Cover Image: Her Devoted Hero

Her Devoted Hero

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars for Her Devoted Hero. This is the second book in the Black Dawn series. There were some great chemistry between the main characters. I enjoyed the book.

Was this review helpful?

This is the second book in the 'Black Dawn' series. I also found this to be a very enjoyable read. So far, I feel this series could be read as standalone. I loved this story from the start, didn't want to stop reading it. Practical jokes are only funny if they don't include matters of the heart. Dating is hard enough! But I felt Dex handled it really well and cleaned the mess his friend put him in up. Plus, he got more then he bargained for. I really enjoyed the correspondence between Dex and Kenna. They were playful and made me laugh. Not only did I enjoy the entertaining correspondence between the characters, but I enjoyed the suspense. I also felt the characters and the story were well written. I look forward to reading more from this author not just from this series but others as well. Would I recommend this book to friends and family? Most defiantly!

***I voluntarily reviewed this ARC for an honest review via NetGalley, (also own this book from a boxed set) this is my honest opinion and has not been influenced by the author, Publishers or NetGalley in anyway.*** Thank you!

Was this review helpful?

This was a great story with great characters. It flowed nicely without rushing the story. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author! Read it and you won't regret the time spent.

Was this review helpful?

Second volume in the Black Dawn series but it can be read alone. Her Devoted Hero presents Dex, a Navy SEAL who had his colleagues playing a trick on him by signing him up on a dating website, and Kenna, a single mother who doesn’t want a man in her life.

The novel begins with Dex methodically replying to every women who contacted him through the website to explain it’s a false profile, except for one woman whose email he found funny because she said she didn’t have time or energy for a relationship. Then we follow Dex on a mission against terrorists, during the preparation of which he sends a reply to that woman who of course is the heroine. Once back from this mission he makes sure to discover her identity and even if she deleted her profile he finds the way to meet her through one of her jobs. Stalker? Just a little. Fortunately that stops there.

All in all Dex and Kenna are interesting characters, separately as together. However I found the heroine’s block concerning relationships and men was a bit exaggerated. The heroine’s teen son is quite pleasant and his relation with his mother enjoyable.

Among the other secondary characters there is Rosalee, an eccentric nonagenarian for whom Kenna works. She’s the kind of person to meddle in everyone’s business, and she does it several times to help the heroine in finding a lover, but that’s something I don’t like in a story, especially when it’s as exaggerated as here.

On the plot side there’s the investigation about the murder of one of Kenna’s friends which allows Dex to get closer to Kenna and almost never letting her out of his sight once he suspects she’s in danger. As he’s a SEAL he crashes the police investigation with more success (rolling my eyes). And when we discover the killer’s identity and his motivations I thought some people really don’t need real motive to kill (rolling my eyes again).

All in all the story is easy to read in spite of this little problems and an obvious lack of editing, but I closed the novel with a mixed feeling of “quite good” and “not deep enough”. Too bad.

Was this review helpful?

I just loved this book It had me laughing out loud I just loved the banter between these characters. I just adored Dex he was a great character and a perfect book boyfriend but I have to admit Kenna just made this book for me she was so great.A super read with plenty of chemistry I am looking forward to reading more from this series

Was this review helpful?

I truly wish I had come across this author long before now. Her way of creating characters who just so happen to not only be kick ass heroes (both men and women...and when I say women, I primarily mean Kenna!), but also have such human emotions as compassion, empathy, not to mention the capability to love and be loved...and not be portrayed as robots on autopilot.

I was impressed with the sharp and rapidly paced dialog, the banter was far above just witty, it was smart as well. Needless to say, the chemistry between Dex and Kenna was one of the first things that piqued my interest in the story, the humor that gave them their unconventional start was the jumping off point in which I became totally invested in not only them as a couple, but in the the premise of the story overall.

I not only now look forward to the upcoming books in the series, but now find that I must start reading her other series starting with Midnight Delta.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The thriller suspense part was sort of slow, if graphic and disturbing at parts. The romance was sweet, but nothing angsty or heart pounding. A solid romantic suspense novel.

Was this review helpful?

What I liked most about this book was that the author made me laugh. The email exchanges were hilarious but I loved that the back and forth continued even when they met in person. Dex was an amazing character who cared deeply from the get go. I loved getting a glimpse of his team members and the roles that they each played when trouble arose.

I loved the shift as to who was responsible for everything going on. When the first "suspect" was named, I nearly stopped reading the book because it just didn't fit. I couldn't see it at all. And then the author changed what I knew and surprised me.

Loved Austin's character and the protectiveness he felt for his mom given that it was just the two of them for so long.

Can't wait to read more in this series and in the other series by this author.

Was this review helpful?

