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Fate is Remarkable
Sarah Dunn had worked with Hugo van Elven for a long time, and she was astounded when he suddenly proposed to her. Both of them were still recovering from previous unhappy love affairs, which was why Sarah decided to accept. Surely neither of them would wish to get emotionally involved again for a very long time, but she had not considered what would happen if her feelings for Hugo changed, while his remained the same. Could their need for love overcome their painful pasts, and allow a new companionship to grow?
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1970
124 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
564 books418 followersEvelyn Jessy "Betty" Neels was born on September 15, 1910 in Devon to a family with firm roots in the civil service. She said she had a blissfully happy childhood and teenage years.(This stood her in good stead later for the tribulations to come with the Second World War). She was sent away to boarding school, and then went on to train as a nurse, gaining her SRN and SCM, that is, State Registered Nurse and State Certificate of Midwifery.
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
In 1939 she was called up to the Territorial Army Nursing Service, which later became the Queen Alexandra Reserves, and was sent to France with the Casualty Clearing Station. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to 100 men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling! When France was invaded in 1940, all the nursing sisters managed to escape in the charge of an army major, undertaking a lengthy and terrifying journey to Boulogne in an ambulance. They were incredibly fortunate to be put on the last hospital ship to be leaving the port of Boulogne. But Betty's war didn't end there, for she was posted to Scotland, and then on to Northern Ireland, where she met her Dutch husband. He was a seaman aboard a minesweeper, which was bombed. He survived and was sent to the south of Holland to guard the sluices. However, when they had to abandon their post, they were told to escape if they could, and along with a small number of other men, he marched into Belgium. They stole a ship and managed to get it across the Channel to Dover before being transferred to the Atlantic run on the convoys. Sadly he became ill, and that was when he was transferred to hospital in Northern Ireland, where he met Betty. They eventually married, and were blessed with a daughter. They were posted to London, but were bombed out. As with most of the population, they made the best of things.
When the war finally ended, she and her husband were repatriated to Holland. As his family had believed he had died when his ship went down, this was a very emotional homecoming. The small family lived in Holland for 13 years, and Betty resumed her nursing career there. When they decided to return to England, Betty continued her nursing and when she eventually retired she had reached the position of night superintendent.
Betty Neels began writing almost by accident. She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind had no intention of vegetating, and her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels. There was little in Betty's background to suggest that she might eventually become a much-loved novelist.
Her first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and by dint of often writing four books a year, she eventually completed 134 books. She was always quite firm upon the point that the Dutch doctors who frequently appeared in her stories were *not* based upon her husband, but rather upon an amalgam of several of the doctors she met while nursing in Holland.
To her millions of fans around the world, Betty Neels epitomized romance. She was always amazed and touched that her books were so widely appreciated. She never sought plaudits and remained a very private person, but it made her very happy to know that she brought such pleasure to so many readers, while herself gaining a quiet joy from spinning her stories. It is perhaps a reflection of her upbringing in an earlier time that the men and women who peopled her stories have a kindliness and good manners, coupled to honesty and integrity, that is not always present in our modern world. Her myriad of fans found a warmth and a reassurance of a better world in her stories, along with characters who touched the heart, which is all and more than one could ask of a romance writer. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in her stories. Quite often those of her fans fortunate enough to visit Ho
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
March 20, 2021
I'm doing re-reads of some of Betty's books. After all, who is there better to spend time with during a pandemic than a "RDD"?
I have to say, I really liked this one so much more the second time around. Most of the time, my view of a book doesn't change dramatically. But every once in a while I have to pause and say, "now what was I thinking?" (face palm) Upping from 2 to 4 stars. Original review below
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This one had such potential, but it just dragged in too many places. At one point, I actually questioned why I kept reading it. Most of the content was around what she was wearing, eating and doing. It felt like Betty didn't know where she wanted to take the story so she kept writing until it came to her.
However, the beginning and ending were fun so you just have to slug your way through the middle.
The End
I have to say, I really liked this one so much more the second time around. Most of the time, my view of a book doesn't change dramatically. But every once in a while I have to pause and say, "now what was I thinking?" (face palm) Upping from 2 to 4 stars. Original review below
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This one had such potential, but it just dragged in too many places. At one point, I actually questioned why I kept reading it. Most of the content was around what she was wearing, eating and doing. It felt like Betty didn't know where she wanted to take the story so she kept writing until it came to her.
However, the beginning and ending were fun so you just have to slug your way through the middle.
The End
September 23, 2025
This is one of my favorite Betty Neels. Hero is a doctor. Heroine is a nurse who has worked with said doctor for several years. The story opens with the heroine being jilted and the doctor offering her a marriage of convenience to ease the pain. They marry, they go on a nice chaste honeymoon in Scotland and then start to build a life together in London. There are some lovely scenes of the two of them helping others.
October 2, 2017
Even though I have a (very) long history with the novels of Betty Neels, occasionally I find a new one that I have never read before. Fate is Remarkable is one of these. This may be my new favorite, even overtaking The Promise of Happiness which has long held that status.
Super writing, as always; lovely descriptions of food, fashion, flora and fauna; well-drawn characters, both primary and secondary; all combined with a truly remarkable love story.
P.S. I loved Betty Magdalen's review on The Uncrushable Jersey Dress blog that sees the whole story through Hugo's eyes.
Reread on 6/29/2015:
This is the first and perhaps best of TGB's MOC stories. Sarah Dunn has been working for Dr. Hugo van Elven (because of the name, I can't help but picture Hugo Weaving as Elrond!) for 3 years, but she is in love with the surgical registrar, Steven.
Sarah and Hugo begin to bond over a terminally-ill patient, Mrs. Brown, caring for her cat and refurbishing her flat while she is in hospital. During this time, Steven dumps Sarah for a wealthy consultant's daughter; then Hugo proposes and Sarah accepts.
After the wedding, they go to Hugo's cottage in the Scottish Highlands, on Loch Duich, near Wester Ross. Some months later, after Sarah realizes she loves Hugo and after his former girlfriend returns from America, Sarah runs away back to the cottage and just after she arrives, a massive snowstorm strikes. Fortunately, this cottage is well stocked with food and supplies. Hugo eventually finds her there, having walked the final six miles through the snow.
There he declares that he has loved Sarah for years, long before she started working for him in the outpatients clinic - indeed, he arranged for her transfer in hopes that she would fall in love with him. So they spend their REAL honeymoon at the cottage as well.
I absolutely love and adore this book. Lovely details about clothes, food, scenery both in England and Holland as well as delightful characters, both the H/h and secondary characters. Friends, Hugo's and Sarah's parents, colleagues, but especially Mrs. Brown - Rosemary, as she tells them is her first name and "a nice name for a little girl." Sarah promises they will name their first daughter for her; within minutes, the old lady dies. So poignant, especially under the circumstances in which Sarah doesn't know whether they will ever have an intimate relationship that will result in any children
Reread 12/14-16/2016. Lovely as always!
Re-read 10/1/17. Nothing to add.
5 stars!
Super writing, as always; lovely descriptions of food, fashion, flora and fauna; well-drawn characters, both primary and secondary; all combined with a truly remarkable love story.
P.S. I loved Betty Magdalen's review on The Uncrushable Jersey Dress blog that sees the whole story through Hugo's eyes.
Reread on 6/29/2015:
This is the first and perhaps best of TGB's MOC stories. Sarah Dunn has been working for Dr. Hugo van Elven (because of the name, I can't help but picture Hugo Weaving as Elrond!) for 3 years, but she is in love with the surgical registrar, Steven.
Sarah and Hugo begin to bond over a terminally-ill patient, Mrs. Brown, caring for her cat and refurbishing her flat while she is in hospital. During this time, Steven dumps Sarah for a wealthy consultant's daughter; then Hugo proposes and Sarah accepts.
After the wedding, they go to Hugo's cottage in the Scottish Highlands, on Loch Duich, near Wester Ross. Some months later, after Sarah realizes she loves Hugo and after his former girlfriend returns from America, Sarah runs away back to the cottage and just after she arrives, a massive snowstorm strikes. Fortunately, this cottage is well stocked with food and supplies. Hugo eventually finds her there, having walked the final six miles through the snow.
There he declares that he has loved Sarah for years, long before she started working for him in the outpatients clinic - indeed, he arranged for her transfer in hopes that she would fall in love with him. So they spend their REAL honeymoon at the cottage as well.
I absolutely love and adore this book. Lovely details about clothes, food, scenery both in England and Holland as well as delightful characters, both the H/h and secondary characters. Friends, Hugo's and Sarah's parents, colleagues, but especially Mrs. Brown - Rosemary, as she tells them is her first name and "a nice name for a little girl." Sarah promises they will name their first daughter for her; within minutes, the old lady dies. So poignant, especially under the circumstances in which Sarah doesn't know whether they will ever have an intimate relationship that will result in any children
Reread 12/14-16/2016. Lovely as always!
Re-read 10/1/17. Nothing to add.
5 stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2020
I first met Hugo van Elven and Sarah Ann Dunn in Betty Neels’ Uncertain Summer, when the heroine of that book ran to them after leaving her inscrutable RDD hero in that book (almost all “married for friendship and mutual convenience” BN heroines seem to eventually run away when they can’t take the bland treatment and seemingly unrequited love any longer). Hugo and Sarah were happily married in US, and it was clear that there was some backstory to their naming their second child Rosemary, so I was eager to read their tale.
FiR has some nice elements: a patient and smitten hero; lots of hero/heroine scenes together; the usual lavish descriptions of food, clothing, flowers, scenery that is Betty's milieu. But the obdurate refusal by both the hero and heroine to acknowledge their feelings and the OW confusion went on endlessly. It was a feast for the senses, but the romance part, except in the middle when the hero was clearly courting the heroine with jewelry and furs (farmed of course) and splendid meals and teas, fell a little flat for me. What we have here is failure to communicate!
The HEA was so long coming in this one that I truly wanted to bash their heads together and lock them in a room until they talked.
Too-extended misunderstandings aside, the food and flower porn WAS remarkable in this one, even for The Great Betty! Crab mousse and Bombe Pralinee with Pernod for their first quick lunch; quenelles in lobster sauce with feuillete de Poulet a la Reine and Monte Bianco; chicken on the spit and an excellent Burgundy followed by trifle piled with whipped cream; scrambled eggs with truffles, filet steaks aux moelles with baby courgettes and pommes mousselines and to follow this richness Carlsbad plums with thick cream, the whole washed down with Chambery. So much time on Google deciphering these gastronomical delights! And of course countless cuppas and elegant cups of coffee, sumptuous surroundings, and only the very best of all things—the heroine thinks to herself at one point that you could drop Hugo in Brazil or Siberia and he would find the very best that was to be had. 😉 No wonder BN heroes and heroines can forego sex for so long; they are awash in every other kind of sensual experience!
Coming off the delight that was Cassandra by Chance, FIR was a pleasing but not stellar Neels outing for me, but I did enjoy parts of it very much. A solid offering in her catalog and always nice to visit the fairytale land of Neels, where all misunderstandings fade and our heroes and heroines settle down to producing a half dozen or so offspring to populate their manses.
Car porn in this one:
Hugo drives a seriously bad-ass Italian sportscar, the Iso Grifo (misspelled Grigo in the edition I read), for eating up all the miles on the fast, long drives he so enjoys:
Sarah gets his pretty snazzy 1970ish Rover 2000TC as her about-town car:
FiR has some nice elements: a patient and smitten hero; lots of hero/heroine scenes together; the usual lavish descriptions of food, clothing, flowers, scenery that is Betty's milieu. But the obdurate refusal by both the hero and heroine to acknowledge their feelings and the OW confusion went on endlessly. It was a feast for the senses, but the romance part, except in the middle when the hero was clearly courting the heroine with jewelry and furs (farmed of course) and splendid meals and teas, fell a little flat for me. What we have here is failure to communicate!
The HEA was so long coming in this one that I truly wanted to bash their heads together and lock them in a room until they talked.
Too-extended misunderstandings aside, the food and flower porn WAS remarkable in this one, even for The Great Betty! Crab mousse and Bombe Pralinee with Pernod for their first quick lunch; quenelles in lobster sauce with feuillete de Poulet a la Reine and Monte Bianco; chicken on the spit and an excellent Burgundy followed by trifle piled with whipped cream; scrambled eggs with truffles, filet steaks aux moelles with baby courgettes and pommes mousselines and to follow this richness Carlsbad plums with thick cream, the whole washed down with Chambery. So much time on Google deciphering these gastronomical delights! And of course countless cuppas and elegant cups of coffee, sumptuous surroundings, and only the very best of all things—the heroine thinks to herself at one point that you could drop Hugo in Brazil or Siberia and he would find the very best that was to be had. 😉 No wonder BN heroes and heroines can forego sex for so long; they are awash in every other kind of sensual experience!
Coming off the delight that was Cassandra by Chance, FIR was a pleasing but not stellar Neels outing for me, but I did enjoy parts of it very much. A solid offering in her catalog and always nice to visit the fairytale land of Neels, where all misunderstandings fade and our heroes and heroines settle down to producing a half dozen or so offspring to populate their manses.
Car porn in this one:
Hugo drives a seriously bad-ass Italian sportscar, the Iso Grifo (misspelled Grigo in the edition I read), for eating up all the miles on the fast, long drives he so enjoys:
Sarah gets his pretty snazzy 1970ish Rover 2000TC as her about-town car:
February 19, 2016
This is my first novel by Betty Neels and I really liked her writing style.
A very simple story but well written. Not much angst but instead we get a quaint love story with a strong h and a beta H.
The H was not at all a jerk (like in many of the romances we read) but instead really loving and caring.
I just felt like I should keep on reading this story even though the storyline is really simplistic (a marriage of convenience between a nurse and a doctor).
I will definitely be reading more stories by this Author.
A very feel good romance.
A very simple story but well written. Not much angst but instead we get a quaint love story with a strong h and a beta H.
The H was not at all a jerk (like in many of the romances we read) but instead really loving and caring.
I just felt like I should keep on reading this story even though the storyline is really simplistic (a marriage of convenience between a nurse and a doctor).
I will definitely be reading more stories by this Author.
A very feel good romance.
January 16, 2015
Not my favorite Betty's book by far. I felt Sarah had her head covered under the sand. She was so worried about coming to terms with her feeling toward ex-boyfriend, the resident surgeon she was seeing, that she missed a lot of clues that would give her a better understanding of the man she married. I really liked Hugo until his ex showed up. It was his attitude toward what others perceived about his relationship with his ex and encouraging it that ticked me off.
January 26, 2023
I can’t decide what to rate this! Must consider…
Next day I'm rating this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Next day I'm rating this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
March 14, 2016
2.5 stars for the audiobook. The narrator's voice seemed a too old for the heroine.
4 star beginning and end, but the middle seemed to drag on and on so much so that I almost abandoned listening. Way too much detail of food and clothing! The narrator did not help.
4 star beginning and end, but the middle seemed to drag on and on so much so that I almost abandoned listening. Way too much detail of food and clothing! The narrator did not help.
May 6, 2013
3 1/2 Stars ~ No longer considered a young woman at 28, Sarah is jilted by her boyfriend, Steven. Both work at the same hospital, Steven as a resident doctor and Sarah as a nurse in the clinics. They'd been dating seriously for three years until Steven announces he's going to marry his boss' daughter, thus improving his position both professionally as a doctor and financially. Sarah is at heart broken but determined to show a brave face. Hugo is a well respected doctor who works the clinic several afternoons each week with Sarah as his nurse. He too was once jilted and the hospital rumour has it that he's never gotten over the woman. They work together very well and when an elderly woman needs extra care as her financial situation is poor, Sarah discovers a soft and generous side to Hugo as he goes beyond his duty to see to the woman's comfort. Hugo, now 40, proposes they marry. He requires a wife to assist him in his social life as a doctor, and she will have a caring and secure home. Their marriage is one of convenience and as the days pass into weeks, Sarah learns more and more about her husband. Slowly Steven no longer seems to matter and just as she realizes how much she's come to love her husband, Janet the woman who had jilted him, returns on the scene.
I adore Ms. Neels heroes who always patiently wait for their heroine to fall in love with them. She allows her heroines to struggle with their confused emotions with the hero quietly watching and bidding his time. Usually we discover that her heroes are first to fall in love, and we see his gleam in his eye or his thoughtful looks while the heroine is completely oblivious. Sarah is a beautiful woman and Hugo often compliments her appearance. He's tall, large and very handsome, while she's petite in comparison. Hugo appears to be in control of his emotions though at the ending we see he's far from certain that Sarah loves him. The ending is sigh worthy as most Betty Neels' endings are
I adore Ms. Neels heroes who always patiently wait for their heroine to fall in love with them. She allows her heroines to struggle with their confused emotions with the hero quietly watching and bidding his time. Usually we discover that her heroes are first to fall in love, and we see his gleam in his eye or his thoughtful looks while the heroine is completely oblivious. Sarah is a beautiful woman and Hugo often compliments her appearance. He's tall, large and very handsome, while she's petite in comparison. Hugo appears to be in control of his emotions though at the ending we see he's far from certain that Sarah loves him. The ending is sigh worthy as most Betty Neels' endings are
August 8, 2025
Serious allergies and sleepless nights have led back to reading more Betty. This was new-to-me, and I quite enjoyed it. A marriage of convenience story, it really benefited from the first two chapters, when the MCs work together and we get to know them well. Then the marriage between two people with similar interests and personalities, with the tiny secret of Janet - the Other Woman in the Dr.'s life, whom he refuses to discuss. Eventually I love books with country cottages, gardens and snow storms, so this one was right up my alley.
