He was sent to guard her body… he didn’t expect her to steal his heart. Her sister’s wedding was hardly the place to find a hook up, but after one look at friend-of-the-groom and special operative Josiah Grant, small-town Texas beauty Magnolia West immediately fell in lust. After a stunningly sensual night together, Maggie is prepared for the two of them to go their separate ways. After all, … ways. After all, she’s not a happily-ever-after kind of girl. But Josiah—and danger—change her plans.
Josiah isn’t looking for love…but Maggie rouses his body and stirs his heart like no other woman. She’s got a rocky romantic past, and a smart man would steer clear. But when the murder quotient in Kendall County rises and all signs point to a mysterious group nearby who have been harassing Maggie’s family, he can’t leave her unprotected—especially when he realizes he’s fallen hard for her.
As tension mounts and the menace closes in, Josiah will do anything to prove to Maggie that their love is real…but can they stay alive long enough to share it?
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Intrigue, dominance, love, and more is written in this book that captures your attention! Another great read by this author has the suspense I love with dominance, love, and visits by past characters from her other series! I adored this book!
Shayla Black is a go-to author because of books like this one! This story has everything! I was not able to put it down – and I had one heck of a book hangover when I was done. Worth it! FIVE HUGE STARS!!
Josiah and Maggie’s story was terrific. Just the right amount of sexy times, a wedding hookup that ends up being more than either of them expect or want in the beginning. I definitely recommend this book can’t wait for more from the Devoted Lovers series!
I love an alpha dom who has been hurt in the past so he doesn’t think he’s the marrying kind. He is really protecting his heart and scared that he will be hurt again. This pretty much describes Josiah Grant.
Add in Maggie who has also been hurt and feels abandon so she protects her own heart by not giving it to anyone. When Maggie and Josiah met at Maggie’s sister’s wedding, it was an instant attraction of which they both agree it would be a one night stand thing. But things get complicated when Josiah stays to investigate a cult that is pressuring people in the small town to sell off their properties.
I love how protective Josiah is of Maggie even when he doesn’t want to have any type of future with her and I love Maggie’s spunk. It is so hot when Josiah goes all dom and alpha on Maggie who didn’t think she wants something like that but once she gets a taste of it, she realizes that she likes it! When loved ones are in danger, Josiah takes charge to protect Maggie and her loved ones and makes sacrifices in order to hope for a future with Maggie.
This is another hot alpha protective dom story with a sexy dom and a feisty heroine who is made for each other! I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
If there was a higher rating system then this book would qualify. Shayla Black never ceases to amaze with her talent and takes her readers on one heck of a ride with this storyline. As it is the second book in the Devoted Lovers series, it can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the other books in this world as the author brings back some favorite characters. Here comes the bride….Magnolia is attending her sister’s wedding when she comes across Josiah, a good friend and colleague of the groom. As is customary at weddings, Magnolia and Josiah are on the same page as each one is willing to partake in a one-night stand due to their mutual attraction. However, there are games afoot and a new group in town is pressuring some of the owners to sell their land. All bets are off when Magnolia’s grandparents are being hassled and Josiah steps up to ascertain what is really going on. Can he keep himself, Magnolia and her family all safe?
Like two peas in a pod filled with strength and the courage of their convictions, any reader cannot help but fall for Magnolia and Josiah. Ms. Black has flawlessly crafted these characters showing their growth and commitment to overcoming their obstacles to be together. Filled with action, suspense, steam and intrigue, this is one book that keeps one thoroughly entranced from beginning to end. Just when you think the plot will turn, the author throws in a few surprises. Shayla Black is one of my favorite authors and once again proves that she is a master at her craft. I look forward to reading the next book in this series….One-Mile and Brea perhaps? I highly recommend adding this to your tbr list asap.
I volunteered to read an advance copy of this book provided by Netgalley.
Who’s looking for a sexy AF romantic suspense? One-click Devoted to Love right now. Seriously, you need to meet Josiah and Maggie.
Josiah’s trying to find his way in the private sector. He’s not looking for love, but there’s just something about Maggie he can’t resist.
And Maggie takes one look at tall, dark and sexy AF Josiah and she’s on board with whatever her body demands. And her heart too.
Josiah and Maggie fall in love under the most precarious of situations. And though it feels real, is it a by-product of their close quarters, or will this love truly stand the test of time?
Gah, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to find out what the heck was going on in Crazytown, Kendall County along with what was going on with Maggie and Josiah. Their romance is smart, fun, and sexy AF. And I couldn’t get enough!
I so enjoy this fantastic Devoted Lovers series and cannot wait for more!
Devoted to Love is all about the four letter words. Or so Maggie and Josia would have you believe…but the word they cling to isn’t love, at first! I mean you can’t meet your soulmate at a wedding…Or maybe it’s because they are both once bitten twice shy.
Each has their own reason to avoid relationships and they try so darn hard too. A+ for effort but with chemistry like this it’s inevitable.
Devoted to Love is the second in this small town Texas romance series. Let’s not forget all the former military/intelligence badasses that seem to exist for our enjoyment. I can think of a few more who need their happy…
I absolutely love when I get sucked into a story and it doesn’t let go until the very last word, and that is exactly what happened with this book.
This book had everything from two likable characters, a whole lot of suspense, some crazy AF people to keep things interesting, the I’m supposed to protect you not fall for you drama, to a whole bunch of sexy time in and out of the bed!
There is no question as to why Shayla Black is one of my absolute FAVORITE authors. When I start one of her books I have to be sure I have nothing planned otherwise I will definitely be cancelling because I don’t want to put the book down once I have started it.
In Devoted to Love Shealyn and Cutter are getting married, we met them in the first book of the series Devoted to Pleasure , and everyone is there to celebrate their nuptials which means Cutters hot co-workers are there to party as well as protect. When Josiah locks eyes with Maggie he was instantly attracted to her but he soon learned that one taste wouldn’t be enough.
As I mentioned before this story has a LOT going on and I really don’t want to spoil anything so I am just going to say grab a copy for yourself, you wont be disappointed!
Happy Reading!!!
5 stars
Fantastic story by Shayla Black! Awesome mix of sexy and suspense (and submission)!
Neither Josiah, nor Maggie, are against love, it just hasn’t been good to them and they’re a little gun shy but their explosive chemistry pulls them in. They battle their growing feelings for each other, while pursuing the truth about a nearby murder! Add in the (oh so) creepy neighbors next door and you’re in for a thrill ride!
Awesome second story in the Devoted Lovers series!
AnnMarie – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Sexy, fun, witty and highly entertaining adventure filled with passion, intriguing charters and exciting twists and turns. Really enjoyed this reading experience and it kept me on the edge of my seat form beginning to end.
This is the second book in the Devoted Lovers series and it is everything I hoped it would be. Shayla Black can write. She can do it by herself, she can do it with a partner, she rocks her characters, her stories and my world!!!! This story follows Devoted to Pleasure. It isn’t a have-to-read the first book but if you follow Shayla, you will definitely want to read all you can. We even have some other familiar characters pop in….
Maggie and Josiah are thrown together at the wedding of her sister and his best friend and associate. The are both in it for a night of fun and passion. But when danger starts showing up around the little town of Comfort, Josiah is the one man who isn’t going to risk Maggie or the family farm. Evil is all around and the surprises just keep coming…
Awesome read….definitely wanting more of this series….
One word for this book…AMAZINGLY HOT (ok that was 2 words).
Josiah Grant former CIA (now security expert) is managing security at Magnolia West (Maggie). Past experiences make Josiah and Maggie believe “forever” isn’t in their futures. Josiah took one look and knew he had to have her. The heat between Josiah and Maggie is SCORCHING!
Shayla is fantastic at not only bringing a story to life and pulling you in with it. These stories keep getting better and better!!
A MUST-READ SERIES!!!
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
4.5 stars
M/F Romance
Magnolia (Maggie) and Josiah are an unlikely couple. Maggie has been raised by her grandparents and loves living on the ranch with them. With her famous sister now married, Maggie knows that life will go back to being the same and different, all at once. With a relationship with her own mom that’s strained, even though Maggie knows that her mom is trying intellectually, it’s hard to forget or forgive the abandonment she still feels.
Josiah loves his job. He is surrounded by a good group of men and even though they have rules about relationships developing between those who need protection and protectors, he just can’t help himself – Maggie draws him. When he learns that there is a strange group nearby who are trying to get Maggie’s grandparents to sell their land, and even stranger “accidents” start happening, Josiah knows that he will do anything to protect her.
What follows is a story about love, honor, and devious behavior that leads down the wrong path. People are dying around town and with no explanations, Maggie and Josiah will have to use their observation powers to figure out who is behind it.
