Streiker's Bride by Robin Hardy

Streiker's Bride by Robin Hardy Trade Paperback: 266 pages Publisher: NavPress First Released: 1993 Author Website

Source: From my personal library.

Back Cover Description (slightly modified):
He had a lot to offer but his term were high.

When Adair Weiss was unexpectedly summoned to the office of the president of The Rivers Bank, she knew she was about to be fired. She'd been late to her teller window three times in the past two weeks and wasn't on the best of terms with her branch manager.

But the news she received when she walked into Charles Whinnet's office was not what she anticipated. The president handed her a plain manila folder containing news clippings, letters, and articles about the reclusive owner and chairman of the bank--the well-known but never-seen Mr. Fletcher Streiker. And along with the file folder came an offer of meeting this mysterious, wealthy philanthropist...but only if she first agreed to marry him.

Ludicrous! But why her, and how did he know so much about her? And the offer was tempting since marrying him would allow her to pursue her ballet dancing.

The more she learned about him, the more intriguing the young billionaire--and his offer--became. Adair knew if she said yes, her life would change drastically. And not just because of money. No, she was discovering that there was much more to Fletcher Streiker's way of life than she'd ever realized.


Review:
Streiker's Bride was a unique, fun, and intriguing romance. I quickly became immersed in this fast-paced story. The characters were engaging and complex, and I cared what happened to them. The characters dealt with realistic struggles, and the plot wasn't predictable.

The novel is a bit like The Chronicles of Narnia in that there's a deeper layer or meaning to the story. There's no religious talk since the novel isn't overtly Christian. A non-Christian could read the novel and assume it's a clean, secular romance (though part of the ending might seem a little improbable without the subtext). A Christian can read it and see thought-provoking hints of how Fletcher's and Adair's romance reflects Christ wooing us and becoming our bridegroom.

There was no bad language. There was no explicit sex. Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written, clean novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Adair had to get into that building without being noticed. So she rose from the car seat, brushed dog hairs from her suit, and nonchalantly strode into the bank lobby at forty minutes past eight o'clock.

It was not to be. Adair could hardly go anywhere without being noticed for her tall, slender frame and neon blue eyes, but especially for the grace that a twenty-year devotion to ballet had brought her. "Adair! Look at the clock! You're forty minutes late!" She winced at the reprimand and humbly turned to her boss.

"I'm sorry, Duane; I really was going to be on time today, but there was this dog that fell out of a pickup right in front of me and got hit by a car. You can understand that I had to stop and take him to the vet's, can't you?" she implored.

"Sure, if it weren't the third time this month you've been late. And today's only the eleventh!" he fumed, adjusting his glasses like a schoolmaster who had caught a student cheating. He was Adair's age, 24, but looked younger with his freckles and tousled hair. Unlike her, he was degreed, ambitious, and focused on banking as his career of choice. "Now get to the drive-through!"

"Sure, Duane," Adair said appeasingly, slipping her purse under the counter. (She never could bring herself to call him "Mr. Minshew"—that would be like addressing her little brother with an honorific.) With his hovering behind her, Adair sat at the window and smiled, "Good morning," to the waiting customer as she took his check and deposit slip in through the mechanical drawer. When Duane finally turned his attention elsewhere, Adair let down with a sigh. "I hate this job."

"If you keep coming in late, you won't have to worry over it anymore," a voice at her side teased a little too loudly.

Adair glanced around for Duane, then grinned guiltily at her friend Courtney. "The part about the dog was true, but I didn't tell him it only took ten minutes. I overslept 'cause I was up late studying my accounting," Adair whispered.

"Oh? How's the class going?" Courtney asked, sliding onto a nearby stool. The cuff of her silk blouse caught on a drawer edge. "Drat!" she exclaimed, examining it for snags.

Adair anxiously glanced around again. Courtney, with her long auburn hair and perfect skin, embodied Adair's idea of true beauty, but—she was so loud. "Terrible. It's so hard, and we cover the material so quickly. I don't know if I'm going to pass," Adair muttered.

"Why bother?" asked Courtney. "What about your ballet?"

"Madame Prochaska lets me practice with her pointe class several nights a week for half price now, but . . . that won't last forever. At least an accounting degree will help me earn enough to pay tuition—if I get it," Adair replied.


Read the rest of chapter one.