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Betty Neels


UK flag (1910 - 2001)

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.

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, bu trather 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. She received a great deal of fan mail, and there was always a comment upon the fascinating places she visited in herstories. 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.
 

Genres: Romance
 
Series
Final Touch
   1. The Final Touch (1991)
   2. A Happy Meeting (1992)
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Dr Fforde
   1. Always and Forever (2001)
   2. The Doctor's Girl (2008)
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Novels
   A Match for Sister Maggy (1969)
     aka Amazon in an Apron / Nurse in Holland
   Sister Peters in Amsterdam (1969)
   Damsel in Green (1970)
   Fate is Remarkable (1970)
   Tempestuous April (1970)
     aka Nurse Harriet Goes to Holland
   Visiting Consultant (1970)
     aka Surgeon from Holland / Visiting Surgeon / Blow Hot, Blow Cold
   Tulips for Augusta (1971)
   Tangled Autumn (1971)
   The Fifth Day of Christmas (1971)
   Tabitha in Moonlight (1972)
   Wish with the Candles (1972)
   Victory for Victoria (1972)
   Saturday's Child (1972)
   Uncertain Summer (1972)
   Cassandra by Chance (1973)
   Three for a Wedding (1973)
   Winter of Change (1973)
     aka Surgeon in Charge
   Stars Through the Mist (1973)
   Enchanting Samantha (1973)
   The Gemel Ring (1974)
   The Magic of Living (1974)
   Cruise to a Wedding (1974)
   The End of the Rainbow (1974)
   A Small Slice of Summer (1975)
   Heaven is Gentle (1975)
   Henrietta's Own Castle (1975)
   A Star Looks Down (1975)
   Cobweb Morning (1975)
   The Moon for Lavinia (1975)
   Roses for Christmas (1975)
   Esmeralda (1976)
   The Edge of Winter (1976)
   A Gem of a Girl (1976)
   The Hasty Marriage (1977)
   The Little Dragon (1977)
   Grasp a Nettle (1977)
   A Matter of Chance (1977)
   Pineapple Girl (1977)
   Britannia All at Sea (1978)
   Philomena's Miracle (1978)
   Never While the Grass Grows (1978)
   Ring in a Teacup (1978)
   Sun and Candlelight (1979)
   The Promise of Happiness (1979)
   Midnight Sun's Magic (1979)
   Winter Wedding (1979)
   Last April Fair (1980)
   Caroline's Waterloo (1980)
   The Silver Thaw (1980)
   Hannah (1980)
   When May Follows (1980)
   Not Once But Twice (1981)
   An Apple from Eve (1981)
   Heaven Round the Corner (1981)
   Judith (1982)
   A Girl to Love (1982)
   All Else Confusion (1982)
   A Dream Came True (1982)
   Midsummer Star (1983)
   Roses and Champagne (1983)
   Never Say Goodbye (1983)
   Never Too Late (1983)
   Year's Happy Ending (1984)
   Once for All Time (1984)
   Polly (1984)
   Heidelberg Wedding (1985)
   A Summer Idyll (1985)
   At the End of the Day (1985)
   Magic in Vienna (1985)
   Never the Time and the Place (1985)
   A Girl Named Rose (1986)
   Two Weeks to Remember (1986)
   The Secret Pool (1986)
   Stormy Springtime (1987)
   The Doubtful Marriage (1987)
   Off with the Old Love (1987)
   A Gentle Awakening (1987)
   The Course of True Love (1988)
   When Two Paths Meet (1988)
   Paradise for Two (1988)
   No Need to Say Good-Bye (1989)
   The Fateful Bargain (1989)
   The Chain of Destiny (1989)
   Hilltop Tryst (1989)
   The Girl with Green Eyes (1990)
   The Convenient Wife (1990)
   A Suitable Match (1990)
   A Little Moonlight (1991)
   The Most Marvellous Summer (1991)
   A Kind of Magic (1991)
   An Unlikely Romance (1992)
   Romantic Encounter (1992)
   The Quiet Professor (1992)
   An Old-Fashioned Girl (1992)
   A Girl in a Million (1993)
   At Odds with Love (1993)
   The Awakened Heart (1993)
   Waiting for Deborah (1994)
   Wedding Bells for Beatrice (1994)
   Dearest Mary Jane (1994)
   A Secret Infatuation (1994)
   Fate Takes a Hand (1995)
   Marrying Mary (1996)
   Only by Chance (1996)
   A Kiss for Julie (1996)
   The Vicar's Daughter (1996)
   The Daughter of the Manor (1997)
   Love Can Wait (1997)
   The Fortunes of Francesca (1997)
   The Mistletoe Kiss (1997)
   Nanny by Chance (1998)
   An Ideal Wife (1998)
   A Winter Love Story (1998)
   Discovering Daisy (1999)
   A Good Wife (1999)
   An Independent Woman (2001)
   Making Sure of Sarah (2008)
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Collections
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Novellas and Short Stories
   A Christmas Proposal (2012)
   A Christmas Romance (2012)
   Dearest Eulalia (2012)
   An Ordinary Girl (2012)
   The Proposal (2012)
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Omnibus editions show
 


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