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Judith
After the hurly-burly of the big London hospital where she had been working, Judith found it a very pleasant change to be offered a private job looking after a charming patient, Lady Cresswell, in the Lake District. Her patient gave her no trouble at all-which was more than could be said for her son, the disagreeable Professor Charles Cresswell. He seemed to have taken a dislike to Judith on sight-a dislike which, it must be confessed, Judith returned with interest. And now he was turning up to spoil their pleasant holiday in Portugal….
239 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1982
About the author
Betty Neels
607 books428 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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October 7, 2020
Funny--I thought I'd deleted this review by accident a while back and was all set to redo it this week, after a(nother) re-read, when I got a notification that someone had liked my review. So it's still here. But I'm still going to revisit this one, because I've come back to Judith a few times, which says something, and discovered that I actually quite like it. So upped stars and revised some tag choices and have a few more observations (and car porn at end).
With Judith (1982), I missed the point. Or Betty missed the mark. Or both, likely.
The thing is, I think Betty wanted this to be spatty and amusing, like Cassandra by Choice, but she didn't quite get there with the funny or the sweet. The main problem is that Charles Cresswell, our irascible Professor of History (12th century a speciality!) doesn't have the absent-minded charm he really needs to leaven his irritability. Not even his loving treatment of his mother (he really would climb into the sky to pluck down the moon if she wanted it, as she claims at one point) is enough to counter his avoidance of and coolness toward the heroine. He's just TOO reluctant to give into his feelings for her, and does too good a job of hiding them--it's only on re-reads that his very real awkwardness with his own feelings and women--and Judith in particular--comes through. And Judith, one of Betty's Big Beauties, with "golden hair, sapphire blue eyes and a gentle mouth," who is used to being pursued, not pushed away, is quick to react angrily to his provocation, which doesn't help matters between them (although her outrage at his continual snubbing of her splendid self is justified).
I've come to realize that Charles is more clueless than cruel, really, stymied by his own denial of romance in his life after a youthful betrayal, and wrapped up in in his work to the exclusion of all else, until the heroine barrels into his life. Even the pursuit of him by the awful Eileen (whose picture he has on his desk (why? one wonders), with a less-than-subtle "Always Yours" signature) hasn't dented his self-sufficiency and reclusiveness (invitations to his once-or-twice-annual cocktail parties at his gorgeous Lake District home are highly coveted). It's only with his mother, and in his willingness to take on all the abandoned animals Judith keeps bringing home, that we see Charles' deep capacity for love and care; he's closed himself off otherwise.
Our long, lean hero (a type Betty likes to use for her non-doctors), with walls as thick as those of the castles he knows so much about, falls hard and fast upon first meeting the heroine, even if he does bellow at her on their first meeting, putting her back up. Judith wants to dislike him, and indeed loses her magnificent temper with him a lot throughout the book, but she's equally smitten at first site. But Charles spends most of his time avoiding her, and Betty would have done better to show more of his feelings to sell the romance in this one.
After a few re-reads, it's there, but so subtle it's easy to miss. The angst is good, and there's a lot of humor and warmth in this book, but it's hard to find and easy to miss. But there was something that kept drawing me back, and I think I finally got it.
The declaration at the end encapsulates all of it--the MC's personalities, the conflicts between them, the humor that's so easy to miss in this one--and is wonderfully done.
Happy sigh. Judith promises not to bring up his ineptness in causing the Big Misunderstanding between them...well, "only if you annoy me I daresay I'll mention it just once in a while, you know!" Hahaha!
I found this one worth a second (and now even a third or fourth) look. Sometimes Betty is better on a reread!
Cover is almost certainly by Len Goldberg. (I didn't see a sig, but there's no mistaking those noses, those poses, and that grip hero has on her!)
Betty car porn:
Hero drives a Ferrari Dino 308 - the only Ferrari that I can recall in the Betty canon! (She often seems to use more exotic sports cars as shorthand for difficult heroes. Later in her career, when the heroes become more placid and paternal, they pretty much exclusively drive Rollses and Bentleys.)
He also has a Range Rover, being a practical, most capable man living in a rural area (the Lakes District). Let's go with the 3.5 liter V8 Monteverdi 4X4, a rarity for the discerning driver, "introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980. It was a four-door conversion of the two-door Mark 1 Range Rover, and while the design work was carried out by Monteverdi, the actual construction took place at Fissore's factory in Savigliano, the two-door cars being sent (complete with an extra set of doors) directly by Land Rover to the Fissore factory. Following the introduction of Land Rover's own four-door model in 1981, Monteverdi ended their conversions in 1982, by which time around 167 cars had been built." This one belonged to Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath:
And a Mini (Mark IV?) for his Faithful Family Retainers (I assume) that he insists the heroine use on her days off from nursing his mother, when he discovers that she has to cadge rides from the butcher's assistant, "rubbing shoulders with the Canterbury lamb and half pigs loaded into the back...she was busy removing a muslin-wrapped pig's trotter from the back of her neck when she glanced up and saw Charles Cresswell and Eileen Hunt watching her from the pavement. Eileen was frankly laughing; the Professor was inscrutable."
Heroine drives a Fiat 600, "a tight squeeze but all she could ever afford."
My original review upon first read:
TGB has written some real iceholes, but at least they usually have impeccable manners, and if you look at their actions rather than their haughty, cold personas, they are generally shown to be kind at heart. But with Charles Cresswell, the “hero” of Judith, Betty wrote a real bastage. He’s completely awful to the heroine, Judith, who reacts by being rightfully prickly towards him in return. He’s rude and dismissive, and while Neels tries to convey that it’s because he’s reluctantly attracted to Judith, his behavior is inexcusable. No RDD here—Charles is a wealthy historian—and our nurse-heroine, Judith Golightly, really should have held out for an RDD or RBD.
Given Charles's penchant for nasty little smiles, cold dismissals, silkily voiced putdowns, and rude outbursts, it’s inconceivable that Judith should find herself singing songs from the Sound of Music just because he happened, for once, to smile at her and speak to her nicely. Neels usually does a decent job of tempering her heroes' grumpiness with sweeter moments, but not in this one. And just having various characters claim that he’s a good guy at heart doesn’t really cut it. (And yes, he’s kind to animals, but even Hitler liked dogs.)
The hero and heroine spend so little time together, and he’s so mean to her when they do, that it’s laughable that she'd fall in love with him. His proposal of marriage comes out of nowhere, to boot. Why on earth would she want to marry him? His mother’s explanations that “he’s difficult..and wrapped up in his works…doesn’t suffer fools gladly and he hides his feelings…can be ill tempered and arrogant…isn’t demonstrative…”—well, hardly ringing endorsements. I mean, love is fine and well, but you have to LIVE with the people you marry.
And when Judith overhears a phone call between him and the potential OW and jumps to a very logical conclusion, based on what she's heard, his refusal to explain is ridiculous. He lays all the blame on her, as if he’s given no reason for her to arrive at the Big Misunderstanding. He expects blind faith when he’s never given her any reason to have faith.
Judith is nice and deserves better. And so do we. A miss for Betty, despite the nicely rendered travelogues of the Lake District and the Algarve.
With Judith (1982), I missed the point. Or Betty missed the mark. Or both, likely.
The thing is, I think Betty wanted this to be spatty and amusing, like Cassandra by Choice, but she didn't quite get there with the funny or the sweet. The main problem is that Charles Cresswell, our irascible Professor of History (12th century a speciality!) doesn't have the absent-minded charm he really needs to leaven his irritability. Not even his loving treatment of his mother (he really would climb into the sky to pluck down the moon if she wanted it, as she claims at one point) is enough to counter his avoidance of and coolness toward the heroine. He's just TOO reluctant to give into his feelings for her, and does too good a job of hiding them--it's only on re-reads that his very real awkwardness with his own feelings and women--and Judith in particular--comes through. And Judith, one of Betty's Big Beauties, with "golden hair, sapphire blue eyes and a gentle mouth," who is used to being pursued, not pushed away, is quick to react angrily to his provocation, which doesn't help matters between them (although her outrage at his continual snubbing of her splendid self is justified).
I've come to realize that Charles is more clueless than cruel, really, stymied by his own denial of romance in his life after a youthful betrayal, and wrapped up in in his work to the exclusion of all else, until the heroine barrels into his life. Even the pursuit of him by the awful Eileen (whose picture he has on his desk (why? one wonders), with a less-than-subtle "Always Yours" signature) hasn't dented his self-sufficiency and reclusiveness (invitations to his once-or-twice-annual cocktail parties at his gorgeous Lake District home are highly coveted). It's only with his mother, and in his willingness to take on all the abandoned animals Judith keeps bringing home, that we see Charles' deep capacity for love and care; he's closed himself off otherwise.
Our long, lean hero (a type Betty likes to use for her non-doctors), with walls as thick as those of the castles he knows so much about, falls hard and fast upon first meeting the heroine, even if he does bellow at her on their first meeting, putting her back up. Judith wants to dislike him, and indeed loses her magnificent temper with him a lot throughout the book, but she's equally smitten at first site. But Charles spends most of his time avoiding her, and Betty would have done better to show more of his feelings to sell the romance in this one.
After a few re-reads, it's there, but so subtle it's easy to miss. The angst is good, and there's a lot of humor and warmth in this book, but it's hard to find and easy to miss. But there was something that kept drawing me back, and I think I finally got it.
The declaration at the end encapsulates all of it--the MC's personalities, the conflicts between them, the humor that's so easy to miss in this one--and is wonderfully done.
Happy sigh. Judith promises not to bring up his ineptness in causing the Big Misunderstanding between them...well, "only if you annoy me I daresay I'll mention it just once in a while, you know!" Hahaha!
I found this one worth a second (and now even a third or fourth) look. Sometimes Betty is better on a reread!
Cover is almost certainly by Len Goldberg. (I didn't see a sig, but there's no mistaking those noses, those poses, and that grip hero has on her!)
Betty car porn:
Hero drives a Ferrari Dino 308 - the only Ferrari that I can recall in the Betty canon! (She often seems to use more exotic sports cars as shorthand for difficult heroes. Later in her career, when the heroes become more placid and paternal, they pretty much exclusively drive Rollses and Bentleys.)
He also has a Range Rover, being a practical, most capable man living in a rural area (the Lakes District). Let's go with the 3.5 liter V8 Monteverdi 4X4, a rarity for the discerning driver, "introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980. It was a four-door conversion of the two-door Mark 1 Range Rover, and while the design work was carried out by Monteverdi, the actual construction took place at Fissore's factory in Savigliano, the two-door cars being sent (complete with an extra set of doors) directly by Land Rover to the Fissore factory. Following the introduction of Land Rover's own four-door model in 1981, Monteverdi ended their conversions in 1982, by which time around 167 cars had been built." This one belonged to Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath:
And a Mini (Mark IV?) for his Faithful Family Retainers (I assume) that he insists the heroine use on her days off from nursing his mother, when he discovers that she has to cadge rides from the butcher's assistant, "rubbing shoulders with the Canterbury lamb and half pigs loaded into the back...she was busy removing a muslin-wrapped pig's trotter from the back of her neck when she glanced up and saw Charles Cresswell and Eileen Hunt watching her from the pavement. Eileen was frankly laughing; the Professor was inscrutable."
Heroine drives a Fiat 600, "a tight squeeze but all she could ever afford."
My original review upon first read:
TGB has written some real iceholes, but at least they usually have impeccable manners, and if you look at their actions rather than their haughty, cold personas, they are generally shown to be kind at heart. But with Charles Cresswell, the “hero” of Judith, Betty wrote a real bastage. He’s completely awful to the heroine, Judith, who reacts by being rightfully prickly towards him in return. He’s rude and dismissive, and while Neels tries to convey that it’s because he’s reluctantly attracted to Judith, his behavior is inexcusable. No RDD here—Charles is a wealthy historian—and our nurse-heroine, Judith Golightly, really should have held out for an RDD or RBD.
Given Charles's penchant for nasty little smiles, cold dismissals, silkily voiced putdowns, and rude outbursts, it’s inconceivable that Judith should find herself singing songs from the Sound of Music just because he happened, for once, to smile at her and speak to her nicely. Neels usually does a decent job of tempering her heroes' grumpiness with sweeter moments, but not in this one. And just having various characters claim that he’s a good guy at heart doesn’t really cut it. (And yes, he’s kind to animals, but even Hitler liked dogs.)
The hero and heroine spend so little time together, and he’s so mean to her when they do, that it’s laughable that she'd fall in love with him. His proposal of marriage comes out of nowhere, to boot. Why on earth would she want to marry him? His mother’s explanations that “he’s difficult..and wrapped up in his works…doesn’t suffer fools gladly and he hides his feelings…can be ill tempered and arrogant…isn’t demonstrative…”—well, hardly ringing endorsements. I mean, love is fine and well, but you have to LIVE with the people you marry.
And when Judith overhears a phone call between him and the potential OW and jumps to a very logical conclusion, based on what she's heard, his refusal to explain is ridiculous. He lays all the blame on her, as if he’s given no reason for her to arrive at the Big Misunderstanding. He expects blind faith when he’s never given her any reason to have faith.
