Kendrick and Neo's love story, plus the exciting start of
the family Dorian and Ray never thought they'd have...
Ivy League graduate and computer genius Kendrick Foster,
aka Blaze, never expected to find himself putting down permanent roots in a
tiny town in Wyoming.
But family isn't always blood, and the Linear Tactical
team is very definitely his family. He's not going anywhere.
Neo LeBarre has always been a loner. Her computer hacking
days brought her into contact with Linear Tactical, but she's never felt like
she could fit in here. These people are good, decent, honest.
She's not.
When her past catches up with her, demanding more than
she can possibly pay, Neo will have to turn to the heroes surrounding her,
especially Kendrick, for help. If they'll even give her the time of day after
what she's done.
There's a danger closing in—one that will threaten to rip
them all apart.
The Linear Tactical family has deep roots.
They're going to need them to survive what's coming.
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 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment