Series: Linear Tactical (Book 9)
Baby. Don’t let the name fool you.
Being Linear Tactical's easiest-going younger brother has
never been a problem for Baby Bollinger. He likes people. He likes laughing. He
likes life.
But he has secrets buried deep under his charming smile
that would change everything.
Quinn Harrison-Pritchard doesn’t have secrets. What she
does have is a big mess of a life that's painfully public.
Jobless. Blacklisted. Broke. Alone. Exactly where nobody
wants to be as they hit their 39th birthday.
Oak Creek is supposed to be a fresh start. A chance to lick
her wounds and figure out a plan. One that doesn’t include Baby Bollinger. But
the vigorous, mouth-watering mechanic—anything but a baby—is pursuing her with
a single-minded focus.
And doesn’t seem to care that she’s twelve years his
senior.
But danger has followed Quinn to Oak Creek, someone from
her past who is convinced she’s wronged him. And that she needs to pay with her
life.
Only Baby can save her. But to do so, he’ll have to face
the secrets he’s let define him for way too long. And resurrect the warrior
buried inside.
Terrific book. I love the Linear Tactical books and this
one was no exception. Quinn is Riley (Phoenix) Harrison's older half-sister.
After a run of bad luck that resulted in the end of her marriage, the loss of
her prestigious job at Harvard, being blacklisted in the academic community,
and financial ruin, Quinn arrives in Oak Creek looking to restart her life.
Part of that includes a job as a waitress at the Eagle's Nest bar. At the age
of thirty-nine, it has been many years since she waitressed, but she is
desperate for the work. She also has a job teaching at the local college. On
her first day, where she wonders if she'll last the day, she is rescued from an
obnoxious customer by the hottest guy she's ever met.
Baby is Finn's (Eagle) younger brother. Twenty-seven
years old, he is laid-back, always cheerful with a kind word for everyone, and
ready to help wherever he is needed. He dropped out of high school at seventeen
and went to work for the local mechanic. He has been a regular character in the
series, most recently as one of the participants in the Wild Wyoming Adventure
Race in Riley's book. Baby has a lot on his mind right now, as a secret he's
been guarding for most of his life is about to put an end to his career dreams.
He hadn't planned on being distracted by a fascination with the pretty new
waitress at the Eagle's Nest.
I loved watching the relationship between Quinn and Baby
develop. The two of them had an instant connection, though Quinn tried hard to
resist it. Her life is such a mess that adding a relationship to it is not in
her plans, especially one with a man twelve years younger than she is. For
Baby, age is just a number. He is drawn to her humor, intelligence, and
determination. Quinn is just as drawn to him, but the age difference bothers
her, plus everything that has happened to her did a number on her
self-confidence. Baby isn't one to give up and offers some
"non-date" get-togethers as friends. Those don't go quite as he
hoped, and I laughed out loud at the "help" he got from Ethan and
Jess. Baby had some insecurities of his own. When his secret collided with
Quinn's other life, he had to decide if he was willing to trust her. Quinn's
support and belief in him made a huge difference in the way he saw himself and
his future. I think some of the biggest changes were to Quinn. When she arrived
in Wyoming she was still the stiff, buttoned-up professor she had been at
Harvard. Thanks to Baby, she discovered the more relaxed, fun-loving woman who
had been hiding inside. There was a heart-wrenching scene at the end when they
allowed their insecurities to pull them apart. I loved the ending and seeing
them make their dreams come true. The epilogue was great with a nice surprise
for Baby and Quinn.
Baby and Quinn's friendship and growing feelings aren't
all that is going on. The bad luck that led to Quinn's flight to Wyoming seems
to have followed her. It's mostly little, annoying things like her credit card
not working, and her ex-husband calling to accuse her of harassment. But when
break-ins and vandalizing mimic things that happened back in Boston, Quinn
begins to question herself. Trouble continues to intensify until her life is in
danger. I was on the edge of my seat as Baby and the others raced against time
to save her. I loved how Baby's challenges played such a huge part in the
confrontation.
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