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Stars Through the Mist
A convenient wife!When Gerard van Doorninck asks Staff Nurse Deborah Culpepper to marry him she knows his reasons are purely practical. But that won’t stop her wishing otherwise! She’s secretly been in love with the distinguished surgeon ever since she first stepped foot in his operating room. Accepting his convenient proposal, Deborah vows to convince Gerard that their marriage could be more than just in name only. Only that’s easier said than done with her husband’s cousin all set to ruin their chance at happiness…Originally published in 1973New to ebook!
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1973
86 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
580 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 35 reviews
August 4, 2014
This started off very strong, but then it just lost steam.
She was too easily manipulated all for the sake of "lurve" with the ultimate goal of being the "perfect wife", but by whose definition? The hero also just seemed to fade from the story. The author did such good a job of writing his disengagement from their marriage, that I also became disconnected from him.
The ending was abrupt so I never got a chance to reconnect enough to believe in the HEA. Plus there were some very unpc religious comments that were unnecessary.
I give this one 3 stars for middle of the road.
She was too easily manipulated all for the sake of "lurve" with the ultimate goal of being the "perfect wife", but by whose definition? The hero also just seemed to fade from the story. The author did such good a job of writing his disengagement from their marriage, that I also became disconnected from him.
The ending was abrupt so I never got a chance to reconnect enough to believe in the HEA. Plus there were some very unpc religious comments that were unnecessary.
I give this one 3 stars for middle of the road.
October 13, 2015
I always enjoy this book when I read it, so I'm not quite sure why I don't rate it higher in the Canon.
Deborah Culpepper is a theatre sister and has been in love with Dutch orthopaedic surgeon Gerard van Doorninck for two years. When he proposes, though, it's not for love, but a MOC. His father has died and Gerard is returning to the Amsterdam hospital, and he needs a wife for social reasons.
Deborah decides half a loaf is better than no bread, so she says yes. The wedding itself is a prosaic, business-like affair, followed by a token trip to her parents' home in Somerset.
They stop by her younger sister's school in Sherborne (the posh Sherborne Girls school?) and Maureen is quite taken with Gerard.
Then on to Holland where Deborah gets accustomed to her new life. She buys new clothes fitting for her status; Gerard gives her a car (which gets wrecked later in the story); and she gets bits and pieces of the family jewels - er, jewelry.
Claude is the name of the nasty playboy in this book; he is an old friend rather than a cousin. Claude keeps hitting on Deborah and although she is truly blameless, Gerard does become angry, finally knocking Claude down at his office. Unfortunately Gerard also accuses Deborah of arranging to meet him there, but apologizes nicely when he finds out he was wrong.
There is no Other Woman in this book, just Deborah's own doubts and unhappiness because of her unrequited love.
She goes to Great Aunt Mary in northern England. While on a walk one day, she gets caught on the moors in a heavy mist. She happens upon some school girls on a field trip who have also become lost. Gerard appears out of the mist, leading another group of girls. They have a nice little tete-a-tete under the stars, but after they get back home, everything goes back to the way it was before.
In an effort to fill her lonely hours, Deborah initiates a games and story time at a neighborhood orphanage run by RCC nuns. She doesn't tell Gerard because his family has always been Calvinist (at least since the Reformation) and the two camps have historically been at odds.
Gerard is aware she is going somewhere every Thursday evening, but doesn't know what she's doing. He comments on it but Deborah keeps silent.
Finally one Thursday, he returns from Vienna early and finds her at the orphanage. He tells her he loves her and kisses her, even in front of the children. Ooh, la, la! They go home together.
As I said, a nice story with some good features. Deborah is beautiful, with a loving family and apparently plenty of money, so this story lacks the pathos of some of the others. And there is no OW to stir the pot. On the other hand, the Stars in the Mist bit and the orphanage visits are nice touches. 4 scant stars? Yeah, I think so.
Deborah Culpepper is a theatre sister and has been in love with Dutch orthopaedic surgeon Gerard van Doorninck for two years. When he proposes, though, it's not for love, but a MOC. His father has died and Gerard is returning to the Amsterdam hospital, and he needs a wife for social reasons.
Deborah decides half a loaf is better than no bread, so she says yes. The wedding itself is a prosaic, business-like affair, followed by a token trip to her parents' home in Somerset.
They stop by her younger sister's school in Sherborne (the posh Sherborne Girls school?) and Maureen is quite taken with Gerard.
Then on to Holland where Deborah gets accustomed to her new life. She buys new clothes fitting for her status; Gerard gives her a car (which gets wrecked later in the story); and she gets bits and pieces of the family jewels - er, jewelry.
Claude is the name of the nasty playboy in this book; he is an old friend rather than a cousin. Claude keeps hitting on Deborah and although she is truly blameless, Gerard does become angry, finally knocking Claude down at his office. Unfortunately Gerard also accuses Deborah of arranging to meet him there, but apologizes nicely when he finds out he was wrong.
There is no Other Woman in this book, just Deborah's own doubts and unhappiness because of her unrequited love.
