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An Independent Woman
Julia Gracey has always lived by the rule that women should stand on their own two feet. But whenever there's a problem, Professor Gerard van der Maes always seems to be on hand with the perfect solution! Gerard seems determined to steal Julia's heart—yet she's just as adamant that he won't take over her life. But when Julia is about to lose her home, Gerard offers one final proposition that she finds impossible to resist—marriage!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 4, 2001
89 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
582 books419 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 4, 2014
Some days when things are going really badly, I pretend I'm a character in a Betty Neels novel.
May 7, 2023
Would rather have liked to knock Gerard and Julia’s heads together in the last several chapters. 😂 Have you ever heard of a conversation guys?? But I did enjoy this one and I liked that Julia is skilled at needlework. That’s a different occupation for a Neels’ heroine, and I enjoyed how it came into the story in different ways. (Especially with the curtains!)
December 7, 2022
Julia and her two sisters live in house they inherited in a not-great part of London. They're all pretty and competent, friendly young women, though Julia has a peppery personality. When her sisters marry and the house is sold, Julia finds herself at loose ends, with only her needlework skills to provide for herself. Fortunately for her, surgeon Gerard van der Maes, has some ideas about Julia's future.
Which one is this?
NB - I've been asking myself why Neels' books are such good comfort reads, and finally I think I have an answer. They're fairy tales for grownups. :) Cinderella, Snow White, even occasionally Sleeping Beauty are the themes here. With some sort of evil person, or just misfortune, keeping the heroine down, still she has friends and a good attitude. Then the handsome Prince shows up and begins to take a hand in her life, whether she realizes it or not. Throw in lovely details like gardens, flowers everywhere, good food, beautiful homes, long walks with the dogs, and pretty clothes, and they touch just about all the details a fairy tale might have. So they're not great literature; some days my brain isn't up to a great book, no matter how much I love it. Instead I can fall back into a fairy tale world that feels real though it never existed, and rejoice in the eventual happiness of a plucky young woman who never lets life get her down. All while sniffing the New Dawn roses and nibbling on fresh strawberries and lashings of whipped cream. :)
Which one is this?
NB - I've been asking myself why Neels' books are such good comfort reads, and finally I think I have an answer. They're fairy tales for grownups. :) Cinderella, Snow White, even occasionally Sleeping Beauty are the themes here. With some sort of evil person, or just misfortune, keeping the heroine down, still she has friends and a good attitude. Then the handsome Prince shows up and begins to take a hand in her life, whether she realizes it or not. Throw in lovely details like gardens, flowers everywhere, good food, beautiful homes, long walks with the dogs, and pretty clothes, and they touch just about all the details a fairy tale might have. So they're not great literature; some days my brain isn't up to a great book, no matter how much I love it. Instead I can fall back into a fairy tale world that feels real though it never existed, and rejoice in the eventual happiness of a plucky young woman who never lets life get her down. All while sniffing the New Dawn roses and nibbling on fresh strawberries and lashings of whipped cream. :)
September 8, 2020
The usual gentle Betty Neels fare
When I read a Neels book I know what to expect, whether it was written in 1969 or 2001. There's a comfort in that, which is why I read them. But my modern soul does occasionally writhe at the high-handed way the hero treats the heroine, the old fashioned to the point of absurdity ways of both, and the way that a desire on the part of the young woman in question for independence and making a living is a source of head shaking bemusement by everyone.
That being said, I do love the comfort and security of a Neels romance. Nothing very bad ever happens. You're assured of lots of descriptions of lovely homes and clothes, frequent meals (seriously, I think they eat 5 times a day), lots of animals, and a certain gentle pleasure.
If you're a younger person, these books probably aren't for you. But I have to say that I rather adore Betty Neels work and I've been reading it for comfort and pleasure for 20+ years, since I was young. So perhaps I'm wrong.
When I read a Neels book I know what to expect, whether it was written in 1969 or 2001. There's a comfort in that, which is why I read them. But my modern soul does occasionally writhe at the high-handed way the hero treats the heroine, the old fashioned to the point of absurdity ways of both, and the way that a desire on the part of the young woman in question for independence and making a living is a source of head shaking bemusement by everyone.
That being said, I do love the comfort and security of a Neels romance. Nothing very bad ever happens. You're assured of lots of descriptions of lovely homes and clothes, frequent meals (seriously, I think they eat 5 times a day), lots of animals, and a certain gentle pleasure.
If you're a younger person, these books probably aren't for you. But I have to say that I rather adore Betty Neels work and I've been reading it for comfort and pleasure for 20+ years, since I was young. So perhaps I'm wrong.
October 8, 2010
I was disappointed her little wee shoppe didn't work out but he was the typical RDD with hot and cold running servants and he was determined to "make the deal". Her sisters and their DHs were lovely -- great to have a warm, close family. Not too many "Cinderella" overtones.
September 15, 2014
Beautifully written, sweet old-timey romance - a welcome change from today's bold romantic notions. The second of my instant faves by Betty Neels. Loved her 'Never The Time & The Place' (another old-fashioned romance). :)
January 29, 2026
I needed a romance written in the 2000s for my 52 Weeks of Romance Challenge, and this last book by Betty just squeaked in. She went out with a bang, I must say, because this one had a house fire in it! The heroine was also beautiful, which is such a nice change from Betty's endless line of plain girls with sharp noses, beautiful eyes, and splendid figures. The male love interest was fairly par for the Betty course, but a tad less smug and bossy, which I also appreciated. Too bad it was Betty's last because it might have been a sign of a new creative direction...
As always, it's hard to tell exactly when it's set, since the gal always wears her jersey knits and acts like an old lady, but who cares? If you enjoy Betty, you enjoy Betty.
As always, it's hard to tell exactly when it's set, since the gal always wears her jersey knits and acts like an old lady, but who cares? If you enjoy Betty, you enjoy Betty.
September 24, 2025
Picked this up at a lending library for a cute little change of pace. The vibes of Europe in the spring were lovely but this "independent woman" pmo. She opened a whole business to tide her over until she got a husband and then had him close it for her within two weeks of it opening? What was the point of all of the pages of her touring locations, buying wholesale, and learning about the neighborhood if she was just going to drop it all for a man who ignored her 95% of the time!! Anyway! Maybe not for me lol.
December 22, 2020
I love to take a reading holiday periodically and read a Betty Neels book. This book was a new acquisition for me. It had the hallmarks of many BN books, but also some new twists. Yes, the heroine, Julia Gracy’s parents were not living, but no, she wasn’t destitute, she lived with her two sisters (Ruth & Monica) and the relationship was loving without angst. All three sisters were good looking, but her sisters had fair hair, blue eyes, and were rather slim, while Julia had russet hair and would not be described as slim or skinny. Similar to many Neels’ heroines, the sisters had to constantly economize. They have a place to reside, thanks to their aunt who bequeathed them her house, but there were still taxes, gas, electricity, clothes, and food to be factored in and paid. Also, like many Neels’ heroines, Julia doesn’t have a boyfriend, although her sisters are led to believe that she has a steady admirer, “the junior partner” in the greeting card firm she works for. Lastly, comparing and contrasting of BN’s heroines, Julia is not a nurse, although she is very resourceful. As is typical of BN’s male lead, he is a doctor and Dutch, Professor Gerard van der Maes. Gerard by happenstance and by contrivance connects with Julia in both England and Holland. She cares for her sick sister Ruth, at the behest of Ruth’s fiancé Thomas, who has a working relationship with Professor Gerard. For a time, Julia and Ruth stay at a cottage that is owned by Gerard and cared for by his old nanny. Then Julia is asked to caretake a cottage, while the old nanny is in the hospital in Holland and afterward, again in and out of Gerard’s life. Later, she runs away from her feelings for Gerard and lands a job as a needlework specialist at an old manor house that is redoing old tapestries. But then, oops, the manor house burns down, but no surprise, Gerald hears about it, flies up to rescue her. Sadly, she still is not ready to recognize true love. Her last adventure is starting a small business in a little village where she has no connections. She is efficient in her set up, but the business is not flourishing, but once again Gerald comes to the rescue and of course, all BN readers know how the book ends.
I do not think of Betty Neels as a humorous writer, but there are three really funny quotes that take place in the first chapter. Gerard is tasked to deliver a package to Ruth from her Thomas. Julie is on her hands and knees working on cutting out a dress, using material from some old curtains, which were left over from her Aunt’s time. The front doorbell rings, Ruth thinks it is the milkman, but it is Gerard. Ruth invites him in and offers him coffee. Julia still thinks it is the milkman, as her back is to the door. Ruth tells Julia that they have a visitor. Julia gets up and holds out a hand in greeting and has it crushed! She asks Gerard to sit down; he doesn’t, instead he crosses the room to look at the material that is all over the floor. He states, “It looks like a curtain.” Julia snaps at him, “It is a curtain.” A little later, Gerard’s eyes once again fall to the curtain and he asks, “You are a skilled needlewoman?” Julia says, “Only when I am desperate.” She asks Gerard, “What do you do at the hospital? Teach, I suppose…” Gerard remarks, “I do my best…” When Julia finds out he is a surgeon, she states, “So you’re handy with a needle too!” (pages 7-8). I loved the back-and-forth barbs. Great read, rate 4.8, rounded up to 5.
I do not think of Betty Neels as a humorous writer, but there are three really funny quotes that take place in the first chapter. Gerard is tasked to deliver a package to Ruth from her Thomas. Julie is on her hands and knees working on cutting out a dress, using material from some old curtains, which were left over from her Aunt’s time. The front doorbell rings, Ruth thinks it is the milkman, but it is Gerard. Ruth invites him in and offers him coffee. Julia still thinks it is the milkman, as her back is to the door. Ruth tells Julia that they have a visitor. Julia gets up and holds out a hand in greeting and has it crushed! She asks Gerard to sit down; he doesn’t, instead he crosses the room to look at the material that is all over the floor. He states, “It looks like a curtain.” Julia snaps at him, “It is a curtain.” A little later, Gerard’s eyes once again fall to the curtain and he asks, “You are a skilled needlewoman?” Julia says, “Only when I am desperate.” She asks Gerard, “What do you do at the hospital? Teach, I suppose…” Gerard remarks, “I do my best…” When Julia finds out he is a surgeon, she states, “So you’re handy with a needle too!” (pages 7-8). I loved the back-and-forth barbs. Great read, rate 4.8, rounded up to 5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2015
I have very mixed feelings about this book. Some things I liked very much; other things I quite disliked.
Julia Gracy is the odd duck among her two sisters. They are both engaged and soon marry. Julia pretends to have no interest in marriage and borders on downright rudeness to the RDD; she also is right on the verge of TSTL. I do like that she is a skilled needle woman. I wish she had a bit more business acumen and that her little shop hadn't been such a dismal failure.
Just 3 stars.
Julia Gracy is the odd duck among her two sisters. They are both engaged and soon marry. Julia pretends to have no interest in marriage and borders on downright rudeness to the RDD; she also is right on the verge of TSTL. I do like that she is a skilled needle woman. I wish she had a bit more business acumen and that her little shop hadn't been such a dismal failure.
Just 3 stars.
February 12, 2011
Enjoyable read although they ate rather a lot of watercress soup. Nice heroine.
February 22, 2013
This is an oldie but a goodie in authors. The thing that attracts me to Betty Neels is her use of language. Mrs. Neels had a great love of the English language and used it to great advantage. She could paint such wonderful pictures simply through her use of a particular word.
The books rarely are more than period pieces, set in the 50s through the 70s, yet the mindset is that of a much older and gentler time. There is little action of the type expected in books of today, even romances, although you will find the occasional confrontation or, once or twice, a bombing. They are simply ways of increasing the character's and the reader's blood pressure. They are not essential.
In this particular book, a badly downloaded format (pre-ePub) from Harlequin which didn't do well with my Sony eReader, we have a young woman who strikes sparks off the Professor/Surgeon who works with her brother-in-law. As time passes and they constantly meet again and again, love grows, but will they ever get together? The late Betty Neels brings to life a more gentle romance.
While this isn't one of her best, it is still engaging. If you'd like a quiet couple of hours or have an older relative who bemoans the graphic nature of today's romances, try a Betty Neels' romance, still published by Harlequin Romance. I think you might be pleasantly surprised.
The books rarely are more than period pieces, set in the 50s through the 70s, yet the mindset is that of a much older and gentler time. There is little action of the type expected in books of today, even romances, although you will find the occasional confrontation or, once or twice, a bombing. They are simply ways of increasing the character's and the reader's blood pressure. They are not essential.
In this particular book, a badly downloaded format (pre-ePub) from Harlequin which didn't do well with my Sony eReader, we have a young woman who strikes sparks off the Professor/Surgeon who works with her brother-in-law. As time passes and they constantly meet again and again, love grows, but will they ever get together? The late Betty Neels brings to life a more gentle romance.
While this isn't one of her best, it is still engaging. If you'd like a quiet couple of hours or have an older relative who bemoans the graphic nature of today's romances, try a Betty Neels' romance, still published by Harlequin Romance. I think you might be pleasantly surprised.
February 1, 2026
Read: 28Jan26,
4 stars. Good, but it dragged on a bit. I think it must have been a long book, and while they dislike each other at first, Gerard realises first that he has fallen for her but he wants to give her time to fall for him. I like that he is the mocking icehole type, i liked at first that she wouldnt give him the time of day and was determined to carve her own path, but eventually it became a situation where it seemed he was That element of the book annoyed me enough to bring it down to four stars.
Julia (24) is a tall pretty girl who lives in London with her 2 beautiful and caring sisters, all working to fend for themselves and just about making ends meet. None were trained at anything and lost their comfy life in the country after their parents had died. Both her sisters are engaged, one to a young doc. When that young doc's boss (Gerard, 36, a RDD) arrives at their house one day to drop off a package, he is unimpressed at the shabby part of town they live in and their shabby house and at finding Julia on her knees making a dress out of a pair of curtains and he mocks her for it and she takes a dislike to him. Sparks fly! She is glad when he leaves and doesnt want to see the smug arrogant man again, esp when her sis tells him he is so rich and elevated in high society.
She is being pursued by an arrogant little twit who is a junior partner at her job (she works freelance writing verses for greeting cards.) The twit has invited her to the company ball at a hotel, and thats why she was making herself the curtain dress. When she arrives at the hotel, she is too nervous to go inside when she finds twit hasnt bothered to arrive on time, so she hangs around outside and is annoyed when the prof Gerard turns up. He is meeting friends to dine with at the hotel.
He takes her inside, meets the twit when he finally shows up, is amused when twit mostly ignores Julia in favor of schmoozing with all the other bigwig quests, Gerard mocks her for her crap date and for the curtain dress, hurting her feeling. Then the twit takes her into the ballroom, sits her in a chair while he schmoozes, ignores her, then is irate and when other men take her for dances, he is irate and says she is acting like a floozy and a good woman should have waited patiently for him in her chair. What an utter moron. She tells him to eff off --go Julia!-- and she walks out.
She walks into Gerard of course, who apologises for his rudeness earlier, and persuades her to come for a meal with him because they are both hungry. she agrees because he is being nice for once. But they part ways and have no intention of seeing each other after that. He finds her and her shabby clothes twee and a bit amusing.
SPOILERS AHEAD
When both her sisters get married, Julia can no longer afford to keep living in the house alone and tries to make ends meet by taking in lodgers, but she can only find one, and then the greeting cards company also fires her. She then has to look after her sister who is taken ill with a bad flu, and meets Gerard again when he visits the sis and her doc hubby.
Gerard then offers the is his lovely cottage in Holland to recuperate in and suggests that Julia accompany her. He comes once in a while to see them, but she is always prickly with him and he always leaves swiftly.
Anyway, we are told that Gerard has realised that he's fallen for Julia, but he thinks she feels nothing for him and that he needs to give her time to like him. Meanwhile, she is aware that she misses him whenever they part, but it makes her determined to put further distance between them and she keeps conspiring to take jobs as far away form London as possible.
By the 65/70% point both of them have acknowledged to themselves they love the other, but while he is giving her space and still trying to pursue her, she is actively running from him. I dont particularly enjoy this situation in some Betty books where both are in love and the only thing keeping them apart is miscommunication and pig-headedness. This book doesnt really feature any OW/OM drama, although Gerard does at one point see her with a guy she has made friends with. But his reaction is casual and it doesnt affect his behaviour in anyway. No jealousy really, and not intensifying of his pursuit of her. She does learn that apparently he has gone on a date with a beautiful woman once, but while it makes her a bit unhappy, it doesnt affect her behaviour either or alter her course which was to go away and start up her own shop selling knitting materials etc.
