- Paperback: 314 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books (4 July 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1416520384
- ISBN-13: 978-1416520382
- Product Dimensions: 20.7 x 15.7 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,035,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is Marta Acosta's debut novel. Pitched at the cross-roads of the popular chick-lit and vampire romance genres, the first thing that the author has done is throw away all of the old established vampire clichés.
Milagro's new family don't refer to themselves as vampires, they insist that they have a genetic condition that has been misunderstood by ignorant and superstitious people throughout the ages. They claim that their craving of blood comes from a protein imbalance and apart from an ability to quickly heal small wounds and a slightly improved life expectancy that they are just like everyone else.
The vampires in Happy Hour At Casa Dracula have no supernatural abilities which may prove a disappointment to some fantasy or paranormal romance fans who prefer their characters to be more 'para' and less 'normal'.
However, it is the characters in Happy Hour at Casa Dracula that give the book its strength. The outlandishly named Milagro de Los Santos (Miracle of The Saints) narrates the story in first person and her wry observations are genuinely laugh out loud funny. Milagro is someone who sees herself as a square peg in a round world and although she desperately wants to find her place in that round world she will not change who she is in order to fit in. This leads to some comic situations as she bursts into the lives of the refined and somewhat repressed vampire family.
Above all Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is a comedy of manners and it reminds me somewhat of the writing style of Jane Austen in places. This is perhaps an odd comparison but it is more the construction of the prose and some of the situations that Milagro finds herself in that gave me this impression of the novel. (And yes, I know that Jane Austen never wrote about vampires or sex, so as I said - it is an odd comparison!)
Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is perfect summer reading material - if you are looking for supernatural thrills, blood and death this book probably won't be for you but if you are looking for an entertaining and witty romance with a twist I think you'll enjoy this, I know I did. Recommended reading for the beach... or the park... or the garden... or the sofa (in the event of rain)!
Amanda - www.lovevampires.com
Milagro's new family don't refer to themselves as vampires, they insist that they have a genetic condition that has been misunderstood by ignorant and superstitious people throughout the ages. They claim that their craving of blood comes from a protein imbalance and apart from an ability to quickly heal small wounds and a slightly improved life expectancy that they are just like everyone else.
The vampires in Happy Hour At Casa Dracula have no supernatural abilities which may prove a disappointment to some fantasy or paranormal romance fans who prefer their characters to be more 'para' and less 'normal'.
However, it is the characters in Happy Hour at Casa Dracula that give the book its strength. The outlandishly named Milagro de Los Santos (Miracle of The Saints) narrates the story in first person and her wry observations are genuinely laugh out loud funny. Milagro is someone who sees herself as a square peg in a round world and although she desperately wants to find her place in that round world she will not change who she is in order to fit in. This leads to some comic situations as she bursts into the lives of the refined and somewhat repressed vampire family.
Above all Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is a comedy of manners and it reminds me somewhat of the writing style of Jane Austen in places. This is perhaps an odd comparison but it is more the construction of the prose and some of the situations that Milagro finds herself in that gave me this impression of the novel. (And yes, I know that Jane Austen never wrote about vampires or sex, so as I said - it is an odd comparison!)
Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is perfect summer reading material - if you are looking for supernatural thrills, blood and death this book probably won't be for you but if you are looking for an entertaining and witty romance with a twist I think you'll enjoy this, I know I did. Recommended reading for the beach... or the park... or the garden... or the sofa (in the event of rain)!
Amanda - www.lovevampires.com
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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!
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!
Format:Paperback
Yes, I know, total silly fluff... but it is looking to be very funny fluff. After just reading the second Jen Lancaster memoir (HILARIOUS), you'd think I'd want something more substantial, but there's nothing in my book bag right this second that is substantial and appealing. So, one more round of fluff before I venture to the library on Saturday.
Review:
Good... not spectacular, but good enough that. Milagro is a likable character, a wanna-be writer who's bodacious bod tends to get her in situations best avoided. When she's accidentally infected with a vampire-like condition, an old beau (who is a member of a corporate group who has long known about the vampiric condition and hopes to profit from it) takes a new dark interest in her, and the man who infected her spirits her away to his family's ranch until it is determined if she'll survive. Several eligible and not-so-eligible men enter her life, as well as the women of the family as she struggles to come to terms with her new life situation. I generally prefer my vampires more "vampire-y," with a more supernatural than medical genesis, but this was still a good crop of characters, and while the plot lagged at times, mired in the goings-on at the ranch rather than the whole "corporate evil versus misunderstood genetic group" storyline it was still a decent read for a chilly winter's day
Review:
Good... not spectacular, but good enough that. Milagro is a likable character, a wanna-be writer who's bodacious bod tends to get her in situations best avoided. When she's accidentally infected with a vampire-like condition, an old beau (who is a member of a corporate group who has long known about the vampiric condition and hopes to profit from it) takes a new dark interest in her, and the man who infected her spirits her away to his family's ranch until it is determined if she'll survive. Several eligible and not-so-eligible men enter her life, as well as the women of the family as she struggles to come to terms with her new life situation. I generally prefer my vampires more "vampire-y," with a more supernatural than medical genesis, but this was still a good crop of characters, and while the plot lagged at times, mired in the goings-on at the ranch rather than the whole "corporate evil versus misunderstood genetic group" storyline it was still a decent read for a chilly winter's day
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