Judith is nice and deserves better. And so do we. A miss for Betty, despite the nicely rendered travelogues of the Lake District and the Algarve.
November 9, 2019
An absolutely delightful book with a strong, pleasant and very lovable and relatable heroine, an ogre of a hero but equally as lovable, and very caring, put together and organised and surprise surprise - not your regular RDD!
I've missed Betty Neels so much, this is my first book in more than a year, I've missed reading! Now I'm off to find another good Betty Neels to read
I've missed Betty Neels so much, this is my first book in more than a year, I've missed reading! Now I'm off to find another good Betty Neels to read
January 22, 2016
Judith Golightly (I do like her name) is tall, blonde and shapely; she is a Sister in charge of the Surgical Wing. She had a very persistent hanger-on named Nigel Bloom who proposes at 2 AM on a very busy night duty and then again when Judith is recovering from measles and complications. He won't take no for an answer so Judith is glad when she is given a month's leave to recover.
She goes home to Lacock, in Wiltshire but soon gets a letter from her Uncle Tom in Hawkshead, Cumbria asking her to come give him a hand while his housekeeper is away. While there, she meets a very handsome but bad-tempered Professor of Ancient History, Charles Cresswell. They see each other a bit and definitely there are sparks, but not necessarily the romantic kind.
After her holiday is over and she returns to hospital, a Lady Cresswell is admitted with leukemia. It's Charles's mother, of course, who becomes fond of Judith. When she is released, she asks Judith to go with her.
Soon, Charles makes arrangements for them to spend a few weeks in Algarve, Portugal.
While there, they see each other often, he kisses her, and then one day says that it would be "splendid" if they were to marry. Judith knows by then she loves him but isn't sure about him.
Then Judith overhears a phone conversation to Eileen Hunt, who Judith had met earlier and assumed was Charles's lady-friend, which sounds as though he is marrying Judith just to have someone to take care of his mother. They have a big fight but keep up a pretense in front of Lady Cresswell.
Lady Cresswell has a sudden relapse. During those stressful few days, Charles and Judith barely see each other. Then one morning Judith goes out into the garden with the animals (during their stay in Portugal, Judith rescued a mother cat, two kittens, and a dog) and has a good cry. Charles comes out, tells her he loves her and can't imagine life without her - smooch smooch - all is well and HEA.
I don't mind hate-to-love romances, but this one is just TOO light on the romance. There's really no reason for either of them to fall for the other.
However, the travelogue bits are SPECTACULAR, from Lacock in Wiltshire to Cumbria (near Beatrix Potter's home!) to Portugal.
3 1/4 stars.
She goes home to Lacock, in Wiltshire but soon gets a letter from her Uncle Tom in Hawkshead, Cumbria asking her to come give him a hand while his housekeeper is away. While there, she meets a very handsome but bad-tempered Professor of Ancient History, Charles Cresswell. They see each other a bit and definitely there are sparks, but not necessarily the romantic kind.
After her holiday is over and she returns to hospital, a Lady Cresswell is admitted with leukemia. It's Charles's mother, of course, who becomes fond of Judith. When she is released, she asks Judith to go with her.
Soon, Charles makes arrangements for them to spend a few weeks in Algarve, Portugal.
While there, they see each other often, he kisses her, and then one day says that it would be "splendid" if they were to marry. Judith knows by then she loves him but isn't sure about him.
Then Judith overhears a phone conversation to Eileen Hunt, who Judith had met earlier and assumed was Charles's lady-friend, which sounds as though he is marrying Judith just to have someone to take care of his mother. They have a big fight but keep up a pretense in front of Lady Cresswell.
Lady Cresswell has a sudden relapse. During those stressful few days, Charles and Judith barely see each other. Then one morning Judith goes out into the garden with the animals (during their stay in Portugal, Judith rescued a mother cat, two kittens, and a dog) and has a good cry. Charles comes out, tells her he loves her and can't imagine life without her - smooch smooch - all is well and HEA.
I don't mind hate-to-love romances, but this one is just TOO light on the romance. There's really no reason for either of them to fall for the other.
However, the travelogue bits are SPECTACULAR, from Lacock in Wiltshire to Cumbria (near Beatrix Potter's home!) to Portugal.
3 1/4 stars.
December 9, 2021
Not one of Neels' better efforts. The so-called hero is a jerk with no redeeming features, the girl doesn't care how he treats her "because she loves him" and the story is pretty lack luster.
October 29, 2021
I enjoyed the first half. Then I disliked the second half intensely for one big reason.
February 11, 2013
One of my favourite Betty Neels books. I love the interaction between the hero and heroine.
September 5, 2021
4 Stars ~ This is one of the rare Betty Neels romances where the hero is not a Rich Dutch Doctor. In this one, Charles is an Englishman and he's a world renown historian and best selling author. He's quite well off, both from family money and of his own making. Judith is the night nurse in charge of the Surgical Ward of a busy London hospital. She's being pursued by a surgical registrar who persistently proposes and she turns him down each time. Judith does admit that she is in a rut and she fears she'll never find the man she's intended for.
All this changes when she butts heads with Charles ... ill-mannered monster ... insufferable ... 'Hateful man!' ... Just for a moment she forgot that she didn’t like him overmuch ... Charles had actually smiled at her! ... She was astonished to find that she didn’t want him to go ... he was growing on her; impatience, ill humour, mockery, the lot ... rude, intolerant, pigheaded ... perhaps she would have a chance to tell him-- Tell him what? she thought wildly. That she had just discovered that she was head over heels in love with him? Tiresome, ill-tempered creature that he was. And she could imagine that mocking smile and the blandly spoken answer she’d get to that! ... only a bleak future of years without Charles ... Her heartache was so real that she could only stand still and let it wash over her. ... now her feelings got the better of her and tears poured down her cheeks in an absolute torrent ...
An unfortunate love affair as a young man has put Charles off the idea of marriage, so now he's polite, pleasant but rather bland when it comes to women. That is until he meets Judith, who immediately gets under his skin ... 'I’m damned for ever in this young lady’s eyes' ... 'Married?’ he asked casually. ‘Engaged? Having a close relationship? ... said with some concern: ‘She’s not here permanently, is she?’ ... ‘I’m a scholar, Miss Golightly, not a schoolboy. What an extraordinary name you have.’ He added gently: ‘And so unsuitable too.' ... meeting you hasn’t been nice at all, Judith Golightly ... His voice took on a dreamlike quality, coming and going in waves -- she couldn’t for the life of her stop a yawn ... Professor Cresswell paused said in a quite different voice, cold and silky and sneering: ‘My apologies Miss Golightly—I bore you.’ He turned on his heel and walked away ... ‘You are a most abominable girl' ... 'Shall we have lunch together? in a mutual dislike if you wish.’ He smiled so disarmingly that she nodded ... he eyed her thoughtfully ... She sighed very softly. ‘The roses in your garden are very lovely—I can’t forget them.’ He got out and stood beside her, looking down at her sleepy face with no expression at all on his own. ‘Quite lovely,’ he said ... ‘And I’m sorry about the yawn,’ said Judith. ‘As a matter of fact you were being very interesting. When I’ve had a good sleep, I expect I’ll remember it all.’ ‘I shall remember too,’ he told her gravely ... ‘I’ve never thought of you as a timid girl, Judith.’ His mouth twitched at the corners ... it was so obvious that he was avoiding her ... ‘The hills are alive…’ she was carolling happily. ‘And if you don’t stop that infernal racket this instant you’ll be dead!’ Charles Cresswell stood in the kitchen doorway, looking murderous ... she glanced at him, to see an expression on his face which puzzled her. Regret? Disappointment? Sad resignation? ... He smiled again, rather bitterly. ‘I find her—er—disturbing—larger than life…’ ... Her astonishment made him wince ... He bent his head and kissed her surprised mouth ... he stood with his arms round her holding her close, staring down into her wet face, frowning a little. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ she demanded. ‘I’m trying to remember why I didn’t like you.’ ... He gave her a bleak look that wrung her heart ...
This is a rare gem from Ms. Neels, one that I'm sure I'll enjoy again and again. Judith's and Charles' turbulent journey to HEA was fun to read.
All this changes when she butts heads with Charles ... ill-mannered monster ... insufferable ... 'Hateful man!' ... Just for a moment she forgot that she didn’t like him overmuch ... Charles had actually smiled at her! ... She was astonished to find that she didn’t want him to go ... he was growing on her; impatience, ill humour, mockery, the lot ... rude, intolerant, pigheaded ... perhaps she would have a chance to tell him-- Tell him what? she thought wildly. That she had just discovered that she was head over heels in love with him? Tiresome, ill-tempered creature that he was. And she could imagine that mocking smile and the blandly spoken answer she’d get to that! ... only a bleak future of years without Charles ... Her heartache was so real that she could only stand still and let it wash over her. ... now her feelings got the better of her and tears poured down her cheeks in an absolute torrent ...
An unfortunate love affair as a young man has put Charles off the idea of marriage, so now he's polite, pleasant but rather bland when it comes to women. That is until he meets Judith, who immediately gets under his skin ... 'I’m damned for ever in this young lady’s eyes' ... 'Married?’ he asked casually. ‘Engaged? Having a close relationship? ... said with some concern: ‘She’s not here permanently, is she?’ ... ‘I’m a scholar, Miss Golightly, not a schoolboy. What an extraordinary name you have.’ He added gently: ‘And so unsuitable too.' ... meeting you hasn’t been nice at all, Judith Golightly ... His voice took on a dreamlike quality, coming and going in waves -- she couldn’t for the life of her stop a yawn ... Professor Cresswell paused said in a quite different voice, cold and silky and sneering: ‘My apologies Miss Golightly—I bore you.’ He turned on his heel and walked away ... ‘You are a most abominable girl' ... 'Shall we have lunch together? in a mutual dislike if you wish.’ He smiled so disarmingly that she nodded ... he eyed her thoughtfully ... She sighed very softly. ‘The roses in your garden are very lovely—I can’t forget them.’ He got out and stood beside her, looking down at her sleepy face with no expression at all on his own. ‘Quite lovely,’ he said ... ‘And I’m sorry about the yawn,’ said Judith. ‘As a matter of fact you were being very interesting. When I’ve had a good sleep, I expect I’ll remember it all.’ ‘I shall remember too,’ he told her gravely ... ‘I’ve never thought of you as a timid girl, Judith.’ His mouth twitched at the corners ... it was so obvious that he was avoiding her ... ‘The hills are alive…’ she was carolling happily. ‘And if you don’t stop that infernal racket this instant you’ll be dead!’ Charles Cresswell stood in the kitchen doorway, looking murderous ... she glanced at him, to see an expression on his face which puzzled her. Regret? Disappointment? Sad resignation? ... He smiled again, rather bitterly. ‘I find her—er—disturbing—larger than life…’ ... Her astonishment made him wince ... He bent his head and kissed her surprised mouth ... he stood with his arms round her holding her close, staring down into her wet face, frowning a little. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ she demanded. ‘I’m trying to remember why I didn’t like you.’ ... He gave her a bleak look that wrung her heart ...
This is a rare gem from Ms. Neels, one that I'm sure I'll enjoy again and again. Judith's and Charles' turbulent journey to HEA was fun to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2017
Typical Betty Neel affair. Heroine is a workaholic, who hasn't found the right man. Despite the interest from a few men including the last one who won't get a hint. The hero like many other Neels's heroes get up her nose and she find working for him caring for his sick mother. The rest is history as they say .
May 22, 2018
Copyrighted 1981
3.75*
The story started really well! Charles and Judith started their relationship really badly but it was so amusing to follow. His bad temper had flared when she went to his house to deliver medicine for his housekeeper because he was interrupted while writing his learned tome on 12th century England.
Spirited and beautiful Judith gave as good as she got, telling him how rude he was. Even as she was recounting the meeting to her uncle the village doctor, Charles had appeared to add credence to her description which the good doc had found unbelievable. The way he got a lift from her, and proceeded to ignore her, showed how he wanted to spend time with her, yet wasn't quite sure why, was so funny!
After this, everyone would tell Judith how charming Charles was, but Judith got treated only to his sneering, sarcastic and grumpy attitude. When she was curious enough about his area of expertise to make a visit to the British Museum after a long night shift, Charles was there to give her a personal guided tour. She loved his voice so much, her tired self yawned, and Charles got all pissy and stormed off. Judith then went to sit on a bench and dozed off LOL! When she woke up, he was sitting beside her reading the newspapers and he called her "a most abominable girl" for not telling him she'd been up all night! Then he took her to a nice lunch and sent her back to the hospital. I loved it!
This became typical of their relationship hehe...
It was most fun to watch the old folks matchmaking! You see, those who knew Charles well - his mother and Uncle Tom- knew Charles might have been a confirmed bachelor due to a love affair gone wrong in his TEENS, but he was always well mannered and polite to all ladies. Yet his rude treatment of Judith was so out of character, all were hopeful that Judith might be the one to get under his skin! And as the story progressed, we sure saw lots more signs Charles found Judith disturbing haha!
But underlying the story was a sad plot device; Charles 's lovely mother had leukaemia and at best had a couple of years left to live. So it was because of this, Judith was persuaded to leave the hospital and care for Lady Cresswell. But the stubborn man still found ways to avoid Judith even in the same house.
When Charles declared he was trying to remember why he didn't like Judith, before kissing her, and told her it'd be a splendid idea if they got married, I and Judith were flabbergasted! What?! Did he mean it?! Judith acted like she didn't believe him and he knew it, so once home he asked her to marry him in front of a witness- his mother!
Poor Judith wondered why she got proposals at the worst times; was she never to have a romantic one?! Despite this she agreed finally...by this it's only chapter eight ! The book cannot end yet!
So we have the Big Misunderstanding...Judith overheard a damning phone call between Charles and the supposed Other Woman. It sounded like Charles would marry Judith to ensure a permanent and convenient nurse for his mother! If Judith had had a love confession from Charles together with his coldly casual proposal, maybe she'd not be so quick to jump to conclusions but the call was damning. Charles played the trust card, declaring it being pointless to marry without trust so wasn't it lucky they discovered it now? And it was the shortest engagement in history! Charles gave her the cold shoulder and left but to keep his mother in high spirits they continued the pretend engagement. His "letter" to her nearly broke Judith's heart!
Lady Cresswell suffered a relapse, Judith promised her twin grandchildren, Charles got off his high horse to explain the phone call, love at first sight declaration and how pleased he'd be if she gave him twins, wink wink.
It's rather a fun enemies to lovers kind of story.
3.75*
The story started really well! Charles and Judith started their relationship really badly but it was so amusing to follow. His bad temper had flared when she went to his house to deliver medicine for his housekeeper because he was interrupted while writing his learned tome on 12th century England.
Spirited and beautiful Judith gave as good as she got, telling him how rude he was. Even as she was recounting the meeting to her uncle the village doctor, Charles had appeared to add credence to her description which the good doc had found unbelievable. The way he got a lift from her, and proceeded to ignore her, showed how he wanted to spend time with her, yet wasn't quite sure why, was so funny!
After this, everyone would tell Judith how charming Charles was, but Judith got treated only to his sneering, sarcastic and grumpy attitude. When she was curious enough about his area of expertise to make a visit to the British Museum after a long night shift, Charles was there to give her a personal guided tour. She loved his voice so much, her tired self yawned, and Charles got all pissy and stormed off. Judith then went to sit on a bench and dozed off LOL! When she woke up, he was sitting beside her reading the newspapers and he called her "a most abominable girl" for not telling him she'd been up all night! Then he took her to a nice lunch and sent her back to the hospital. I loved it!
This became typical of their relationship hehe...
It was most fun to watch the old folks matchmaking! You see, those who knew Charles well - his mother and Uncle Tom- knew Charles might have been a confirmed bachelor due to a love affair gone wrong in his TEENS, but he was always well mannered and polite to all ladies. Yet his rude treatment of Judith was so out of character, all were hopeful that Judith might be the one to get under his skin! And as the story progressed, we sure saw lots more signs Charles found Judith disturbing haha!
But underlying the story was a sad plot device; Charles 's lovely mother had leukaemia and at best had a couple of years left to live. So it was because of this, Judith was persuaded to leave the hospital and care for Lady Cresswell. But the stubborn man still found ways to avoid Judith even in the same house.
When Charles declared he was trying to remember why he didn't like Judith, before kissing her, and told her it'd be a splendid idea if they got married, I and Judith were flabbergasted! What?! Did he mean it?! Judith acted like she didn't believe him and he knew it, so once home he asked her to marry him in front of a witness- his mother!
Poor Judith wondered why she got proposals at the worst times; was she never to have a romantic one?! Despite this she agreed finally...by this it's only chapter eight ! The book cannot end yet!
So we have the Big Misunderstanding...Judith overheard a damning phone call between Charles and the supposed Other Woman. It sounded like Charles would marry Judith to ensure a permanent and convenient nurse for his mother! If Judith had had a love confession from Charles together with his coldly casual proposal, maybe she'd not be so quick to jump to conclusions but the call was damning. Charles played the trust card, declaring it being pointless to marry without trust so wasn't it lucky they discovered it now? And it was the shortest engagement in history! Charles gave her the cold shoulder and left but to keep his mother in high spirits they continued the pretend engagement. His "letter" to her nearly broke Judith's heart!
Lady Cresswell suffered a relapse, Judith promised her twin grandchildren, Charles got off his high horse to explain the phone call, love at first sight declaration and how pleased he'd be if she gave him twins, wink wink.
It's rather a fun enemies to lovers kind of story.
October 9, 2014
I think I read this years ago, and after a quick reread I remember why it wasn't a favorite. Judith is a great Betty heroine, a beautiful, hard-working, smart, efficient nurse, but the hero, a renowned history professor and writer, was too big of a jerk for my taste. I dont mind Betty's well-done moody or cranky heroes as long as we see some charm sooner or later - but Charles Cresswell was peevish and snide right up to the last page or two. We still the signature Betty Neels travelogue to beautiful places (Wiltshire, Lakes District, Portugal), the wonderful family, friends, old retainers and adorable pets, but Charles somewhat spoiled this one for me.
May 2, 2019
This was a chore to get through, maybe the first Betty book I’ve thought that about (or I’ve blocked memory of any others). Couldn’t be excited about it, barely interested, don’t really remember what it was about. The one thing I did like about this one is we get tiny peeks at his changing feelings and his inability to quit thinking about her. I like the BN’s with those insights. Otherwise, this one is going to the bottom of the stack!
February 24, 2026
Apparently I’m going to need a reread in about a year to like this one. The hero is, quite frankly, a prick to the heroine through most of the book. Yes, he loves his mother and his dogs and the stray cat & kittens and dog the heroine finds in Portugal and the heroine, but Jesus, he’s too goddamn old (~40ish, Betty never says) to be throwing proverbial rocks at the girl he likes on the playground because he can’t handle his feelings. 🛝
February 10, 2015
my first Betty without a doctor for the hero. I didn't like this guy much and it was hard to believe Judith would love him, but it was still a good read. Portugal, instead of The Netherlands,. Betty mentions the book British in Love by Jilly Cooper in this.
January 8, 2018
The most irritating book by Betty Neels I have ever read. And I quite like Neels. Her books are comfort reading. But this? I wanted to sucker-punch everyone for being annoying, obnoxious, interfering, absurd, and just....argh!!!!
January 24, 2012
Not my favorite Betty Neels book, but still quite readable.
May 25, 2012
Read back in 1982, said it was good..