ENDING SPOILERS
Also, i really dislike that Gerard was going to let her start her little business and wait for her to be lonely and fail and want him. (Why, how arrogantly magnanimous of you, doc. Ugh.) Which is exactly what happened. She worked hard, but had no customers. I would have preferred if she had a buzzing little business but chose him despite that. For me, that affected my liking of the ending. He comes after her, finds her shop failing, takes her out and she finally acknowledges she is enjoying being with him and is happy, and after a sleepless night for both, he comes to ask her to marry him. I liked that he came after her, and he humbled himself and he confessed his love first. it was sweet. But the ending didn't have as much oomph or emotional turmoil as my fave betty books.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this was still the type of book i enjoy. Icehole is a trope i love. I would have preferred if he had resisted his feelings for longer. and i would have preferred if her running from love wasnt made to look juvenile and tokenistic. There should have been concrete reasons to make her feel angst and make her run away. e.g. if he had resisted his feelings actively and persisted in taking other women on dates, thus feeling her sense of hurt and longing to distance himself... i would have preferred that to be the reason she kept running away. Also, because she isnt a nurse or a carer she doesnt get to see the side of him that is the almighty consultant, revered and powerful in his natural setting, thus we dont get to see that either and that is a side of Betty's books that i always love. The book had strengths and weaknesses, but overall it balances out at a 4 for me. Good but nothing special for a betty book.
4 stars. Good, but it dragged on a bit. I think it must have been a long book, and while they dislike each other at first, Gerard realises first that he has fallen for her but he wants to give her time to fall for him. I like that he is the mocking icehole type, i liked at first that she wouldnt give him the time of day and was determined to carve her own path, but eventually it became a situation where it seemed he was That element of the book annoyed me enough to bring it down to four stars.
Julia (24) is a tall pretty girl who lives in London with her 2 beautiful and caring sisters, all working to fend for themselves and just about making ends meet. None were trained at anything and lost their comfy life in the country after their parents had died. Both her sisters are engaged, one to a young doc. When that young doc's boss (Gerard, 36, a RDD) arrives at their house one day to drop off a package, he is unimpressed at the shabby part of town they live in and their shabby house and at finding Julia on her knees making a dress out of a pair of curtains and he mocks her for it and she takes a dislike to him. Sparks fly! She is glad when he leaves and doesnt want to see the smug arrogant man again, esp when her sis tells him he is so rich and elevated in high society.
She is being pursued by an arrogant little twit who is a junior partner at her job (she works freelance writing verses for greeting cards.) The twit has invited her to the company ball at a hotel, and thats why she was making herself the curtain dress. When she arrives at the hotel, she is too nervous to go inside when she finds twit hasnt bothered to arrive on time, so she hangs around outside and is annoyed when the prof Gerard turns up. He is meeting friends to dine with at the hotel.
He takes her inside, meets the twit when he finally shows up, is amused when twit mostly ignores Julia in favor of schmoozing with all the other bigwig quests, Gerard mocks her for her crap date and for the curtain dress, hurting her feeling. Then the twit takes her into the ballroom, sits her in a chair while he schmoozes, ignores her, then is irate and when other men take her for dances, he is irate and says she is acting like a floozy and a good woman should have waited patiently for him in her chair. What an utter moron. She tells him to eff off --go Julia!-- and she walks out.
She walks into Gerard of course, who apologises for his rudeness earlier, and persuades her to come for a meal with him because they are both hungry. she agrees because he is being nice for once. But they part ways and have no intention of seeing each other after that. He finds her and her shabby clothes twee and a bit amusing.
SPOILERS AHEAD
When both her sisters get married, Julia can no longer afford to keep living in the house alone and tries to make ends meet by taking in lodgers, but she can only find one, and then the greeting cards company also fires her. She then has to look after her sister who is taken ill with a bad flu, and meets Gerard again when he visits the sis and her doc hubby.
Gerard then offers the is his lovely cottage in Holland to recuperate in and suggests that Julia accompany her. He comes once in a while to see them, but she is always prickly with him and he always leaves swiftly.
Anyway, we are told that Gerard has realised that he's fallen for Julia, but he thinks she feels nothing for him and that he needs to give her time to like him. Meanwhile, she is aware that she misses him whenever they part, but it makes her determined to put further distance between them and she keeps conspiring to take jobs as far away form London as possible.
By the 65/70% point both of them have acknowledged to themselves they love the other, but while he is giving her space and still trying to pursue her, she is actively running from him. I dont particularly enjoy this situation in some Betty books where both are in love and the only thing keeping them apart is miscommunication and pig-headedness. This book doesnt really feature any OW/OM drama, although Gerard does at one point see her with a guy she has made friends with. But his reaction is casual and it doesnt affect his behaviour in anyway. No jealousy really, and not intensifying of his pursuit of her. She does learn that apparently he has gone on a date with a beautiful woman once, but while it makes her a bit unhappy, it doesnt affect her behaviour either or alter her course which was to go away and start up her own shop selling knitting materials etc.
ENDING SPOILERS
Also, i really dislike that Gerard was going to let her start her little business and wait for her to be lonely and fail and want him. (Why, how arrogantly magnanimous of you, doc. Ugh.) Which is exactly what happened. She worked hard, but had no customers. I would have preferred if she had a buzzing little business but chose him despite that. For me, that affected my liking of the ending. He comes after her, finds her shop failing, takes her out and she finally acknowledges she is enjoying being with him and is happy, and after a sleepless night for both, he comes to ask her to marry him. I liked that he came after her, and he humbled himself and he confessed his love first. it was sweet. But the ending didn't have as much oomph or emotional turmoil as my fave betty books.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this was still the type of book i enjoy. Icehole is a trope i love. I would have preferred if he had resisted his feelings for longer. and i would have preferred if her running from love wasnt made to look juvenile and tokenistic. There should have been concrete reasons to make her feel angst and make her run away. e.g. if he had resisted his feelings actively and persisted in taking other women on dates, thus feeling her sense of hurt and longing to distance himself... i would have preferred that to be the reason she kept running away. Also, because she isnt a nurse or a carer she doesnt get to see the side of him that is the almighty consultant, revered and powerful in his natural setting, thus we dont get to see that either and that is a side of Betty's books that i always love. The book had strengths and weaknesses, but overall it balances out at a 4 for me. Good but nothing special for a betty book.
October 13, 2010
This is one of the last books Betty Neels wrote and it shows. It doesn't appear to have been edited, for example. Our hero and heroine are likable enough, but nothing special. All very tepid--but nicely so.
A few points, though--hooray for the fact that Julia's sisters are nice and that their husbands are also nice and that julia and her sisters have a warm and loving relationship. So often it is otherwise in Neels-land.
And I like that Julia went on with her life, not expecting our Rich Dutch Doctor to always save the day. And I so wanted her shop to be a success and I hope that off-screen they manage to save it.
Not a disaster of a book, but I will probably not remember it for long.
A few points, though--hooray for the fact that Julia's sisters are nice and that their husbands are also nice and that julia and her sisters have a warm and loving relationship. So often it is otherwise in Neels-land.
And I like that Julia went on with her life, not expecting our Rich Dutch Doctor to always save the day. And I so wanted her shop to be a success and I hope that off-screen they manage to save it.
Not a disaster of a book, but I will probably not remember it for long.
November 9, 2014
Betty Neels has a way of writing as if the story were set in the Victorian era, so sometimes you'll get very immersed in the adventures of the nurse/caretaker and the Dutch doctor/professor, and then someone will mention a computer or a dress that ends above the ankles and you'll almost die of shock. You'll enjoy this book on a rainy, quiet day. However, as with almost any romance novel that has the word "independent" referring to the heroine in the title, everyone keeps acting as if the heroine just needs to stfu and get married and it gets extremely irritating. Dickish hero.
June 29, 2013
I liked this one. I was still annoyed that the hero kept his love to himself for so long like most of Betty's heroes do but I liked that Julia wasn't just waiting around for him. I appreciated the family relationship between the sisters.
April 12, 2012
Læste den på dansk
December 10, 2013
Why doesn't the hero just speak his mind instead of deciding what the woman wants for her? Arghhhh.
April 3, 2024
Leída con el título "Una mujer independiente"
En esta novela la protagonista femenina no es enfermera,ni secretaria.Tampoco una niñera. Es una joven de tres hermanas que aún permanece soltera, que es decidida y tiene su fuerte carácter.
En la primera escena vemos a Julia confeccionando un vestido directo de unas cortinas para asistir a un baile...lo suyo es la costura 🧵...
Conoce por intermedio de su cuñado al doctor holandés Gerard,un eminente cirujano.
Está novela es una excepción dentro del canon Betty porque si bien a la protagonista le pasan muchas cosas ,desde quedarse sola y sin casa, y sin trabajo ( se empleaba creando frases para tarjetas de amor o algo así )viajar por trabajo a Holanda,no tener una estabilidad laboral,ella nunca se rinde y busca su propio futuro con independencia de si se casa o no y a pesar de lo buen partido que es el médico holandés,fiel heroína Betty,nunca se da por aludida.
