Janie Crouch

Terrific start to the Never Too Late for Love: Ellington Cove series. The story opens with a prologue explaining how the Guardian Agency became involved with the Ellington Cove Resort. I'm intrigued by the mysterious head of the Guardian Agency and would love to learn more about him. I enjoyed the interactions that led up to the formation of the team.

Sarah is a widow whose husband died fifteen years earlier, leaving her to raise their three-year-old daughter alone. Now that Vivi is a senior show more in high school, Sarah is facing an empty nest and the need to redefine herself outside of "Vivi's mom." So, while her daughter is on her school's senior trip, Sarah has come to Ellington Cove on her first solo vacation. Upon her arrival, she meets handsome and charming Brent.

Brent is a former Navy SEAL who felt a bit lost after leaving the Navy until the Guardian Agency hired him. He's settled into the work and with his teammates, Nick, Tony, and Gabby. He's never been interested in the hotel's female patrons before, but something about Sarah catches his eye.

I loved both Sarah and Brent. Sarah has made a good life for herself and her daughter but has avoided romantic entanglements. When she arrives at Ellington Cove, she admits it has also been lonely. She's looking forward to rediscovering who she is as a woman. She has a few insecurities because of her lack of experience and age. She is intelligent and mature, so her interactions with Brent and reactions to the danger are reasonable and drama-free.

Brent has settled into a job he enjoys and is getting to know his new home. He's good-looking, charming, and protective. His confidence in himself and his abilities is evident without being overbearing or arrogant. In one scene, he's involved in a fight, and Sarah is worried about him. She is told, "Trust me, the old man's a badass." Perfect description.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Sarah and Brent develop. The sparks were there from the moment they met, which shocked them both. Brent feels he should leave her alone but can't resist the pull. Sarah is determined to explore the feelings he's stirred up. I loved that first dinner, where they connected quickly and enjoyed each other's company. Getting caught up in witnessing a crime wasn't on either's agenda, and both felt the disappointment of having their evening interrupted. I loved Brent's protectiveness and that he didn't allow it to overwhelm their connection. As the danger increased, so did his determination to keep Sarah safe and his need to get to know her better. I liked Sarah's instinctive trust in Brent and how that trust made it much easier to be herself with him.

I laughed at how well Brent could read Sarah's emotions, making it easy for him to understand her insecurities. I loved how he found many ways to show her how beautiful he thought she was. I loved watching Sarah blossom with confidence under his attention. Brent is surprised at how quickly he falls for Sarah and has a few worries about whether she feels the same. I loved his gobsmacked reaction when she told him how she felt, and I could feel his frustration when trouble interfered before he could respond. I loved the sweet and romantic surprise he set up for her and the depth of his emotion when he could finally tell her how he felt. The epilogue was terrific, and I loved seeing him with Vivi.

The suspense of the story had me hooked from the beginning. From the moment Sarah witnessed the suspect leaving the crime scene, I knew the authors had an exciting tale in store for me. I could feel Sarah's fear when the creepy guy from breakfast appeared to be following her later that day and her relief when Brent arrived. Attempts on Sarah's life made it clear that the bad guys wanted to eliminate the only witness, and only Brent's presence kept her safe. I loved the teamwork of Brent and his friends as they tried to track down the missing woman and keep Sarah safe. The intensity ramped up when the bad guys kidnapped Sarah. I was glued to the pages as Sarah made it as hard as possible on the bad guys, and Brent raced to find her before it was too late. I loved Sarah's confidence in Brent and how it gave her the courage to act on her own. The resolution was fantastic.

I can't wait to read Nick's story next. show less

Once again, Janie Crouch has written a book that grabbed me from the first page and kept me enthralled to the very end. The story opens as Alyse prepares for a modeling job. We immediately see that she is uncomfortable with the number of people around her and must work at being the person everyone expects to see. Matters go from bad to worse when she receives a "gift" from a stalker. Her fear was palpable, and I loved that her manager, Jared, knew exactly who to call - Zodiac Tactical.
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Tristan oversees the protection division of ZT. It is the perfect place for him as he is a protector by nature. He has a few control issues, thanks to an event in his past. He's not happy when the request comes in to provide security for Alyse. He has a very poor opinion of movie stars, thanks to previous experience, but Alyse is a special case. Tristan did a job for her father years earlier and owed the man for his influence that helped establish the business. He still hopes to steer her toward another firm for her security needs.

