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A scarred recluse hiding from his past…
Joseph Li has lived in hiding since he was fifteen years old. The son of dangerous mob boss known as The Dragon, he sought a life of his own and paid the ultimate price, ending up horribly burned over half of his body. He escaped when the world–and his mother–assumed he died in the fire, but is not without scars. Physically, he’s disfigured; mentally, he trusts no one and has become a shut-in living in the fringes of small towns until local interest drives him away.
The beautiful young housekeeper who is more than she seems…
Belladona Martin is a loyal employee of Seven Security, specializing in undercover work. When a local call girl comes to her for help after a prostitute turns up dead–one who worked at the Li mansion–with worries the scarred man living there killed her, Belle naturally takes the case. She slips into the persona of a housekeeper who provides “companionship” on the side, hoping to find evidence to convict the monster responsible for the crime.
Joseph believes he’s more beast than man, even as Belle’s presence gives him hope for redemption. But beyond the lies surrounding her identity that could destroy their budding relationship, a twenty-year-old secret is buried deep in Midsummer, one from Joseph’s past that might claim both their lives.
Joseph Li has lived in hiding since he was fifteen years old. The son of dangerous mob boss known as The Dragon, he sought a life of his own and paid the ultimate price, ending up horribly burned over half of his body. He escaped when the world–and his mother–assumed he died in the fire, but is not without scars. Physically, he’s disfigured; mentally, he trusts no one and has become a shut-in living in the fringes of small towns until local interest drives him away.
The beautiful young housekeeper who is more than she seems…
Belladona Martin is a loyal employee of Seven Security, specializing in undercover work. When a local call girl comes to her for help after a prostitute turns up dead–one who worked at the Li mansion–with worries the scarred man living there killed her, Belle naturally takes the case. She slips into the persona of a housekeeper who provides “companionship” on the side, hoping to find evidence to convict the monster responsible for the crime.
Joseph believes he’s more beast than man, even as Belle’s presence gives him hope for redemption. But beyond the lies surrounding her identity that could destroy their budding relationship, a twenty-year-old secret is buried deep in Midsummer, one from Joseph’s past that might claim both their lives.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2015
About the author
Asha King
36 books31 followersAsha King likes good-looking men and hot books, and often strives to combine the two in contemporary, paranormal, and suspenseful romantic stories. She lives in the exotic land of Alberta, Canada, where she doesn't ride a polar bear to work but does drink vast amounts of locally brewed beer and watches hockey.
She loves connecting with readers and you can email her at Author.AshaKing@gmail.com or visit her on the web at www.ashaking.com.
She loves connecting with readers and you can email her at Author.AshaKing@gmail.com or visit her on the web at www.ashaking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 17, 2016
Interesting book
The book is well written and captivating. A very good romantic mystery with the right amount of everything. Even though I didn't agree with the method of undercover work I still enjoyed the book because it was not the typical and rather tiresome romantic story. Think I will try more books from this author.
The book is well written and captivating. A very good romantic mystery with the right amount of everything. Even though I didn't agree with the method of undercover work I still enjoyed the book because it was not the typical and rather tiresome romantic story. Think I will try more books from this author.
February 21, 2016
A beat down, but not bad.
Beast is definitely well-written technically, but Jesus the characters are one note. I liked Belle's feistiness and intelligence, but something was lost in translation and things felt forced. I will say, though, that the sex scenes are blazing hot and well-written. I wish the rest of the book had that same energy.
Beast is definitely well-written technically, but Jesus the characters are one note. I liked Belle's feistiness and intelligence, but something was lost in translation and things felt forced. I will say, though, that the sex scenes are blazing hot and well-written. I wish the rest of the book had that same energy.
in-collection-interracial
November 30, 201711/30/17 currently free in this boxset
https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Susp...
https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Susp...
February 7, 2016
Will definitely be reading more books by this author.
March 5, 2018
What would you do if you had to go undercover as a hooker to catch a serial killer killing girls he employed?
Out of the entire series, this is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE! This is not to be taken lightly because al the books in the series are well written and consists of characters that are near and dear to my heart and of course, a plausible plot. Well, as plausible as fairytale retelling stories go.
This book had vulnerability and I could relate to that! Joseph and his fear to let anyone see his appearance because of his fear of their reaction. Starved for human interaction until Belle, with her compassion and feisty attitude, which I absolutely loved, just bulldozed into his life! She brought her curiosity, her intelligence and her warmth to melt the heart of this reclusive disfigured man. It was a very good pairing and it worked!
The character development was steady. I never expected Joseph to suddenly magically lose his distrust or fear of people and I did not get that. Instead, what I got was a steady improvement of him learning to trust Belle and open his heart to her. In return, Belle trusted her gut feelings towards him and used her head. I was so glad that she was not a cliched, giddy-headed, innocent, holier-than-thou, indecisive heroine. I loved her character! She tackled problems head on and was not afraid to own her sexuality.
