Like in the former books of this series, Blish left out fan favourite scenes, but added a lot of sexism. Kirk feeling sorry for himself because he hasn't got enough time to have sex with every woman in the universe? And actually regretting not being able to flirt with Mara, because she's married? Honestly, Star Trek was supposed to be a utopian tale, which means taking one already flirtatious, but still mostly feministic character and turn him into a sexual predator is a gross violation of the work. Though I am not sure if Blish invented those parts himself or if they were in the original scripts and got left out in the cutting room, it was HIS decision to add them in the books and that completely ruins the character of Kirk and with it the subtexts of the episodes.