Perfect Spiral

Callie’s been cheated and mistreated by both her husband and her sister. All she’s ever dreamed of was being a mother but after years of trying she concedes it isn’t in her future. But the worse of it all is when she learns her sister is pregnant and it’s more than likely Callie’s husband is the father. Quinton is tired of the easy pickups his position as starting quarterback for the Wildcats allows him. He doesn’t say no to them, but he keeps waiting for the one woman that can see him as more than his job, name and bank account. When a baby is deposited on his doorstep he doesn’t have a clue who the mother could be. But when he follows the barely remembered trail of a night long forgotten he meets Callie. And suddenly, that dream of a woman who sees him as just HIM, is standing right there. This book had a lot of hits and near misses for me. At times I was upset by the decisions the heroine made and that the hero yielded to. But suddenly one or the other took a different step that I wasn’t expecting and that near miss was the perfect hit. I felt the struggle Callie had and the despair Quinton experienced as they faced a standoff that had the potential to destroy the promise of a future together. This was a fast paced read, just a bit angsty at times, the steam factor in the red zone and with great secondary characters. I’m extremely curious about Lathan’s story and will definitely be checking it out ASAP!

Callie Clarke drives up to her cottage and sees her sister’s car parked outside. Filled with anger, she yells at her to leave. Her sister is a heroin user, but she tells Callie she is pregnant and has been clean since she found out. Despite Callie giving her a place to live and spending thousands of dollars on rehab, for the price of a fix, her sister had slept with Callie’s husband. She refuses to help her sister and believe her lies yet again. Quinton Dunn is the starting quarterback for the Wilmington Wildcats. All he wants is for a woman to see the real him and want him for who he is. But right now, they all want his money, fame, and whatever else motivates them. Yet he keeps looking for that special one. At the knock on the door, he expects a lust-filled woman to be visiting him, as usually happens. Instead, he finds a car seat with a sleeping baby! He thought his team mate was pulling a joke, but Lathan was likewise shocked. A note said the mother thought it was Quinton’s, so she’s giving the baby to him to care for. The two guys freak out and call a female friend to find out what to do as the baby starts crying. Fortunately, their female team mate, Roxy, comes to their aid. In trying to track down the possible mother, he remembers only one time when he got so drunk that he wasn’t sure how careful he always was. He tracked the woman to a bar and was given an address, which turned out to be Callie’s. She was divorcing her husband, had lost her sister to an overdose, and now Quinton arrived with another issue to be dealt with. Until DNA tests can prove who the parents are, the baby’s future is not clear. Both of them spend time with the baby while they wait. Will Quinton ultimately realize he has found that special woman who saw who he really was, not the football star the rest drooled over? Is there a chance at creating a family despite all Callie has been through? And what happens if the baby is not related to either of them? This was a very good story. It was fast-moving and kept the reader involved. The strong emotions allowed the reader to see how each character felt and responded to the difficult situations. I thought it was very well done and I recommend the book.

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars for this book. Normally I will only bestow 5 stars on a book that has blown me away. This is too lightweight for doing that BUT the sheer quality of writing has to be recognised. Quinton really grew on me and despite his many conquests was neither arrogant or full of himself. I loved that deep down he was searching for 'the one', and he was quite humble about his intelligence and also his future. Cassie carried so much pain and mistrust that even though , at times, I wanted to shake her I could understand her insecurities. Quinton's calm strength in dealing with them was refreshing different to read. The story flows smoothly, the pace is good and I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and soul warming read.