Review- The Bride of Casa Dracula

Marta Acosta
Paranormal Fiction
368 pages
Casa Dracula #3
Excerpt
Simon & Schuster


Synopsis:

Milagro De Los Santos is having serious problems planning her wedding to fabulous Oswald Grant, M.D. Her future in-laws loathe her, her dog just died, and Oswald's family has a genetic anomaly that makes them crave blood. Then her extravagant best friend hijacks the role of wedding coordinator, and the secretive Vampire Council assigns conniving Cornelia Ducharme to guide the couple through the ancient vampire marriage rituals.

To top it all off, Milagro's career is on the skids. She's reduced to ghost-writing the memoirs of a loony little man who claims to be a shapeshifter. And why does Cornelia's decadent, way too attractive brother, Ian, always show up whenever Milagro is away from Oswald? When a series of accidents interferes with wedding plans, Oswald worries that Milagro is cracking under the pressure. Is she just paranoid, or is a hidden enemy trying to make sure Milagro doesn't wed the undead?



Review:
Milagro De Los Santos remains one of the most interesting characters I know, with her quick-wit, sharp tongue, and flirtatious manner.  She demands full devotion from the reader, and with me she gets it.  But with every series, the main character is going to change.  Sometimes the change happens early on and sometimes it happens so subtly you're not even aware of it...until you're aware of it.  A main character's transformation is key to a winning series, because it establishes growth and depth to the character...whether you agree with their changes or not. The Bride at Casa Dracula really showcases Milagro's adaptation to her new life, and wonder where that might put her in the future. 


Milagro is preparing for her upcoming wedding to Oswald, but everything isn't going as she imagined.  Edna has left the ranch to galavant vacation with her actor boyfriend, Daisy is gone, the Council has her running through hoops to prepare for their traditional ceremony, and Oswald is working harder than ever before trying to keep up with the demands of his growing practice.  This leaves Milagro by herself a lot, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It creates an opportunity for both her and the audience to finally answer some questions/doubts.  I enjoyed watching her wander through these tough truths.


There are a couple new characters to surprise you in this story, and each are mysterious and interesting.  The surprises they have in store for Milagro (and the reader) keep the series intriguing and the reader constantly guessing.  The plot is fast-paced and I'm pretty sure I read this book the fastest yet... I just HAD to know.  


Bottom line: Non-stop emotions, and questions, and head-scratching.  Fans will love where this takes you. 


3.5 stars