Supporting characters were good with their pairing and of course, we got to see other characters in the series from previous books, no matter how brief for some, which was lovely. I love seeing how each of them interacted with each other.
This story had some tense moments that had my heart thudding in fear for Belle, especially when she discovered that hidden pathway in the mansion that led to Joseph's bathroom. At times I had to forcefully prevent myself from screaming, "Get out of there girl!" Belle threatened to give me a heart attack with her risky actions. She was a handful, but a good handful. She had a job to do, and she did it damn well. So well in fact that she got into her undercover role as a hooker. Hmm... Is it consider a hooker if she still had to do some light cleaning? "...it is washing floors and the occasional blowjob. Don't be such a prude." (One of-but not the only hilarious line in the novel)
The sexual tension and the build-up that led to the release was so well done and heated that I felt my own cheeks grow warm throughout each scene. I love when the sex is not rushed between the MCs because you get to better enjoy the mild torture that the H and h undergo awaiting their release and what I tend to find is when authors have their characters do the deed, the deed, is all they seem to know how to do after. It is as if the story ceases to continue because they have finally gotten together. Thank goodness it was not the occurrence in Beast! However, when Belle and Joseph finally did the deed, the steam rose from the pages.
I must say, the revelation of who the real killer TOTALLY blew my mind! There was almost no coming back from that. I felt anger and shock and a host of other emotions, but mostly I felt sadness for Belle and her brother.
A delightful read with the right amount of suspense and sexy. Amazing job as usual Asha King and just look at that gorgeous as hell cover! The overall purple tone against Belle's dark skin-perfection!
Out of the entire series, this is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE! This is not to be taken lightly because al the books in the series are well written and consists of characters that are near and dear to my heart and of course, a plausible plot. Well, as plausible as fairytale retelling stories go.
This book had vulnerability and I could relate to that! Joseph and his fear to let anyone see his appearance because of his fear of their reaction. Starved for human interaction until Belle, with her compassion and feisty attitude, which I absolutely loved, just bulldozed into his life! She brought her curiosity, her intelligence and her warmth to melt the heart of this reclusive disfigured man. It was a very good pairing and it worked!
The character development was steady. I never expected Joseph to suddenly magically lose his distrust or fear of people and I did not get that. Instead, what I got was a steady improvement of him learning to trust Belle and open his heart to her. In return, Belle trusted her gut feelings towards him and used her head. I was so glad that she was not a cliched, giddy-headed, innocent, holier-than-thou, indecisive heroine. I loved her character! She tackled problems head on and was not afraid to own her sexuality.
Supporting characters were good with their pairing and of course, we got to see other characters in the series from previous books, no matter how brief for some, which was lovely. I love seeing how each of them interacted with each other.
This story had some tense moments that had my heart thudding in fear for Belle, especially when she discovered that hidden pathway in the mansion that led to Joseph's bathroom. At times I had to forcefully prevent myself from screaming, "Get out of there girl!" Belle threatened to give me a heart attack with her risky actions. She was a handful, but a good handful. She had a job to do, and she did it damn well. So well in fact that she got into her undercover role as a hooker. Hmm... Is it consider a hooker if she still had to do some light cleaning? "...it is washing floors and the occasional blowjob. Don't be such a prude." (One of-but not the only hilarious line in the novel)
The sexual tension and the build-up that led to the release was so well done and heated that I felt my own cheeks grow warm throughout each scene. I love when the sex is not rushed between the MCs because you get to better enjoy the mild torture that the H and h undergo awaiting their release and what I tend to find is when authors have their characters do the deed, the deed, is all they seem to know how to do after. It is as if the story ceases to continue because they have finally gotten together. Thank goodness it was not the occurrence in Beast! However, when Belle and Joseph finally did the deed, the steam rose from the pages.
I must say, the revelation of who the real killer TOTALLY blew my mind! There was almost no coming back from that. I felt anger and shock and a host of other emotions, but mostly I felt sadness for Belle and her brother.
A delightful read with the right amount of suspense and sexy. Amazing job as usual Asha King and just look at that gorgeous as hell cover! The overall purple tone against Belle's dark skin-perfection!
August 31, 2018
About halfway through this book, I decided I would write a review. Even though it was classified as Interracial, Romantic Suspense, I found that I was mildly surprised throughout my reading. As with most IR, I expected race to be a huge hurdle for the H & h to overcome, this was not the case in Ms. King's novel. Through description and the cover of the book, you know that the heroine is Black and the hero, identified as a Mr. Li, is Asian. I appreciated Mr. Li's description of Belles skin color because it was no cliched and off-putting. There was just an attraction between the H & h, to me, skin color was not a factor, it was just present, just secondary.
With regards to romantic suspense, the novel was equal parts sexy and suspenseful. Just enough sex scene to make this a hot read... especial when the H & h first encounter one another. Hot damn!
Really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other works by the author.
With regards to romantic suspense, the novel was equal parts sexy and suspenseful. Just enough sex scene to make this a hot read... especial when the H & h first encounter one another. Hot damn!
Really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other works by the author.
March 19, 2016
This book was a solid 4.5 stars for me.
I really enjoyed this re-imagination of the Beauty and the Beast. I thought that both of the characters were well written and that the H/h had a ton of chemistry. The love scenes were also well done, well placed, and super steamy! I liked the intrigue that this book had as well and the twist at the end was unexpected.
The only two things that I would have liked to be different, was that I would have really enjoyed learning more about Joseph's mother. Maybe a flashback or two sprinkled throughout would have been nice. She had a fairly important role in the story line and it would have been nice to kind of learn more about why Joseph felt the way he did about her, if that makes sense.
I also would have enjoyed a little more time of the couple being a couple...without giving anything away...lets just say it was a pretty slow build up to the pair finally being together. And not long after they finally did get together things kind of took a turn for the worst and that moment was broken. I know that it wasn't necessarily a "sweet" story but I would have really enjoyed a bit more time enjoying the couple being happy with each other. I really liked Belle and Joseph together and I guess I was just greedy for more of them together. haha
I would definitely recommend giving this book a read if you have a chance. You won't be disappointed!
I really enjoyed this re-imagination of the Beauty and the Beast. I thought that both of the characters were well written and that the H/h had a ton of chemistry. The love scenes were also well done, well placed, and super steamy! I liked the intrigue that this book had as well and the twist at the end was unexpected.
The only two things that I would have liked to be different, was that I would have really enjoyed learning more about Joseph's mother. Maybe a flashback or two sprinkled throughout would have been nice. She had a fairly important role in the story line and it would have been nice to kind of learn more about why Joseph felt the way he did about her, if that makes sense.
I also would have enjoyed a little more time of the couple being a couple...without giving anything away...lets just say it was a pretty slow build up to the pair finally being together. And not long after they finally did get together things kind of took a turn for the worst and that moment was broken. I know that it wasn't necessarily a "sweet" story but I would have really enjoyed a bit more time enjoying the couple being happy with each other. I really liked Belle and Joseph together and I guess I was just greedy for more of them together. haha
I would definitely recommend giving this book a read if you have a chance. You won't be disappointed!
February 27, 2016
first let me say that i am a sucker for beauty and the beast stories. so when my group suggested this for the March read i was all for it. and i did like the read because it had moments of intrigue and nuance unique to this story. my only minor critique is the time it took for the passion between the beauty (bella) and the beast (joseph) to occur. and then when it did it seemed to be over too soon for me. but i'm greedy with characters at time. this was good enough for me to want to read other stories by asha king - possibly within this series (yep she continued with fairy tales).
February 23, 2016
3.5 stars
I liked the concept behind how Joseph aka "The Beast" was injured and Belle's undercover position to get close to him. I think more development was needed into Joseph's mother (The Dragon) as it seemed to be a big part of the story. I would have loved to read more of the criminal activities The Dragon and the Triad.
There's a few spelling errors throughout but nothing distracting to the overall story. Other than that it was a good entertaining read.
I liked the concept behind how Joseph aka "The Beast" was injured and Belle's undercover position to get close to him. I think more development was needed into Joseph's mother (The Dragon) as it seemed to be a big part of the story. I would have loved to read more of the criminal activities The Dragon and the Triad.
There's a few spelling errors throughout but nothing distracting to the overall story. Other than that it was a good entertaining read.
May 1, 2016
Love fairytales
Beauty and the beast, I really bad for the hero. Burns all over his body, no one to love him,locked in his home with just a butler and a cook. Until Belle came along. This book had murder, revenge, suspense, and hot sex. The person that I thought was guilty turned out to be a good guy author really had me fooled.
Beauty and the beast, I really bad for the hero. Burns all over his body, no one to love him,locked in his home with just a butler and a cook. Until Belle came along. This book had murder, revenge, suspense, and hot sex. The person that I thought was guilty turned out to be a good guy author really had me fooled.
March 12, 2016
exact example of why I love this author. Emotional, dark. heartwrenching, and did NOT see the killer coming.
going back to read the rest of the Midsummer Fairy Tales now, sounds like this one's really connected to one of them but it stands on it's own just fine, easy to follow.
going back to read the rest of the Midsummer Fairy Tales now, sounds like this one's really connected to one of them but it stands on it's own just fine, easy to follow.
June 12, 2016
Pretty good
Nice quick read. Beauty and the beast twist. Great plot and story line. Probably best to read from the beginning of the series but it's got a good story for a quick read.
Nice quick read. Beauty and the beast twist. Great plot and story line. Probably best to read from the beginning of the series but it's got a good story for a quick read.
February 14, 2016
Good Writing
This book is worth reading, the story keeps you interested. The writing is strong, I liked the characters and the mystery.
This book is worth reading, the story keeps you interested. The writing is strong, I liked the characters and the mystery.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews