Cyclone is the first book in the "Linear Tactical" series and I was really interested in this book. I was introduced to this story by a booktuber and as I do love suspense in small town romances, I was fasinated. I did enjoy this one. But it didn't exactly wow me. There were parts of the story especially the second half that was just boring. It didn't really do much for me and the story just fell flat in the second half because the first half was really enjoyable there. I really enjoyed the aspect of the premise of what brings the couple together. We have some misunderstanding that occurred that happened under the influence of alcohol so I really enjoyed seeing these two figurer out the past and find a way to get a relationship to work. I did relate to the heroine in many ways, I think my issues with the story is the writing just stopped pulling me in as I would have liked it to. I did really like how the the suspense plot was implemented and resolved and love it when its a villain you don't expect it to be.

Overall I found Cyclone to be interesting and I am curious for more. ( )

Cyclone
5 Stars

Shy and quiet Annie Griffin returns to Oak Creek, Wyoming as an ER physician. The last person she wishes to see is Zac MacKay, a former Special Forces officer, with whom she shares a devastating past. But circumstances force them together to deal with the mistakes of the past and the concerns of the present, which includes a vicious rapist who has set his sights on Annie.

Wow! This book was a random pick for a challenge, but it has rapidly become my favorite book of the year so far. The characters are well developed, the romance is delightful and the suspense plot is well-integrated within the narrative.

Annie is a wonderful heroine who perseveres and thrives despite the many obstacles that have been placed in her path. While Zac's actions raise questions as to his hero status at the beginning of the book, he more than redeems himself as the story progresses, and he realizes that Annie is everything he never knew he always wanted.

Zac and Annie have incredible chemistry and Crouch skillfully overcomes one of the potentially problematic issues, i.e., that Annie is a consolation prize after Becky's death, by indicating that Zac's feelings for Annie had always been there subconsciously.

The suspense plot is fast-paced and even though it is possible to guess the identity of the villain, the climax and resolution are particularly satisfying. I love the way the entire town comes to Annie's rescue

Overall, a wonderful read and I look forward to continuing with the series, which focuses on the rest of Zac's friends.



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I like the general plot of this and the protective hero. I didn't think he did enough groveling for the truly horrible things he said to the heroine. He did a lot of nice things but he didn't verbally apologize enough for me. There was some repetition I didn't like but generally, the writing was solid and I liked the characterization. I'd definitely read more from this series. It has a lot of tropes I like, even if some things rubbed me the wrong way (the biracial relationship line comes to mind as something an editor might have suggested being removed). I really enjoyed the characterization of the side characters and I'm excited to read their books. ( )

Annie was Zac's wife's best friend. After losing his wife and young son in an automobile accident, they seek comfort in alcohol and each other. Riddled with guilt, Zac sends Annie away and it is quite a few years before Annie summons the courage to move back to their home town and take a position as the emergency room doctor at the local hospital. Zac has completed his stint in the military and along with some friends has opened Linear Tactical which helps local law enforcement and teaches defense tactics. Will they be able to forgive and move on as friends, or is there potential for more. Meanwhile, someone is attacking and raping local women and Linear Tactical is working on finding out who.

I liked this. There was enough suspense to spice up the romance. I also liked the hometown feel and the friendships between the men of the tactical unit. I plan to continue with the series. ( )

I'm not even gonna lie, Cyclone had tears slowly streaming down my face the entire time I read! My heart hurt for Anne in a way words can't express. She had a terrible childhood which bled into a terrible adulthood. Her life was a blend of bullies and bad luck. And to know that Zac was one of those hurtful people was just too much.

Zac was married to Anne's best (and only) friend, Becky. Becky died in a car accident while Zac was overseas in the military. After high school, Anne went to college, then medical school, but had always stayed close to Becky. After a night that Zac doesn't even remember, Anne left Wyoming for parts unknown. Now they are both back in their small Wyoming hometown and not much has changed for Anne-most people don't remember her and those that do are not nice about it. But, Anne has nowhere to go. She is divorced and totally broke. She is already about as down as someone can get, yet these people just keep kicking her! I'm not kidding when I say I just wept the whole time because Anne just had the worst life!

I struggled with Zac a great deal. First, I am not really a big fan of the widower trope because the new lady is always competing with a ghost. But, when that new lady is really the wife's best friend, its even more difficult for me to buy into. Zac also didn't handle things well and he hurt Anne. When I say he hurt her, it would have been LESS painful if he physically hurt her. What he did was more painful than any physical beating. Personally, I could never get over what happened between them and just never fully invested in Zac as a hero.

You need to read Cyclone for Anne. I'm not a person who likes to read books with all the feels, but this book reminds me why books with the feels are so powerful. Cyclone tore me up emotionally and created a character in Anne I will not forget anytime soon. I can't remember wanting a happy ending for a character more than I wanted it for Anne. Read Cyclone with tissues because it made my non-feels catching heart hurt like I couldn't believe! I'm excited for what Crouch has in store for the rest of the Linear Tactical family!

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: yes....so many


• Trope: widower, small town


• Triggers: There is a serial rapist attacking women in the town


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

authors like Kaylea Cross, Susan Stoker, Katie Reus...then you will probably like Cyclone!

 


Cyclone






 
See full review on The Book Disciple ( )