 September 2017. I really enjoyed it this time. I've changed my mind about Maggy bordering on TSTL. What Maggy is, is shy and lacking self-esteem with regards to men. Add to that the usual inscrutable nature of our RDD, and it's more understandable why she runs away.
I love the bits of Paul's POV, especially his conversations with his mother.
September 14, 2022
This was a re-read for the umpteenth time of a Betty Neels classic, indeed her debut novel that prototyped her RDD and plucky British nurse template. In this book, the tall and gorgeous Sister Maggy is more or less forced to travel to the Netherlands to look after Rich Dutch Doctor, Paul’s mother who’s recovering from a heart attack she had while holidaying in England. Maggy is reluctant to go because she’s fallen in love with Paul and he seems on the other hand to have no feelings for her, interested only in the nursing care she offers his mother. But in Friesland, his interest seems to grow and Maggy believes there might be hope as they share not only a physical largeness but similar interests as well, but then he keeps going to Utrecht where apparently the woman she believes he’ll marry lives.
This was fun especially because Maggy matched Paul in energy and in speaking her mind, except when it came to him. The fact that Maggy was 6-feet tall was harped on quite a bit and I could have done with Paul being less manipulative and high-handed in parts, but overall I enjoyed this and hope to re-read it again.
This was fun especially because Maggy matched Paul in energy and in speaking her mind, except when it came to him. The fact that Maggy was 6-feet tall was harped on quite a bit and I could have done with Paul being less manipulative and high-handed in parts, but overall I enjoyed this and hope to re-read it again.
March 15, 2025
4 Stars ~ I first read this in print in 2013 and now in 2022, I've read about half of the books published by Betty Neels. Of those 60 odd books, this story is the only Scottish nurse. Ms. Neels wrote her dialogue with a Scottish brogue which the narrator of this audio version, Anne Cater, does a wonderful rendition. This was truly an enjoyable listen, so much so that I went back to the book and listened and read some of the best bits together.
Well worth the audible credit.
Well worth the audible credit.
January 3, 2021
The 2nd of Betty Neels 135 mini masterpieces and I very much enjoyed my reread. This is not one that I revisit often, so it felt fresher than most of Neels.
A Match For Sister Maggy, also seemed a bit more developed plot wise and we see more Bettyisms added to the list. Betty obviously had a fondness for Scotland, our intrepid heroine is a Scottish lass. The travelogue elements are strong in this book. One definitely covers Holland and Friesland, as well as parts of England and Scotland. A bit more details on food and fashion have found there way into the narrative and the wonderful supporting cast of friendly family retainers and eccentric relatives makes a much stronger show than Betty's previous title.
The romance in this book is of the peppery, antagonistic sort and that isn't a favorite, but Betty has a light hand with the snarkiness and there are some lovely moments between our H/h, so I didn't mind it to terribly much. This one is not in my top 10 Bettys, but it was a fun book to revisit and I highly recommend.
A Match For Sister Maggy, also seemed a bit more developed plot wise and we see more Bettyisms added to the list. Betty obviously had a fondness for Scotland, our intrepid heroine is a Scottish lass. The travelogue elements are strong in this book. One definitely covers Holland and Friesland, as well as parts of England and Scotland. A bit more details on food and fashion have found there way into the narrative and the wonderful supporting cast of friendly family retainers and eccentric relatives makes a much stronger show than Betty's previous title.
The romance in this book is of the peppery, antagonistic sort and that isn't a favorite, but Betty has a light hand with the snarkiness and there are some lovely moments between our H/h, so I didn't mind it to terribly much. This one is not in my top 10 Bettys, but it was a fun book to revisit and I highly recommend.
May 12, 2017
Really not a fan. Poorly edited, overly wordy, poor word usage- which I am hoping is due to the America/England difference in the English language. Ambiguous time period cues - cars and planes but women don't drive and don't work once they are married, underwhelming medical options and odd social tendencies that don't fit together with other information in the book - again, hoping it is a cultural divide that leaves me confused.
The only story line I was actually invested in was the side story about the patient with the awful husband and son. The main story line was trite, wordy and frustratingly inconsistent in character description and development. We have an educated, employed young heroine who is a total wet noodle in any situation where the hero is. She seems capable and confident unless there is anything emotional involved. Ugh. And the hero - what a jerk! Tall and handsome do not a compelling hero make. He just hauls off and kisses her when the whim strikes and she's just fine with it. Really, after nurse's training and living hundreds of miles from home it's hard to see her as a pushover. He is portrayed as gallant and educated but behaves a heartless boar with no regard for her responses or feelings.
It's a clean, sweet story but I just gutted my way through reading it. It wasn't great and it wasn't awful. I won't be searching out more of her work.
The only story line I was actually invested in was the side story about the patient with the awful husband and son. The main story line was trite, wordy and frustratingly inconsistent in character description and development. We have an educated, employed young heroine who is a total wet noodle in any situation where the hero is. She seems capable and confident unless there is anything emotional involved. Ugh. And the hero - what a jerk! Tall and handsome do not a compelling hero make. He just hauls off and kisses her when the whim strikes and she's just fine with it. Really, after nurse's training and living hundreds of miles from home it's hard to see her as a pushover. He is portrayed as gallant and educated but behaves a heartless boar with no regard for her responses or feelings.
It's a clean, sweet story but I just gutted my way through reading it. It wasn't great and it wasn't awful. I won't be searching out more of her work.
Read
December 23, 2014" A lovely story. Both characters are very strong individuals who mostly mask their emotions." From a review posted by an eHarlequin.com member, read more Here.
September 17, 2009
This was good, I can see why its a classic. Very tame compared to today's romance books but a nice and sweet story nonetheless.
June 24, 2010
Ah, the Betty Neels with the Highland Scots nurse. The Rich Doctor is Dutch, though.
A very early Neels (written in 1970). And, the Scots dialect is typical Romance Novel awful.
A very early Neels (written in 1970). And, the Scots dialect is typical Romance Novel awful.
July 9, 2011
"The good end happily and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means."
-- Oscar Wilde
-- Oscar Wilde
July 31, 2011
One of my favorites.
May 10, 2012
A classic and very different from modern romance. Love it!
February 6, 2015
I'm upgrading this to a 4.0. I think some Neels novels just evolve when you ... well ... evolve too.
March 10, 2016
Very enjoyable
November 18, 2025
4.7 stars. this was pretty darn good. such a heartwarming read. the only reason it didn't fully get the five stars for me is that all the angst in the tale came from the doubts in Maggy's head rather than from real reasons as the hero had no doubt in his mind what he wanted all along!
the h is maggy, a 27 yr old 6 foot redhead pretty Scottish nurse working in London. the H is an RDD. they meet when he comes to give a lecture to nurses at her hospital. she is late for the lecture and complains to a porter, joking that hopefully an aging, shortsighted, short fat lecturer won't notice her slip in late. she doesn't realise the handsome man behind her is that very lecturer. when she later realises, she is mortified and feels awkward with him.
she is even further mortified when he turns up at her ward to do a round. it's clear to us that he is smitten with her. later, he finds an excuse to go alone to her office where she ask him what he wants. he says he wants her not to forget him and then he kisses her.
chefs kiss! a masterful stroke by a man who knows what he wants and is unafraid to chase it. but poor sister maggy, a humble girl who never thought herself attractive due to her enormous size, is boggled and doesn't know what to make of it.
she tries to put him out of her mind but they meet again when his mom takes ill and is admitted to the hospital. they work together to save mom's life.
SPOILERS
He starts wooing her with loads of roses and flirting and she doesn't know what to make of it but can't get him out of her mind. but she thinks he isn't being serious and she is wary of developing feelings for him. so when he asks her to go to holland to nurse his mom when she goes home, maggy says no. he then high handedly forces the decision by making her bosses intercede. maggy is furious with him and she gives all the roses away as she can't bear to have them around her anymore. a symbol she wants him out of her heart and mind.