This is a sweet story that has an alpha protector, a strong woman who takes no prisoners, and people who just want what’s best for their community. It was very entertaining and I can’t wait to see if more books spring from this story.
Triggers: Cult thinking, Murder, Kidnapping
Ruthie –
4.5 stars of pure magic!
This is the second book in the series, and I would recommend that you read them in order, as why would you miss out on any Black goodness? The story starts with the wedding of the two protagonists from book one, and gives you some insight into the lives of the leads in this story, so really does add something to the story. That said, this would stand up on its own, if you are impatient to start! We also get a few nods to Wicked Lovers from past series – which made me very happy.
Maggie and Josiah embrace their chemistry at her sister Shealyn’s wedding to Josiah’s colleague, Cutter. Both happy to ignore emotions and enjoy the passion, they spend the night together. And much as Josiah plans to get back to his life the next morning, the recent murder in the town causes him to pause. A local “community” is buying up land, and it looks like Maggie’s family ranch is up next. And his sense of duty, and one tends to think, his attraction to Maggie, makes him keen to resolve the issue.
I loved the level of creepy surrounding the cult – it was just at the perfect level of crazy, worrying, and despicable! Mercy was so disturbing, she gave me the shivers.
As the story played out, and Josiah and Maggie come to mean everything to each other, it is not just wondering about how they will make it work, but whether they will get the chance to try. I loved the level of drama, side by side with the inner turmoil they both feel at this turn of events.
Another fantastic read from Shayla Black. Luckily, I am now a veteran, I stacked up snacks and hid myself away until I had emoted my way to the end. Expect laughs, tears, and deep breath moments along with some requiring a fan!
Mary –
4.5 stars
For Josiah, finding love was not something he was looking for but spending the night with Maggie would be the perfect way to end his time at his friend/coworker’s wedding. When he first saw Maggie, he felt something deep inside, but he didn’t want to listen to his true feelings. He had been burned before.
Maggie didn’t believe that love was in her future. When she loved someone, they left her. Except for her grandparents and her sister. She lived with her grandparents and her sister just married the love of her life. But Maggie knew that love would not happen for her. When she saw Josiah before the wedding, his stare did something to her.
After their night together, Maggie tried to push him away, but Josiah wanted to help her stop the neighboring group from bothering them about selling their farm. What he learned while at the other farm had him worried for Maggie and her grandparents.
Will Maggie give Josiah a chance at a relationship? Can Josiah show Maggie that he will not hurt or leave her? Can they find out just what is going on at the farm that seems to be sketchy?
I love Shayla Black and her writing style always pulls me into each story I read. This one had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. I highly recommend this author, no matter what you read you will not be disappointed.
Mary Jo –
I have to say this is one of the better books I’ve read in a while. The story was well thought out, and the characters had chemistry.
It’s not every day that we come across a female lead that owns her sexuality. Maggie doesn’t shy away from what she believes will be a one-night stand, or the fact that she cheated on her ex- fiancé. Granted, it appears that she and her ex weren’t exactly in love, but still. She owns her decisions.
Josiah, on the other hand, believes in complete honesty. He was once on the flip side – the person being cheated on – and he has no desire to hook up with a woman that would potentially do that to him. However, he’s man enough to realize that every story has two sides and listening to both is what makes a man good feel about himself.
The twists and turns in this story are believable and I can’t wait to read the next story in this series.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Devoted to Love (Devoted Lovers #2) by Shayla Black to read and review.
Magnolia “Maggie” West is not looking for love. After being abandoned by her mother to be raised by her grandparents, Maggie doesn’t trust many. Instead she looks for temporary comfort in the arms of others. While at her sister’s wedding, Maggie catches the eye of Josiah Grant, one of the groom’s fellow special operatives working security at the wedding and she is instantly intrigued. After one adventurous night together, Maggie and Josiah realize that just one night might not be enough.
When a murder in the small town of Comfort, Tx suddenly happens, Josiah realizes he needs to step up and protect this woman that has stirred something in him that he thought was long dead. As another murder happens, Josiah realizes that this may be from the Enlightenment Fields group that had recently moved to Comfort and he decides to investigate.
As Maggie and Josiah start to spend more time together, things heat up really quickly and real feelings start to develop. At the same time danger is heating up just as quick. Just when it looks like Josiah may have found the woman made just for him, she may end up being lost forever. As a big showdown comes to a head it will take a lot of trust between Maggie and Josiah, two people who do not trust anyone, to be able to get to their happy ending.
I really liked both Maggie and Josiah. They both have big skeletons in their past that have stopped them from being in a relationship but together they found something that was missing in order to make them whole. These two characters scorched up the sheets together too! Overall this was an enjoyable story filled with a lot of suspense and sexy time.
Devoted to Love by Shayla Black is book Two in the Devoted Lovers Series. Josiah and his fellow operatives are in town for another operatives wedding at the bride’s family farm. As soon as Josiah see the bride’s sister Maggie, he is all about a wedding hookup. Little did he know that the hook up would turn into an assignment when the team finds out about a spiritual group that has been buying up land all over town and has been harassing Maggie & her grandparents to try to get them to sell their farm.
While trying to find out if the group is behind the recent deaths in the small-town Josiah must figure out how to keep Maggie & her family safe while fighting his attraction to her. They have both been burned in the past by letting someone get to close to them, but can they move past that to find happiness or will the danger lurking be too much for them to handle? As always Shayla Black has a perfect mixture of suspense, intrigue, and steamy romance to make this a book you just can’t put down. I am looking forward to meeting more of the operatives in this series and cannot wait for the next book!
Completely loved this story it was simply amazing!! This is the story of Josiah and Maggie. Josiah is an operative that works with Cutter and he’s only around for a wedding until he runs into Maggie and smitten from first glance. Maggie doesn’t believe in love or anything remotely resembling it and has decided long ago no man is worth the trouble. They both have a past neither can forget but they cannot deny the desire brewing between them either. Overall, this story has everything there is a push and pull between the characters, there is a mystery going on to try and solve, twists and turns throughout. It’s amazingly done and I couldn’t get enough!
Shayla Black did not disappoint with this addition to this awesome series. Josiah and Maggie are so great together the chemistry is off the charts. I could not put this book down, plus the twists and turns kept me guessing. I normally can figures out what will happen but this one i didn’t. Of course this series you get to see updates on many of the other characters from previous books and that never gets old. I cannot wait for any other books in this series.
This is another sexy read by this author that had me captivated from page one! What was supposed to be a one-night stand turned into so much more when Josiah ends up staying and cannot seem to get enough of Maggie…and Maggie cannot seem to get enough of Josiah. This is another alpha male with an independent woman who both want to be in charge both in an out of the bedroom but who is going to win the battle of wills. Someone is threatening the neighbors and as the body count goes up, the danger does too. Lots of sexy banter and lots of sexy times round out this spectacular read. This can be read as a standalone if you want and not be lost with the continuing characters from the series. Definitely a recommendation from me.
Suspense + Steam = one hell of a book!
Shayla knows how to write wicked novels that combine all the great romance plots, and does she within Devoted to Love. Even though, yes, this can be read as a standalone, I would advise to read Devoted to Pleasure just to get a grasp on characters, etc.
Maggie West and Josiah Grant have a wonderful connection that steam up your pages in a heartbeat. I really enjoyed how the heroine in this novel knew what she wanted, and when she wanted it. But at the same time Josiah stood his ground as well; together making it a page-turner.
What an amazing roller coaster ride Maggie and Josiah’s story took me on in Devoted to Love, book two in Shayla Black’s Devoted Lovers series. These two meet at Maggie’s sister wedding, fall in lust, and hook up afterward. Josiah is a special operative who was assigned to stay and protect Maggie and her grandparents from the danger inhabiting their ranching community. Despite Maggie and Josiah not looking for love they unearthed feelings long hidden to fall hard for each other as they spend some major sexy time between the sheets. Josiah is a dom (Dominant) and is determined to subdue Maggie to bend to his demands. The walls constructed around their hearts are thick and need to be broken down before either Josiah or Maggie is ready to accept the love they develop for each other. As the murder toll rises in their community, danger moves closer to Maggie’s family. All clues point to a mysterious group, think cult, which has been buying up land around the ranch. This group is determined to purchase Maggie’s family land, harassing and demanding they sell it to them. When the group turns to threats and using violence, Josiah must up his game in order to protect Maggie, her family and their ranch. Hopefully, he will live long enough so he and Maggie can get their well-deserved happy ever after.
Ms. Black wrote a sexy, suspenseful, and emotional story that was moving and filled with sexual chemistry, wonderful dialogue, and troubled characters that should definitely not be missed. I highly recommend Devoted to Love to other readers.