Devoted is the first book that I have read by JC Harroway & it definitely won’t be my last! I was hooked in from the first page and couldn’t stop reading!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Some choices are easy. Some choices are hard. And some choices will break our hearts...When jaded movie director, Tyler Wentworth meets Mallory Hughes on the set of his latest movie, he immediately notices two things: she's too sweet and she's somehow familiar. But he has no time for mysteries – as long as she can do her job and continue to keep her notorious starlet out of trouble, she can keep her secrets. Mallory knows exactly who Tyler is, the young man she had a huge crush on has grown to a Hollywood heavyweight. But the last thing she wants is to be associated with the shy, awkward girl she was then. She's here professionally, managing her troubled sister who has the talent to be the biggest star on screen, but a turbulent past. This is Bobbie's last and best shot, and Mallory will do nothing to jeopardize it. But as the filming begins, Mallory not only finds herself drawn more deeply to this grown–up Tyler, but that her attraction is more than reciprocated and she can't help herself from indulging in all of her girlish fantasies. However, when their pasts catch up, she is going to have to choose between the sister she's devoted her life to and the man who's won her heart.
This was definitely an emotion-filled book with some well-written characters. Both main characters had been through a lot for their ages and their decisions have controlled where they find themselves in their lives. I did think Mallory was still a bit innocent for the life she was leading and I REALLY didn’t like her sister. Overall not a bad read. I look forward to reading more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

A director and the manager—and sister—of a famous actress butt heads on a new film production. She’s trying to keep her sister from falling off various wagons while he completes his magnum opus. Turns out they knew each other growing up in a small Canadian town—odds of that?—and she’s always had a crush on him.
Really easy reading! Love it when it flows so well. I particularly like how the author doesn’t beat the audience over the head with how much the characters want each other. Yes, it’s there, but it’s not overdone like a lot of books in this genre I’ve read lately.
Everything about this was pretty standard, except for the enjoyable writing. Even the sad tragic moments felt lyrical. I might have given this a higher grade if the typical jumping to conclusions wasn’t present.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

I honestly dislike when books just make random connections through characters that seem like complete bull. This book was just...not good.

Devoted is a sexy, somewhat emotionally heavy read. Mallory is her younger sister's personal assistant/agent. She's given up pursuing her own dreams to help Bobbie live out her dream of acting. And it's going well now that Bobbie's cleaned up her act and sobered up. But, when Bobbie accepts the role of a young woman who dies of an overdose, and the director/writer/producer is someone from Mallory's past, will Mallory ever get to live out her dream? Or will she continue to let Bobbie treat her like a doormat and make Mallory watch as Bobbie devolves back into the partying lifestyle that she just cleaned herself up from?

Tyler is a 28 year old man who's living the Hollywood dream. But, he's not happy and when he sees Mallory again, he knows he knows her from somewhere, he just doesn't know from where. When she introduces herself as his sister's charge from her babysitting years, suddenly things start clicking into place for him. He's instantly attracted to the shy, young Mallory, but her sister could derail his movie. And the movie is important to him - it's his sister's story, her personal story about the addiction that took her life.

As Tyler and Mallory struggle with all the personal baggage they each carry, and they carry A LOT of baggage, it was really frustrating to read, because Mallory continually let Bobbie treat her badly and never did anything about it. I could understand Tyler's frustration with her and with Bobbie, because the movie was so important to him and Bobbie was destroying that vision by partying and acting like the addict she was, and Mallory was continually enabling her by keeping it from him.

And then there was the sex, the really, really hot sex, the kind where Tyler spoke French to her (SWOON!!!). It was steamy and naughty but always had the emotional connection that makes hot sex great sex. But, and I can't believe I'm saying this because I'm all for lots of sex in my books, I think there might have been a tad too much sex. It's as if they did their communicating during sex, and not much when they were outside of the bedroom. That's not really a healthy balance for a relationship, and Mallory and Tyler's relationship suffered for it. A tad less sex and a lot more talking would have done them a world of good.

Still, I really liked Devoted. It's sexy, although sometimes too emotionally heavy at times, and Tyler and Mallory make a great couple. Bobbie irritated the hell out of me, though, and she is the reason I dropped this from a potentially 5 star review. She treated Mallory horribly and Mallory let her do it. If her character had been tempered just a little I probably would have 5 starred it like I was tempted to.

This book was good. The characters kept me reading and the story was very captivating. Will look forward to reading from this author.

Mallory has experienced considerable loss and pain in her young life. This has meant she has also had to endure a lot of sacrifice for her younger sister, she stepped up big time after they tragically lost their parents.

Mallory's sister Bobbie is an up and coming actress who recently fell from grace after delving into the drug / party lifestyle. She is now clean and has scored a lead role in what is deemed to be a potential box office hit. Mallory isn't just her sister, she is her career manager and is basically on hand 24 / 7 - making sure that Bobbie stays on the straight and narrow. Bobbie is a taker and Mallory will give as much as she needs to, at the expense of her own personal happiness.

Tyler Wentworth is the director of the film that Bobbie is working on and he also happens to be the guy that Mallory had a huge crush on when she was in her early teens. He is even more handsome now though and is often photographed with a beautiful woman on his arm. Tyler has very personal reasons for making this film a success and will not tolerate anything short of professional behaviour from all of his crew, especially Bobbie.

Mallory and Tyler have an almost instant attraction for each other, she is not like any girl he has met before and she completely intrigues him. Tyler finds himself looking for reasons to talk to her any chance he gets. He is also very perceptive and can see the sacrifices that Mallory has made for her sister over the years. Although he can understand why Mallory is like that with her sister, he also thinks she needs to make time for her own happiness and dreams too.

Mallory seems to be juggling lots of things in her life right now and what will happen when one of those balls drop? Bobbie needs to take responsibility for her own choices at some stage and give Mallory the freedom to make her own ones. Will Mallory spend her life devoted to looking after her sister or will Tyler convince her to take a chance on love with him?

Unfortunately this book didn't really suit my tastes. It seemed like a lot of sex and no real passion or romance. It took me quite a while to get through this book, I didn't find the storyline very gripping.

It was a pretty good book, but there was a lot of emotional baggage to deal with. The main character Tyler, is directing a movie telling the story of his younger sister who died of a drug overdose, and he feels a lot of guilt with it, because he feels that he was the one who introduced her to to the entertainment industry, which led her introduction to drugs. With that guilt, his relationship with his parents is strained, and he does not does not have good thoughts on relationship, thanks to a horrible ex. Next we meet Mallory, and she is a nice person, loyal, shy, but unfortunately I feel she is a doormat, in regards to her sister, who she also feels responsible for after the death of her parents. Her sister Bobby, is a spoiled brat, who is also an actress and starring in Tyler's new movie, and she has also battled with drugs. When Tyler sees Mallory, she is familiar but he can't place it, and she is mortified because he was her long ago crush, and his sister was her baby sitter. They do give to the chemistry, but they have a lot of battles to overcome, a lot of issues, inner emotionally and out. I was happy that Mallory finally spoke up to her sister, and this book deals with a lot of stuff that tends to be overlooked, however, I am going to say, that for the stuff that they were dealing with, I think they had much more sex, than actually dealing with the issues. Some of it, I feel just glossed over, but again that is just me, you might feel differently.

Devoted by JC Harroway is the story of Tyler and Mallory, two people dealing with loss in their own way. The circle of their lives intersected in the tiniest way years ago, and now they have met again. Tyler is a movie director and Mallory is an agent for her sister who is starring in Tyler's latest production. But can two people find love in the middle of grief, guilt, and obligation? It's hard. The novel has standard ups and downs, miscues, and some very hot sex scenes. The theme of loss and love is handled better than some of the dialogue between the characters, but overall Devoted has mainly likeable characters and a plot that will satisfy those looking for a quick read. .

The girl who played in the shadows has slowly learned to fly. However, can she keep her head above water when confronted with the ghosts of her past? Bright lights, big city. Broken hearts, shattered dreams. Devoted blends the wonder of newly discovered love with the ugliness that secrets can breed. J.C. Harroway characters are never easy to love, but the blessing lies in the lessons they learn along the way.

Advanced Readers Copy Courtesy of Author, via Netgalley....

This is the second book I have read and reviewed by this author and once again she has pleasantly surprised me as this was a awesome read!!! (Then again she is a Kiwi so of course she is brilliant...)

The book centers around Tyler who is a movie producer. He is making a film about a drug addict, which is a story close to his heart as his sister overdosed a few years back. He has hired a young up and coming actress for the lead role. He is also hoping that he has not made a mistake with choosing her as she is a recovering drug addict and he feels very strongly about that and wants none of that sort of thing to interfere with his movie. What he did not anticipate was her lovely sister/personal assistant Mallory.

Mallory remembers Tyler from way back as his sister used to baby sit her and her sister Bobbie (who is the lead actress in the movie). She had a crush on him all those years ago, even though he was years older and it was a silly kids crush. Now the two of them are working close together as he is trying to make his movie and she is trying to keep her kid sister in line.

The story was good, the characters very like-able and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish I was very happy when Mallory finally stood up to her sister as she was completely using her like a doormat.

Good read that I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a story with a bit more drama in it than most of the light hearted reads you get lately. This book has a bunch of strong themes in it that are very relevant in today's society...

Looking forward to seeing what the author has install for us next!!!!

Felt like there were tons of details in some parts of the story, mostly psychological, and then big gaps in time. A little hard to follow.

Mallory's life is consumed by managing her sisters life. Being a big sister is not easy when you are trying to protect your younger sister from falling back into habits that consumed her life. Tyler has worked tirelessly to bring a movie to the big screen that is near and dear to his heart. Rekindling a connection from the past they both finally begin to heal. A great story of a sister's devotion.

I liked Devoted not as much as I hoped I would but it was still a great book. Mallory I can relate to her so much it was kind of scary I usually read about women I want to be. I loved how Tyler was so passionate about his job and he wanted to do his sister justice.

Net Galley ARC received from Escape Publishing for an honest review

4 Talk to Me Stars

I am sure you know the feeling where you start a book with very little expectations or assumptions and find a diamond in the rough.
It is a lovely feeling, isn’t it?
Well, I had that exact experience when reading Devoted, and what gave it those sparkly diamond qualities was the original characters, plot tension and steamy sex scenes.
Tyler Wentworth is a career-driven Hollywood director and is about the venture on his most personal project yet – depicting the demise of a young drug addicted women, based on his sister’s final days. Not happy with the unpredictable starlet, Bobbie Lawrence, the studio executives have thrust upon him to play the leading role, he is even more unimpressed that she fails to appear at the first location read through. Bobbie’s young and awkwardly shy manager is sent in her stead, Mallory Hughes, sparks not only his memory but his desire.
Mallory is Bobbie’s older sister, guardian, manager and assistant, after the death of their parents two years before. Working with Tyler is reigniting her old teenage crush on him, as his sister used to babysit her. But never in a million years did shy, mousy, vintage-loving Mallory expect to arouse interest in the famous director. As one brief glimmer of courage had her kissing him, she discovered that he was kissing her back and wanting more than just a fling. But blurring the lines between the professional and personal is always fraught with danger, as they quickly discover.
I honestly loved Mallory, as she was a clever woman, whilst awkward at times did not shy away from her true emotions and desires when coaxed. I also loved that Tyler did the coaxing, as his director role made me expect an ‘alpha male’ dominant relationship but I was surprised as he recognised Mallory’s limitations and gently guided her out of her shell. This coaxing was also great in the sex scenes as he always wanted Mallory to voice her desires, wants and to take control of the sexual encounters. It was so refreshing to have the woman taking her pleasure, and the man encouraging her power – as the ‘alpha male’ trope wears thin after a few romances.
However, even with the empowering sex scenes, interesting characters and relationship tension, the novel felt lacking in some way. As I finished the book, I felt that the character development was not greatly present, as change comes late for both Tyler and Mallory. So, by the end of the novel, I was a little disappointed that the moments of change were glossed over, even if the shorter time frame held a lot more dramatic tension.
All in all, a wonderfully engaging romance to read at the beach, by the poolside, in front of an open fire - anywhere really.

Sometimes you stumble upon a book and when you finish it, you need a minute to contemplate. What was it about this book, that made you wonder?

In this case, after reading Devoted, I had to ask myself: was it a bad book? Well no, it was a fine book, nicely written and definitely believable. Then were the characters unlikeable? No, definitely not. Mallory is a wonderful and devoted girl, who tries to keep her little star sister out of trouble. She is a bit of a grey mouse, but she works very hard to keep her sister on track and to keep their boss, Tyler Wentworth happy. Tyler, on the other hand, is a very nice, handsome (and did I already mention droolworthy???) guy. And we have Bobbie, the girl who turned famous and now is struggling to adjust to stardom, while having lost both her parents at a very young age.

Then, what was it with this book? I have been thinking about it and I just can't put my finger on it. In all, it is just a really nice book. You are drawn in by Mallory and you can feel her conflict of interests between the welfare of her sister and her obvious attraction to Tyler. The story has enough twist and turns to keep you interested. There are some ghosts from the past, some prejudices and wrong interpretations of situations. So, the story perfectly flows and you keep on reading.

So, would I recommend this book? Well definitely. But somewhere it is still nagging me, that I just couldn't swoon over the book. So, droolfactor: definitely there, but no swooning. Is that a bad thing? Definitely not, but if you find a book to sweep you of your feet, you won't find it in this book. But if you want to have a nice read with a hot guy and a happily ever after, please read this one.

Four out of five stars from me. With a thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Devoted is a good solid story with a few minor flaws. Romance was good.

a good quick read.

Devoted, JC Harroway

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,

I loved JC's Recovery, pushed my film star/Hollywood romance buttons and really enjoyed Entwined, the follow up, so when i saw this up for review I was excited to see it was back to film star trope. 
It proved a fun and entertaining read but didn't quite have the magic of Recovery for me. 

I expected Tyler to be older, it's kind of hard to feel someone can be "jaded" at just 28....I'd expected mid thirties or thereabouts. He does act as if he's around that age so its just technicalities in a way, but his age kept coming back to me.
Its kind of hard to think heavyweight Hollywood director at 28, but then I know nothing of the realities of that life, only the fiction side! 

Likewise Mallory and Bobbie at just 20 and 22. Bobbie was a child star but given her rep, and the fact she's already spent time in addiction clinic, and has now been clean 3 years I'd have placed her a bit olderl. Mallory, could she really step into her father's shoes and manage Bobbie's career so well? Dunno?
Just questions that made the story feel a bit unreal to me. 

I loved Mallory, she's so sweet, caring, an innocent in a tiger world, but shows her teeth when it comes to protecting Bobbie.
I really didn't like Bobbie though, she's so selfish, doesn't seem to care that her actions impact heavily on Mallory's life, and I can see the sister bond in them, though Mallory doesn't resent Bobbie at all.
I just wanted to get so cross with Bobbie, tell her to respect her sister, to look at what her life was doing to her, to look at what she'd given up so Bobbie could have the life she chose.
That's a mark of good writing IMO, that it made me feel the characters were real, that their actions gave me real emotions.

I liked Tyler too and the chemistry between him and Mallory was there from the start. Some serious steam gets generated by them and it fits the story perfectly.
Regular readers of my reviews will know I Hate when sex overtakes the story, even though I love spice and sensuality in a book. Here its a perfect balance and that makes for a much better read IMO. 

Its a fun read, with some serious back issues for the characters. It seems its hard to stay away from addictions when fame comes knocking - its something we see reported in the media all the while, and it creates tensions in families, leads to heartbreak too often and surviving members struggle to get past events.
When Mallory is looking at Bobbie's behaviour and wondering, is she using? - well, after what the past gave her I could understand.
I think addicts have to accept however much they feel they're past the problems others will always wonder.
It comes from love in Mallory's case, she wants to help Bobbie, but at times it seemed Bobbie really resented it. Trouble is surrounding herself with people like Jez doesn't help either of them. 

I really enjoyed the story, the romance worked well, the backstory felt very genuine, and the plots flowed one into another perfectly.
There were hints given about events that I kind of picked up but not all, and what transpired came out a bit differently to what I expected. That's good, I like being surprised.
I did feel the final events played out rather too quickly, that the Tyler/Mallory issues felt a bit overdone, storm in a teacup style but that's a small criticism.
Overall its another fun read, solid romance with a good backing story. 

Stars: Four, a romance to sit back and relax with. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers