DuracellEnergizer said:

The lack of a real love interest in the films and in the small amount of EU I had read at the time gave me that impression.

But wasn't Luke all puppy love on Leia in SW and ESB?

I think they kept throwing love interests at Luke in the EU (Mara Jade and the hologram woman in the ship) because it's easy and expected. A solo hero, more focused on his Jedi mission than on the dames is a less common character and would have required more creativity on the part of the bankrupt EU.