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Cobweb Morning
What was the truth about Penny?
Nurse Alexandra Dobbs met a distinguished Dutch doctor, Taro van Dresselhuys, when he asked her to help with Penny, a teenager with amnesia. Before long, Alexandra had fallen in love with Taro -- and Penny did, too.
It had to be a teenage crush. Yet Taro did little to discourage the girl, and when he began to side with Penny against her, Alexandra began to have suspicions about Penny . . .
Nurse Alexandra Dobbs met a distinguished Dutch doctor, Taro van Dresselhuys, when he asked her to help with Penny, a teenager with amnesia. Before long, Alexandra had fallen in love with Taro -- and Penny did, too.
It had to be a teenage crush. Yet Taro did little to discourage the girl, and when he began to side with Penny against her, Alexandra began to have suspicions about Penny . . .
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1976
44 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Betty Neels
567 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 38 reviews
January 11, 2024
My first Betty Neels, and yikes, more psychological thriller than romance. Penny, the amnesiac parient/OW, gives off Fatal Attraction vibes.
Sadly the Alexandra the heroine is a smart, sensible and sympathetic nurse and while she has her suspicions about Penny, can't make the leap to out Penny's deception and out and out evilness. Even the episode at the canal, see spoiler, is brushed over by almost everyone.
HEA eventually; the H and h are very well suited, but until little Penny is in the pokey for the homicide she will no doubt do, keep looking over your shoulder Taro and Alexandra!
Sadly the Alexandra the heroine is a smart, sensible and sympathetic nurse and while she has her suspicions about Penny, can't make the leap to out Penny's deception and out and out evilness. Even the episode at the canal, see spoiler, is brushed over by almost everyone.
HEA eventually; the H and h are very well suited, but until little Penny is in the pokey for the homicide she will no doubt do, keep looking over your shoulder Taro and Alexandra!
April 11, 2021
This was a 5 star read until the second half of the book. The Hero's logic didn't make him much of a hero. I wish the heroine would have taken the job offer in Western Australia.
Hero was manipulated by the OW to the point of risking the safety of his aunt and the heroine. OW had committed so many crimes she should have been arrested. Yet, the hero knowing her guilt, continues to accept everything OW says.
This one also had shades of bunny boiling.
Hero was manipulated by the OW to the point of risking the safety of his aunt and the heroine. OW had committed so many crimes she should have been arrested. Yet, the hero knowing her guilt, continues to accept everything OW says.
This one also had shades of bunny boiling.
November 26, 2014
Betty Neels' Dutch doctors and English nurses are my go to romances when I need an escape. I adore the gentle pace and even though much of the plots resemble her other romances, I'm always enchanted and eager to read how it will all work out.
In this one, Alexandra is immediately put out by Taro's brisk manner and how he just takes charge without asking. He's obviously attracted to her, with the gleam in his eye and his gentle smiles. Alexandra finds him most irritating, and can't fathom why he bothers her so. When she feels jealous of his apparent affection for their patient, she realizes that she's fallen in love with him. I was pleasantly surprised that Taro actually kissed Alexandra several times. The evil other woman is especially evil vowing to do Alexandra a bad turn, and she plays havoc with both Taro and Alexandra. After angry words and tears, there is a lovely HEA written as Betty does best, to deliver a contented sigh.
In this one, Alexandra is immediately put out by Taro's brisk manner and how he just takes charge without asking. He's obviously attracted to her, with the gleam in his eye and his gentle smiles. Alexandra finds him most irritating, and can't fathom why he bothers her so. When she feels jealous of his apparent affection for their patient, she realizes that she's fallen in love with him. I was pleasantly surprised that Taro actually kissed Alexandra several times. The evil other woman is especially evil vowing to do Alexandra a bad turn, and she plays havoc with both Taro and Alexandra. After angry words and tears, there is a lovely HEA written as Betty does best, to deliver a contented sigh.
August 25, 2020
Betty does suspense! Well, to an extent. This one is notable for it's bunny-boiler of an OW, who gets off far too lightly for her truly dastardly acts. The doctor-hero, Taro, is pretty lively for Neels--he seems to very much like kissing our nurse-heroine, Alexandra. I liked Taro and Alexandra very much--they had good chemistry, although Alexandra (one of Betty's beautiful heroines) is a little dense about Taro's feelings for her as opposed to the OW, and Taro's own black moment shows he isn't immune to Big Misunderstandings either. Taro's not-so-vague auntie is a lot of fun and well-drawn; we get lovely descriptions of the English countryside as well as a visit to the hero's baronial home in Holland, and overall it's a fun BN read with all the things that make her such a pleasure to read.
January 11, 2024
This book was everything I remembered. The OW/evil patient did something so horrifying I still can’t even think about it. The H was trying to show his feelings but since he didn’t communicate consistently with the h she couldn’t possibly guess what was motivating him in sometimes.
There were several moments where she called him on things and at one point was packed and ready to go, and I think it rocked him back on his heels a little bit, although he didn’t get visibly dramatic about it. There’s also one moment when the H acts like an enormous baby, which I think is always nice.
There were several moments where she called him on things and at one point was packed and ready to go, and I think it rocked him back on his heels a little bit, although he didn’t get visibly dramatic about it. There’s also one moment when the H acts like an enormous baby, which I think is always nice.
December 6, 2015
Alexandra Dobbs is an ICU nurse temporarily assigned to a rural hospital in the West Country to set up their ICU, when a car wreck patient comes in - a very pretty girl, accompanied by a tall, vast, handsome man and an elderly woman.
The man is Doctor Taro van Dresselhuys and the woman is his aunt, Euphemia Thrums. The girl recovers from her injuries but has amnesia. After she is well enough to be discharged from hospital, the doctor asks Alexandra to accompany the girl, whom they are calling Penny Bright (because of her shiny blond hair), to stay with his aunt to see if she recovers her memory.
Alexandra is quite interested in Dr. van Dresselhuys, but she thinks he is attracted to Penny. Certainly Penny seems attracted to the doctor! One day when Alexandra and Penny are in the car, Penny grabs the steering wheel and tries to run them off the road. Alexandra slaps her and then Penny lies about the incident to the doctor.
Other incidents make Alexandra think that perhaps the amnesia isn't genuine. Taro sets up a consult with a Dutch expert and takes them all to his home. When Penny sees the luxury in which he lives, she reveals to Alexandra that she intends to marry him. But Alexandra would quite like to marry him herself!
Well, Alexandra was correct - Penny was faking the amnesia and had definite plans to marry Taro. Taro meanwhile is in love with Alexandra, while being forced to remain professional.
Eventually, Penny is busted and sent back to England. Alexandra soon goes home, too; Taro soon follows and after some misunderstanding, tells Alexandra he loves her.
I think even the most devoted Betty fan will admit that she recycled plots and tropes. Most authors do - yes, even those of "literary" fiction. One of the things TGB excelled at was descriptive passages; take this one, for example:
"It was a jewel of a morning – a few hours of autumn allowed to slip between the dark winter days, bringing with it a faded blue sky and the very first rays of the sun, sending the light mist into lacy spirals and giving the dewdrops on the the cobwebs a diamond sparkle."
3 1/2 stars.
The man is Doctor Taro van Dresselhuys and the woman is his aunt, Euphemia Thrums. The girl recovers from her injuries but has amnesia. After she is well enough to be discharged from hospital, the doctor asks Alexandra to accompany the girl, whom they are calling Penny Bright (because of her shiny blond hair), to stay with his aunt to see if she recovers her memory.
Alexandra is quite interested in Dr. van Dresselhuys, but she thinks he is attracted to Penny. Certainly Penny seems attracted to the doctor! One day when Alexandra and Penny are in the car, Penny grabs the steering wheel and tries to run them off the road. Alexandra slaps her and then Penny lies about the incident to the doctor.
Other incidents make Alexandra think that perhaps the amnesia isn't genuine. Taro sets up a consult with a Dutch expert and takes them all to his home. When Penny sees the luxury in which he lives, she reveals to Alexandra that she intends to marry him. But Alexandra would quite like to marry him herself!
Well, Alexandra was correct - Penny was faking the amnesia and had definite plans to marry Taro. Taro meanwhile is in love with Alexandra, while being forced to remain professional.
