The Nasty Marriage

Book Description: Laura had always been used to taking second place to her pretty younger sister, Joyce. If Joyce wanted something, she got it! It was, therefore, no surprise to Laura that when she fell in love with the attractive Dutch doctor Reilof van Meerum, he chose Joyce instead. But when Joyce walked out on him to marry another, richer man, Reilof asked her to marry him. He needed a wife, and Laura, it seemed, would do as well as anyone. So she accepted--but could she really expect to be happy with a man who did not love her? Neels does in this tale what she does best: Good-Looking, Rich Dutch Doctor / Plain, Hard-Working, Kind British Nurse. Joyce is Laura's beautiful, selfish, spoiled younger sister you love to absolutely hate; her father is the clueless parent; but a loving god-father is a small ray of sunshine in this gloomy family. You begin the story just knowing that the astute Doctor can see through Joyce's shallow beauty, see that Laura is the real gem, and is taking Joyce out to be near Laura. Reilof proposes around the middle of the book in a not-quite-Neels-move. (Surprise!) However, Neels fans will admire Laura's selflessness and kindness when she, despite her hurt and pain, reaches out to the man she loves in his time of anguish. One of my favorite Neels stories. This is a tale about self-image, true beauty, selfless love, and most of all, the difference between infatuation and love. Any Betty Neels fan will love this story that is so much more than the description. Reilof and Laura appear in "Britannia All At Sea"; they are friends of Jake Luitingh van Thien.

This is another sweet satisfying traditional romance from Betty Neels ... Description from the book back cover: Laura had always been used to taking second place to her pretty young sister Joyce. So when she fell in love with the attractive Dutch doctor Reilof van Meerum, it came as no surprise to her when he chose Joyce instead. But Joyce walked out on him to marry a richer man and to Laura's astonishment Reilof asked her to marry him. She accepted: but could she really expect to be happy with a man who did not even pretend to love her?

This book is classic Betty Neels with a bit of an edge to it. The characters are interesting and the story is charming. Also, there is the classic "nasty sister you love to hate".