Cyclone: A Protective Hero Romantic Suspense (Linear Tactical Book 1)

Anne’s dysfunctional family had never seen her beauty inside or out. But her friend Becky had taken her under her wing. Becky had a loving, giving Mom who had taken Anne in at the worst of times. Zac, Becky’s boyfriend had been there as a friend too, but for the rest of the town’s people she was invisible. Anne thought she could hide the longing, the love she felt for Zac but Becky saw it and understood. So Anne poured all longing in to studying for medical school so she could use her determination and love to help others. Never allowing her love for Zac to show. Until Becky, Zac’s wife, and their son Micah died in a car accident. Two weeks after their death Anne stood by as Zac got blind drunk. She tried to offer him comfort, whatever he needed, especially if it was her giving him her virginity. But it backfired, he became furious, throwing her out of the room telling her to leave and never come back. She had. Now, six years later she was back. She hadn’t had a choice, when Becky’s Mom Carol left Anne her home when she died. A damn good doctor now, Anne was broke, divorced and devastated. And Zac was firmly planted in the old town. It was a small town but maybe she could stay under his radar, safe. What she didn’t know was that Zac had never forgotten her. He had a lot to make up for. Well played out with characters that had seen a great deal of action and pain. There is a rapist on the loose and years of past regrets to for Zac to make up to Anne. Even most of the towns people had ignored what had been happening to the child Anne had been. Now the time had come for the town to step up as well, to see Anne for who she was, see her care of the people came to her when they were hurt or sick. When she needed their help most would they be there? Tense moments, spicy romance, friendships and leads into more stories to come. This is well played out bringing a second chance to heal, love and build friendships. Right old wrongs. This one is a story well worth hearing. Triggers for some maybe death of child and a beloved spouse, stalking, rape and spicy romantic scenes.

This is my first novel by author Janie Crouch and it won’t be my last. Readers are taken on the emotional journey of Dr. Anne Griffin struggling to find solace in her world where she has experienced kindness and love countered by emotionally devastating life altering experiences. Zac MacKay, owner of Linear Tactical, hurt Anne deeply many years ago but throughout the story we learn how much he cares for her and heartwarmingly guides Anne to discover the beauty, confidence, and strength she had possessed all along. May we all have someone in our lives to support us on our journey of self growth and revelation as Anne had. Ms. Crouch gives readers more than a glimpse into small town living in the state of Wyoming. It is complete with the negative stereotype of small town gossip and balanced with the rallying support and concern for towns people in need. Chicken soup for the soul kind of “feels.” I loved the members of Linear Tactical and the brotherhood they shared as well as Anne’s supportive friend Riley. An ongoing thread in this novel is the serial rapist in the surrounding area and the effort made to track him down. Readers will definitely NOT be disappointed with the way this plays out. I had my hunch who the perpetrator of these vicious rapes may end up being but WOW was I wrong!!! Nice job Ms. Crouch! The psychologically thrilling conclusion is an edge of your seat read! Can’t wait to continue the journey with Finn and Charlotte’s story in book 2 in the series. I hope we see more of Ethan, Finn’s young son, in this next installment too. Great story! I recommend this series to fans of romantic suspense.

Zac and Annie were interesting characters. I enjoyed it and loved the journey they walked. Never figured out who was the one hunting the women. Very well done.

New series. Janie Crouch has added a military stance to this book. These guys are so hot you have to jerk reading yo get the use survival in these pages. So good…

I love military book, or private security books, what can I say I’m a sucker for a hot guy with skills. This isn’t exactly a second chance romance, but close enough to work for me. Zac used to be in the military and is now one of the owners of Linear Tactical, a company that teaches all kind of security skills and tactics and survival skills. He’s a good guy, good friend, hard worker. He has a sad past, his wife and young son both died in a car accident. By the time this book starts a lot of time has past and he’s managed to move on. The thing is that is something that haunts him. Anne. The woman who was best friends with his wife, who he slept with after she died. When Anne shows up back in town as the new ER doc she’s more than a little broken. Her husband left her for a younger more personable woman. She’s back in the town where she was invisible. And oh year she knows at some point she’s going to have to see Zac, the man who really broke her. Zac never expected to find that Anne was afraid of him when they see each other again but she is. I felt so much for Anne. I wanted her to get a happy ending, to feel loved and accepted. Frankly I just wanted to wrap her up in a giant band aide. The thing I loved about this book is how Zac is a good guy, and he seriously wants to fix whatever happened with him and Anne. I love that he’s not afraid of it, that he doesn’t want to leave it unaddressed. Throughout the whole book he’s patient and kind and sweet. He never tries to force her into anything, he’s never overly pushy, he just wants to be around her in whatever way she is okay with. He really is a great hero in this book. I will say there is some serious triggers for people is violence against women is hard for you to read. I didn’t feel like it was over down or gratuitous, don’t get me wrong it was hard to read, but it was necessary for the story and I felt like it was well done. This book had everything I wanted: a great love story, good secondary characters, solid storyline, just a great beginning to a series. I look forward to the next one.

It was a good story. I'm not an emotional person but a part near the end had me wanting to tear up and it came out of the blue. It wasn't even an emotional scene in the story but I got the feels for some reason. I believe this is the first book I've read from this author. Kinda reminded me of another author I read a lot of. I would recommend this book. It never got boring and the characters were interesting enough to keep your attention. I don't plan on continuing with this series but this story was good enough to read once.

This book has wonderful loyal, smart, strong characters, and a great story of suspense and romance. The characters are so entertaining and the story moves at a good pace. Very entertaining!

Contemporary romance with lots of action, suspense and sizzle. This is the first novel I have read by this author, and can’t wait for the next. Zac MacKay is a former Green Beret, back home in Oak Creek, Wyoming where he and his brothers in arms have started a military-like training facility. It’s well known throughout the country. Zac grew up here, married and lost his wife Becky and two year old son in a tragic accident six years ago. One thing he can’t forget is a drunken sexual encounter with his wife’s best friend the night before he headed back to Afghanistan, just a few days after her funeral. Anne Nichols is that shady memory he is most ashamed of. Annie returned to Oak Creek after her recent divorce. She is an excellent E R. Physician, but grew up extremely shy, with an embarrassing stutter. She remembers that tragic night, feels like she betrayed Becky, and knew Zac never wanted to see her again, because he told her so that night. When Zac has a motorcycle accident and is in Anne’s ER, their memories collide. She is now Anne Griffin and was doing her best to stay invisible in town. Zac recognizes the fear in her eyes when she sees him, and despite his own shame is desperate to know why she is frightened. I really enjoyed how the author quickly had them talking to each other, explaining each of their emotions and setting them to rest. No games. They were able to work on a relationship they both needed. But, there is a lot more action and mystery that kept me from putting the book down! I highly recommend this sexy, suspenseful romance.

Wonderful book and a great start for a series. Can't wait to read the other books. Lots of turns and twists and a HEA. Perfect.

It's my first book by this author, although I just read it for the second time. For some reason, I forgot to post a review so I had to reread it in order to do that. For me, this book had the perfect mix of romance and suspense. Great characters, great friends, great chemistry! It has the small town vibe of nosy neighbours, but then also those who look out for you. It's kind of a friends to lovers storyline, but there's a lot of personal angst for both main characters and a lot of character growth. Plus a female lead who was smart and logical and the author didn't have her doing stupid things to advance the plot. I really like Ms. Crouch's writing style and will definitely be reading more in this series!

I absolutely loved this book. Some suspense, humour, sexy time and love. The connection between the characters was written so well. I read this book in a day, went out for the evening and couldn’t wait to get home and download the next book in the series. Highly recommend you buy this buy!

When I started this book I thought, I'm sure I've read this sort of story before. Within a few pages I realised how wrong I was and became really invested in their characters, but also the people on the edges of this plot, which leads us to somea very interesting, surprising twists and turns. Definitely not as predictable as I thought it was going to be!! Impressive! As the blurb says 'A tough former-military alpha hero leaves his pain behind to claim the woman he never knew had gotten away' - this book does not disappoint. A fantasic book, and would definitely recommend you read it!

Unrequited is one of my favorite tropes and this started great, with a complicated background and a hurt heroine. The Linear Tactical business is pretty well thought and it sounds like a place every woman should have access to, so we could learn everything there is about self-defense. I liked the heroine. She was not the classic “she-says-she’s-not-pretty-but-her-description-is-a-cliche-of-gorgeous” but a realistic beauty. And finally, am I the only one hoping Mia has a love story with a Linear guy?