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Close Proximity
Keri had always known that she had a serious rival for her husband's his work as a foreign correspondent for a TV company. At a moment's notice shafe could set off for almost anywhere in the world while Keri stayed at home. Keri thought it was about time he settled down and accepted his responsibilities as a husband and father. Did the sudden summons to join him in Barbados mean that Shafe now agreed with her? Or was he planning a permanent split?
- GenresHarlequin Presents
264 pages, Hardcover
First published December 11, 1987
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 14, 2016
RE Close Proximity - Elizabeth Oldfield gives us an intimate look at what happens after the HEA when she brings a story about a husband and wife who married in a whirlwind affair but have spent most of their marriage thus far on separate continents. The H is a foreign correspondent who travels all over the world and the h is a photographer who has curtailed her career with the advent of a honeymoon baby. This is definitely a non HP HP.
The story starts with the h arriving with her toddler daughter on the island of Barbados. She hasn't seen her husband in over four months as he has been flying all over the world and she has been dealing with the aftermath of her father's final illness, which she nursed him through, and looking after her difficult sister, who went into a guilt induced depression after her father's death and the h was advised to keep an eye on her.
The h isn't sure what she is walking into. In her estimation, she and the H have spent about six weeks together in total since the start of their two year marriage, and several of those weeks were the honeymoon. Added to the mix is that the H is a not too involved father and the h is really uncertain of the reaction of her daughter to a man who is essentially a stranger. The h loves her husband, but she wants him home and in a steady day job, not flying around to dangerous situations. There is an offer on the table of a permanent newscaster position and the h wants the H to take it, but she also has a lot of doubts about this move, because it genuinely isn't her intent to tie her footloose hubby down. She just wants a partner and a father involved with his child.
The h is also not helped by the fact that she has been living with her vocally militant sister who insists that the marriage arrangement she has currently is wrong and that married people should all live conventional lives where dad goes to work from nine to five and mom takes care of the home and kids and any other arrangement is harmful to the wife. The h finds her thinking skewed towards a more conventional mode of life, even though she knows she married the H because of his travels and his character, not because she wanted a conventional husband. Unfortunately, it seems the very qualities that attracted her initially are proving to be road blocks to a satisfying marriage, so most of the book is very intense inner h discussions about how she can influence her travellin' man to stay home.
Things get off to a rocky start, the H has grown a moustache and she almost doesn't recognize him at the airport when he arrives to pick them up. Then the h finds out that the H actually has to do some interviewing of the man that she was photographing for her job when she originally met the H during their six week stay on Barbados. The h gets a bit perturbed when she thinks that the only reason they are even together is because the H had to work and thought he could slip in some quality lurve club time with his wife while he was doing it.
(She doesn't mind the interview per say, she minds that the H indicated that this was their big re-connection and sorting life out moment and that she and the daughter were big priorities. She feels slighted and second best that they are only there because the H saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and the job came first. The h is VERY resentful that she is being seconded to a job and that the H barely knows his daughter. )
The h also has a little agenda of her own when her old boss asked her to look up a big rock star who has retired and is currently on the island. The ex-boss (which the h has been seekritly working with on a new photo book) wants her to see if the old rock guy will do a series of interviews for the ex-boss's magazine.
The H is rather perturbed that the h spent a week in the country with the ex boss recently, the h was there for a job photographing a National Trust Estate for a book, but she hasn't told the H about her renewed interest in work for a variety of reasons. The H makes his displeasure known that he went to England on a stopover from a reporting job in Beirut and the h was gallivanting off in the country. The h is horrified that he went back to Beirut after his first trip several months earlier right after she had the baby. It seems that after he came back the first time, the trip had really shaken him.
She is even more horrified when she finds out that he was held hostage with a gun to his head on the first trip and only got released after a local politician intervened - he was only a hostage for a few hours but it left a mark. The H claimed the h was too involved with the baby to even notice his trauma after the event. The h has to reluctantly admit that he was right, tho to be fair, she was a first time mum who had given birth alone and at that point, the baby was sick and she had little support so she tended to fret and panic and after the baby crisis was over, she did try to talk to the H about his trip, but he shut her out.
There is also a problem between the h and H when it comes to the big boudoir bouncing, initially the H is all over the h but she is resentful and storms off the first night and sleeps in her daughter's room. The next day the h is over her jet lag and temper moment but when it comes to bonging like bonkers, the H gets cold feet and rejects her. Later there is an indication that the H was actually impotent at the moment, but the h has a lot of speculation on whether his doodle was have a performance anxiety noodle moment or if the H has actually been boudoir bouncing with some one else. The H insists that he has been celibate and the h is inclined to believe him, but she has worries - as you do when your hubby is gone a lot and the lack of banging momentum soon becomes unbearable.
The h establishes contact with the former rocker, but he is drunk and while he talks a lot with the h about a lover who dumped him, he won't agree to an interview. The h knows she has to thrash things out with her hubby but she is scared of the answers and so delays any serious conversations. Then she gets appendicitis and winds up in hospital while the H has to step up on the parenting front. Initially the H is having a marvelous time being a full time dad, but life happens and kids are inquisitive and a day of toddler temper tantrums threatens to upset the apple cart and the h has new fears that the H is really going to chuck the fatherhood deal as being the most unfun thing ever.
There is a lot of avoidance and inner musings as the h tries to figure out just what she wants in a marriage and her life. The h and H finally make it to bed and that relieves the tension a bit, especially when the H gets his fears that the h had an affair removed. The H thought the week in the country was a love nest type of situation and the h was happy to let him know that she was only restarting her career. The H is really happy to hear that, because he did this whole thing in an effort to fight for his marriage, even tho he and the h aren't always great at communicating.
The H also acknowledges that he withdrew from being a daddy because the h and newborn daughter seemed to be shutting him out. He states he originally thought the h was overreacting when he brought toys and things from overseas home for the baby and the h would launch into safety lectures . But after having to care for his rambunctious toddler while mum was in hospital has opened his eyes to a whole new world of danger and he acknowledges that there is a lot of truth in stomach clenching anxiety when kids get into things and might be hurt.
The big dilemma now is the h's need to have the H around all the time and maybe buy a country house with a picket fence. The retired rock star plays fairy godfather here when he suggests that the h compromise instead of demanding that the H completely change his life and his career focus. He candidly points out that she married a traveler and for her to completely change the rules at this stage and still expect to be married is pushing it.
The h realizes that she was perfectly happy with the H's schedule before she moved in with her sister and maybe her focus has been biased. She is starting to think that quality time is better than quantity time when the H comes in. The rock star also points out to the H that being an international lone wolf is a lot easier when he has a solid base to come home to, but that solid bases tend to disintegrate and crumble if they aren't cemented over time.
The H asks the rock star if he would consent to doing a televised interview with him after he finishes his big business guy profile that the H is currently doing and since the rock star has written a musical he wants to produce, he agrees. The h declares that she doesn't want the H to change his job after all and the H declares that he is changing his style and doing more profiles and in depth political analysis shows that don't require so much travel. They can get a house in the country if the h wants it and while there will still be some travel, the H is happier being a dad and hanging with the h.
The compromise seems to suit both the H and the h, she will do her photo thing, he will expand his reporting horizons and nobody has to sacrifice who they are or what they want to do to make a life together. When we leave the lurved up H and h, they are on the businessman's yacht after his big television interview, playing ring around the rosie with their toddler for a sweet but unusual HPlandia HEA.
This one was different but I liked it. It was a pretty detailed look at what happens when the honeymoon fades and real life and kids and commitments and jobs happen. I liked how both the H and h were committed to their love and their marriage. Even tho we don't get much H POV, I did like the inner analysis debates of the h and she really did try to be as objective as she could about what and how she wanted her marriage to be.
She did not give up and she did not walk out, she had panicked moments where she thought they were through as a couple and if the H hadn't compromised by the end, I am not sure she would have stayed. But EO did a great job of having the two work things out to a mutually satisfying and READER satisfying arrangement and so that makes this story a different but believable HP win with a good HEA.
