Betty Neels is a genre all her own, and her books are unmistakeably hers. This is one where she tries a little harder to break the mold, and it is adorable. It’s a little like watching your grandma trying to use modern tech or slang and fumbling it but looking so earnest while she does it.
The book is Making Sure of Sarah, and it’s not one of the stronger ones in Ms. Neels’ catalog.
This is a Cinderella story with a somewhat homely heroine and a heroic love interest who falls in love with her at first sight. Unlike many of Ms. Neels’ books, we get a bit of the male point of view, which is cute in her hands. He’s instantly smitten with Sarah, but with no reason other than the needs of the plot given. Now, I get it, my parents fell in love within hours and were engaged in a week and married in three months and had a long and happy marriage, but that’s not normal – or recommended – behavior. Even so, they took more than a single glance to choose their forever mates. I think it was more about the drive-in movie they didn’t see than any soulful glances across the room, to be honest.
Never mind, on with the story. The Doctor (no, I’m not looking up his name – feel free to fill in whatever name you choose) decides that he’s in love with this bedraggled homely girl the instant he lays eyes on her and sets out to rescue her from her narcissistic mother and bully of a stepfather. The three of them (Sarah and the villains) had been in a car accident while visiting Holland, and she was the only one not badly injured. He arranges to have her sleep at his sister’s home and helps her through the time it takes for her mother and stepfather to return to England. He arranges employment as a companion to an elderly relative and spends as much time as possible wooing her. By wooing her, I mean treating her with civility and good manners. This is a Betty Neels book, folks, not a steamy romance.
The villains learn nothing, Sarah drifts through the story until she washes ashore in the Doctor’s vicinity again. I will say, though, she does attempt to get a job, but she’s woefully undereducated and untrained. Still, kudos to Betty Neels for letting her try to have a chance at a life before marriage. Luckily, she is rescued from a fate worse than… oh wait, that’s not what they mean by that. Employment… that’s what she’s rescued from… The Doctor sweeps her off to a life of leisure and quiet civility. The End.
This is a sweet book. Not a great one, but quiet and steady. You know going into a Betty Neels’ book exactly what you’re going to get. Some of them are surprisingly good. This isn’t one of them, but it is predictable and a nice refuge from a bad day.
3 1/2 You-Get-What-You-Get Stars
