Midnight Brunch At Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Blogger is still giving me pains whenever I try to post. I still have that stupid word verification showing before I hit publish. To solve this problem, they say I merely must hit the '?' beside the letters. There is no '?'. Sigh. Hopefully soon the problem will be fixed or I shall have to go all WordPress on their bottoms. On a better note though, our family has a new member. We found (or shall I say he found us) a new kitty. Just a tiny little thing that some one had obviously not been kind to. His whiskers had been cut on one side and so he walks off balance and part of his tail had been shaved off. However, he is a loving little thing and Mayhem our other kitty is slowly getting used to not being the only one. Good thing, because we all already love our new baby. But enough about me, let's talk books.

I have already reviewed the first book in this series and you can find it here. As you can see, I LOVED it and couldn't wait to read more. Well, Marta was kind enough to send me the book I'm getting ready to review today and an ARC for her third release The Bride of Casa Dracula. I read both in one day. Not one day each mind you. One day. I flippin' love this world that Acosta has created. I love it so much, in fact, that I want to share it. So closer to the release day, probably around the first of September, look forward to a Launch Party here at Novel Reads for The Bride! There will contests! There will be interviews! There will be a review! There will be fun! So mark your calendars and be sure to join in on all the fun.

Midnight Brunch at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
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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 vapirism. 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 teh 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 her way home.

Milagro de los Santos, the miracle of the saints, is back in this second installment of the Casa Dracula series. Things have been going great in her little bit of the world. She's in love with Oswald. She loves his family and they love her. She's a new auntie (well, sort of), life on the ranch is peaceful, she's getting ready to go back to The City to attend her good friends wedding, and see Mercedes her best friend, yep, her life is good. That is until Oswald's parents show up, along with a bunch of other vampire family to celebrate the babies birth with a naming ceremony that she won't be able to attend. Oswald's parent's hate her, but there are some vampires who don't. Oh no, there are other vampires that covet her. Her blood that is. Since she is a rare survivor of the infection, and she came through it new and improved, it appears that Mil has become a target, not of the anti-vampire sect, but of the vampires themselves. There are some that believe her blood holds the answer to all their problems and they will do anything to get their hands, erm, mouths, on it.

Secrets abound, and Mil is sick of it. She wants to be included in the family ceremonies. She wants to know all about the genetic disorder that infected her, giving her strange cravings. But most of all, she wants to completely belong to the world of her new friends. She wants to completely belong with Oswald. But it is this very curiosity of their world that throws Mil into a dark and dangerous fight for her life. Where, if she's not careful, she could lose everything she's trying her hardest to be a part of.

But luck steps in just as Mil needs it and she is offered a job re-writing a script for a new movie. The production company pays for her to stay at an upscale spa in the desert while she works, and since she needs to run far away from those she loves and those that want her dead, Mil jumps at the chance to escape.

Soon, Milagro finds herself living with an aging ex-sex god of an actor, running around with a tabloid reporter/English teacher, partying with her new friend the heiress, and trying to figure out how to survive being drained to death by the vampires who seem to have their hand in everything, including this very upscale spa.

What can I say? This book was over way too fast for my tastes. I absolutely adore Milagro and the people that make up her life. Again, don't let the term vampire fool you. These aint your mamma's vamps. In fact, most of them don't even like to be referred to as such. They are simply people who have a rare genetic disorder.

Midnight Brunch has it all. Laughs, romance, mystery, friendships, and a fantastic fictional world you'll never want to leave. Acosta has found the perfect combination for all of the paranormal fans out there that wanted their vamps but wanted something different too. I'm telling you, I could not put it down, and know that these books will grace my keeper shelf, to be re-read and loved for many years.

Take Care