March 16, 2013
Nice read. At least this time they didn't have to talk and the girl wasn't a doormat:)
May 28, 2026
3.5 stars. 1982 Mills & Boon/Harlequin. Judith, a capable nurse, is a currently a bit tired of her demanding work in a London hospital. Professor Charles, a successful historian and writer, is somewhat lonely, isolated in his research into medieval England. Their first meeting is inauspicious, as Charles is grumpy when Judith disturbs him one day when running a message for the local GP. Judith ends up nursing Charles’ mother, including during a holiday in Portugal. They get over their initial dislike and inevitably fall in love.
Both MCs were likeable, and there wasn’t too much silly miscommunication, except for a bit in the final chapters. There was another (unpleasant) woman keen on Charles, but fortunately she played only a minor role. Another light and enjoyable read from Ms Neels.
Both MCs were likeable, and there wasn’t too much silly miscommunication, except for a bit in the final chapters. There was another (unpleasant) woman keen on Charles, but fortunately she played only a minor role. Another light and enjoyable read from Ms Neels.
November 6, 2022
3.5 Stars.
This was a little sadder than the typical Neels romance only because the hero’s mother was terminally ill. The premise of Judith, a beautiful nurse with a typically sharp tongue, being in a rut where she’s being harassed by a mid-level doctor at her hospital who wants to marry her and as a result leaving her job for her uncle’s cantankerous historian/professor neighbour, Charles, was a little out there and unbelievable. That said, this was a gentle sort of read. I liked Judith and even though I thought the professor was rude, I liked the story. I felt Judith was manipulated a lot on this story by Charles and his mother but ultimately listening to this was soothing and relaxing and I would listen again.
This was a little sadder than the typical Neels romance only because the hero’s mother was terminally ill. The premise of Judith, a beautiful nurse with a typically sharp tongue, being in a rut where she’s being harassed by a mid-level doctor at her hospital who wants to marry her and as a result leaving her job for her uncle’s cantankerous historian/professor neighbour, Charles, was a little out there and unbelievable. That said, this was a gentle sort of read. I liked Judith and even though I thought the professor was rude, I liked the story. I felt Judith was manipulated a lot on this story by Charles and his mother but ultimately listening to this was soothing and relaxing and I would listen again.
November 1, 2025
A misunderstanding!
Charles and Judith's story is very interesting. As in the previous book, Judith is a nurse, but Charles is not a doctor. They meet when Judith goes to work for her uncle for a couple of weeks. As happens in many of Betty Neels' stories, Charles makes a very bad first impression on Judith and doesn't do much to make things better any time soon. However, between their families, they are thrown together often and, eventually, Judith starts working for him taking care of his mother. The story progresses with all of the beautiful descriptive details Betty Neels is known for. It's a great story. I know you'll love it!
Charles and Judith's story is very interesting. As in the previous book, Judith is a nurse, but Charles is not a doctor. They meet when Judith goes to work for her uncle for a couple of weeks. As happens in many of Betty Neels' stories, Charles makes a very bad first impression on Judith and doesn't do much to make things better any time soon. However, between their families, they are thrown together often and, eventually, Judith starts working for him taking care of his mother. The story progresses with all of the beautiful descriptive details Betty Neels is known for. It's a great story. I know you'll love it!
December 20, 2023
Clean romance.
Judith and Charles started off by irritating each other. and they keep running into each other, so they keep quarreling. She is a nurse and keeps getting proposed to by unsuitable fellows, the latest one doesn’t seem to hear the word “no” (big red flag there.) Charles’ mother got sick and needs a nurse for a while, so his mother noticing the sparks between the two asks for Judith to nurse her.
But nobody knows if the sparks are for love or hate. so far it seems to be mutual distrust and dislike…
Judith and Charles started off by irritating each other. and they keep running into each other, so they keep quarreling. She is a nurse and keeps getting proposed to by unsuitable fellows, the latest one doesn’t seem to hear the word “no” (big red flag there.) Charles’ mother got sick and needs a nurse for a while, so his mother noticing the sparks between the two asks for Judith to nurse her.
But nobody knows if the sparks are for love or hate. so far it seems to be mutual distrust and dislike…
September 29, 2023
As in any Betty neels novel this one features heroine Judith who is a nurse and hero Charles a writer/professor of medieval history.Judith is hired to take care of Charles's mother suffering from cancer Judith and Charles dislike each other from rhe beginning but end up falling in love with one another. Unlike other Betty novels this is based mainly in England with a travel to some European countries excluding Holland.
November 9, 2024
I skimmed this. But from what I’ve read the slow burn romance that is BN’s specialty was missing form here, it feels like the hero isn’t present for most of the book, and the issue of the other woman wasn’t properly explained for my satisfaction, however the ending alone redeems the whole thing, it sort of convinces you that he’s deeply in love but awkward with it and it was his age difference with her that had him twisting and struggling with himself.
June 2, 2024
Betty sure did love her some boring ass frumpy old men as her heroes. This guy is a medieval historian who has the sexual appeal of a fossil and the temper of a badger. That said, of COURSE I enjoyed it, I love Betty Neels even if she does write about these weird, sexless, fusty bores.
July 15, 2018
Lovely
Another lovely vintage romance from Betty Neels. A perfect little clean romance to enjoy while having a nice relaxing break
Another lovely vintage romance from Betty Neels. A perfect little clean romance to enjoy while having a nice relaxing break
February 18, 2021
Emotional towards the end.
An other wonderful story. Not a doctor nurse story although the doctors and nurses are there. I am glad Judith ditched Nigel!
An other wonderful story. Not a doctor nurse story although the doctors and nurses are there. I am glad Judith ditched Nigel!
June 18, 2021
That was a nice one. Nothing to do with Holland this time - set in UK and Algarve. Her usual characters but enjoyable none the less.
June 26, 2022
Quite good. A bit puzzled by the Jilly Cooper reference though.
October 15, 2024
“Judith” from 1982 is a difficult one to rate. I liked the heroine Judith. I liked the hero’s mother Lady Cresswell. The section that takes place in Portugal was interesting and I enjoyed the animal rescues. But as many Betty readers may agree, the hero is awkward and hard to like.
When I first read “Judith,” I was willing to give the hero Charles Cresswell a pass but on a re-read, I now feel like he’s going to be a very uncomfortable person to be married to. Underneath, he may be a seething volcano of love, but on the surface he is often quite unpleasant. He isn’t really a bad person, he’s someone that needs counseling to learn how to effectively communicate, and he’s not going to get that as a Betty Neels character. It’s sad for the heroine Judith. It’s sad for the reader. It’s sad for Charles too.
This book represents a departure from many of Betty’s go-to tropes in that Charles is a British historian, not a doctor or surgeon. Instead of a reticent coolness of character, he’s irritable, irritating and prone to anger. He finds it difficult to accept or express his own feelings and when he does make the effort, expressing them to Judith (our heroine) is awkward to say the least.
Judith is a nurse, and she is one of Betty’s Olivias or possibly an outlier, a beautiful, tall, splendidly-shaped, blue-eyed blonde. Having been ill with measles, she is sent to recuperate at her parents’ home, but is talked into traveling to Cumbria (English Lake District) to help her doctor uncle with his practice for a few weeks. While there, she meets Charles, who lives in the neighborhood, and each encounter with him showcases his considerable rudeness. What was Betty going for with Charles? The majority of RDDs are models of discreet courtesy and diplomacy. Was Betty deliberately trying to create a hero who is the polar opposite of the RDD?
Judith goes back to her hospital job thoroughly disliking Charles. Betty drops some hints that Charles is not disliking Judith at all. Then fate, less remarkable than simply very sad, steps in. Charles’ mother is diagnosed with terminal leukemia and Judith cares for her in the hospital. Lady Cresswell is adorable (unlike her son) and taking a shine to Judith and secretly sure her son is in love, talks Judith into giving up her job and traveling with her first to Charles’ estate in Cumbria and then to Portugal so Judith can provide private nursing services to her. Charles is often not around, busy working on a book, or just frankly avoiding Judith. I don’t think this is because he dislikes her. We get plenty of clues almost from the start that his mother is right and that he is in love. But he is so unpleasant that Judith dislikes him very much and he knows this.
So is it supposed to be a sort of screwball comedy where the principals are hiding deep feelings behind prickly repartee? Or is Charles just a toad? There is an argument for him being a good guy but it doesn’t change how he interacts with others. When Judith falls in love with him, it is really inexplicable. It might be a variation of the bad boy trope, the one where the heroine falls in love because she believes she alone can change him and make him a decent human being. But Judith is very clear-eyed about Charles from the start. She’s well aware of his shortcomings, but as she tells herself, she is in love and that’s that. Charles rarely shows her his good side or suggests he can or will change, so falling for a bad boy here (or a middle-aged historian in this case) is very hard to understand. His proposal is highly underwhelming and causes her a lot of heartache. She desperately wants to accept, but is feeling considerable disquiet because he never says he loves her and apart from a couple of apparently steamy kisses and saying calmly the future will be bleak without her, he hides his emotions behind a wall of near indifference that she is unable to penetrate. After a misunderstanding where he flies off the handle in a way totally disproportionate to the actual problem, he ends their engagement instead of communicating openly with the woman who is supposed to be his best beloved. It gets resolved a few days later but in a way that was again kind of underwhelming.
Being married to Charles is going to require an acceptance from Judith that he can’t share his feelings, that he is going to allow his volatile temperament to get the upper hand and take the nuclear option, that he won’t temper his speech to avoid insults and condescension, etc., etc. None of Betty’s characters ever go to therapy or marriage counseling, but Charles and Judith are going to need it.
When I first read “Judith,” I was willing to give the hero Charles Cresswell a pass but on a re-read, I now feel like he’s going to be a very uncomfortable person to be married to. Underneath, he may be a seething volcano of love, but on the surface he is often quite unpleasant. He isn’t really a bad person, he’s someone that needs counseling to learn how to effectively communicate, and he’s not going to get that as a Betty Neels character. It’s sad for the heroine Judith. It’s sad for the reader. It’s sad for Charles too.
This book represents a departure from many of Betty’s go-to tropes in that Charles is a British historian, not a doctor or surgeon. Instead of a reticent coolness of character, he’s irritable, irritating and prone to anger. He finds it difficult to accept or express his own feelings and when he does make the effort, expressing them to Judith (our heroine) is awkward to say the least.
Judith is a nurse, and she is one of Betty’s Olivias or possibly an outlier, a beautiful, tall, splendidly-shaped, blue-eyed blonde. Having been ill with measles, she is sent to recuperate at her parents’ home, but is talked into traveling to Cumbria (English Lake District) to help her doctor uncle with his practice for a few weeks. While there, she meets Charles, who lives in the neighborhood, and each encounter with him showcases his considerable rudeness. What was Betty going for with Charles? The majority of RDDs are models of discreet courtesy and diplomacy. Was Betty deliberately trying to create a hero who is the polar opposite of the RDD?
Judith goes back to her hospital job thoroughly disliking Charles. Betty drops some hints that Charles is not disliking Judith at all. Then fate, less remarkable than simply very sad, steps in. Charles’ mother is diagnosed with terminal leukemia and Judith cares for her in the hospital. Lady Cresswell is adorable (unlike her son) and taking a shine to Judith and secretly sure her son is in love, talks Judith into giving up her job and traveling with her first to Charles’ estate in Cumbria and then to Portugal so Judith can provide private nursing services to her. Charles is often not around, busy working on a book, or just frankly avoiding Judith. I don’t think this is because he dislikes her. We get plenty of clues almost from the start that his mother is right and that he is in love. But he is so unpleasant that Judith dislikes him very much and he knows this.
So is it supposed to be a sort of screwball comedy where the principals are hiding deep feelings behind prickly repartee? Or is Charles just a toad? There is an argument for him being a good guy but it doesn’t change how he interacts with others. When Judith falls in love with him, it is really inexplicable. It might be a variation of the bad boy trope, the one where the heroine falls in love because she believes she alone can change him and make him a decent human being. But Judith is very clear-eyed about Charles from the start. She’s well aware of his shortcomings, but as she tells herself, she is in love and that’s that. Charles rarely shows her his good side or suggests he can or will change, so falling for a bad boy here (or a middle-aged historian in this case) is very hard to understand. His proposal is highly underwhelming and causes her a lot of heartache. She desperately wants to accept, but is feeling considerable disquiet because he never says he loves her and apart from a couple of apparently steamy kisses and saying calmly the future will be bleak without her, he hides his emotions behind a wall of near indifference that she is unable to penetrate. After a misunderstanding where he flies off the handle in a way totally disproportionate to the actual problem, he ends their engagement instead of communicating openly with the woman who is supposed to be his best beloved. It gets resolved a few days later but in a way that was again kind of underwhelming.
Being married to Charles is going to require an acceptance from Judith that he can’t share his feelings, that he is going to allow his volatile temperament to get the upper hand and take the nuclear option, that he won’t temper his speech to avoid insults and condescension, etc., etc. None of Betty’s characters ever go to therapy or marriage counseling, but Charles and Judith are going to need it.
November 15, 2025
Read: 15Nov25,
4 stars. I enjoyed Judith even though it took me a few tries to get into it. I like Betty's angsty books with icy heroes and this one had both but they were not dialled up as much as in my Top faves.
