Three men,all scientists,are trapped in a lab with the full Antartic winter approching. All three men hve their internal conflicts. Brendan refuses to believe that he can be attracted to men. Tuck carries a torch for Brendan who rejected him the year before. Jamie is open but struggles to find where he may fit in with the other two. Stuck in the middle of a blizzard, the booze flows freely and what starts as an attempt at solace becomes a full blown,and hot,menage a trois. The story isin two parts- what happens before the men are rescued and what happens afterward. ( )

I am not typically a fan of m/m/m because I like my HEA. Often I find the stories to be a bit unbelievable. This story was very steamy at times and the characters did seem to fit together; the back story was nice for them. I did feel that there could've been a little bit more depth to the characters and their story of their relationship. There is a "straight" but obviously questioning guy but it didn't give me a true feeling of his thought process. Overall, though, I did enjoy the book but mainly for the hot scenes.

UPDATE: So over time, I have found that I keep coming back to this book and I absolutely love it. I've re-read it once (although I don't remember the date) and also bought it and listened in audiobook where it is fabulous. I have since very much become a fan of m/m/m books. :-) ( )

In two words: LOVED IT!

This was a great story of three very different men falling in love and lust with each other in a difficult life threatening situation. Jamie is an out gay man who makes no excuses for his desire and love of men. He's the youngest of the group, but the most sexually experienced. Tuck is a bi-sexual man who has had a crush on a male co-worker for a year- his co-worker Brendan who happens to be straight.

The men are trapped in the Antarctic during a terrible storm and while waiting for the weather to improve so they can be rescued things begin to happen sexually between them. The fantasy and dreams they've harbored come to life when Tuck watches Brendan jerking off in the shower, and later when Tuck gives Jamie a back rub and both of them end up with huge erections.

The guys pass the time knocking back some drinks and playing cards and before they know it they are sucking each others cocks. Brendan is the most disturbed by this, but there is no denying his desire to participate in the action. He's just horrified that men are turning him on. His body is at constant war with his head. Tuck and Jamie try to calm Brendan and ease him into some male on male love, but once Brendan's desire is satisfied by the men his head starts taking over and he backs off what happened between them.

As soon as they are rescued Brendan withdraws and pushes both Jamie and Tuck away to retreat back to his old life. He tries hooking back up with his ex-girlfriend but it's the images of sex with Jamie and Tuck that are turning him on. Brendan is miserable and confused.

Jamie and Tuck continue their relationship back in California but both are missing Brendan and can't seem to forget about the other guy. They are falling in love and enjoying their new relationship but always feel a void because Brendan is not with them. When they try calling Brendan he gives them the brush off and clearly doesn't want to revive the relationship that started in the Antarctic. They are hurt and angry but know they can't force Brendan into something he's not ready for.

This story was very well told. The men were are very different and the characters well developed. The struggles the men had were believable and touching. Jamie often felt like the third wheel on the outside because Tuck had fallen in love with Brendan a year before. And Tuck felt stuck in the middle with his feelings for both men. Brendan...Brendan was a mass of confusion trying to come to terms with his own sexuality.

Wonderful, hot, sexy gay romance story. And this was romance, not just graphic steamy sex (though it was panties-on-fire reading!. These men fell in love and each struggled individually with his personal demons and together as a group as they worked to find a way to be together.

Review on my blog: http://moonlighttotwilightblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/polar-reaction-by-claire-tho... ( )

I wavered between a 2 and a 3 on this one, so I'll have to say it's a 2.5. The concept was wonderful--three men stranded in the Antarctic and trying to deal with their mutual attractions. Jamie and Tuck are both gay; Brendan has felt an attraction to Tuck but has always had relationships with women. Their attraction brings the three of them together, but will it survive their rescue?Why didn't I love, love, love the book? I really enjoy m/m and/or menage stories, and there was some plot. The sex scenes were great, but I felt like the plot lacked the depth that could have been there. Also, it's hard for me to explain, but something about the characters just didn't feel right to me. Even though they were supposed to be adults, something about them put me in mind of teenage boys--definitely not sexy. They just "click" with me. ( )

An excellent contemporary gay romance with a familiar theme. Tuck has been in love with Brendan ever since an unexpected "connection" last summer. But, Brendan is straight right? Jamie got the chance of a lifetime to work on the polar research site. He's gay, and unbelievable attracted to Tuck but doesn't think he has a chance. Inhibitions are thrown out the window when a blizzard traps the three together.

Though the story has been done before (a supposedly straight man gives in to his secret desires for a friend), the familiarity was shaken up by the addition of a third man to the mix. Jamie's angst over whether he's a third wheel is believable and heartfelt. The explicit and frequent sex is taken up a notch for the same reason. I usually prefer romance with one committed couple, but this threesome was very well done. The story was tidily wrapped up in an HEA - just the way I like it. Recommended for fans of "erotically enhanced" (read lots of graphic sex) romance! ( )