COVER: "When the vicar's daughter met the surgeon......
Florence Napier thought Alexander Fitzgibbon a cold, humorless man. The eminent surgeon had hired her as the new nurse for his private practice, but he didn't seem to like her.
Nor was Florence at all sure she liked him. Still, she had to admit he was a dedicated doctor, generous with his skills and considerate toward his patients.
Slowly Florence began to notice that many of Alexander Fitzgibbon's actions contradicted his aloof demeanor, revealing a man who was as attractive inside as out. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when she realized, one day, that she'd fallen in love with him........"

I love Betty's books about tall striking redheads who are very plain spoken with feisty tempers and sparkling eyes. The heroes almost never see the blow coming! :) The heroine speaks to them directly and bluntly, using none of the fawning admiration with which they are usually surrounded. Florence is skilled, hard working, generous and kind. She considers Alexander right out of her league, and resigns herself to a life without him. Alexander fights his attraction to Florence so skillfully, hiding behind a cool professional manner, that when he finally realizes the depth of his feelings he has a time of it convincing Florence. This is a story full of lovely, warm, wonderful people who will restore your faith in the goodness of people and the value of a kind and charitable soul.
This warm soothing story will be the expected balm that Neels' loyal readers crave and will be a special treat to new readers. There is nothing quite like a redhead who has been rubbed the wrong way !! :)

Betty Neels is without doubt my favorite romance book author and Romantic Encounter is one of her best books and I really liked the characters a guy, Alexander FitzGibbon and a lady, Florence Napier. I recommend this fantastic book very highly!

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES really can happen and Chritmas dreams can come true. Join three of your favorite romance authors as they celebrate the festive season in their own special style!

When Dr. Oliver Hay-Smythe sees how kindhearted Bertha's family takes advantage of her, he decides to sweep her off her feet with... A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL by Betty Neels

Bethany seems to be the perfect mother for Nick Rafferty's three children - and the perfect wife for Nick. So perfect, in fact, that Nick suspects he's being watched over by... HEAVENLY ANGELS by Carole Mortimer

Jill Barton loves her role as a stand-in mom for five-year-old Kip. But as soon as Jill meets Kip's father, the gorgeous Zane Doyle, she realizes why all Kip wants is... A DADDY FOR CHRISTMAS by Rebecca Winters

Betty Neels charming books were some of the first romance books that I ever read and I really liked her book A Christmas Wish and I liked the characters a young English lady namd Olivia Harding and a Dutch man named Haso van der Eilser, the setting of the book took place in both England and The Netherlands. I recommend this book to every fan of Betty Neels wonderful books!

I fell in love with Betty Neels' romances after reading 'Winter of Change'. Since then, I have scoured through ebay and used bookstores looking for her books, and bought every book that has been reissued in the "Best of Betty Neels" and 'Harlequin Romance' series. I've found her books to be very sweet, romantic and heartwarming...

'Discovering Daisy' is a wonderful story about a Dutch pediatrician, Jules, who finds himself falling in love with Daisy, a quiet and kind English woman who works in her father's antiques shop. They have a habit of running into each other unexpectedly... Of course, the problem is that he is already engaged to Helene...

If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend 'Heaven is Gentle'. The storylines are similar, in some respects - Eliza falls in love with Christian, who is engaged to Estelle. However, 'Discovering Daisy' is unique from Betty Neels' many books, because the story unfolds from the point of view of both main characters, Jules and Daisy... (This really makes it alot sweeter.) Typically, the female character's point-of-view dominates...

Some other favorites of mine are, 'The Chain of Destiny', 'When Two Paths Meet', and 'Saturday's Child'...

I hope you enjoy this book and her many others...

FINALLY...an author who is romantic with a mystery and travelogue to enhance the storyline...MORE MORE and MORE,please !

With "Exterior Interior : Alice Neel," accomplished art historian Pamela Allara provides the most magnificently wrought, thorough portrait of Neel around. Understated and earnest, it is among the best analysis of any artist I have seen - period. Allara shares her balanced insights, but it sure to place Alice Neel first and foremost. Neel would have liked it that way - she was definitely an individual who held her own.

Yes, she wrote a book by that title, but it fits her very well. Her books are reminisicent of the novels of the 1940's and early 50's, before they becaome so explicit. Her plots are re-used and predictable, but her characters come alive, and a reader becomes attached to them. She brings them back in later books, they are all acquainted with each other, and it's very pleasant to encounter them again. I know literary critics will laugh at me, but her characters remond me of those of Jane Austen, set in a more modern time.
I haven't said anything about Fate is Remarkable...I think it is my favorite of her books, an early one, before the plots became a little thin. Sarah and Hugo fall in love, unexpectedly, and all is well.
If I have missed any of her books, I don't know which it is, have owned all of them at one time or another. May they live in print a long time.

I have read almost all of Betty Neel's books and this is one of my favorites. The plot isn't deep, but the characterization is excellent, and the romance is satisfying. Yes, this is an "old-fashioned" book in that the main characters don't lust after each other nor have pre-marital sex. It is a gentle, thoughtful romance. My mom, dad, sister, and I have all read this book several times. One of the sayings that has become a joke in our family comes from the part where the old family retainer tells the couple that the "wind took the electricity," and later, we all wonder if the wind brought it back! It is the well-developed characters that make this book a classic. It is variation on the snowed-in house party theme, only in this case the characters were accidentally marooned together in a storm, and have to make do. Julia, the heroine, is an intelligent, independent nurse, and the hero is her forceful counterpart. I do wish the that the supposed "other woman" would be exposed for what she is sooner, but even with that frustration, it is still a very enjoyable book. I am glad that Harlequin re-printed it, since the old copies out there were wearing out. Now you can get a good used copy at a very reasonable price.

Dhuoda's Handbook (written for her teenaged son William, who was effectively a hostage at the time)is a wonderful source for anyone interested in women and children in the Middle Ages. This fine translation is very readable, and gives us a look into the emotional world of a mother separated from her child - her fear, concern, anguish, pride, resentment, and resignation.

For students of history, the book has a great deal to show us, from Dhuoda's evident high level of education to the occasional fascinating details of her life story. Incidentally, this book also puts the lie to those historians who have claimed from time to time that medieval people did not grow attached to their children, or even that they did not love them! Although we know from other sources that Dhuoda's son's life did not end happily, we know little about Dhuoda herself beyond this book. In short, Dhuoda's viewpoint is a powerful and important one, and is easily accessible to the modern reader.

If you have never read a Betty Neels book, this is the one to start with. I loved this book, it is like reading a fairytale. This story is about Katrina, a big girl who keeps telling herself that she is happy with her life, until she meets Dr. Simon Glenville. She hates him at first sight, and yet he is always with her everytime she needs him. What she doesn't know is that he has fallen in love with her. It's a sweet romance that will make you stock up on Betty Neels' books.