Code Name: Aries (Zodiac Tactical 1) by Janie Crouch-Review Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /Amazon.au /B&N / KOBO /Apple /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 21, 2021.

My code name is Aries.The stars say I’m aggressive, dominant, first in line to lead.

The stars aren’t wrong.

Zodiac Tactical is my company. It’s run by those I’ve chosen for their skills and ability to outmaneuver adversaries. We guard, protect, rescue…assist on the side of the angels.

We eliminate the threat when nobody else can.

My pastime of putting bad guys out of business has created powerful enemies, but I’ve always made sure there was nothing in my life I couldn’t live without.

Until now. Until her.

She’s not a warrior, she’s an artist. She sees colors everywhere and greets the world—and me—with a smile. I knew I shouldn’t come near her from the beginning, but she’s everything I’ve never been able to be.

And now a monster has taken her, caged her, to get even with me.

My code name is Aries. And I will burn the world to the ground to get her back.

•••••••••

REVIEW:CODE NAME: ARIES is the first instalment in Janie Crouch’s contemporary, adult ZODIAC TACTICAL romantic suspense series-a spin off from the author’s LINEAR TACTICAL series. This is artist/ waitress Wavy Bollinger, and former US Navy SEAL and CEO of Zodiac Tactical Ian ‘Aries’ DeRose’s story line. CODEN NAME: ARIES can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous series is revealed where necessary. Several characters from the original series including Wavy’s brothers Finn and Baby Bollinger, cross over for familiarity.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Wavy and Ian) CODE NAME: ARIES follows the building romance and relationship between artist/ waitress Wavy Bollinger, and former US Navy SEAL and CEO of Zodiac Tactical Ian ‘Aries’ DeRose. Ian DeRose and his team at Zodiac Tactical were on a mission; taking down Erick Huen and the group known as Mosaic, a group connected to human trafficking, medical experiments, murder and fraud but Ian’s need for revenge is personal, and in this anyone connected to Ian becomes fair game. Enter artist and waitress Wavy Bollinger, the woman with whom Ian will fall in love. A visit to Oak Creek, Wyoming in his search for information brings Ian up close and personal with Wavy, and her brother who are determined to protect the sister they love but Ian’s interest in Wavy is about to place a target on her back, a target that is about to break our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Wavy and Ian, and the potential fall-out as Ian’s past is determined to destroy everyone he loves.

Ian DeRose has made many enemies in his life and none more so than the man he is hoping to destroy but Erick Huen is always one step ahead of our hero, and in this, Wavy will become a dangerous pawn in a game that will see our heroine fighting to survive. Wavy Bollinger is no stranger to the darker side of life, having seen what her brothers go through on a daily basis but Wavy never expected to be front and center in a game of revenge, a game where someone is going to die.

The relationship between Wavy and Ian is one of immediate attraction but Ian’s arrival in Oak Creek, Wyoming is met with trepidation and unease. From the outset Ian is unable to commit to any personal time with our story line heroine, as he is often on the move, searching for the man who destroyed his life. Meeting Wavy Bollinger gave Ian a hope for the future but the hope was about to die when his past demanded everything in return. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to several members of the Zodiac Tactical team including Harrison ‘ Sarge’ McEwan, Landon Black, Isaac, Kendrick , Neo, Jenna Franklin as well as a number of the original Linear Tactical Team: Ian MacKay, Finn and Baby Bollinger, and Callum Webb from Omega Sector series. There is a story developing for Sarge.

CODE NAME: ARIES is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family and fury, murder, obsession, friendship and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing and twisted with a slight sci-fi vibe; the romance is captivating and spirited; the characters are animated. My only complaint is the quick resolution and apprehension wherein everything took place behind the scenes, and the reader wasn’t privy to the who, how or when.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch writes what she loves to read: passionate romantic suspense. She is a winner and/or finalist of multiple romance literary awards including the Golden Quill Award for Best Romantic Suspense, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the coveted RITA© Award by the Romance Writers of America.

Janie recently relocated with her husband and their four teenagers to Germany (due to her husband’s job as support for the U.S. Military), after living in Virginia for nearly 20 years. When she’s not listening to the voices in her head (and even when she is), she enjoys engaging in all sorts of crazy adventures (200-mile relay races; Ironman Triathlons, treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp) traveling, and movies of all kinds.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7211574.Janie_Crouch
Web: http://www.janiecrouch.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janiecrouch/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pmEH1X
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janiecrouch