The Disobedient Bride - Bukan Istri Penurut

Hawk's Way #8

by Joan Johnston, Caecilia Krismariana W (Translator)

Sebuah iklan terpasang di surat kabar Dallas:

Dicari Seorang Istri

Seorang pengusaha peternakan di Texas mencari perempuan yang jujur, bertanggung jawab, penurut untuk dijadikan istri. Harus mampu melahirkan anak. Hubungi Zachary Whitelaw, Hawk’s Pride.

Rebecca, seorang perawat di rumah sakit anak, mengenal laki-laki pemasang iklan itu. Zach adalah temannya semasa remaja, saat ayahnya menjadi kepala peternakan di Hawk’s Pride. Berkat dorongan Bu Fortunata, Rebecca melamar posisi itu. Mulanya Zach menolak namun akhirnya setuju dengan pertimbangan, toh, ia mencari istri untuk melahirkan anak, bukan untuk dicintai. Faktanya, Rebecca memenuhi semua kualifikasi yang disyaratkan. Ia hangat, menggairahkan dan suka anak-anak. Maka mereka pun membuat perjanjian nikah. Zach mensyaratkan waktu setahun bagi Rebecca untuk bisa hamil, sementara Rebecca meminta perkemahan bagi anak-anak yang sakit di lahan Hawk’s Pride. Jika dalam setahun Rebecca tidak hamil, selesailah “kontrak’ pernikahan itu. Namun, tak terhindarkan, cinta pun tumbuh diam-diam di antara mereka.



Saat berusaha mendapatkan anak, mereka bertemu Jewel, gadis cilik yatim piatu. Zach dan Rebecca mengajaknya ke peternakan untuk beberapa waktu. Kasih sayang hadir di antara mereka. Rebecca pun berniat mengadopsinya, namun Zach tidak setuju. Ketika ada pasangan lain yang ingin mengadopsi Jewel, gadis cilik itu kabur dan menyebabkan kecelakaan tragis yang membuat Rebecca cedera parah. Cedera itu mengakibatkan Rebecca kehilangan harapan pada pernikahannya. Zach pun mesti memilih, bersikap konsisten pada “kontrak”-nya atau menjalani hidup bersama Rebecca yang kini tak sempurna lagi.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Western Romance, Westerns, Marriage Of Convenience

250 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Joan Johnston (born Little Rock, Arkansas) is a best-selling American author of over forty contemporary and historical romance novels.

Johnston was the third of seven children born to an Air Force sergeant and his music-teacher wife. She received a B.A. in theatre arts from Jacksonville University in 1970, then earning an M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1971. She received a law degree (with honors) at the University of Texas at Austin in 1980. For the next five years, Johnston worked as an attorney, serving with the Hunton & Williams firm in Richmond, Virginia, and with Squire, Sanders, & Dempsey in Miami. She has also worked as a newspaper editor and drama critic in San Antonio, Texas, and as a college professor at Southwest Texas Junior College, Barry University, and the University of Miami.

Johnston is a member of the Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., Romance Writers of America, and Florida Romance Writers. She has two children and one grandchild, and divides her time between two homes, in Colorado and Florida.

Awards

* Paperbook Book Club of America's Book Rak Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best Western Historical Series Award (twice)
* Romantic Times' Best New Western Writer
* Romantic Times' Best Historical Series Award (twice)
* The Maggie (twice)
* Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist for The Disobedient Bride

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being somewhat disappointed with 'The Cowboy Takes a Wife' and 'The Unforgiving Bride', I´m glad to see this series grabbing my attention again with this book. And even though there was a very heart-wrenching moment near the end of the book, I thought it was the right HEA for Zach and Rebecca.

If there´s one thing that bothered me, it was the way Zach keep calling Rebecca "kid" for so long, but I kinda understod his need to keep some "emotional distance" from her.

[Amel Armeliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kasih 3.5 bintang buat buku yang ini. Suka sama Zach nya. Jadi pengen baca keseluruhan seri Hawk's Way jadinya :)

[Tetty Marlinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

#28 - 2019 RC
Genre: Harkequin Romance

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zach Whitelaw wanted children but he'd have to find a woman to be their mother. He stated his needs clearly in his ad for a wife and mother, and Rebecca Littlewolf seemed to fit the bill with one exception. There was not a compliant bone in her body. Rebecca's loved Zach since she was sixteen, and he'd now given her the hope that maybe she could get him to love her back. Time and again, she realized that maybe her hopes would never be realized. Another must read from Ms. Johnston!

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but seemed kind of rushed over all.

[Ayu Wirdha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bukan istri penurut tapi mau saja ditolak berulangkali, ga ada harga dirinya bener. Ngapain juga Rebecca meninggalkan pekerjaan sebagai perawat untuk menjawab iklan Zach yang mencari istri hanya untuk menghasilkan keturunan. Setelah datang menemui Zach ditolak lagi padahal enam tahun lalu Rebecca yang masih tujuh belas tahun dan tergila - gila dengan Zach mencoba menyodorkan diri ke Zach dan ditolak pula. Ampun deh awal - awal baca saja sudah bikin senep. Mbok ya baru umur dua puluh tiga saja sudah panik harus menikah dan punya anak.

[Yenny toh · Rating 1 out of 5]

apa y yg ditulis???bingung ^^
diawali dgn sebuah iklan"dicari istri"..pengen nikah ampe segituny,dimuat dikoran lagi,kayak ga laku aja.eits..jgn salah..dipasang diiklan karena siapa y nama co ny,lupa...karena dia ga mau jatuh cinta n patah hati lagi.trauma ma yg namany jatuh cinta..uda mau merit..eh..liat tunanganny lg uhuk..uhuk..diranjangny..pengen gw tabok tuh ce,alasanny klise pula tuh.cuma demi pekerjaan..
rebecca terkejut baca iklan dikoran..kalo co dr masa laluny,cinta pertama sekaligus org yg buat dia patah hati cari jodoh..
rebecca mencb peruntungan sapa tau iklan tuh mash berlaku...blm ada yg lulus..kayak ujiaan aja
pendek kata jadih deh mereka.tapi tuh iklan dibuat dgn syarat dlm 1th rebecca hrs bs hamil kalo ga gw depak u keluar..alias cerai
tiap mlm lembur trus tuh si rebecca ma sapa y namany..oh..iya zach..biar bs cepat hamil..
tapi gara2 suatu kecelakaan rebecca jd ga bs hamil lg..rahimny musti diangkat kalo ga bs m..t..hu..kasian banget..


ga suka ma ending ceritany...tapi boleh lah drpd ga ada bacaan..

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading other Hawks Way books, this one was a disappointment. Putting aside the whole 'why would you marry a man who doesn't love you' question (there is an answer that, while not entirely satisfying, worked), the way the romance unfolded just felt contrived. The trip to the fertility specialist was poorly researched. The rationale why HE wanted a loveless marriage ... okay ... the dude got burned badly (I won't spoil it for you).

The 'tragedy' before the end just totally didn't work for me. He could have loved and accepted her without it (after all ... nearly a year of trying nightly and not succeeding ... the tragedy was just contrived) and adopted the little girl. It's too bad the plot just plain did not work because the characters themselves were intriguing. It was the situation they found themselves in that just plain was not credible.

[Asterope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not horrible, but not mind-blowingly good. I did like it. A bit more angsty than I was expecting, though it sort of evened out with their HEA. This is a good book to read if you're really into the drama and angst surrounding fertility and conception, as that's the main focus on the plot.

Some things to point out:
There's an age-gap. When she was 17, he was 30. So 13 years apart. The book takes place when she's 23, him 36.

Also, the one thing I didn't like was his use of "kid" for an endearment. He explained why he still used it (it reminded him of her young, innocent, sweet, etc), but I just didn't think it was appropriate. Especially when he was also using it for real, actual kids as well as his wife. Also, he used it quite a bit and I have a major pet peeve with any endearment used too much and too often.

[Canan · Rating 4 out of 5]

sonunda aradığımı buldum...
bu kitap bizde desire harlequin olarak yayımlanmış...
ve sanırım seri...
kitap güzeldi...
Geçmişe daha doğrusu geçmişte olan olayların etkisinde olan bir adam...
Ve ne olrsa olsun ilk aşkını elde etmeye kararlı bir kadın..
oluyor mu oluyor...
Nasıl mı?
Gazeteye evlenmek için ilan veren Zach ve buna yanıt vermekte gecikmeyen Rebecca....
eee kader onları birleştirdi...gerisinide kendileri halletsin :)

[Vindri Prachmitasari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suka sama karakter Zach. Manis banget wlpn ga bikin jd diabetes sih. Pas pokoknya. Wlpn byk adegan ranjang nya tp ga bikin mual kok yaa sesuai ama ceritanya, ceritanya jg pas. Wlpn sy ga dpt karakter Rebecca nya yg sbg gadis tdk penurut bgt, kirain bakal seperti itu. Tp gegara sikap Zach, segalanya msh ok

[Mystique · Rating 4 out of 5]

tragic as to what happened to the h ;(

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Hawk's Way