She goes to Great Aunt Mary in northern England. While on a walk one day, she gets caught on the moors in a heavy mist. She happens upon some school girls on a field trip who have also become lost. Gerard appears out of the mist, leading another group of girls. They have a nice little tete-a-tete under the stars, but after they get back home, everything goes back to the way it was before.
In an effort to fill her lonely hours, Deborah initiates a games and story time at a neighborhood orphanage run by RCC nuns. She doesn't tell Gerard because his family has always been Calvinist (at least since the Reformation) and the two camps have historically been at odds.
Gerard is aware she is going somewhere every Thursday evening, but doesn't know what she's doing. He comments on it but Deborah keeps silent.
Finally one Thursday, he returns from Vienna early and finds her at the orphanage. He tells her he loves her and kisses her, even in front of the children. Ooh, la, la! They go home together.
As I said, a nice story with some good features. Deborah is beautiful, with a loving family and apparently plenty of money, so this story lacks the pathos of some of the others. And there is no OW to stir the pot. On the other hand, the Stars in the Mist bit and the orphanage visits are nice touches. 4 scant stars? Yeah, I think so.
January 29, 2021
In many ways, STTM (1973) is a precursor to The Hasty Marriage, one of my all-time favorite Betty books, which was published 4 years later. I guess it took Betty a few years to amp up the angst to sublime (for angst-junkies) levels—not to say that STTM isn’t quietly angsty in its own right. But the drama is more muted in STTM, with a heroine who is even more of a “sufferer in silence” than Laura of THM (who at least loses her temper with the hero on several occasions), and a hero who is just as reticent and remote as Reilof of THM but not quite as deliberately hurtful. Between the two books, there are a lot of similarities in plot and in scenes:
These elements aren't unique to just these two stories--most of Betty's MoC stories have some of these details--but the parallels between STTM and THM are quite evident. THM is one of my outright favorites--top 3 definitely. I liked STTM quite a lot too--maybe even top 20, but then, I tend to like Betty's angstier "unrequited love" tales. STTM isn't as good in the angst stakes or the pacing as THM (it gets a bit meandery in the middle and really could have ended just fine at the 3/4 mark in the wonderfully named village of Twice Brewed by Hadrian's Wall) but overall it gets the job done nicely. What hurt it a bit for me is that, even for Betty, the MCs are a little too reserved and bloodless, so while the HEA is satisfying, it doesn't have the emotional wallop that THM or Saturday's Child or The Secret Pool have.
For those keeping score, this one comes complete with visits to not one but TWO couples from other BN books (which I always enjoy): Heroine Debby becomes friends with the heroine from BN's very first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam and the couple (Abby and Dominic) from the angsty Saturday's Child--with shoutouts to some well-loved secondary characters (Hi Bolly! Good afternoon, Professor de Wit!).
Briefly, the plot goes something like this:
Some flaws for sure, but overall, for me, a good (4*) outing from The Great Betty.
Some unique car porn in this one--no standard Rolls or Bentley!
The hero drives a fast and furious BMW 3 OCSL:
When the heroine mentions she had thought he would drive something more staid, he tells her he has a Citroen SM, which is definitely NOT staid:
The heroine has an elderly Fiat 500 (which gets totalled, so the hero buys her a new one):
The hero also has a Van de Stadt Design “small yacht":
These elements aren't unique to just these two stories--most of Betty's MoC stories have some of these details--but the parallels between STTM and THM are quite evident. THM is one of my outright favorites--top 3 definitely. I liked STTM quite a lot too--maybe even top 20, but then, I tend to like Betty's angstier "unrequited love" tales. STTM isn't as good in the angst stakes or the pacing as THM (it gets a bit meandery in the middle and really could have ended just fine at the 3/4 mark in the wonderfully named village of Twice Brewed by Hadrian's Wall) but overall it gets the job done nicely. What hurt it a bit for me is that, even for Betty, the MCs are a little too reserved and bloodless, so while the HEA is satisfying, it doesn't have the emotional wallop that THM or Saturday's Child or The Secret Pool have.
For those keeping score, this one comes complete with visits to not one but TWO couples from other BN books (which I always enjoy): Heroine Debby becomes friends with the heroine from BN's very first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam and the couple (Abby and Dominic) from the angsty Saturday's Child--with shoutouts to some well-loved secondary characters (Hi Bolly! Good afternoon, Professor de Wit!).
Briefly, the plot goes something like this:
Some flaws for sure, but overall, for me, a good (4*) outing from The Great Betty.
Some unique car porn in this one--no standard Rolls or Bentley!
The hero drives a fast and furious BMW 3 OCSL:
When the heroine mentions she had thought he would drive something more staid, he tells her he has a Citroen SM, which is definitely NOT staid:
The heroine has an elderly Fiat 500 (which gets totalled, so the hero buys her a new one):
The hero also has a Van de Stadt Design “small yacht":
September 4, 2023
4 Stars ~ Deborah, now 27, is a Theatre Nurse in charge of an orthopedic operating theater in a busy London hospital. She's been in love with Gerard, the handsome orthopedic surgeon since he came to work at the hospital two years ago. Of course, Gerard doesn't know, and in fact, he rarely even notices Deborah, other than she is always calm and sensible. She runs the operating room like clockwork, giving Gerard no reason to complain. She had always planned to marry and have a family, and in fact had turned down two proposals, but settled to at least work side by side with the man she loved. After a very busy day and night of emergencies, Deborah is shocked when Gerard suddenly asks her to marry him. He suggests a marriage of convenience. He needs a wife to run his home and be his hostess, as now it's time for him to return to Holland and re-establish his surgical practice there. Deborah agrees and after marrying quietly in a church near the hospital he takes her to his home in Holland. Gerard remains rather aloof, and only tells her the briefest history of his former marriage which had been a horrible mistake. His infatuation had passed within the first few months and his wife had resented the hours he spent away from her, and had died in an accident with her lover as she left him. Deborah fits in well with his friends and colleagues, his mother admires her, and life settles in to a routine. One of Gerard's childhood friends is rather jealous of Gerard's success and he sets out to undermine their marriage, hinting that he'd once visited Gerard's first wife regularly when he had been away. Deborah detests the man, but he still manages to place himself in situations that look far from innocent in Gerard's eyes. Gerard, while always considerate of Deborah, has kept her at arms length, but now he seems even more reserved from her, not sharing at all the parts of his life that keep him away from her. Loving him as she does, Deborah despairs that she'll always live an empty life.
I felt quite badly for Deborah and hoped she'd let out all her emotions but she kept them locked up inside. Gerard seems quite oblivious to her feelings, thinking he can have two separate lives and that Deborah is totally content just to please him. I wanted to smack him. Gerard had some troubling moments over Clyde, which finally woke him up to all he had to lose when Deborah declared she'd had enough. This was refreshing as usually a Betty Neels hero is in love first and has to wait for the heroine to feel the same. It was lovely too to be reaquainted with Coenradd and Adelaide, and Dominic and Abigail from early books.
I felt quite badly for Deborah and hoped she'd let out all her emotions but she kept them locked up inside. Gerard seems quite oblivious to her feelings, thinking he can have two separate lives and that Deborah is totally content just to please him. I wanted to smack him. Gerard had some troubling moments over Clyde, which finally woke him up to all he had to lose when Deborah declared she'd had enough. This was refreshing as usually a Betty Neels hero is in love first and has to wait for the heroine to feel the same. It was lovely too to be reaquainted with Coenradd and Adelaide, and Dominic and Abigail from early books.
April 22, 2013
This is a lovely marriage of convenience in the best Betty Neels manner. I really liked that there was no 'other woman' in this one though the memory of his first wife obviously played its part.
The hero Gerard is lovely, 6'2" eyes of blue and very nice. He treats her well when he notices she is there but for most of the book she feels him indifferent.
There were some sweet scenes in this involving children and a scene with a tractor which echoes one in the English set "Daughter of the Manor."
It's a tried and true formula but surprisingly it doesn't get old.
The hero Gerard is lovely, 6'2" eyes of blue and very nice. He treats her well when he notices she is there but for most of the book she feels him indifferent.
There were some sweet scenes in this involving children and a scene with a tractor which echoes one in the English set "Daughter of the Manor."
It's a tried and true formula but surprisingly it doesn't get old.
December 12, 2018
I love Betty and will continue on my quest to read ALL her books in my #greatBettyread endeavour. BUT I can't say I loved this one, though it's marriage-of-convenience, possibly my favourite trope. Nope, the hero was too cold and cruel and the heroine alternated between strident and behaving like a wet noodle. There were a few scenes, like the lost orphans in the mist, that made up for it and I'm glad I read it ... to complete one piece of the canon, but I won't return to it.
April 12, 2018
This is typical of a Betty Neels MOC story! Except it felt sad? I feel so bad for Deborah/ Debby. Gerard was aloof and determined to keep her at a distance. The more he fell for Debby the more he stayed away!
Other than physically looking over her to make sure she's ok after those incidents, he never really made any romantic or caring gestures. No lovely walks with her or even sitting in the living room after dinner. He took time to bring her little sister sightseeing but could not find time to bring Debby around.
Don't even talk about Claude the scum! Gerard might have walloped him up but his jumping to conclusions did not endear him to me. He just assumed Debby would be faithless like his dead wife...He was young when he was married; but he let that experience scar him for life and in this aspect he seemed stunted in his growth. He still behaved like a betrayed husband and worse, refused to acknowledge it. Like how he avoided talking about it after Debby ran off to Scotland, though he did go after her to ensure she returned with him! Then the cold treatment once they were home.
Debby was very much a glorified housekeeper/ Chief Entainment Officer!
Poor girl had to resort to going to the orphanage to play with children, because it's the closest she'd ever come to kids, the way her MOC was going... It just felt sad...I too feel bad for her cos she's bombarded by lucky in love fellow English ladies ( Adelaide Sister Peters and Abigail Saturday's Child) who were pregnant to boot. It just underlined how sad Debby's life would be in this MOC!
