Baby: A Linear Tactical Romantic Suspense Standalone

By Janie Crouch

I have been waiting for Blake “Baby” Bollinger’s story for what felt literally like nine months, so when I saw that my Kindle finally seemed fit to alert me that Janie Crouch’s newest Linear Tactical Series offering finally came, I dropped everything and binge-read all 35 chapters in one sitting! 

We get to meet Baby early in the series. Younger brother to Finn “Eagle” Bollinger, Baby was the easy-going brother, always there to diffuse a situation with a laugh. He comes across Quinn Harrison-Pritchard, Riley “Phoenix” Harrison’s sister, and falls for her, even though they are years apart—Quinn is 12 years his senior.  

After having lost her job as a professor in Cambridge—her life upended by an unseen threat—Quinn leaves her life in Boston and decides to live near her brother, Phoenix. Her finances ruined, she applies as a waitress in Oak Creek, where she meets Baby, and realizes that she has a chance at happiness. 

I won’t get into too many details. From here on out, I would encourage you to one-click Baby’s story. If you have been following Janie Crouch and haven’t picked this one up, please do so, as this is one good read you wouldn’t want to miss. If this is your first time to read a Linear Tactical novel, I would say go ahead and meet Baby, you won’t regret it! 

Now. While Janie Crouch gave us a happy-go-lucky character in Baby, she also introduced us to the world of dyslexia and how, often, this reading disability can create havoc in one’s psyche. 

The Mayo Clinic describes dyslexia as a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called reading disability, dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language. 

People with dyslexia have normal intelligence and usually have normal vision. Most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or a specialized education program. Emotional support also plays an important role. 

Though there’s no cure for dyslexia, early assessment and intervention result in the best outcome. Sometimes dyslexia goes undiagnosed for years and isn’t recognized until adulthood, but it’s never too late to seek help. 

Although there is still no known cure for dyslexia, there are a variety of ways to help those who suffer from this learning disorder. It is important, also, to be aware of a child’s developmental age, so that if he or she does have dyslexia, it can be addressed at the soonest possible time. 

It is also worth saying that we, as adults, must teach our kids to be mindful of their peers who suffer from dyslexia. Kids nowadays are very impressionable, and often repeat – and believe – what they see adults do, never minding if it is right or wrong.  

In an era where, sadly, belief in social media reigns above facts and humanity, we must strive hard to educate our children to become empathetic towards those who struggle, especially those who struggle with learning disabilities. 

For those of us who know someone with dyslexia, let us help them by encouraging them to find their hidden strengths. Instead of making them feel inadequate—for they do, deep inside—let us build them up, by understanding their need for our patience whenever they falter with tasks that are otherwise easy for us to do.  

Besides, we may not know it, but that kid who is having difficulty concentrating on words? He or she may be the next Albert Einstein, Leonardo Sa Vinci, Whoopi Goldberg or Richard Branson, or any of the countless number of people who have risen above their learning disabilities.    

Before we lose our patience with someone who is struggling to read or write, let us pause and find out why, and instead of ridiculing them, let us be their ally in coping with an uncertain world.