REVIEW: Roses Have Thorns by Betty Neels

JayneB+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Readscats / class differences / doctor hero / enemies to lovers / maidservant / strong heroine6 Comments

Sarah had been happy working at the hospital, until Radolf Nauta interfered and left her jobless. Forced to find other means to support herself, she was totally unprepared when she ran into the domineering Radolf again, and he hadn’t changed one bit! The only problem Sarah had? She soon realized that her heart now belonged to him, and there was nothing she could do to fight it.

Review

After starting a few books that didn’t progress far, I needed a failsafe. Yep, time to pull out a Neels book. Perusing the list and looking for one with good recommendations, I decided on this one. I like a feisty Neels heroine and in Sarah I got one.

Sarah, who of course lives in a grotty little bedsit, is sensible and as the only unmarried female clerk in the clinic where Dutch doctor Radolf Nauta sees patients at this hospital, she is, of course, expected to be early and stay late rather than the two married clerks. Typical. Radolf thinks nothing of Sarah but his mother has a feeling that Sarah would do perfectly to be a companion to the dying family matriarch, who thinks Sarah has nice eyes, no looks to speak of and doesn’t cringe, in Holland. Sarah does help there and makes a good impression on Radolf’s parents. It’s only the four extra days she stays past her two week vacation that gets her sacked.

Annoyed and feeling guilty because he knows it’s his actions that got her fired, Radolf goes on a seek and find mission before just happening to come upon Sarah at her new job, in the country, as a housemaid. The pay is good, she has her own tiny cottage, plus she can have her cat, Charles, there with her. The staff know that Sarah is a cut above and ought to be sitting with the family but have no complaints about how hard Sarah works. Radolf is still annoyed but can’t think of a way to get her a better job that she wouldn’t scorn coming from him. Lady Wesley yanks him up sharply about this.

Sarah opened an eye once more. She had a headache, but she still had her wits. She said clearly, ‘We dislike each other. It is my earnest wish that I never see the man again. He has no feelings and, if he has, they’re deep-frozen.’

Sarah eyes a chap straight on and doesn’t mince her words.

Can Radolf get over his guilty conscience – because really that’s the only reason he can’t seem to get this drab, little woman out of his thoughts, right? Or has his London married couple staff already figured out what’s really going on?

Sarah, as I mentioned earlier, feels free to warn Radolf about his language multiple times. She politely tells him off several times, including in front of his mother which makes that lady eye Sarah thoughtfully. Sarah wins over the staff at Lady Wesley’s country and London homes by working hard and not complaining which is a good thing as poor Parsons – another maid – is off, sick or injured a lot thus allowing Sarah and Radolf to simmer at each other in the dining room while Sarah “looks slippy with the vegetable dishes” and later realizes she loves Radolf as she hands round the cheese plate. Sarah gives good value for her pay packet which she uses to splash out on a lovely rose patterned jersey outfit plus court heels.

Radolf flusters her a bit and she does tell a fib or two – which she usually gets caught out about – to avoid him at times but he seems more amused than anything else about it which makes his mother eye them both thoughtfully.

This book appears to have been first released in the early 1990s but it’s got and older feel and a lot of detail about running both a country and a London aristocratic household (much more work for the servants than for the Lady of the house) plus there are visits to the Nauta family estate in Holland as well as the two households Radolf maintains in England. Nice to have that kind of money along with old, devoted family retainers.

Though it might seem as if Radolf’s got all the power in the relationship – and he can be a little bossy at times – Sarah can wind him up and set him back on his heels in a lovely, polite British way. Plus she adores her plump cat Charles who plays a pivotal role late in the book. This was just what I needed to reset my reading. B+

~Jayne

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Jayne

Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there's no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.

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