on the way to holland she is chilly with him. in Holland she stays with his mom in a rural big house but he stays in his own house in the city where he works. she misses him. the next time she sees him it is the middle of the night and he has brought a petite beauty with him and is laughing with her in the kitchen. maggy feels hurt when she sees them together. she gets it into her head that he is dating this other woman, particularly since he is always visiting utrecht where the OW loves and especially after his mom jokes that the love of his life is in utrecht.
much of maggys angst comes from realising she is in love with him but he is going to marry the petite beauty.
the tale ambles along at a nice pace and its lovely to see these two spend time together. luckily I am used to the nature of Betty's heroines or Maggys self doubts/naivete about romance might have annoyed me. she is portrayed as capable, practical, active and strong, but shy.
there are no major heartrewnchung dramatic events in this one but the story is lovely and strong.
MORE SPOILERS
so anyway the finale shows maggy leaving holland in a hurry because she thinks the H is going to marry the OW, and he is abroad to give a lecture and tries to rush back in time but she purposefully avoids hum at the airport. he ends up following her to Scotland, determined this time to make his feeling clear and to marry her. she had missed him so much she rushes into his arms. they have a sweet and heartfelt reconciliation with him not being mad at all that she ran away and saying chasing her for a matter of miles was nothing and he would chase her anywhere.
the big strength of this book was how much the H loved the h and it wss just such a cozy and comforting thing to read. and he was actually so big strong and gentle most of time, and chilly just enough of the time to keep the tension and chemistry high. and maggy'd doubts seemed reasonable most of the time and did not render her annoying at all, and so it was a lovely book to read with some gentle angst.
the h is maggy, a 27 yr old 6 foot redhead pretty Scottish nurse working in London. the H is an RDD. they meet when he comes to give a lecture to nurses at her hospital. she is late for the lecture and complains to a porter, joking that hopefully an aging, shortsighted, short fat lecturer won't notice her slip in late. she doesn't realise the handsome man behind her is that very lecturer. when she later realises, she is mortified and feels awkward with him.
she is even further mortified when he turns up at her ward to do a round. it's clear to us that he is smitten with her. later, he finds an excuse to go alone to her office where she ask him what he wants. he says he wants her not to forget him and then he kisses her.
chefs kiss! a masterful stroke by a man who knows what he wants and is unafraid to chase it. but poor sister maggy, a humble girl who never thought herself attractive due to her enormous size, is boggled and doesn't know what to make of it.
she tries to put him out of her mind but they meet again when his mom takes ill and is admitted to the hospital. they work together to save mom's life.
SPOILERS
He starts wooing her with loads of roses and flirting and she doesn't know what to make of it but can't get him out of her mind. but she thinks he isn't being serious and she is wary of developing feelings for him. so when he asks her to go to holland to nurse his mom when she goes home, maggy says no. he then high handedly forces the decision by making her bosses intercede. maggy is furious with him and she gives all the roses away as she can't bear to have them around her anymore. a symbol she wants him out of her heart and mind.
on the way to holland she is chilly with him. in Holland she stays with his mom in a rural big house but he stays in his own house in the city where he works. she misses him. the next time she sees him it is the middle of the night and he has brought a petite beauty with him and is laughing with her in the kitchen. maggy feels hurt when she sees them together. she gets it into her head that he is dating this other woman, particularly since he is always visiting utrecht where the OW loves and especially after his mom jokes that the love of his life is in utrecht.
much of maggys angst comes from realising she is in love with him but he is going to marry the petite beauty.
the tale ambles along at a nice pace and its lovely to see these two spend time together. luckily I am used to the nature of Betty's heroines or Maggys self doubts/naivete about romance might have annoyed me. she is portrayed as capable, practical, active and strong, but shy.
there are no major heartrewnchung dramatic events in this one but the story is lovely and strong.
MORE SPOILERS
so anyway the finale shows maggy leaving holland in a hurry because she thinks the H is going to marry the OW, and he is abroad to give a lecture and tries to rush back in time but she purposefully avoids hum at the airport. he ends up following her to Scotland, determined this time to make his feeling clear and to marry her. she had missed him so much she rushes into his arms. they have a sweet and heartfelt reconciliation with him not being mad at all that she ran away and saying chasing her for a matter of miles was nothing and he would chase her anywhere.
the big strength of this book was how much the H loved the h and it wss just such a cozy and comforting thing to read. and he was actually so big strong and gentle most of time, and chilly just enough of the time to keep the tension and chemistry high. and maggy'd doubts seemed reasonable most of the time and did not render her annoying at all, and so it was a lovely book to read with some gentle angst.
