What do you think?
Rate this book
A Girl Named Rose
Through pure chance, Rose met Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, one of the most eminent surgeons in Holland. Their meeting led her to a job nursing Sybren's godson. Rose loved everything about her new life -- including Sybren! But surely such an important man wouldn't have time to take an interest in her. This title is suggestive.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1986
About the author
Betty Neels
584 books422 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
March 26, 2019
This is a review about how awesome reviews are.
You see, when I first read this book, I basically became encased in carbonite when the rich Dutch doctor asks the nurse administrator to assign Nurse Sadie to come over to Holland to tend to his comatose godson. (Please note the title is not A Girl Named Sadie.) Our RDD had met flirty Sadie and, oh yeah, Rose when they sought shelter at his home during a rainstorm on their holiday in Amsterdam. I hate hate hate that he asked for Sadie first because bringing the British nurse to Holland to work is one of the standard techniques in the RDD courtship repertoire. And it's made worse here because even though serious courtship was nowhere on his mind, he still wanted the pretty nurse to flirt with when his godson was in critical condition. Worst godparent ever. Fortunately for the child, Miss Timms was having none of this nonsense and assigned the more skilled and capable Rose.
So here are Rose and I, stewing in our resentment that he didn't choose her and basically missing or misreading all the signs that his level of interest is changing. Rose has an excuse because Dutch doctors in love are particularly inscrutable, but I have no excuse because Betty puts his decline into true love right there on the page:
Despite a day at the beach and the patented Betty Neels house tour of love, I didn't emerge from my anti-playboy-RDD funk until a bomb goes off at the hospital in England (a fate which befalls an alarming number of care facilities in Neelsdom) and Rose dramatically remains at her post manually ventilating a patient until the RDD rescues her from certain death. I love this scene so much. A cowardly houseman (that's "resident" on this side of the Atlantic) just abandons the patient, but heroic Rose remains. It gives me all the nostalgic feelings of the girls' adventure books I used to read before romance novels stole my soul at an unfortunately young age. If only I had stayed pure...
Okay, so what does all this have to do with how wonderful reviews are? Until the explosion, all my focus was on how underappreciated, undervalued, and vulnerable Rose was. (It's a little secondhand embarrassing to read how transparent her yearnings are to the people around her, even when she shelters behind prickly independence.) I was all Rose all the time and the RDD was just there to make things more painful and more awkward for her. The louse. Then I read the review at The Uncrushable Jersey Dress and I fell in love with the whole book, not just the heroine. Their gleeful schadenfreude at Sybren's baffled, reluctant slow burn for Rose transformed my resentment.
So why 4 stars instead of 10 million? Because Sybren (I love his name, but don't tell him) goes into the typical RDD snit when Rose withdraws after the OW attacks. An attack he enabled by abandoning Rose after the house tour when the OW phones and he breezily leaves Rose sitting there with "It's only fair to tell you that was Mies." (...whom he has actively been dating the entire time Rose has known him. No way that could possibly be misinterpreted, is there? IDIOT.) Then when Rose makes clear that Mies told her he had gone off to celebrate their engagement (when he had actually gone to the hospital to perform emergency surgery), he's peeved that Rose doesn't trust him. Look, dude, it was a nice house tour, but one William and Mary settee does not undo the damage of weeks of sneering condescension.
I think Betty -- or at least Rose -- would sympathize with my mixed reaction to this book: "How puzzling it was that she could love him so wholeheartedly and find him such a very tiresome man." (Chapter 8) *classic*
You see, when I first read this book, I basically became encased in carbonite when the rich Dutch doctor asks the nurse administrator to assign Nurse Sadie to come over to Holland to tend to his comatose godson. (Please note the title is not A Girl Named Sadie.) Our RDD had met flirty Sadie and, oh yeah, Rose when they sought shelter at his home during a rainstorm on their holiday in Amsterdam. I hate hate hate that he asked for Sadie first because bringing the British nurse to Holland to work is one of the standard techniques in the RDD courtship repertoire. And it's made worse here because even though serious courtship was nowhere on his mind, he still wanted the pretty nurse to flirt with when his godson was in critical condition. Worst godparent ever. Fortunately for the child, Miss Timms was having none of this nonsense and assigned the more skilled and capable Rose.
So here are Rose and I, stewing in our resentment that he didn't choose her and basically missing or misreading all the signs that his level of interest is changing. Rose has an excuse because Dutch doctors in love are particularly inscrutable, but I have no excuse because Betty puts his decline into true love right there on the page:
Despite a day at the beach and the patented Betty Neels house tour of love, I didn't emerge from my anti-playboy-RDD funk until a bomb goes off at the hospital in England (a fate which befalls an alarming number of care facilities in Neelsdom) and Rose dramatically remains at her post manually ventilating a patient until the RDD rescues her from certain death. I love this scene so much. A cowardly houseman (that's "resident" on this side of the Atlantic) just abandons the patient, but heroic Rose remains. It gives me all the nostalgic feelings of the girls' adventure books I used to read before romance novels stole my soul at an unfortunately young age. If only I had stayed pure...
Okay, so what does all this have to do with how wonderful reviews are? Until the explosion, all my focus was on how underappreciated, undervalued, and vulnerable Rose was. (It's a little secondhand embarrassing to read how transparent her yearnings are to the people around her, even when she shelters behind prickly independence.) I was all Rose all the time and the RDD was just there to make things more painful and more awkward for her. The louse. Then I read the review at The Uncrushable Jersey Dress and I fell in love with the whole book, not just the heroine. Their gleeful schadenfreude at Sybren's baffled, reluctant slow burn for Rose transformed my resentment.
So why 4 stars instead of 10 million? Because Sybren (I love his name, but don't tell him) goes into the typical RDD snit when Rose withdraws after the OW attacks. An attack he enabled by abandoning Rose after the house tour when the OW phones and he breezily leaves Rose sitting there with "It's only fair to tell you that was Mies." (...whom he has actively been dating the entire time Rose has known him. No way that could possibly be misinterpreted, is there? IDIOT.) Then when Rose makes clear that Mies told her he had gone off to celebrate their engagement (when he had actually gone to the hospital to perform emergency surgery), he's peeved that Rose doesn't trust him. Look, dude, it was a nice house tour, but one William and Mary settee does not undo the damage of weeks of sneering condescension.
I think Betty -- or at least Rose -- would sympathize with my mixed reaction to this book: "How puzzling it was that she could love him so wholeheartedly and find him such a very tiresome man." (Chapter 8) *classic*
March 18, 2024
Bumping down to 3 stars from 4 stars. This is the third time reading this story and I felt the same way I did on my first read. I couldn't get past the heroine. She wrecked an otherwise great story by being annoying and very rude to someone who was nothing but kind. I'm splitting the difference from my original review of 2 stars to my second review of 4 stars to now 3 stars.
