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The Devil's Pawn Duet #1-2
The Devil’s Pawn: The Complete Duet
This box set contains Devil's Pawn & Devil's Redemption and tells the complete story of Jericho St. James and Isabelle Bishop in one convenient bundle!
Isabelle
Jericho St. James hates my family.
Powerful, wealthy beyond belief, he’s the most dangerous man I know.
And I belong to him.
He’s taken me from my home.
He’ll make me his wife.
And he’s made it very clear I’ll be sleeping in his bed.
But my beast has a secret.
His one weakness. One that makes hating him impossible.
He has a daughter.
And he’ll do anything to keep her safe.
Jericho
The Bishops stole what money cannot replace.
A life for a life. Now I’ll take one of theirs.
Isabelle is my pawn.
I will make her my wife.
I will bed her.
She will be mine in every way.
And once I take what I need from her, I will erase the Bishop family as if they never existed at all.
Isabelle
Jericho St. James hates my family.
Powerful, wealthy beyond belief, he’s the most dangerous man I know.
And I belong to him.
He’s taken me from my home.
He’ll make me his wife.
And he’s made it very clear I’ll be sleeping in his bed.
But my beast has a secret.
His one weakness. One that makes hating him impossible.
He has a daughter.
And he’ll do anything to keep her safe.
Jericho
The Bishops stole what money cannot replace.
A life for a life. Now I’ll take one of theirs.
Isabelle is my pawn.
I will make her my wife.
I will bed her.
She will be mine in every way.
And once I take what I need from her, I will erase the Bishop family as if they never existed at all.
688 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2022
69 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Knight
107 books5,271 followersNatasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.
Write Natasha here:
natasha@natasha-knight.com
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Write Natasha here:
natasha@natasha-knight.com
Check out her books here:
https://natasha-knight.com
Sign up for her newsletter here:
https://bit.ly/3heleGN
Connect with her here:
Facebook Page→ http://bit.ly/29q3s4b
Facebook Fan Group → http://bit.ly/2xvnZO5
Instagram → https://bit.ly/2MeoPKk
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 20, 2023
This duet had such a great beginning. Then it just tanked at the end, in my opinion. Our h had body betrayal syndrome the whole time, but at least she had some backbone. Then when Jericho does something unthinkable she is groveling to him and telling him he loves her while he nearly kills her. She never gets any grovel in return, but she keeps comforting him.
Then she does something TSTL. Insultingly in the epilogue she’s barefoot and pregnant. She never got to be anything more than a broodmare. What about school? What about a semblance of a life?
Then she does something TSTL. Insultingly in the epilogue she’s barefoot and pregnant. She never got to be anything more than a broodmare. What about school? What about a semblance of a life?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2023
"My mark on your back. Your blood on my sheets. Sleep well tonight, my virgin bride."
This is the complete duet - a full story of Jericho St. James and Isabelle Bishop.
A gripping tale of hate and vengeance, and of course one of love - love that which prevails in the end.
This story is set in the world of The Society - an ancient organisation full of secrets; modern and old at the same time, where the Sovereign Sons of the founding families hold all the power.
Leading what appears to be completely normal modern lives of wealthy businessmen as far as the unwitting outsiders can tell, they seem to have particular fondness for their own rules forged back in the early days of the Society, rules archaic and medieval in their punishments, rules that seem to have been put together specifically to favour them and them only.
Jericho St. James is a head of a family broken by its past.
From more recent history of a father abusive to everyone around, and a fiancé torn away violently from Jericho as she died in his very own hands leaving him only with bittersweet memories full of grief and regret, and a little angel of a daughter who miraculously survived her mother's death.
All the way to ancient history of the family beginnings full of hurt and lies and betrayal and hatred. A history that might be hundreds of years old but is very much alive to this day, hanging like a dark shadow over the household.
But he is also a Sovereign Son and that gives him certain privileges. Ones he can use to avenge the injustices of the past, to punish his fiancé's murderer, and perhaps even to deal with the centuries old enemy of the Bishop family once and for all.
"..Jericho St. James is different than that. He is the definition of power. A force like a deadly storm."
Isabelle Bishop, on the other hand, is not really a Bishop at all.
Perhaps by name, but she knows nothing of the tumultuous family history and doesn't really want anything to do with it. She is young and maybe a little naïve, and hates this world of ceremony and fake smiles. Everyone around her seems to be scheming, apt in this game of usurping power, while she's just.. lost. She wasn't raised in this world and doesn't really belong - her only value in the old name of the Bishop family she now caries. She doesn't quite yet understand how much danger that puts her in, how much that will affect her fate.
"He smiles down to me. No, it's not quite a smile. It's more of a predator's leering grin just before the animal goes in for the kill."
And so the story begins. One full of angst and pain, blood and betrayal. A riveting tale set at the backdrop of autumnal New Orleans and a bloody history between the two families almost as long and dark as the one between the Scafoni and the Willows in the Legacy.
Very much a Romeo & Juliet style of tale except here the two main protagonists hate each other as much as their families do. Well, one at least - Jericho, as Isabelle is just thrown into all of this none the wiser.
Can Jericho see through the lens of hatred and see Isabelle for who she really is? Or is she doomed to always be a pawn at the hands of this devil?
And can Isabelle forgive all that Jericho puts her through and bring out the man hiding underneath the cruel exterior of the beast of her husband?
Can they both learn to trust each other? To let go of the centuries spanning feud and heal the rift between the two of them as well as their families?
"I wonder what he's thinking. Wonder again at the different sides of this man. One brutal, an unforgiving devil. The other this. A gentler beast. But still a devil."
I very much enjoyed this story, even if I found myself frustrated at times because they were taking so long to find the way to each other. I do think the second part (the second book in the duet) was a tad longer and could have been tidied up a bit more but I still found it very good, if a little slower.
I always liked Natasha's writing style and in here again I think both characters were written very well - especially Jericho was very much 'grey', polarising with bad as well as good in him. I think this is why I like antiheroes from dark novels so much - they aren't just knights in shining armour, they feel that much more like real people because there is both good and bad in them.
"I may see a devil when I see Jericho St. James. But even the devil was an angel once. I know this devil now. He's dark, without a doubt. And he is fierce. He's haunted by the past and broken in ways he may never be whole again. But he's my devil."
I'm afraid, however, that was it really. While it was a great read when it lasted, the story isn't as memorable as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong, it had all the tropes, it flowed well from beginning to end, it was well thought through, dark and gritty, the end tied up nicely in a well deserved HEA, and the heat was absolutely brilliant and certainly ticked all the boxes for me - it just wasn't one of those books that I would be reeling about for weeks on end after finishing them. And because only these get five stars from me, it has to be four stars here.
"I turn back to find Isabelle's eyes on me. She takes my hands, stands on tiptoe and kisses me. I feel the loosening of a chain. A letting go of something dark. And I kiss her back. I kiss my wife, the woman I love, the woman who saw the devil I am and loved me in spite of it."
Also, on a side note-
I have not read the Society or the Rite yet and so this was my first encounter with the world of the Sovereign Sons.
And I am intrigued.
Especially as characters from the previous books appear as guests here, and while the fact that I didn't know about them wasn't an issue even if I'm sure I would have enjoyed this cameo have I read it all in the correct order, their story was very much hinted at and I want to know more.
And I really do hope that Jericho's brother Ezekiel gets his own story at some point too!
This is the complete duet - a full story of Jericho St. James and Isabelle Bishop.
A gripping tale of hate and vengeance, and of course one of love - love that which prevails in the end.
This story is set in the world of The Society - an ancient organisation full of secrets; modern and old at the same time, where the Sovereign Sons of the founding families hold all the power.
Leading what appears to be completely normal modern lives of wealthy businessmen as far as the unwitting outsiders can tell, they seem to have particular fondness for their own rules forged back in the early days of the Society, rules archaic and medieval in their punishments, rules that seem to have been put together specifically to favour them and them only.
Jericho St. James is a head of a family broken by its past.
From more recent history of a father abusive to everyone around, and a fiancé torn away violently from Jericho as she died in his very own hands leaving him only with bittersweet memories full of grief and regret, and a little angel of a daughter who miraculously survived her mother's death.
All the way to ancient history of the family beginnings full of hurt and lies and betrayal and hatred. A history that might be hundreds of years old but is very much alive to this day, hanging like a dark shadow over the household.
But he is also a Sovereign Son and that gives him certain privileges. Ones he can use to avenge the injustices of the past, to punish his fiancé's murderer, and perhaps even to deal with the centuries old enemy of the Bishop family once and for all.
"..Jericho St. James is different than that. He is the definition of power. A force like a deadly storm."
Isabelle Bishop, on the other hand, is not really a Bishop at all.
Perhaps by name, but she knows nothing of the tumultuous family history and doesn't really want anything to do with it. She is young and maybe a little naïve, and hates this world of ceremony and fake smiles. Everyone around her seems to be scheming, apt in this game of usurping power, while she's just.. lost. She wasn't raised in this world and doesn't really belong - her only value in the old name of the Bishop family she now caries. She doesn't quite yet understand how much danger that puts her in, how much that will affect her fate.
"He smiles down to me. No, it's not quite a smile. It's more of a predator's leering grin just before the animal goes in for the kill."
And so the story begins. One full of angst and pain, blood and betrayal. A riveting tale set at the backdrop of autumnal New Orleans and a bloody history between the two families almost as long and dark as the one between the Scafoni and the Willows in the Legacy.
Very much a Romeo & Juliet style of tale except here the two main protagonists hate each other as much as their families do. Well, one at least - Jericho, as Isabelle is just thrown into all of this none the wiser.
Can Jericho see through the lens of hatred and see Isabelle for who she really is? Or is she doomed to always be a pawn at the hands of this devil?
And can Isabelle forgive all that Jericho puts her through and bring out the man hiding underneath the cruel exterior of the beast of her husband?
Can they both learn to trust each other? To let go of the centuries spanning feud and heal the rift between the two of them as well as their families?
"I wonder what he's thinking. Wonder again at the different sides of this man. One brutal, an unforgiving devil. The other this. A gentler beast. But still a devil."
I very much enjoyed this story, even if I found myself frustrated at times because they were taking so long to find the way to each other. I do think the second part (the second book in the duet) was a tad longer and could have been tidied up a bit more but I still found it very good, if a little slower.
I always liked Natasha's writing style and in here again I think both characters were written very well - especially Jericho was very much 'grey', polarising with bad as well as good in him. I think this is why I like antiheroes from dark novels so much - they aren't just knights in shining armour, they feel that much more like real people because there is both good and bad in them.
"I may see a devil when I see Jericho St. James. But even the devil was an angel once. I know this devil now. He's dark, without a doubt. And he is fierce. He's haunted by the past and broken in ways he may never be whole again. But he's my devil."
I'm afraid, however, that was it really. While it was a great read when it lasted, the story isn't as memorable as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong, it had all the tropes, it flowed well from beginning to end, it was well thought through, dark and gritty, the end tied up nicely in a well deserved HEA, and the heat was absolutely brilliant and certainly ticked all the boxes for me - it just wasn't one of those books that I would be reeling about for weeks on end after finishing them. And because only these get five stars from me, it has to be four stars here.
"I turn back to find Isabelle's eyes on me. She takes my hands, stands on tiptoe and kisses me. I feel the loosening of a chain. A letting go of something dark. And I kiss her back. I kiss my wife, the woman I love, the woman who saw the devil I am and loved me in spite of it."
Also, on a side note-
I have not read the Society or the Rite yet and so this was my first encounter with the world of the Sovereign Sons.
And I am intrigued.
Especially as characters from the previous books appear as guests here, and while the fact that I didn't know about them wasn't an issue even if I'm sure I would have enjoyed this cameo have I read it all in the correct order, their story was very much hinted at and I want to know more.
And I really do hope that Jericho's brother Ezekiel gets his own story at some point too!
November 22, 2025
Mixed feelings about this one
The story is very intense and hold your interest. The editing and writing was good and had twists turns. I thought I was going to be giving this book a five, but I had to keep taking points away because the MMC was so cruel to an innocent 19-year-old girl because he thinks her half-brother killed his fiance. He locks her her in a cold dark Cellar overnight. The next morning she is forced into a marriage and has a tattoo all the way down her back to prove that he is hers. Then he takes her virginity right after that tying her to a bed and Rams into her. This is pretty much how the whole book goes he's cruel and controlling and she forgives him and is turned on by him even when he puts her into a medieval to torture device and anal sex on her for punishment. I know it's a fiction novel but I don't like stories like this because I believe it promotes the myth that women want to be mistreated and forced. It seems like the authors always take this kind of abuse and violence too far. Maybe for shock value? I don't see how any woman could give this book a very high rating.
The story is very intense and hold your interest. The editing and writing was good and had twists turns. I thought I was going to be giving this book a five, but I had to keep taking points away because the MMC was so cruel to an innocent 19-year-old girl because he thinks her half-brother killed his fiance. He locks her her in a cold dark Cellar overnight. The next morning she is forced into a marriage and has a tattoo all the way down her back to prove that he is hers. Then he takes her virginity right after that tying her to a bed and Rams into her. This is pretty much how the whole book goes he's cruel and controlling and she forgives him and is turned on by him even when he puts her into a medieval to torture device and anal sex on her for punishment. I know it's a fiction novel but I don't like stories like this because I believe it promotes the myth that women want to be mistreated and forced. It seems like the authors always take this kind of abuse and violence too far. Maybe for shock value? I don't see how any woman could give this book a very high rating.
dnf
May 6, 2024dnf — @5% in. i just can’t get into it. natasha and ashleigh are a powerful writing pair and they do deliver sometimes but i’ve found that their stories have a formula: the (anti)hero hates the heroine because of something her family did to his years ago and of course he just holds onto this bitterness and because she that blood runs in her veins, he needs to torment her to renege on the past and as his way of revenge. ok. fine. they come together in some form of union, he keeps her in a (metaphorical) cage and treats her like shit because of course it’s part of being a dark antihero. and of course she falls in love with him anyway because of the very few times he cares for her - the times, btw, that are so few that i could count them on my hand. and then it only takes him like 90% of the book to realize his faults and come groveling for .2 seconds and tell her he loves her.
cry me a river.
putting this on the backburner for now because hey, sometimes it does make for a good mind-numbing read.
cry me a river.
putting this on the backburner for now because hey, sometimes it does make for a good mind-numbing read.
March 7, 2024
“My destiny is to ruin hers.”
“You bring light. You are light.”
Jericho (age 31) is motivated by revenge. His family consists of his brother, mother and adorable daughter Angelique (age 5).
Isabelle (age 19) is sad having lost her parents and brother Christian and now living with half sibling.
I love Jericho’s dominance and Belle’s submissive personalities. Makes for some nice spicy scenes! They are fighting their attraction but also can’t deny it.
There is a theme around trust and how important it is but not easy to give. We feel Jericho’s struggles with Belle and her gentle nature finally wins him over. I love books with a possessive H who becomes a teddy bear only for his woman and his kids.
If you’ve read The Society trilogy it gives a very similar vibe. This really could have been done in one book. Loved the cameos of Santiago and his family and Judge ❤️
Wish there was a story for Zeke!
“You bring light. You are light.”
Jericho (age 31) is motivated by revenge. His family consists of his brother, mother and adorable daughter Angelique (age 5).
Isabelle (age 19) is sad having lost her parents and brother Christian and now living with half sibling.
I love Jericho’s dominance and Belle’s submissive personalities. Makes for some nice spicy scenes! They are fighting their attraction but also can’t deny it.
There is a theme around trust and how important it is but not easy to give. We feel Jericho’s struggles with Belle and her gentle nature finally wins him over. I love books with a possessive H who becomes a teddy bear only for his woman and his kids.
If you’ve read The Society trilogy it gives a very similar vibe. This really could have been done in one book. Loved the cameos of Santiago and his family and Judge ❤️
Wish there was a story for Zeke!
July 10, 2025
Okay, I'm half way through.... book 2. And my only question is.... Where is Isabelle's backbone?!
Nowhere to be seen OR EVEN EXPECTED !!!! I keep thinking "Now she'll grow...", "Okay, NOW she has to face him up..."... nothing. Flat nothing. Correction - "Do I love him? No way." (facepalm)
I'm not sure if having possessive alpha man trope requires door mat females.
I know this is a fiction, I know it is a dark romance BUT there's NO WAY just NO WAY a sane person can just casually be fine being trapped in a house (even a big one), treated as a trash all they long, dragged barefoot into a graveyard under the rain, physically bullied and .... DRIP WET after a single touch of a drunk man. COME ON!!!
Nowhere to be seen OR EVEN EXPECTED !!!! I keep thinking "Now she'll grow...", "Okay, NOW she has to face him up..."... nothing. Flat nothing. Correction - "Do I love him? No way." (facepalm)
I'm not sure if having possessive alpha man trope requires door mat females.
I know this is a fiction, I know it is a dark romance BUT there's NO WAY just NO WAY a sane person can just casually be fine being trapped in a house (even a big one), treated as a trash all they long, dragged barefoot into a graveyard under the rain, physically bullied and .... DRIP WET after a single touch of a drunk man. COME ON!!!
February 17, 2024
for me, this was the last story in the society(ivi) world to read so i saved it.
we met Jerico st. James at Stolen' Dante's vows and his character was captivating.
he is an anti-hero, tormented by past mistakes and remorse mixed with revenge, member to a rich family part of the society. she is the daughter of a member to the founder families, sunshine that insists on seeing the good in ppl
their families are sworn enemies, friends and foes are mixed but love concurs all
we met Jerico st. James at Stolen' Dante's vows and his character was captivating.
he is an anti-hero, tormented by past mistakes and remorse mixed with revenge, member to a rich family part of the society. she is the daughter of a member to the founder families, sunshine that insists on seeing the good in ppl
their families are sworn enemies, friends and foes are mixed but love concurs all
October 27, 2025
Love this duet
Jericho was so cruel to Isabelle. I am not sure how she could forgive him. But I believe he loved her from the start and tried not to. She was all that is good. Santiago, a character from another story, knew already that Jericho loved her because he had the same story with Ivy. I would love to see a book about Jericho’s brother Zeke. Follow this author. You won’t regret it
Jericho was so cruel to Isabelle. I am not sure how she could forgive him. But I believe he loved her from the start and tried not to. She was all that is good. Santiago, a character from another story, knew already that Jericho loved her because he had the same story with Ivy. I would love to see a book about Jericho’s brother Zeke. Follow this author. You won’t regret it
July 30, 2024
So this ties into the society book series. A lot of the characters pop up in this duet. I've not read the second one I was reading the first one and I was really hooked. Spicy angst perfect combination I am so intrigued to see what happens in the second one and I can't wait to read the entire series together.
December 7, 2023
Isabelle and Jericho
It was great to visit the IVI Society again. I so loved the Rite trilogy books with this author and a Zaverelli. I am a big fan so it's only fair that I start reading this author too. Well done and thank you for the journey.
It was great to visit the IVI Society again. I so loved the Rite trilogy books with this author and a Zaverelli. I am a big fan so it's only fair that I start reading this author too. Well done and thank you for the journey.
May 9, 2024
I really wanted to like this book, but the heroine drove me absolutely and completely bonkers! I really kept thinking I was going to DNF it, but I’ll admit I was curious how the story would end.
July 31, 2024
This was a very disturbing read🤔🤔.
November 21, 2025
4.4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 20, 2024
tropes:
-family rivals
-single dad
-forced proximity
-BC tampering
-arranged marriage
-hate sex
-age gap
-mafia
I really enjoyed this duet for the most part. The plot was captivating and kept me interested throughout. BUT if miscommunication and unfortunate events had a baby, it would be this book. Our FMC Isabelle is only 19 years old. At times she can be extremely mature, but at other times her age really shows. She can be immature and extremely naive. Jericho spends the majority of the second book proving over and over that he has changed and he loves her. She just questions everything he does every step of the way.
Even with these complaints it was still a 4 star for me. The story was just so good. It was emotional and heart-felt and I loved the ending for these two.
"I love Jericho St. James. And I need him. I know it’s the same for him. However this started, however he meant it to be, it’s something other now. Something whole and perfect and right. Strong enough to face all the ugliness of our world."
-family rivals
-single dad
-forced proximity
-BC tampering
-arranged marriage
-hate sex
-age gap
-mafia
I really enjoyed this duet for the most part. The plot was captivating and kept me interested throughout. BUT if miscommunication and unfortunate events had a baby, it would be this book. Our FMC Isabelle is only 19 years old. At times she can be extremely mature, but at other times her age really shows. She can be immature and extremely naive. Jericho spends the majority of the second book proving over and over that he has changed and he loves her. She just questions everything he does every step of the way.
Even with these complaints it was still a 4 star for me. The story was just so good. It was emotional and heart-felt and I loved the ending for these two.
"I love Jericho St. James. And I need him. I know it’s the same for him. However this started, however he meant it to be, it’s something other now. Something whole and perfect and right. Strong enough to face all the ugliness of our world."
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews