A SEAL ALWAYS WINS by Holly Castillo is the second book in the Texas Navy Seals romantic suspense series. The two protagonists are Navy SEAL Enrique (Phantom) Ramirez and horse trainer Elena Garcia. Phantom and his team are working undercover as quarter horse ranch owners and decide they need Elena’s help to maintain cover and hopefully learn information that will help them with their mission.

The story line is set in south Texas and in Mexico. The characters are compelling and definitely someone you can root for. They are strong and their goals are clear and believable. The supporting characters are well-rounded and enhance the story. The stakes were high as the tension built up to the conclusion. It had plenty of suspense and did not have the instant love that is so common in books. It also had some deep themes running through it including sexual harassment, drug and human trafficking, corruption, friendship and much more.

Overall, the plot was intriguing and contemporary. I was immediately interested in this novel. The prose was well-written and engrossing. The story is gripping, paced well, and well worth reading. I recommend it to those that enjoy romantic suspense novels and I am looking forward to reading book one in the series.

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and Holly Castillo for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Phantom Ramirez is a Navy SEAL who is prepared to handle anything. He is currently working undercover on a horse and cattle ranch in Texas while trying to stop a human trafficking ring. He meets horse trainer Elena, and wonders if he will ever be in control of his emotions ever again. In addition to falling for Elena, he discovers that she may be the key to breaking up the ring. The question is whether or not he can protect her and still bring down the bad Gus.

I received this copy from Netgalley for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

I love Phantom and Elena as a couple. Phantom is a good mix of an alpha male and caring man. Elena, too, is a strong character and a good fit for Phantom. The author does an excellent job of developing the story. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and tension as they work things out. This is a very well-written book and definitely worth reading. My only issue is that the conflicts in the story are common to this genre. However, that in no way takes away from the pleasure of the book. I enjoyed this enough that, even with that one flaw, I will buy the book as well.

I'm definitely enjoying this series! I absolutely loved the first book!! This one was really good also but I did like the first a little bit more! This is the second book in the series about a group of ex navy seals put together deep in Texas on a ranch and they are given special ops to go do and they're definitely exciting! There is plenty of suspense, action, and there's some heavy steam to it too!! Lol I definitely recommend reading this book and series! It's well worth the read! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Complementary copy given for honest review.

Holly Castillo knocks it out of the park with this one. I love the strong characters in this book and I’m so happy that I got to “check in” on these characters. Love, love!!

For me this was more of a 3.5 story.
This second story in the series is the first book I have read by this author and it was entertaining.
The premise of the series is of a Navy SEAL team working out of a ranch in Texas. They were originally assigned to track and stop the drug cartels from infiltrating the USA. But now they have stumbled into a human trafficking ring.
Could the same individuals be the mastermind of both situations or are they dealing with two entities?
The main characters in this book are Phantom Ramirez and horse trainer Elena Garcia. They met originally when he fired her the moment the group took over the ranch she had been working at. But when he realizes he is over his head in training quarter horses (this is his cover), he seeks her help. The attraction intensifies, but Phantom is keeping his identity a secret. Will the discovery cause Elena to loose her trust in him?
When she’s put in danger , Phantom vows to safe her. But will he be able to get to her on time?
In general, I found the story entertaining, though Elena was less likable than Phantom, she was still ok.
I would give it a 3.5 but knowing that authors give their all in their craft, I will give it a 4 star review.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.