Sympathy for the Devil

Stirling Falls #2

by Asha King

Natasha Whitaker is a workaholic, putting in long hours to acclimate herself to the P.I. business in preparation to take over for her aging mentor. But the day after her boss’s retirement doesn’t bring the usual insurance fraud and cheating instead, a dead body shows up in a startling similar fashion to a home invasion cold case from years ago. Complicating matters is the return of Devin Archer--estranged husband of the original victim--to Stirling Falls. He was the prime suspect in the first case, though slipped away when there wasn’t enough evidence to prove his guilt. With bodies piling up the same time as his arrival, all eyes in town turn to him once again.Tash is hired by the brother of the first victim to keep tabs on Devin, a task she eagerly accepts. But she can’t help her attraction to this dark, potentially dangerous suspect, or deny the instant heat between them. Is Devin a broken man still suffering from the loss of his wife, or a cold-blooded killer setting his sights on Tash as his next victim?

Genres: Romance, BDSM

260 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 2013

About the author

Asha 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.

Reviews

[Sharon Hammonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it

This book was pretty good. My first time reading this writer and like the concept of a thriller with an erotic twist. I loved me some Archer. And Natasha was also a strong character. She was a good detective. I liked her style and how she submit to Archer was like they were made for each other. That town was such a simpleton. Like most small towns. Perry was so fixated on Archer as the murderer that he has serious tunnel vision. I was surprised who the true murderer was and that's how you writer a mystery. I never would've guessed it. Do another one hunny. You can write a thriller for me any day. Had the right amount of creepy. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well balanced

Well written. I really enjoyed this book. In both books I liked that the female leads were not weaklings but we're actively involved in their own rescue. All that being said... Tash needs to look for another job. I think she might be the world's worst PI.

[Romance Novels in Color · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha Whitaker is a real life private investigator. In small town Stirling Falls, the most interesting cases she manages to get her hands on nowadays are the typical cheating spouse cases. But, her P.I. skills are about to be put to the test as dead women start showing up in Stirling Falls. However, these cases look all too familiar to the long-time residents of this small, sleepy town. They’re all strikingly similar to the murder of a hometown woman years ago. How much of a coincidence could it be that her husband, who was suspected, but never convicted, is back in town to sell the home they once shared?

Tash, as she is referred to by those who know her well, is on the case. She was hired by her best friend’s beau, Adam (and brother to the hometown dead woman) to be sure that this time his ex-brother-in-law doesn’t walk free from a murder. The thing is there is no way Tash could have counted on Devin Archer being so hot. Who said murderers couldn’t be unbelievably sexy? The questions Tash has to answer are, is Devin the murderer that everyone thinks he is, or a man who truly doesn’t know how his wife ended up dead?

Asha King is heavy on the mystery with more than a fair share of erotica, BDSM, and some good old whodunit thrown in for good measure. She pulls back the red curtain on sleepy town Stirling Falls’ not so hidden guilty pleasure for those who are in the know and have the funds to pay for membership: a BDSM sex club on the edge of town. It’s here where Tash tails Devin, who apparently visits often, and ultimately manages to get herself into a few sticky situations that involve the club, voyeurism, submission, and spanking. But can Tash entangle herself from Devin’s sexy arms long enough to prove he isn’t the killer the town thinks he is?

Asha King is a new-to-me author. Initially, I kept wondering where the erotica or romance would factor into the storyline because there seemed to be a lot of suspense and mystery. But, don’t fret my friends because Ms. King wove it into the story so smoothly that I had to giggle at how cleverly the romance and erotica were folded into the overall mystery theme. Tash is a gutsy heroine never showing too much fear and most of the times ready with her pistol in her purse. Devin, on the other hand, is a broody, 100% male hero that seemed to both pull at your heart strings and make you shake your head at why he didn’t fight back harder against all the small-town tongue waggers who claimed he murdered his wife. Ultimately, this is one that is full of surprises but is a definite page turner for you to keep.

-Reviewed by Jaye

[Teinevi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Kadee M · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic, great "whodunit" and HOT sex