Different Worlds

by Elaine K. Stirling

Dawn Avery: Biologist. Her work - her life - was the rainforests of Central America.
Michael Garrett: Corporate Analyst. His business - his roots - were solidly in Western Canada.

Then it happened.

One hot, steamy night in Costa Rica their worlds collided in a brief, passionate affair that left them breathless, aching for more. Now a continent stood between them, challenging the strength of their love. Could they give up everything to be together?

Or would they go on being lovers apart...?

Genres: Romance, Category Romance

219 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before erotic romance went mainstream and long before the Harlequin Blaze category line (now defunct), was Elaine K. Stirling’s Different Worlds. Published in 1991, this book had the first masturbation scene I had ever read in a conventional romance, where the heroine gets off thinking about the hero (this was several years prior to the often proclaimed "first mainstream romance to feature a masturbating heroine" in Robin Schone’s “Awaken My Love.”) Although come to think of it, many older bodice rippers weren’t afraid to have the heroine indulge in a little self-love, but as all sophisticated romance readers know, those books don’t count (insert eye roll here.)

Dawn and Michael meet in the jungles of Costa Rica. She’s an American scientist working in Costa Rica and he’s a businessman thousands of miles from his home in Canada. They meet, have a charged sexual relationship and then have to decide if they can make their long-distance relationship last. This was the first in a series of books in the Harlequin Temptation line where four couples had to overcome some kind of separation/distance.

For those of you looking for naughty bits: also notable in this book was one of the first instances of female-on-male oral sex in a category romance. I recall my precocious 13-year-old mind reeling at the scene where the Dawn gives the Michael a blowjob and hums while doing it, noting that the vibration made for a better orgasm, and filing that info away for later (much later).

Oh, as for the romance? Well done. I remember reading this one far into the night, as I did with the only other Stirling book I read, “Sleepwalker” from the Harlequin Intrigue line.

I do miss the old Harlequin Temptations and never really enjoyed the Blazes. I read a handful Blazes when they first came out but found them formulaic, as most were a combo of erotic romance with romantic suspense and just about every hero was a cop who saved the heroine from some crazy villain. The Temptations were more diverse with their characters and plots. Maybe the Blazes changed, but I never cared to find out. Harlequin destroyed a great line when they ended the Temptations and they seem intent of ruining Presents as well. Thank goodness for e-bay and Amazon Marketplace where those oldies are still in abundance!

4 stars

[Saly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one features an older couple, H is 42 and h is 35, both of them have been through the grind and have their own settled lives. The heroine's in the jungles of Costa Rica, the hero's in Canada with his business that keeps him travelling. It was nice reading about a sexually confident heroine. The author depicted the struggles of how sometimes love cannot be enough when ones soul isn't fed by what they love. I did like how the hero came to see the heroine's struggles and actually worked to make her happy and fulfilled.

[Naksed · Rating 2 out of 5]

H and h are definitely from different worlds and not just because she is based in the rainforest of Costa Rica and he lives in freezing Winnipeg, Manitoba. It's also that she is a scientist dedicated to saving forests while he is a corporate consultant working on the side of the people who destroy those same forests. But despite their philosophical and geographical differences, they fall in lust then love. This might as well been titled Opposites attract.

Unfortunately for me, the reader, I found their long-distance commitment problems boring, and their romantic scenes full of purple prose and cringe. In the end, they both compromise so that they live together 8 months out the year in Costa Rica while he spends the other 4 months traveling due to his business commitments. Then eventually, when he retires, they can both live in Costa Rica. Yeah.