inked_orca's review against another edition
5.0
Heath is an important key to a secret project that turned out to be shady. Brainwashing and sleeper agents were the norm for Project Crypt. For Heath, it’s the gibberish they put inside his head that makes him hunt the man responsible for it.
When the answers to what’s inside his brain are lost, Heath takes on a mission to go undercover not expecting to meet a linguistics doctoral student who could silence the gibberish in his head for a while.
Jacquelyn, Lyn, wanted to do something different from what her family envisioned for her. Lying to her brothers and dad about her major put her in a direct line of fire. Not knowing the man she met is actually working undercover, who also knows one of her brothers.
When danger follows them, they need to figure out what’s happening and how to stop it before it’s too late.
Romance suspense with secret projects just hits different. This book has a best friend’s sister romance, a strong female who doesn’t let her disability stop her and an alpha male who’s looking for answers about his past. I couldn’t put it down once I opened it. It’s book six in the Linear Tactical series and I feel it couldn’t be read as a standalone because the plot is related to Ghost, book five of this series, as it talks about Project Crypt too and why Heath is after answers.
I loved seeing the other characters from the previous book. Reading about them in this book gave us more glimpses into how they are doing after their book is over. It’s like checking up on friends after a while. Each book I’ve read from this series seemed to have a teaser for the next one. You see scenes that make you curious to read the story behind it and what happened.
Having to read about a character whose heart is weak, but as you read on, you see that inner strength makes this inspirational. that’s why this book felt unique and original to me. Lyn’s heart couldn’t take the stress, but here she was handling it like a boss when all her family wanted to do was wrap her in cotton wool.
I hated nothing about this book. It hooked in its lines and left me wanting more of what Janie Crouch offers. Her way of writing simply makes you crave more. The characters felt real and their weakness made them even more likeable. I’m sure I’ll reread this book again. Once doesn’t feel enough.
Planning to read this series as soon as I can.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
5.0
A best friend's little sister romance done Janie Crouch style. The trope has been done and done again but add the Linear Tactical crew for some suspense and danger from the past for an unputdownable read. Heath is more talker than fighter, unlike so many of the Linear Tactical family. That's not to say he doesn't know his way around a sparring ring or how to handle himself in dangerous situations. Of course, he gets plenty of chances to show off more than one kind of skill in Shadow. Most of the family that makes up this crew, and make no mistake, this is a family, have seen their share of trouble, and several have been affected by Project Crypt, a less than aboveboard organization, but Heath is unique with the constant whispers in his head. Whispers that seem like nothing more than gibberish. In addition to Heath's need for answers, we get a new case for him to work on, one that leads him right to his teammate's little sister. There are lots of secrets in this one as well as a delicious romance, and of course, plenty of danger to keep us on our toes. The story can be read as a standalone, but once you've met the crazy bunch of characters who make up Linear Tactical, you'll want more of them. We do get a little bit of a hint about the next great romance for this series, and I can't wait to see where it goes.
lexee9's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this story!! It was a fantastic read! I was pulled in from beginning to end. Heath, aka Shadow, has hit a dead end on figuring out what the gibberish in his head is all about. He has been hanging out at Linear Tactical and so ends up going undercover for the FBI to stop the sale of a microchip on an university campus. The same campus that his best friend Gavin's little sister goes to. I loved getting to know Lyn. She is a fantastic character. She has been dealing with her brothers and father for years with their alpha attitudes trying to micromanage her and so she has some practice of getting around them. I loved the way that Heath and Lyn got to know each other. They are quite a few twists in this story and they have to deal with the fact that Heath was undercover and didn't realize who she was, so he never told her. This story has plenty of action and intrigue to hold your attention the entire time. I loved how all the little pieces came together in the end and made everything make sense. This story is written really, really well and I would love to read more within this world!! I loved getting to catch up with some of the characters from previous books. It is an added enjoyment if you have read them. This is the 6th book in the series but can be read as a standalone. There is a bit of an over arcing story line (cover agency from years ago) that is dealt with in multiple books, but anything you need to know to enjoy the current story is there for you, maybe not in the same detail, but you won't really be lost. I would recommend reading them though as they do connect and are all fantastic reads!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
jensreads1983's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book from one of my favorite series. Janie Crouch never fails to deliver thrilling, funny, amazing chemistry and suspenseful stories. Shadow was no exception.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.
kore503's review against another edition
4.0
I love strong women who don't bow to their overprotective relatives, and strong men who support them instead of smothering them.
jenreads83's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book from one of my favorite series. Janie Crouch never fails to deliver thrilling, funny, amazing chemistry and suspenseful stories. Shadow was no exception.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.
jensreads83's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic book from one of my favorite series. Janie Crouch never fails to deliver thrilling, funny, amazing chemistry and suspenseful stories. Shadow was no exception.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.
Once again, there are some intense scenes and heartbreaking moments, but the strength of everyone involved was fantastic. It was so wonderful to see so many of the characters from the other books in the series and also the connection to Bree and Tanner!!
There are so many secrets and surprises in this story that it was impossible to put down. You just know a book is going to be great when the anticipation and suspense keeps you guessing to the very last page. And not forgetting the romance. Linear Tactical has been a fascinating series and I have enjoyed every single book. I’m excited to read more books in this series.