My enjoyment of a book can change based on when I read it.
_________________________________
I did a total 180 degree turn on this one and am bumping my rating up from 2 stars to 4 stars . The heroine is still very annoying, but there are valid reasons for it. The OW is more off- page than on-page but still manages to wreak significant damage. The hero evolves nicely and the secondary characters were delightful.
My original review below.
__________________________________
ah..... hmmm.. I think I am definitely in the minority on this one, but I found the heroine just plain annoying. She had a chip on her shoulder larger than the state of Montana.
It started out strong, but went downhill fast.
- They hardly spent anytime together, and when they did the heroine was an absolute shrew. (Poor Sybren. For the life of me, I had a hard time figuring out what he found so endearing about her)
- She certainly wasn't pretty. We know that, because Betty told us 100 times that she was plain. (By the way, I really dislike when Betty does that).
- She wasn't very nice, at least not to the hero.
- She was a good nurse, but of course she would be. This is a Betty Neels medical romance.
I recommend a pass on this one.
My enjoyment of a book can change based on when I read it.
_________________________________
I did a total 180 degree turn on this one and am bumping my rating up from 2 stars to 4 stars . The heroine is still very annoying, but there are valid reasons for it. The OW is more off- page than on-page but still manages to wreak significant damage. The hero evolves nicely and the secondary characters were delightful.
My original review below.
__________________________________
ah..... hmmm.. I think I am definitely in the minority on this one, but I found the heroine just plain annoying. She had a chip on her shoulder larger than the state of Montana.
It started out strong, but went downhill fast.
- They hardly spent anytime together, and when they did the heroine was an absolute shrew. (Poor Sybren. For the life of me, I had a hard time figuring out what he found so endearing about her)
- She certainly wasn't pretty. We know that, because Betty told us 100 times that she was plain. (By the way, I really dislike when Betty does that).
- She wasn't very nice, at least not to the hero.
- She was a good nurse, but of course she would be. This is a Betty Neels medical romance.
I recommend a pass on this one.
July 10, 2021
I was less enamoured with this book than the previous one, Not Once but Twice.
I thought Sybren should have groveled A LOT more.
He spends most of the book absolutely incredulous that he's attracted to such a plain girl. I just wanted to smack him with a skillet to help him get over himself, already!
But on the bright side, Rose had a little more chutzpah than Christina in the previous book.
This one is a lot more exciting towards the end as well. I was kinda surprised. I don't think I've ever read a BN with nail biting action before!
Anyways, Rose is a younger nurse and Sybren is a visiting Dutch surgeon. He hops back and forth from the Netherlands to England like it's nothing. And I suppose they aren't that far apart. You can tell that he's visiting more than he needs to. And he arranges for Rose to help a couple take care of their injured toddler (the MCs from the first book), in the Netherlands. Of course he's good friends with the couple and turns up all the time.
But about half way you find out that he's been dating a woman named Mies. He had thought he would eventually marry her even though they don't love each other. But by the time Mies comes back to town, it's too late. He is already besotted by the plain English nurse. So it's a bit of a love triangle like the first book but two women instead of two men.
Mies was more of an OW than I'm used to in BN books (well other than whiney, selfish step sisters). She actually goes out of her way to make trouble and Sybren sets the stage to make it easy for her.
Every time he tries to suggest to Rose that he's interested in her, he just beats around the bush till he gets interrupted by an emergency call.
Anyways, it was still a nice read.
Safety is good
I thought Sybren should have groveled A LOT more.
He spends most of the book absolutely incredulous that he's attracted to such a plain girl. I just wanted to smack him with a skillet to help him get over himself, already!
But on the bright side, Rose had a little more chutzpah than Christina in the previous book.
This one is a lot more exciting towards the end as well. I was kinda surprised. I don't think I've ever read a BN with nail biting action before!
Anyways, Rose is a younger nurse and Sybren is a visiting Dutch surgeon. He hops back and forth from the Netherlands to England like it's nothing. And I suppose they aren't that far apart. You can tell that he's visiting more than he needs to. And he arranges for Rose to help a couple take care of their injured toddler (the MCs from the first book), in the Netherlands. Of course he's good friends with the couple and turns up all the time.
But about half way you find out that he's been dating a woman named Mies. He had thought he would eventually marry her even though they don't love each other. But by the time Mies comes back to town, it's too late. He is already besotted by the plain English nurse. So it's a bit of a love triangle like the first book but two women instead of two men.
Mies was more of an OW than I'm used to in BN books (well other than whiney, selfish step sisters). She actually goes out of her way to make trouble and Sybren sets the stage to make it easy for her.
Every time he tries to suggest to Rose that he's interested in her, he just beats around the bush till he gets interrupted by an emergency call.
Anyways, it was still a nice read.
Safety is good
April 22, 2016
Rose Comely was an outstanding nurse: reliable, hardworking and followed orders without making any waves. Up to this point, it described her life, too. With her sociable and fashion-minded friend and fellow nurse, Sadie, they were winding down their short vacation in Amsterdam (where else?!?) when a storm broke out. Rose knocked on the door of an unknown residence so they could get out of the rain. They were welcomed by (ta da!) Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, a surgeon.
In the span of a few moments Sadie and Sybren managed to flirt harmlessly with Rose in the background.
Long story short, a few days later Sybren appeared at the hospital where the young ladies both worked. Okay, not long story short: he needed a nurse to care for his young godson. The little boy had an accident and fell: he hurt his head. Sybren wanted to hire Sadie. Instead, the lead nurse insisted he take Rose, their Gold Medalist and all-around amazing caretaker. Sybren agreed, unaware that Rose heard him ask for Sadie first. With few words between them, they returned to the Netherlands.
Rose managed to win over everyone while devoting her time to little Diert: monitoring his vitals, talking and, eventually, singing to him to bring him out of his coma. And it worked! Now that she had Sybren's attention she went out of her way to give him the cold shoulder. He, in turn, didn't understand why she made him feel uncomfortable.
With typical Neels charm, both people had a difficult time communicating. Sybren had more than one (okay, two...no, make it three...alright, four) moments he acted like a scumbag. Rose stumbled, dithered and hobbled. Added to their mix: Mies Who Lies and Percy Have No Mercy.
There were also the sandwiches, hot coffee, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, cake, meringue tartlets, glorious concoction of strawberries, boiled eggs, asparagus salad with shrimps, bread and butter, pudding, cake, potato straws, lager, potted shrimp, whipped cream, beans on toast, tea, and, drumroll, please, the doctor's best champagne. And what would a Neels heroine do without her wardrobe: Rose's cotton jersey, blue linen dress, a soft pink crepe number, a printed lawn dress, a pleated cream skirt and, let me catch my breath, pastel colored t-shirts!