Sabiendose enamorada del doctor ella se escapa, huye y consigue un empleo de tapicera en las afueras de Londres,en una gran mansión que poco después se incendia😲síii y él va a su rescate...aún así ella testaruda sigue huyendo,no está de más decir que él tampoco es muy franco y directo con sus sentimientos pero bueno,el hombre hace lo que puede...
Me gustó descubrir esta novela después de un tiempo leyendo los mismos clásicos... ocurre que no hay traducciones de todo el material de Betty,una pena.
En esta novela la protagonista femenina no es enfermera,ni secretaria.Tampoco una niñera. Es una joven de tres hermanas que aún permanece soltera, que es decidida y tiene su fuerte carácter.
En la primera escena vemos a Julia confeccionando un vestido directo de unas cortinas para asistir a un baile...lo suyo es la costura 🧵...
Conoce por intermedio de su cuñado al doctor holandés Gerard,un eminente cirujano.
Está novela es una excepción dentro del canon Betty porque si bien a la protagonista le pasan muchas cosas ,desde quedarse sola y sin casa, y sin trabajo ( se empleaba creando frases para tarjetas de amor o algo así )viajar por trabajo a Holanda,no tener una estabilidad laboral,ella nunca se rinde y busca su propio futuro con independencia de si se casa o no y a pesar de lo buen partido que es el médico holandés,fiel heroína Betty,nunca se da por aludida.
Sabiendose enamorada del doctor ella se escapa, huye y consigue un empleo de tapicera en las afueras de Londres,en una gran mansión que poco después se incendia😲síii y él va a su rescate...aún así ella testaruda sigue huyendo,no está de más decir que él tampoco es muy franco y directo con sus sentimientos pero bueno,el hombre hace lo que puede...
Me gustó descubrir esta novela después de un tiempo leyendo los mismos clásicos... ocurre que no hay traducciones de todo el material de Betty,una pena.
September 23, 2017
For me, this had a strong start: the heroine kneels on the living room floor, converting some household curtains to a dress she needs. As an avid sewer myself, I hoped Betty might finally give her female protagonist some skills and hobbies she'd carry into marriage. But alas, before long we realize this skill will mostly merit pity and assumptions that only the poor would choose to sew clothes; whatever her strengths, Betty must not have discovered the rewards of making clothes to fit your body precisely.
Notwithstanding the somewhat disappointing treatment of sewing, this does give rise to one of the funniest comments on medical work I've seen in a Neels book, when Julia learns he does surgery: "Oh, so you're good with a needle, too."
Like other readers, I found some parts of the book rushed or not quite up to the usual standard (though, good heavens, God bless her for writing so long past the usual retirement age! That's a real career; I can only hope to write so close to my own death). The sisters have a nice relationship, though, which felt distinct from the close-knit families Neels often sketches. I also like the hero's moments of uncertainty and the unplanned feel of the denouement. Those passing scenes imbued him with a refreshing humanity distinct from the dozens of doctors so skilled at getting their way.
Notwithstanding the somewhat disappointing treatment of sewing, this does give rise to one of the funniest comments on medical work I've seen in a Neels book, when Julia learns he does surgery: "Oh, so you're good with a needle, too."
Like other readers, I found some parts of the book rushed or not quite up to the usual standard (though, good heavens, God bless her for writing so long past the usual retirement age! That's a real career; I can only hope to write so close to my own death). The sisters have a nice relationship, though, which felt distinct from the close-knit families Neels often sketches. I also like the hero's moments of uncertainty and the unplanned feel of the denouement. Those passing scenes imbued him with a refreshing humanity distinct from the dozens of doctors so skilled at getting their way.
February 10, 2026
L'ho letto nell'edizione Kindle: la copertina del paperback mi avrebbe dissuaso dal comprarlo.
Come ho scritto in altre occasioni, ricorro a Betty Neels nei casi in cui la vita, con le sue preoccupazioni, si fa troppo pesante, e c'è bisogno di una zolletta di zucchero per mandarla giù. Credo, però, di avere ormai consumato quasi tutta la parte migliore della sua produzione, e negli ultimi tempi ho trovato alcuni suoi personaggi maschili e certe situazioni un po' troppo esasperanti.
Ho deciso di darle un'altra possibilità con questo romanzo, suggeritomi dalla recensione di un''amica' di Goodreads, che apprezzo come lettrice e soprattutto come scrittrice... ma non son riuscita ad andare oltre le tre stelle. Amo la scrittura di BN, le sue deliziose descrizioni, ma questa 'Independent Woman' lo è più di nome che di fatto, è un po' troppo in balia degli eventi, vittima designata del solito 'Dutch Professor' – che non ha fatto moltissimo per farsi voler bene (almeno da me).
Come ho scritto in altre occasioni, ricorro a Betty Neels nei casi in cui la vita, con le sue preoccupazioni, si fa troppo pesante, e c'è bisogno di una zolletta di zucchero per mandarla giù. Credo, però, di avere ormai consumato quasi tutta la parte migliore della sua produzione, e negli ultimi tempi ho trovato alcuni suoi personaggi maschili e certe situazioni un po' troppo esasperanti.
Ho deciso di darle un'altra possibilità con questo romanzo, suggeritomi dalla recensione di un''amica' di Goodreads, che apprezzo come lettrice e soprattutto come scrittrice... ma non son riuscita ad andare oltre le tre stelle. Amo la scrittura di BN, le sue deliziose descrizioni, ma questa 'Independent Woman' lo è più di nome che di fatto, è un po' troppo in balia degli eventi, vittima designata del solito 'Dutch Professor' – che non ha fatto moltissimo per farsi voler bene (almeno da me).
November 2, 2023
These novels that involve a top-notch doctor who lives in Holland but also does surgery in hospitals in England are my favourite Betty Neels books.
Three Gracie girls live in a poor district in London in an old house ....two of the girls are getting married as soon as would-be grooms get good jobs....Monica and George; Ruth and Thomas.
Julia is very tall and a bit overweight and very outspoken. She meets Professor Gerard van der Maes because Thomas is also a doctor in the same hospital. He and Julia don't like each other as they meet....but he keeps coming back to where Julia is, taking her out for dinner, giving her lifts home, have tea at the house.
He falls in love with her first...much to his surprise and finally she realizes she loves him also....but that doesn't happen until the last couple of pages. Good story.
Three Gracie girls live in a poor district in London in an old house ....two of the girls are getting married as soon as would-be grooms get good jobs....Monica and George; Ruth and Thomas.
Julia is very tall and a bit overweight and very outspoken. She meets Professor Gerard van der Maes because Thomas is also a doctor in the same hospital. He and Julia don't like each other as they meet....but he keeps coming back to where Julia is, taking her out for dinner, giving her lifts home, have tea at the house.
He falls in love with her first...much to his surprise and finally she realizes she loves him also....but that doesn't happen until the last couple of pages. Good story.
August 26, 2024
In addition to independent meaning without depending on another for livelihood, it apparently also means stubborn and pigheaded. I'd about had it with Julia Gracey and Gerard van der Maes halfway thru the book. OMG! He was so nasty - starting with the "curtain" dress and he wouldn't let it go. He didn't get any better as the story progressed. I found Julia just as annoying - pining away for the doctor, but saying the nastiest thing she could think of when they did meet. At one point, I seriously wanted to smack that doctor when he thought, "I'll let her have her little shop for a while." Well, aren't you magnanimous! That's really when I wanted Julia to make a go of her shop just to show him that he wasn't needed. If nothing else, I will remember this book as Betty at her worst.
May 5, 2023
I liked this book a lot. Betty brings us yet another rich, Dutch doctor who's only looking for the love of his life. He finds Julia, who believes that she doesn't need any help. She can handle things on her own, thank you. Julia has two sisters, who are soon to be happily married. She puts their little house up for sale and is ready to take on the world. But Gerard (the professor) seems to always be there when she finds a little hiccup in her plans. How long will it take her to see that he is the man of her dreams, and how long until Gerard gets impatient waiting for her to want to marry him?
August 9, 2018
Lovely
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
December 2, 2018
The copyright is 2001, but it seems like it was written in the 80s or early 90s. There are touching moments, but overall reading the book was an exercise in perseverance.
July 16, 2020
Beautiful. LOVED IT SO MUCH.
February 4, 2021
Another wonderful read
A doctor but no nurse, also no blue blood. A lovely story that I have read more than once already.
A doctor but no nurse, also no blue blood. A lovely story that I have read more than once already.
July 20, 2021
I love this author and this book is a classic. A must have for all Betty Neels fans or romance fans.
June 1, 2018
Historias cortas que se leen de un solo tirón.
Reseña completa en : http://perezosa69.blogspot.com/2018/0...
Reseña completa en : http://perezosa69.blogspot.com/2018/0...
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