I found this book more interesting in theory than in practice. I liked the idea of a Latina vampire, but I'm not sure that's what I got.

First the good: lots of non-white characters, realistic dialogue, decent plot and setting, connection of food and culture.

Problem areas: This book has some of the basic problematic Romance tropes - the Magic Hoo-Hah, the heroine who doesn't know she's beautiful, the random sex that solves all problems. It also adds some racial problems - the heroine is Latina, and so are her friends, but the movement of the character is out of Latino culture into WASP culture, and she is explicitly excited about the change. The other Latinos are either servants, or "Magic Latinos," or also trying to leave their culture behind. (The protagonist talks about being Latina, and how important her culture is to her, but the second she has a choice, she dumps it all.) Plus there is a weird twist at the end where it turns out that she isn't REALLY a vampire - she's self-healing.

All in all, it was a fun, frothy read, but when I started thinking about it, I didn't like it. ( )

This funny, frivolous novel gives Gothic literature a new twist. The heroine, a feisty Latina, turns vampire despite herself and finds herself at the center of whirlwind adventures. The writing is snappy and the characters are witty. However the plot becomes quite convoluted, there is a bit too much lusting after pretty boys and the politics of prejudice and money become wearisome. Nonetheless a relaxing fun way to pass a sunny summer day. ( )

They're a mix of chick lit, screwball comedy, and paranormal stuff. A struggling Latina writer accidentally ingests the blood a strange man she meets at a party. Her body starts undergoing weird changes, and so she has to track down the man, deal with his strange family full of not!vampires, and figure out why her nutty ex-boyfriend is going on about slaying vampires, and so forth. The series is fluffy and fun.
***
There are 3 books in the series: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch, the Bride of Casa Dracula.

The best part ever for me: The changing into a not!vampire Latina protagonist and a male gay not!vampire get into an oppression olympics exchange on whether it's harder to be Latino or to have a "Don't call it vampirism; my rich, old European family have been persecuted for having a genetic disease that involves drinking blood," disorder.

It made me laugh and laugh.

I liked the author's writing style - her turn of phrase. However, any time an author creates a character that's competition for the affections of the heroine they run the risk of making the rival a more interesting character. That's what drove me crazy about this book. Ian, the rival, was charming, smart, sexy, and dangerous. A temptation that could maybe be avoided but...he seemed to have really good chemistry with the heroine. The hero, by contrast, seemed like a cold fish throughout the book as well as the second book in the series. Ugh! I'd love it if the author made a spin-off series with the Ian character. ( )

This was a re-read for me, I read it for the first time back in 2006. It was just as good this time around if not better. Ms. Acosta's has created a very unique twist on vampires. Our heroine Milagro gets herself into some interesting situation, most times hilarious. I love her sense of humor. Happy Hour was a fun, laugh out loud, entertaining read. I love spending time in Milagro's world. I'm looking forward to reading the latest in the series The Bride of Casa Dracula, it'll be interesting to see what Milargo has been up to. :)

Reviewed on March 15, 2009 ( )