Series: Linear Tactical (Book 5)Everyone eventually breaks under torture.
It’s a truth elite soldier and government agent Dorian Lindstrom, codename Ghost, knows firsthand. His body may have recovered from what was done to him in that Afghanistan prison six years ago, but his mind…not quite so much.
He’s seeing dead people.
Grace Brandt, government codename Wraith, knows her past
can’t be forgiven. She has stayed “dead” for as long as she could, but now the
forces she’s been fighting, the secrets slowly suffocating her, won’t stay
hidden any longer.
And the man she helped break is the only one she can
trust.
When it comes to keeping the people he loves safe,
including the one who thinks she’s not worthy of it, there is no danger—past,
present or future—Dorian won’t battle.
The Ghost will rise.
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 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."
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