Devoted to Pleasure by Shayla Black

The first in an all-new sexy contemporary romance series from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shayla Black.

BOUND BY DUTY...

Bodyguard and former military man Cutter Bryant has always done his duty—no matter the cost. Now he's taking one last high-octane assignment before settling down in a new role that means sacrificing his chance at love. But he never expects to share an irresistible chemistry with his beautiful new client.

...TEMPTED BY PLEASURE

As the star of a steamy television drama, Shealyn West knows fame well, but it has come at the expense of her heart. With a blackmailer watching her every move and the threat of career-ending exposure looming, Shealyn hires Cutter to shore up her security and keep her safe, never imagining their attraction will be too powerful to contain.

As Shealyn and Cutter navigate the scintillating line between business and pleasure, they unravel a web of secrets that threaten their relationship and their lives. When danger strikes, Cutter must decide whether to follow his heart for the first time, or risk losing Shealyn forever.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

I found myself loving this story, but Cutter was too good to be true. He was there to help anyone who needed it and was even going to give up true love and forever happiness to help a friend, someone as close to him as a sister. It just didn't seem real to me because I haven't met anyone that selfless in my life.

Cutter Bryant was the all-around good guy, former military, now a bodyguard for hire and his next assignment has him heading to Hollywood. And after this high-profile job, he is giving up his chance at love to help a friend. Wait until he meets Shealyn West, the one person he was not expecting.

Small town girl makes it big, Shealyn West is finally living her dream as a Hollywood actress. But what she wasn't ready for was all the press following her every move. And when a blackmailer sends a text with a steamy video of her and a man that is not her boyfriend, she realizes that she needs someone to go with her to drop off the payoff. She hires a bodyguard at a friend’s recommendation. When the man shows up at her door, Cutter Bryant was not what she was expecting at all. He leaves her tingling all over and tongue-tied. She has never had these feelings towards any man before. And she wants to explore them more with him.

Can Cutter and Shealyn enjoy their time together and he can keep her safe too? Will the blackmailer give up after she pays whoever it is off? Will they find out who the blackmailer is? Will Cutter and Shealyn end things when he leaves, or will they make a future together?

I loved this story and other than Cutter being too good to be true, I recommend it highly. Shayla Black has a way of pulling you into a story and making you feel all the emotions the story has to offer. So I hope you enjoy this story too.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
The characters in this book are well defined and each are seeking some form of redemption. In Shealyn's cases it takes the form of striving to be perfect and not causing her family members heartache. For Cutter it's to right a wrong, to be better than he was to let no one get hurt in his watch ever again.

Shealyn is being blackmailed and just wants to pay the money with no one being the wiser. When the drop goes south she realizes that she has to trust Cutter with her secrets. Cutter's first instinct is to put her in a safe house but that's not realistic.

As their lives become intertwined, both Cutter and Shealyn must figure out what is more important: their careers or each other.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆
I didn’t love this book – I didn’t feel invested in Shealyn and Cutter, their chemistry just didn’t do it for me. I’m giving three stars because I did enjoy the storyline and I love Shayla Black’s writing, I always breeze through her books very quickly.

Cutter works private security now that he’s out of the military. In his hometown he’s known for helping anyone who needs it – even at the expense of his personal life. Cutter has committed to marry his best friend when he returns from his next job so that she doesn’t look bad to her family. This one last job before that can happen is with Shealyn, a big time actress who is being blackmailed and needs Cutter to provide security for her to make the payoff. From their first meeting they’re attracted to one another, but neither is willing to cross the professional/personal line. Then, Shealyn’s blackmailing becomes more and Cutter swoops in to save this damsel.

I think the part that had me not loving this book was that Cutter lets everyone walk all over him. He doesn’t seem to have an alpha bone in his body but at the same time, he’s a security guard so he’s strong. It was just weird, and I struggled with that and him having promised himself to his best friend before leaving on the job with Shealyn. Though this one wasn’t for me, I still applaud the author for writing a book that kept me reading through to the end even though I wasn’t invested in the main characters.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really good first book in a new series – although any Wicked Lovers fans will find some familiar names to smile about too. If you haven't read that series, well you have a treat waiting for you when you do!

Cutter is in security, and first we find him talking to his all-life friend Brea, and she is in a major jam. Then we watch on as he is assailed by intense desire for his latest client, Shealyn, an actress on a hit TV show. This sets up the underlying plot issues perfectly and had me trying to work out just how he was going to resolve a fairly massive problem that he has created... let's just say that Shayla Black is brilliant at writing men who should think less and say more! I cannot tell you how many times I said to Cutter "now?" and rolled my eyes when the page turned and the moment had passed!

Add in a blackmail mystery with some clever turns and use of Facebook and social media to divert attention, and this is a great combination of very hot, steamy, and quickly intense romance, and well-paced drama. I don't really want to say anymore for fear of giving anything away. Rest assured you will enjoy the ride, find out more about the repetitive nature of the role of TV star, and how just about everything written about celebrity is nonsense. Another winner, thank you and can't wait to read the next installment – there are some big hints about who should be involved, and I am looking forward to unravelling all the negative comments about him soon.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance with some thrills
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This is a great start to a new series. It has the makings of a great series with all of the hints at secondary characters.

Cutter is a great guy - he is too good to be true, in all honesty. I wish that he had some flaws throughout, since he was so "perfect," it was hard to believe his character or to even really relate. He is in security and when he's called to protect a Hollywood star, he takes his job very seriously... until he meets her. Not only is he insanely attracted to her, he is also in a personal pickle with what he left behind.

Shealyn is an actress who is set on protecting her private life. She is now in need of protection, but she's not willing to divulge what is really going on until it's almost too late. She meets Cutter and knows that her life is complicated already, but just this once, she wants something real – for herself.

In true romance fashion, the lack of communication is prevalent and rears its ugly head. I think that Black has an amazing talent for writing characters that suck you in and who you want to root for.

This is a great story with a lot of intrigue and a ton of chemistry between the main characters. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait for more.

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty novels. For nearly twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her teenage daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Devoted to Pleasure (Devoted Lovers #1) by Shayla Black to read and review. Mary reviewed her personal NetGalley copy.