July 10, 2017
I can't quite justify 5 stars for this, but I'd sure like to give it more than 4. Best Neels opening sequence ever (if you count all the scenes in the first day) and it runs nearly 20 percent longer than any other I've read. This book had so many fun exchanges in the book's first act.
Neels makes especially good use of the patients in this story, but I thought the Madame Riveau subplot would resolve in a more dramatic fashion than it did. Still, the story concluded with one of her more satisfying denouements. A very satisfying, guilty-pleasure, read.
Neels makes especially good use of the patients in this story, but I thought the Madame Riveau subplot would resolve in a more dramatic fashion than it did. Still, the story concluded with one of her more satisfying denouements. A very satisfying, guilty-pleasure, read.
August 11, 2020
A lovely story. Maggie is a wonderful character.
In this story Betty Neels gives readers longing for a strong, intelligent, skilled and determined heroine their wish: Nurse Maggie. What’s not to love. Her Scottish accent is the perfect flourish to her excellent verbal sparring with Paul (the doctor). Her skill and intelligence as a nurse is outstanding as is her calm under pressure. A great story with a very satisfying end: the doctor has to work hard to earn the wonderful Maggie and he does it with determination.
In this story Betty Neels gives readers longing for a strong, intelligent, skilled and determined heroine their wish: Nurse Maggie. What’s not to love. Her Scottish accent is the perfect flourish to her excellent verbal sparring with Paul (the doctor). Her skill and intelligence as a nurse is outstanding as is her calm under pressure. A great story with a very satisfying end: the doctor has to work hard to earn the wonderful Maggie and he does it with determination.
January 4, 2025
A Love Mixup
I loved this book. Paul seems to have made up his mind early on that he was going to marry Maggie. She knew early on that she was in love with him, but got it into her head that he already had someone else in mind to marry. The rest of the story is basically about Maggie's misunderstanding of Paul's intent. There's no other woman drama in this story, except in Maggie's mind. Because she has gotten things mixed up, Maggie does a lot of things that are confusing to Paul. Anyway, I love this story and I think you will too!
I loved this book. Paul seems to have made up his mind early on that he was going to marry Maggie. She knew early on that she was in love with him, but got it into her head that he already had someone else in mind to marry. The rest of the story is basically about Maggie's misunderstanding of Paul's intent. There's no other woman drama in this story, except in Maggie's mind. Because she has gotten things mixed up, Maggie does a lot of things that are confusing to Paul. Anyway, I love this story and I think you will too!
Read
September 27, 2020She was big and pretty. Different from the small mousey heroines BN loved. She left him and went home because he said OW would be a decorative wife. He had to go after her with ruby ring and pearl. Not the standard she would marry me but wait until I had finish my work and then I would tell her I love her and ask her to marry me. He put everything aside to go after her.
January 17, 2024
Found this on E-Bay and and couldn't stop myself from purchasing it. Good memories of one of the the first romance books I read as a young 12 year old. This is now one of the rarer Harlequin romances and I saw this in a relatively inexpensive bundle with 7 other English nurse romances. I don't usually read these types of romances today as my tastes have changed, as has the romance genre. I probably would give this a 3 today but am going with the 4 due to the sentiment involved and how much of an impression it made on me as a young girl. I am very happy to add this to my collection of books from my childhood.
January 15, 2025
I think it’s hilarious that the original title for this novel was “Amazon in Apron” when it was published in the UK by Mills & Boon in 1969. This is her second novel, and the first to feature a "splendidly built" tall heroine, a reoccurring theme in her 134 published books. Not my favorite Betty Neels, but decided to keep reading them in order until I get bored.
April 16, 2018
Like all her books, this one was a simple win-win. It had a pretty match, and the heroine was just that, a heroine. Most books have pitiful heroines, although some might try naming her so, she ain't one.
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