Jonathan's Wife

Rarely does a book--especially a romance novel--treat the issue of infidelity as solicitously as this one. After a fine, character-developing prologue, the story opens with Sarah Brennen's husband, Jonathan, once a successful entrepreneur, now paralyzed following an accident while out with one of his investments, Wilderness Weekends. Sarah is at the mercy of Jonathan's self-absorbed demands and temper tantrums. His refusal to try to pull himself out of his depression is changed by the appearance of Lee Street, owner of Wilderness Weekends, who's there to repay a debt and fulfill a moral obligation to Jonathan. The budding romance between Sarah and Lee is a given, but Holms lets her readers live Sarah's every soul-searching moment as she gives herself the gift of a one-night affair with Lee. While the ending is cliched and predictable, the story itself is fresh and wonderfully written. (Apr.)