One reason Caroline's Waterloo was so endearing was she fought to make her MOC husband fall for her. Debby just tried her best to be the MOC wife Gerard wanted, but beyond that she did not really fight. I can hardly blame her though, just the question of him not working so long hours had him going all cold and reminding her of their MOC arrangements .
I cannot pinpoint why I do not like Gerard more, just this sense of being let down.
Other than physically looking over her to make sure she's ok after those incidents, he never really made any romantic or caring gestures. No lovely walks with her or even sitting in the living room after dinner. He took time to bring her little sister sightseeing but could not find time to bring Debby around.
Don't even talk about Claude the scum! Gerard might have walloped him up but his jumping to conclusions did not endear him to me. He just assumed Debby would be faithless like his dead wife...He was young when he was married; but he let that experience scar him for life and in this aspect he seemed stunted in his growth. He still behaved like a betrayed husband and worse, refused to acknowledge it. Like how he avoided talking about it after Debby ran off to Scotland, though he did go after her to ensure she returned with him! Then the cold treatment once they were home.
Debby was very much a glorified housekeeper/ Chief Entainment Officer!
Poor girl had to resort to going to the orphanage to play with children, because it's the closest she'd ever come to kids, the way her MOC was going... It just felt sad...I too feel bad for her cos she's bombarded by lucky in love fellow English ladies ( Adelaide Sister Peters and Abigail Saturday's Child) who were pregnant to boot. It just underlined how sad Debby's life would be in this MOC!
One reason Caroline's Waterloo was so endearing was she fought to make her MOC husband fall for her. Debby just tried her best to be the MOC wife Gerard wanted, but beyond that she did not really fight. I can hardly blame her though, just the question of him not working so long hours had him going all cold and reminding her of their MOC arrangements .
I cannot pinpoint why I do not like Gerard more, just this sense of being let down.
June 25, 2011
Oldie but goodie.
I’ve read all of Betty Neels’ books and this is one of my favorites. Two of the memorable scenes that distinguished it from the other books were
1) when the hero caught her and a malicious male family friend in his office together for what he thought was an assignation. He knocked the other guy down “in a businesslike manner” (gotta love BN’s brevity). But by then the heroine was upset enough to start packing to go back home to England. He apologized quite nicely but allowed her to leave for breathing space. He went to fetch her afterwards, searching for her in the mist, and
2) the finale in the orphanage scene. There’s just something yummy about him calling her “my adorable LITTLE wife” despite her being a giant at five foot ten.
Setting: Delft, Netherlands.
Classic Betty Neels.
I’ve read all of Betty Neels’ books and this is one of my favorites. Two of the memorable scenes that distinguished it from the other books were
1) when the hero caught her and a malicious male family friend in his office together for what he thought was an assignation. He knocked the other guy down “in a businesslike manner” (gotta love BN’s brevity). But by then the heroine was upset enough to start packing to go back home to England. He apologized quite nicely but allowed her to leave for breathing space. He went to fetch her afterwards, searching for her in the mist, and
2) the finale in the orphanage scene. There’s just something yummy about him calling her “my adorable LITTLE wife” despite her being a giant at five foot ten.
Setting: Delft, Netherlands.
Classic Betty Neels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2014
Deborah Culpeper is a dedicated, no-nonsense, head staff nurse that has been in love with mysterious orthopedic surgeon Gerard van Doorninck. Having him state he wants to marry her, but only out of mutual respect, and his need for a wife to suitable for his obligations, is hard, but Deborah hopes that eventually he could love her.
A sweet story.
A sweet story.
April 5, 2020
I hate the ‘she’s sexually assaulted by his friend/brother/cousin and he blames her’ storyline. They never listen, never apologize enough when they realize their mistake, and never do anything to help the guy not sexually assault others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2016
Love this one, just re-read it and will doubtless do so again. Deborah has a tough time of it trying to hide her feelings for Gerard and he, poor fellow, has given up on love. Very sweet romance.
August 13, 2013
Absolutely loved this one - very sweet.
August 24, 2016
Star Rating: ★★½☆☆
June 7, 2015
Really enjoyed it.
September 18, 2016
Quite an old fashioned storytelling style.
October 3, 2024
I have an odd opinion that I know may outrage many BN fans. But some of BN’s MOC plots are written in a way that makes it obvious the heroes are looking for beards rather than wives.
Here the heroine is one of those rare beautiful BN types who are tall and well built, she has a lovely family and isn’t in dire financial straits, even so at the grand old age of 27 she hasn’t as yet gotten married. And the hero proposes because somehow he thinks she’s “like him” and not looking for love, because she’s had had offers and hasn’t accepted them, he doesn’t even ask if she wants children or not. She being a heroine in love marries him because it would give her a fighting chance and would be better than never seeing him again.
The MC’s marry quite early in the book, a platonic, friendly, but in reality a rather bloodless sort of MOC, the book loses its momentum as it drags us, at a slow pace where unlike other BN books there’s no trace of slow burn through several irritating chapters until it abruptly finishes. There are no OW but a so called OM wanna be who is by all accounts the epitome of a scorned lover bent on revenge. In this case scorned lover of the hero, because it’s him he wants to rattle, and it’s quite clear he doesn’t care a jot for the heroine. Several other books had a similar dynamic going on and it baffles me. Did BN know what she was writing? Or had she seen similar characters in real life and had failed to understand the significance? At any rate I can’t unsee what was my own dawning realisation, and the whole romance aspect of it unravelled for me since I feel every step he took was driven by a sense of duty rather than love. and the ending got even more ruined for me when the heroine called herself a glorified housekeeper, so even she knew unconsciously, on some level that she was essentially window dressing.
Though with the deeply conservative and repressed personalities that she moulds her heroes in I’m certain any BN hero would desperately wish to find themselves attracted to a woman. So considering everything maybe they somehow did to some extent with their “heroines” and the endings of these books could be called happy in a way? Not a permanent way but then what is permanent in life?
Here the heroine is one of those rare beautiful BN types who are tall and well built, she has a lovely family and isn’t in dire financial straits, even so at the grand old age of 27 she hasn’t as yet gotten married. And the hero proposes because somehow he thinks she’s “like him” and not looking for love, because she’s had had offers and hasn’t accepted them, he doesn’t even ask if she wants children or not. She being a heroine in love marries him because it would give her a fighting chance and would be better than never seeing him again.
The MC’s marry quite early in the book, a platonic, friendly, but in reality a rather bloodless sort of MOC, the book loses its momentum as it drags us, at a slow pace where unlike other BN books there’s no trace of slow burn through several irritating chapters until it abruptly finishes. There are no OW but a so called OM wanna be who is by all accounts the epitome of a scorned lover bent on revenge. In this case scorned lover of the hero, because it’s him he wants to rattle, and it’s quite clear he doesn’t care a jot for the heroine. Several other books had a similar dynamic going on and it baffles me. Did BN know what she was writing? Or had she seen similar characters in real life and had failed to understand the significance? At any rate I can’t unsee what was my own dawning realisation, and the whole romance aspect of it unravelled for me since I feel every step he took was driven by a sense of duty rather than love. and the ending got even more ruined for me when the heroine called herself a glorified housekeeper, so even she knew unconsciously, on some level that she was essentially window dressing.
Though with the deeply conservative and repressed personalities that she moulds her heroes in I’m certain any BN hero would desperately wish to find themselves attracted to a woman. So considering everything maybe they somehow did to some extent with their “heroines” and the endings of these books could be called happy in a way? Not a permanent way but then what is permanent in life?
December 5, 2020
Same old, same old. Absolutely nothing new in this one, Betty Neels sticks to her template one hundred percent.
Let me list down her format for your quick reference :
1) The guy is a Dutch super star doctor. She is a conscientious nurse in England working for him temporarily.
2) He offers marriage like a bolt from the blue in the last line of Chapter 1. Of course she says yes!
3) The next few chapters are about taking the boat+ car rides between Holland and England. Also thrown in for good measure, the girl discovering the joys of designer clothes, mink coats, heirloom jewelry, ancestral bungalows, and the general material pleasures of marrying a super rich man.
4) Then comes some sort of spoke in the wheel. A minor OW/OM generally. Stirs the pot a bit, nothing dramatic ever happens. Just a few silent glares and frustrated sighs.
5) When its time to close the story, the heroine reaches the end of her tether. She cant do the placid, obedient, drawing room show-case wife bit any more.
6) The hero comes rushing to his senses and declares undying love. And plants a smacking kiss preferably somewhere in public. At least something scandalous to read about in an otherwise dull monotone !!!!!
Yet, Betty Neels stories are like comfort food. You know exactly what to expect, so there aren't going to be any nasty disappointments. May be a few incidents will linger , and the rest will just gently flow in an uneventful way. Safe, predictable, comfort food. That's Betty Neels for you ;)
Let me list down her format for your quick reference :
1) The guy is a Dutch super star doctor. She is a conscientious nurse in England working for him temporarily.
2) He offers marriage like a bolt from the blue in the last line of Chapter 1. Of course she says yes!
3) The next few chapters are about taking the boat+ car rides between Holland and England. Also thrown in for good measure, the girl discovering the joys of designer clothes, mink coats, heirloom jewelry, ancestral bungalows, and the general material pleasures of marrying a super rich man.
4) Then comes some sort of spoke in the wheel. A minor OW/OM generally. Stirs the pot a bit, nothing dramatic ever happens. Just a few silent glares and frustrated sighs.
5) When its time to close the story, the heroine reaches the end of her tether. She cant do the placid, obedient, drawing room show-case wife bit any more.
6) The hero comes rushing to his senses and declares undying love. And plants a smacking kiss preferably somewhere in public. At least something scandalous to read about in an otherwise dull monotone !!!!!
Yet, Betty Neels stories are like comfort food. You know exactly what to expect, so there aren't going to be any nasty disappointments. May be a few incidents will linger , and the rest will just gently flow in an uneventful way. Safe, predictable, comfort food. That's Betty Neels for you ;)
January 23, 2019
Ebook
Grade: B
Not a review, just some thoughts for personal reference. Spoilers.
I thought I had read all of Betty Neels's books, but this was a new one for me. There was a time--when my mother was dying, and then the months after her death--that I read one Neels book after another. They were comfort reads for me, undemanding and sweet. Neels definitely had a formula, and I looked forward to seeing which of her tried and true elements she'd trot out. There's was literally nothing new in this book that hadn't been used in a previous book. Only the mix was different. But the reliability is part of the charm.
The heroes can be jerks at times, and the heroines doormats, and this book is no exception. It's very old school and portrays a period that was probably outdated even when she wrote it. In fact, I'm not thoroughly convinced it was ever accurate or just Neels's rosy vision. If that bothers you, Neels is not the author for you. Luckily, it doesn't bother me, or, at least, not much. But I do think I've perhaps outgrown my need for them since this one wasn't quite as magical as some of her others.
I did enjoy that, as was her habit, Neels brought not one, but two, couples from previous books into the story. It's always nice to get the follow up on their HEAs.
All in all, a pleasant read. And perhaps the last new one for me?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2026
Read: 29Oct25, 26Nov25, 3Feb26
29 Oct 25 -- 4.5 stars. a lovely read. I usually prefer the Betty books with a plain heroine, but the h in this one, Deborah, (27ish) though she was a tall beautiful girl, was hardworking, diligent, never thought about her looks much, and in fact was even insecure about being so big and tall. more importantly, she was head over heels for the H and had been suffering unrequited love for 2 years for a man who barely noticed her existence other than as a competent nurse. A very sympathetic h for us to root for!
Meanwhile, our RDD, Gerard (36), who has been working in England, needs to return to Holland permanently and he has decided he needs a competent wife to help him with his social life - business and personal - to be a hostess for his guests and keep his house. he decides that Deborah, his ever competent and capable op theatre nurse, is a good fit and offers her a MOC out of the blue. in a v cool and casual manner. stunning her. he makes it very clear he doesn't love her and never will and that he expects her to do the same. he stresses how great it is that she's a sensible girl who doesn't believe in love, 27 yrs old being far too old to be so silly, which is exactly what he needs
oh dear.
poor Deborah is faced with never seeing him again or facing a loveless, lonely MOC to a man she is madly in love with. she takes the latter option, hoping he might grow to love her. but alas, Gerard is still wounded by the scars of his first terrible marriage and he doesn't really trust women and he very much meant what he said, so he proceeds to take her to Holland and then focus entirely, ENTIRELY, on his work, purposefully neglecting her but rather coolly giving her all the material things she could wish for in an offhand 'I don't care. this is just my duty' manner.
His purposeful abandonment of her is made painfully obvious in contrast to the loving marriages of his close friends, and again when Deborah's little sis comes to stay and he takes time off to take the little girl sightseeing etc, something he's never bothered to do for his wife. there's even a time when he commented that he's been neglecting her and she is forced to say it is okay, then it seems he is about to offer to spend some time with her, but her hopes are dashed by him saying "by the way I won't be home for lunch tmo as I am going to have to work." immediately afterwards! grrr. the beast!
anyway, I enjoyed the story which was full of quiet angst. not the overwhelming angst of the Hasty Marriage, which is one of my fave Betty books, because Gerard here is not as shockingly cruel as Reilof was. Gerard is nice and a gentleman in every way and yet it is his aloofness and his cool distance which is the very thing that hurts. poor Deborah!
Deborah and Gerard were both really likable in this book, making us want them to be happy.
anyway, there was never ever a dull moment in this book. the drama caused by the wannabe other man Claude was perfectly dramatic. Deborah was savvy and was onto him and his creepy ways from the start, and a bit of jealousy was a great wakeup call for Gerard.
the book was a fab read from start to finish and the ending was most satisfactory and a little more drawn out than some of Betty's other sudden endings, and I enjoyed that all the more. lovely. I love that Gérard fully expressed his journey of realising he was in love.
--------------------------------
26 Nov 25
4.5 stars. Still fab on a reread.
Debby is a beautiful nurse who had worked with Gerard, an RDD, for two years and secretly been in love with him, whereas he notices her only as his competent theatre sister. however he is moving back to Holland permanently and needs a wife to run his social life and his home for him. he asks her to marry him but says he had a bad marriage before so this time only wants to be friends and companions and will never fall in love with her.
what is a girl in unrequited love to do? she ends up saying yes rather than never seeing him again.
SPOILERS
this Betty book features lots of tasty plot, including; a nasty little jealous creep of an OM, the hero Gerard being shaken up by the h nearly being killed, hero saving h when she gets lost while hiking in a fog, H realising v late he has fallen for his wife and has mistreated her and now it might be too late because she might have fallen for someone else.
ENDING SPOILER
there is a runaway h bit when he comes to get her but the grand finale is one when he leaves for a week to see if she cares, but in the end he can't bear to be parted from her and comes back early and finally solves the mystery of where she has been disappearing off to every Thursday evening. (an orphanage to read stories and play with the kiddies rather than on a regular date!) and he is so relieved. when you think about it, he must have come home from his trip away hoping she would have missed him but knowing it is thursday date night for her, and it must have hurt to come home to find that she was out as usual, but this time he must have been so determined to win her that he finally hunted her down and what a relief for him to find her innocently in an orphanage, sweetly playing with the kiddies! yeah, it was a rather sweet ending. I wish he had confessed exactly at what point he fell in love with her, but he didn't. it was more a case of her having loved him all along and him being lost in his own mists of hurt from the past to see her there, his star, waiting for him. he said he must have subconsciously known he loved her all along. which rings true because when he introduced her to his mom, his mother immediately said that Gérard had mentioned Debby a few times (when she was still just his op theatre sister) and that the (widowed) mother had moved out of the family home immediately in the hopes Gerard would marry Debby- even his mom picked up on it! It was lovely how Gerard expressed his love fully in the end. not the often far too brief Betty ending here! yay.
29 Oct 25 -- 4.5 stars. a lovely read. I usually prefer the Betty books with a plain heroine, but the h in this one, Deborah, (27ish) though she was a tall beautiful girl, was hardworking, diligent, never thought about her looks much, and in fact was even insecure about being so big and tall. more importantly, she was head over heels for the H and had been suffering unrequited love for 2 years for a man who barely noticed her existence other than as a competent nurse. A very sympathetic h for us to root for!
Meanwhile, our RDD, Gerard (36), who has been working in England, needs to return to Holland permanently and he has decided he needs a competent wife to help him with his social life - business and personal - to be a hostess for his guests and keep his house. he decides that Deborah, his ever competent and capable op theatre nurse, is a good fit and offers her a MOC out of the blue. in a v cool and casual manner. stunning her. he makes it very clear he doesn't love her and never will and that he expects her to do the same. he stresses how great it is that she's a sensible girl who doesn't believe in love, 27 yrs old being far too old to be so silly, which is exactly what he needs
oh dear.
poor Deborah is faced with never seeing him again or facing a loveless, lonely MOC to a man she is madly in love with. she takes the latter option, hoping he might grow to love her. but alas, Gerard is still wounded by the scars of his first terrible marriage and he doesn't really trust women and he very much meant what he said, so he proceeds to take her to Holland and then focus entirely, ENTIRELY, on his work, purposefully neglecting her but rather coolly giving her all the material things she could wish for in an offhand 'I don't care. this is just my duty' manner.
His purposeful abandonment of her is made painfully obvious in contrast to the loving marriages of his close friends, and again when Deborah's little sis comes to stay and he takes time off to take the little girl sightseeing etc, something he's never bothered to do for his wife. there's even a time when he commented that he's been neglecting her and she is forced to say it is okay, then it seems he is about to offer to spend some time with her, but her hopes are dashed by him saying "by the way I won't be home for lunch tmo as I am going to have to work." immediately afterwards! grrr. the beast!
anyway, I enjoyed the story which was full of quiet angst. not the overwhelming angst of the Hasty Marriage, which is one of my fave Betty books, because Gerard here is not as shockingly cruel as Reilof was. Gerard is nice and a gentleman in every way and yet it is his aloofness and his cool distance which is the very thing that hurts. poor Deborah!
Deborah and Gerard were both really likable in this book, making us want them to be happy.
anyway, there was never ever a dull moment in this book. the drama caused by the wannabe other man Claude was perfectly dramatic. Deborah was savvy and was onto him and his creepy ways from the start, and a bit of jealousy was a great wakeup call for Gerard.
the book was a fab read from start to finish and the ending was most satisfactory and a little more drawn out than some of Betty's other sudden endings, and I enjoyed that all the more. lovely. I love that Gérard fully expressed his journey of realising he was in love.
--------------------------------
26 Nov 25
4.5 stars. Still fab on a reread.
Debby is a beautiful nurse who had worked with Gerard, an RDD, for two years and secretly been in love with him, whereas he notices her only as his competent theatre sister. however he is moving back to Holland permanently and needs a wife to run his social life and his home for him. he asks her to marry him but says he had a bad marriage before so this time only wants to be friends and companions and will never fall in love with her.
what is a girl in unrequited love to do? she ends up saying yes rather than never seeing him again.
SPOILERS
this Betty book features lots of tasty plot, including; a nasty little jealous creep of an OM, the hero Gerard being shaken up by the h nearly being killed, hero saving h when she gets lost while hiking in a fog, H realising v late he has fallen for his wife and has mistreated her and now it might be too late because she might have fallen for someone else.
