I was completely head over heals excited to read this book in the Tactical Crime Division, but unfortunately this book and I just didn't work out together and I had to DNF at 24%. I wasn't able to connect with the characters or get invested in the situation/relationships like I thought I was going to and everything just fell flat for me. I'm pretty bummed out that this book just wasn't for me, but I firmly believe this is just a case of right book, wrong reader--so don't hesitate to give this one a go!

The first book in Harlequin Intrigue’s new mini-series is 48 Hour Lockdown, featuring a smoldering FBI negotiator with a tragic past who can’t forget his ex who got away. Meet Evan Duran, who jumps into action as soon as he hears about the hostage situation at an elite private school for underprivileged children. While negotiating hostage situations is his job with the FBI, this particular one is personal since his ex-girlfriend Annalise Taylor is the teacher currently held hostage with three of her students.

A man named Jacob has taken control of the school along with his wife and several men, seemingly with no agenda. As the negotiations go on with no real movement except for gunfire from Jacob, Evan fears that he’ll never free Annalise and her students. With the local cops seeming to bungle the case as things escalate, eventually Annalise’s quick thinking and protective nature get an injured teacher out alive as well as keep her students unharmed. But when the feds close in, Jacob and his wife respond unpredicably, and one of Annalise’s young students on now missing.

With Annalise insisting that she is the key to finding the missing student, can she and Evan put their lingering feelings for each other aside to track down the cult leader before it’s too late? As the time ticks away, Evan and his team close in on them again with the help of Annalise. But have they been fast enough to save the girl who’s already been through so much in her short life?

I give 48 Hour Lockdown a four out of five. This was an intense, fast-paced read, and the claustrophobic, helpless feelings of being trapped with a madman radiated off the pages. I loved how Annalise wasn’t your usual helpless damsel in distress, and Evan wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable at times. The entire Tactical Crime Division team was on deck to help in their various ways, and I really enjoyed getting to know them and can’t wait to read their own books. The writing drew me in from the start, and I was immediately along for the ride with Evan and Annalise, from the grittiest of details to the hardest things to face between them. I loved their banter and rekindling relationship. Who was behind the circumstances of the crime was a surprise to me, and I definitely enjoy when I don’t see things like that coming.

Reading 48 Hour Lockdown, was like watching a very good episode of a good crime/mystery TV Show. :)

The school invasion turned into a full-on hostage situation, so Tactical Crime Division is called and hostage negotiator Evan Duran. He is very good at his job, but it turns personal when he finds out that his former girlfriend is one of the hostages.

It brings intensity, but not a lot of depth, so it was a bit harder to connect to the story at times. Still, I wasn't sure till the end, who was responsible and enjoyed the ride. :)

received from NetGalley

Exciting and intense moments of suspense during the hostage negotiation that brings face to face old lovers while battling against a cult of culprits.
Carla Cassidy knows how to bring the readers to the edge and hold them there throughout the story. I have always enjoyed the way she tells her riveting tales. There's danger, there's passion, there is growth, there're twists and unexpected developments, thrilling, entertaining stories I love to read.
I was super excited about the 48 Hour Lockdown since I haven't had a chance to read Carla Cassidy's books for a little awhile. When I realized it was part of a new multi-author series, I went to investigate a bit more since serial novels are not for me but this one has a new hero and heroine in each installment and conclusion to the story in each book - so not a problem for me.
The Intrigue books from Harlequin are shorter in length and have the suspense on the front thus the romance gets a little less spotlight and chance to develop. It was fantastic that Evan Duran and Annalise Taylor knew each other from before, the history they had didn't end well, but the reasons for that were revealed and worked on. Evan's past demons were something he learned to recognize and knowledged to work on them. Annalise's as well had grown and matured over the time apart.
While I understand that the authors need to create the feel for the continuing series the focus and time spent on the other team members felt - for me personally - unnecessarily long. I wish that time and space could have been given to show the chemistry between Evan and Annalise, (too) much was left to the reader's imagination when it came to the connection, bond, and zizzle between them.
~ Four Spoons

This was a pretty good read. I really liked Annalise as she struggled to get through the ordeal. Evan was ok but I don’t feel we get to know him as well as Annalise, at least enough to forgive him for the reasons Annalise left him originally. Overall pretty good read. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This was unfortunately a DNF for me. I was really excited about the plot (Especially with the hostage negotiator aspect), but I could not get into the storyline. DNF at 28%

Dnf at 54%. I loved the premise of this book - totally drawn in by a series about a special unit of the FBI. The Negotiator is one of my favorite movies so I was also excited when I learned Evan is a hostage negotiator. And the stakes are high when the case he’s working on happens to involve his exgirlfriend Annaliese being held hostage in the school where she works.

I’m not able to put my finger on exactly why this story didn’t work for me - but I kept putting it down and not picking it back up. I’ve realized this isn’t working for me and I’m going to stop reading here but am looking forward to trying the other books in this series.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy is filled with danger. A successful FBI crime crisis agent, learns that the woman he loves is one of the hostages inside a private school. The school has shooters keeping them trapped inside. Annalise is determined to save her students and fellow teachers. But some are already dead, one is dying, and time is essential. Students are just as frightened as her. Annalise is only alive to keep the girls calm for the shooters. There's a reason they are there, but none of the bad guys is saying why. Evan is worried about getting his hostages out safely, especially, Annalise. He tries to push thoughts of her away to do his job. However, he and Annalise still have feelings for each other.

This novel is intense. The atmosphere is filled with risks. Every step by both the bad and good guys has to be calculated carefully, Otherwise, their plans will fail. Time is ticking and the bad guys are desperate. The protagonists were strong, brave and easy to like. They made this read believable. Annalise was my favorite. Her care for her students is amazing. She is willing to risk her life to save others. Plus, her intelligence helps not only her colleagues but her students to survive the danger they are in...overall, I loved 48 Hour Lockdown. Carla Cassidy writes fiction in a way that makes you believe everything that happened was real.

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy has Evan Duran, a hostage negotiator, heading to Pearson, North Carolina to rescue children and adults who were taken hostage at Sandhurst School for the Gifted and Talented. The case is personal for Evan because his ex-girlfriend, Annalise Taylor is one of the teacher’s being held hostage. Evan and Annalise broke up three yeas ago, but he still loves her. Evan will need to utilize all the resources of the Tactical Crime Division is he is to rescue the hostages from people with extreme agenda. 48 Hour Lockdown is the debut of the Tactical Crime Division series. I enjoyed meeting Evan Duran and the other individuals in the Tactical Crime Division. I thought the story was well-written and it moved along swiftly thanks to the action. Evan and Annalise still care for each other. Evan’s feelings are obvious from the moment he learns Annalise is being held hostage. I like that the romance was clean (no intimate scenes) and I like how it progressed. The tension was thick as Evan negotiated with the hostage takers who kept shooting out the windows and threatening the hostages. I enjoyed the suspense that kept me swiftly turning the pages. There is a mystery as well which was fun to solve. It was interesting to see how the police handle a hostage situation. I am looking forward to reading Silent Investigation. 48 Hour Lockdown is a riveting romantic suspense with tense situations, a touching romance, complex characters, and cruel kidnappers.

48 Hour Lockdown was a good read. Full Stop. As the first part of the series, Carla Cassidy does a great job setting up the character profiles for the secondary cast of characters. In this book, the main characters are Evan Duran and Annalise Taylor. Annalise is a teacher at a prep school for gifted students. The main characteristics that drew me to Annalise was her passion for teaching, her compassion, and her love for her students. The story starts off as a normal day for Annalise and her students, that is until armed gunmen holds Annalise, her students, and other staff members hostage. Enter Evan Duran, hostage negotiator of the Tactical Crime Division and Annalise’s ex. I’m always iffy about stories that begin with a failed and/or past relationship. There was a reason you guys didn’t work out the first time, so what’s different this time? This aside, I usually wait to see how authors craft their delivery and how the relationship comes together by the end of the book. I thought that the main issue between Evan and Annalise was a lack of communication and Evan’s tendencies (What kind of tendencies? You’ll have to read the book to find out). There were parts of the story where it dragged. The logistics and motives behind the hostage situation felt a little stilted. Carla Cassidy goes from the main story to a POV from another member of the TCD team. It didn’t feel absolutely necessary to have these scenes, but they do add some context to Evan’s backstory. The ending did conclude nicely; All in all, I think Carla Cassidy did a good job. There were a few things that I had an issue with, but they were minor things.

Overall - 3
Heat - 1

The Tactical Crime Division is a specialized unit of the FBI, handling the toughest cases in some of the most remote locations. When the team leans there is a hostage situation at a school, all available agents are ready to step in and help. The situation becomes even more urgent for one agent, Evan Duran when he learns that and old flame is trapped inside with some of her students. Annalise Taylor, doesn't know why she and her students are being held hostage, but she will do anything to save her girls. With the help of Evan can they save the day?

This book was a good way to kick of a new series, the action was intense and immediate which had me reading this all in one sitting. Annalise and Evan were interesting characters and surprisingly well developed in a story that only amounts to about 256 pages. The author spent a good amount of page time building the the tension not only with the suspense plot, but between our romantic couple.

I was slightly disappointed to see that this book turned out to not have anything more than a few kisses between the characters. I would have liked at least one love scene between our couple, but admittedly that maybe would have been hard to add given the pacing of the story. I prefer to read books with suspense that also give equal footing to the love story, and I just didn't feel like we got that here.

Overall I had fun reading this book, and if you're interested in a quick and suspenseful read this will be right up your alley. ARC received in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

If you're looking for a book that reads like an episode of Criminal Minds, this one is definitely that. The tension and suspense starts right at the beginning with the school invasion and hostage situation. From there we see the story from multiple viewpoints, all of them having different roles to play. The romance of the story is definitely in the background but it's not a detriment since the action is pretty much non stop. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more about the Tactical Crime Division.

This is a gripping mix of crime thriller, suspense and second-chance romance - and a truly action packed start to this new series! Evan Duran is the agent responsible in hostage negotiation situations but when he learns that Annalise Taylor, the only woman he has ever loved, is one of the hostages in an armed school holdup he is determined to do everything he can to get her to safety and then try to win her back again.

As a teacher, this is a nightmare scenario. Knowing that the armed people who have taken over the school building have already murdered some of your colleagues and you are trapped with frightened children, not sure what the hostage takers will do next is terrifying. The anxiety of all concerned is clear portrayed throughout this action packed story. The tension builds, crests, releases and builds again at the unexpected twists as the drama unfolds. One of the children is a real heroine! I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this story. It has great characters, plenty of mysteries to be revealed and the rekindling of romance all skilfully woven into a superb read. As this is only the first in the series, I can't wait to read the next three!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and being enthralled from start to finish!

I'm getting the FTC disclaimer out of the way right now. Because ADHD reigns supreme. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A free book does not sway me in my judgment and I hope my readers know that about me by now.
I read 48 Hour Lockdown in less than a day, even though my mind wandered everywhere while I was reading it. I was pleased to find out that romance took a backseat the suspense in this story. Raise your hand if you've screamed at a romance where the couple is being hunted down by evil-doers in a jungle or they're, like, five minutes from certain death at the bad guy's hands, and they decide that that is the best time to have sexy times. Honestly, how do y'all straight people survive anything? Annalise and Evan table addressing their attraction and all that that entails for when everything is said and done. Yes, there are some moments but nothing major or excessive that detracts from the case at hand. Very task-oriented of them.
I liked the inclusion of a cult in the storyline. I have a thing for cults, they're very entertaining to me. So getting to giggle at the craziness that always ensues when there's a cult involved was a plus for me. I'm not saying that cults are good or funny, I just know that if I weren't so jaded about the world because of childhood trauma, I'd have wound up in a cult myself because oof, was I a naive sheep. But y'all. There are some warped cult members and the prerequisite shifty cult leaders in this story. Cults and hostage situations with cops are just nerve-wracking. I was on the edge of my seat with the story, wondering exactly how much of a disaster would it turn into for Annalise and Evan having to deal with cult crazies.
Another thing I liked about 48 Hour Lockdown was the coverage of the possible aftereffects of hostage situations and kidnappings and shootings that Annalise and her students were exposed to in the story. Annalise worries for her students mental health as well as their physical health. She specifically mentions the possibility of developing PTSD from the events in the book. As someone with non-combat Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, seeing an author shedding light on mental health and working to destigmatise non-combat PTSD, I cried a little. There's a lot of work to be done of making people realise that PTSD can come from all sorts of situations in life's journey and I appreciate the author's contribution.
Part of the fun of reading intrigues, mysteries, and thrillers is seeing if you can solve the crime(s) before the protagonist(s). I'm happy to say that I was reasonably stumped by the twists thrown at us by Ms Cassidy in 48 Hour Lockdown. Some instances were obvious to me (I won't name any but you'll know them when you see them) but then I got whacked upside the head with a few. Hooray for surprising me! But I was a bit perturbed that the story didn't end with the miraculous recovery of Evan's long-lost sister returning to his life for a true happily ever after ending. I'm hoping it's addressed in a later story because I need a happy ending on that! I was also dismayed about the level of suspense in the story, after the hostage situation, events were kind of anticlimactic in comparison.
As usual, please practise care in your reading. If any of these issues are problematic for you, please don't hesitate to message me for any clarification of degree of severity or whatever. Because mental health is just as important as physical health. • This story contains scenes of gun violence on page, hostage situations, assault, child abuse, child abduction, and cults and the extremist followers that go with that.
Overall, I'm going to give 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy a solid 3 stars and 1 little flame for heat. I loved the mental health awareness the author presented I have no choice but to give accolades for it and the level of suspense was pretty good, but I was left wanting more substance to the story.

posted to but awaiting review at
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48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy, which is the first book in the Tactical Crime Division series, is a suspense drive tale surrounding a hostage situation. It features Annalise Taylor and Evan Duran. Annalise is a teacher at Sandhurst School for Gifted and Talented underprivileged children while Evan is the top negotiator with the Tactical Crime division a branch of the FBI.

The story began with the school being invaded and Annalise along with three of her students are held hostage. On hearing of the situation and learning that Annalise was a hostage, Evan is prepared to engage. They shared a romantic history, which ended when Annalise walked away to further her career.

As stated earlier the story was suspense driven leaving the romance to take a back seat. I had no issues with that as the suspense plot was well executed. It kept me glued to the pages. It had me turning the pages as I was intent on learning what were the motives of the hostage takers and also the identity of their inside mine.

I liked Annalise and Evan as individuals, but I never connected with them as a couple. I never felt their chemistry and their connection felt forced.
I loved how Annalise kept her head throughout the entire ordeal. Evan was driven, dedicated and determined, which made him perfect for the job. The story highlighted issues relating to his past, providing insight to the reason for his choice of career. Readers are also made privy to the emotional upheaval he experienced as a result of the ending of his relationship with Annalise.

There were a few situations throughout the hostage negotiations that had me rolling my eyes. I did eventually figure out the identity of the inside person, so the revelation near to the end cemented what I had believed.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, 48 Hour Lockdown turned out to be an interesting read. This is suitable for readers who enjoy suspense stories, where the romance is served as a side dish.

48 Hour Lockdown started so strong! It was a heart-pumping, nail-biting hostage situation right from the start and I was excited to see how the author was going to bring this second chance together. I loved Annalise! She was a strong, capable individual doing her best to keep her students safe. Unfortunately, I didn't like Evan as much and I almost wish we had more time to get to know him outside of his role as a hostage negotiator. It was great to see him in his element though.

The nature of the story severely limits the author's ability to make the rekindling of this second chance romance believable. As it stands, it feels more like the adrenaline and rescue impacting Evan and Annalise. In fact, even the characters themselves question that at one point. The main concern that prompted Annalise's departure was Evan's over management/ controlling of the relationship and not being emotionally involved. In essence, he wasn't speaking her love language. I get it, buddy, it's tough. I had to seriously stress my ability to suspend belief because I seriously doubt Evan would truly be allowed to negotiate when his ex-something was a hostage. This won't bother everyone though! I did truly struggle with the incompetent small-town cop angle while painting the FBI agents as the end all be all. I wish there was a better balance, but again you are limited with that time line.

Overall, it was enjoyable but the pacing was far too fast with limited time for that relationship to truly be kindled in a crisis and still last. So, maybe a HFN? I would still give Cassidy's work another chance in the future. Since the rest of this series is written with other authors, I will get around to the rest of the team too. I'm just a bit bummed that I enjoyed the suspense and mystery more than the romance.

**I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
**Thank you HQN for the opportunity to read and review!
***Review posted to Amazon (pending)
***will go live on Dream Come Review after the blog tour ends on 5 June

48 Hour Lockdown is an edge of seat romantic suspense that kicks off the Tactical Crime Division series in style. I love a good second chance romance and Evan and Annalise's second chance starts off under high tension circumstances, and Carla Cassidy builds on that tension steadily as the story progresses. We get a double whammy on the suspense side of this one. On the one hand, there are the bad guys we can see, and on the other, there's the bad guy working behind the scenes who remains a mystery until the end. Now, I did eventually guess the identity of the mystery man or woman, but the author didn't make it too easy. Then we have the romance, and I'll admit that I was a little worried about how this one would work under the circumstances, but it's very well done, and I love that time is taken for these two to take a look at what happened the first time around. All in all, this first TCD book is a fast-paced, entertaining read with characters you genuinely want to root for. It's full of tense, sit up a pay attention moments as well as a plenty of feels romance. Carla Cassidy has set the bar high for the rest of this series, and I can't wait to see what's next.

Annalise Taylor is a teacher for gifted students in a small town. One day she is staying late with a few children when gun men storm into her classroom. What do these people want and why are they being held at gunpoint?

Evan Duran is a hostage negotiator with a special FBI taskforce TCD and his unit responds immediately to the situation. Can Evan do his job efficiently and still put his personal feelings aside when he finds out his ex girlfriend Annalise is the teacher involved?

Things start to get dicey when the gun men won’t communicate with Evan and only reply to questions with gunfire. Annalise manages to sneak her phone and communicate with Evan offering anything she can to save her students. Just when they think the hostage situation is over, it takes a turn for the worst. Can Evan and Annalise beat the clock to save a student and capture the gun men? Will Evan and Annalise be able to act on the feelings that are growing between them before Evan leaves?

This was a fabulous book written by author Carla Cassidy and a great start to the Tactical Crime Division Series by Harlequin. It was fast paced along with twists and turns when you least expect it and it also has that romantic element that readers love. I can’t wait to start the second book. Thank you to Carla Cassidy, Harlequin and NetGalley for the book to read and review.

A Hostage Situation with Children

Annalise Taylor, a computer teacher at Sandhurst School for gifted and underprivileged students, is working with three of her best students when armed gunmen storm into the classroom. She pleads with them to let the children go, but the leader is adamant. The children stay.

When the Tactical Crime Division (TCD) hears of a hostage situation with children, Evan Duran, their best hostage negotiator, knows he has to go. When he learns that Annalise, a woman he was involved with and still loves, is with the children, it becomes personal.

The characters in this novel are great. Annalise is strong and resourceful. She protects the children as best she can and manages to grab her phone to communicate with the negotiators. Evan is under tremendous pressure both because of the children and Annalise, but worse the gunman won’t talk to him and answers his questions with gunfire.

The pace is very fast with several problems in addition to getting the children out unharmed. The romance between Evan and Annalise adds to the tension. It’s hard to put the book down when so much is happening. Although some parts of the plot were not very realistic, overall it’s a good crime story.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

My thoughts

Rating: 5

Would I recommend it ? Yes

Would I read more of this series ? Yes , so much so that I have the other three books to this series already to read ,and after reading this one I can't wait to get started on the next the one.

Would I read more by this author? Yes

First off I want to say a big thank you to the publishers of Harlequin for letting me know about this series and for inviting me to read and review it , because its definitely right up my ally and is something I would pick up in a heart beat to read, plus they had me sold the minute they said Criminal Minds ( which is one of my all time favorite shows) so there was no way I was going to let this opportunity pass me by. And I'm so glad that I didn't. Right from the start it had me hooked and I loved seen the characters in action and how strong the characters were. Another thing I loved was how close the team was, in fact I would they there more then a team I would go so far as to they that they was a family and had each others back. And while it is a suspense romance and is fast paced that doesn't take anything away from the story at all and the writing was excellent so much so that I want to check out more by this author. With that said I want to thank once again Harlequin and Netgalley for letting me read and review it.