SPOILER ALERT! I'm not in the business of ruining books, so if you haven't read this book yet, turn back now!
Author: Janie Crouch
Series: Linear Tactical Series book #1
Category: Romantic Suspense
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
"Work was what she needed, what she understood. Zac MacKay? Not so much." - Anne
Anne was down on her luck, and despite being an accomplished emergency room doctor, had very little to her name. Without many options, she elected to come back to her hometown of Oak Creek. Thankfully, no one was able to recognize her as the shy, sheltered girl she had once been, and Anne hoped to keep it that way.
"She was divorced, broke, and terrified of social situations to the point of paralysis. Except for being an excellent emergency room physician, she had basically zero going for her." - Anne
Unfortunately, her worst fear came to light when her former crush, and deceased best friend Becky's husband Zac was admitted into the emergency room where she worked. Zac immediately knew who she was, and Anne was terrified of him. Because of his actions, after sleeping together not long after Becky was killed, Anne fled town years prior. All she wanted was to forget the past, but Zac kept digging until he knew the truth, for better or worse.
"He didn't remember. That had defined her life, and he didn't remember." - Anne
Zac was an asshole to Anne, plain and simple. Not only in his past actions but also after all these years when he first saw her. He was so righteous thinking he was the hero, he never even considered the possibility that he may be the villain in her story.
The ultimate reveal of what had happened the night Zac and Anne had sex was just as horrible, maybe even worse than I'd thought. After drinking heavily, they got into bed together and Zac took Anne's virginity. It wasn't until she confessed her love for him that he freaked out, kicked her out of the room bleeding, and told her to never return.
Zac was cruel, and I still don't think I would have forgiven him for everything. However, even knowing how much he hurt her, Zac fell pretty quickly for Anne and strived to prove that he was the one for her. I do commend Zac for how he stepped up and helped Anne, becoming the support system she didn't have but desperately needed. I wish his groveling lasted longer than a month before she gave in, but at least he made a huge effort and ate some humble pie which is more than what happens in most books.
"'Because some things can't ever be fixed. But you damn well try anyway.'" - Zac
I cried multiple times in this book with all the hurt that Anne went through, the attack on her was brutal and hard to read and review. She deserved so much more than what happened to her. Throughout the whole book, I was sure that Franklin was going to be the rapist, due to her past encounters with him. Imagine my utter shock when freaking Shawn shot him and was the bad guy all along - where the fuck did he come from! Despite how scared she was, Anne proved herself a smart and capable woman, leaning on her strengths to escape Shawn.
One thing that irritated me to no end was the lack of responsibility the Linear Tactical team had in calling out bad behavior happening around them. Franklin and his group of guys repeatedly spoke horribly to and of women, and none of them did much about it except ignore it. If anyone was in the position of being able to shut down 'locker room talk', these guys would be. Real men don't just not participate, they immediately call it out as disguising.
Cyclone was a solid start to the Linear Tactical series, and I definitely will be continuing on. I loved the Wyoming small-town setting and there are tons of already-introduced characters that I need to know more about. Sure, there were some cringe moments and glossed-over elements, but overall the story was enjoyable and the twist ending was fantastic.
Tropes and Themes: Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Second Chance, Military, Best Friend's Boyfriend, Small Town.
Blurb
Meet Zac Mackay. Military codename: Cyclone.
He's a widower, a protector, a hero.
And the person who could destroy Anne's life.
Doctor Anne Griffin is back in Oak Creek, Wyoming, only because she has no other options. Here, she was always the shy, stuttering girl, invisible to everyone.
Except Zac. The very reason she left in the first place.
Zac's years in Special Forces taught him survival skills, and he's created a company--Linear Tactical--to teach those skills to others, so they never have to live in fear.
Then why is Annie, the last person he'd ever want to hurt, afraid of him?
Zac's determined to wipe the fear from the eyes of the woman who has never been far from his mind. And fix the mistakes--his mistakes--that put that look there in the first place.
But a predator has set his sights on Annie. And now survival skills will become much more than lessons...
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