Customer Reviews

Uncertain Summer

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Description from the book back cover:

Nurse Serena Potts has almost given up hope of marrying when she finds herself assigned to care for an injured Dutch doctor, the handsome Laurens von Amstel. A whirlwind romance springs up between them, and caring soon turns to loving. When Laurens proposes and asks her to leave her new job to join him in Holland, Serena is thrilled. But Serena's hopes for the future are dashed when she arrives in Holland and realizes that Laurens is trying to back out of his commitment so that he can marry the beauteous Adriana. Alone and uncertain in a strange country, Serena struggles to win back her lost chance for happiness.

As an emergency nurse, Serena Potts has dealt with many accident patients. But one day, one stole her heart and to be with him, quit her job and went to join him in Holland. Unfortunately, soon after he left her for another woman. Step in his cousin, Gijs van Amstel. "Why don't you marry me?" he asked her. Unsure but feeling something undefinable, Serena reluctantly agreed. But as their marriage progressed, Serena realized that maybe her heart actually belonged to someone else all this time.

Well, the ridiculous plot was certainly different from the usual Betty Neels' romance and this one difference really bothered me. What woman would quit her job and travel to a different country because a man (she thinks she loves but barely know) told you to, with vague promises of marriage? The storyline did not make sense to me. With only knowing him for a month, from random letters and calls, Serena happily jetted off to Holland with most of her belongings. Even when she seen him kissing another woman, she went into complete denial and made excuses for him. She easily jumped to conclusions and was too timid when it came to confrontations. As a woman, I cannot respect her and felt only pity when her fantasy world collapsed around her. If Gijs and the side characters were not there for her, she would a miserable mess. Other than that, after getting past the first third of the book, it became the more predictable plot and writing readers expect from Betty Neels. Her style of writing is still ever present. As usual, Gijs was your basic Neels' hero: a handsome, older Dutch doctor. All the side characters were perfect in their roles. The plot and dialogue were your usual fare.

All in all, I generally like Betty Neels but this book required a suspension of reality that I could not care for. I found the heroine too flighty to really enjoy the book. But if you can look pass that, the story was a simple tale of finding love that was under your nose. If you like Betty Neels or sweet romances without action, this is your cup of tea. However, if you are looking for something to ensnare your attention with a riveting plot, engaging characters and hot read, this is definitely not for you.

Serena gave up hope of getting married when she goes to Holland to be with her fiance and finds out that he was already engaged. Heartbroken, stranded and in despair, she agrees to marry his cousin Gijs.
She liked Gijs and he was fond of her and so she thinks it would work... only it turns out Gjis was in love with someone else.

This was an 'okay' story for me. Didn't enjoy it as I do most of her stories. Mainly because I thought the heroine was a bit too silly to take a marriage proposal seriously when it was uttered off-handedly. And to give up her career and rush off to Holland to marry the air-head Laurens. Really stupid idea!
And secondly the hero, when he found out she was leaving him, he could have prevented the wasted journey to England and confronted the heroine immediately about her mis-assumptions. Sigh! What a tangle web they weave... but then this is a BN book, so its expected.
Oh, and there was a scene in Gijs and Serena's relationship, earlier on, which had an unexpected warmth in their by-play and a warm kiss shared, which is rare in a BN bk. So that was good.