Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 368

(Release Date:  July 3, 2012)

From the Cover:

Orphaned at the age of six, Jane Williams has grown up in a series of foster homes, learning to survive in the shadows of life. Through hard work and determination, she manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy. There, for the first time, Jane finds herself accepted by a group of friends. She even starts tutoring the headmistress’s gorgeous son, Lucien. Things seem too good to be true. 

They are.

The more she learns about Birch Grove’s recent past, the more Jane comes to suspect that there is something sinister going on. Why did the wife of a popular teacher kill herself? What happened to the former scholarship student, whose place Jane took? Why does Lucien’s brother, Jack, seem to dislike her so much?

As Jane begins to piece together the answers to the puzzle, she must find out why she was brought to Birch Grove—and what she would risk to stay there….

 
When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.


Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.


 The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Jane is a lost soul, she can't remember her past. If she doesn't escape her present, she won't have any future. And if she isn't careful, she'll be used by all those around her.

Birch Grove is an exclusive girl's prep/high school, and Jane is given a scholarship to attend. She sees it as a way out of her life and her hopeless existence. A dream come true. But, as with all dreams, there isn't always a happy ending, and getting what you wished for isn't always what you need. There's more going on at Birch Grove than visible to the eye, and the layers of intrigue need to be peeled away so Jane can discover what has been forgotten and what is yet to come. There are secrets, hidden societies, and dark prophecies that might come true. She'll discover true friends and companionship she thought she'd never find, and love. But, what will be the cost?

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta is a revised, rewritten edition of Marta Acosta's The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove, incorporating a retelling of Jane Eyre (one of my all time favorite stories!!), which is in and of it's self is a dark gothic romance told over the span of a young girl life, filled with unrequited love or maybe it's better to say a love that shouldn't be, but is. In Dark Companion, Jane's story is a hauntingly mysterious dark gothic romance with many undercurrents. If Jane wants to survive, she needs to find a way out of her current life. She needs to better herself, and there's only her to help herself. She doesn't have a family outside of Hosea and he's left her too. But, she buckles down from the rebellious young teen to hard working goal driven girl. And she succeeds, but at what cost? Will she become a companion to the frivolous Lucky who takes her and her blood for granted, or will she fall for his darker older brother, the mysterious and possibly dangerous Jack?

Dark Companion was not a new read for me, I also read The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove, but I have to say, Jane's character has acquired greater definition, more developed, with less background and side story. It's comparison to Jane Eyre is remarkable, I love it!! Marta tells her stories with a slice of humor, most evident this time with the wonderfully glorious characterization of Mary Violet, who waxes poetically (and not always with political correctness) at the drop of a hat and at the top of her voice. She made me laugh on more than one occasion. Jane's story starts with an abusive family to the lost girl trying to make her way, to the realization of love. But, this retelling/reworking of Shadow Girl gives Jane new growth of character, it lets the reader inside to appreciate a greater sense of Jane and her self discovery. Jane was always a likable character, you wanted to reach out to her, to give her hand, to show her which road to travel. She's had so little help in her life, and you hate to see her used in her bid to escape foster care and desperation. Marta Acosta use of the dark gothic atmosphere brings Jane to life with a breath of fresh air, and the story flows together with need, hope, and fear to a blossoming love. The cover redesign is awesome with eye catching detail which all leads to an overview of the story to come. I highly recommend this new YA read. Dark Companion is haunting and will follow you long after the book is closed and the story is over. Paranormal romance/urban fantasy/gothic romance fans will have to give this one a try, it's one not to be missed.

Five out of five fairy kisses for this reader.







I received my copy for review from the author, Marta Acosta. A big thank you to Marta!! All opinions expressed are my own.

Fun Contest and Q & A with author Stefan Petrucha (over @ Vampire Wire)

Wanna check out a fun contest, hear Marta's take on zombies, and Stefan Petrucha answer intimate questions regarding said zombies (or chakz as he refers to them) or at least answer Marta's questions about his new book, Dead Mann Walking? THEN, you need to rush on over to Vampire Wire, cause Marta and Stefan are talkin zombies (or at least about freaking zombie parts....if you know what I mean....*wink* *wink*). Stefan is telling EVERYONE about his leading Mann.... and what you can expect in his new book, Dead Mann Walking!

And remember, I said there was a contest (all of Marta's contests are fun)...so head on over, and leave a comment (or ask Stefan about his chakz and Dead Mann Walking).


(Psssst.....Hey.... while you there.... show Marta some love for her new YA gothic novel, Dark Companion....you're going to love it.... here's a peek at the cover art, though it maybe subject to tweeks and don't forget about her Casa Dracula series.... so good you're going to ask for seconds!)

The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove by Marta Acosta

Publisher:  Sold to Tor Books
Pages:  269

(Release Date:  To Be Announced)

From the Cover:

Jane Williams has suffered personal tragedy and learned to survive by hiding in the shadows of life.  She thinks she will never escape the misery of her foster home when she's offered a full-scholarship at an elite academy.  The school even offers Jane a place of her own to live, the old groundskeeper's cottage in a dense grove of birch trees.

The very pale and very elegant headmistress, Mrs. Monroe, is especially kind and suggests that Jane earn spending money by tutoring her son, gorgeous Lucky.  A popular group of girls take Jane into their circle, and the challenging classes are all she could have hoped for.

It seems too good to be true.  It is.

Marta Acosta has stirred my imagination once again!  I'm not going to be a traditional review, because the book is under going construction....who knows?  A new title, new cover art?  And I'm going to re-read when it comes out with Tor and the review will follow then.  All I can say is that Marta Acosta doesn't fail to make me think, make me laugh, or make me cringe.  This Gothic YA paranormal romance is already a tasty treat.

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 5

Good Morning to Everyone in the Blogosphere!

And since it Monday morning, it must be time for.....

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge!

This week's picture prompt has been chosen by the marvelous AmyC, and it's quite the prompt!!

Is this freaking amazing or what? I love it!! I can't want to see what everyone comes up with! I know Amy was hoping for light and airy (lol, moi write light and airy?) or naughty (hmmm... maybe there's hope for naughty, I kind of like naughty, lol!).

The rules remain the same if you should choose to play along. We have a roomy 350 word count (a little more or less is fine). On Friday morning, we all come back and post our respond to the picture prompt. If you post a response to the prompt, leave Amy or I the link and we'll post it on our Friday post, so everyone can take a peek!

And I totally agree with Amy, Michelle and Blodeuedd, if you come across a picture that you think will evoke a wild, wonderful, or wicked response (any adjective will do!!), let Amy or I know, and we'll use it as well. 

So, on your mark, get set, create! 

And most of all have fun, let your creative juices run free, and have a fabulous week! 

I think I'm channeling Grace Coopersmith this morning, lol, aka Marta Acosta and I have to mention this:  She's offering a free read of her fab book, Nancy's Theory of Style, HERE!! It's an unedited copy, but I have to say, I've read Nancy's wicked words, and laughed my dareaire off!!  Unfortunately, I still have plenty of dareaire left, so Grace, you need to write another book, my review will be up soon!

Caio!

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.

Quick Post for Contests--Jocelynn Drake and James Patterson and Marta Acosta

Hi Everyone!

I have put up a several new contests on my sidebar.

The first is Jocelynn Drake's new book, Dayhunter, which is the continuing story of Mira, Master of her domain, the Savannah. She's a very strong vampire who has survived by her wits to gain great power. She is a firestarter, a vampire with the ability to control one of the deadliest forms of their destruction. There is no coming back from fire. Nightwalker was one of my top picks for 2008, and I couldn't be happier that Dayhunter will be released in April 2009. Ms. Drake is looking for advanced readers for Dayhunter, Book Two in the Dark Days Series. If interested, please visit her blog at http://jocelynndrake.blogspot.com/. It will have to be done fairly quickly because the review needs to complete before Dayhunter is released.

Also, At Home With Books, is giving away TWO audiobooks by James Patterson courtesy of the Hachette Book Group, three copies of each are available.

'Max', continues the story of Max and her friends..... Maximum Ride and the other members of the Flock have barely recovered from their last arctic adventure, when they are confronted by the most frightening catastrophe yet. Millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii and someone-or something-is destroying hundreds of ships. Unable to discover the cause, the government enlists the Flock to help them get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late......

'Run' continues the story of Detective Mike Bennett and his twelve children......A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful, the arrogant, the don't-give-a-darnst-about-anyone rich. For some New Yorkers it seems that the rich were getting what they deserve at last. For New York's social elite, it is a call to chaos and terror. The Teacher's message to the wealthy is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences.......

Though two complete different stories, James Patterson's use of life, love, and hardship make each story a worthy read. My heart broken when Bennett's long suffering wife died. Max, on the other hand, is a fantastic ride into the unknown, with the help of her flock of friends.

Also at Wendy's Minding Spot, she's giving away James Patterson's Sail
From the Cover: Since the death of her husband, Anne Dunne and her three children have struggled in every way. In a last ditch effort to save the family, Anne plans an elaborate sailing vacation to bring everyone together once again. But only an hour out of port, everything is going wrong. The teenage daughter, Carrie, is planning to drown herself. The teenage son, Mark, is high on drugs and ten-year-old Ernie is nearly catatonic. This is the worst vacation ever....

This is a story of one mother's struggle to keep her family together and in one piece, but is she too late, will they break apart or will she pull them together? James Patterson's wild adventure begins with Sail.



Darques Reviews is holding a Marta Acosta giveaway of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. 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......

Everyone check out these great sites for fabulous reads.

Dottie