Twice-baked vampire Gabriel Strickland may appear to be coping well with the responsibilities his life after double-death has dealt him, but it's only show. The struggle to earn his ticket through the Pearly Gates takes a toll when he's assigned to perform a Monkey Jump - a program designed to teach newly assigned management the skills required to do their job. To soften the blow, he takes Dori as his assistant. What he wants is peace and serenity to think things through, what he gets is startling temptation and a Soul Eater with his sidekick, Master Witch Neave Brittania Cook. One has a revenge agenda and the other, designs on Gabriel's soul. The Monkey Jump itinerary, scheduled for Phoenix and Seattle, takes a perilous detour to a north Alaskan community of the oldest, most evolved vampires on the planet. Secrets must be kept and Gabriel must protect Dori as well as his own path to paradise. Well, hell, this can't be good.
For over twenty years, Deborah Riley-Magnus has taught people how to creatively think outside the box--helping writers, artists, quilters, designers, musicians, cooks, bakers, events planners, and entrepreneurs explore different and new ways of looking at their personal creative process. She teaches those techniques for marketing and craft, opening doors for success.
Deborah is an author, Author Success Coach, and Creative Brilliance Coach with forty-plus years professional background in marketing, advertising, and public relations. She has been a writer for print, television, and radio. She writes fiction and nonfiction, and has been a ghostwriter for several clients.
She teaches online and live workshops for advanced creativity exploration. She writes instructive and creative blogs, and coaches one-on-one, for the development of unique creative brilliance.
Deborah writes dark fantasy, paranormal, urban fantasy, and speculative military thrillers.
She belongs to several writing, speaking, and professional organizations. She has lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled extensively. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and returned in 2011 after living, writing, and coaching in Los Angeles, California for several years.
GIVEAWAY!!! Win a signed ebook of Cold in California By Deborah Riley-Magnus HERE! (The giveaway will start Tuesday, May 1/2012 and end Saturday, May 12/2012)
I want to start this review by commenting on the title of the book--Monkey Jump. When the book was sent to me by the publisher, I stopped and actually tilted my head, baffled by what that could mean. How did the author go from Cold in California to Monkey Jump? What did that even mean? Then, because my brain has ADD, I had this flashing image of Gabe and Dori getting chased through Hollywood by a band of hybrid monkeys (think Planet of the Apes). I got a little excited there, before I slapped myself back to reality.
I love that Nathan makes an appearance. He's still about as thick as a solid brick wall, but as comical relief goes, he rocks. As villains go... he needs a new hobby. His grandmother on the other hand is another story. Forget vampires... grandma is not a chick you want to mess with. As dimwitted as her grandson may have been, Neave is anything but.
Oh, and let's not forget the Soul-Eaters. They want a piece of Gabe as well.
Unlike Cold in California, Monkey Jump kick starts the action from the first chapter. There's no waiting. The gang is elected on a mission, a test of sorts for new management. On the way, our characters find themselves nearly blown to pieces, chased by soul-sucking beings and get propositioned by Leprechauns (in Dori's case), and that's only the first four chapters. Things get even more intense as the group get stranded in the Alaskan wilderness.
Okay, so I just want to pause here and say, I like Carson. He's our resident Soul-Eater and he's awesome for a would-be villain. And let me just add here... the dude fights a dragon. A DRAGON! If that's not some seriously awesome stuff, I don't know what is! He was probably my favorite character in Monkey Jump, which is why I am glaring at the author right now from the confines of my computer chair. She knows why. She. Knows. Why! *glare, glare*
Nevertheless, loved the adventure, the humor, the surprises. The book rolled with the punches and delivered spectacular, eyebrow raising scenarios. I liked the characters (most of them), I thought Dori was a little more sulky in this book. She didn't hold her own as much as the first book, but I suppose after everything she's been through... all the things she learns about herself, her past and her future, it made sense to be out of character. Gabe hadn't changed much from Cold in California. Still hot-tempered and madly in love with Dori. All-in-all, I really enjoyed the ride. Ms. Riley-Magnus once again leaves us wanting more and hoping for the next book soon.
So, in conclusion:
Will I read the next book? Yes.
Will I tell my friends about this book? Yes.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
About the Author
Deborah Riley-Magnus is an author and an Author Success Coach. She has a twenty-seven year professional background in marketing, advertising and public relations as a writer for print, television and radio. She writes fiction in several genres as well as non-fiction. She’s lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled the country widely. Having lived, worked and written in Los Angeles for many years, she recently returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh. (Bio from Goodread)
In Monkey Jump we pick up not long after the ending of the last book Cold in California. Monkey Jump; I admit the name really caught my attention right off the bat and having read and really liked the first book in the series there was no way I could say no to picking up the second!
Author Deborah Riley-Magnus has created a series that centers on redemption—paranormal redemption. For example, if a vampire is already dead and he dies (twice-baked), well, what happens? In the case of Gabriel Strickland he finds out about the life in-between, a chance to earn redemption before the inevitable decision is made whether he is going to Heaven or Hell. (In the last book when this decision is made I think they kind of just go ‘poof’ from the world. I could be wrong though, it has been some time since I read book one.)
Vampires, or any other paranormal creature for that matter, do not just disappear into non-existence like in some books. Usually the vampire is already considered ‘damned’ because of what he is. In the Twice-Baked Vampire Series they have to worry about the great after-life just like everyone else.
Don’t get me wrong, as far as I understand it not everyone gets the in-between some people just go one way or the other but Gabriel is one of those who go to the in-between or what everyone that is there with him call the ‘Tank”.
There are tanks all over the world but theirs is in Los Angeles.
In the last book we were left with Gabriel now being in charge of the tank and his girlfriend Dori Gallagher (who had always thought she was human but now finds she was a Muse) is in the tank with him after her death.
As the new leader of his holding tank, a job that means he has to take care of all of the other’s there, Gabriel learns that he is being sent on a Monkey Jump by the powers-that-be to see other tanks around the world and how they run things. He is allowed to take two people with him.
He chooses Dori, feeling it will give them more time together and leprechaun, a highly annoying leprechaun he takes mostly just to get him out of the way of the other people at the tank as they work on their new home after the destruction of the last tank in book one.
Of course things go wrong. The witch from the ending of the last books does some damage, the Soul Eater Carson comes along for the ride looking for more souls and they end up in Alaska.
Not only Alaska but a town as odd and unusual as the tank and whole redemption thing was to Gabriel just a few weeks ago. It is populated by humans, vampires and shifters.
It is notoriously known that shifters and vampires do not get along but in the town of Maxtla somehow...it works.
However they could not have shown up at a worse time; the darkness is coming. Sixty days with no light and each year it drives the vampires closer and closer to the breaking point, striking them faster each year.
I really liked this book. I said it with the first book and I will say it again; the author has created something really unique here. Never before have I read a book that is anything quite like this series and this second novel also throws in the Arthurian ledged as well!
Overall Monkey Jump is a fast paced, highly interesting and unique book about the paranormal world that held my attention completely. I am looking forward to more by Deborah Riley-Magnus, and hope it will be another book in this series!
I would recommend Monkey Jump to anyone who read and liked the first book of the series. I would recommend the series to anyone who is looking for a unique paranormal series.
*I received a hardcover/paperback/eBook copy/ARC of this book for free to review from the author/publisher/tour site; this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.
I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
This is the second book in the Twice-Baked series. I absolutely LOVED it!
Gabriel Strickland is a fantastic character! He is still adjusting to being a twice dead being. He takes his responsibility as the new head of the safe house very seriously. However, when he is sent on a "Monkey Jump" to enable him to acquire the necessary management skills, he is unprepared for the adventure that awaits him and his companions.
I fell in love with Gabriel in the first book! What's not to like? He's gorgeous, well mannered and charismatic. Just because he's a vampire who has been killed twice, doesn't mean he can't earn his shot at redemption! This book see's Gabriel, Dori (his girlfriend and a Muse) and a Leprechaun called Feever Clovely jetting off on a Monkey Jump to teach Gabriel how to manage the safe house. Along the way, they meet up with Don Carson (a Soul Eater) and the witch, Neave Brittania Cook. We briefly met these two characters in the first book. In this story, they are more involved. I actually liked Don Carson's character, even though he's a soul eater. He's a wonderful character who is trapped in servitude to the Mexican goddess, Tlazolteotl. He does something so brave, that I am in awe of him! Neave Brittania Cook is a witch with a lot of power. She will do anything to gain even more. There are also a lot of other new characters that are too numerous to mention. This is an exciting adventure that takes you from the sun baked beach in California to the frozen dark north of Alaska. There are vampires, polar bear shifters and even a dragon! This is a fantastic paranormal series! I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's work!
Deborah Riley Magnus has created a fantastic series that completely gripped me from the first page! A word of warning, this book contains swearing, so I do not recommend this book to younger readers. However, it is not overly offensive. I highly recommend this book if you love a fantastic paranormal adventure full of danger and intrigue, not to mention vampires, werewolves, shifters, witches, leprechaun's and other supernatural beings! - Lynn Worton
I was so excited to get my hands on Monkey Jump, the second book in The Twice Baked Vampire series! This has been one of the most unique and entertaining series I've read!
Monkey Jump starts right out with some action packed fun as Gabriel Strickland is being sent out on an assignment, better known as a monkey jump. Now that he has been put in charge of the of the holding tank and is responsible for all of the beings who reside there, he needs to go around to all of the other holding tanks to see how things are run differently. To see what works and what doesn't work.
Of course things don't go as planned. Gabriel and his assistants end up in north Alaska with a witch and a soul eater. Gabriel needs to keep everyone safe and keep their secrets concealed. The community that they came upon is a very close knit community with some secrets of their own that they need to keep hidden.
Monkey Jump is full of awesome adventure! Once I started reading I couldn't get enough! The world was painted vividly in my mind. The characters were definitely lovable, fun and quirky ♥ And where else can you read about vampires, shapeshifters, leprechauns, soul eaters, a muse, witches and dragons all in one book? The Twice Baked Vampire series is sure to reel you in and keep you wanting more!! It's a unique and refreshing series. You'll walk away from it feeling good that you had the chance to read such a fantastic story!
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves adventure, humor, romance and who just want a great and entertaining read!! This series should definitely be read in order. Start with Cold in California and then move right into Monkey Jump. I'm looking forward to the next installment ♥
Having enjoyed Cold in California, the first book in this series, I was interested to see where the story would take the characters next.
Initially I found this second book a little disappointing as, for the first half of the book, the story didn't grab me. By the halfway point, things picked up, though, and I really appreciated the big lead-up to the ending, which was action-packed and fun.
Gabriel's character had some development, but I felt Dori was left to the side a bit this time. Perhaps she will come to the fore again if there is a third book. However, I did think it was great that some of the minor characters from the first book had more 'screen time' in this one as some of them were good fun.
One thing I did find annoying in this book was the fact that 'cannot' was constantly written incorrectly as 'can not'. Being an editor, it was just something that grated every time I saw it, pulling me out of the story.
So, in conclusion, not a bad continuation of the story, but this book, for me, lacked some of the amusement and fun of the first instalment, and it did take a while for the storyline to establish itself. If you enjoyed Cold in California, I recommend reading on and, even though this one didn't grab me so much, it hasn't ruined my enthusiasm for the series and I would still be happy to read on.
I received this book as a free review copy from the author.
Today's review is on Monkey Jump by Deborah Riley-Magnus
Monkey Jump is the second installment in Magnus' twice-baked vampire series. Like the first, it is chock full of danger and adventure with a healthy handful of romantic woes.
Running the new "tank" is difficult enough for the double-dead vampire Gabriel Strickland, but now he has been assigned to go on a Monkey Jump to see how the other managers handle things. The only good thing to come out of the assignment is that he can take an assistant, so he brings his girlfriend Dori. As usual though, thing's are never as they seem.
Along with Gabriel, Dori, and the ever annoying Leprechan Feever Clovely, the crazy Witch Neave Cook and her pawn/Soul Eater "friend" Don Carson are on board the plane scheduled to take them all to Seattle. Unknown to Gabriel and his friends, Neave and Don have plans of their own and this time it may mean the end of them all.
Vampires, Shifter Polar Bears, Witches, and even a Dragon are in the mix in this delightfully written sequel. I'm looking forward to the next adventure.
Being undead and then suddenly less dead but not completely alive would be disconcerting enough for most paranormals. For twice baked vampire, Gabrielle, it’s only the beginning.
He’s met someone to love and now he just has to keep Dori alive while completing some serious OJT called a Monkey Jump.
I have to say, Ms. Riley-Magnus has one crazy vivid imagination. Cold in California laid the foundation and Monkey Jump was the clever follow through. As with book one, the story flows well and the writing is clean. This author knows how to world build and imparts pertinent details to make the events and setting vivid.
When Gabe and Dori end up in a quirky town in Alaska they aren’t alone and they aren’t the only ones with secrets. This is one adventure that shouldn’t be missed.
Book one ended on a cliffhanger that is worked through in book two so I highly recommend reading them in order. If you think you’ve read “the vampire story” and think it’s been overdone, you haven’t read The Twice Baked Vampire series, yet. But you should. Pick up a copy today.