Judith is one of Betty's big beautiful nurse heroines aged 26. she's been rusticating in the countryside after being ill with measles, and while visiting her uncle she happens to meet his neighbour sir Charles, the H. Sparks fly because he is the grumpy type and is furious at being disturbed by her while writing his book. Sir Charles is a famous scholar and historian and is very dedicated to his work at the exclusion of everything else. Judith is not used to being treated that way and is immediately miffed by the arrogant man.
they continue to sparks strikes off each other as they keep meeting and there are instances of him going out of his way to be in her company despite that. the poor guy even hears her say something rude about him at one point! but sometimes they even manage to have a nice time together.
SPOILERS
she returns to London and her job nursing and thinks she won't see him again which makes her sad even though she dislikes him. then his mom is admitted with an illness to her ward and she keeps seeing him but he is cold with her which upsets her because the last time they had met they had parted on good terms.
so anyway, Charles is blowing hot and cold because the poor man is attracted to her against his will. in his past he fell for a girl once who led him on but then married his best friend. now all he wants is peace so he can work, but there is no peace to be had because judith always seems to be around, and then his mom insists she must be her nurse and accompany her home to Charles's house so now he had even less peace!
he avoids her as much as possible, which hurts her feelings and makes her miffed at him, and then resorts to sending her and his mom away to Portugal for a month.
even then he can't resist visiting and getting miffed when the beautiful Judith attracts male attention.
Judith realises she is in love with him first. she wants to try to be friends in hopes they can grow closer but he continues to be cold and neglectful a bit. but in the end he can't stay away and asks her to marry him. she is worried because he never said he loves her but after thinking about it, she agrees.
MORE SPOILERS
shortly afterwards though she overhears him talking on phone to a spiteful other woman and she misunderstands things and thinks that he only proposed so she would stay on to care for him mom longer term. she confronts him. he is angry and breaks off their engagement but tells her he doesn't want his mom upset until she's feeling better and that they must continue with a fake engagement.
more of him being icy and leaving for England again. in the end, after Judith saves his mom from a difficult episode, he comes back and is grateful but still distant and aloof. she worries he is going to marry the awful other woman. she is distraught in the garden and sobbing when he comes to find her. he looks tired and she tries to comfort him that his mom will be okay. he confesses he was up all night thinking up speeches for Judith but now he doesn't know what to say. he kisses her and tells her he had loved her since they first met but that jithing had gone right. Happy ending.
so this was a fact paced shorter Betty novel. never a dull moment. Good stuff and enjoyable byt none of the amazing highs and loud of some of my fave Betty books. I guess it didn't have enough of the other woman drama. i felt that it was a bit tokenist. plus the heartbreaker from his past eas mentioned once and didnt appear on page - this was a lost opportunity to guve him gretqr depth as the damn woman married his best friend so surely he should have remained tortured over the years and possibly into the presnet day a bit? and it alao didnt have enough of him doing stuff for Judith like we get with our 'save the waif' heroes. and even the pet rescues felt a bit lightweight in this book. then also no big third act breakup with the hero anguished and chasing after the heroine. so it was lacking the depth that would have made it truly special. a good solid 4 stars anyway because the characters were likable and it had the icy emotionally 'stunted'/tortured hero and a bit of angst too.
4 stars. I enjoyed Judith even though it took me a few tries to get into it. I like Betty's angsty books with icy heroes and this one had both but they were not dialled up as much as in my Top faves.
Judith is one of Betty's big beautiful nurse heroines aged 26. she's been rusticating in the countryside after being ill with measles, and while visiting her uncle she happens to meet his neighbour sir Charles, the H. Sparks fly because he is the grumpy type and is furious at being disturbed by her while writing his book. Sir Charles is a famous scholar and historian and is very dedicated to his work at the exclusion of everything else. Judith is not used to being treated that way and is immediately miffed by the arrogant man.
they continue to sparks strikes off each other as they keep meeting and there are instances of him going out of his way to be in her company despite that. the poor guy even hears her say something rude about him at one point! but sometimes they even manage to have a nice time together.
SPOILERS
she returns to London and her job nursing and thinks she won't see him again which makes her sad even though she dislikes him. then his mom is admitted with an illness to her ward and she keeps seeing him but he is cold with her which upsets her because the last time they had met they had parted on good terms.
so anyway, Charles is blowing hot and cold because the poor man is attracted to her against his will. in his past he fell for a girl once who led him on but then married his best friend. now all he wants is peace so he can work, but there is no peace to be had because judith always seems to be around, and then his mom insists she must be her nurse and accompany her home to Charles's house so now he had even less peace!
he avoids her as much as possible, which hurts her feelings and makes her miffed at him, and then resorts to sending her and his mom away to Portugal for a month.
even then he can't resist visiting and getting miffed when the beautiful Judith attracts male attention.
Judith realises she is in love with him first. she wants to try to be friends in hopes they can grow closer but he continues to be cold and neglectful a bit. but in the end he can't stay away and asks her to marry him. she is worried because he never said he loves her but after thinking about it, she agrees.
MORE SPOILERS
shortly afterwards though she overhears him talking on phone to a spiteful other woman and she misunderstands things and thinks that he only proposed so she would stay on to care for him mom longer term. she confronts him. he is angry and breaks off their engagement but tells her he doesn't want his mom upset until she's feeling better and that they must continue with a fake engagement.
more of him being icy and leaving for England again. in the end, after Judith saves his mom from a difficult episode, he comes back and is grateful but still distant and aloof. she worries he is going to marry the awful other woman. she is distraught in the garden and sobbing when he comes to find her. he looks tired and she tries to comfort him that his mom will be okay. he confesses he was up all night thinking up speeches for Judith but now he doesn't know what to say. he kisses her and tells her he had loved her since they first met but that jithing had gone right. Happy ending.
so this was a fact paced shorter Betty novel. never a dull moment. Good stuff and enjoyable byt none of the amazing highs and loud of some of my fave Betty books. I guess it didn't have enough of the other woman drama. i felt that it was a bit tokenist. plus the heartbreaker from his past eas mentioned once and didnt appear on page - this was a lost opportunity to guve him gretqr depth as the damn woman married his best friend so surely he should have remained tortured over the years and possibly into the presnet day a bit? and it alao didnt have enough of him doing stuff for Judith like we get with our 'save the waif' heroes. and even the pet rescues felt a bit lightweight in this book. then also no big third act breakup with the hero anguished and chasing after the heroine. so it was lacking the depth that would have made it truly special. a good solid 4 stars anyway because the characters were likable and it had the icy emotionally 'stunted'/tortured hero and a bit of angst too.
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