Perfect Spiral - Lane Hart

Someone leaves a baby on Quinton Dunn's porch claiming it is his. He thinks it's a joke but decides to have a DNA test to find out. In the meantime, he tries to remember what he did 9 months previously to have a baby. He remembers with help from his teammates. He tracks down the address of the baby's mother only to be met by her sister with anger. Callie is exactly what he is looking for--a woman who says no. They fight over the baby then come to an arrangement. Quinton pursues her, but she is gun shy because of her ex and her sister. Is he the father of the baby? Can they come to an agreement? Can he convince her he's changed?

I enjoyed this story. I liked Quinton and Callie. I found Quin's criteria for a woman interesting. I loved the two points-of-view through the story. I like knowing what each one is thinking and feeling. I understand Callie's feelings knowing his history. I appreciated his teammates warning him about Callie's desire for a baby, but I liked that he ignored them.

I look forward to reading more of this series. It made me feel good although the subjects talked of are tough. I felt hopeful for Quinton and Callie throughout the book.

Grace has sworn off men. Quinn thinks she is interested in him. They clash from the beginning to the end but love shows the way.

I enjoyed this book. I figured out the misunderstanding and enjoyed watching them figure it out. I liked how Grace showed her independence from her family. What a bunch they were! I also liked the strength that Grace had. To make the changes she did and to forge a place for herself. I liked Quinn and his protectiveness when he realized what led to their misunderstanding. Some of the secondary characters were interesting--Edward and Folly. Grace did protect herself emotionally but I understood her reasons and could commiserate with her.

A good book for a quiet winter's evening

A Secret Surrender by Darcy Burke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Adventure wraps itself around you as it steals away with your heart. Selina and Harry are a captivating pair. Chess is their game of choice and there's always a twist waiting to upset the game. Burke exercises more than the heart with her unpredictable storytelling. She puts the mind to work as well. A Secret Surrender is a stunning whirlwind of danger, romance and emotion that pulls readers into a dynamic seduction that is hard to break free of.



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'The Secret at the Hermitage' wastes no time in signalling to the reader that there are changes afoot. Louise and Jean are relaxing in their room after classes joking about an item in the paper. Jean is "sprawled" on the window seat and is described as "inclining to boyishness". A suddenly cheeky Evelyn Star appears in the doorway joking about the school food and is invited to grab a cookie. A quick trip to a shop to get a wristwatch repaired is suggested and Jean rushes out to grab the hat she left in Doris Harland's room. Who are these girls? It's an unremarkable scene, except for that we've never seen anything half as natural so far in the Dana Girls books. Mildred Wirt Benson brings a little life to the archetypes.

As is becoming traditional, the latest mystery really begins with the girls giddy with excitement at the chance to escape from campus, if only for a few hours. The article they were reading earlier in the paper had to do with the former warden of the women's penitentiary in Penfield. Howard Norton had been dismissed for negligence, especially after the escape of an inmate. Little do they know they're going right into the heart of case.

They are surprised at the bus stop by Mrs. Grantland, the woman for whom they retrieved a pearl ring in 'Study Lamp', who offers them a ride into town with a quick stop so they can admire her newest hobby: art collecting. There they admire a particularly fine statue signed N.R. that Mrs. Grantland was told had been made by an inmate of the prison.

Later, in the shop where watch is being repaired, the girls are accosted by Norton. He is near-sighted and convinced that the sixteen year old Louise is the much older escaped convict Nina Regan! This begins a bizarre game of cat and mouse where Norton continues to pop up in distant woods, parlors, and other locations to accuse Louise of being Nina.

The Warden's menace is such that Lettie Briggs comes up with a brilliant prank to spook Louise on a field trip by dressing up as Norton and scaring her. It works, but unknown to the fleeing Lettie, Louise is hurt and accidentally left behind by the class. Louise is hurt, alone in the woods, and winds up in a stranger's car and deposited 40 miles from Starrhurst. A hermit finds her and offers her shelter for the night, which Louise takes, but is genuinely freaked out by the whole situation.

Are things not weird yet? That's because I've forgotten the girls digging deeper into the story of Nina Regan, her wrongful conviction, and the plight of another inmate who is separated from her sick child. The solution rests in the hands of Mrs. X.Y.Z., if Jean doesn't get eaten by a tiger first. Yeah. you read that right. A tiger.

Bring on more of these, please.

Dana Girls

Next: 'The Circle of Footprints'

Previous: 'A Three-Cornered Mystery'

by Colm Holland

This is a book unlike anything I've seen before. It is written by someone who was in the publishing industry when The Alchemist by Paul Coelho first came out in English translation. The introduction explains how the author was in charge of determining which new releases would fill the scarce shelves of the Australian book market and after reading the manuscript of Coelho's book, saw a bestseller and ordered an unprecedented number of copies.

But that isn't all. It goes on to tell how a meeting with Coelho led to a mystical experience and understanding of the book far beyond a story of a shepherd discovering his true will. That mystical revelation and subsequent changes to the author's life, from a fiction story, is what this book is all about.

At the time of writing this review I haven't read The Alchemist, though it's on my tbr. I wondered many times while reading, did Coelho intend to speak in allegory for deeper meanings or did Holland read his own mystical journey into what was intended only as a hero's journey story? I have no answer to that, but it apparently worked well for Holland and put his life on a satisfying track.

The explanation of the stages of spiritual Alchemy was worth the read alone. The "Dark night of the soul", enlightenment, then active phases might have come out of a book in the Mind, Body, Spirit section and perhaps that is where this one will be categorised. Much of it is personal to the author, yet the journey has similar stages to anyone following this spiritual path, whatever symbols they couch it in.

An interesting read and well-written so that it kept interest.