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Christmas Miracles
When Dr. Oliver Hay-Smithe sees how kindhearted Bertha's family takes advantage of her, he decides to sweep her off her feet with "A Christmas Proposal" by Betty Neels.
Bethany seems to be the perfect mother for Nick Rafferty's three children--and the perfect wife for Nick. So perfect, in fact, that Nick suspects he's being watched over by "Heavenly Angels" by Carole Mortimer.
And Jill Barton loves her role as a stand-in mom for five-year-old Kip. But as soon as Jill meets Kip's father, the gorgeous Zane Doyle, she realizes why all Kip wants is "A Daddy for Christmas" by Rebecca Winters.
Bethany seems to be the perfect mother for Nick Rafferty's three children--and the perfect wife for Nick. So perfect, in fact, that Nick suspects he's being watched over by "Heavenly Angels" by Carole Mortimer.
And Jill Barton loves her role as a stand-in mom for five-year-old Kip. But as soon as Jill meets Kip's father, the gorgeous Zane Doyle, she realizes why all Kip wants is "A Daddy for Christmas" by Rebecca Winters.
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
2 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
580 books418 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 11, 2013
I don't read romances unless they are Christmas stories. These three stories have been some of my favorites.
A Christmas Proposal............a doctor falls in love with a caring but plain young woman who is being abused by her stepmother and stepsister. All she has to wear are inappropriate hand-me-downs and all her life is consumed by the needs of the other two women in her life. The doctor must find an appropriate way to help her escape her life and in doing so falls in love.
Heavenly Angels.......Bethany is an angel in more ways than one. She has come to help Nick get through the holiday season with his two sons and a daughter he doesn't wan to acknowledge. His ex-wife and ex-best friend are unavailable to the kids because of an auto accident. Bethany knows she will have to leave as soon as her mission is accomplished but she has fallen in love. How can this be?
A Daddy for Christmas...........Kip is being taken to the father he has never known for Christmas by the one woman who loves him dearly, his kindergarten teacher. Unbeknownst to Jill Kip's father did not know he existed. And here, two days before Christmas, they are stuck together in the wilds of Alaska. Need I say more?
A Christmas Proposal............a doctor falls in love with a caring but plain young woman who is being abused by her stepmother and stepsister. All she has to wear are inappropriate hand-me-downs and all her life is consumed by the needs of the other two women in her life. The doctor must find an appropriate way to help her escape her life and in doing so falls in love.
Heavenly Angels.......Bethany is an angel in more ways than one. She has come to help Nick get through the holiday season with his two sons and a daughter he doesn't wan to acknowledge. His ex-wife and ex-best friend are unavailable to the kids because of an auto accident. Bethany knows she will have to leave as soon as her mission is accomplished but she has fallen in love. How can this be?
A Daddy for Christmas...........Kip is being taken to the father he has never known for Christmas by the one woman who loves him dearly, his kindergarten teacher. Unbeknownst to Jill Kip's father did not know he existed. And here, two days before Christmas, they are stuck together in the wilds of Alaska. Need I say more?
November 27, 2013
I liked Betty Neels and Carole Mortimer's stories a lot and I thought Rebecca Winters Heavenly Angels was okay. Zane in Carole Morimer's story "A Daddy for Christmas" is an alpha male and I like the chemistry between him and Jill. The scenery is nice (up in the wilds of the North). All in all, a really fun Christmas read.
December 29, 2017
three stories in one. takes adjustment to go from one book to the other. very good.
April 5, 2020
This is a feel good, clean romance anthology. I have to rate it a five because it’s a Betty Neels story!!!!
December 31, 2020
I found this book on my book shelf. It's old and the punctuation was atrocious - way too many exclamation points. But each story was sweet and poignant. Really enjoyed these 3 short romances.
December 11, 2022
It doesn't matter how many times I read these stories, they still give me a warm feeling inside of comfort, love, and possibilities.
In Betty Neel's "A Christmas Proposal," the author gives us a sweet Cinderella story. My only complaint is that we never get to see the evil stepmother and stepsister get their just dessert. Plus, how could her father be so blind to how his wife treats his daughter. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. And in typical Betty Neels fashion, we don’t see the wedding. However having two nosey old ladies watching the fireworks is a nice ending.
In Carole Mortimer's "Heavenly Angel's" the reader experiences the wonder of love and forgiveness, as well as the knowledge that there really are soulmates waiting and searching for each other.
And finally, in Rebecca Winter's "A Daddy for Christmas," the reader gets to experience the power of love at first sight, and the sense of rightness that comes when you meet the right man.
All three stories give Christmas a little extra cheer, and this reader a little extra enjoyment.
In Betty Neel's "A Christmas Proposal," the author gives us a sweet Cinderella story. My only complaint is that we never get to see the evil stepmother and stepsister get their just dessert. Plus, how could her father be so blind to how his wife treats his daughter. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. And in typical Betty Neels fashion, we don’t see the wedding. However having two nosey old ladies watching the fireworks is a nice ending.
In Carole Mortimer's "Heavenly Angel's" the reader experiences the wonder of love and forgiveness, as well as the knowledge that there really are soulmates waiting and searching for each other.
And finally, in Rebecca Winter's "A Daddy for Christmas," the reader gets to experience the power of love at first sight, and the sense of rightness that comes when you meet the right man.
All three stories give Christmas a little extra cheer, and this reader a little extra enjoyment.
December 16, 2016
One of the first Harlequin authors I remember reading. I was completely enthralled by the exotic locales in her books when I was 14. Now reading these books are more of a way of remembering the aunt who got me started on them. I'll probably always love them due to the nostalgia factor. her books will always be some of my favorites to re-read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews