Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Janie Crouch is the first author I reviewed an ARC for. She sent me a signed copy with a very nice note. I enjoyed the book and have enjoyed many others written by her. Those first books were Harlequin Intrigue books were what I call a short novel. Action was fast and the romance sometimes didn't get a chance to develop. "Cyclone" is longer and gave both the mystery/suspense and the romance time to fully develop. At first, I thought it was a romance with mystery, meaning a romance with a touch of mystery, but it turned out to be a really great romantic-suspense that kept me reading far too late into the night. I can't wait for the other books in this series as this cast of characters is just awesome.

Dr. Anne Nichols left Oak Creek, Wyoming, after her dream come true turned into a nightmare. She is back because she has no place else to go and is out of other options. She spent her childhood hiding behind a book and trying to be invisible to everyone.

Zac Mackay was the boyfriend, then husband, of Anne's best, and only, friend. What he did and said to her was the reason Anne left. When Zac's wife and child died, he threw himself into the Army Special Forces and learned a lot of skills, enough to start a successful business, Linear Tactical, teaching those skills to others with his Army buddies.

During their first encounter in more than six years, Anne comes face to face with Zac and is terrified that he really meant what he said six years ago. Zac knows he behaved badly, very badly, but the fear in her eyes devastates him. He is determined to uncover what he doesn't remember and to replace fear with longing in Annie's eyes. As Zak remembers exactly what happened so long ago, he begins a mission to make Annie forgive "then" Zak, but a rapist has set his sights on Annie and she will need every ounce of determination she has and all the skills Zak taught her to survive.

Cyclone is a friendship to love, flawed characters, suspenseful romance. The first book in the Linear Tactical series by Janie Crouch is off to a promising start. I enjoyed this story, the character dynamics and the overall interaction will definitely have me coming back for book 2.

Not a bad story just seemed like it was missing something. Overall I found the plot interesting. Good.

An excellent start to a new series. Anne and Zac are great together, the story moves along well, and it kept me guessing who the villain might be. I recommend it and look forward to reading more books in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.

Doctor Anne Nichols has returned to her hometown despite being warned off to leave and never return. She’s desperate and its her last option. She thinks she’ll be ok as long as she keeps her head down. No one seems to remember her until she has to treat Zac Mackay, the person she’s been hoping to avoid. Interesting and gripping storyline. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Janie Crouch is able to create very likable characters readers will be able to connect with. From Annie to the many supporting characters in this story. Cyclone is a great beginning to a series that readers will want more of before they even finish the book.
The story is a wonderful blend of suspense, heartache, flawed characters that will bring readers in and never let them go.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Calamity Jane Publishing for the advance copy of of Janie Crouch Cyclone

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I enjoyed her writing style. This book is the first in what promises to be an interesting series. I struggled with loving this particular story, however, for a couple of reasons. First, I really like a strong heroine, and Annie was too much of a doormat; I was, however, glad to see her progression into a stronger character throughout. That was a real plus, but she drove me nuts at first. A bigger thing for me, though, was that I don't care for books in which one of the main characters is dealing with the death of a spouse, even in cases like this one where Zac seemed to have mostly dealt with it and was ready to move on. If the blurb had mentioned this element, I probably wouldn't have even read the book. As it turns out, I'm glad I did in this case because I like the author's writing style enough that I'll want to give the next book in the series a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/Calamity Jane Publishing for providing an ARC for review.

My goodness I loved Zac and Anne. Their romance pulls at your heart as they navigate a shared past that profoundly changed each of them. Together they work to build a beautiful second chance romance based on forgivness, acceptance, trust and love. On a more somber note, the book deals with the very serious topic of sexual assault. I thought the author treated the subject matter with respect and that she deftly used the material to further develop her characters. There was a constant rise in tension from the situation with the serial rapist to the sweet romance between Zac and Anne. Let me say Zac's efforts to show Anne how much he valued her were swoon worthy. Even better was Anne's journey to see herself as much more than just "plain old Anne" who faded into the background. Anne may have had help to recognize her self worth but in the end she saves herself and becomes a stronger better person for it. I liked the other characters that filled out the story and Dorian in particular really caught my attention. I can't wait to hear his story. I really think Cyclone is the her best book to date. It's definitely going on my keep shelf. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest opnion. (less)

Although the writing, pacing, and characters were really well done, my low rating was for the second chance romance between the two MCs of the story. I wasn’t able to ever really buy into their love story. Sadly it had too many of my pet peeves and the type of trope used is my least favorite (dead spouse).

Based on other reviews, this one was a case of me and not the book. Personal preference and all that jazz. Although this was a miss, I can see myself giving this author another try, the other characters, especially Charlotte and Finn have definitely piqued my interest.

I really liked Annie. She was reserved, smart and very resilient. As an ER physician she was trained to respond to stressful situations, but I think what helped her deal was her pitiful childhood. Her ability to bounce back from difficult situations showed her determination and strength in an admirable way. I also liked how she didn’t hesitate to decline a helping hand when she needed it most.

Zac was a tough guy, but he didn’t swagger with attitude. He was respectful, aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and not afraid to admit what he was feeling. Actually, he was kind of a sweet marshmallow:) Zac and his military friend’s business was teaching civilians and law enforcement the skills they learned from their military careers, which comes in handy when Annie finds herself in trouble. Rather than cage Annie in, Zac gave her the tools to better herself.

Zac and Annie had a good relationship before an awkward and uncomfortable event occurred. I liked how he didn’t hesitate to make amends with Annie once he realized what he had done. It was obvious he genuinely wanted to make things right and not because it was the correct thing to do, but because he also liked her. I’m not excusing his actions since they were terribly mean, but Zac’s actions went a long way towards rectifying the situation and making me like their romance all the more. It was sweet yet hot, without being in your face and the issues weren’t drawn out, but settled like reasonable adults.

Overall, this was a good RS read! Janie Crouch writes great romances and friendships, but her villains! Oy, I rarely get them right because she keeps me guessing and I love that! I’m also looking forward to the rest of the hotties at Linear Tactical getting their own stories!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reading ‘Cyclone’, or rather, getting into the first book of Linear Tactical, is strangely akin to seeing Janie Crouch freed of her writing restraints, and there’s no blunter way of putting it especially when it showcases the writing in fine form. ‘Cyclone’ is a full-length, more colourful, more explicit (hooray) story and simply a lot more compelling than the ‘tamer’ novellas Crouch has done for the Harlequin Intrigue/Suspense imprint in contrast, and begins with a huge misunderstanding and a painful event that neither of the main protagonists have quite gotten over.

Justifiably skittish, broken and gun-shy, Anne Nichols’s return to her small hometown brings her back into contact with the man she’d never wanted to see again, though Zac Mackay isn’t even aware of what exactly had put the rift between them that Anne wouldn’t talk about. And that’s where the pieces slowly come together, as I sat in with spiteful glee and got on the grovelling journey Zac took in trying to make up for his abysmal misdeeds 6 years ago, more so because I found myself sympathising and identifying with Anne’s insecurities, her wariness and even her quiet bravery and the strength that are so easily looked over. That she's too forgiving made me a little outraged, even.

The element of the forbidden isn’t as strong as I thought here—Anne being the good friend of Zac’s long-dead wife, even if they’d known each other for a long time—and that Anne had always loved him yet tamped it down always made it feel as though Zac had a long way to go before getting up to speed with her. Apart from feeling that Anne was a little short-changed for the longest time, colour me surprised when Zac was able to move forward rather easily with her, as I’d expected some kind of accounting for how he finally had eyes for Anne when he never quite did before.

Still, ‘Cyclone’ is less angsty than I thought it would be, less drawn-out with the push-pull that happens between with a couple so weighed down by their pasts (this is not a NA novel after all), especially after the growing relationship between Anne/Zac is gradually overshadowed by the growing suspense plot that inevitably snares Anne in its trap.

Nonetheless, if ‘Cyclone’ is the standard-setting benchmark for the rest of the books to come—I was impatient to get back to the book each time my attention was called away—, then wherever or however Crouch might take this entire series is something I’m really looking forward to.