The Devil's Due (Morgan Kingsley, Book 3)

I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment of the Morgan Kingsley series to come out because Black has my attention and I so want to keep it on her. The one thing about The Devil's Due that I wasn't expecting was the appearance of a certain demon at the end. I didn't think I would ever get to meet this demon and now I will when Speak of the Devil comes out next year. The dynamics of all the characters have just changed and I'm not sure how this is going to affect Morgan yet. Whatever happens, this is one series you shouldn't be missing, so I highly suggest you start catching up. For my full review, check out Literary Escapism.

I've very much enjoyed the first two books in Jenna Black's Morgan Kingsley series and this book continues in just as enjoyable a manner. Although the overall story of Morgan's life doesn't particularly move on (she is in the same overall position, with regard to Lugh, when we finish the book as when we start it), some of the side characters have lives that change significantly and, perhaps more enjoyably, we learn more about these other characters. Jenna Black is an excellent writer in terms of keeping the reader's interest. She somehow makes the paranormal aspects of these stories feel very real and, well, 'normal' for the characters. In this book Morgan is continuing with her role of keeping her demon Lugh safe from his brother Dougal, trying to learn to live with him, working out her relationship with her boyfriend Brian (a rather dull and unappealing character) and dealing with the ambivalent feelings she has toward Adam Smith. However Morgan is also hired to look into the demon possession of a man who was known to be utterly against demons and the more she looks into events, the less adds up. Might the possession of Tommy have more significance than just a straight illegal demon possession? There's mention in this story again of the BDSM club but far less graphic description than in the previous books which perhaps makes this a more comfortable read. Morgan's own brash nature is also perhaps toned down a little as she learns to consider others as well as herself. However she's still a very appealing character who seems to bumble her way through very complex situations, trying to do the best with the hand she's been dealt. Those who enjoyed the previous books will certainly like this one! Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009

I really enjoyed this book. Morgan is an exorcist who has unwillingly been possessed with the king of the demons (Lugh). He is in grave danger in the demon realm, and needs to stay hidden. If he is found, humanity and his thrown are at risk. Morgan has reluctantly agreed to keep hosting and protecting him and hidding his existence. Morgan is approached by a mother (Claudia) who wants her to perform an illegal exorcism on her son (Tommy). She believes Tommy, who was so anti-demon for most of his life, has now changed his mind and has agreed to be legally possessed. Morgan agrees that Tommy's sudden and bizarre shift in belief is suspicious. She starts investigating to find any evidence of Tommy being illegally possessed before he agreed to be legally possessed. Morgan and her associates; which consist of her brother (Andrew) who is also reluctantly possessed by the Demon King's brother (Raphael), the Director of Special Forces (Adam) and his live-in lover (Dominic); set out to find the truth. My only complaint is; at times Morgan gets extremely dense and bratty. I would like to see more personal growth and maturity for her character.

Jenna Black's series following the exploits of exorcist, Morgan Kingsley, reaches its third instalment and, after a slight dip in form with the previous book (The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 2)), the author is back on the money here: `The Devil's Due' is the best book of the three so far published. Opening with very little preamble, the story kicks in rapidly as our heroine, the feisty Morgan Kingsley, meets a woman who is worried that her son is unwillingly hosting a demon. For those unfamiliar with this series, these books are set in the present day. There are occasional references to current popular culture helping to cement the idea that the world inhabited by the characters is not too different to real life. The fantasy element has the intriguing notion that demons, incorporeal outside the Demon Realm, can possess human hosts. However those who inhabit unwilling hosts, or who break the law, may be subject to exorcism. But this procedure often proves fatal to the human host. Those possessed willingly are able to be healed quickly when ill or stricken with physical injury. The downside for these people is loss of privacy, freedom and physical control over their bodies - demons are far stronger than humans. Morgan is an exorcist with a dangerous secret: she is unwillingly hosting the King of the Demon Realm, Lugh. Unlike most human hosts, Morgan is blessed with the ability to keep her demon suppressed while she is conscious. All the while she is aware that her cargo is a potentially fatal one; there are demons who would seek to destroy Lugh. His presence must therefore remain a closely guarded secret. After Morgan's somewhat claustrophobic self-absorption that, in my opinion, hindered the previous novel in this series, things open out very nicely in this third instalment. Lugh is now getting more of a look-in, becoming a more interesting character. However, Morgan's embarrassment at the homo-erotic innuendos spouted by the slimy Adam (Director of Special Forces, the police department charged with handling demon-related crime - he bends the rules but gets results) take her sassiness quotient down a little. The copious amounts of irrelevant sexual content that beset the previous novels is largely absent here. Unfortunately, there seems to be no escape from Morgan's tedious on-off relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Brian. This is a fast-paced fantasy thriller. The prose style is snappy and colorful and makes for an exciting read. I'm usually in favor of reading a series in the correct sequence, but, if you really wanted to read this novel prior to the first two, you could do so without spoiling things too much for yourself; the author keeps new readers up to speed with previous happenings without detracting from the present story.

Exorcist Morgan Kingsley finds it ironic that she is hosting a demon inside of her; although he is not just any demon as he is King Lugh, who was exiled from the Demon Realm by his brother Dougel in an attempt to take the throne. Nobody would believe that a demon resides inside an exorcist. He is enlightened trying to bring freedom and happiness to his species while his sibling wants to enslave residents of both planes. Claudia Brewster comes to Morgan's office asking her to exorcise a demon from her son even though he wanted to be a host. The frazzle mom rejects that assertion because her Tommy was a fanatic member of God's Wrath, an extremist group wanting to kill all demons, their hosts and exorcists. In the middle of the Tommy inquiry, Claudia abruptly begs Morgan to end her investigation. A bit stunned because the mom was adamant that her son was infested before he registered to be a host, Morgan continues to sleuth only to place lives in jeopardy and needing to go outside the law to insure justice occurs. One of the reasons urban fantasy is so popular is authors like Jenna Black who has the skill to make her readers believe that demons mingle with humans. In many ways demons are just like humans in that some are caring and others are evil; the regal brothers are the epitome of that dichotomy. The story line focuses on Morgan's mystery investigation of whether an illegal act of a demon taking a human host without permission occurs. Fans will relish the latest superb Kingsley demonic exorcist thriller. Harriet Klausner