What do you think?
Rate this book
Tennessee SWAT #5
SWAT Standoff
A SWAT team vanishes.
Can two partners put aside their differences to save them?
Playing hero backfires on sexy SWAT team member Blake Sullivan. He infuriates his partner, Donna Waters, as much as he attracts her. But before they can resolve their differences, they discover that the rest of their team have been kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Now as they race to rescue the small Tennessee town’s real heroes, they share a growing mutual trust…and a hot, life-changing connection.
Can two partners put aside their differences to save them?
Playing hero backfires on sexy SWAT team member Blake Sullivan. He infuriates his partner, Donna Waters, as much as he attracts her. But before they can resolve their differences, they discover that the rest of their team have been kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Now as they race to rescue the small Tennessee town’s real heroes, they share a growing mutual trust…and a hot, life-changing connection.
- GenresRomantic Suspense
247 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 14, 2018
About the author
Lena Diaz
210 books434 followersRomantic suspense author, Lena Diaz, is a four time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery and Suspense. She's also a former Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist and has won numerous other awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 20, 2019
Your enjoyment of this book will possibly depend upon whether or not you find it acceptable for men to punch friends or people they work with.
Now, as someone who watches a lot of movies and reads a lot of books, I'm fine with a good old-fashioned punch-up - when it's good guys against bad guys. In fact, it's almost to be expected! But punching a colleague, or somebody you're supposed to be friends with? I find it deplorable! A man who uses his fists to sort out his troubles is immature at best, dangerously unbalanced at worst. But this book seems to think it's just fine!
The book begins with SWAT team member Blake Sullivan going off half-cocked during a training exercise and getting his team "killed". Team leader Dillon Gray PUNCHES him because he's not a team player, and promptly fires him. Sure, fire him because he's not a team player, but PUNCH him? Someone who works for you? Where in the world would this ever be acceptable?!?!????? Is that not a lawsuit waiting to happen?
Not long after being fired, Blake and team member Donna Waters must work together when it seems the rest of the SWAT team has been abducted, and another team member murdered. As for me, I was still trying to get my head around the fact that a team leader - someone in a position of authority, no less - had punched someone who worked for him. In the face. High stakes world of SWAT or not, I couldn't get past it. It made me hate Dillon and want to go back to his book and drop it to 1 star.
Of course, I didn't do that, because I can barely remember which book was his.
So, despite being absolutely appalled at this turn of events, I persevered with the book, as Lena Diaz is generally one of the better Intrigue authors, Secret Stalker notwithstanding. But then we came to this conversation:
"Blake: I punched one of my co-workers.
Donna: Who hasn't? I mean, I haven't. But I'm a woman, and we tend to be smarter than men. We solve our problems without having to hit each other.
Blake: Gee, thanks.
Donna: Maybe it's a Southern thing. Most of the guys I grew up with, and even the ones who are adults now - like Dillon - have punched other guys at some point in their lives. I don't personally think that's a cardinal sin like some people. As long as you can move on afterwards, it lets off steam."
Donna and Lena (author), ever heard of anger management? You know, where you don't have to hit people to "move on and let off steam"??? The conversation goes on:
"Donna: Guys can do that - get mad at each other, have a knock-down, drag-out fight, then be fine the next day. I don't know how you do it. But it works."
Does it? I've yet to see a punch-up resolve conflict. It usually ends up with puncher in court and the punchee injured, sometimes seriously and sometimes even worse. Does Lena think it's okay for a woman to smash a bottle in another woman's face? Google Eva Scolaro. Horrid, horrid, horrid double standards are at play here. Anyway, Blake does some explaining about how the guy he punched was pushing around a prostitute:
"Donna: Then good on you for punching him."
Good on Blake for protecting someone's honour. But, once again, personally, I can think of other ways to solve the problem. But this entire conversation only exemplifies the book/author's bizarre view that the best way to resolve conflict with friends and work colleagues is to punch them in the face! When has this ever worked?!? Here in Australia, there are tough laws against it, because punching someone in the face, especially if they're not expecting it, can kill them! An unexpected punch can cause the person to fall and hit their head, leading to brain injury and death. Unless it's a good guys/bad guys, self-defence thing, I do not think it is acceptable to go around punching your friends and work colleagues! Punching someone is known as ASSAULT. Look it up, Lena!
Even if I weren't appalled at Lena's pro-violence, punch-up-your-friends views in this book, I still wouldn't have been impressed with the thin plot that was full of contrivances. Oh gee, isn't it mightily convenient Donna and Blake have never before mentioned super duper hacking abilities right at the exact time when they need to break into somebody's house as part of a hackneyed plan that isn't the least bit thought through? And how did the SWAT team manage to get kidnapped? Why only kill Randy? Because he was the only one who hadn't found a girlfriend yet and still lived with his mother? Why did the kidnappers think kidnapping the SWAT team to divert the FBI's attention from Sanchez's prison escape plan would work? Last time I checked, FBI aren't exactly on hand to monitor attempted prison escapes! That's, you know, the work of prison staff! The whole enterprise lacked logic. As did the book.
If I didn't know how good Lena Diaz's books could be, I may never have read her again, this one was so bad and offensive! The plot was slow-paced and dumb, nobody's motives or plans made any sense, and I hated the characters' (and Lena's) hit-them-and-it-will-make-things-better mentality. By the end, I was just skimming the pages, wanting to get this mess over and done with and out of my life!
What a horrible, stupid book.
Now, as someone who watches a lot of movies and reads a lot of books, I'm fine with a good old-fashioned punch-up - when it's good guys against bad guys. In fact, it's almost to be expected! But punching a colleague, or somebody you're supposed to be friends with? I find it deplorable! A man who uses his fists to sort out his troubles is immature at best, dangerously unbalanced at worst. But this book seems to think it's just fine!
The book begins with SWAT team member Blake Sullivan going off half-cocked during a training exercise and getting his team "killed". Team leader Dillon Gray PUNCHES him because he's not a team player, and promptly fires him. Sure, fire him because he's not a team player, but PUNCH him? Someone who works for you? Where in the world would this ever be acceptable?!?!????? Is that not a lawsuit waiting to happen?
Not long after being fired, Blake and team member Donna Waters must work together when it seems the rest of the SWAT team has been abducted, and another team member murdered. As for me, I was still trying to get my head around the fact that a team leader - someone in a position of authority, no less - had punched someone who worked for him. In the face. High stakes world of SWAT or not, I couldn't get past it. It made me hate Dillon and want to go back to his book and drop it to 1 star.
Of course, I didn't do that, because I can barely remember which book was his.
So, despite being absolutely appalled at this turn of events, I persevered with the book, as Lena Diaz is generally one of the better Intrigue authors, Secret Stalker notwithstanding. But then we came to this conversation:
"Blake: I punched one of my co-workers.
Donna: Who hasn't? I mean, I haven't. But I'm a woman, and we tend to be smarter than men. We solve our problems without having to hit each other.
Blake: Gee, thanks.
Donna: Maybe it's a Southern thing. Most of the guys I grew up with, and even the ones who are adults now - like Dillon - have punched other guys at some point in their lives. I don't personally think that's a cardinal sin like some people. As long as you can move on afterwards, it lets off steam."
Donna and Lena (author), ever heard of anger management? You know, where you don't have to hit people to "move on and let off steam"??? The conversation goes on:
"Donna: Guys can do that - get mad at each other, have a knock-down, drag-out fight, then be fine the next day. I don't know how you do it. But it works."
Does it? I've yet to see a punch-up resolve conflict. It usually ends up with puncher in court and the punchee injured, sometimes seriously and sometimes even worse. Does Lena think it's okay for a woman to smash a bottle in another woman's face? Google Eva Scolaro. Horrid, horrid, horrid double standards are at play here. Anyway, Blake does some explaining about how the guy he punched was pushing around a prostitute:
"Donna: Then good on you for punching him."
Good on Blake for protecting someone's honour. But, once again, personally, I can think of other ways to solve the problem. But this entire conversation only exemplifies the book/author's bizarre view that the best way to resolve conflict with friends and work colleagues is to punch them in the face! When has this ever worked?!? Here in Australia, there are tough laws against it, because punching someone in the face, especially if they're not expecting it, can kill them! An unexpected punch can cause the person to fall and hit their head, leading to brain injury and death. Unless it's a good guys/bad guys, self-defence thing, I do not think it is acceptable to go around punching your friends and work colleagues! Punching someone is known as ASSAULT. Look it up, Lena!
Even if I weren't appalled at Lena's pro-violence, punch-up-your-friends views in this book, I still wouldn't have been impressed with the thin plot that was full of contrivances. Oh gee, isn't it mightily convenient Donna and Blake have never before mentioned super duper hacking abilities right at the exact time when they need to break into somebody's house as part of a hackneyed plan that isn't the least bit thought through? And how did the SWAT team manage to get kidnapped? Why only kill Randy? Because he was the only one who hadn't found a girlfriend yet and still lived with his mother? Why did the kidnappers think kidnapping the SWAT team to divert the FBI's attention from Sanchez's prison escape plan would work? Last time I checked, FBI aren't exactly on hand to monitor attempted prison escapes! That's, you know, the work of prison staff! The whole enterprise lacked logic. As did the book.
If I didn't know how good Lena Diaz's books could be, I may never have read her again, this one was so bad and offensive! The plot was slow-paced and dumb, nobody's motives or plans made any sense, and I hated the characters' (and Lena's) hit-them-and-it-will-make-things-better mentality. By the end, I was just skimming the pages, wanting to get this mess over and done with and out of my life!
What a horrible, stupid book.
February 2, 2019
I really like this series. Blake just doesn't seem to be fitting into the group at his new work. They are supposed to be a unit and he just isn't there. At some training, the boss has enough and fires him. His partner, Donna, is mad at him, but she doesn't want to lose his job. When she tracks him down at a bar, she tells him he had to apologize. He doesn't think that he needs to do that, but she finally sees it from his point of view and thinks maybe he isn't totally to blame. Later, Blake comes to tell her that he can't contact any of their team mates. They have all vanished except one and he is dead. Where did they go? Blake and Donna race around to find them and the FBI is called in. But, the FBI is dragging their feet and have fired both Donna and Blake. What's going on? The kidnappers left a note that there would be a ransom demanded, but it hasn't happened. Can they find them before their time runs out?
June 19, 2018
Didn't like this book. The main characters had zero chemistry. The book wasn't interesting. I read about 50% and then skimmed through the book.
January 17, 2020
This was fantastic. Donna and Blake are partners and at each other’s throats but need to pull together to help there team. Something isn’t right. I couldn’t put this book down either.
July 1, 2023
2.5 stars.
Welcome to another SWAT episode with a romance subplot that moves a bit too quickly but it was a fun read regardless.
Welcome to another SWAT episode with a romance subplot that moves a bit too quickly but it was a fun read regardless.
June 25, 2018
This was one quick read! I can’t believe how quickly I devour Lena Diaz’s books! The action starts right away and never lets up until the – very interesting – bad guys are caught. SWAT STANDOFF is an unusual police procedural, as Donna and Blake have to manoeuvre without the official help of the Destiny PD, and I loved how this all worked out. There were some shocking plot twists, and in one case, I thought it was a brilliant way of showing that Donna was not just a really tough cop, but had a vulnerable side. I found that having only a male model on the cover a bit debatable: Donna is definitely a full partner, she never plays the part of second fiddle; I thought she might have been an even stronger character than Blake. This influences in no way my review, of course, the author most likely having no say in the choice of the cover.
The romance meshed perfectly with the suspense, except for the first sex scene which was a bit rushed, but lovely nonetheless. Blake and Donna had real chemistry; in turns playful, argumentative, and sensual. I really liked both of them, even if at the beginning I wondered if Blake was going to be a bit of an a-hole, but not at all; it soon became quite clear why he was acting the way he did. Donna is simply a fabulous heroine; she is exactly the type of female character I want to see in romantic suspense novels: a competent person who does not turn an ankle and can shoot straight – literally. She doesn’t need Blake to *defend* her, she needs him to work *alongside* her, to be a partner in work and in life, and this makes a world of difference to me. A captivating story, a believable romance, and great characters: what more can you ask for!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The romance meshed perfectly with the suspense, except for the first sex scene which was a bit rushed, but lovely nonetheless. Blake and Donna had real chemistry; in turns playful, argumentative, and sensual. I really liked both of them, even if at the beginning I wondered if Blake was going to be a bit of an a-hole, but not at all; it soon became quite clear why he was acting the way he did. Donna is simply a fabulous heroine; she is exactly the type of female character I want to see in romantic suspense novels: a competent person who does not turn an ankle and can shoot straight – literally. She doesn’t need Blake to *defend* her, she needs him to work *alongside* her, to be a partner in work and in life, and this makes a world of difference to me. A captivating story, a believable romance, and great characters: what more can you ask for!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 15, 2026
Blake Sullivan goes off on his own and takes down two bad guys during a training exercise, ignoring the alert for his immediate return. He returns to find that a third man surprised and killed the unit in the exercise because he didn't return to aid them. The team leader is angry with his insubordination, punches him and then fires him. This also means that Blake's partner is out of the training exercise because she no longer has a partner. He's later found at a bar drowning his woes, by Donna Waters, his partner who when he goes to leave, takes his keys, as he's drunk by this time, and leaves him there. They get together later on, with her trying to come up with a plan to get Dillon Gray to give Blake another chance. When they try to contact various team members, no one answers their phones and when they go back to the area where the training exercise was held they find a dead cop, someone Donna has known all her life. Calling in the FBI gets Donna fired because she's lied about Blake's status and now they'll have to go rogue because the families of the SWAT team members have been on a cruise of dubious background and Donna and Blake want to make sure they aren't disappeared as well.
June 20, 2018
4 1/2 STARS!
Action packed and mysterious! With our latest visit to the Tennessee SWAT series, we walk into the middle of chaos when the majority of the team vanishes into thin air! It's a fast paced story with secrets popping up here and there to keep the intrigue high. A great connection between the characters brings us a satisfying romance amidst all of the action.
As the newest member of the Destiny, Tennessee SWAT team Blake Sullivan is finding it hard to let go of some of his past experiences and become a true part of the team. He's been partnered up with Donna for the last few months and as much as she tries to show him the ropes with how things are done here, he just keeps pushing people's buttons and going his own route. A recent training exercise just might be the last straw!
SWAT officer Donna Waters likes Blake and wants him to succeed, but he needs to admit his faults and show the boss that he's going to do better if he gives him another chance ... only just when she's going to get him to do so, the team has disappeared! Something is in play here and there's a limited time for Blake and Donna to figure out what it is and rescue their team before it's too late!
Action packed and mysterious! With our latest visit to the Tennessee SWAT series, we walk into the middle of chaos when the majority of the team vanishes into thin air! It's a fast paced story with secrets popping up here and there to keep the intrigue high. A great connection between the characters brings us a satisfying romance amidst all of the action.
As the newest member of the Destiny, Tennessee SWAT team Blake Sullivan is finding it hard to let go of some of his past experiences and become a true part of the team. He's been partnered up with Donna for the last few months and as much as she tries to show him the ropes with how things are done here, he just keeps pushing people's buttons and going his own route. A recent training exercise just might be the last straw!
SWAT officer Donna Waters likes Blake and wants him to succeed, but he needs to admit his faults and show the boss that he's going to do better if he gives him another chance ... only just when she's going to get him to do so, the team has disappeared! Something is in play here and there's a limited time for Blake and Donna to figure out what it is and rescue their team before it's too late!
September 7, 2018
Blake Sullivan is the newest member of the Destiny, Tennessee SWAT team and while on a training mission he refuses to listen to his team leader and doesn't "play well" with others which ends up with him being fired. His partner and trainer, Donna Waters, is furious with Blake's behavior and tracks him down to a bar to ask him to resolve his issues with an apology to the team the next morning. For months she's been hiding her attraction to him and when they discover that the rest of the team has been kidnapped by an unknown source, Donna must again put aside her feelings for them to be able to work together to rescue the team. When the FBI shows up and fires the both of them, they share a mutual trust which turns into a hot, love-filled night. Now the race is on to prove that their is a inside mole and save their teammates and friends.
October 15, 2019
The Destiny, TN SWAT team's newest member has been having trouble fitting in and it comes to a head when he misreads signals in a training exercise. Dillon fires Blake. Detective Donna Waters who has been Blake's partner attempts to cool Blake off and get him to apologize and ask for reinstatement. But before the night is through they discover the rest of the SWAT team has disappeared and the FBI are pushing them out of the investigation. Something is fishy and they determine to get to the bottom of it. Lots of action as usual for this series along with some improbabilities. Still like this author's work.
June 9, 2018
Blake and Donna are partners on the SWAT Team who don't get along very well. Blake has too many ghosts to exorcise and, Donna isn't sure how far she may have to go to help him. That is until they both realize that the rest of their team has been kidnapped.
The attraction between these two comes to a boil as Blake and Donna rush to find their team.
This book is non-stop action that you do not want to put down until it's done.
Fast-paced, steamy and fascinating!
The attraction between these two comes to a boil as Blake and Donna rush to find their team.
This book is non-stop action that you do not want to put down until it's done.
Fast-paced, steamy and fascinating!
July 10, 2018
Outsider Blake Sullivan is having a difficult time fitting in with the rest of his SWAT team and detective team. His new partner Donna Waters is both attracted to and exasperated with him and his inability to work as a team member. When their other team members are abducted and one is brutally murdered, they finally work together and find something more to pull them together. This is a well written, action packed story which I really enjoyed.
March 12, 2022
I enjoyed this intriguing romance. I bought this at our local library sale and I voluntarily chose to review this. I've given this a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers because of sexual content. There was a lot of action and some violence in this. Some of these officers crossed some lines but got their bad guys and gals in the end. This pulled me in right away and held my attention the whole way through. Sometimes the good guys can't always be trusted.
May 28, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It is in the Tennessee SWAT series.
The characters and the settings are well developed. This book features Blake Sullivan and Donna and how they coordinate rescues.
I will be looking for additional books in this Tennessee SWAT series.
I won this book in an author's giveaway.
The characters and the settings are well developed. This book features Blake Sullivan and Donna and how they coordinate rescues.
I will be looking for additional books in this Tennessee SWAT series.
I won this book in an author's giveaway.
March 28, 2019
Maybe 3.5. Book 5 in at book series, and it didn't hold up well as a standalone. Everything wrapped up into a neat little bow in the last 30 pages, but most of the buildup had been in the previous books, so it didn't make a lot of sense to me.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2021
Plot is good but the story is very slow in progress.
January 15, 2019
I gotta say this series just keeps getting better. This book had an interesting start that immediately drew me into the story and it just got better from there. I really enjoyed Blake and Donna’s growth throughout the book, individually and as partners. Even though they were already partners, they bonded even more throughout the harrowing situation and their trust and respect for each other grew. And even though everything they did was not completely on point and legal, they had each other’s backs and dealt with the consequences of their actions together. They were both strong-willed and determined with alpha tendencies but learned to think and move as one. I liked the display of strength and vulnerability of both characters and the evolving romance. You could tell the chemistry was there between them but it did not overpower the story instead it meshed right in, just enough in the right spots and it was playful, flirty and full of wit and banter. This story had a really intriguing plot with twists and turns you do not see coming and keeps you wondering who the bad guy really is…someone on the outside or one of their own. Just when I thought I had it figured out something new popped up and I was wondering all over again. Good suspense, mystery, action and romance piled into a great read.
June 3, 2018
This is the 4th book in the series Tennessee swat. In this one we meet teen members Donna and Blake who are members of the team. I really liked this story for it had many different levels to the story. There was personal growth for Blake as a member of the Swat team and personally as he and Donna drew closer. Then there was the different plots in the story. They draw you into the story to see what is going to happen next in the story. It draws the story to a conclusion in away. It will make you happy and sad at times. Its a great story and you will turn the pages to see what is going to happen next. The ending is kinda interesting to. Its an enjoyable book. J
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews