Customer Reviews

Happy Hour At Casa Dracula

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a fan of the funnier vampire books and I liked the title so I picked up this book. Happy Hour is in first-person and I really loved Milagro's funny, individual way of talking. She's smart but goofy, and she's serious about writing but gets thrown off course easily by "fabulous men".

When one of those fabulous men turns out to be a modern vampire, she's really in trouble. She finds out that there is a crazy group that wants to capture all the vampires and she finds out there are vampires who are still interested in drinking human blood.

All the action and romantic twists just kept me turning the pages because I had to find out what happened next. The book is very funny and also touching. Things sizzle between Milagro and the men who pursue her.

Milagro finds more than just a relationship with a fabulous man. She finds a family at last. Can't wait to see what happens in the next one.

I hate to admit it, but this was one of the most enjoyable reads I have had this summer. With all of the melodramatic, long-winded novels (i.e. The Memory Keeper's Daughter -- YUCK!!) on the shelves these days, I found Happy Hour a breath of well-deserved fresh air!

Comedy, mild suspense, a love triangle, vampires (kind of?), a sexy Latina ... this book was just too much fun. I've read it twice already, just to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time. Our heroine Milagro is sassy and feisty, sterotypical of a hot-blooded latina, but as the story progresses we learn that she is also kind, sensitive, and passionate, eventhough she has terrible taste in clothes (think: second-hand leopard print mini dress with turquoise strappy sandals and red lips). She first starts out in the City by the Bay, then after being bitten by a mysterious, sexy (and engaged!) man and chased by her conservative and elitist ex-flame, Milagro is held "hostage" in the vampires' great pad out in wine country for her protection. Her new family of vampires is at first secretive and shady, but, of course, they become multi-dimensional and quite noble (and fun!). The way Acosta describes her vampires as having a "genetic medical condition" makes me believe in their existence . . . almost. But I do want to hang out with them.

If you're looking for something entertaining, funny, and a quick-read, this is the book for you.

A chance encounter with a mystery-man at a cocktail party leads a quirky Latina into the world of "vampires." And that's where the fun begins.

I enjoy vampire/werewolf books and this book is now a permanent part of my collection. This book provides an unusual take on the vampire legend. The main character is fun and quirky but she also shows intellect and depth. The writer seamlessly incorporates the Latin culture into the story, giving the book both depth and interest. The supporting charactors were a little weak but the main character more than made up for it.

This book is fun and lighthearted but not empty-headed. If you like vampire stories and a good laugh, this story is for you.

Milagro is a Latina Ivy League graduate who can't seem to find a man she really loves - nor a life she really wishes to live. When she's bitten by an attractive man, falls ill, and recovers at his family's estate, she discovers a dangerous truth: that vampires really do exist, and that her affections and interests may lie at the cutting edge of their world. Action, romance and a healthy dose of humor tinged with political insight make HAPPY HOUR AT CASA DRACULA a winning read.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I found this book because it was in my "gold box," I read the reviews and decided to purchase it because I was looking for something fun and different to read. I really enjoyed it. It was a definite page-turner with some laugh-out-loud moments (F.U. might have been my favorite!) right from the beginning.

But having read this book a few weeks ago, some of the scenes that have really stuck with me are the ones where the main character, Milagro, is entering gatherings of people and counting the number of people with whom she feels can identify -- other latinos, waiters etc... The author's descriptions were so blunt and honest that I found myself experiencing her anxiety as she was entering situations where she would stand out because of her ethnicity. Although this is a very entertaining romantic novel, it's more and it really touched me in a way that I was not expecting.

This is truly a fresh and funny novel. Marta Acosta's voice is mischievously wry, and her heroine, Milagro de Los Santos grabbed my attention right from the get-go. No ho-hum chicklit is this, but rather a darkly hilarious read that had me mwa ha ha'ing with delight. I'm neither Latina nor typically a fan of vampire stories, but I loved this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I bought it, thinking "beach read" but honestly, it was so much more. Marta Acosta is a skilled writer who really knows how to tell a story. I loved her characters, especially Milagro. If she were real, I'd love to go out drinking with her. At times, I was laughing out loud as I read this book, and also marveling at Acosta's writing style. This goes on the keeper shelf and I look forward to more books by Marta Acosta.

I LOVE this book!
I'm latina and is so hard to find great novels like this about non-stereotypical girl, smart, with great sense of humor and the drive to form a family. This book had me laughing and I could not put it down until I read it all...with some sadness as I knew there wasn't a series. I already missed Milagro.
Marta is a wonderful writer and down to earth and when I wrote her a note saying how much I enjoy her book she PERSONALLY took the time to answer me back and told me she is writing a sequel that I really can't wait to get my hands on. Go Marta, you rock!!!

What an utter delight! Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta offers the readers an odd mix. Sex and Vampires, Latino style! And what a mix! The author has her finger on the pulse of this formula and sees its heart just keeps beating from start to finish. I haven't enjoyed a "silly" vamp romp this much since I read Lynsay Sands' Single White Vampire. Obviously, we shall be hearing more soon from this very talented author.

Milagro de Los Santos is at a book signing for her ex-significant other, Sebastian. She still has emotions for the man, but then Oswald appears on the scene. The handsome stranger summons potent chemistry and they share a peculiar, devastating kiss, with a little mixing of blood. Suddenly, Sebastian is paying attention to her again, but much to disappointment, he seems more interested in finding out about Oswald. He even tries to abduct her when she is less than forth coming.

To the rescue is Gabriel, Oswald's cousin. He rushes her back to the family, which includes Oswald's PITA grandmother and yet another cousin, Sam. It soon becomes clear the whole pack are vamps, though they prefer to think of their state as their "condition". They fear with the blood transfer with Oswald, that Milagro might be slated to have a "condition", too. Sebastian is part of some dark group stalking the vamps, hence his interest in Oswald, sort of like the Watchers in the Highland series or Anne Rice's Talamascar. Poor Milagro is torn between her love for Sebastian and the really cool buzz only Oswald the vamp can give her.

This book is a blast. It's funny, original, witty, romantic silliness that is pure genius!! Brava!! More! More!

This novel wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was really a fun read. The vamps aren't dead -- they have a genetic condition, real jobs, regular houses, and a fondness for cocktail parties. Milagro, the heroine, meets attractive Oswald at a party and a small cut results in Milagro becoming infected. Her former boyfriend tries to kidnap her because he thinks she's a vampire and she has to hide with Oswald and his family at their country house. Fast, clever banter, fascinating characters, and laugh out loud writing. Milagro is a marvelous heroine and I fell in love with the vampire family.