Demon Possessed [Mass Market Paperback]

Psychologist Megan's been on the fence between the human and demon world but not planning on crossing over. Magan's gained some demonish powers but she's not willing to give up her humanity and take the final steps to become fully demon - even though she is more than happy in her relationship with her fire demon lover Grayson. But when the FBI start looking into demon affairs (the `FIBs' think that the demon are some sort of mob-like group) and assassins start trying to kill Megan, it quickly becomes clear that even though Megan thinks she's happy with the status quo - having her career and love too - she's going to have to make some tough decisions or risk losing her chance at happiness.

Demon Possessed brings Stacia Kane's trilogy to a close and in a great way. It runs the emotional gamut, as her relationship with Grayson gets shaken up when some unpleasant truths come to light - Megan goes from contentment to utter devastation. And since Demon Possessed is romantic urban fantasy there was not the same guarantee of a happily ever after that romance authors give us readers, so there were some nervous moments for me when things between Grayson and Megan go to heck.

I loved Grayson, and I loved the way that Megan is so observant, picking out little clues to his reactions. And I did enjoy the story and the resolution of all of Megan's problems. But what impressed me the most was that Kane managed to include some really steamy scenes between Megan and Grayson without resorting to super explicit language. Instead Kane takes advantage of their demon powers to bring a high level of emotional intensity to those scenes.

I really ended up liking Demon Possessed it was the best book of the series and I'm sorry that there won't be any more (at least for now).

ISBN: 9781439167618
I bought this book.

Book three in the Megan Chase series finds Megan, human ruler of a demon clan and psychiatrist, in more trouble. This time Megan is preparing for a big time demon meeting, where a cluster of inhuman beings will try to force her into performing a ceremony that would make her a full demon. It doesn't help that an FBI agent arrives at her office, offering immunity if she'll just testify against the other demons (most of whom run various illegal cartels, not to mention they all seem to attract bodies in large quantities), which includes Megan's rather serious boyfriend, fire demon Greyson Dante.
Megan finds unexpected pressure put on her relationship as the meeting starts, not from the FBI, but from the realization that if she is to have any future with him she will have to become a demon, or let him go forever. Balancing her wants against her needs, and the needs of her clan of "personal demons" is hard enough without the appearance of an angel, who is most definitely trying to kill her. Now Megan must find out who sent the angel, defeat it, decide whether she values her humanity or Greyson more and most importantly: Survive.
Demon Possessed is fast, a little confused at the beginning as all the threads present themselves but before they come together as one related plot. Megan is a bold urban fantasy heroine, who unlike others doesn't seem to be opposed to being rescued, married, and playing a female-oriented role, she just doesn't want to lose herself to other peoples' demands on her. As emotional as the previous book, Demon Inside, but focusing on Megan's future rather than her past, Demon Possessed is at times hard to stomach due to intensity of emotion, not intensity of graphic violence. But it's a good read, and a sad farewell to Megan and Greyson and their family, as this is the last anticipated book in the series.

The title "Demon Possessed" has a double meaning. On the surface, it seems to refer to the book's murder-mystery plotline, which involves several characters who may or may not be possessed by demons. But it also refers to Megan, who must decide in this installment whether to become fully "possessed" by Greyson, the demon world, and the demonic side of her own nature.

The interpersonal-relationships plotline is the real gem in Demon Possessed. Stacia Kane does a great job of portraying Megan as a modern career woman thrust into a demon society that's almost medieval in its treatment of women. Megan faces the work vs. family issue that so many women have to contend with, and due to the constraints of demon politics, she has fewer viable choices than most of us. She learns that Greyson must marry soon to secure his position, and that if she marries him, she'll have to give up her job for safety reasons. Her other options are becoming his mistress while he contracts an arranged marriage, or giving him up entirely. This dilemma leads to an absolutely wrenching fight between the two. Kane puts Megan and Greyson (and the reader) through the wringer, and just when you think it can't get any more painful, Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud express their own feelings about the matter. I dare you not to need Kleenex while reading this scene!

There's also a mystery plotline, as mentioned above. It concerns an FBI agent snooping around a demon leaders' meeting, some grisly murders, and a Bible-thumping exorcist plying his trade just down the road from the meeting. Megan and friends must figure out how all these things are connected before they become the killer's next victims. There's a lot of adrenaline in this plotline, but it ultimately pales next to the Megan/Greyson plotline. The mystery's most harrowing moments come when it intersects with the love story. Each plot helps ramp up the tension in the other and, in the end, it's a complication in the murder plot that leads Megan to realize what she really wants.

Throughout the Megan Chase series, Stacia Kane has built an intricate demon world and populated it with distinctive characters and, along the way, she's honed her plotting skills (there aren't any moments in Demon Possessed where scenes feel missing or out of order). Here, everything comes together. Kane's world throws huge obstacles into her characters' lives, and the characters have been developed so well that it hurts to see them suffer! If you've been following Megan's story, you'll definitely want to read Demon Possessed and learn whether she and Greyson manage to work it out.

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