Hmm well I am on a see-saw again. I liked Kenna a single mom and a nurse, she meets or talks to Dex on an on-line dating website, he is on there because his friends set up an account for him and he just went along. My issue is that the story seemed to take some off the wall twists. How you may ask? Well we have interfering grandma, out of nowhere stalker, hero transforms in overprotective Alpha from 2nd date...Now don't get me wrong it was entertaining and I did enjoy when you remind yourself it is fiction and you have you take with a grain of salt. Enjoy!

Was this review helpful?

Her Devoted Hero, by Caitlyn O'Leary is an intriguing contemporary mystery-thriller romance book.

Dex Evans is a Navy SEAL focused on his job. As a prank, his friends sign Dex up for an online dating site and contact hundreds of single women. While trying to delicately handle the not-so-funny situation, Dex encounters a delightfully funny woman and attempts to pursue her.

Kenna Wright is uncertain why she even initially responded to the email. However, their continued email conversations further entice Kenna. However, she's a devoted single mother to a teenage son, along with two time-consuming jobs, and she decides to end their online connection.

Dex and Kenna eventually meet by chance, and their relationship escalates when her co-worker is murdered and it appears that Kenna might be next. Even though story is suspenseful, there's a mix of humor and sweetness mixed into the book.

Even though it's the second book in the Black Dawn series, it's not necessary to read the books in order, since this book is a stand-alone. However, I'm interested in reading the rest of the book series.

Her Devoted Hero is an entertaining story, and it's geared towards fans of contemporary mystery-thriller romance books.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Is it me? Recently all I seem to have read are books which have an identity crisis, and this is no exception.

The book started off well, Navy SEAL Dex Evans' friends have signed him up to a dating website and emailed hundreds of women expressing interest. Being the good guy he is, he is emailing each and every woman who responded to apologise and explain that his account had been hacked. But then he finds a charming, funny and self-deprecating response from a woman calling herself SNMP - So Not Mary Poppins. Although he goes off on a mission Dex manages to continue a tentative relationship with Mary Poppins and gets his brilliant buddies to track down her real name and address, he can tell she is having second, third and fourth thoughts about sending him that response. Mary Poppins is really single mom and nurse Kenna Wright. I loved Kenna's response, it was witty and natural and engaging.

Then we find that Kenna has a second job as a personal assistant to a wealthy, eccentric elderly woman called Rosalie Randall. Rosalie has taken a vested interest in Kenna's love life, she even persuaded her grandson Buddy to buy the dating website just so that the two of them could check up on Kenna and how many responses she receives!! Frankly this was a ridiculous plot device and I have a pet loathing for interfering elderly people acting as cupid.

Then one of Kenna's friends at the hospital is murdered in her own home and the police suspect it may be linked to the dating website that both women were members of. Suddenly this had slipped from a humorous romance to a farce and then to a suspense. Dex turned into an obnoxious he-man, issuing orders left right and centre, despite the fact that he and Kenna had only been on two dates. I would go further and say that Dex cross a line and ventured into that creepy territory where he was overstepping his relationship with Kenna. As usual, the police were hostile and only the Navy SEALs could uncover the identity of (view spoiler) killer.

It was okay, but the three parts of the book didn't really hang together very well in my opinion. I also have very little patience for characters who fall in love instantly and then won't listen when the other person isn't on the same page. Again, borderline stalker.

This is the second book in a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone and TBH I have no idea which characters could have been in the first book as I didn't get that vibe from any of the other characters.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

4.5stars
This book of the SEAL member Dex is funny full of suspense, mystery, and love. Dex and Kenna meet through the dating site. And although they didn't plan to meet someone special the opposite happens. After a few exchanging e-mails Kenna chickens out Dex is determined that this is not the end. And because Kenna is loved by few people they meet and start working on a project together. But all is not peachy perfect someone starts stalking Kenna and Dex is determined to protect the one he loves. A great story with great characters, funny dialogues and couple with strong, explosive chemistry. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Was this review helpful?

This is the first of O’Leary’s books that I’ve read so I wasn’t sure what to expect … and I definitely got so much more than I would have guessed.  There’s the fun romance between Dex and Kenna but there also is a whole lot of suspense over who the killer is and why he might be going after Kenna.  It’s a well-done mystery and I wasn’t sure who it was until pretty close to the end. 

The love story is great too.  Dex does so much to help support Kenna and transition her into believing there could be a relationship between the two of them.  She’s not had a lot of luck with men and it’s meant she’s lost a lot of her confidence.  Plus she’s been on her own for a long time, raising her son with some help from her mom, so it’s a bit hard for her to let someone else in to their lives.  She may put up a bit of a fight, but she’s definitely not scaring away a SEAL. 

Fantastic action, a sweet love story, and entertaining characters … O’Leary is going on my list of authors to watch!

Was this review helpful?

Navy Seal meets Single Mom and sparks fly. Totally enjoy Caitlyn O'Leary books and this is another good one. The characters are interesting and hopefully get their own stories. Kenna is a strong independent mom and not really looking for love but along comes Dex. Truly enjoyed

Was this review helpful?

Dex is a Navy SEAL who never thought he'd be victim to a dating profile prank, but he was. After he and his teammates prank a fellow SEAL team, he's signed up for a dating site as SailorBoy69 by his counterpart on the second team. When he gets back from assignment, he's greeted with a flooded inbox from responses to 'winks' that SailorBoy69 had sent out. To every woman in the tricounty area. Being a gentleman, he replied to each and every single message, explaining the prank profile. When he reaches the final one, he's intrigued enough to ignore the prank and reply to Poppy (Kenna).
The self-deprecating single mom works two jobs, one a nurse and one a personal assistant to a silver screen actress. In her initial email, and all the ones to follow, she cuts herself down and tells SailorBoy69 all the reasons why he should just ignore her message. When Dex continues emailing her and informs Poppy that he's really and truly in it for the long haul, she breaks things off and deletes her account. That's when Dex gets a little stalkerish, he contacts her boss and pleads his case. Rosalie, being the romantic she is, pounces and sets things up. Almost immediately after Dex convinces Kenna to give him a real chance, Kenna picks up an extreme stalker. Dex forgets the whole 'budding relationship' status of his connection with Kenna and kind of takes over her whole existence after that.
I was happily surprised that I wasn't able to figure out the whodunnit factor, which is a certifiable feat for any writer that can stump me like Ms O'Leary did. And I totally understood Kenna's need to stress clean through her ordeal, I've actually broken into my grandmother's church in the middle of the night and cleaned every inch of the place because I was upset.
What put me off? I wasn't impressed with how easily Kenna capitulated to Dex's massive alpha complex after the initial rebellion. It had promise but Kenna seesaws between 'help me, I can't do a thing' and 'I don't need nobody' and I felt as if I'd develop whiplash if she continued the back and forth. I was disappointed that once they became intimate the story became secondary information. Kenna is asked early in the book for a favour from a friend and she completely forgets halfway through said favour because of boy-brain. And it paints her as a vapid woman the way she does a complete character remix for a guy. The author introduced a bevy of important characters and did nothing for their character building. We learn which of Dex's teammates drives what vehicle and they get a few lines and two references to past incidences. But other than that, they were nonexistent.
Overall, I'm going to give Her Devoted Hero 3 stars because I could see the story coming alive and I was held captive with suspense, but Kenna was just a hot mess and most of the characters lacked depth. And let's not talk about the whodunnit. I mean, points for stumping me, but come on!

Was this review helpful?

ARC received for review

Hi, it's me, the person who loves to skip the first book in a series. Not really, but it seems to happen a lot. I wasn't lost with not having read the first book.

Loved Dex/SailorBoy. His emails to Poppy/Kenna were great, and so were her's back to him. They are starting a great relationship when a stalker comes along to try and mess it up. I sure didn't have any clue who the bad guy was. Her son was awesome. I look forward to more books in this series, and maybe some day I'll go back and read the first one.

Was this review helpful?

Recommended. Funny, exciting, warm, tender romance, two soles colliding, finding each other. Dex "buddies" had set him up a profile on a dating site to get back at his team, being the man he is, he contacts all those replying to explain, and walk away. One, the last one makes him laugh, he reads the email, and something makes him respond. Kenna is a single mum, making the best life for her and her teenage son, with her mum's help, working two jobs, a deadbeat ex, and baggage, a relationship isn't really on her list, but something in sailorboy69 gets her attention. Through a deployment trip, chance meeting, a murdered friend, threats, and Dex going alpha protector is a insight into one of the best books in this genre I've read this year. Seeking further books from this author, so it has to be good.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely amazing read.

This is the first book I've read by Caitlyn O'Leary but not the last as I've already one-clicked a couple more of the books in the Black Dawn series.
There was just so much to love about this book. Kenna and Dex were well developed characters and I loved the rich secondary characters of family and friends.
The story of their romance and the underlying suspense plot kept my total attention. I read this book in one sitting as I just could not put it down. I highly recommend this book to every reader that loves smart plots and strong smart heros and heroines.

I received an Advance Reader from Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

This is my first book by Caitlyn O"Leary, and I loved it. It had romance, suspense, and humor. The characters were very likeable, and I was drawn in immediately. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Was this review helpful?

This is one of the sweetest love stories that I've ever read. Yes it has action and a scary thread but that makes some of the best stories. The title is perfect for this book!

When a practical joke is played there must be payback. Payback has never been so sweet for Dex.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?