DotM combines some of my LEAST favorite BN tropes: a Cinderella heroine in need of rescue; an unlikable OM/fiance to be rid of (why do BN heroines getDotM combines some of my LEAST favorite BN tropes: a Cinderella heroine in need of rescue; an unlikable OM/fiance to be rid of (why do BN heroines get involved with such shallow jerks?); a paternalistic hero who solves all her problems. But my main issue with this one is how DULL it is. There's no real conflict to be overcome--not even a Big Misunderstanding or OW drama, which I think BN relied on too much in many of her books but which would have given this story some focus and tension at least.
As it is, we spend way too much time hearing about the pernicious fiance's mercenary reasons in pursuing the heroine until she finally comes to her senses and kicks him to the curb. That made me like her a little--but she has to be rescued by the hero in every subsequent scene in which she encounters her ex, which irked me. She has to be rescued by the hero in order to patch up her crumbling family home. She has to be rescued by the hero in order to finally shed herself (somewhat at least) of her ridiculous, idle, idiotic parents (one has to wonder how BN's sensible and selfless heroines spring from such unsavory stock time and again). He even tells her, when she wonders what to do about her family after the ILYs and proposals, not to worry--he'll take care of everything.
Perhaps that is, in part, Neels' appeal: the concept of a godlike hero who will take care of everything. But the greater part of Neels' appeal for me was always that her earlier heroines really didn't need saving--particularly her hardworking nurses who, no matter what life threw at them, always had the confident belief that they would work and make a go of it (however unhappy and lonely an existence it might be). They were fully capable of saving themselves from the direst situations. But with her later heroines, Neels often trapped them in such unhappy circumstances with no way out that the hero's intervention seems more like pity than love.
From 1997, so one of Betty's later books when she seemed mainly to be writing anachronistic Cinderella stories, with old-fashioned heroines who had as little sense of and liking for modern sensibilities as Betty herself apparently had. Some nice details, as we might expect from Betty; an amusing moment when the hero thinks that the heroine looks as nice going as coming, heee; the usual solid, clean writing that Betty always delivered... but still, the plusses in this one don't quite make up for the minuses....more
A later BN book (1996) that, like The Vicar’s Daughter, published that same year, features an old-fashioned stay-at-home-daughter heroine—no poor BritA later BN book (1996) that, like The Vicar’s Daughter, published that same year, features an old-fashioned stay-at-home-daughter heroine—no poor British nurse here. Mary, one of BN's very pretty Junoesque heroines, runs her hapless parents’ household, despite little help or money, with sensible competence. Her artistic mother and scholarly father are loving but impractical, so most of the responsibility and worry of family life falls to Mary, and she's in a rut and wishing something exciting would happen. (Fate, that force in the BN universe, listens.) Overall, it’s pretty standard Betty fare (albeit “the one with the visit to the homeless encampment”), complete with little communication between the MCs, a meddling and malicious OW, a visit to the ancestral manse in Holland, and some nicely drawn secondary characters (the heroine’s younger sister Polly in particular).
It’s love at first sight when pretty Mary meets the Rich Dutch Doctor, Roel van Rakesma, but she knows it’s ludicrous and hopeless and does her best to avoid or act coolly toward him for far too many scenes in the book. He also is irritated that he can’t seem to stop thinking about Mary, even going so far as to try to distract himself by inviting his “suitable” woman-friend/potential fiancee, the awful Ilsa, to accompany his younger sister, Pleane, on a visit to his fab London flat. Ilsa and Mary instantly dislike one another, and Mary, nice as she is, holds her own with the snooty, jealous, and rightly threatened OW. Roel soon realizes that he has zero interest—and little liking—for Ilsa and, once she and Pleane return to Holland, begins popping up to see Mary and hustling her off for fabulously detailed meals and arranging visits for Mary and her sister to his country cottage, his home in Holland--generally deepening his (initially reluctant) pursuit.
Between the two MCs, their mutual unwillingness to reveal any warm feelings makes the romance/growing relationship a little thin and undeveloped, not helped by a rushed HEA ending. Mary’s younger sister, 13-year-old Polly, who becomes boon companion and confidante to our Rich Dutch Doctor, had a much more satisfying and warm relationship with our RDD than did our heroine. The MCs do too good a job of hiding their growing regard for one another, except for a few warm scenes of Mary helping him to pick out curtains and accessories for his country cottage and a kiss or two. There’s a brief Big Misunderstanding caused by the OW’s duplicity, but the good doctor gets the truth of the matter out of the heroine and clears the path to mutual declarations and a baby-filled future. In true RDD fashion, he more or less tells her she’ll be marrying him. She’s happy to agree. Hopefully their HEA will include better communication!
Not remarkable but overall a decent one from Betty with a nice amount of her unique charm and warmth. ...more
A later (1996) MoC story from BN, with a slightly less godlike RDD than in some of her earlier story (Gijs actually admits that he's sometimes wrong!)A later (1996) MoC story from BN, with a slightly less godlike RDD than in some of her earlier story (Gijs actually admits that he's sometimes wrong!) and a non-nurse heroine (the titular vicar's daughter, of course). The story starts off, unusually, from the hero's PoV and with an exciting occurrence--the heroine flags him when she comes across some "Travellers" in need of medical assistance. He amusingly guesses she might be a vicar's daughter since she's so bossy (hahaha, like they grow on trees), but obliges by delivering a baby with the heroine's help. Our RDD, fortunately, is a well-known Professor of Pediatric surgery--very useful in the situation. After their initial encounter, with the heroine already pretty smitten, they continue to run into one another, as FATE would have it.
Fate (aka Betty) is a ruthless bitch in this one: (view spoiler)[ to get to the MoC, BN carelessly kills off both the heroine's parents! (hide spoiler)] In an unintentional funny moment, the policeman who comes to inform the heroine about the Tragic Event tells her he has a "bit of bad news." Understatement alert!
The hero marries the heroine because he needs the usual BN hostess/helpmeet (or so he tells her) and the heroine, who is in love, agrees, thinking that, given the friendship that has grown between them, perhaps she can make the hero fall in love with her over time. So they marry, and we get the expected shopping trips to turn our homespun mouse into a better-dressed, attractive mouse, a visit to the hero's ancestral manse in Holland, some heroine angst because the hero, while somewhat more attentive than many an RDD before him, is obsessed by his work and doesn't seem to feel the need to spend much time with his wife of convenience, and of course, the big, silly Misunderstanding that almost derails them. (view spoiler)[Keeping a promise is one thing; keeping a promise to a silly girl whom you barely know at the cost of your marriage is something else entirely. (hide spoiler)]
But love will out, so of course we get a nice HEA with promises of consummation and future offspring! The real charm of this one lies in the slowly building relationship between the hero and heroine, as they feather their London nest together and come to know one another over time. While I tend to like BN's earlier books a lot more than her later ones, this is a pretty solid outing from Betty towards the end of her career, with likable characters and a nice slow burn. (Guest stars: Gijs and Beatrice from BN's Wedding Bells for Beatrice (which I haven't read yet), make a brief appearance but don't get lines.)...more
A low-angst MoC tale from Betty, from 1983. The RDD hero, Benedict, is one of Betty’s nice guys, no cold blue eyes, sneers, and benign neglect here--hA low-angst MoC tale from Betty, from 1983. The RDD hero, Benedict, is one of Betty’s nice guys, no cold blue eyes, sneers, and benign neglect here--he shares aspects of his life and work quite readily with the heroine, unlike certain BN heroes, who do their best to keep their MoC brides on the sidelines.
Our beautiful, red-haired/green-eyed heroine (amusingly named Prudence because she is anything but once she meets Benedict) is engaged to a pompous ass when she and the hero first meet at her sister’s wedding (she’s Maid of Honor and he’s Best Man). But Prudence is fed up both with her lingered-too-long engagement and with her smug, selfish fiance in general, so she dumps him pretty quickly. She’s decided she needs to break out of her stay-at-home life (since like so many BN heroines before her, she is stuck in some Victorian time-space continuum where she has stayed home to help her vicar father until she marries). The hero hires her as a general PA/au pair (reassuring her parents with his utter respectability and the presence of his live-in house staff as chaperones). And Prudence is off to Holland, where she pretty much assumes the duties of a BN MoC wife: flower arranging, mothering his daughter, helping with his correspondence.
The heroine is already falling in love with Benedict but doesn’t really realize it, thinking only how much she really really really likes him. She surprised when he asks her to marry him after several weeks, for friendship and companionship for himself and daughter Sibella, but she agrees after thinking it over, because she realizes she’s happy with them and thinks it can work. (Also, I always feel that BN heroines have a strong practical streak that reminds them that living in luxury, surrounded by beautiful old possessions and faithful family retainers to appreciate, while not a primary reason for marrying, is a compelling reason on their list of considerations.)
The relationship between Benedict and Prudence is friendly and he, unlike many a BN hero, actually enjoys sharing the details of his work with her and coming home to her warm companionship and the happy circle she makes with his daughter. But Prudence, realizing that she’s fallen in love with Benedict, soon wants more than just a marriage of friends, and resolves to make him fall in love with her as well. There’s some mild OW/OM drama that gets tied up quickly: (view spoiler)[ Benedict thinks she’s attracted to his best friend until he discovers that Prudence has played matchmaker to reunite friend Everard with his own lost love; the tenacious wannabe OW soon waves the white flag and decamps to Italy, leaving a message for the heroine that she knows when she’s beaten, hee). (hide spoiler)]
All that remains is for the hero and heroine to declare their mutual assurances of love, and it takes a lecture tour of England to give them the opportunity (amusingly, they stay with the good doctor’s colleagues along the tour and there’s always a convenient dressing room for him to sleep in). Finally, they straighten things out at Warwick castle, and mutual avowals of love and references to future children assure us of an HEA (and Betty slips in a pretty funny moment, to boot, amidst all the hearts and flowers: (view spoiler)[A worker at Warwick Castle, who talks to them briefly after spying them in a clinch has this to say to a coworker: “Just fancy, they’re married!” she observed. “I didn’t think they would be, they looked so in love.” Hahaha Betty! (hide spoiler)]
Not a top BN read for me, but a pleasant outing with likable MCs and plot moppet. The MCs in this one spend a lot of time together and it’s believable that their mutual regard and attraction turns into something stronger as they discover that they have much in common but enjoy their differences of opinion too. Betty relies less on the Big Misunderstandings and OW/OM drama than she does in some other stories, and while it makes for less angst than in some of her books, the need for the hero and heroine to get to know one another before really committing to love and marriage is believable and a nice slow burn. A solid, if quieter, one from Betty, less memorable than some but still an enjoyable, comfortable read.
Heroic car porn:
A suh-weeet and sexy Aston Martin Volante that I lust for: [image]...more
Updated review (because I forgot I already reviewed this one and I'm more appreciative of our OW on my re-read).
Forget our kindly, placid RDD Waldo anUpdated review (because I forgot I already reviewed this one and I'm more appreciative of our OW on my re-read).
Forget our kindly, placid RDD Waldo and the “I will toil in penury and misery forevermore because I promised!” martyred heroine whom he saves: the REAL star of TEotR is snake-in-the-grass wannabe-OW Elizabeth! Poor Elizabeth has waited 15 years for Waldo’s love, suffering through his marriage to her BFF, who died, and waiting, waiting hopelessly in the wings. So when he abruptly marries a stranger—and a mousy one at that!—she doesn’t sit around mourning her loss. Instead, she subtly begins her campaign to undermine our heroine, particularly with the hero’s little daughter. Hoping to win Waldo through attrition, I guess, by running off the heroine, Elizabeth (smile and smile) is clever and cruel: (view spoiler)[ • She tells the 5 year old daughter that her new mother will not love her and doesn’t want her love in return. • She pretends to “help” the heroine settle into her new role as wife, but instead takes every opportunity to either trip her up or make her look like a loser in front of other people. • She tells the 5-year-old daughter that Waldo is not her real father and ENCOURAGES the little kid to run away because her parents don’t love her, which she does • She tells the hero that it was the heroine who spilled the parentage beans (and then absconds to Antwerp to avoid any fallout). • Worst of all: She tries to make the heroine SPRING CLEAN! (Waldo hates spring cleaning, we learn.) (hide spoiler)]
Evil I tell you!
Our heroine is completely taken in at first, but then she has other fish to fry (view spoiler)[(she thinks there may be another OW in London who is more of a threat to her MoC) (hide spoiler)] After the beans-spilling incident, though, she sees Elizabeth’s true colors (mostly sickly green and acid yellow, one supposes)—but Waldo doesn’t want to hear the truth about the beans and instead “forgives” the heroine and insists they not discuss it anymore. So she seethes and boils and occasionally erupts without clearing anything up, and takes her aggression out on the Sweater of Rage and Despair she’s knitting as our hero’s Christmas present (although Elizabeth told her he hates homemade sweaters and will only wear bespoke cashmere, hee).
After a surfeit of bony sophisticates intent on luring our RDDs from their mousy wives-of-convenience using their flat-chested wiles and tinkling laughter, how refreshing to come across an BN OW who uses her superfakeniceness to try to achieve the same ends. Does she remain in Antwerp forever, one wonders? Probably not—BN’s OW generally don’t have any kind of comeuppance to fear—not even the ones who attempt the vilest things (dog drowning! Baby drugging!), so it's probably all good! when she rolls back home.
The Big Misunderstanding and the absolute REFUSAL (notable even for a BN hero and heroine!) to communicate are silly, of course, and overall, for me, this was one of BN’s more “middlin’” reads, but there’s a nice hero grovel at the end, and the OW is, at least, memorable. Downgraded a star because I've read a lot of BNs since my original review and this one didn't hold up so well in comparison.
Original review:
A fairly typical Cinderella story from Betty, with a rather more touchy-feely hero (he puts his hands on heroine's waist a few times--racy!); a plain-to-pretty heroine with a pretty sharp tongue when she gets riled; a MoC; a wicked aunt; a good aunt; the usual angst-causing miscommunication fostered, in part, by a delightfully horrible sneaky frenemy OW; a potential second OW!; and a satisfying, last-minute make-up/hero grovel/HEA.
Betty car porn: The hero in this one drives a Lambo to start (racy!): [image]
. . . but also has a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible (also pretty racy!): [image]...more
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