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To Have and To Hold #5
Part - Time Marriage
Would she become his part-time wife?
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband....
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband....
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
About the author
Jessica Steele
341 books113 followersJessica Steele was born on May 9, 1933 in the elegant Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa. She has two super brothers, Colin and George, and a lovely sister, Elizabeth. She was a delicate child and missed a lot of school. In fact, she left school at aged 14, when she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At 16, she started work as a junior clerk. In 1967, Jessica married with her husband, Peter and within a very short space of time they had moved from her hometown to the lovely area where they now live. Their house is built into the side of a hill, and has beautiful views over more hills and valleys. Her brothers and her sister are very close and she has plenty of nephews and nieces to make up for the fact that she and her husband have no children of their own. Both she and her husband are more than a little dog-oriented, and their current dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier named Florence. Florence is gorgeous. She loves everybody but, since she is 40 pounds of dynamite and would hurl her boisterous self at everyone she meets - given half a chance - she has to be restrained (as much as possible). She is fun.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 20, 2015
Jessica Steele is one of my favorite British authors in this fairly "clean" line of Harlequin. This premise is really different from the norm for Steele, and I've read all her books. It's a marriage of convenience — if you can call it that. Expedient, I'd say, for the goal of fathering a baby (hero's reason) and for the goal of getting her marriage-obsessed family off her back (heroine's reason). This one is more sexy than most romances Steele wrote, because the goal is to father a baby, but the sex is off camera, mostly. It's a winner! So tender, there at the end.
From book jacket:
Could she become his part-time wife?
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband….
From book jacket:
Could she become his part-time wife?
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband….
September 17, 2011
The h is a 25 year old career woman. Unfortunately her family won't leave her alone to concentrate on her career. They are determined to find her a man to marry, and they're driving her nuts.
The H is a successful ceo. He'd like a son to inherit his empire but doesn't want the emotional entanglement of a wife. He does want his child to be legitimate.
The h over hears the H talking to his friend at a restaurant and after one too many set-ups by her mother she decides to contact the H.
So they agree to a moc for the purpose of creating one child. It will last one year and end in divorce. The H will get his child and the h will get her mother, aunts and cousins off her back long enough to achieve a career promotion.
This is a fun light read. Of course some will not like the h because she's willing to make a contract to have a child, but in reality she falls in love with the H almost immediately.
The H is a successful ceo. He'd like a son to inherit his empire but doesn't want the emotional entanglement of a wife. He does want his child to be legitimate.
The h over hears the H talking to his friend at a restaurant and after one too many set-ups by her mother she decides to contact the H.
So they agree to a moc for the purpose of creating one child. It will last one year and end in divorce. The H will get his child and the h will get her mother, aunts and cousins off her back long enough to achieve a career promotion.
This is a fun light read. Of course some will not like the h because she's willing to make a contract to have a child, but in reality she falls in love with the H almost immediately.
October 10, 2009
Pengarang ini benar-benar mengikuti pola Barbara Cartland (BC) dalam menulis cerita ini.
1. Pria yang mapan (37 tahun) dan wanita yang jauh lebih muda (25 tahun). Walau biasanya pola BC lebih ekstrem, pria 40 tahun-an dan wanita 18-19 tahun.
2. Pria "berpengalaman" dan wanita perawan.
3. Mereka terpaksa menikah untuk satu alasan tertentu, yang pasti bukan alasan cinta.
4. Sepanjang cerita si wanita tidak pernah sadar bahwa sang pria mencintainya (dia baru sadar pada halaman-halaman terakhir).
5. 10-15 halaman terakhir didedikasikan untuk penggambaran mengharubiru mengenai "Astaga, ternyata kau mencintaiku !!!"
Perbedaannya hanyalah tentu saja adegan seks!!! Di cerita karya BC nyaris tidak ada adegan itu. Kalaupun ada, penggambarannya begitu steril. Sehingga tidak ada bedanya antara ada atau tidak ada. Sedang di buku ini ada 3 adegan seks antara mereka berdua.
Seharusnya saya memberikan bintang 2 saja karena hal-hal tersebut di atas. Tapi berhubung adegan seksnya cukup bagus, tidak terlalu steril spt BC tapi juga tidak terlalu menggebu-gebu dan vulgar spt EA (apa ya singkatan EA? haha), maka saya tingkatkan bintangnya jadi 3.
Saya rekomendasikan buku ini untuk semua yang merasa masih ada cinta di hatinya. Cinta bisa datang dimana saja dengan alasan yang kadang tidak masuk akal.
Sayangnya itu lebih sering terjadi di novel bukan dunia nyata. Sayang sekali. :-)
1. Pria yang mapan (37 tahun) dan wanita yang jauh lebih muda (25 tahun). Walau biasanya pola BC lebih ekstrem, pria 40 tahun-an dan wanita 18-19 tahun.
2. Pria "berpengalaman" dan wanita perawan.
3. Mereka terpaksa menikah untuk satu alasan tertentu, yang pasti bukan alasan cinta.
4. Sepanjang cerita si wanita tidak pernah sadar bahwa sang pria mencintainya (dia baru sadar pada halaman-halaman terakhir).
5. 10-15 halaman terakhir didedikasikan untuk penggambaran mengharubiru mengenai "Astaga, ternyata kau mencintaiku !!!"
Perbedaannya hanyalah tentu saja adegan seks!!! Di cerita karya BC nyaris tidak ada adegan itu. Kalaupun ada, penggambarannya begitu steril. Sehingga tidak ada bedanya antara ada atau tidak ada. Sedang di buku ini ada 3 adegan seks antara mereka berdua.
Seharusnya saya memberikan bintang 2 saja karena hal-hal tersebut di atas. Tapi berhubung adegan seksnya cukup bagus, tidak terlalu steril spt BC tapi juga tidak terlalu menggebu-gebu dan vulgar spt EA (apa ya singkatan EA? haha), maka saya tingkatkan bintangnya jadi 3.
Saya rekomendasikan buku ini untuk semua yang merasa masih ada cinta di hatinya. Cinta bisa datang dimana saja dengan alasan yang kadang tidak masuk akal.
Sayangnya itu lebih sering terjadi di novel bukan dunia nyata. Sayang sekali. :-)
September 13, 2021
Part-Time Marriage is such a great read. Jessica Steele knows how to keep her readers interested.
Elexa was my kind of heroine. Smart, soft-hearted, independent, and she does stand up for herself. And her mom has been pestering her to get married, settle down, and have children. And to make the matter worst, her Aunt joined her mother in the "Let's get Elexa married" campaign, always setting her up.
Noah Peverelle was gorgeous, possessive, ruthless, and he wanted a son but didn't want a wife. But he does want his child to be legitimate.
Desperate to get her well-meaning relatives off her, she told them that she was seeing someone. And she thought about Noah Peverelle.
And as for Noah, he doesn't do relationships. When Elexa approached him, he thought about their situation. And being married to each other will benefit them both. And from there, Elexa and Noah are forced to spend more time together masquerading as a couple. It's a win-win situation, but he doesn't expect her to break through all his barriers. It was easy to root for them.
As expected for Ms. Steele. It's a very entertaining classic harlequin romance with a hot alpha hero and a smart and loveable heroine, great secondary characters, especially Elexa's relatives, and passionate love scenes.
Elexa was my kind of heroine. Smart, soft-hearted, independent, and she does stand up for herself. And her mom has been pestering her to get married, settle down, and have children. And to make the matter worst, her Aunt joined her mother in the "Let's get Elexa married" campaign, always setting her up.
Noah Peverelle was gorgeous, possessive, ruthless, and he wanted a son but didn't want a wife. But he does want his child to be legitimate.
Desperate to get her well-meaning relatives off her, she told them that she was seeing someone. And she thought about Noah Peverelle.
And as for Noah, he doesn't do relationships. When Elexa approached him, he thought about their situation. And being married to each other will benefit them both. And from there, Elexa and Noah are forced to spend more time together masquerading as a couple. It's a win-win situation, but he doesn't expect her to break through all his barriers. It was easy to root for them.
As expected for Ms. Steele. It's a very entertaining classic harlequin romance with a hot alpha hero and a smart and loveable heroine, great secondary characters, especially Elexa's relatives, and passionate love scenes.
April 7, 2022
Too cold-hearted for me!
Strangers marry in cold blood, meet once a month to have sex to conceive and fall in love in the process.
The protagonists are too busy to have a child the traditional way.
The female protagonist is fed up with her family match-making, she proposes a complete stranger. She wants to marry, have his child, divorce and leave him the said-child.
Strangers marry in cold blood, meet once a month to have sex to conceive and fall in love in the process.
The protagonists are too busy to have a child the traditional way.
The female protagonist is fed up with her family match-making, she proposes a complete stranger. She wants to marry, have his child, divorce and leave him the said-child.
January 27, 2013
Alexandra Aston - Elexa sudah bosan dan muak dengan telepon Ibunya yang tiap hari menanyakan kisah cintanya. Elexa sudah bertekad tidak ingin menikah karena sudah sangat bahagia dengan kehidupannya yang sekarang : berkecukupan, punya apartemen sendiri, punya pekerjaan yang bagus - bahkan sebentar lagi akan dipromosikan sebagai Manajer Junior. Namun Elexa adalah seorang anak yang nurut dengan orang tuanya, sehingga semua laki-laki yang ditawarkan Ibunya sebisa mungkin ia temui. Namun jalan keluarnya ia temukan di sebuah restoran di Montgomery.
Noah Peverelle, seorang CEO dari sebuah perusahaan multinasional yang jelas sangat berkecukupan, menginginkan seorang anak laki-laki, tanpa pernikahan. Ia tidak ingin berkomitmen, hanya menginginkan seorang pewaris untuk dirinya. Tawaran itu tiba-tiba datang padanya, ketika ia menerima sebuah telepon dari seorang wanita yang bersedia menikah dan bercerai dengannya setelah Noah mendapatkan anak darinya.
Awalnya semua berjalan sesuai rencana : tidak ada ikatan emosional. Namun baik Elexa dan Noah masing-masing tidak dapat mengingkari tumbuhnya perasaan emosional itu seiring berjalannya pernikahan pura-pura mereka...
Okay, another it-just-was-okay novel. Walopun pake sudut pandang ketiga, tapi perasaan Elexa lebih terekspos daripada Noah, jadi rada aneh aja gitu tiba-tiba Noah udah jatuh cinta sama Elexa.
2 bintang aja ya...
Noah Peverelle, seorang CEO dari sebuah perusahaan multinasional yang jelas sangat berkecukupan, menginginkan seorang anak laki-laki, tanpa pernikahan. Ia tidak ingin berkomitmen, hanya menginginkan seorang pewaris untuk dirinya. Tawaran itu tiba-tiba datang padanya, ketika ia menerima sebuah telepon dari seorang wanita yang bersedia menikah dan bercerai dengannya setelah Noah mendapatkan anak darinya.
Awalnya semua berjalan sesuai rencana : tidak ada ikatan emosional. Namun baik Elexa dan Noah masing-masing tidak dapat mengingkari tumbuhnya perasaan emosional itu seiring berjalannya pernikahan pura-pura mereka...
Okay, another it-just-was-okay novel. Walopun pake sudut pandang ketiga, tapi perasaan Elexa lebih terekspos daripada Noah, jadi rada aneh aja gitu tiba-tiba Noah udah jatuh cinta sama Elexa.
2 bintang aja ya...
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
July 23, 2022Could she become his part-time wife?
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband….
How could Elexa stop her family bugging her about finding a "nice" man to marry? Right now, she wanted to concentrate on her career. The solution arrived in the shape of wealthy businessman Noah Peverelle, who wanted a son, but who had no time for emotional entanglements. Impulsively Elexa accepted when Noah proposed.
But their convenient, part-time marriage wasn't working out as planned. For one thing, Elexa made the mistake of falling in love with her husband….
November 28, 2017
Charming until the heroine becomes silly so the mostly conflict free story could reach a conclusion.
October 12, 2018
One of my favorite books of all time. All through this book the love between hero and heroin is evident and captivating.
September 2, 2021
It's so beautiful and I just Love it. I recommend it to all.
August 7, 2025
#132 - 2025
Genre: Harlequin Romance
Genre: Harlequin Romance
May 5, 2011
Gimana rasanya kalo kita didesak ortu terutama, ibu, untuk segera menikah ? Melihat anaknya santai-santai aja dan asyik berkarir, ibu menjadi was-was….ada apa dengan anak gadisnya yang manis, penampilan menarik, punya karir mapan…tapi kok belum punya cowok juga ? Udah banyak cowok-cowok yg menurut si Ibu, merupakan pria baik dan bertanggung jawab disodori ke anak gadisnya, tapi sang putri tetap asyik dengan karir dan kesendiriannya. Sang ibu, makin panik, jangan-jangan anak gadisnya pernah dihkianati seorang pria!
Di tengan kegalauan karena desakan sang ibu, tanpa sengaja sang gadis mendengar percakapan dua pria, yang mana salah satu pria itu sedang mencari istri yang mau mengandung anaknya tetapi tanpa ikatan emosional. Gak tahan dengan ibu yang selalu nyindir dan nyodorin pria baik-baik, akhirnya sang gadis bilang kalau dia sudah punya pacar.
Padahal dia belum punya pacar! Apa akal, sang gadis mencari tau siapa pria yang kepingin punya anak tetapi gak mau punya ikatan emosional…
Awalnya sang pria menolak ide tersebut…tapi akhirnya setuju dengan kesepakatan menikah sampai sang gadis melahirkan anak yang diinginkan sang pria.
Segera saja ibu sang gadis heboh dan happy banget karena ternyata putrinya udah punya pacar dan gak tanggung-tanggung, cowoknya pria mapan dan tampan.
Tapi apakah mungkin kesepakatan itu dijalani dengan baik, apalagi ternyata sang gadis jatuh cinta kepada sang pria.
Itulah yang terjadi pada Elexa & Noah
Di tengan kegalauan karena desakan sang ibu, tanpa sengaja sang gadis mendengar percakapan dua pria, yang mana salah satu pria itu sedang mencari istri yang mau mengandung anaknya tetapi tanpa ikatan emosional. Gak tahan dengan ibu yang selalu nyindir dan nyodorin pria baik-baik, akhirnya sang gadis bilang kalau dia sudah punya pacar.
Padahal dia belum punya pacar! Apa akal, sang gadis mencari tau siapa pria yang kepingin punya anak tetapi gak mau punya ikatan emosional…
Awalnya sang pria menolak ide tersebut…tapi akhirnya setuju dengan kesepakatan menikah sampai sang gadis melahirkan anak yang diinginkan sang pria.
Segera saja ibu sang gadis heboh dan happy banget karena ternyata putrinya udah punya pacar dan gak tanggung-tanggung, cowoknya pria mapan dan tampan.
Tapi apakah mungkin kesepakatan itu dijalani dengan baik, apalagi ternyata sang gadis jatuh cinta kepada sang pria.
Itulah yang terjadi pada Elexa & Noah
December 12, 2011
Nyari buku ini gara-gara review Mas Tomo.....yuukkk.....kita buktikan cerita mas Tomo :D
Teruntuk "Ceu" HappyHippo, pami bade nambut, mangga....tukeuran jeung nguping jakarta :)
Baiklah....selesai juga *lap air mata*
Meski ceritanya tergolong standar harlequin story seperti yang sudah disebutkan oleh Mas Tomo, kisahnya entah kenapa cukup menguras air mata *lebay*
Cukup dikasih 4 bintang deh :)
Teruntuk "Ceu" HappyHippo, pami bade nambut, mangga....tukeuran jeung nguping jakarta :)
Baiklah....selesai juga *lap air mata*
Meski ceritanya tergolong standar harlequin story seperti yang sudah disebutkan oleh Mas Tomo, kisahnya entah kenapa cukup menguras air mata *lebay*
Cukup dikasih 4 bintang deh :)
November 3, 2008
Elexa yang terus didesak orangtuanya untuk menikah akhirnya dia bertemu dgn Noah yg tdk sengaja ditemuinya dan menawarkan pernikahan paro waktu. Ketika akhirnya pernikahan itu terlaksana Elexa pun terlibat masalah,karena ia mulai jatuh cinta pada Noah.
October 12, 2012
Just a typical happy ending book. I need to read this kind of happy stuff right now that everything else is black.
August 17, 2014
Wonderful story. Beautiful writing. 5 starts.
I hope there's a Noah out there for me...
I hope there's a Noah out there for me...
March 21, 2016
Paling nggak nahan itu saat membaca bagaimana Noah Peverelle yang dingin, ambisius dan tak berperasaan meleleh termehek-mehek di tangan Elexa. Aiihhh, so sweet^^
November 15, 2014
wow!! wow!!
April 13, 2017
Very old fashioned and soppy.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews