Harlequin Romance #3287: An Old-Fashioned Girl

by Betty Neels

Book Overview

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Betty Neels released on Sep 24, 1993 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373032870
• ISBN13: 9780373032877
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Harlequin Books
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

A sweet story

This is one of the sweeter novels by Betty Neels. The other reviewers have described the plot. I'll just say that I enjoyed it and will read it again.

Clean, Practical, Fun, Cute. Classic Betty Neels.

Patience Martin has two elderly aunts who struggle with the idea that a pound does not go as far as it once did, a manor home she is trying to let to anyone who could afford it, a small town home she is letting from someone else, and few skills marketable in her small home town. At first, prospects seem dim to her, until she learns that a tenant has let the manor home for six months, and is willing to hire her as a liason between his housekeeper and the townspeople. The tenant's dog is agreeable, but the tenant and his housekeeper are not. Fortunately, practical Patience can put up with anything. A snow storm, a manuscript in a poor hand, an adventure in the big city, a trip to the Netherlands, and a disappointment later, life seems no longer so dim. The overall descriptor for this book is "darling." For those more accustomed to racing hearts and dramatic plot twists, it will seem very vanilla. For those seeking it, it presents a refreshing break from the current tendencies of romance toward erotica. The pace is very measured. The reader cannot predict very little of what happens, but, as such, the continuity is flawless and the progression highly logical. Though Patience does not experience dire agony, the pain and worry she feels translates as very real to the reader. There is but one flaw in the book, and it is more a flaw produced by the progression of time than by the story. Anyone who has ever read any Georgette Heyer may have experienced the same thing: the heroine seems to have very little in the way of ultimate control over her circumstances. Now dwelling in a world of self-made men and women, a reader must make an effort to revert to a 1940s and 1950s mindset to avoid asking questions of "Why did she not do/say this?" Enjoy reading this book. It is quite worth the effort.

She cooks, cleans and types-my kind of woman.

The reviewer from Decatur, GA has described the plot. This is another good story from Betty Neels. It's just about the same plot--doctor, plain girl, beautiful villan(ess). The descriptions of England, Holland, and the various foods eaten are always interesting. All I can say against it is there is no sex, but that's not why I read Ms. Neels--I read them because most of the time the heroine is plain and she gets the prince.

Let's hear it for nice country girls with sharp tongues !

Cover: The doctor meets his match .....Patience Martin is a county girl with a sharp tongue and absolutely no interest in the latest fashions. She's hardly the sort of woman who normally attracts the attention of wealthy Dutch surgeon Julius van der Beek!But something about Patience makes her stand out - and it isn't just because they were snowbound together. Not that it means he'll fall in love with her - not with the glamorous Sylvia van Teule making it clear she expects to become his wife ....This is yet another of Betty Neels' charming tales of a brave, practical loving heroine who is living with two elderly aunts and making a living as best they can after suffering a severe setback in financial circumstances. Patience is a no-nonsense compassionate hard-working woman whose capabilities are finally recognized and appreciated by the Hero. You will be charmed by the heroine's love for her aunts and the way she protects them from the unpleasant aspects of their current life. You will laugh out loud when the adorable tyke involved in the story sticks out her tongue at the widow stalking our hero! :)