Just for Christmas

I been looking forward to reading this book. And I have been enjoy reading this series of Maitland Maternity. I love the characters and their story they are telling me too.

From the back cover: They needed a miracle... Hope Logan wanted only two things for Christmas--her husband, Drake, and the child he refused to give her. Drake had made it plain he had no desire to be a father...and it seemed his desire for Hope had disappeared as well. Drake Logan didn't mind taking risks--but not with his wife. Their one shot at being parents had ended in disaster. He'd almost lost Hope then...and now it looked as if he was going to lose her anyway. Then came Stevie... When Drake's young nephew arrived for the holidays, everything changed. Suddenly, they seemed like a family--and they acted like it, too! Only, Stevie couldn't stay forever. And Hope and Drake had to decide if they loved each other enough to try again...or if their happiness would be Just For Christmas. And my review: I enjoyed this book. I don't think I've read a book by Stella Bagwell that I didn't like, and this was no exception. Usually, I hate men who refuse to give their wives a baby, but I couldn't hate Drake. He actually had a real reason for his hesitation, not just a lame excuse so that he could avoid responsibility. The characters were well drawn, and this book went onto my keeper shelf.

Drake Logan and his wife Hope are separated and it looks like they may not be getting back together. Hope has asked Drake to move back into the house, because his sister has asked if they will keep her son for her until after the Christmas Holiday. She and her husband want to take a vacation. Drake agrees to move back in, but only until Christmas.Hope desperately wants a child of her own. The last time she got pregnant, she lost the baby and almost her lost her own life. She still wants to try to have a child that belongs to she and Drake. Drake doesn't want a child, because he feels he won't be a good father. But he does move back in the house and try to make his house a home to his nephew. This was a really good book. I think Ms. Bagwell did a good job with both the Drake and Hope. They had emotion that seem to come alive when read.

Drake Logan is successful as the financial administrator for the Maitland Maternity Clinic. It's his relationship with his wife, Hope that seems hopeless. Determined to remain childless for her sake, as well as his, his marriage to his beloved wife is in peril and he finds himself unable to do anything to improve matters. But when Hope unexpectedly asks him to come back home to help her care for his nephew Stevie, Drake finds himself drawn into the pretense of acting as a loving couple for the sake of his nephew. When Hope Logan looks at Stevie, she sees a shadow of Drake. The neglected and unloved child blooms under their attention and fuels Hope's dream of reconciling with her husband and finally having a child of their own.Stella Bagwell's installment of the Maitland Maternity series is strongly written and well developed. Instead of focusing on the abandoned baby, the Logans distance from the Maitlands allows for a much-needed objective approach to the situation, which both Drake and Hope provide. In addition, Bagwell employs the use of Stevie in a realistic manner and allows him to truly develop under the Logans care. Instead of remaining a tool, Stevie is allowed to grow though we are never allowed access to his thoughts. The author does allow us plenty of access into Drake's thoughts, which makes it possible to understand some of his more harsh reactions when it comes to his wife whom he loves. Drake is not an easy character to warm up to but it is not at all hard to sympathize with him. In addition, Hope is a strong heroine who isn't afraid to confront her husband. One of the best aspects of this story, however, is Drake and Hope's extraordinary ability to admit to self-doubt. Rather than deny that they are the root of the problem, they do question whether they are demanding too much of each other. By doing this, Bagwell illustrates an inherently strong foundation when it comes to their marriage.