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, beutiful 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. :)
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, beutiful 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. :)
November 19, 2017
El dolor de amar. Con este título para Harlequin ibérica.Aqui la enfermera es Sara Dunn tiene 28, es bonita y lleva un noviazgo de 3 años de espera con Steven. El doctor al rescate será Hugo van Elven, de 40 años de edad.Quien luego de la decepción amorosa sufrida por la joven le propone matrimonio sorpresivamente.Sera un matrimonio por pura amistad hasta q ella se descubrirá enamorada de él, aunque conviva con la duda constante de aquella mujer del pasado(Janet)a quien el doctor alguna vez amo.en la novela encontraremos muchos de los elementos q hacen a las novelas Betty: el no decir, no preguntar, las interrupciones en momentos cruciales,los malentendidos.Lo que nunca entenderé es como después de una ausencia de 3 semanas él regresa y lo hace tan tranquilamente con Janet 🤦🏻♀️y después la culpa de los buenos modales y educación es de ella.A partir de su aparición el libro se pone electrizante y sufrís cada uno de los momentos que vive la pobre Sara,cenas y salidas con la ex presente, hasta qué Sara los encuentra en un café y él la toma de la mano...es el acabose🤭Sara se irá, para q él pueda divorciarse y casarse con Janet 😭le dejó una carta, “ era una carta fría y normal,aunque hubiera querido decirle a gritos que lo amaba”Entonces Sara huye, se refugia en una casita en las afueras y él la encuentra luego de una semana, ella posterga para después la charla y lo q él tenga q decirle:hizo los quehaceres de la casa,limpio, cocino,amasó pan,hasta bordó 😳entonces, vendrá el momento final,el tan ansiado reencuentro y el felices por siempre.
January 4, 2018
This book is an example of why Betty Neels is such a comfort read for me. The hero, Dr. Hugo van Elven (love the name!) is an older Dutch consultant at a London hospital. I like him a lot because he comes across as warmer and more approachable than the many of Neels heroes. He is intelligent and has that rare skill of being able to command attention without coming across as domineering. It's obvious that he listens to the heroine and better yet, encourages her to dream and do. I found that way more attractive than his money.
The heroine, Sarah Dunn, is a capable nurse at the hospital. She starts the story all but engaged to a young doctor in the hospital, but when he throws her over, she finds herself unexpectedly married to Dr. van Elven. It's all a bit of a whirlwind, but as the settle into their marriage, the story really does turn charming and romantic. I'll definitely be keeping this one around for more comfort reads.
The heroine, Sarah Dunn, is a capable nurse at the hospital. She starts the story all but engaged to a young doctor in the hospital, but when he throws her over, she finds herself unexpectedly married to Dr. van Elven. It's all a bit of a whirlwind, but as the settle into their marriage, the story really does turn charming and romantic. I'll definitely be keeping this one around for more comfort reads.
June 1, 2014
Up there in my top five Betty Neels endings.
June 19, 2025
A fun read though I still am confused as to why she's unwelcome at his rooms on Harley Street....but it is a sweet story. Not one of my top five favorites but would reread.
November 16, 2022
Finally, after several false starts, I found another Betty Neels I enjoyed very much. This one falls among the minority ones with a pretty heroine, which I actually prefer because it gives the hero a reason to fall in love with her. The ones where the big tall handsome older brusque successful Dutch doctor falls in love with the mousy plain girl with beautiful eyes and a nice figure are harder for me to swallow because name one single time when that ever happened outside the pages of fiction, Betty!
But don't worry too much, Betty fans, because there's still the trip to Holland, the various dogs and cats, the food descriptions, the clothing descriptions, and the vague puzzlement over when this story is actually taking place because it feels really old-fashioned.
Sarah, a nurse--surprise! jk--works with Dr. Hugo van Elven, who offers her the typical companionate marriage found in romance novels. Will it blossom into more? Of course it will. But FATE IS REMARKABLE has, besides its odd title, a most un-Betty-like twist! I hope it will be the best kind of spoiler when I tell you that the heroine doesn't entirely give up work to lounge around the house and go shopping after she gets married. That always drives me crazy in Betty books when the heroine does that because (1) they don't even have any kids yet, so what the heck is she doing; and (2) what was all that education and training for, then; (3) and didn't she LIKE her work???
Anywho. This one is a winner for me. Little draggy in the middle, but who cares.
But don't worry too much, Betty fans, because there's still the trip to Holland, the various dogs and cats, the food descriptions, the clothing descriptions, and the vague puzzlement over when this story is actually taking place because it feels really old-fashioned.
Sarah, a nurse--surprise! jk--works with Dr. Hugo van Elven, who offers her the typical companionate marriage found in romance novels. Will it blossom into more? Of course it will. But FATE IS REMARKABLE has, besides its odd title, a most un-Betty-like twist! I hope it will be the best kind of spoiler when I tell you that the heroine doesn't entirely give up work to lounge around the house and go shopping after she gets married. That always drives me crazy in Betty books when the heroine does that because (1) they don't even have any kids yet, so what the heck is she doing; and (2) what was all that education and training for, then; (3) and didn't she LIKE her work???
Anywho. This one is a winner for me. Little draggy in the middle, but who cares.
May 1, 2012
This is the 6th time I read this novel, and still this is the best Betty Neels novel I've ever read...
Further for this novel, turn out that this novel was made in 1970, with Hugo van Elven was 40 years old and Sarah was 28 years old... Wow.. it means that Hugo was born in 1930 -6 years older than my father!!
I really curious about their cottage in Scotland. Really want to go there. Hopefully I can!
The best Betty Neels novel I've ever read. Entah kenapa ni cerita jadi favorit saya. Tapi yang pasti saya salut sama Hugo van Elven yang bisa memendam cinta sampai 3 tahun. Tipikal cerita BN, Hugo & Sarah menikah tanpa dasar cinta, melainkan persahabatan.
Further for this novel, turn out that this novel was made in 1970, with Hugo van Elven was 40 years old and Sarah was 28 years old... Wow.. it means that Hugo was born in 1930 -6 years older than my father!!
I really curious about their cottage in Scotland. Really want to go there. Hopefully I can!
The best Betty Neels novel I've ever read. Entah kenapa ni cerita jadi favorit saya. Tapi yang pasti saya salut sama Hugo van Elven yang bisa memendam cinta sampai 3 tahun. Tipikal cerita BN, Hugo & Sarah menikah tanpa dasar cinta, melainkan persahabatan.
March 4, 2021
Betty always brings the feels, don't expect any heat because this is not what this author was about. Her stories were always very tame but that doesn't distract from it in anyway.
I always have a smile on my face when I finish her books. The leads don't always have to be raving beauty's. She tends to write more of a plain looking girl, one who is normally struggling or without family. The hero in her books are always wealthy, good looking and doctors.
There is always animals in the books so that's a huge plus for me. They aren't complicated reads and there's never any cheating and minimal drama.
She is favourite author for me, so it's a definate YES.
I always have a smile on my face when I finish her books. The leads don't always have to be raving beauty's. She tends to write more of a plain looking girl, one who is normally struggling or without family. The hero in her books are always wealthy, good looking and doctors.
There is always animals in the books so that's a huge plus for me. They aren't complicated reads and there's never any cheating and minimal drama.
She is favourite author for me, so it's a definate YES.
October 3, 2015
This one has got to be my favourite of her books - at least, of the ones I've read, of course. I've only just decided that it's my favourite and this is after reading it for the second time, after a gap of some years. The difference is that I've been re-reading the books of hers that I own back-to-back for over a week, and this one far surpasses the others in characterisation, conversation and plot. It doesn't strike me as being a book written in haste, unlike some others of hers that I've read.
I'm upgrading it from a 3-star to a 4-star, because it really is better than the others so far.
I'm upgrading it from a 3-star to a 4-star, because it really is better than the others so far.
June 1, 2018
Historias cortas que se leen de un solo tirón.
Reseña completa en : http://perezosa69.blogspot.com/2018/0...
(Le doy 4,5 )
Reseña completa en : http://perezosa69.blogspot.com/2018/0...
(Le doy 4,5 )
December 6, 2022
A usual Betty Neels novel where the hero and heroine are very good,nurse and doctor.They marry for convenience while the hero is secretly in love with heroine and waiting for her to respond mutually.
March 27, 2018
Sarah and Hugo. Sigh...both of them so silly, putting on acts which kept them apart for years, months and weeks apart when they could have been openly in love with each other!
I loved the Scottish Highlands cottage honeymoon and Holland-France summer family holiday. Steven the scum needed to be dealt with more thoroughly! Maybe being pompous Binnes's son-in-law was to be his punishment ha!
SPOILERS
I had my suspicion that Hugo maybe has loved Sarah since three years ago when they met in the hospital. He was always kind to her and from Kate we heard that he's never looked at another female in the hospital in 'that' way the whole 3 years he was there. That's roughly the length of time Sarah had been dating Steven the Scum too so I wondered if he's just silently in love...and the moment she and the Scum were no more he pounced with a MOC proposal!
Hugo did one better! He must have pretty much fallen in love with Sarah at first sight because he had requested specifically for her to be his OPD nurse...all these years! Aww...
For a MOC Hugo was really good to Sarah. I am sure if she wanted a big white wedding he'd have indulged her. And the honeymoon at his bolthole! He was really, really good to her, spoiling her with gifts and spending as much time as he could with her. Be it going out for meals or the theatre, long walks or just sitting at home. I love these cozy moments and how could Sarah not fall in love with Hugo?
Unfortunately because of the MOC she was afraid her love would scare him off, but ironically her friendliness made him think she's happy to maintain the distance between them. I truly think his American trip was in reaction to Sarah saying she'd been glad to be home...he thought she didn't like spending so much time alone with him?!
I thought all would be well once he's back from America, but was the world so small that he had to bump into Janet the ex and supposedly the grand love of Hugo. Did he really have to invite her home even for drinks? What's poor Sarah to do but act the gracious hostess?
And what was it with Hugo not wanting to show Sarah the nursery at home, and his private practice at Harley Street? Am I missing the subtext here? He didn't want her to see he's got her photos on his desk so he could stare at them every day? And betray his deeper feelings for her? Hmm...
It's all really silly how the misunderstanding over the ex got so blown out of proportion. Several times Hugo had wanted to deckare his feelings but got interrupted. Couldn't he just gone to her room or over breakfast or what just get it out?! Sigh two such ninnies!
But I really love that they spent so much time together, like Sarah says even when they didn't get to talk at the Rose Street clinic she's happy to be in Hugo's presence! So sweet!
It's fitting the ending and love declaration was in Scotland!
Awesome review and Hugo's point of view at The Uncrushable Jersey Dress http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.sg/20...
PS. Am skipping ahead to read Uncertain Summer where we revisit both Sarah and Hugo! With babies!
I loved the Scottish Highlands cottage honeymoon and Holland-France summer family holiday. Steven the scum needed to be dealt with more thoroughly! Maybe being pompous Binnes's son-in-law was to be his punishment ha!
SPOILERS
I had my suspicion that Hugo maybe has loved Sarah since three years ago when they met in the hospital. He was always kind to her and from Kate we heard that he's never looked at another female in the hospital in 'that' way the whole 3 years he was there. That's roughly the length of time Sarah had been dating Steven the Scum too so I wondered if he's just silently in love...and the moment she and the Scum were no more he pounced with a MOC proposal!
Hugo did one better! He must have pretty much fallen in love with Sarah at first sight because he had requested specifically for her to be his OPD nurse...all these years! Aww...
For a MOC Hugo was really good to Sarah. I am sure if she wanted a big white wedding he'd have indulged her. And the honeymoon at his bolthole! He was really, really good to her, spoiling her with gifts and spending as much time as he could with her. Be it going out for meals or the theatre, long walks or just sitting at home. I love these cozy moments and how could Sarah not fall in love with Hugo?
Unfortunately because of the MOC she was afraid her love would scare him off, but ironically her friendliness made him think she's happy to maintain the distance between them. I truly think his American trip was in reaction to Sarah saying she'd been glad to be home...he thought she didn't like spending so much time alone with him?!
I thought all would be well once he's back from America, but was the world so small that he had to bump into Janet the ex and supposedly the grand love of Hugo. Did he really have to invite her home even for drinks? What's poor Sarah to do but act the gracious hostess?
And what was it with Hugo not wanting to show Sarah the nursery at home, and his private practice at Harley Street? Am I missing the subtext here? He didn't want her to see he's got her photos on his desk so he could stare at them every day? And betray his deeper feelings for her? Hmm...
It's all really silly how the misunderstanding over the ex got so blown out of proportion. Several times Hugo had wanted to deckare his feelings but got interrupted. Couldn't he just gone to her room or over breakfast or what just get it out?! Sigh two such ninnies!
But I really love that they spent so much time together, like Sarah says even when they didn't get to talk at the Rose Street clinic she's happy to be in Hugo's presence! So sweet!
It's fitting the ending and love declaration was in Scotland!
Awesome review and Hugo's point of view at The Uncrushable Jersey Dress http://everyneelsthing.blogspot.sg/20...
PS. Am skipping ahead to read Uncertain Summer where we revisit both Sarah and Hugo! With babies!
May 4, 2021
This is quite a lovely one by Ms. Neels, quite as lovely as the heroine is described.
The heroine has just been dumped by her boyfriend of 3yrs, so he can marry a more eligible girl who can further his career. What a waste of time!!
The heroine is upset, but valiantly keeping a stiff upper lip when her boss, the Hero, the requisite RDD (Rich Dutch Doctor) proposes that they get married. Rumor is that he has also been nursing a broken heart for a lost love years ago. He thinks that they suit each other and can have a happy, comfortable and friendly marriage.
The heroine quits her job, marries him and they have a lovely time together taking trips, meeting his oh so rich and welcoming family in the continent. Eating gourmet meals. The Hero has been spoiling her to death with jewels, furs(😝) and lovely Givenchy dresses... the heroine is falling in love again. 😉
What could possibly go wrong?! Well, on the day he comes home from a trip to America, the idiot Hero decides to bring home his lost love OW to be introduced to his wife 🤦🏻♀️
The heroine is nothing if not calm and composed, so she graciously entertains the OW and invites her to dinner. Fr this point on the idiot Hero has been coming home late, possibly entertaining the OW, and the heroine even catches them together in a restaurant.
Since she is the noble type, she doesnt want to stand in the way of the Hero so she writes him a goodbye letter and leaves for parts unknown..(to him).
The Hero is quite desperate since actually he has been in love with her for the past 3 years, but has been waiting for her relationship w the ex to end. When it did, he immediately jumped in. He was prepared to wait for her to get over the ex. He took the OW home to make the heroine jealous, but when she didnt show that she was, he got annoyed. In fairness, the heroine was also a bit of a ninny for always throwing the OW into their orbit, just to show thst she was not the jealous type.
All is explained in the end. HEA
The heroine has just been dumped by her boyfriend of 3yrs, so he can marry a more eligible girl who can further his career. What a waste of time!!
The heroine is upset, but valiantly keeping a stiff upper lip when her boss, the Hero, the requisite RDD (Rich Dutch Doctor) proposes that they get married. Rumor is that he has also been nursing a broken heart for a lost love years ago. He thinks that they suit each other and can have a happy, comfortable and friendly marriage.
The heroine quits her job, marries him and they have a lovely time together taking trips, meeting his oh so rich and welcoming family in the continent. Eating gourmet meals. The Hero has been spoiling her to death with jewels, furs(😝) and lovely Givenchy dresses... the heroine is falling in love again. 😉
What could possibly go wrong?! Well, on the day he comes home from a trip to America, the idiot Hero decides to bring home his lost love OW to be introduced to his wife 🤦🏻♀️
The heroine is nothing if not calm and composed, so she graciously entertains the OW and invites her to dinner. Fr this point on the idiot Hero has been coming home late, possibly entertaining the OW, and the heroine even catches them together in a restaurant.
Since she is the noble type, she doesnt want to stand in the way of the Hero so she writes him a goodbye letter and leaves for parts unknown..(to him).
The Hero is quite desperate since actually he has been in love with her for the past 3 years, but has been waiting for her relationship w the ex to end. When it did, he immediately jumped in. He was prepared to wait for her to get over the ex. He took the OW home to make the heroine jealous, but when she didnt show that she was, he got annoyed. In fairness, the heroine was also a bit of a ninny for always throwing the OW into their orbit, just to show thst she was not the jealous type.
All is explained in the end. HEA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2016
It's a fantastic book. Of an older style. But... this is why I don't read regular romance... i dislike angst! (unless i'm in the mood for a bawl-out... which I am, sometimes. but i need to be fair-warned).
Anyway, it's a very sweet story. All the way up to the last 1/5th when H comes home from abroad, and his ex is tagging along. Ofcourse, h thinks he's still in love with the ex, and thinks they're having an affair (they're not). Big Misunderstanding. She runs away. Hubby comes after her. He loves her. HEA.
The problem is, he actually is displaying the kind of behaviors most men do when they're breaking up, or having an affair. Rational people, when their spouse assumes they're having an affair, and they're not, and wish to preserve their relationship, will tell them that there's nothing going on. (And get upset for being suspected!) Rational people accept that associating with an ex is grounds for being upset (unless they do wish to have an affair, in which case they dismiss concerns).
The angst in this was the h's and mine! And while I enjoy torturing myself (mildly; this book was perfect!), it's not something I need a larger dose of.
I don't need to put spoiler tags, do I? Most of her books follow the same theme.
Anyway, it's a very sweet story. All the way up to the last 1/5th when H comes home from abroad, and his ex is tagging along. Ofcourse, h thinks he's still in love with the ex, and thinks they're having an affair (they're not). Big Misunderstanding. She runs away. Hubby comes after her. He loves her. HEA.
The problem is, he actually is displaying the kind of behaviors most men do when they're breaking up, or having an affair. Rational people, when their spouse assumes they're having an affair, and they're not, and wish to preserve their relationship, will tell them that there's nothing going on. (And get upset for being suspected!) Rational people accept that associating with an ex is grounds for being upset (unless they do wish to have an affair, in which case they dismiss concerns).
The angst in this was the h's and mine! And while I enjoy torturing myself (mildly; this book was perfect!), it's not something I need a larger dose of.
I don't need to put spoiler tags, do I? Most of her books follow the same theme.
February 1, 2014
I love these Marriage of Convenience stories. Sarah has been working for Hugo van Elven for around three years, just about the same length of time she has been going out with Steven. When Steven breaks up with her to marry his bosses daughter, Hugo seems to be always around, offering distraction.
His offer of marriage is a surprise to Sarah, but she accepts on the understanding that he too has been crossed in love. AFter all it wouldn't be fair if he loved her when she couldn't return his love. Oh how we deceive ourselves. Sarah may not have realised it, but her feelings for Hugo long before she realised it, were stronger than mere Doctor and Nurse professional respect.
Hugo is adorable but he makes the usual mistake of not being open. In fact they both do, holding back the vital piece of information about their feelings until the return of Hugo's lost love at a crucial moment almost derails everything.
A really sweet and emotional story.
His offer of marriage is a surprise to Sarah, but she accepts on the understanding that he too has been crossed in love. AFter all it wouldn't be fair if he loved her when she couldn't return his love. Oh how we deceive ourselves. Sarah may not have realised it, but her feelings for Hugo long before she realised it, were stronger than mere Doctor and Nurse professional respect.
Hugo is adorable but he makes the usual mistake of not being open. In fact they both do, holding back the vital piece of information about their feelings until the return of Hugo's lost love at a crucial moment almost derails everything.
A really sweet and emotional story.
October 11, 2016
Sarah, one of TGB's BPBN's has worked for years with Hugo van Elven; our RDD with a failed romantic past. Cruelty jilted; so the grapevine says and pining for his lost love. They share a convivial work relationship and a polite respect and regard for each other. Sarah is cruelty jilted by her BF in favor of a rich consultant's homely daughter. She is duly startled by Dr van Elven's understanding and subsequent marriage proposal. What follows is a wonderfully written story about discovering that love and friendship are often in front of us. Lovely families on both sides with wonderful FFR's. When Sarah goes off to give Hugo his chance at his first, lost love you feel her uncertainty but also feel her certainty that she will do whatever to make him happy; even at the cost of her own happiness. Their reunion is one of TGB's best and most satisfying.
November 11, 2025
4.5 stars. this was lovely..this is the one where our h is a beautiful nurse, 28, (loving family, not impoverished, just ordinary) who gets dumped quite nastily be the man (a doc) she was seeing for 3 years and loved and who she expected to marry. he tells her he's been secretly dating the daughter of an eminent older doc for 18 months(!) and is engaged to her. that marriage will bring him money and contacts and a partnership in his FILs medical practice, and he makes it clear he doesn't care much for his plain fiancee, but he still led our beautiful h on because he wanted to bed her and he has the nerve to tell her that she spoiled the chance for fun by being such a puritan. it was a brutal dumping. humiliating too as they work together and everyone will know she was dumped.
poor girl! thus, despite the fact she is a beauty, we immediately feel v sorry for our poor nurse. its a bleak situation and she is heartbroken.
she can see that even her boss knows though he is careful to be sensitive about it. she ends up spending more time with her boss, an aloof but handsome RDD who works in England all the time and whose hospital clinic she has been nursing at for 3 years. they provide extra care for a dying woman. he tells her that sometimes hard work is a good way to get through heartbreak. she finds herself liking her boss and realising what a nice guy he is and with a big heart, plus she enjoys the time spent with him. the nasty OM is jealous when he sees them together and says nasty stuff to her and she is upset because she still loves him, but our H overhears and deals with the OM.
anyway, shortly afterwards, the H asks h to marry him. a MOC. since they are two heartbroken people. hospital grapevine had always said some woman broke his heart many years ago and he's never looked at anyone else since. he tells her they can be friends and companions. she agrees to it. mainly because he's the only respite from her heartache and she hopes she can be the same for him.
SPOILERS
It's hinted that he cares for her. she grows to care for him too as they spend some lovely time together being friends and he is always thoughtful and good to her. small stuff bothers her about how private he is about some things and she finds herself feeling unexpected angst that he keeps himself aloof in some ways. and she misses him when he is home late and without explanations. she tries not to be clingy...
eventually she realises she doesn't give fig about the OM anymore and she has fallen for her hubby. she is shocked at this realisation and knows her feelings are unfair to hubby and she must hide them.
they continue spending time together, supporting each other through challenges and she suffers angst because he is still in love with the woman from his past and still remains emotionally aloof.
After a wonderful holiday in amsterdam together visiting his family and being utterly happy, he suddenly springs it on her that he is going to USA tomorrow and that he doesn't want to take her with him and that he knew he was going for ages but hadn't bothered to tell her. it is a sudden shock. she feels upset but hides it. After all, their deal was that they would support each other in each others heartbreak and she has no right to feel clingy about him. she is really upset at the thought of being apart from him though
and yet he calls her everyday and makes it clear he misses her and hints he has something to tell her when he gets back and she is so excited waiting for him to return
when he does she is about to lovingly fling herself into his arms in joy but the other woman, his long lost love, comes into the house behind him. he says he had bumped into her on the plane.
h feels horribly hurt and embarrassed and determined not to show her feelings so she pastes a bright smile on and invites the other woman to stay for dinner and is friendly. H drives the OW to her hotel late that evening and doesn't return home until 3am.
h is so hurt she can barely speak to him and she pretends it's great to have met the OW and that they should invite her over again, and H is more distant than ever with her while she is pretending to be happy.
time passes and H spends less time at home more time with the OW and frequently calls the OW. and a friend of h's tells her he's been seen visiting the OW at OW's job too, and h has to pretend everything is fine. she tries to talk to him about OW but he changes the topic.
the last straw comes when h sees H and OW dining together and having a heartfelt conversation... she just can't take it anymore. she goes home, writes him a goodbye letter telling him he can have a divorce and she flees without telling him where she is going.
H comes home and he is worried to find her gone. and he is upset when he reads her letter. it is so lovely to see this little bit of his pov and his anguish that she had left. it was a sublime little touch we often don't get in Betty books
I love it when the h flees and the H chases her. this time his journey to finding her was arduous and bleak and thus it is all the sweeter when they reunite and he finally confesses he has loved her for 3 whole years and that it was a torment to see her being in love with the other man. ah! our poor H! and I love that he said it first. brave man.
this was such a lovely heartwarming read, a lovely amount of angst and yet we also got a hero who always treated our h so so well and it was so easy to fall in love with him. he was such an admirable and loving and patient and long suffering H! the book was a lovely journey and a lovely ending too.
poor girl! thus, despite the fact she is a beauty, we immediately feel v sorry for our poor nurse. its a bleak situation and she is heartbroken.
she can see that even her boss knows though he is careful to be sensitive about it. she ends up spending more time with her boss, an aloof but handsome RDD who works in England all the time and whose hospital clinic she has been nursing at for 3 years. they provide extra care for a dying woman. he tells her that sometimes hard work is a good way to get through heartbreak. she finds herself liking her boss and realising what a nice guy he is and with a big heart, plus she enjoys the time spent with him. the nasty OM is jealous when he sees them together and says nasty stuff to her and she is upset because she still loves him, but our H overhears and deals with the OM.
anyway, shortly afterwards, the H asks h to marry him. a MOC. since they are two heartbroken people. hospital grapevine had always said some woman broke his heart many years ago and he's never looked at anyone else since. he tells her they can be friends and companions. she agrees to it. mainly because he's the only respite from her heartache and she hopes she can be the same for him.
SPOILERS
It's hinted that he cares for her. she grows to care for him too as they spend some lovely time together being friends and he is always thoughtful and good to her. small stuff bothers her about how private he is about some things and she finds herself feeling unexpected angst that he keeps himself aloof in some ways. and she misses him when he is home late and without explanations. she tries not to be clingy...
eventually she realises she doesn't give fig about the OM anymore and she has fallen for her hubby. she is shocked at this realisation and knows her feelings are unfair to hubby and she must hide them.
they continue spending time together, supporting each other through challenges and she suffers angst because he is still in love with the woman from his past and still remains emotionally aloof.
After a wonderful holiday in amsterdam together visiting his family and being utterly happy, he suddenly springs it on her that he is going to USA tomorrow and that he doesn't want to take her with him and that he knew he was going for ages but hadn't bothered to tell her. it is a sudden shock. she feels upset but hides it. After all, their deal was that they would support each other in each others heartbreak and she has no right to feel clingy about him. she is really upset at the thought of being apart from him though
and yet he calls her everyday and makes it clear he misses her and hints he has something to tell her when he gets back and she is so excited waiting for him to return
when he does she is about to lovingly fling herself into his arms in joy but the other woman, his long lost love, comes into the house behind him. he says he had bumped into her on the plane.
h feels horribly hurt and embarrassed and determined not to show her feelings so she pastes a bright smile on and invites the other woman to stay for dinner and is friendly. H drives the OW to her hotel late that evening and doesn't return home until 3am.
h is so hurt she can barely speak to him and she pretends it's great to have met the OW and that they should invite her over again, and H is more distant than ever with her while she is pretending to be happy.
time passes and H spends less time at home more time with the OW and frequently calls the OW. and a friend of h's tells her he's been seen visiting the OW at OW's job too, and h has to pretend everything is fine. she tries to talk to him about OW but he changes the topic.
the last straw comes when h sees H and OW dining together and having a heartfelt conversation... she just can't take it anymore. she goes home, writes him a goodbye letter telling him he can have a divorce and she flees without telling him where she is going.
H comes home and he is worried to find her gone. and he is upset when he reads her letter. it is so lovely to see this little bit of his pov and his anguish that she had left. it was a sublime little touch we often don't get in Betty books
I love it when the h flees and the H chases her. this time his journey to finding her was arduous and bleak and thus it is all the sweeter when they reunite and he finally confesses he has loved her for 3 whole years and that it was a torment to see her being in love with the other man. ah! our poor H! and I love that he said it first. brave man.
this was such a lovely heartwarming read, a lovely amount of angst and yet we also got a hero who always treated our h so so well and it was so easy to fall in love with him. he was such an admirable and loving and patient and long suffering H! the book was a lovely journey and a lovely ending too.
March 27, 2017
It's a nice story, but way too similar to a couple of others in the Betty Neels collections. The only thing unique is the ending, which is a nice twist to the usual. The heroine is a little too blah and way too accepting. She should really have more of a backbone to confront the "supposed rival" and her husband to find out what's going on. It' a good read for a rainy afternoon.
March 24, 2016
A typical Neels book. You know what's going to happen as soon as the heroine says she would only drive to the cottage in the direst circumstances. The one thing I liked though was the hints about what the hero was feeling.
March 31, 2016
A Little Too Much Travel
This little story went nowhere for most of the book. The characters were totally uninteresting, albeit perfect, as were the homes, the food, the relatives, the hotels, the roads, the weather - well, you get the idea.
This little story went nowhere for most of the book. The characters were totally uninteresting, albeit perfect, as were the homes, the food, the relatives, the hotels, the roads, the weather - well, you get the idea.
July 6, 2012
Betty Neels when I need a nice cozy romantic read...
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