The Devil You Know

There are a lot of paranormal authors out there in literary land who have delved into the demon plain. In the demon realm we do have a few heavy hitters: Lilith Saintcrow (one of my favs), Kim Harrison (of course), Keri Author, Rachel Cain, naughty Emma Holly (smoldering) and a spattering of more, but Jenna Black clearly has a distinctiveness of her own.

It's refreshing! I love championing the veritable bad boy/and or girl, and Black's Morgan Kingsley series is a virtual horn of plenty. It's got a plausible back-story of demon lore with a hierarchical pantheon, a potential coup in Hell, demons fighting each other on the Mortal Plain, professional exorcists like Morgan running the bad guys out of our realm, law enforcement officers show more possessed by lesser flight demons, and last but not least, Black's reality envisions middle-American WalMart "walk-abouts" embracing demon possession as a hip and holy lifestyle. Throw in a dash of S&M, and this series is cookin'.

Morgan is the type of exorcist heroine that readers (especially female) gravitate towards: self-powerful, independent, sexually potent and aware, but just as willing to kick you on your butt with a pair of her size nine motorcycle boots.

For fans, this book is a natural progression from The Devil Inside. Morgan starts to acquaint herself with her unlikely demon passenger, and starts molding a bearable lifestyle with him. But she still needs to unravel the mystery of not only how to get him OUT but how to help him prevent a full-scale war in Hell-a war that might just spill over into the Mortal Plain. What further complicates things is that Morgan is surrounded by frenemies, and a diabolical secret surfaces that her parents have been hiding from her...Revelations will be had.

After reading the Devil You Know TWICE I sat back with a smug smile. I am hoping Black won't paint herself into a corner with Lugh, because fans will be panting for more after this second book. How will Lugh and Morgan consummate their relationship? When are we going to see what he really looks like? How will Black keep the tension up if Lugh slips his noose? It's tricky-tricky. What would be devilishly naughty is if Lugh were to "borrow" Adam's body for a bit of extracurricular activities with Morgan. I'm snickering just thinking about it. Copyright (c) Nicola Mattos show less

In ‘The Devil you know’, the series first sequel kicks off with problems, exploding in all directions - personal, physical, emotional, it’s probably there. Hosts of issues for our Urban Fantasy host, Morgan, who is still housing the amusing and powerful demon Lugh.
She is again in trouble as one of the King’s enemies is trying to hunt down and destroy whomever the demon is possessing. And remember, possessing is using in the loosest term possible as it’s different for this series than what we usually think of when we heard the word possession.

There’s a lot going on from many sides – breaking off with Brian (drumroll or eyeroll?), Adam and Dominic still having fun embarrassing her (…), Raphael’s return (uh oh), her show more brother Adam’s recovery and the aftermath (meh), and Morgan finding her mind has a blank spot in it that even Lugh can’t penetrate to find what’s hidden beneath (du du dum.)

Just as good as the first, I’m still in love with this different twist of a series. A pity it’s not higher in rating and popularity, but I suppose different tastes is what makes the book world spin around.
Again with reading glee I’m delighted with an intense villain, high stakes, lots of dark themes, sexy wickedness from several of the key players, humor, and never quite knowing what’s going to happen next.

I’ll admit Morgan isn’t the best character in the world – she’s actually one of my least favorites, so it’s funny it’s told through her POV. She really is too moody and uptight. Still her world is fun to be in, especially because of the charming Lugh dreams, the darkly teasing Adam, and the unusual battles and crisis she must face.

It sometimes borders on Paranormal Romance over Urban Fantasy because of the emphasis on Brian and their relationship woes (this admittedly grows thin), but cools down unrealistic love interest types. Some are turned off by the bits of BDSM and alternative lifestyle stuff, but it affects me in pleasing, twistedly good ways instead.

Jenna Black obviously had fun writing this world. It’s unique structures, the obstacles are tough and wars fierce. Oodles of mental gymnastics and emotional ambushes accompany all the excitement to make me fall in love with the series even more than the first did.

Highly recommended for Urban fantasy buffs. show less

Not as great as the first book but I still loved the characters. In this second book in the series Morgan is still possessed by the demon king, Lugh and she has decided to break up with Brian because she feels she is a danger to him. She is still the kick ass heroine that I have come to love but she is a little (and I do mean a little) bit better about thinking before she acts.

With the help of Adam, Dominic and her brother Andrew (who is no longer possessed by Rapheal) she must unravel the mystery of who her biological dad is (and what REALLY happened in the hospital when she was a child). Enter in the new threat to Morgan/Lugh's life a psychotic demon, Der Jager, who has been let loose by Lugh's brother, Dougal. Der Jager's job is to show more figure out where Lugh is because as far as they know Lugh has switched hosts. Once again Morgan must fight for her life (and Lugh's) otherwise a full scale demon war will happen. Morgan's interaction with Adam is slowly beginning to change her views on demons. She has learned so much that now nothing is black and white anymore.

I gave it 3 stars because it didn't come close to how interesting the first book was. I do hope that the third book is much more interesting! show less

Whew! I'm almost at a loss for words. "The Devil You Know" is book 2 in Jenna Black's Morgan Kinsley, exorcist, series. Absolutely fabulous! BUT, you can't read book two without reading book 1, "The Devil Inside", or you will be way behind the powercurve. Also I should warn you that this book is very dark...I would classify it as Urban fantasy with heavy sexual overtones rather than paranormal romance. Indeed, Dell is marketing this series under Spectra, their Fantasy line.

Morgan is back and she doesn't get much a break from the events of the last book before more excrement strikes the windblower! She's trying to get used to hosting Lugh, trying to go cold turkey from her lover Brian, trying to come to grips with her former-host, now show more catatonic brother Andy, and trying NOT to kill demon host Adam for just being his normal jerkself. As if that's not enough to deal with, now Lugh appears to be trying to seduce her into letting him 'drive' occasionally, Adam and Dominic seem to want to embarass her by playing kissyface all the time, Raphael is back on the scene and may want to repossess Andy, and Brian won't give up on their relationship regardless of the danger to them both. To top off the list: 1-Lugh tells her there's a mysterious 'blank' in her mind that even he can't penetrate, 2-her parents want Brian to let himself be a host again, and 3-apparently there's a sadistic demon serial killer whose been let loose and pointed straight at her. What's a girl to do?

COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! The suspense and tension are tight from the first page to the last. Morgan is just as snarky as ever, and Adam is still HOT. Now she has Lugh in her dreams almost constantly. When she's seen Adam, Lugh dresses like an S&M god, and when she's seen Brian, he dresses like a California surfer...and Lugh is every woman's dream sex toy...unfortunately, he's also the king demon. All Morgan can say is, "Why me?"

If you like your fantasies dark with an edge, don't miss this series. Next book is "The Devil's Due" coming out in December 2008. It's a must-buy for me. show less

Demons walk among us. In fact, some of them are us.

In a world where people volunteer for possession, the unwilling aren't supposed to be taken. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and the truth behind even willing possession isn't as pretty as the PR folks play it. For exorcist Morgan Kingsley that fact is just a tad too close to home. She's now among the unwilling possessed herself. Of course, her demon is restricted to snatching a few moments topside only when she's unconscious, but others aren't so lucky. And demon politics are a real killer.

I probably would have marked this a touch higher if I hadn't started with book 2 in the series. Not bad, though.

Much better book than the first one; but you would be lost without reading book one. The exorcist is still possessed by a demon and is caught in the middle as there is battle for the throne of the demon king. As in my review on book one, I think the limited parts of the story that deal with the demons are much more interesting than the portions that focus on the main character. It is the contrast between how humans and demons think that make it a worthwhile read.

Morgan is back and trying to figure out what happened in her past while trying to avoid being murdered (and thereby kill Lugh who has taken up residence within her) by the evil demons trying to take over the throne. I wish I had more story regarding her life as an exorcist. The story moved along fairly well and didn't drag too much, but when I looked back at it, not a lot actually happened. Yes, she may have discovered what happened to her when she was young and she avoided being murdered and she even grew a little by allowing Brian to be a part of her life even with the dangers involved - and I enjoyed reading the book. BUT, not a lot actually happened. I will read the next one, maybe there's more forward movement in the story.