The story starts with the h arriving with her toddler daughter on the island of Barbados. She hasn't seen her husband in over four months as he has been flying all over the world and she has been dealing with the aftermath of her father's final illness, which she nursed him through, and looking after her difficult sister, who went into a guilt induced depression after her father's death and the h was advised to keep an eye on her.
The h isn't sure what she is walking into. In her estimation, she and the H have spent about six weeks together in total since the start of their two year marriage, and several of those weeks were the honeymoon. Added to the mix is that the H is a not too involved father and the h is really uncertain of the reaction of her daughter to a man who is essentially a stranger. The h loves her husband, but she wants him home and in a steady day job, not flying around to dangerous situations. There is an offer on the table of a permanent newscaster position and the h wants the H to take it, but she also has a lot of doubts about this move, because it genuinely isn't her intent to tie her footloose hubby down. She just wants a partner and a father involved with his child.
The h is also not helped by the fact that she has been living with her vocally militant sister who insists that the marriage arrangement she has currently is wrong and that married people should all live conventional lives where dad goes to work from nine to five and mom takes care of the home and kids and any other arrangement is harmful to the wife. The h finds her thinking skewed towards a more conventional mode of life, even though she knows she married the H because of his travels and his character, not because she wanted a conventional husband. Unfortunately, it seems the very qualities that attracted her initially are proving to be road blocks to a satisfying marriage, so most of the book is very intense inner h discussions about how she can influence her travellin' man to stay home.
Things get off to a rocky start, the H has grown a moustache and she almost doesn't recognize him at the airport when he arrives to pick them up. Then the h finds out that the H actually has to do some interviewing of the man that she was photographing for her job when she originally met the H during their six week stay on Barbados. The h gets a bit perturbed when she thinks that the only reason they are even together is because the H had to work and thought he could slip in some quality lurve club time with his wife while he was doing it.
(She doesn't mind the interview per say, she minds that the H indicated that this was their big re-connection and sorting life out moment and that she and the daughter were big priorities. She feels slighted and second best that they are only there because the H saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and the job came first. The h is VERY resentful that she is being seconded to a job and that the H barely knows his daughter. )
The h also has a little agenda of her own when her old boss asked her to look up a big rock star who has retired and is currently on the island. The ex-boss (which the h has been seekritly working with on a new photo book) wants her to see if the old rock guy will do a series of interviews for the ex-boss's magazine.
The H is rather perturbed that the h spent a week in the country with the ex boss recently, the h was there for a job photographing a National Trust Estate for a book, but she hasn't told the H about her renewed interest in work for a variety of reasons. The H makes his displeasure known that he went to England on a stopover from a reporting job in Beirut and the h was gallivanting off in the country. The h is horrified that he went back to Beirut after his first trip several months earlier right after she had the baby. It seems that after he came back the first time, the trip had really shaken him.
She is even more horrified when she finds out that he was held hostage with a gun to his head on the first trip and only got released after a local politician intervened - he was only a hostage for a few hours but it left a mark. The H claimed the h was too involved with the baby to even notice his trauma after the event. The h has to reluctantly admit that he was right, tho to be fair, she was a first time mum who had given birth alone and at that point, the baby was sick and she had little support so she tended to fret and panic and after the baby crisis was over, she did try to talk to the H about his trip, but he shut her out.
There is also a problem between the h and H when it comes to the big boudoir bouncing, initially the H is all over the h but she is resentful and storms off the first night and sleeps in her daughter's room. The next day the h is over her jet lag and temper moment but when it comes to bonging like bonkers, the H gets cold feet and rejects her. Later there is an indication that the H was actually impotent at the moment, but the h has a lot of speculation on whether his doodle was have a performance anxiety noodle moment or if the H has actually been boudoir bouncing with some one else. The H insists that he has been celibate and the h is inclined to believe him, but she has worries - as you do when your hubby is gone a lot and the lack of banging momentum soon becomes unbearable.
The h establishes contact with the former rocker, but he is drunk and while he talks a lot with the h about a lover who dumped him, he won't agree to an interview. The h knows she has to thrash things out with her hubby but she is scared of the answers and so delays any serious conversations. Then she gets appendicitis and winds up in hospital while the H has to step up on the parenting front. Initially the H is having a marvelous time being a full time dad, but life happens and kids are inquisitive and a day of toddler temper tantrums threatens to upset the apple cart and the h has new fears that the H is really going to chuck the fatherhood deal as being the most unfun thing ever.
There is a lot of avoidance and inner musings as the h tries to figure out just what she wants in a marriage and her life. The h and H finally make it to bed and that relieves the tension a bit, especially when the H gets his fears that the h had an affair removed. The H thought the week in the country was a love nest type of situation and the h was happy to let him know that she was only restarting her career. The H is really happy to hear that, because he did this whole thing in an effort to fight for his marriage, even tho he and the h aren't always great at communicating.
The H also acknowledges that he withdrew from being a daddy because the h and newborn daughter seemed to be shutting him out. He states he originally thought the h was overreacting when he brought toys and things from overseas home for the baby and the h would launch into safety lectures . But after having to care for his rambunctious toddler while mum was in hospital has opened his eyes to a whole new world of danger and he acknowledges that there is a lot of truth in stomach clenching anxiety when kids get into things and might be hurt.
The big dilemma now is the h's need to have the H around all the time and maybe buy a country house with a picket fence. The retired rock star plays fairy godfather here when he suggests that the h compromise instead of demanding that the H completely change his life and his career focus. He candidly points out that she married a traveler and for her to completely change the rules at this stage and still expect to be married is pushing it.
The h realizes that she was perfectly happy with the H's schedule before she moved in with her sister and maybe her focus has been biased. She is starting to think that quality time is better than quantity time when the H comes in. The rock star also points out to the H that being an international lone wolf is a lot easier when he has a solid base to come home to, but that solid bases tend to disintegrate and crumble if they aren't cemented over time.
The H asks the rock star if he would consent to doing a televised interview with him after he finishes his big business guy profile that the H is currently doing and since the rock star has written a musical he wants to produce, he agrees. The h declares that she doesn't want the H to change his job after all and the H declares that he is changing his style and doing more profiles and in depth political analysis shows that don't require so much travel. They can get a house in the country if the h wants it and while there will still be some travel, the H is happier being a dad and hanging with the h.
The compromise seems to suit both the H and the h, she will do her photo thing, he will expand his reporting horizons and nobody has to sacrifice who they are or what they want to do to make a life together. When we leave the lurved up H and h, they are on the businessman's yacht after his big television interview, playing ring around the rosie with their toddler for a sweet but unusual HPlandia HEA.
This one was different but I liked it. It was a pretty detailed look at what happens when the honeymoon fades and real life and kids and commitments and jobs happen. I liked how both the H and h were committed to their love and their marriage. Even tho we don't get much H POV, I did like the inner analysis debates of the h and she really did try to be as objective as she could about what and how she wanted her marriage to be.
She did not give up and she did not walk out, she had panicked moments where she thought they were through as a couple and if the H hadn't compromised by the end, I am not sure she would have stayed. But EO did a great job of having the two work things out to a mutually satisfying and READER satisfying arrangement and so that makes this story a different but believable HP win with a good HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2018
Solid marriage in trouble story with a likable H/h and their toddler daughter who is a real baby - not a Benadryl baby. Meaning baby girl often interrupts the grand reconciliation between the roving international reporter and the heroine who has been in England for four months attending her dying father and then wrapping up his affairs and dealing with her witch of a sister.
They are now on Barbados for six weeks. But hero has an assignment, heroine is asked to look up an aging rock star for her contacts in England, then the heroine has emergency surgery for appendicitis. The author keeps throwing up roadblocks, but the H/h eventually have sex again and eventually talk about what's been bothering them and what they expect for the future.
Besides the long absences, I found the issue of expectations so interesting. The heroine had a very fixed idea of what the hero should do with his career that she saw anything else as a betrayal. A betrayal - not a compromise or even a better idea. Thankfully, she came to understand this by the end of the story. The hero came to understand that his phone conversations didn't tell the heroine the whole story and he needed to communicate better.
That the H/h were crazy about each other was obvious. Hero was celibate during their long separations, but he was worried his beautiful wife was taking up with her old boss while she was back in England. I think taking care of a very active toddler wised him up to the logistical problems of an affair while being a single mom - and he accepted the heroine's explanation with no suspicion.
This was a fairly drama-free story because the H/h were so reasonable - so beware if you're looking for an escapist, OTT read. You won't find it here.
They are now on Barbados for six weeks. But hero has an assignment, heroine is asked to look up an aging rock star for her contacts in England, then the heroine has emergency surgery for appendicitis. The author keeps throwing up roadblocks, but the H/h eventually have sex again and eventually talk about what's been bothering them and what they expect for the future.
Besides the long absences, I found the issue of expectations so interesting. The heroine had a very fixed idea of what the hero should do with his career that she saw anything else as a betrayal. A betrayal - not a compromise or even a better idea. Thankfully, she came to understand this by the end of the story. The hero came to understand that his phone conversations didn't tell the heroine the whole story and he needed to communicate better.
That the H/h were crazy about each other was obvious. Hero was celibate during their long separations, but he was worried his beautiful wife was taking up with her old boss while she was back in England. I think taking care of a very active toddler wised him up to the logistical problems of an affair while being a single mom - and he accepted the heroine's explanation with no suspicion.
This was a fairly drama-free story because the H/h were so reasonable - so beware if you're looking for an escapist, OTT read. You won't find it here.
September 27, 2023
3.5 stars rated up.
A very interesting read. There is no other woman or man trope, but a couple with a one year old daughter and an interesting career relearning how to grow together in marriage while vacationing in Barbados. The plot sounds simple but filled with interesting turns to keep the pacing fast yet natural.
A very interesting read. There is no other woman or man trope, but a couple with a one year old daughter and an interesting career relearning how to grow together in marriage while vacationing in Barbados. The plot sounds simple but filled with interesting turns to keep the pacing fast yet natural.
October 9, 2021
The sensual things he says to her, he really does mean business. Oldfield is one of the best HP writers in sensuality without making it vulgar.
June 15, 2020
Happy ever after was up for discussion
In all their married life, Keri and Shafe had never been together for six completely uninterrupted weeks. And so the casual Caribbean setting belied the seriousness of their agenda - the future of their marriage.
Keri's blueprint for that included having her foreign-correspondent husband knuckle down to domesticity. She could no longer settle for sporadic visits from her husband for the rest of her life.
But even so, Keri knew that all Shafe had to do was touch her and she was putty in his hands. She only hoped that what she wanted, Shafe wanted, too
In all their married life, Keri and Shafe had never been together for six completely uninterrupted weeks. And so the casual Caribbean setting belied the seriousness of their agenda - the future of their marriage.
Keri's blueprint for that included having her foreign-correspondent husband knuckle down to domesticity. She could no longer settle for sporadic visits from her husband for the rest of her life.
But even so, Keri knew that all Shafe had to do was touch her and she was putty in his hands. She only hoped that what she wanted, Shafe wanted, too
October 24, 2009
I would say don't read this book. It was extremely boring and predictable. It wasn't much of a romance book!
Read
January 17, 2016Demasiado aburrido.
Read
December 31, 2017Happy ever after was up for discussion
In all their married life, Keri and Shafe had never been together for six completely uninterrupted weeks. And so the casual Caribbean setting belied the seriousness of their agenda - the future of their marriage.
Keri's blueprint for that included having her foreign-correspondent husband knuckle down to domesticity. She could no longer settle for sporadic visits from her husband for the rest of her life.
But even so, Keri knew that all Shafe had to do was touch her and she was putty in his hands. She only hoped that what she wanted, Shafe wanted, too.
In all their married life, Keri and Shafe had never been together for six completely uninterrupted weeks. And so the casual Caribbean setting belied the seriousness of their agenda - the future of their marriage.
Keri's blueprint for that included having her foreign-correspondent husband knuckle down to domesticity. She could no longer settle for sporadic visits from her husband for the rest of her life.
But even so, Keri knew that all Shafe had to do was touch her and she was putty in his hands. She only hoped that what she wanted, Shafe wanted, too.
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