Eventually, Penny is busted and sent back to England. Alexandra soon goes home, too; Taro soon follows and after some misunderstanding, tells Alexandra he loves her.
I think even the most devoted Betty fan will admit that she recycled plots and tropes. Most authors do - yes, even those of "literary" fiction. One of the things TGB excelled at was descriptive passages; take this one, for example:
"It was a jewel of a morning – a few hours of autumn allowed to slip between the dark winter days, bringing with it a faded blue sky and the very first rays of the sun, sending the light mist into lacy spirals and giving the dewdrops on the the cobwebs a diamond sparkle."
3 1/2 stars.
May 26, 2014
Would have been a solid 5 star, if Betty didn't forget to explore a big mystery in the story. It was mentioned twice and then it was completely ignored.
November 11, 2019
The portrayal of the Evil Other Woman leaves many readers cold. I was fascinated and loved seeing Betty leave her comfort corner and do something so intriguing. The romance? S'allright. Taro behaves like a cold-fish, but I loved Alexandra and the animals, especially the kitten, Sambo. If you'd like to read a more detailed review, please follow the link to my blog:
https://missbatesreadsromance.com/201...
https://missbatesreadsromance.com/201...
April 28, 2013
This was just a little different to the usual Betty Neels formula. The hero Taro becomes involved when a pretty young blonde is brought into a hospital where Alexandra is working. The girl has head injuries and when she wakes, claims to have lost her memory.
Taro seems to be particularly interested, arranging for the girl to recuperate at his aunt's cottage with Alexandra in attendance.
Penny (the proverbial bad one) plays the other woman to the hilt and when her schemes go awry manages to put a spoke in Alexandra and Taro's romance.
As usual an enjoyable read from the author.
Taro seems to be particularly interested, arranging for the girl to recuperate at his aunt's cottage with Alexandra in attendance.
Penny (the proverbial bad one) plays the other woman to the hilt and when her schemes go awry manages to put a spoke in Alexandra and Taro's romance.
As usual an enjoyable read from the author.
July 23, 2016
I just love Betty Neels' stories as an escape.
They may be formulaic, but they have a peace to them.
They may be formulaic, but they have a peace to them.
January 5, 2022
I have a vague memory of reading this before, but I, most likely, tried to forget it because there is a character in this book that is rather more vile than the typical Betty female villain. That being written, it did have all the requisite Betty, and I enjoyed our heroine's flashes of temper a great deal.
Also, the name "Taro" is just so awesome.
Rated 4 "Oh Pooh" Stars.
Also, the name "Taro" is just so awesome.
Rated 4 "Oh Pooh" Stars.
October 28, 2018
Alexandra Dobbs is an ICU nurse in London when she meets Dutch Dr. Taro van Dresselhuys over an accident patient suffering from amnesia. As the girl physically recovers she still can't remember anything. The Dr. offers the girl a recovery period at his aunt's house and hires Alexandra to assist. Both the girl and Alexandra develop feelings for the Dr. who to me seems to lead them both on. I used to enjoy Neels formulaic stories but hadn't read one in some time. I find that I now dislike her male characters who are either heels or arrogant assumptive geniuses. I think this ends my reading of her work.
March 8, 2018
A very sweet book. A little more modern than most of Betty Neels’ books with just a hint of what modern relationships are like. The main characters certainly kiss more often in this story than usual. I like that the Alexandra is no push over, but she could still be a little more forceful. Taro also doesn’t beat too much around the bush. I like that he has a temper, but like most Betty Neels hero’s he’s way to secretive. Good Sunday afternoon read.
October 28, 2015
One of TGB's very best. Beautiful nurse with loving family! Amnesia stricken Veronica! Wonderfully cozy Aunt for our hero! Family pets in peril! A pleasantly frustrating RDD masquerading as a PDD for his own reasons. A great read.
December 1, 2013
I liked that the hero is more affectionate and that this had amnesia in it which betty hasn't used before.
January 31, 2016
I really enjoyed this story. I was reading this on the Greyhound bus and didn't finish this until I was on the bus again.
April 27, 2020
Good Lord, Betty Neels should never have tried to write suspense romance. This isn't much suspense, but for Neels it is - and it's kind of ridiculous, not to mention implausible.