ENDING SPOILER
there is a runaway h bit when he comes to get her but the grand finale is one when he leaves for a week to see if she cares, but in the end he can't bear to be parted from her and comes back early and finally solves the mystery of where she has been disappearing off to every Thursday evening. (an orphanage to read stories and play with the kiddies rather than on a regular date!) and he is so relieved. when you think about it, he must have come home from his trip away hoping she would have missed him but knowing it is thursday date night for her, and it must have hurt to come home to find that she was out as usual, but this time he must have been so determined to win her that he finally hunted her down and what a relief for him to find her innocently in an orphanage, sweetly playing with the kiddies! yeah, it was a rather sweet ending. I wish he had confessed exactly at what point he fell in love with her, but he didn't. it was more a case of her having loved him all along and him being lost in his own mists of hurt from the past to see her there, his star, waiting for him. he said he must have subconsciously known he loved her all along. which rings true because when he introduced her to his mom, his mother immediately said that Gérard had mentioned Debby a few times (when she was still just his op theatre sister) and that the (widowed) mother had moved out of the family home immediately in the hopes Gerard would marry Debby- even his mom picked up on it! It was lovely how Gerard expressed his love fully in the end. not the often far too brief Betty ending here! yay.
October 15, 2023
Clean romance.
Deborah and Gerard work together at the hospital, they have done so for years. One day he decides to ask her to marry him. Most especially to run his house and be a hostess. As she had had a crush on him for years she happily accepts hoping that he can come to love her back. so they marry and move to his place in holland.
She finds that he has barely any time set aside for her and starts to wonder if she made the best decision to marry someone who basically ignores her. His “friend” Claude doesn’t help at all. he is nosy and pushy and deceitful and trying to break up their marriage by attempting to get her to have an affair with him.
She does try to spend her time wisely and learn the language and to be a good hostess, but the harder she tries the less she thinks she is doing a good job.
Deborah and Gerard work together at the hospital, they have done so for years. One day he decides to ask her to marry him. Most especially to run his house and be a hostess. As she had had a crush on him for years she happily accepts hoping that he can come to love her back. so they marry and move to his place in holland.
She finds that he has barely any time set aside for her and starts to wonder if she made the best decision to marry someone who basically ignores her. His “friend” Claude doesn’t help at all. he is nosy and pushy and deceitful and trying to break up their marriage by attempting to get her to have an affair with him.
She does try to spend her time wisely and learn the language and to be a good hostess, but the harder she tries the less she thinks she is doing a good job.
August 23, 2017
This had some nice moments and -- rare for Neels -- a reappearance of characters from not one but two books: Sister Peters in Amsterdam; Nurse in Holland; Blow Hot, Blow Cold and Saturday's Child. She also locates much of the conflict in a somewhat rare-for-her trope.
June 11, 2021
This book became such a drag for me....I skimmed towards the ending after chapter 6 as I realized that the hero really was just going to be her friend throughout the story, such a BLAND hero omg!! Till chapter 6 the hero is still kissing heroine on her cheek and doesn't want any intimacy in their marriage just wants to be friends??. just not my taste.. I couldn't understand the heroine's family either when they showed such disinterest in their elder daughters marriage- Weird family really. This is my first Betty Neels book and I found the romance very insipid.
July 14, 2023
A beautiful story
This story starts out with Debra already in love with Gerard. He's so resistant to love because of previous things and can't see that Debra loves him. The story is really interesting because there is a lot involved in Debra trying to conceal her love for Gerard. As usual, there are a lot of misunderstandings, but they do all get resolved. For once though, there aren't any side stories that aren't satisfactorily resolved. The "villain" in this book is taken care of quite well by Gerard. It never gets boring.
This story starts out with Debra already in love with Gerard. He's so resistant to love because of previous things and can't see that Debra loves him. The story is really interesting because there is a lot involved in Debra trying to conceal her love for Gerard. As usual, there are a lot of misunderstandings, but they do all get resolved. For once though, there aren't any side stories that aren't satisfactorily resolved. The "villain" in this book is taken care of quite well by Gerard. It never gets boring.
February 15, 2021
I don't know why
This is one of the few books written by Betty Neels that I really didn't care for. I had a hard time getting through the first 4 chapters. After that it was a little easier until Claude showed up and made reading a drag again. This is how I feel about this story, others might love it
This is one of the few books written by Betty Neels that I really didn't care for. I had a hard time getting through the first 4 chapters. After that it was a little easier until Claude showed up and made reading a drag again. This is how I feel about this story, others might love it
April 28, 2024
Dreary romance in which the jerkface hero is just looking for an unpaid housekeeper/social secretary so springs a marriage proposal on our heroine out of the blue. She’s not much better, though, going from limp noodle to petulant toddler at the weirdest times and for the most petty, nonsensical reasons.
August 6, 2018
Lovely
If you enjoy your romances light, clean, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
If you enjoy your romances light, clean, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
January 22, 2020
Another formulaic but somehow enjoyable book by Betty Neels. I don't really know why I read them but I do!
March 3, 2021
Very pleasant read: nice characters. I like it when she brings in characters from her other books.
August 17, 2022
Betty's pretty girls are all such crybaby drama queens! This story was really boring for me. I just didn't feel the romance.
November 30, 2022
One of those, marriage of convenience stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews