A SEAL's Fantasy
3 Stars

Dominic Castillo is a dedicated Navy SEAL willing to do anything for his brothers in arms even for his nemesis, Philip Banks. So when Banks is taken prisoner by a notorious drug lord, Castillo takes on the task of protecting his estranged sister even if she is the most annoying albeit desirable woman he has ever encountered.

This is the weakest installment in Weber's series mainly due to the fact that Dominic and Lara are not the most likable of couples.

Dominic is an egotistical, self-indulgent, arrogant jerk who thinks he's god's gift to women while Lara is a spoiled, superficial and shallow tease willing to put up with his snide, misogynistic comments because she thinks he's hot.

The book is a classic example of how amazing chemistry between the H/h is completely ruined by their attitudes. Dominic's patronizing and condescending view that he knows what's best for the "little woman", and Lara's numerous TSTL moments and childish tantrums undermine any romance that might develop between the two.

While they do improve as the story progresses, it is a classic case of too little, too late and their annoying characters ultimately undermine an excellent premise.

Hopefully, the next book will return to the charm of the first few stories. ( )

A SEAL's Fantasy
3 Stars

Dominic Castillo is a dedicated Navy SEAL willing to do anything for his brothers in arms even for his nemesis, Philip Banks. So when Banks is taken prisoner by a notorious drug lord, Castillo takes on the task of protecting his estranged sister even if she is the most annoying albeit desirable woman he has ever encountered.

This is the weakest installment in Weber's series mainly due to the fact that Dominic and Lara are not the most likable of couples.

Dominic is an egotistical, self-indulgent, arrogant jerk who thinks he's god's gift to women while Lara is a spoiled, superficial and shallow tease willing to put up with his snide, misogynistic comments because she thinks he's hot.

The book is a classic example of how amazing chemistry between the H/h is completely ruined by their attitudes. Dominic's patronizing and condescending view that he knows what's best for the "little woman", and Lara's numerous TSTL moments and childish tantrums undermine any romance that might develop between the two.

While they do improve as the story progresses, it is a classic case of too little, too late and their annoying characters ultimately undermine an excellent premise.

Hopefully, the next book will return to the charm of the first few stories. ( )

Very good and very steamy book. Lara is a woman who knows what she wants. She's made a few bad choices along the way, but she's gotten to the point where she's almost reached her goal. Only, she's about to get derailed again, this time through no fault of her own.

Lara wanted to be a dancer from the time she was a little girl. By the time she was a teenager, she had her goal of dancing on Broadway in sight, but her snooty parents were against it. So she packed up and set out on her own, achieving her dream pretty quickly. But she does have a weakness for good looking guys who end up being bad for her, which ends up with her working as a showgirl in Reno. Her last relationship succeeded in cleaning out her savings account too, so she has decided to cut men out of her life for the foreseeable future.

Enter Castillo. Dominic Castillo is on the same SEAL team as Lara's estranged brother. They don't get along at all, with Banks's strictly by the book attitude grating on Castillo's more relaxed attitude. He's especially mad right now because a minor injury has caused Mr "By the Book" to keep him off the latest mission. When the mission goes bad, Castillo is sent to protect Lara from becoming a pawn in the bad guy's game. Castillo is a man who believes that he has all the answers whenever anyone needs help, and tends to overrun others when he thinks he's right.

Their initial meeting is a contentious one. Lara notices him watching her dance and has to keep control of herself because he's the type she's attracted to. When he tries to talk to her after her show, she shuts him down, especially when she finds out he knows her brother. I loved seeing her use her brains to get away from him. Their second encounter, outside her apartment, is even more so, until she discovers that he's not kidding about her being in danger. She accepts his protection for the moment, and goes back to his hotel with him for the night.

There's something else going on with them though, and that's the incredible attraction between them. Lara knows she has to stay away from him, because history tells her that getting involved usually ends up with her in trouble. Castillo is trying to resist because protecting her is his mission, and distraction could get them both killed. But they discover that they just can't keep their hands off each other. Their first time together blows them both away, leaving them both shaken up. Lara convinces herself she's not really in danger and runs off while he's in the shower, and nearly gets kidnapped because of it. Castillo comes after her, because that's his mission, and also because he can't believe she walked away after what they did together. Fortunately, he arrives in time to save her, then they take off for his fallback place - his cabin on his family's land.

During the week they are there, they begin to get to know each other outside the bedroom. Castillo is, at heart, a nice guy who really likes women, though he is determined to avoid commitment. He's impressed with Lara's determination to go after her goals, and doesn't look down on her for the way she is making that happen. I liked how he introduces her to his family. Seeing him with his family gives her some insight into why Castillo is the way he is. Their getting to know each other continues when he takes her to Coronado while they wait for her brother. At this point there are some big changes going on in Lara's life, as she has lost her job and apartment. I found it a little strange that she's suddenly okay with all that, just because she's with Castillo, but I figured she was just putting off facing it so that she could enjoy him.

She realizes that she has fallen for him and is trying to figure out what she's going to do about it, when he shows up with her brother in tow. He's also got all kinds of suggestions for her that would keep her close to him. Unfortunately, he goes about things in the wrong way, making her think that he doesn't care enough about her to have actually listened to what she has said about her plans and her feelings about her brother. I loved seeing her stand up to him and call him on what he has done. I ached for her when she told him they were through.

The ending was terrific, with Castillo fighting his feelings until he can no longer deny them. I loved his conversations with his one teammate who takes him to task about his attitude, and also with Lara's brother, whose attitude really confuses him. Their reunion at the end was really sweet as Lara nearly has to use simple words to make him realize where he had gone wrong. I loved seeing how each was finally able to understand that they were loved for who they were and not expected to change because of it.

I loved Castillo's family and how they treated Lara. It was great to see them accept her as she was. I really loved her conversation with his brother Lucas about computers and security, and the impact it had on her. I loved their part in the resolution of Castillo and Lara's problems. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about Lara's brother. ( )

Navy SEAL Dominic Castillo had no idea that being left behind when his team was sent on a mission would have such an impact on his life. Lara Banks didn't think her life could get any crazier until a certain SEAL shows up! This is a wonderfully fun and sexy read. Great writing and characters will keep you completely entertained. I highly recommend this one! ( )

Originally published on Tales to Tide You Over

Like the others in Tawny Weber’s SEAL novel series, A SEAL’s Fantasy is sexy with complicated characters who are easy to connect with. Dominic is a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. He doesn’t think he’ll ever find a woman he wants to build a life with, but he’s a dedicated and respectful lover so has no end of offers. Lara’s been burnt one time too many and has no interest in trying for more, but she’s a mature, sexually active adult who isn’t against using her assets to her advantage.

Set these two against each other with the specter of Lara’s brother, a man neither likes much, thrusting them together and it makes for a hot and conflict-filled story. To complicate things further, her brother is caught up in circumstances Dominic can’t explain because they’re more than classified, but Lara has no reason to trust him, or to expect her brother’s situation to affect her as they’ve been estranged for most of her life.

Weber’s success is in how she takes the fears and troubles inherent in the SEAL life and gives them faces, personalities, and dreams. I won’t tell you what Dominic struggles with because it is revealed in the story, but his is a subtle issue and all the more pervasive because he hasn’t admitted it to himself.

There’s a lot of push and pull going on here. Dominic’s SEAL nickname is Auntie because he’s the one who advises the others. He’s always in a position of knowledge, and he understands pretty much any situation. Lara falls into the gap between “pretty much” and absolute. She has a past that has taught her many lessons, not all the right ones, and she’s not willing to make a mistake again.

Between Dominic’s refusal to recognize his own problem and Lara’s determination to prevent a repeat of the past, they have a lot to work through before they can reach their happy ending. Watching these two struggle with a strong physical connection that quickly grows into an emotional one is a powerful ride.

Normally I wouldn’t mention something as small as a couple lines even if it bugged me, but there is one part of A SEAL’s Fantasy that threw me out of the story. It’s a non-consensual act that requires a trigger warning. It’s behavior in a character the reader is connected with that can bring up serious history for some readers because it’s a violation of trust. The whole section is a few sentences, maybe as much as three paragraphs all told, so not a huge part of the story but Dominic brings bondage into one of their sexual encounters. She says no. He doesn’t stop. He distracts her and they move on. Nowhere else in the book does this happen, and Dominic’s respect for women is a big part of the story, but that doesn’t make this okay. I feel strongly enough about this to have reported it as a problem to Harlequin and my comments were passed to the editors. I seriously hope this does not signal a trend in Tawny Weber’s novels, because if so, I will stop reading them despite loving how she makes the characters real people with serious issues to work through.

So, if you like romance with stories that look beyond just sexual and emotional attraction, where the characters are real people struggling with serious concerns, A SEAL’s Fantasy is another good entry in this category as long as the above trigger is something you can tolerate.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )