Doctor nurse romance

About Author

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, which stood her in good stead 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 Holland did use her information as an itinerary for their travels! Betty Neels died peacefully in hospital on June 7, 2001, aged 91. Her career with Mills & Boon and Harlequin spanned 30 years, and she continued to write into her 90th year.

Description

Georgina Rodman had been given a special nursing assignment? she was to look after the Van den Berg Eyffert children, who were recovering from an accident. Having worked in a casualty ward, Georgina felt she could cope with just about anything life threw at her. But that was before she met the children's guardian, Julius. Afterward, she realized that even common sense and a practical nature couldn't stop her from falling in love? With a man who didn't even know she existed!

How the series evolves

beginning

Damsel in Green

4.7· strong start

the pit

Examine my heart, doctor

0.0

finale

Lady in Harley Street

3.0· sticks the landing

overall

2.8· it's a rollercoaster

Books in this Series

Damsel in Green

Betty Neels

4.7 (7)

Tabitha in Moonlight

Betty Neels

4.0 (3)

Sister Tabitha is an efficient nurse, but when she falls in love with Dutch surgeon Marius van Beek, she has no idea how to deal with her feelings. If only Marius would ride up on a white horse and ask for her hand in marriage. But can real people live happily ever after like those people in fairy tales? - Goodreads.com

Cassandra by Chance

Betty Neels

4.2 (13)

He needed her as a nurse, not a woman Benedict van Manfeld was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met. But when she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, her attitude changed. Benedict asked Cassandra to go to Holland with him as his nurse. She agreed…and soon began to feel something deeper than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra?

The End of the Rainbow

Betty Neels, Liza Donnelly, V.C. Andrews, Donna Baker

3.9 (11)

Was the Hudson family destined to live in the shadows of the past? Or would luck shine on the newest generation? The answer lies at... The End of the Rainbow Rain's precious daughter, Summer, is about to turn sixteen. Her future lies wide open before her and she carries her mother's wise advice close to her heart: life is hardship, but above all, life is hope. Like all girls her age, Summer dreams of growing up and making her own life, of falling in love and finding her soul mate But a devastating tragedy will force Summer to stare into the cold eyes of adulthood long before she is ready. She will learn very quickly about hardship -- but what of hope? Is she as strong as her courageous mother? Or will she crumble? All of her life, Summer has lived on the Virginia estate where the Hudson family's secrets have lurked among the shadows for generations. Now it is time for her to discover some secrets of her own. Some she will share. Some will force her to flee the only place she has ever called home. And some will haunt her for the rest of her life....

Visiting Consultant

Betty Neels

3.8 (4)

She was certain of one thing...Sophy's relationship with the attractive Dutch surgeon Maximillan Oosterwelde was of the blow-hot-blow-cold variety. He might be unsure of his feelings for her, but one thing she knew for sure--in her heart, Sophy did not want any "blow cold" at all! Sophy Greenslade wishes that when she told Professor Max van Oosterwelde that she had a boyfriend, that she would have remembered that little white lies always lead to trouble, but Max is not convinced by her story. Besides, he's not going to let something like a fictional boyfriend stand in the way of what he wants.

Roses for Christmas

Betty Neels

4.0 (8)

Eleanor hasn't seen her childhood neighbor Fulk van Hensum for twenty years, but she still remembers what a horrid boy he'd been...and it takes only two minutes to discover that he's grown into an equally horrid man. Even if he is handsome...and the new doctor at the hospital where she's a nurse! He hasn't changed a bit - so why can't Eleanor stop thinking about him?

Examine my heart, doctor

Lisa Cooper

0.0 (0)

Talisman for a surgeon

Lisa Cooper

0.0 (0)

Rosalind Mason, recently appointed Theater Sister at the ENT block of the Princess Beatrice hospital, is determined to start her new job on the right footing. Unfortunately, on her first day, she clashes dramatically with suave, elegant and eminent surgeon - Peregrine Bradford ! Two rows with him sees her upset and humiliated, and her dream of finding fulfilment working in a world-famous hospital, with the best surgeons goes up in smoke... She at first believes it's hate she feels for Dr. Bradford - but as they say, 'hatred' is akin to LOVE.....

Healers Of The Night

Anne Vinton

0.0 (0)

Young intern Sheila Devaney finds more than enough drama to be had each night in Casualty, without the added excitement of finding that her senior house surgeon Mark Leighton is the man she almost married five years earlier.... Neither has married anyone else, although Mark appears to be considerably attracted to one of his female colleagues. But does trying to put the clock back ever work?

Lady in Harley Street

Anne Vinton

3.0 (3)

It seems the answer to all Dr Celia Derwent's prayers when her new boss Dr Alan Grainger proposes marriage. She desperately wants to convince the courts that she should have custody of her orphaned niece Fiona, and with a husband she will stand far better chance of persuading them. Alan is devoted to Fiona, but he still seems aloof and strangely wary of Celia. So will this marriage of convenience really solve all her problems?