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)
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, a Soul Eater and 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.
(Excerpt from Goodread)
(NOT suitable for children. 18+ only. Sexual content. Language.)
I want to start this review by commenting on the title of the book–Monkey Jump. When the book was sent to me, 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)
Other Books By Author
Finding Author Success
Cold in California
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