And, crazy me, my eyes were glued to the pages. Torturing myself with these two insane (yes, they deserve each other) characters. And the cholesterol-laden, heart-attack-on-a-plate vittles with their vintage clothes.
Sigh. Why is this author addicting? It is book crack and you know that I will be back for more.
In the span of a few moments Sadie and Sybren managed to flirt harmlessly with Rose in the background.
Long story short, a few days later Sybren appeared at the hospital where the young ladies both worked. Okay, not long story short: he needed a nurse to care for his young godson. The little boy had an accident and fell: he hurt his head. Sybren wanted to hire Sadie. Instead, the lead nurse insisted he take Rose, their Gold Medalist and all-around amazing caretaker. Sybren agreed, unaware that Rose heard him ask for Sadie first. With few words between them, they returned to the Netherlands.
Rose managed to win over everyone while devoting her time to little Diert: monitoring his vitals, talking and, eventually, singing to him to bring him out of his coma. And it worked! Now that she had Sybren's attention she went out of her way to give him the cold shoulder. He, in turn, didn't understand why she made him feel uncomfortable.
With typical Neels charm, both people had a difficult time communicating. Sybren had more than one (okay, two...no, make it three...alright, four) moments he acted like a scumbag. Rose stumbled, dithered and hobbled. Added to their mix: Mies Who Lies and Percy Have No Mercy.
There were also the sandwiches, hot coffee, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, cake, meringue tartlets, glorious concoction of strawberries, boiled eggs, asparagus salad with shrimps, bread and butter, pudding, cake, potato straws, lager, potted shrimp, whipped cream, beans on toast, tea, and, drumroll, please, the doctor's best champagne. And what would a Neels heroine do without her wardrobe: Rose's cotton jersey, blue linen dress, a soft pink crepe number, a printed lawn dress, a pleated cream skirt and, let me catch my breath, pastel colored t-shirts!
And, crazy me, my eyes were glued to the pages. Torturing myself with these two insane (yes, they deserve each other) characters. And the cholesterol-laden, heart-attack-on-a-plate vittles with their vintage clothes.
Sigh. Why is this author addicting? It is book crack and you know that I will be back for more.
September 23, 2025
Rounding off the year by re-reading Betty. This is a good one. It's the Dutch doctor/Brit nurse formula, but the fun is watching the slow burn as the hero falls for the plain but sensible heroine - seemingly against his will. Rose is a worthy heroine who has her back up from the beginning when she overhears the hero asking for another more lively nurse to "special" his young patient in Holland. He doesn't get his way and Rose proves herself to be a first-rate nurse. The entire romance is based on a series of small incidents - nothing dramatic. The doctor's attack of jealousy and scolding her for going off with a player intern really tips his hand. It's slow. It's sweet. It's Betty.
October 21, 2020
Quintessential Betty, and one of my absolute faves. Heroine Rose Comely is a wonderful, confident nurse but self-effacing and lacking self confidence when it comes to men (courtesy of her former step-mother's continual assurances that she is plain, dull, etc.), so it's really really really hard for her to believe that someone as rich, handsome, and worldly as our RDD could possibly be interested in her in any real way. RDD hero Sybren Werdmer ter Sane ("fine as a fivepence and a splendid body of man") doesn't think much of Rose to begin with, but before long he doesn't know if he's going or coming as she, hopelessly in love and determined to get over it, repeatedly does her best to avoid him or tell him to go away. There is a misunderstanding, but this is very much a Pride and Prejudice story overall. For deets and a killer review, see The Uncrushable Jersey Dress review, which really does it justice. Bonus points for quality time spent with Chrissy and Duert of Not Once But Twice (who are probably BN's most visited couple).
April 5, 2017
Rose Comely has no family except for Aunt Millicent, her late mother’s elder sister and a step-mother, with whom no love is lost. Her step-mother has pounded into Rose’s head that she is plain and that no man will want to marry her. Now, newly Gold-medal qualified, Rose and her pretty friend, Sadie, are on holiday with some other nurses in Amsterdam to celebrate their qualifying. Rose and Sadie get lost while wandering the streets of Amsterdam when it begins to storm. Rose knocks on the door of one of the beautiful houses along the canal and of course, it belongs to an RDD who invites them in. His name is Sybren Werdmer ter Sane and he appears quite smitten with Sadie while Rose doesn’t make much of an impression. He gives them tea and a ride back to their hotel and that is that.
The girls go back to London; Rose is assigned as staff nurse on children’s surgical (which is what she hoped for). She literally runs into Mr. Werdmer ter Sane (for the sake of brevity and because I’m an American, I’m going to call him ‘Sybren’ much earlier than Rose does); Sadie also sees him. Rose has barely settled in on Children’s Surgical when she is called to the office. She hears the PNO talking to Sybren – it seems he asked for Sadie to be loaned to him as private duty nurse whereas Miss Timms is insistent that Rose should get the task (Rose is more experienced with children – Sybren counters that Rose “lacks a certain light-heartedness”). Sybren gives in graciously and accepts Rose.
Rose is needed to nurse the toddler of Duert and Christina ter Brandt (Not Once But Twice), who fell and fractured his skull – aww, how sad! Chrissy is within weeks of delivering their second child and is understandably distraught and insistent on an English nurse. Duert, who we know is besotted with his dear Chrissy, is willing to get anything or anyone that will make her content.
So Sybren hustles Rose to Amsterdam and she hunkers down to care for Duert the Younger, eschewing adequate exercise and change of scenery; she is rewarded when on the fourth day, little Duert regains consciousness while Rose is singing “Hey, Diddle, Diddle.” He opens his blue eyes and says “lickle dog” with both Rose and Sybren as witnesses.
Sybren very reluctantly finds himself unable to get Rose out of his head. Once little Duert is out of danger, he is released to go home. Rose is to stay with the ter Brandts for a couple of weeks just to make sure all is well. Duert transports little Duert and Rose to his home on the very day Chrissy is giving birth to their daughter, so the house is understandably unsettled. As soon as things get back to normal, Chrissy insists that Rose have a free day; she plans to explore Amsterdam. Sybren asks if he can accompany her, but she turns him down; he warns her not to go into Dam Square because “it’s the gathering place of any number of strange types these days.”
Contrarily, she decides to make Dam Square the highlight of her day.
He happens to be driving past Dam Square the next day and, seeing Rose being accosted by some ne’er-do-well, feels compelled to stop and rescue her. He also feels compelled to say, “I told you so,” and she admits that was, in fact, why she went to Dam Square in the first place. “She walked briskly away, happily unable to hear or understand his softly muttered Dutch swearwords. She would have to go soon, he thought, watching her straight back disappearing down the street. She was a disturbing influence in his life and he wished whole-heartedly to be rid of it.”
Soon, Rose prepares to return to England; Christina invites her to come back to visit later in the year. Rose is given 4 days leave as soon as she checks into the hospital, so she goes to stay with Aunt Millicent. She can’t figure out why she is feeling so unsettled until someone opens the garden gate one day; when she instinctively hopes to see Sybren, she realizes she has fallen in love with him. She considers it a great waste, of course and resolves to forget him.
As for Sybren, he also has been unable to get Rose out of his mind in spite of the beautiful Mies van Toule. “Why,” he asked himself irritably, “should a small plain girl, unfashionable as to dress and lacking in witty conversation, remain so persistently in his head to annoy him?” And so when Mr. Creswell asks him to assist on a tricky case in London, he cancels everything and jumps at the chance to go to London.
Duert and Christina provide opportunities for Sybren and Rose to be together. While Rose is having a holiday with the ter Brandts, Sybren takes her out for the day. They go back to his house (she gets the House Tour o’Love). Sybren makes a rather ham-handed attempt at a Declaration and who knows what might have happened, but of course, the telephone rings. He tells her he should be back soon, then, “It’s only fair to tell you that that was Mies.” A short time later, Hans tells her there is a call for her. It’s Malevolent Mies, who tells Rose that she and Sybren are celebrating and therefore he will not be back tonight. She returns to the ter Brandts home.
Of course, Sybren was working desperately, but in vain, to save the life of a child. Later, he apologizes to Rose but of course since she has the wrong idea in her head, she misconstrues his words. She tells him she never wants to see him again. He doesn’t give up that easily, but neither does Rose. She returns to England.
A minor obstacle is cast up in the way of new houseman Percy Pride (who takes Rose out with the key to a friend’s flat in his pocket; Rose says, no thank you, she is not interesting in looking at his etchings). Sybren catches her on the rebound and takes her out to dinner – no progress in the overall war but no open hostilities, either.
What do we need to get our RDD and PBN together? How about an oldie but goodie – a bomb! Yes, a bomb explodes and Rose’s ward is hardest hit; she is trying to keep a small patient alive (Shirley – there is a lot about her in this book; she had cancer in her leg and Sybren operated on her; she has had complications) and cannot leave. Percy Pride runs away in panic and leaves Rose and Shirley to “fry to a crisp” so it’s up to our RDD to save the fair damsel, which he does. When she later faints from shock, he is also there to scoop her up and take her to her room.
A few days later, Rose is going home to Aunt Millicent. She sees Sybren and tells him goodbye – and she means goodbye. He asks her how she thinks of him and she answers that she thinks of him as “a very eminent surgeon.” Sybren leaves to return to Holland and is well on his way to the ferry when he turns around and drives back to the hospital. He goes to the nurses’ home and talks to Sadie, who tells him how to get to Aunt Millicent’s home. Sybren tells Rose, “I had my life planned, unexciting but satisfactory enough and somehow it didn’t concern me overmuch. And then we met.”
Rose says she understands, it was just a flash in the pan. She says, “I’ve made up my mind. I really don’t want to see you again. Please go now.” And he does, but as Aunt Millicent says, “He’ll be back.”
And he does. He catches her at the hospital and now it’s time for a little not-going-to-take-no-for-an-answer. He stuffs her into his car and now that he has her as a captive audience, finally, FINALLY, he gets to make his Declaration. When Rose asks if he really wants to marry her, he says, “Oh, yes, my darling Rose, I really do, and if we were not on a motorway I would stop and underline that statement.”
This book is really great; maybe it goes on just a wee bit too long, but still, I loved it. First of all, we get to see a LOT of Sybren’s viewpoint, from the first time Rose begins to get under his skin until he finally surrenders to his love for her. All those Bettys who deplore how easily the RDD gets an acceptance to his proposal will love this one, because Rose really makes him jump through hoops. And Rose – well, her friend Sadie said it best: “Rose is a darling girl but very pig-headed.”
The girls go back to London; Rose is assigned as staff nurse on children’s surgical (which is what she hoped for). She literally runs into Mr. Werdmer ter Sane (for the sake of brevity and because I’m an American, I’m going to call him ‘Sybren’ much earlier than Rose does); Sadie also sees him. Rose has barely settled in on Children’s Surgical when she is called to the office. She hears the PNO talking to Sybren – it seems he asked for Sadie to be loaned to him as private duty nurse whereas Miss Timms is insistent that Rose should get the task (Rose is more experienced with children – Sybren counters that Rose “lacks a certain light-heartedness”). Sybren gives in graciously and accepts Rose.
Rose is needed to nurse the toddler of Duert and Christina ter Brandt (Not Once But Twice), who fell and fractured his skull – aww, how sad! Chrissy is within weeks of delivering their second child and is understandably distraught and insistent on an English nurse. Duert, who we know is besotted with his dear Chrissy, is willing to get anything or anyone that will make her content.
So Sybren hustles Rose to Amsterdam and she hunkers down to care for Duert the Younger, eschewing adequate exercise and change of scenery; she is rewarded when on the fourth day, little Duert regains consciousness while Rose is singing “Hey, Diddle, Diddle.” He opens his blue eyes and says “lickle dog” with both Rose and Sybren as witnesses.
Sybren very reluctantly finds himself unable to get Rose out of his head. Once little Duert is out of danger, he is released to go home. Rose is to stay with the ter Brandts for a couple of weeks just to make sure all is well. Duert transports little Duert and Rose to his home on the very day Chrissy is giving birth to their daughter, so the house is understandably unsettled. As soon as things get back to normal, Chrissy insists that Rose have a free day; she plans to explore Amsterdam. Sybren asks if he can accompany her, but she turns him down; he warns her not to go into Dam Square because “it’s the gathering place of any number of strange types these days.”
Contrarily, she decides to make Dam Square the highlight of her day.
He happens to be driving past Dam Square the next day and, seeing Rose being accosted by some ne’er-do-well, feels compelled to stop and rescue her. He also feels compelled to say, “I told you so,” and she admits that was, in fact, why she went to Dam Square in the first place. “She walked briskly away, happily unable to hear or understand his softly muttered Dutch swearwords. She would have to go soon, he thought, watching her straight back disappearing down the street. She was a disturbing influence in his life and he wished whole-heartedly to be rid of it.”
Soon, Rose prepares to return to England; Christina invites her to come back to visit later in the year. Rose is given 4 days leave as soon as she checks into the hospital, so she goes to stay with Aunt Millicent. She can’t figure out why she is feeling so unsettled until someone opens the garden gate one day; when she instinctively hopes to see Sybren, she realizes she has fallen in love with him. She considers it a great waste, of course and resolves to forget him.
As for Sybren, he also has been unable to get Rose out of his mind in spite of the beautiful Mies van Toule. “Why,” he asked himself irritably, “should a small plain girl, unfashionable as to dress and lacking in witty conversation, remain so persistently in his head to annoy him?” And so when Mr. Creswell asks him to assist on a tricky case in London, he cancels everything and jumps at the chance to go to London.
Duert and Christina provide opportunities for Sybren and Rose to be together. While Rose is having a holiday with the ter Brandts, Sybren takes her out for the day. They go back to his house (she gets the House Tour o’Love). Sybren makes a rather ham-handed attempt at a Declaration and who knows what might have happened, but of course, the telephone rings. He tells her he should be back soon, then, “It’s only fair to tell you that that was Mies.” A short time later, Hans tells her there is a call for her. It’s Malevolent Mies, who tells Rose that she and Sybren are celebrating and therefore he will not be back tonight. She returns to the ter Brandts home.
Of course, Sybren was working desperately, but in vain, to save the life of a child. Later, he apologizes to Rose but of course since she has the wrong idea in her head, she misconstrues his words. She tells him she never wants to see him again. He doesn’t give up that easily, but neither does Rose. She returns to England.
A minor obstacle is cast up in the way of new houseman Percy Pride (who takes Rose out with the key to a friend’s flat in his pocket; Rose says, no thank you, she is not interesting in looking at his etchings). Sybren catches her on the rebound and takes her out to dinner – no progress in the overall war but no open hostilities, either.
What do we need to get our RDD and PBN together? How about an oldie but goodie – a bomb! Yes, a bomb explodes and Rose’s ward is hardest hit; she is trying to keep a small patient alive (Shirley – there is a lot about her in this book; she had cancer in her leg and Sybren operated on her; she has had complications) and cannot leave. Percy Pride runs away in panic and leaves Rose and Shirley to “fry to a crisp” so it’s up to our RDD to save the fair damsel, which he does. When she later faints from shock, he is also there to scoop her up and take her to her room.
A few days later, Rose is going home to Aunt Millicent. She sees Sybren and tells him goodbye – and she means goodbye. He asks her how she thinks of him and she answers that she thinks of him as “a very eminent surgeon.” Sybren leaves to return to Holland and is well on his way to the ferry when he turns around and drives back to the hospital. He goes to the nurses’ home and talks to Sadie, who tells him how to get to Aunt Millicent’s home. Sybren tells Rose, “I had my life planned, unexciting but satisfactory enough and somehow it didn’t concern me overmuch. And then we met.”
Rose says she understands, it was just a flash in the pan. She says, “I’ve made up my mind. I really don’t want to see you again. Please go now.” And he does, but as Aunt Millicent says, “He’ll be back.”
And he does. He catches her at the hospital and now it’s time for a little not-going-to-take-no-for-an-answer. He stuffs her into his car and now that he has her as a captive audience, finally, FINALLY, he gets to make his Declaration. When Rose asks if he really wants to marry her, he says, “Oh, yes, my darling Rose, I really do, and if we were not on a motorway I would stop and underline that statement.”
This book is really great; maybe it goes on just a wee bit too long, but still, I loved it. First of all, we get to see a LOT of Sybren’s viewpoint, from the first time Rose begins to get under his skin until he finally surrenders to his love for her. All those Bettys who deplore how easily the RDD gets an acceptance to his proposal will love this one, because Rose really makes him jump through hoops. And Rose – well, her friend Sadie said it best: “Rose is a darling girl but very pig-headed.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2014
Not a good sign when a character describes the heroine as a tiresome child and I was nodding along with him and saying "And don't forget TSTL, Sybren." Also, what was with the random hospital bombing? I'll admit I was skimming by this time, but this plot point seemed to drop into the story completely out of nowhere. So to speak.
My favorite TSTL moment:
Sybren: "There's this really sketchy section of Amsterdam that you should avoid because hooligans hang out there and they'll surround you and taunt you and I'll have to step in and save you because I'll be there at the EXACT MOMENT that you're being harassed."
IdiotRose: [thinks to herself] "Sybren doesn't want me going to the scary part of town. That's just EXACTLY where I'm headed to first tomorrow. So there!"
My favorite Big Mis moment:
Sybren: "I was spending the night trying to save a child's life."
IdiotRose: "Oh no you weren't! Your jealous ex-girlfriend told me that you were celebrating with her and I'm going to flounce off in a snit any time you try to explain your side of things."
Maybe I just started with the wrong book by this author but I just don't get all the glowing reviews.
My favorite TSTL moment:
Sybren: "There's this really sketchy section of Amsterdam that you should avoid because hooligans hang out there and they'll surround you and taunt you and I'll have to step in and save you because I'll be there at the EXACT MOMENT that you're being harassed."
IdiotRose: [thinks to herself] "Sybren doesn't want me going to the scary part of town. That's just EXACTLY where I'm headed to first tomorrow. So there!"
My favorite Big Mis moment:
Sybren: "I was spending the night trying to save a child's life."
IdiotRose: "Oh no you weren't! Your jealous ex-girlfriend told me that you were celebrating with her and I'm going to flounce off in a snit any time you try to explain your side of things."
Maybe I just started with the wrong book by this author but I just don't get all the glowing reviews.
November 17, 2019
I'm giving all of my recent reads 5 stars - that's just how amazing Betty Neels is!
December 4, 2022
The heroine of this novel is Rose, a British nurse. She overhears the Dutch hero, Dr. Sybren Somebody, plead with matron to let him have a more lighthearted nurse to tend his godson, baby Duert, in Holland. Sybren thinks Rose is plain and quiet and boring. So, it was fun to read about this self-assured elegant bachelor losing his cool over a common English Rose who continually shows him her shoulder and addresses him as “sir” as if it were an icy shield .
But anyway, when Duert and Christina's little boy fractures his skull, Rose nurses him. Duert and Christina were the key characters in a prior book, Not Once but Twice. Christina wants an English nurse, so they can easily understand each other.
Adventure scenes include a bomb in London which brings down part of the hospital. Also, a bunch of punks harass Rose at Dam Square, Amsterdam. And let’s not forget Percy Pride, a horrendous houseman who hits on Rose.
So we get a new romance for Rose Comely and Doctor Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, plus we peer into the ter Brandt's happy home. :-) Also, Rose and Sybren appear again a few years later in a sequel, The Doubtful Marriage © 1987.
But anyway, when Duert and Christina's little boy fractures his skull, Rose nurses him. Duert and Christina were the key characters in a prior book, Not Once but Twice. Christina wants an English nurse, so they can easily understand each other.
Adventure scenes include a bomb in London which brings down part of the hospital. Also, a bunch of punks harass Rose at Dam Square, Amsterdam. And let’s not forget Percy Pride, a horrendous houseman who hits on Rose.
So we get a new romance for Rose Comely and Doctor Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, plus we peer into the ter Brandt's happy home. :-) Also, Rose and Sybren appear again a few years later in a sequel, The Doubtful Marriage © 1987.
May 7, 2021
This is a typical Neels book in that the heroine is a nurse and the hero is a RDD, but there's a difference I really enjoyed. Unlike most of her stories where the growing affection between the couples takes place off the page, here we get to see both MC's slowly falling in love, which added much to my enjoyment.
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
NB - If you enjoy Neel's books join the conversation at the GR group Betty Neels Junkies. See you there!
July 6, 2021
Sweet and full of Betty-isms.
July 22, 2016
Ούτε ένα αστεράκι!!!Απορώ με τις 259 που το βαθμολόγησαν !!!Ευτυχως υπάρχουν και 3 που συμφωνούν μαζι μου γιατι θα αρχιζα να αναρωτιέμαι τι δεν πάει καλά μαζί μου.Κάποιοι κατεβαίνουν τα σκαλοπάτια μιας οικοδομής 3 -3 Εγώ πηδο΄υσα τις σελίδες 3 -3 !!Μια φίλη σε μια συζήτηση είπε κάποτε για τις υστερικές ηρωίδες κάποιων Αρλεκιν μάλλον σε κάτι τέτοιες αναφερόταν αν όχι στη συγκεκριμένη.Κρυόπλαστοι ήρωες χωρίς ψυχή..Από τα χειρότερα που έχω διαβάσει .Ηταν η πρώτη γνωριμία μου με τη συγγραφέα και θα παραμείνω σε αυτήν όταν πάνω βλέπω την ετικέτα The best of Betty Neels!!!
September 14, 2023
nice but…
…Rose’s total lack of self-esteem does get a little grating. I mean we get it, she’s not pretty- my goodness. Often it felt that the entire book was premised on Rose’s lack of looks and Sybren was a little too mean about her appearance to be an acceptable hero for my tastes. There was pretty much zero chemistry between them and it was definitely one of those where we were told they were in love rather than being able to glean any romance ourselves. I did enjoy this overall but I wish both Rose and Sybren hadn’t dragged her so hard and that Rose had been a bit less mopey about her face.
…Rose’s total lack of self-esteem does get a little grating. I mean we get it, she’s not pretty- my goodness. Often it felt that the entire book was premised on Rose’s lack of looks and Sybren was a little too mean about her appearance to be an acceptable hero for my tastes. There was pretty much zero chemistry between them and it was definitely one of those where we were told they were in love rather than being able to glean any romance ourselves. I did enjoy this overall but I wish both Rose and Sybren hadn’t dragged her so hard and that Rose had been a bit less mopey about her face.
December 31, 2024
Very much a typical Betty Neels with the handsome Dutch doctor and the mousy English nurse who come together and gradually realize they have fallen in love and come together despite miscommunications and the conniving of beautiful would be girlfriends.
December 15, 2013
Briefly, part of this is from another review, but will explain my bias a little. [Ok, before I go into my review, I feel I have to be 100% honest with you. I am a huge - make that HUGE Betty Neels fan. I discovered her when I was 10 or 11 years old. Over the years, I have collected every Betty Neels novel ever in print. Even special ordering them all the way from England because I was having difficulty finding them over here in the States.]
OVERALL: 4 1/2 STARS
Story/Plot: 5 - Having read any number of Betty Neels books, sometimes I remember others more clearly than others. There are times I go looking for a specific book and cannot find it because although I remember the book, I don't remember the title. I find this deeply frustrating especially when I have so many books I have to go through just to find one specific book.
This being said, I want to help others like me out there, who are fans of Betty Neels or who are looking for a specific title, but feel helpless lost in the sea of her amazing amount of books. So, I am going to post a brief spoiler at the beginning of her books here in this section in the hopes I can help you find that one book you must read again.
SPOILER COMMENT: In this delightful romance, our heroine, Rose Comely is vacationing in Holland with a group of nurses from her hospital. She and her beautiful friend are caught in a sudden storm and seek shelter in the house of prominent Dutch surgeon Sybren Werdmer ter Sane. It also bears mentioning this book includes characters Duert and Christina from Not Once but Twice and Rose and Sybren's are mentioned again in The Doubtful Marriage. Of course, much more happens, but I don't want to spoil it too much for you.
Those of ya'll that are Betty Neels fans know the general premise is a rich handsome doctor falls for a nurse (sometimes she is not beautiful, she might be under appreciated or from a home of privilege but has recently fallen on hard times).
Those of you who are not Betty Neels fans, I highly recommend her works especially if you like Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer. Her romances are usually light, sweet and quick reads (usually no more than 9 chapters).
Highly enjoyable any volume you pick up.
Re-read Value: 5 - I am always re-reading Betty Neels.
Continue Series: - Not really applicable, but I will admit once you read one Betty Neels, you kinda find yourself wanting to read others even if they are similar. Although this is not part of a series, as mentioned above, other characters from other books touch upon this one.
Characters: 5 - I never meet a Betty Neels hero or heroine I do not like to be honest. I did feel a little that Sybren rushed things a little at the end, but at the same times, I found in most Betty Neels novels the hero's feelings are not pressing until Chapters 8 or 9.
Cover: 3 - From a previous review - same sentiments [50/50. To be honest, if you didn't know who Betty Neels was when you picked up this cover, you might not know it was a romance from the look of it. But prior to her passing and when she did pass, there were a number of her books that were reissued with these more artsy covers. I also have the original cover this was released in paperback, which does say romance.]
Genre Fulfillment: 5 - Romance, check.
Personal Involvement: 4 - I love all Betty Neels. Although this wasn't a personal favorite, I still highly enjoyed it and love re-reading it when I get in the mood.
OVERALL: 4 1/2 STARS
Story/Plot: 5 - Having read any number of Betty Neels books, sometimes I remember others more clearly than others. There are times I go looking for a specific book and cannot find it because although I remember the book, I don't remember the title. I find this deeply frustrating especially when I have so many books I have to go through just to find one specific book.
This being said, I want to help others like me out there, who are fans of Betty Neels or who are looking for a specific title, but feel helpless lost in the sea of her amazing amount of books. So, I am going to post a brief spoiler at the beginning of her books here in this section in the hopes I can help you find that one book you must read again.
SPOILER COMMENT: In this delightful romance, our heroine, Rose Comely is vacationing in Holland with a group of nurses from her hospital. She and her beautiful friend are caught in a sudden storm and seek shelter in the house of prominent Dutch surgeon Sybren Werdmer ter Sane. It also bears mentioning this book includes characters Duert and Christina from Not Once but Twice and Rose and Sybren's are mentioned again in The Doubtful Marriage. Of course, much more happens, but I don't want to spoil it too much for you.
Those of ya'll that are Betty Neels fans know the general premise is a rich handsome doctor falls for a nurse (sometimes she is not beautiful, she might be under appreciated or from a home of privilege but has recently fallen on hard times).
Those of you who are not Betty Neels fans, I highly recommend her works especially if you like Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer. Her romances are usually light, sweet and quick reads (usually no more than 9 chapters).
Highly enjoyable any volume you pick up.
Re-read Value: 5 - I am always re-reading Betty Neels.
Continue Series: - Not really applicable, but I will admit once you read one Betty Neels, you kinda find yourself wanting to read others even if they are similar. Although this is not part of a series, as mentioned above, other characters from other books touch upon this one.
Characters: 5 - I never meet a Betty Neels hero or heroine I do not like to be honest. I did feel a little that Sybren rushed things a little at the end, but at the same times, I found in most Betty Neels novels the hero's feelings are not pressing until Chapters 8 or 9.
Cover: 3 - From a previous review - same sentiments [50/50. To be honest, if you didn't know who Betty Neels was when you picked up this cover, you might not know it was a romance from the look of it. But prior to her passing and when she did pass, there were a number of her books that were reissued with these more artsy covers. I also have the original cover this was released in paperback, which does say romance.]
Genre Fulfillment: 5 - Romance, check.
Personal Involvement: 4 - I love all Betty Neels. Although this wasn't a personal favorite, I still highly enjoyed it and love re-reading it when I get in the mood.
May 31, 2018
4.25*!!! 1986
The Uncrushable Jersey Dress has a wonderful review.
"Rating: You already know that this is a lashings of whipped cream for me. Rose isn't even trying to reach for the moon and does her best to let Sybren go ahead with the Misadventure of Mies. Sybren's slow-growing affection is such a charming thing to watch. He meets her and vaguely pities her in an off-hand way. Another meeting and it's shifted to annoyance. Still more and we watch him struggle with grudging admiration and then he can't get her out of his head (and you know he's trying). Before he knows it he's swimming upstream against the current of delight at everything she does and desperately attempting to maintain his dignity when what he wants to do is throw her over his shoulder and marry her out of hand.
Even the wrenches (Mies and Percy) are fun to read and there aren't so many of them that it becomes silly.
It is also super fun to meet the ter Brandt family again and Betty fleshes them out very nicely considering they're not primary characters and act as mere catalysts."
THIS. Everything in my mind!
Rose was such a sad character...I mean my heart ached for her loneliness. Here's this wonderful girl with so much love, yet so few people to shower her love upon. She had to call each weekend before going down to visit her aunt and the maid, as though she could never take for granted her welcome.
When Sybren turned around after helping Pretty Sadie with her cardigan, he saw that Rose had already put it on herself. This was a powerfully visual summary of Rose's life. The men always helped the pretty girls first so rather than wait, she'd help herself first. So stoic and capable.
Her calm demeanour managed to fool most people most of the time, yet Sybren and the ter Brandts (Duert and Christina from Not Once but Twice) could apparently read Rose's face like a book!
The most delightful part was really seeing Sybren's transformation...and how his feelings for Rose changed at each encounter. Sybren sure came to London lots, and even Rose was in Holland twice. There's a lot of back and forth, it got a bit draggy for me near the end especially after Mies malicious mischief, but with such a sweet ending it's all worth it.
Lashings of whipped cream indeed!
PS. Is Sybren the most foul mouthed RDD/hero ever? Loved how he kicked butt after the bomb blast! I nearly cheered when Rose slapped Percy the Proud! Brava!
The Uncrushable Jersey Dress has a wonderful review.
"Rating: You already know that this is a lashings of whipped cream for me. Rose isn't even trying to reach for the moon and does her best to let Sybren go ahead with the Misadventure of Mies. Sybren's slow-growing affection is such a charming thing to watch. He meets her and vaguely pities her in an off-hand way. Another meeting and it's shifted to annoyance. Still more and we watch him struggle with grudging admiration and then he can't get her out of his head (and you know he's trying). Before he knows it he's swimming upstream against the current of delight at everything she does and desperately attempting to maintain his dignity when what he wants to do is throw her over his shoulder and marry her out of hand.
Even the wrenches (Mies and Percy) are fun to read and there aren't so many of them that it becomes silly.
It is also super fun to meet the ter Brandt family again and Betty fleshes them out very nicely considering they're not primary characters and act as mere catalysts."
THIS. Everything in my mind!
Rose was such a sad character...I mean my heart ached for her loneliness. Here's this wonderful girl with so much love, yet so few people to shower her love upon. She had to call each weekend before going down to visit her aunt and the maid, as though she could never take for granted her welcome.
When Sybren turned around after helping Pretty Sadie with her cardigan, he saw that Rose had already put it on herself. This was a powerfully visual summary of Rose's life. The men always helped the pretty girls first so rather than wait, she'd help herself first. So stoic and capable.
Her calm demeanour managed to fool most people most of the time, yet Sybren and the ter Brandts (Duert and Christina from Not Once but Twice) could apparently read Rose's face like a book!
The most delightful part was really seeing Sybren's transformation...and how his feelings for Rose changed at each encounter. Sybren sure came to London lots, and even Rose was in Holland twice. There's a lot of back and forth, it got a bit draggy for me near the end especially after Mies malicious mischief, but with such a sweet ending it's all worth it.
Lashings of whipped cream indeed!
PS. Is Sybren the most foul mouthed RDD/hero ever? Loved how he kicked butt after the bomb blast! I nearly cheered when Rose slapped Percy the Proud! Brava!
January 23, 2023
As I revisit this book, it still amazes me how Betty Neels had a true knack for making the reader feel what her main characters felt. In-and-of itself the story line is simple and uneventful. Here is a girl who has been told all of her life that she is plain and unattractive. Those who loved her were taken away from her by death, and she was left only with criticism and loneliness. She not only lost her parents, but her home as well. She had no one but an old aunt miles away.
She meets a man who she comes to love and one of his ex girlfriends purposefully puts a wedge between them. Not a new storyline in any way, especially if one if used to reading Betty Neels' books. But what makes the story special is the way the author pulls onto the reader's heart strings and makes one feel Rose's total sense of being on the outside looking in, her loneliness, and longing, “She had enjoyed every minute of her evening, but it had been like peering through an open door at delights which could never be hers.” Her pain becomes the reader's pain. Her tears, a part of us.
Now, in this rereading, I find that I now have a deeper understanding of Sybren. I felt his confusion in falling in love with this simple girl. He sees her first as plain and somber, but he is also angry at the situation which he believes is fruitless, “Nice, nice? There was nothing nice about it. He sounded mocking and his laugh held no amusement. It’s a great pity…” He becomes intrigued as he sees her inner beauty. Finally, the reader feels his frustration and determination. For both these characters, it is that transference of emotion and all too human longing for love that makes this simple, and some might say, unimaginative story so much more.
She meets a man who she comes to love and one of his ex girlfriends purposefully puts a wedge between them. Not a new storyline in any way, especially if one if used to reading Betty Neels' books. But what makes the story special is the way the author pulls onto the reader's heart strings and makes one feel Rose's total sense of being on the outside looking in, her loneliness, and longing, “She had enjoyed every minute of her evening, but it had been like peering through an open door at delights which could never be hers.” Her pain becomes the reader's pain. Her tears, a part of us.
Now, in this rereading, I find that I now have a deeper understanding of Sybren. I felt his confusion in falling in love with this simple girl. He sees her first as plain and somber, but he is also angry at the situation which he believes is fruitless, “Nice, nice? There was nothing nice about it. He sounded mocking and his laugh held no amusement. It’s a great pity…” He becomes intrigued as he sees her inner beauty. Finally, the reader feels his frustration and determination. For both these characters, it is that transference of emotion and all too human longing for love that makes this simple, and some might say, unimaginative story so much more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2011
Hm. I liked that Rose's "beautiful but shallow" friend was actually nice, I liked that lame-ass houseman Percy was a dick from the get go as opposed to leading to some big misunderstanding.
I didn't like that the "other woman" bitch barely existed, and Rose shouldn't have believed her at all. The bitchy other woman wasn't much of a bitch to Rose, but she did view a child die, basically. That was odd. I didn't like that the hospital got hit by a bomb AGAIN (seriously, this happens in so many Betty Neels books, and it isn't an adorable re-occurance, like everything else).
There was a lot of to and fro-ing, and a lot of the book focused on the whereabouts of a cat. This was nowhere near as charming as the usual loving descriptions of hovercrafts and what they ate.
Still, generally good but not a standout.
I didn't like that the "other woman" bitch barely existed, and Rose shouldn't have believed her at all. The bitchy other woman wasn't much of a bitch to Rose, but she did view a child die, basically. That was odd. I didn't like that the hospital got hit by a bomb AGAIN (seriously, this happens in so many Betty Neels books, and it isn't an adorable re-occurance, like everything else).
There was a lot of to and fro-ing, and a lot of the book focused on the whereabouts of a cat. This was nowhere near as charming as the usual loving descriptions of hovercrafts and what they ate.
Still, generally good but not a standout.
February 6, 2016
One of her better books. PBN and RDD meet when she knocks on his door; because of a storm, while on holiday with her friend Sadie. She is treated as an afterthought by the Doctor who is taken with the beautiful Sadie. When the Doctor needs an English nurse to take care of his godson; Chrissy and Duert's firstborn, he initially wants Sadie but Rose is fostered off on him instead. Slowly the relationship develops, with Rose falling in love and the Doctor becoming intrigued by the English mouse who avoids him at every turn. Great read.
May 21, 2011
A plain nurse and a handsome doctor get together again. Also, the doctor's former girlfriend misleads the nurse into thinking she is going to marry the doctor, to the nurse's disappointment.
Not as much travelogue, food description or talk of clothing in this one. Instead a lot more insight into the way the children's ward of a British hospital was run.
Also this book mentioned Madurodam, the miniature city near The Hague, which I'd never heard of until a few weeks ago.
Not as much travelogue, food description or talk of clothing in this one. Instead a lot more insight into the way the children's ward of a British hospital was run.
Also this book mentioned Madurodam, the miniature city near The Hague, which I'd never heard of until a few weeks ago.
January 15, 2018
Classic Neels. She writes gentle, consistent romantic stories.
Not steamy...Not bodice-rippers
Each one of her stories is familiar, a wealthy medical man in need of a wife - whether he realizes it or not. And a young lady who has been or has just begun her nursing career. They meet, they have lots of awkward and wistful encounters. Eventually the man starts to wake up but neither of them wants to say anything to the other about their feelings.
Not steamy...Not bodice-rippers
Each one of her stories is familiar, a wealthy medical man in need of a wife - whether he realizes it or not. And a young lady who has been or has just begun her nursing career. They meet, they have lots of awkward and wistful encounters. Eventually the man starts to wake up but neither of them wants to say anything to the other about their feelings.
Read
October 27, 2013Back cover blurb:
Blossoming into Love
Through pure chance, Rose met Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, one of the most eminent surgeons in Holland. Their accidental encounter led to a job for Rose, nursing Sybren's godson. She loved everything about her new life—including Sybren! But surely such an important man wouldn't have time to take an interest in her. Yet what Rose didn't realize was that she had the gift of love, and it touched everyone around her—even hardhearted surgeons.
Blossoming into Love
Through pure chance, Rose met Sybren Werdmer ter Sane, one of the most eminent surgeons in Holland. Their accidental encounter led to a job for Rose, nursing Sybren's godson. She loved everything about her new life—including Sybren! But surely such an important man wouldn't have time to take an interest in her. Yet what Rose didn't realize was that she had the gift of love, and it touched everyone around her—even hardhearted surgeons.
April 3, 2021
While this is a good book reading it i had the feeling i had read something similar to this one as i am reading Betty Neels Collection all 134 of her books started at book one & up to this one which is book 70 can't remember what book it was but as i said very similar
If you haven't read many of Betty's books then it better than the star rating as i downgraded it just because it too much like one of her previous books
If you haven't read many of Betty's books then it better than the star rating as i downgraded it just because it too much like one of her previous books
June 5, 2016
The girl is a mess. She needs to be taken care of--hates her chosen career, dreams of luxurious food, wants the handsome dr. but never believes herself worthy. They have stupid arguments that don't make sense. He plans everything out, asking nothing of her likes/dislikes. She listens and doesn't talk--isn't it wonderful? Yuck. Not much plot, not much character. No more Betty Neels for me.
April 27, 2016
An Exciting Story - Sometimes
The story is set in the medical community, and events there are so interestingly recorded so that one is forced to keep reading. However, from time to time, the story shifts and is almost boring. The good parts make the whole book rewarding.
The story is set in the medical community, and events there are so interestingly recorded so that one is forced to keep reading. However, from time to time, the story shifts and is almost boring. The good parts make the whole book rewarding.
May 12, 2014
A sweet book!
February 16, 2019
It was my first encounter with Mills and Boon and ever since then I am hooked to Betty Neels Doctor Nurse Romance....
January 23, 2013
Another sweet book. Very entertaining and undemanding.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews