Betty Neels Collection - Book 56

This is a reread of one of my favorite Neels romances. No Dutch doctors or English nurses in this one; instead there's a British playwright, a widower with two young daughters, who hires our heroine as a housekeeper, saving her from penury.

When Sadie's grandmother dies, it turns out their little cottage is mortgaged to the hilt. Sadie has grown up with and then nursed her grandmother, so her only skills are of the household variety. When the house is put up for sale, it's bought by Oliver Trentham as a writing retreat, and he keeps Sadie on to run the house. Soon the daughters and their evil nanny show up, but Evil Nanny (who of course is from London and can't so much as boil an egg) is dispatched pretty quickly.

It's a Neels, so there is no sex and almost no kissing, but I've always found the story pretty romantic. Oliver is more oblivious than alphaholish, and the Big Mis at the end is mercifully short and only serves to set up the HEA scene. The children are sweet, the other household help are uniformly competent and helpful, and there are patented Neels descriptions of clothing and food. No trips to Jaeger or BHS, but a few to Marks & Spencer, a Christmas feast, two rounds of sausage rolls, and a memorable scene set in Kettner's.

I think this is a favorite because Sadie could be such a pathetic creature but she's totally not written that way. She's quietly competent and comfortable with herself. Oliver is a lucky man and he knows it. ( )

I enjoyed this book. ( )