Review: The Devil You Know by Jenna Black (Morgan Kingsley #2)

The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley #2)
Jenna Black
Published: July 29, 2008 (Dell)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: Purchased  

Reviewed by: Jenn

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will make reference to previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, The Devil Inside.

At the end of The Devil Inside, Morgan learns that some things in her life are not all that they seem to be, she breaks up with her boyfriend, her brother loses his demon host—and might not live to talk about it—and her new working relationships are tentative at best. In other words, she’s got some serious issues to deal with. Not to mention the people who would like to see her and Lugh, the demon she is unwillingly hosting, dead.

The Devil You Know picks up right where The Devil Inside ends. Morgan thought she had issues when she found out that she was an unwilling host to the king of all Demons, Lugh, but that’s nothing compared to the secrets and lies that are revealed while she fights to find out the truth about what happened to her twenty years ago. Even though her own life is crumbling down around her, Morgan teams up with people she thought of as enemies, and some new friends to keep Lugh safe, keep herself safe, and keep those she loves safe. To make matter worse, Morgan has to deal with Lugh’s constant advances, and showing up in some very creative outfits when he pulls her into his world while she sleeps…what’s a girl to do?

I enjoyed The Devil You Know. Since my biggest issue with The Devil Inside was the BDSM, I was apprehensive about starting this book. But, I’m glad I did. The sex parts are there, but they are very much toned down. The Morgan we met in the first book was not what I would consider a team player, more of a work-on-her-own kind of girl. The Morgan in this second book is forced to grow up, learn to lean on those around her, stop holding grudges, and make amends with her brother, her ex-boyfriend, and a few other men that she managed to annoy in the first book, all while trying to fight off the bad guy, and continue to keep Lugh from taking her soul and her body.

The relationship between Morgan and Lugh is complicated to say the least. There is an attraction between both parties, which scares the crud out of Morgan. But every time I read a semi-smexy part between the two of them I kept asking myself, how could they have sex if they share the same body? That may just be me though…I’m odd like that. And even though I had that crazy thought, I am rooting for those two kids to get together, cause it would be all kinds of hot.

I still love the idea of a world of people who willingly give up their bodies to host a demon, and in the first book we were made to believe that everyone who made this choice was happy and fulfilled with their decisions. In book two we find out that that may not be the case, and some aren’t as happy as we were led to believe.

At the end, we are left with enough questions to make me want to pick up the third in the series, but I was left fulfilled that this part of the story had moved forward and answered some of the questions I was left with at the end of book one.

Morgan has spunk and attitude, which are the first things I look for in a heroine, and what will have me continuing to buy the follow up books in the series. Readers that enjoyed The Devil Inside will enjoy the continuing saga of Morgan and her band of misfit men.

Sexual content: graphic sex