Midnight Sun
New-Yorker heroine buys a piece of property in the Yukon to live in for her 6-month adventure & to dredge up some gold. Her aloof loner neighbor Hero is bothered by her presence. She's evoking feelings & sensations that he thought died when he found out that his wife & child were killed in a car accident 4 years before. He fights these unwelcome feelings towards heroine & even tries to date other women but to no avail. Heroine also fights her attraction to Hero knowing that he's still grieving the loss of his family & is clear about not wanting any long-term commitment. Their succumbing to an affair challenges Hero's no-strings rule & heroine's hopes for love & commitment. This Martin book was written in an engaging way but didn't invoke strong emotions. I think the Hero's emotional walls permeated the overall emotional tone of the book. Romance was slow building. Their sexual chemistry kept getting pushed aside & delayed by Hero who was doggedly fighting their strong attraction. There were lots of breaks in b/w their intimate encounters b/c Hero wanted to avoid further emotional entanglements with heroine. So much of their time together was spent on work & sightseeing. The r/s pattern between the 2 was Hero doing his advance & retreat & heroine waiting & receiving whatever Hero was willing to give. She was not a doormat though. She understood & accepted Hero's emotional issues & was willing to engage with him anyway. But she did it within her own limits of her stay in the Yukon. She planned on moving back to her life in New York if Hero was still unwilling to commit to her.
Provisionally recommended.
