Nancy's Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith

Publisher:  Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster
Pages:  362

 

From the Cover:

Lively young socialite Nancy Carrington-Chambers has always believed an excellent sense of style and strict attention to detail are what it takes to succeed, but her own husband Todd is showing symptoms of incurable tackiness, so Nancy flees their McMansion for her posh San Francisco apartment. She knows her event planning company, Froth, is a real winner, but she must prove herself by reinventing the turgid Barbary Coast Historical Museum fundraiser. Luckily, Nancy now has the perfect assistant. Derek Cathcart is British, impeccably dressed, gorgeous, and clearly gay—so why does Nancy find him so attractive?

Before Nancy can unravel her feelings, her irresponsible cousin Birdie abandons her little daughter with Nancy and takes off. Nancy, Derek, and Eugenia make an unlikely "family," but strangely it seems incredibly right. Now Nancy's parents are pressuring her to return to Todd, and she still has to pull off a spectacular party. For someone who's always known exactly where she's going, Nancy is in dangerously uncharted waters.

Irresistibly funny and romantic, Nancy's Theory of Style shows that happiness and

love—just like fashion—aren't about playing it safe.

We first meet Nancy Carrington when reading Marta Acosta's wonderful Casa Dracula series, she's one of Milagro's best friends, so she couldn't be all bad, could she?  She's one of those socialite girls who went to FU (Fancy University) with Milagro and ever since, they had become fast friends.  No one understand Nancy Fancy like Milagro does.

By the time we find Nancy in Nancy's Theory of Style, she has married her one time boyfriend, Todd Chambers.  Nancy knows they'll look fabulous together, have a fabulous life, and live in a fabulous house.  But, maybe fabulous isn't all it's cracked up to be, and maybe life isn't meant to be fabulous.  Nancy comes to realize that living with Todd isn't what she thought it would be, it's isn't her fairytale life that she thinks it's going to be, but then life isn't usually a fairytale unless you ignore reality, something Nancy comes to discover quickly enough.

Deciding she needs time away from her life and Todd, Nancy starts an events planning business, everyone is always so taken with her weddings, parties, and other affairs she has planned.  She knows this will be just the thing for her, she's the best and it will give her life new meaning, she'll be seen as successful, Toddless.  So, she moves back to her small apartment in Chateau Winkles, and starts setting up her business.  Todd, on a rare generous note, offers to pay for an assistant to help Nancy, to make her life easier.  Nancy is grateful for Todd's help, but is it really help or something else?

To add to her wrong choices in life, Birdie, her flighty cousins stops to visit Nancy, and leaves without taking one of her most important possessions with her, her daughter, Eugenia.  Nancy calls everyone she can think of, but Birdie has done a complete disappearing act, not to be found, and no one will take Eugenia either.  Having had Eugenia foisted upon her, Nancy has to learn how to care for a child, she's only ever had to care for herself.  Eugenia is a sweet kid who refers to Nancy as Auntie Nanny, much to Nancy's embarrassment, but she lets it go, to please Eugenia.

Into the picture strolls her fabulous assistant arranged for by Todd.  Derek Cathcart is everything Nancy has pictured the perfect assistant could be; British, gay, good-looking, and completely stylish, so fitting for her Theory of Style.  Things blossom for Nancy, in many ways, her business, her assistant, and her niece.  But, you know, just when you think you have it all, know it all.... that's when things start to come apart, a lesson Nancy has yet to learn.

Nancy's Theory of Style by Grace Coopersmith isn't your typical contemporary romance, nor is it Marta Acosta's typical paranormal romance.  It's the story of Fancypants Nancy and how she learns to grow up, that does eventually include romance, and it's a tasty little romance, between Nancy and her fabulously gay assistant, Derek.  But what Todd has paid for isn't only assistant services for Nancy, and it may cost her more than her heart.  Then there's Bailey Whiteside, and he's not what he appears either, he has all these investment ideas, and even starts to fill Nancy's head with thoughts of a socially acceptable match, but what he really finds socially acceptable is Nancy's trust fund.  Another issue for Nancy to deal with are her mother and father, they want life to appear happy, the perfect couple, but it's another fabrication in Nancy's life.

Nancy's Theory of Style is a humorous take on the lives of the rich and famous, and it isn't all fairytales and flowers.  Nancy Fancypants has some serious growing up to do, and as yet, hasn't be forced to do so.  She's made bad life choices too, including marrying the wrong man, and then almost making the same mistake twice.  Of all her society friends, it turns out only a handful are truly her friends.  Sloane, a friend from college, Milagro, GP, and Mrs. Winkles are the only ones besides her assistant, Derek, who we found out is Rick, really cares about Nancy.  All those hoity toity society type friends are just waiting for her to fall on her face, especially Junie.  I don't read many romances that aren't paranormals, because, let's face, I adore supernatural creatures!  But, as far as a funny, fast, quirky, quick read goes, Nancy's Theory of Style is it.  Milagro makes a few quick appears and never fails to make me laugh.  Nancy's so involved in her life, she can't really see what's happening all around her.  There are some laugh out loud ridiculous moments, some moments when you wish Nancy didn't have to learn things the hard way, and moments when you wanted to kick Nancy in the Fancypants.  If you haven't read Grace Coopersmith (aka Marta Acosta), I would definitely start here.  Then, rush out and buy her Casa Dracula series because you'll find you can't get enough.  I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers, you'll find yourself rooting for Nancy, after you get over the idea of kicking her in her Fancypants.  Nancy's Theory of Style is about life and growing up, learning to really live.  If you like to try this wonderful book, you can do it for free.  For a limited time (and I don't know how long that will be), you can read the Draft of Nancy's Theory of Style at Scribd.  It's a little rough and it doesn't have current cover art, but still so enjoyable.  Marta Acosta also has out a new YA paranormal, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove (only her publisher things the title is too long... I'm rooting for Shadow Girl), if you want to try this book for free, click here.

Here's a peek at the back cover, love it almost as much as the front!

I picked up this book for my own enjoyment (even if it is available for free), Marta Acosta is a keeper for me.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Crescendo, Book 2, The Hush, Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster
Pages:  427

(Released: October 19, 2010)

From the Cover:

The sequel to the New York Times Best selling phenomenon, Hush, Hush

Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Crescendo takes off where Hush, Hush leaves off....

Nora thinks she has all she could wish for. An awesomely hot boyfriend/guardian angel/used to be fallen archangel, Patch, and it can't get much better. Well, yeah, it could, she misses her dad so much, and wishes everyday he wasn't dead. It's hard for her to deal with, even her mom hasn't been as open about everything going on in their lives. And of course, there's always her evil nemesis, Marcie, she'd like to drive a spike through Nora's heart, and smile while she's doing it.

But Patch makes her life real and her own.... until she says the three little words he's been dreading to hear..... "I love you". He drops her little a hot potato and she later discovers he was outside Marcie's bedroom window, staring up.

Patch is very misunderstood, by all those around him, and especially by Nora. Things are happening that he can't explain, least of all to Nora, not without putting her life in greater danger. And she's already died once.

Rixon, Patch's best friend, is up to no good, but he's fooling everyone, including Nora, Patch, and even Nora's best friend and cohort in crime, Vee (who's also locking lips with Rixon). Into the hazy picture of distress walks Scott (Scotty the Potty... used to wet his pants). Scott isn't telling all he knows either, and he seems even more dangerous than Patch, at least Patch doesn't act crazy.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick is a YA paranormal romance with all the right qualities that changes it from a good PNR to a moving story, excellently told, with a cliffhanger ending that leaves the reader begging for more. Nora's life has changed so much since her father was killed. She's never really been one of the 'popular' kids, but with Marcie's help, she's been ostracized. The police haven't a clue who could have murdered Nora's father, a heinous crime to befall her family. Nora and her mother are slow to recover, there's not a lot of extra money, in fact, Nora's car is sold to pay the mortgage and fill the frig. But, now things are starting to look up. Since Patch saved Nora's life, he's become her guardian angel, and he vows nothing will ever hurt her again. Except him. When Nora says 'I love you' in the heat of the moment and when Patch suddenly feels the need to tear away from her, she's left wondering if it was the words. Then, Rixon starts leaving not so subtle hints that Patch may be seeing Marcie, that Patch was known as The Black Hand. Nora is nearly crazy with grief, first over losing her father, and then Patch to Marcie. I truly enjoyed Nora because she does seem like a typical sixteen year old, bad hair days, worrying about school, but with one exception, her guardian angel. Patch is an honest to goodness bad boy, but one who can be, wants to be, and if Nora has her way, will be redeemed. Everything isn't as it seems as you're flipping through the pages, and it gets better with each flip.

Crescendo was a fantastically quick read, 1.5 days from page 1 to the last of the devoured 427 pages, and that was with sleeping! It was a page turner that captured my attention from the first page, and left me anxiously waiting for the continuing story on the last page. It was one of those books where I was speedily flipping pages and dreading the end, I knew what Nora didn't, and it ended so unexpectedly.... It was great! I highly recommend this book to YA lovers, paranormal romance lovers, and urban fantasy lovers. While the story contains a heated love story, it's very much appropriate for a YA audience. If you enjoy fast paced paranormal romance with unexpected twists and turns, with evil fallen archangels and not so evil guardian angels, give Crescendo a try, you won't be disappointed! I recommend reading the books in order, Hush, Hush, Book 1 and Crescendo, Book 2. Book 3 will be released October 18, 2011, it was tentatively named Tempest, but according to Ms. Fitzpatrick's Fallen Archangel Fan Page, it is currently untitled with the title to come soon. It will also be the final book in the Hush, Hush Saga.






I received Crescendo from PTA Reviewer Rewards for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn, Book 2, The Charlie Madigan Series by Kelly Gay

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster, Pocket Books
Pages:  384

(Release Date:  8-31-10)

From the Cover:

It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night. . . 

Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun—one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. 

For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear. 

Charlie Madigan has been changed, some would say enhanced, she'd say cursed.  Deep within her DNA, the life giving strands, additions were made to save her life and that of her daughter, Emma.  Now, Charbydon and Eylsian powers stir, bubbling to the surface, vying for control.  She brought the darkness that now engulfs Atlanta to save her daughter, now she's trying to bring back the light.

Hank, her partner and Eylsian Siren, understands Charlie's predicament, he has one of his own.  The Voc-Mod box has become permanently embed in his neck, forever blocking his Siren voice from reaching it's potential, a side effect demanded by powers that be, to keep the Siren from using his vocal abilities to their fullest, maybe against the will of another.  Charlie still finds him sexy as hell, but he's her partner, so what the hell's wrong with her?  She never used to act like this, he's supposed to be out of reach..... maybe....

But, for now, Charlie and Hank have other things to worry about, like who's killing the Adonai?   There's a power struggle in the Underground between Gin leader and crime boss, Grigori and The Druid/Dragon King, who has sworn exact his own measure of punishment against those he thinks are the guilty party if Charlie and Hank can't solve the mystery.  Add to that an escaped serial killer who's ever so slightly insane wanting Charlie body and soul.  Put that altogether with an awol ex-husband and Rex, the Reverent who now resides within his flesh, a pet hellhound, and Charlie's life in pretty full, if she can just keep her eyes, hands, and all other body parts off the sexy Hank.....