December 31, 2014
oh, I do love Betty. not 5 stars because one of plot point characters was annoying to me.
November 5, 2025
4.4 stars. This was a good Betty Neels book, not quite as magical as some of her books, but a strong story. FMC Alexandra is a pretty nurse, 27, and MMC Taro is an RDD, 37, pretending for some unknown reason to be a poor dutch doctor. His reason is never explained. Odd and smacks of being contrived just for the sake of storytelling, unless he generally prefers in life to be shabby when he is working in england and well dressed when he is working in the netherlands. But i digress...
FMC meets MMC when he brings an injured young woman (thought to be 18/19) into hospital who had been involved in a car crash. they dislike each other immediately, getting off on the wrong foot, but work together to help the girl, who has a brain injury. the girl regains consciousness but not her memories - she has amnesia, so they call her Penny.
FMC, being a pretty girl, falls out with the arrogant young English doc who fancies her an is casually dating her but assuming she'll go along with his arrogant assumption that she will marry him some day when actually the FMC is not too impressed with him. But brit doc gets jealous of MMC and has a public bust-up with FMC, and FMC is so embarrassed that she quits her job. (Why are these Betty Neels FMCs always quitting their jobs and giving up their careers just because of the actions of a lame guy? wth ladies, have a bit more self respect! however, these books are set int he 70s when women would feel the impact of these thigs more and suffer emotional and social consequences so maybe it made sense at the time...)
SPOILERS AHEAD
MMC uses her jobless situation to persuade her to privately nurse the amnesiac Penny in the country cottage home of his kindly aunt, where he occasionally visits, and where the lonely and increasingly selfish Penny grows obsessed with getting his attention all to herself. Meanwhile MMC and FMC are clearly catching feelings for each other, but he still pays Penny enough attention for our FMC to feel jealous and uncertain of where she stands. Penny is very pretty and good at playing the young and vulnerable naïve child after all. But FMC is learning Penny has hidden facets - eg she deliberately tries to crash the car to injure FMC Alexandra at one point and then cries to MMC Taro that FMC tried to hurt her. Which Taro seems to believe, which angers our FMC. Also, FMC is beginning to think the memory loss is a bunch of lies.
But anyway, Taro decides they all need to go to Holland to consult a specialist about the amnesia. There, they stay at his lovely home and learn he is stinking rich. Which excites Penny and she lets slip to FMC that she plans to wrap Taro around her little finger and get him for herself.
MORE SPOILERS
Anyway, the story progresses with them finding out Penny is a big fat liar and is in fact an unstable 23 year old. They send her away, but not before she (1) tries to drown the family pets - the total sociopath, and (2) promises vengeance upon our FMC.
In the third act crisis, Penny does indeed manage to create a situation where Taro becomes furious with Alexandra and breaks things off with her, and then has to chase her down to grovel and fix things - very brief barely-grovel as it usually is with betty, but good to hear him admit his love and that he is crazy about her.
Even though this story featured a crazy Other Woman (though not as bad as the OW in the Fifth Day of Christmas in terms of the impact of her manipulation) this book did not reach the emotion highs and lows of other Betty books and was only mildly angsty. It is obvious Taro and Alexandra both like each other from fairly early on and, for me, his interest in Penny was never really a serious or a hurtful threat at all. His actions never made it seem like he preferred Penny to Alexandra in my view, and thus the OW plot never fully realized its potential.
But overall it was an involving read and fast paced, never boring. i enjoyed it.
FMC meets MMC when he brings an injured young woman (thought to be 18/19) into hospital who had been involved in a car crash. they dislike each other immediately, getting off on the wrong foot, but work together to help the girl, who has a brain injury. the girl regains consciousness but not her memories - she has amnesia, so they call her Penny.
FMC, being a pretty girl, falls out with the arrogant young English doc who fancies her an is casually dating her but assuming she'll go along with his arrogant assumption that she will marry him some day when actually the FMC is not too impressed with him. But brit doc gets jealous of MMC and has a public bust-up with FMC, and FMC is so embarrassed that she quits her job. (Why are these Betty Neels FMCs always quitting their jobs and giving up their careers just because of the actions of a lame guy? wth ladies, have a bit more self respect! however, these books are set int he 70s when women would feel the impact of these thigs more and suffer emotional and social consequences so maybe it made sense at the time...)
SPOILERS AHEAD
MMC uses her jobless situation to persuade her to privately nurse the amnesiac Penny in the country cottage home of his kindly aunt, where he occasionally visits, and where the lonely and increasingly selfish Penny grows obsessed with getting his attention all to herself. Meanwhile MMC and FMC are clearly catching feelings for each other, but he still pays Penny enough attention for our FMC to feel jealous and uncertain of where she stands. Penny is very pretty and good at playing the young and vulnerable naïve child after all. But FMC is learning Penny has hidden facets - eg she deliberately tries to crash the car to injure FMC Alexandra at one point and then cries to MMC Taro that FMC tried to hurt her. Which Taro seems to believe, which angers our FMC. Also, FMC is beginning to think the memory loss is a bunch of lies.
But anyway, Taro decides they all need to go to Holland to consult a specialist about the amnesia. There, they stay at his lovely home and learn he is stinking rich. Which excites Penny and she lets slip to FMC that she plans to wrap Taro around her little finger and get him for herself.
MORE SPOILERS
Anyway, the story progresses with them finding out Penny is a big fat liar and is in fact an unstable 23 year old. They send her away, but not before she (1) tries to drown the family pets - the total sociopath, and (2) promises vengeance upon our FMC.
In the third act crisis, Penny does indeed manage to create a situation where Taro becomes furious with Alexandra and breaks things off with her, and then has to chase her down to grovel and fix things - very brief barely-grovel as it usually is with betty, but good to hear him admit his love and that he is crazy about her.
Even though this story featured a crazy Other Woman (though not as bad as the OW in the Fifth Day of Christmas in terms of the impact of her manipulation) this book did not reach the emotion highs and lows of other Betty books and was only mildly angsty. It is obvious Taro and Alexandra both like each other from fairly early on and, for me, his interest in Penny was never really a serious or a hurtful threat at all. His actions never made it seem like he preferred Penny to Alexandra in my view, and thus the OW plot never fully realized its potential.
But overall it was an involving read and fast paced, never boring. i enjoyed it.
April 21, 2018
3.5*
Taro was very cheeky! He turned up unannounced and decided everyone should go back to Holland with him that night.
“Alexandra frowned. ‘I haven’t any clothes.’
She regretted the words immediately; he eyed her up and down without haste, remarking blandly: ‘Dear girl, there’s a lot I could say in answer to that, but I don’t like to upset Aunty’s sense of modesty. Could you not buy what you need when we get there? Contrary to your statement, I find, to my disappointment, that you appear to be more than adequately covered.’
‘Taro,’ said his aunt sternly.”
Excerpt From: Neels, Betty. “Cobweb Morning.” Harlequin, 2012-04-16T07:00:00+00:00. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
But minus points for him when he was so upset to see Penny crying and telling lies that Alexandra had tried to kill her and then slapped her. Though he recovered his senses fast and persuaded Alexandra not to leave. She shoulf have!
That psycho Penny...when she promised retribution to Alexandra, there were still 50 over pages left, so I waited in trepidation what she'd do! Her mischief caused Taro to rush down to Dorset and who should also be there but the pompous Anthony?!
I thought his excuse for not coming back or calling Alexandra lame...it was weeks before Aunty called to tell him Alex was going to accept the job in Western Australia! Lame!
Overall this book has delightful moments, like the titular cobwed morning, and lovely English country of both Alexandra's parents' home in Dorset and Aunty Euphemia 's Suffolk cottage. The bits we saw in Holland were nice too. I especially love it when Alexandra thought Taro was poor and ordered an omelette instead of a full meal despite her hunger! I wonder why HE ordered one too! His appetite had to match his vastness! So funny. But very endearing to know in spite of being so rich, he could do chores around the house, and his dream was to have a cottage, a wife and children, wear old tweeds and chop logs walking around!
The ending felt flat so I wish I could give it a solid 4*.
Taro was very cheeky! He turned up unannounced and decided everyone should go back to Holland with him that night.
“Alexandra frowned. ‘I haven’t any clothes.’
She regretted the words immediately; he eyed her up and down without haste, remarking blandly: ‘Dear girl, there’s a lot I could say in answer to that, but I don’t like to upset Aunty’s sense of modesty. Could you not buy what you need when we get there? Contrary to your statement, I find, to my disappointment, that you appear to be more than adequately covered.’
‘Taro,’ said his aunt sternly.”
Excerpt From: Neels, Betty. “Cobweb Morning.” Harlequin, 2012-04-16T07:00:00+00:00. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
But minus points for him when he was so upset to see Penny crying and telling lies that Alexandra had tried to kill her and then slapped her. Though he recovered his senses fast and persuaded Alexandra not to leave. She shoulf have!
That psycho Penny...when she promised retribution to Alexandra, there were still 50 over pages left, so I waited in trepidation what she'd do! Her mischief caused Taro to rush down to Dorset and who should also be there but the pompous Anthony?!
I thought his excuse for not coming back or calling Alexandra lame...it was weeks before Aunty called to tell him Alex was going to accept the job in Western Australia! Lame!
Overall this book has delightful moments, like the titular cobwed morning, and lovely English country of both Alexandra's parents' home in Dorset and Aunty Euphemia 's Suffolk cottage. The bits we saw in Holland were nice too. I especially love it when Alexandra thought Taro was poor and ordered an omelette instead of a full meal despite her hunger! I wonder why HE ordered one too! His appetite had to match his vastness! So funny. But very endearing to know in spite of being so rich, he could do chores around the house, and his dream was to have a cottage, a wife and children, wear old tweeds and chop logs walking around!
The ending felt flat so I wish I could give it a solid 4*.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
Confesso di avere una piccola provvista dei romanzi di Betty Neels: sono ripetitivi e prevedibili (il 'ticket' Infermiera Inglese-Professore Olandese è inevitabile), ma sono brevi, semplici, ben scritti, ambientati negli anni della mia adolescenza, e li tengo da parte come una scatola di mentine da cui trarre momentaneo conforto quando l'aria si fa troppo irrespirabile.
Talvolta, per continuare la metafora, la mentina mi va di traverso, perché il ruolo femminile che l'autrice ha in mente ricorda piuttosto la 'sua' adolescenza, quando era di moda "l'uomo che non deve chiedere mai", quello che dietro a un grande sfoggio di cortesia formale nascondeva un supremo disprezzo per i sentimenti e l'intelligenza di ogni possibile partner. Ma in questo romanzo la protagonista ha lucidità mentale e autonomia di giudizio, e la storia (condita da un pizzico di mistery) si fa accettabile anche per chi ha vissuto in prima persona le lotte degli anni sessanta per la parità uomo-donna...
Talvolta, per continuare la metafora, la mentina mi va di traverso, perché il ruolo femminile che l'autrice ha in mente ricorda piuttosto la 'sua' adolescenza, quando era di moda "l'uomo che non deve chiedere mai", quello che dietro a un grande sfoggio di cortesia formale nascondeva un supremo disprezzo per i sentimenti e l'intelligenza di ogni possibile partner. Ma in questo romanzo la protagonista ha lucidità mentale e autonomia di giudizio, e la storia (condita da un pizzico di mistery) si fa accettabile anche per chi ha vissuto in prima persona le lotte degli anni sessanta per la parità uomo-donna...
November 3, 2023
Wonderful story!
Taro and Alexandra are a typical Betty Neels couple but the story is very interesting. "Penny" is something else. I like that Alexandra is attractive and knows it. She's not conceited or anything like that. She knows and accepts that she's pretty. She also is very honest, and like most other Betty Neels heroines,she's very hard working. It was a nice change from all the girls who are "plain but have pretty eyes", or hair, or whatever. I would have liked to know about Tara's last time seeing "Penny". Why couldn't we be a fly on that wall?! Oh well. As always, it's A good read. 🙂
Taro and Alexandra are a typical Betty Neels couple but the story is very interesting. "Penny" is something else. I like that Alexandra is attractive and knows it. She's not conceited or anything like that. She knows and accepts that she's pretty. She also is very honest, and like most other Betty Neels heroines,she's very hard working. It was a nice change from all the girls who are "plain but have pretty eyes", or hair, or whatever. I would have liked to know about Tara's last time seeing "Penny". Why couldn't we be a fly on that wall?! Oh well. As always, it's A good read. 🙂
June 28, 2021
"...and yet she had the oddest feeling that somewhere in the world there was a man waiting for her, a man about whom she would have no doubts at all."
My first read from Betty after a two month hiatus from reading. Alexandra was not a mousy girl, in fact she is beautiful and she had a fling in the first chapters of the book until she was whisked away to Holland by Taro.. I love how Betty's heroes would whisk away the girl and with a very sound reason too, just so he could spend more time with her and yet majority of the days she would spend at his home (on in this case, his aunts' home) he'd still ignore her. And I think that's practical. This is always one of the things I love about Betty's books, the heroes are always so sensible and mature. Anyway, I wanted to strangle Penny, it's just a bit unbelievable that Taro took a liking on her even though he doesn't know a thing about the wretched girl, even went as far as taking her home and hiring a private nurse (which is perhaps reasonable because he wanted to be near Alexandra too), but he buys expensive things for Penny.. I mean hello?! Nothing in this world is free. And Taro being so generous to the point that it's unrealistic, I didn't like it. It doesn't matter if he has tons of money at his disposable, it's just unrealistic.
The scenes in the last parts where Taro went to Alexandra's home being all jealous and angry was both infuriating and cute and I love how the heroine reacted to it. Although it is a bit annoying because it took so long for Taro to recover from his jealousy before he went after Alexandra in Miss Thrums' house.
My first read from Betty after a two month hiatus from reading. Alexandra was not a mousy girl, in fact she is beautiful and she had a fling in the first chapters of the book until she was whisked away to Holland by Taro.. I love how Betty's heroes would whisk away the girl and with a very sound reason too, just so he could spend more time with her and yet majority of the days she would spend at his home (on in this case, his aunts' home) he'd still ignore her. And I think that's practical. This is always one of the things I love about Betty's books, the heroes are always so sensible and mature. Anyway, I wanted to strangle Penny, it's just a bit unbelievable that Taro took a liking on her even though he doesn't know a thing about the wretched girl, even went as far as taking her home and hiring a private nurse (which is perhaps reasonable because he wanted to be near Alexandra too), but he buys expensive things for Penny.. I mean hello?! Nothing in this world is free. And Taro being so generous to the point that it's unrealistic, I didn't like it. It doesn't matter if he has tons of money at his disposable, it's just unrealistic.
The scenes in the last parts where Taro went to Alexandra's home being all jealous and angry was both infuriating and cute and I love how the heroine reacted to it. Although it is a bit annoying because it took so long for Taro to recover from his jealousy before he went after Alexandra in Miss Thrums' house.
September 11, 2017
Neels doesn't always have the strongest background plots for her stories (the circumstances that give rise to the romance), but this one wove a more interesting tale. Definitely one of her better stories -- and part of the early Neels catalog that I missed when I first discovered her years ago.
October 11, 2021
An especially nice one. I needed a light book to read on my trip to/from my long wkend away and didn't want to carry the Jeffery Archer which is substantially bigger in size and length, when sitting around airports and waiting for buses.
January 6, 2023
Lovely, as per usual. I a huge sucker for Betty Neels so of course 5 stars.
But one small gripe - God how I wished that rancid, vile, animal abuser Penny got some just desserts. She just gets off scot-free, and she threw a bag of cats into a canal ffs!!
But one small gripe - God how I wished that rancid, vile, animal abuser Penny got some just desserts. She just gets off scot-free, and she threw a bag of cats into a canal ffs!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2018
Lovely
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels
January 14, 2021
Cobweb morning
This is my favorite Betty Neels book. Think it might be her longest and I loved every page of it.
This is my favorite Betty Neels book. Think it might be her longest and I loved every page of it.
February 10, 2021
Wow, for a Betty Neels book this was a beehive of action! A (strange) but exciting plot! I’m glad for a change, but not too much change, still a large, rich Dutch doctor!
February 16, 2021
One very good actress
There was a bit too much tension in this story, for me at least. Penny was a real problem with her threads. Anthony a self-important idiot.
There was a bit too much tension in this story, for me at least. Penny was a real problem with her threads. Anthony a self-important idiot.
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