Her Best Friend's Baby (Maitland Maternity)

Rating:
Summary: Storyline from back of book
Review: HER BEST FRIEND'S BABY - Vicki Lewis Thompson

MARY JANE POTTER owed her best friend for practically raising
her, so having a child for Arielle didn't seem like such a
sacrifice -- until Arielle's husband arrived with news that
would change their lives forever...
MORGAN TATE had never been comfortable with the surrogate
arrangement. Especially now that he was seeing Mary Jane as
more than just his wife's best friend...

Mary Jane knew Morgan wanted this baby more than anything.
Only, suddenly, he seemed to want Mary Jane, too! And Mary
Jane definitely enjoyed being wanted! But did Morgan see her
as the love of his life -- or simply the mother of his child?

Rating:
Summary: Great read with well-rounded characters
Review: Plot Summary: Mary Jane Potter, who lives in Austin, is acting as a surrogate mother for her best friend Arielle and Arielle's husband Morgan. Arielle was Mary Jane's nanny, basically raising her when Mary Jane's father distanced himself after the death of his wife, so Mary Jane feels she owes Arielle a lot. One horrible day, Morgan arrives with the news that Arielle is now dead, and as they deal with their grief over her death, and struggle with who Arielle was to both of them, they also begin to fall in love.

"Her Best Friend's Baby" is part of the Maitland Maternity series by Harlequin. I can't speak on how it fits into the remainder of the series, because I haven't read them.

This is a really well-written, well-developed offering by Thompson. The characters are believable and become very real, and the development of the romantic relationship between the two characters is sensitively handled.

In a situation such as this, it would be easy for the development of the romance to feel like a violation of Arielle's memory. But Thompson does a good job of developing both the character's feelings towards one another and their eventual acceptance of their grief. As both of them come to terms with the reality of their relationships with Arielle, they also come to understand how much they can give to one another.

Because this book comes out in a more mainstream line, Thompson doesn't include any of the imaginative erotic scenes that are part of her Blaze/Temptation books. However, she still handles the love scenes with a deft and sensitive touch, making them both erotic and believable.

An incredibly sensitive and well-developed offering from Thompson.