The first meeting between Tristan and Alyse doesn't go well. Tristan goes in with preconceived ideas about Alyse and her life, and Alyse is clearly on edge. Tristan does not expect the immediate swell of protectiveness he feels toward her, despite his beliefs about her. His action with the food is sweet but freaks him out by being very out of character for him. He then overcompensates by being harsh and judgmental. I ached for Alyse, who was barely holding it together. His demand to have someone staying in her house was the last straw. Her home is her sanctuary and the only place she could be herself and maintain her sanity. Tristan's parting words were obnoxiously rude and uncalled for, but Alyse got the last word. I loved his friends'/coworkers' reactions.

I loved seeing the relationship between Tristan and Alyse develop. It doesn't take too long for Tristan to realize that Alyse's perfect image is carefully cultivated and used as armor against the outside world. As he catches an occasional glimpse of the real Alyse, he becomes determined to break through that perfect veneer. Meanwhile, Alyse's compulsion to maintain that image around Tristan gets harder to sustain. The author did a stellar job of showing how the events of her past drove Alyse's fears and insecurities. I loved Tristan's patience and gentleness as he tried to break through that wall. I cheered when it finally came down and loved Tristan's immediately stunned and positive reaction. With the dropping of that barrier, the attraction that both had been fighting was unleashed.

There are many sweet and moving scenes of the two getting to know each other and growing closer. I loved seeing Alyse blossom under Tristan's attention, though she still hid her authentic self from the public. As the stalker's actions escalate, Tristan becomes more determined to stop him. Unfortunately, this leads him to make a boneheaded decision that makes sense security-wise but leaves Alyse feeling betrayed. I ached for them both - Alyse, whose entire life was upended by what happened, and Tristan, who realized what a terrible mistake he'd made. It also opened the window for the stalker. Tristan's fear for Alyse leaped off the page, as did his love and desperation to save her. There was no doubt about their love for each other when it was all over.

The bonus epilogue, which takes place in Oak Creek, Wyoming, showcases the close ties between the Linear Tactical and Zodiac Tactical characters. I laughed out loud at the conversation as Gavin, Baby, and Ian gave Tristan a hard time about his feelings. Tristan's scene with Alyse and the end was sweet, romantic, and - dare I say? - perfect.

The suspense of the story was gripping. From the first moment of the stalker's appearance to the final confrontation, there wasn't a minute that I wasn't glued to the pages. The audacity and creepiness of his actions oozed off the pages. I could feel the frustration of Tristan and the rest of the team as the stalker was scary smart and seemed to be one step ahead of them at all times. I liked the inclusion of Callum Webb, the Omega Sector operative who is so good at getting inside the bad guys' heads, and the insight that helped them identify the stalker. Unlike some stories where it's easy to figure out, this one kept me guessing to the very end. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, with the stalker seeming to have every advantage. The resolution was fantastic. show less

Fantastic conclusion to the Linear Tactical series and introduction to the upcoming Zodiac Tactical books. In a continuation of Scout, Kendrick (aka Blaze) now has the hard drive that nearly cost Wyatt and Nadine their lives. He is brilliant with computers, but the urgent need to get into this drive has him requesting help from fellow hacker Neo.

I loved Kendrick. He is smart, confident without being arrogant, funny, and charming. I've watched him go from a sometimes helper to a vital part show more of the LT team and family. From the moment he appeared in Shamrock and wondered if he could get a "cool nickname," I had a feeling he would be important. With Kendrick's involvement in Capture the Flag with the others, the beginning of this book shows how much things have changed for him. I laughed out loud as I read his exchanges with Neo.

Neo has been an intriguing character from her first appearance in Ghost (loved that scene!). She is Kendrick's greatest computer rival and also the woman he loves. He knows that she has secrets that hold her back and exerts great patience as he waits for her to be ready for more. Watching her at the bar after the game shows that she feels the same about him. But her secrets could change things in a heartbeat.

From the moment Kendrick received the hard drive, with its connection to Mosaic, he knew there was no time to waste. And if his one head was good, two heads would be better if the other one was Neo's. Unfortunately, the bad guys got to Neo first, using threats and blackmail to coerce her into getting information for them and foiling Kendrick's attempts to access the drive.

From the get-go, this book had me glued to the pages, following every twist and turn. I could feel Kendrick's frustration as everything he tried came to a dead stop, foiled at every turn. Neo's fear was palpable while she tried to satisfy the bad guys, who ramped up the consequences when she didn't produce fast enough for them. Her guilty feelings ate at her even more after she found out what Mosaic was. I understood her attempt to remove herself from the equation, her desperate goodbye to Kendrick, and her heartbreak at their parting. To top It all off, another encounter with the bad guys left her in pain and fearing for the life of someone she loved.

I ached for Kendrick when he figured out what the problem was. He was hurt, angry, and felt betrayed. I wanted to shake him when he confronted her and smack him for being so blind. Fortunately, knowing Neo so well quickly broke through his anger. I loved that Kendrick went back and felt every bit of his horror at what he discovered. I loved his determination to take care of Neo and do whatever necessary to keep her safe. The tension kept increasing until a break from an unexpected source got Kendrick and Neo a step closer to where they needed to be.

This is where the intensity went off the charts. Neo desperately needs LT's help but doesn't believe she deserves it after everything she did. I loved her shock over their insistence on helping despite her transgressions and how they all shared their own mistakes as illustrations. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, and I loved how it went down - especially Neo's last word. In the end, seeing Kendrick and Neo finally be able to look at a future together was a perfect ending to the series. The epilogue was a gripping introduction to the new series, and I can't wait to read Ian and Wavy's story.

A secondary story involved Dorian and Ray. Because of their pasts, they live off the grid, deep in the woods. They are stunned to discover two young children living in one of the cabins on their property. After a period of observation and seeing no adults, with a Wyoming winter looming on the horizon, they know they have to intervene. I loved how Ray, who believes she has no maternal instincts, knew exactly what to do and connected with them right away. Ray's struggles with banana bread made me laugh. The two children Theo and Savannah were wary at first but quickly came to trust the two adults. The more Dorian and Ray learned about what happened to bring them there, the more they realized something had to change. I loved seeing Dorian go through all the options when it was obvious what the only right one was. I loved everyone's easy acceptance of the kids' presence in their lives. show less

I have been looking forward to Dorian's story since the first book, and I was not disappointed. I saved it to read on a transatlantic flight, and I have never had one go by so fast! Dorian intrigued me from the first book. He is an integral part of the Linear Tactical team, but he also holds himself a bit apart. He is always there when he is needed, but works quietly in the background. Bits and pieces of his story were revealed in earlier books. He is haunted by his past and suffers from show more severe PTSD that frequently sends him off into the woods alone. In this book, we finally learn that during a black ops mission in Afghanistan Dorian saw the woman he loved die in an explosion just before he was captured. He survived 41 days of torture before his teammates found and rescued him, leaving him broken in mind and body. It was the love and support of his LT teammates that brought him as far as he has come. But lately, he has wondered about his mental stability as he seems to feel Grace's presence in the forest around him. He was somewhat relieved when there was evidence that she is alive and determined to get some answers.

Grace has remained "dead" for six years as a way to keep the man she loved alive. She discovered some horrifying information that threw everything they had done and endured into question. She made decisions and sacrifices that affected her to the point where she doubted her own humanity. When the members of their black ops unit started dying under suspicious circumstances, Dorian was the only one she trusted to help her find the killer. But there are things that he doesn't know, and she was determined to protect him from them.

While this is one of the most heart-wrenchingly emotional books I've ever read, some moments serve to relieve the tension. One of those scenes is when Grace/Ray is watching Dorian as he teaches the teen boys their survival skills. She is convinced that he has lost his edge because he doesn't appear to realize that she is out there watching him. I loved how intensely aware he actually was, and the confrontation between them when he caught up with her. It did go a little dark then, as his methods to get answers were a bit forceful. There are some intense, sometimes scary and sometimes amusing back and forth encounters before they finally reached the point where they could work together. One thing that hadn't changed was the intense chemistry and depth of caring between them. I was moved to tears when Dorian had one of his PTSD episodes when he was alone with Ray, and the lengths she went to to help him. I ached for her and the torment she endured over the information she kept from him, and his reaction when he found out. At the same time, nothing could kill Dorian's love for her, and the depth of that love was evident as Grace faced the greatest betrayal of her life. I loved the ending, and how the life they build together shows them as the soulmates they were always meant to be. "You and me. Always. Everything else is secondary."

The suspense of the story was riveting. Ray's belief in Dorian's inability to be the killer, but with just a modicum of doubt, got the story off to a rip-roaring start. Each fact Ray revealed about Crypt and their missions was more horrifying than the last. The twists and turns as Dorian and Ray closed in on the killer kept me glued to the pages. The closer they came, the greater my suspicions were about who was involved. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with some fantastic action on the part of Dorian and others. Ray both blew me away and broke my heart with everything she experienced before it was all over. There are still unresolved problems, though, and I can't wait for Shadow's story to see what happens.

Once again, one of the most significant parts of the book is the tight bond between the men of Linear Tactical, which now includes the women they love. One of my favorite parts about this one is the support and understanding that Dorian gets from all of them. No one looks sideways at him or tells him to get over it when he has to retreat to the woods during his dark times. I adored the part when Dorian brought Grace to the bar, and the women went all protective on him until he made his feelings for Ray clear. Then she immediately became one of them. Even when the guys were suspicious of Ray's actions and disappearance, they showed up when Dorian needed them most. "We're family. Family fights, but we don't turn our backs on each other when we're needed." show less