The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay is book two in the Charlie Madigan series and an excellent addition.  In this book, we find Charlie still trying to deal with the consequences of saving her daughter, and now, she's overprotective in the extreme.  She has her daughter warded, charmed, attempting to surround her in the perfect cocoon of magic, to keep her safe, she can't take losing her again.  She's been trying to find a way to bring the light back to Atlanta where now the city is covered with a 40 mile wide blanket of darkness.  Charlie knows the darkness is her fault, a consequence of her new DNA, Charbydon magic.  Her sister, Bryn, has also suffered by Charlie's hand, becoming addicted to the deadly drug, Ash.  Now, there are murders being committed, and it's of the angelic elite of the Eylsian population, the Adonai.  What Charlie doesn't know is that there are players behind the scenes, trying to grab a piece of the picture, and maybe no one is trustworthy.  Her partner and love interest (though she resists), Hank, would do just about anything for Charlie, the loss of his Siren's voice makes him more vulnerable and attractive, if that's possible.  Under Hank's encouragement, Charlie is starting to explore her new power, if only she can gain control.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn is a full throttle, kickass, fun filled ride; great urban fantasy with just enough paranormal romance to keep the reader wondering if Hank and Charlie are bound to be together.  Kelly Gay creates a world where magic has been the new reality, and Charlie is suck between the two vying powers, the dark and the light, Charbydon versus Eylsian.  There's a whole system of Undergroundlings that if possible, won't might taking over total control of the Earth.  I haven't read The Better Part of Darkness yet, but I've added to my wishlist and intend to pick it up soon.  Though The Darkness Edge of Dawn was Book Two in the series, I had no trouble following the story, but to get a better understand of Ms. Gay's world, I would recommend reading them in order.  If you enjoy mysteries that include mages, druids, and magic of all kinds built into a world where reality as taken a step toward fantasy, then The Darkest Edge of Dawn is for you.  I highly recommend this new series I've sampled, and can't wait to see what Ms. Gay gives us next.  My only niggle is with myself, I should have tried this series when it first came out in November 2009.


I received this book for review from Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Necking by Chris Salvatore

I recently found a new author, Chris Salvatore. Her debut novel, Necking, was published in 2008. I know not many of you may have heard of this new entry into the genre, she is a publicist turned novelist and she giving her hand a try.



Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Pages: 288

From the Cover: He Always Knew She Was Exactly His Type -- B Positive

Gia Felice has a Rolodex full of vampires, werewolves, witches, and aliens -- not to mention the livestock suppliers, undead-friendly hotels, and sleazy bars that cater to her clients' more carnal needs. Sometimes being the premier book publicist to the underworld can suck -- literally. Especially if you're human. Especially if you've got the hots for irresistible Johnny and his sly half smile that shows just a little fang.

Her best friend, Lola, a werewolf, can't talk any sense into her, and now Gia's agreed to help Belladonna Nightshade, a New York Times bestselling vampire author, find the supernatural killing machine who changed Bella centuries ago...if he doesn't find Gia first. Yesterday, Gia's biggest problem was how to get an alien with a metal skeleton through airport security. Today she's got a bloodthirsty boyfriend dying to get into her pants, and an evil, centuries-old vampire on the hunt for her. Who knew publicity was such a deadly business?

Gia is a publicist to the world of supernatural, the world that the average human has no idea that it truly exists. Her premier author writes vampire romance stories, but secret that her fans don't know is that she's actually a centuries old vampire. Belladonna Nightshade is that author turned by the ultimate bad guy, Daniel. And now she has a problem. She thinks that Daniel has killed her husband, and will be coming back for her, to try to claim what he rightfully sees as his. Belladonna's cousin, Johnny (who she turned on his death bed) helps keep the groupies and fans that all want a piece of Belladonna away. It would appear that everyone wants to be fanged. But the only person Johnny wants to get close to is Gia, and she's trying to stay unfanged. This fatal attraction breaks all the Gia's rules. The main rule being: To stay alive. To be with Johnny, she'd have to give up her life, it won't work any other way. After all, he is a vampire. The question remains, will she lose her head and give in to Johnny or will she keep her senses and her life?

Necking by Chris Salvatore is a decent attempt at a first novel. I've read a lot of vampire fiction from Bram Stokers to Twilight and this one had some very redeeming qualities, the tension between Gia and Johnny being one. Lola, Gia's best friend and werewolf, is another with her wit and humor. Gia tends to whine a little and has the poor me syndrome. As a heroine, her strongest point is that she's a publicist and she's not afraid to use it. Chris Salvatore's voice bring humor to the genre and laughter to the book. Johnny was a strong hero who is drawn to the one person who'd like to hang on to her life; he just wants to convince her otherwise. The ending fell a little flat for me by being wrapped up way to quickly. It wasn't a bad ending, but I would have enjoyed a better fight scene, more dramatic, and satisfying. After all, Daniel has been chasing Belladonna for centuries. It would have been nice to have him reach his full potential, drawing on powers and unknown strengths that should have frightened us all. How else did he stay alive all these centuries? If you'd like an entertaining fast read, this is a book for you. I'll certainly be looking for what comes next from this author. You can check out Chris Salvatore's website Here. If you'd like to peek inside the pages, click Here and browse.

Midnight Brunch by Marta Acosta

Publisher: Pocket Books / Simon and Schuster
Pages: 327


From the Cover: What's A Girl To Do When She Discovers She's The Main Course On The Menu?

Hip, funny Milagro de los Santos thinks she's finally found love and a home at the California ranch of fabulous Oswald Grant and his urbane relatives, who have a rare genetic disorder that some call vampirism. But Milagro is bewildered when she's excluded from an ancient and mysterious midnight ceremony whose participants include Oswald's unfriendly parents, a creepy family elder, and Milagro's ex-lover, the powerful and decadent Ian Ducharme. What skeletons are the vampires keeping in their designer closets? When Milagro's life is threatened by a rogue family member, she flees to the desert to hide. Instead of solitude, she encounters an egomaniacal actor, a partying heiress, a sly tabloid reporter, and a lavish spa full of dark secrets -- all of which might help her find a way home.


Milagro De Los Santos is up to her ears in vampires again. Milagro has been infected with a rare disorder that makes her heal better and faster, and her boyfriend, Oswald, enjoys a little taste of blood now and again, as does his family, though they swear they're not vampires. Her best friend, Mercedes has a hoppin' nightclub called The Dive and thinks Milagro just needs to work harder, writing isn't really work. Her friend, Nancy - former roommate at F.U. (Fancy University), is getting married to a member of CACA. Milagro's former beau, Sebastian (aka SLIME) and former head of CACA, has been forced to live in the darkest part of Nebraska for his attempts on her life and Oswald's family, far from his illustorous beginnings and his demanding public. Nancy's fiancee hates her now his best friend, SLIME, can't be in his wedding. Oswald's parents really wish he could find someone closer to his social status and blood background. It seems that our Milagro can't catch a break.

Milagro is tired of being excluded from Oswald family functions, including the naming ceremony of Sam and Winnie's baby. Oswald is heading south of the border to do charity work and can't even make it to Nancy's wedding. When Ian Ducharme offers to fill in for Oswald, Milagro happily accepts because who wants to go to a wedding alone? What she doesn't know is someone is gunning for Ian and when she accidentally gets in the way, she suffers an injury that forces Ian to give her some of his blood to help her heal or he could choose to let her die. After ingesting Ian's blood, weird things start happening to her. Also a mysterious vampire, Silas, who was at the baby's naming ceremony has taken a sudden interest in Milagro. But, she's getting the sneaking suspicion that all he's really interested in is her blood. In fact, he like to have her blood.. all of it..who are these weirdos who want to use her blood? Why does she always attract the weirdos? What is going on in the vampire community? In good news, she has been hired to re-write a screenplay, but it's in the middle of the desert at a resort in a town called La Basura (the garbage) and there's all kind of weird stuff going on at the resort, Paragon, too. There's even a mummy man. What has Milagro gotten herself into now?

Midnight Brunch by Marta Acosta is another excellent addition to the Casa Dracula Series. I can hardly wait to read Bride of Casa Dracula. Milagro is a character who is fabulously funny, curvaceous in all the right places, and wickedly smart. She's inquisitive and adventurous, which is one of the things that almost leads to her demise in this book. If she hadn't been snooping, she would have never witnessed the strange goings on during Libby's name ceremony. Her inquisitiveness almost leads to her being the main course at Silas' vampire club. She's so sweet and naive that she allows herself to be drawn in almost everytime, always willing to give everyone a chance. With Ian Ducharme's added pheromones, she's a new and improved Milagro, better and faster than before, although some of the blood thirsty additions aren't exactly an improvement. Oswald is still smitten with Milagro, much to the chagrin of his mother and father. But, then who would be good enough for their son? Edna is her same self, her no nonsense attitude that carries throughout the book, although she has a real love for Milagro and her distinct way of making a point. Cousin Gabriel is trying very hard to be heterosexual, but why? What Milagro craves above all else is what she was denied as a child, the love of a family, to belong and be wanted for who she is. The Grants are trying to fill that need in her life, but by excluding her from parts of their lives, they're keeping her an outsider. Milagro works her way through these difficulties in an unique fashion, worming her way further into their hearts and that of the reader too. I thoroughly enjoyed Midnight Brunch and would highly recommend this book for all readers who love romance, fun, and laughter. I love Ms. Acosta's ability to weave two languages together, creating a feeling of oneness in the two cultures. Midnight Brunch was fast (I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down) and fun (laughed continually from one misadventure to the next). You can't go wrong reading it. For more information about Marta Acosta and her wonderful books, please go to her website or her blog.

Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 314

From the Cover: Latina Ivy League grad Milagro de Los Santos can't find her place in the world or a man to go with it. Then one night, at a book party for her pretentious ex-boyfriend, she meets an oddly attractive man. After she is bitten while kissing him, she falls ill and is squirreled away to his family's estate to recover. Vampires don't exist in this day and age — or do they? As Milagro falls for a fabulously inappropriate man, she finds herself caught between a family who has accepted her as one of their own and a shady organization that refuses to let the undead live and love in peace.

Milagro De Los Santos is your average everyday young female American trying to survive in a male dominated world. She did everything right. She went to the big Fancy University, she had a sweet boyfriend, she went to all right parties... so why isn't she taken seriously. She wrote novels about political issues and substituting zombies for the nasties. Sebastian has had no trouble getting his insipid book published. She went to F.U. too, so what's the problem? Who doesn't like politics and zombies? Apparently, the agents and publishers didn't.

Milagro makes money doing odd jobs, even though her parents are well to do. Her mother, Regina, convinced her father that her next face lift was more important than a Master's Degree. Milagro is a personal reader, works in a nursery, and does other menial jobs to keep her crummy basement apartment which she thinks is rat infested.

Then, one evening at a reading of her ex-boyfriend Sebastian Beckett-Witherspoon's new book whom she hates with the fire of a hundred suns; she happens to meet a strange man. He's wearing an old fashioned suit, but wears really well, she notices. In fact, she notices, he's really kind of fabulous looking. When this strange man approaches Milagro, she's a little frightened. He seems to draw her to him, capturing her attention.

When he introduces himself as Oswald and asks her back to his hotel to talk about publishing, at first she wants to refuse, but as she gazes into his eyes, she finds herself agreeing. What's wrong with her? When Beckett-Witherspoon tries to chase her down, they rush to leave. But at the hotel, it seems that Oswald only wants to talk about Beckett-Witherspoon, so she offers Sebastian's phone number and wants to leave. As Oswald reaches out to stop her, they trip and fall on top of each other. A drop of red blood oozes from Oswald's lip as Milagro realizes she wants nothing more than to kiss that bloodied lip, and she does but, her lip is bitten as well.

That night, Milagro becomes ill, it's the flu, she thinks. She's worse the second night, and the night after. But, then she starts to feel better, her hearing is better and her vision has gotten better, she no longer needs her contacts. But the cravings she's having are really weird. She decides to talk to her friend and nightclub owner, Mercedes, but Sebastian is waiting outside for her, professing his long lost love; offering dinner and ride in his limo. She decides she can afford him a second chance, but Sebastian has other devious plans and tries to kidnap her instead, showing how much he actually loathes her. He has joined CA-CA and his organization works to eliminate vampires. Okay, so Sebastian has lost his marbles, vampires don't exist....or do they? She must save herself from Sebastian and the evil CA-CA if she is to survive.

Gabriel, Oswald's cousin saves her and takes her away to the family's country estate. There, she meets Oswald's fiance, Winnie, who is cold, but who can blame her...Milagro was swapping smooches with Oswald and now she has been infected with a rare blood disorder causing her to have weird cravings for the red fluid. Oswald's grandmother, Edna, who's as prickly as a catcus, has no love for Milagro, or so she thinks. Sam, Oswald's other cousin, is sweet to Milagro and tries see to her needs, but does he want something? What will she do? Who can she trust?

Happy Hour At Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta is a fun filled laugh riot. Milagro is always taken by the next mess that turns out to be her life. She just can't get ahead no matter what she tries. You never know what's going to happen, except that she's attracted to Oswald, but knows he's engaged to someone else. That puts him into the creep column for asking her to his hotel, she doesn't usually do things like that. She needs to be taken seriously, trying to channel great thinkers to help in the writing process. Unfortunately, beach reads are all she attracts. In the meantime, Oswald and his family is trying to foil the evil CA-CA and he needs to find out what she knows about Sebastian and his organization. Milagro is a vulnerable heroine who has never know the love of her family. She learns gardening from one of father's employees, even though her father has a huge landscaping business. The person she loved the most, her abuelita - her small grandmother, was killed in a car accident. Her grandmother was totally devoted to Milagro, she goes from having love to having nothing. Her mother, Regina, only loves Regina and what money can buy for her. Her father only loves making money and her mother, Regina. Oswald is a misunderstood hero who wants one thing from life, to be happy. He isn't happy with Winnie, but their DNA is a perfect match. Too bad they can't stay to touch each other. The one thing he wants is Milagro, his beautiful young spicy love. I loved this book, I started laughing on page one and didn't quit until the last page was turned. There were times when I felt Milagro's pain of a loveless life and a hopeless future, but she never lets it get her down for long and she wins in the end. If you want to read a book with a fresh look and feel, and all about a very rare blood disorder (vampirism), then Happy Hour At Casa Dracula is for you. I highly recommend this book for those who want a fast fun filled look at the life of a girl who does everything right, attends F.U., works hard, and writes about issues important to her, but life keeps throwing her for a loop. For more information about Marta Acosta's other great books please see her website or her blog. Both are fun and interesting.

Here's a peek at the book trailer Marta Acosta made, it shows the story so well. The music was deleted, but my son added some......he's a big Tenacious D fan.

The Messenger by Jan Burke

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Pages: 320

From the Cover: Beneath the Caribbean Sea, a salvage diver hears an eerie voice calling to him from the wreckage of a nineteenth-century ship. In return for promised riches, the diver becomes the servant of Adrian deVille, Lord Varre, the creature who has called to him. It's a bargain the diver will come to regret. Varre enlists him in a hunt for a man named Tyler Hawthorne.

Ten years later, in a canyon in the foothills above Los Angeles, Amanda Clarke has become curious about her new neighbor, Tyler Hawthorne. He's not home much, but others tell her that her new neighbor is about her age -- twenty-four. He's also wealthy, handsome, and single.

Amanda soon suspects that another description can be added to the list of Tyler's attributes: con artist. When Tyler shows up at the hospice room of her friend Ron and tells the dying man he'll live, Amanda angrily resents Tyler for giving Ron false hope.

Until Ron begins to recover.....

Captain Tyler Hawthorne lies dying in the mud under his horse in the battle against Napoleon at Waterloo. He's dying, he can distantly feel his injuries when an unknown stranger asks him if he wants to live to fight another day. Tyler doesn't know how he answered the stranger, but YES, he wants to live. There will be costs, the stranger tells Tyler, costs that cannot be paid with money. Do you still want to live? YES, Tyler thinks, I want to live.

Placing a ring upon Tyler's finger, the stranger, Lord Varre who gives Tyler an uneasy feeling of something close to evil, leaves Tyler with instructions on retrieving funds from his agent to help him with his new existence. Shade, Lord Varre's large black dog, chooses to remain with Tyler. Shade is a cemetery dog....

Almost immediately, Tyler feels stronger, feels his grievous wounds begin to heal, and starts hearing the voices of others round him. But those around him are the dead or dying. What is happening to Tyler? As Tyler begins to recover, he feels himself drawn to those who are near death. The dying are asking Tyler to deliver messages to family members. As the last wishes of the dying, Tyler cannot refuse to complete these tasks. Tyler's new existence in life is that of the messenger.

Present day: Amanda has seen Tyler lurking around the hospice. Comforting patients, but what she cannot tolerate is him giving hope to Ron. Ron has been dying of leukemia all these long years. And, Tyler has surely swindled Ron's grandfather, Derek, into selling him Derek's family home. It was kind of Tyler to tell Ron that it was still his home, not that Ron will ever get to enjoy it.

As Tyler walks Shade around the cemetery near his home, he receives a call from the hospice, his services are needed again. After he helps the husband of a dying patient, he checks in on Ron to find Amanda sitting with Ron. She is furious with Tyler for giving false hope. How could this handsome stranger harm Ron is this way. Tyler assures her he is not giving false hope, but he cannot explain, who could tell someone else that the dying have told him it is not Ron's time to die?

On another front, Lord Varre is trying to regenerate from his own grievous wounds incurred centuries ago after one of his ancestors tried to kill him, but Varre is too hard to kill. He is not a normal human with a fragile existence, like Tyler, he is almost immortal. Now, he needs to revive and retrieve that he has given Tyler, his immortality. Many will have to suffer Lord Varre's wrath for the unspeakable act committed against him. Lord Varre will see to it that those who have wronged him received the ultimate punishment...revenge against those who are his own descendants as well.....but he has killed before.....

The Messenger by Jan Burke is another new author for me. It was an enticing story that dealt with ghosts, magic, and immortality. Cemetery dogs to help messengers bring relief for the suffering of those left behind by the dying. It has action/adventure for the adventurous. It has mystery and mayhem for the mystery lovers. It is a contemporary paranormal romance for lovers of romance, with the banter between Tyler and Amanda, and the attraction that is inevitable after Tyler's lonely long existence. Tyler questions his right to have Amanda, cursed as he is with eternal life. She's afraid of dogs, and Shade has and will remain with Tyler for the rest of his unnatural existence. But she is so beautiful and challenging with her quick mind and the ability to accept what others would find unacceptable, making her the forbidden fruit that his body desires. How can he curse her with his love, only to watch her die as he continues to live. Can he watch another loved one perish, look on as she dies leaving him to continue his existence? All these questions and more are answered in The Messenger. This book was a relatively quick read of pure fantasy. If fantasy is your cup of tea, The Messenger will be an appealing book. I enjoyed it immensely wanting the story to continue. For more information about Jan Burke's book, please visit her website.

Since there wasn't a book trailer for The Messenger, I'm adding the trailer for one of my favorite TV shows........The Ghost Whisperer.......Same basic concepts, different sex.



I love watching The Ghost Whisperer.