Cassandra By Chance (Mills & Boon M&B) (Betty Neels Collection, Book 15)

Her bedroom was in the front of the house with a view of the sea, and if she craned her neck out of the window, the mountains as well. It was most comfortably furnished and pleasantly warm, with cheerful carpeting to match the cherry red curtains and bedspread. She began to unpack with everyone sitting around watching her as she handed out the small presents she had brought with her. They had been difficult to choose because she hadn't a great deal of money and Tom was able to give Rachel and the children almost everything they could want.

And there's nothing much else you can wear here. Have you got some stout shoes? The rain had ceased by the time they had finished and Cassandra changed into her new sweater and a pair of slacks, tied a scarf over her hair, and joined her relations for a walk. They went first to the village, where she made the acquaintance of Mrs MacGill, who owned the shop, and on the way out of it, the pastor, an almost middle-aged man, very thin and stooping, with hair combed tidily over the bald patch on the top of his head, and thick glasses. He shook hands with Cassandra, expressed himself delighted to make her acquaintance and hoped that she would go to the Manse one day and take tea with himself and his sister.

He added, a little sternly, that he would see her in church on the following Sunday, and walked away rather abruptly. However did they manage to give a girl a good hug, do you suppose?

We'd better get back, I think. We can go down the other path. They made toast and ate a great deal of cake as well, and drank quantities of tea from an enormous teapot. It was nice, Cassandra reflected, that Rachel had never allowed Tom's success and money to interfere with the happy home life she had achieved for them all.

The house was roomy, well furnished and there was every comfort one could reasonably wish for, but the children weren't spoilt; there was no obvious luxury, although she knew that Rachel could have anything she wanted and more besides. She looked with affection at her sister, sitting curled up in one of the armchairs.

She had even contrived several meetings with young men when she and Tom had been living in London, so that Cassandra should have the opportunity of making their acquaintance. But this hadn't been entirely successful; there were too many pretty girls around for the young men in question to waste more than a polite few minutes with her. Perhaps if she could have been a sparkling talker she might have achieved something, but she wasn't, and she had never felt quite at ease with them.

An Ordinary Girl (Mills & Boon M&B) by Betty Neels

She bit into another slice of cake, thinking how fortunate it was that she could repay Rachel and Tom a little for their kindness by minding the children while they took a holiday. They had wanted to go away together for some time, she knew, but neither of them would consider it unless the children could be looked after by someone they trusted.

She had written back at once and offered to stay as long as they wanted her to, glad of the opportunity to get away from hospital life for a little while. I'm a latecomer to the genius that is was Betty Neels. Not to mention big hearts, which is why they're so awesome to read about. Cassandra By Chance is one of my favorites, though I'm just now dipping my toe into the Betty Awesomeness.

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In these days of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear; how lovely is it to read a book full of fruitcakes of the baked variety , loyalty, cozy fires, and OMG truly nice people. Cassandra believed she wasn't pretty after being rejected by a registrar at the hospital. She goes to Scotland to care for her niece and nephew while her sister and brother-in-law go on a six week vacation.

Cassandra feels sorry for the man in the cottage the children have told her about. She finds out he is blind and after several meetings they become friends and she helps him by reading medical journals to him. The children adore him and his man that helps take care of him. After her sisters return Benedict asks her to accompany him back to Holland as his nurse. He needs a buffer with those people that don't understand his blindness.

He is a surgeon and must go through tests to see if his sight will return. It's obvious that he is starting to care for Cassandra and she for him. This is really a lovely story. The characters in Cassandra by Chance really came to life, and I enjoyed their sharp dialog very much. Cassandra took nothing off Benedict, and was strong- something I liked.

The interplay between these two was the best part of the book. The worst part was Benedict's eye problem. Neels was a nurse- and so was I- so I was surprised at how poorly it was done. I mean, the man is using a cane for weeks, wearing dark lenses, able to see nothing but a 'blue blur. It was one of the 'oh, please! Cassandra by Chance is one of her better books, and fans of Betty Neels will enjoy it. No sex, foul language, etc. I have read dozens of Betty Neels books and I think this was one of my favorites. It is just a little different from the usual storyline she creates.

However, I love them all. They are descriptive, simple, and pure. I love that the characters always have a strong work ethic combined with a practical compassion that allows them to help in dire situations without losing their composure and professionalism. TGB is on point here. Arch and evil Veronica Sybil has an equally insidious cousin Gregory and together they hatch a plot to torpedo Philly and James. Lots more POV from James and just a sweet, lovely story. Apr 10, Lee rated it liked it Shelves: Yes, I have a new project - to read and pass on at least one book per month from the titles which have overflowed from my bookcase and are spilling onto the floor, creating towers beside the bed.

My new preference for ebooks means these piles of books are growing at such a rate they are now threatening to trap me in bed. Okay, this sounds like a good thing but, unfortunately, until I win lotto or write some bestselling book myself, I still need to get up and go to work, at the very least.

That is, one that allowed me to continue to watch the Commonwealth Games at the same time as I read it. Heroine is a plain and sensible girl who is naturally brilliant with children and animals. Hero is a doctor not Dutch this time though!

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Our couple keep interacting in a series of convenient meetings and other rather ordinary circumstances until H realises h will keep his house much better than the OW. The heroine is actually probably a bit too unassuming. I was thoroughly confused as to the time setting of the novel. My copy is saying it was first published in which is the same year Neels passed away. From the way the characters behave, I'd guess she wrote it much earlier. Obviously I assumed the book was supposedly set in the 70s or 80s but then there is a sudden reference to using a mobile phone.

The editors would have been better off leaving it as some sort of vintage story. This makes the book quite restful and stress free actually. Love me some Betty Neels Slightly shorter than her typical stories, but enjoyable all the same. They're enigmatic, powerful, and somewhat manipulative of others in a good way. The heroine also blurted out something to the hero that gave him a glimpse of her true feelings, like Jane did to Rochester. Lol, I don't know. I've read Jane Eyre too many times.

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These are strangely relaxing to read. Yes, they're archaic and sexist in their mid-century society values, but Wow, times have changed! Sep 21, Monique E.

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As usual As usual from Betty Neels, a very charming story. This one with a conniving fiancee and disrespectful family member. One of her later stories so characters do actually have cell phones. Lovely If you enjoy your romances clean, light, fluffy and vintage then you will enjoy the wonderful work of Betty Neels. Kendra Wilde rated it liked it Nov 19, Erik Coetzer rated it it was amazing Jul 24, Donna L North rated it it was amazing Nov 25, Chubalemla Chang rated it really liked it Jun 13, Jeanette Parker rated it it was amazing Jun 21, Clare rated it really liked it Aug 16, Peter E Frost rated it did not like it Jan 12, Chris Blair rated it it was amazing Jul 28, R Slade rated it liked it Apr 05, Judio rated it it was ok Jun 07, Brenda Peers rated it it was amazing Mar 15, Ns2np5 rated it really liked it Sep 06, Xandri rated it it was amazing May 09, Sandra Noel rated it really liked it May 11, Anna Maria Griego rated it it was amazing Mar 12, Nancy M Aleksey rated it liked it Nov 04, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

Betty Neels was born on September 15, 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. This comprised eight nursing sisters, including Betty, to men! In other circumstances, she thought that might have been quite thrilling!

When France was invaded in , 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.