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The Doctor Next Door
Polly hadn't wanted to work for Dr. Geoffrey Mortimer in the first place. Now, with the job nearly at an end, she should have been happy.
Happy! She'd never felt more miserable. Geoffrey was demanding, arrogant and unforgiving, yet she had to make an effort to put things right between them.
The lump in her throat made speech difficult. "Geoffrey," she pleaded, "you must believe me. You have the wrong idea about me. I'm not that sort of girl!"
Happy! She'd never felt more miserable. Geoffrey was demanding, arrogant and unforgiving, yet she had to make an effort to put things right between them.
The lump in her throat made speech difficult. "Geoffrey," she pleaded, "you must believe me. You have the wrong idea about me. I'm not that sort of girl!"
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1977
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2023
The only way for vintage romances to be effective is if the hero's feelings are clear through his words and actions. With only the heroine's point of view provided, the author has to show some chinks in the armor, otherwise the hero just looks cruel. Often, the hero looks cruel in this story, but the heroine brings a lot on herself. I'm still on the fence about this one.
This hero is a pediatric consultant for a country hospital. The heroine is his secretary. Heroine wanted to be a nurse, but had to drop out after a year when her mother died of cancer. Her general practicioner father flaked out and heroine had to run the household, attend secretarial school and put up with her entitled brothers and sister. In short, the selfish father (who is in Canada trying out a new life when the story opens) is the real villian.
Other villians? The hero's drunkard brother who is fired from his residency at the hospital for neglecting a young patient. Heroine has the audacity to ask the hero to forgive him and give him his job back because it would "upset father."
Heroine is quite audacious in other ways. She says things she doesn't mean. She goes out with guys she doesn't like because she doesn't want to hurt their feelings (and gets assaulted for her good intentions). She makes a pass at the hero who is tempted but rejects her. This seems more the audacity of youth rather than a personality trait, however.
She never sets up any boundaries with her family so that it's only good luck her father finds a kind widow to marry - thus saving her a move to Saskatchewan.
Honestly, no wonder the hero is cruel - heroine needs a minder more than a husband.
Still, I enjoyed the story and was interested in what everyone was going to do next. The sensibilities from 1977 are so different now.
The story has this title because the hero moves in next door to the heroine's household. He has a pool, so the heroine spends a lot of time in a bikini around it while watching the kids. Poor hero. No wonder he was cranky.
This hero is a pediatric consultant for a country hospital. The heroine is his secretary. Heroine wanted to be a nurse, but had to drop out after a year when her mother died of cancer. Her general practicioner father flaked out and heroine had to run the household, attend secretarial school and put up with her entitled brothers and sister. In short, the selfish father (who is in Canada trying out a new life when the story opens) is the real villian.
Other villians? The hero's drunkard brother who is fired from his residency at the hospital for neglecting a young patient. Heroine has the audacity to ask the hero to forgive him and give him his job back because it would "upset father."
Heroine is quite audacious in other ways. She says things she doesn't mean. She goes out with guys she doesn't like because she doesn't want to hurt their feelings (and gets assaulted for her good intentions). She makes a pass at the hero who is tempted but rejects her. This seems more the audacity of youth rather than a personality trait, however.
She never sets up any boundaries with her family so that it's only good luck her father finds a kind widow to marry - thus saving her a move to Saskatchewan.
Honestly, no wonder the hero is cruel - heroine needs a minder more than a husband.
Still, I enjoyed the story and was interested in what everyone was going to do next. The sensibilities from 1977 are so different now.
The story has this title because the hero moves in next door to the heroine's household. He has a pool, so the heroine spends a lot of time in a bikini around it while watching the kids. Poor hero. No wonder he was cranky.
September 10, 2025
The heroine (22) in this one is good - she is pretty, fun, kind and straight forward. The hero (mid-30s) is her new boss (she is a secretary) and a pompous, charmless doctor. He moves next door to her (and says her youngers sister is prettier), and brings his model girlfriend to stay a lot, yet despises the heroine when the OW tells him that the heroine had someone stay over.
I absolutely loathed the hero and how rude and cold he is. The heroine deserved better (the OM doctor was a darling).
I absolutely loathed the hero and how rude and cold he is. The heroine deserved better (the OM doctor was a darling).
February 29, 2016
Começou bem, terminou com um happy end muito mal estruturado e apressado.
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April 26, 2018Polly hadn't wanted to work for Dr. Geoffrey Mortimer in the first place. Now, with the job nearly at an end, she should have been happy.
Happy! She'd never felt more miserable. Geoffrey was demanding, arrogant and unforgiving, yet she had to make an effort to put things right between them.
The lump in her throat made speech difficult. "Geoffrey," she pleaded, "you must believe me. You have the wrong idea about me. I'm not that sort of girl!"
Happy! She'd never felt more miserable. Geoffrey was demanding, arrogant and unforgiving, yet she had to make an effort to put things right between them.
The lump in her throat made speech difficult. "Geoffrey," she pleaded, "you must believe me. You have the wrong idea about me. I'm not that sort of girl!"
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews