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The Bride Of Casa Dracula

Marta Acosta

Published 2008           368 pages

The Summary (from the book jacket)

Milagro De Los Santos is having problems planning her wedding to fabulous Oswald Grant, M.D. Not only do her future in-laws loathe her but they have a genetic anomaly that makes them crave blood. Milagro’s extravagant best friend hijacks the role of wedding coordinator, but then the secretive Vampire Council assigns conniving Cornelia Ducharme to guide the couple through the ancient vampire marriage rituals.

And why is Cornelia's decadent, way too attractive brother, Ian, always showing 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?

The Review

The Bride of Casa Dracula is the third book in Marta Acosta’s Casa Dracula series.  If you haven’t read any of the Casa Dracula books before don’t start here.  Start with Happy Hour At Casa Dracula and read the books in order – this is no hardship since they are all exceedingly good reading!

The previous two books in the series have seen Milagro accidentally turned into a vampire, fall in love with plastic surgeon (and vampire) Oswald Grant, make a place for herself within Oswald’s snobby family and foil various bizarre plots (by assorted people) to kill her.  However, Milagro is irrepressible and none of this has got her down.  She is still writing her political horror novels (that nobody wants to buy) and waiting for her big break as an author.

The Bride of Casa Dracula sees Milagro planning and preparing for her wedding to Oswald which is just a mere three months away.  If having to contend with her wedding plans wasn’t enough she also has to negotiate for official recognition as a vampire from the Vampire Council.  The Council have a Rules Committee that Milagro must meet and impress if she wants to join.  The Committee have all sorts of odd rules for Milagro, which clash with her free spirit – and that’s before they ask her to swear allegiance to the vampire nation, renouncing America!  Clearly Milagro has her work cut out for her if the wedding is going to proceed on schedule.

With her ex-lover (Ian Ducharme) popping up when ever Milagro away from Oswald and her wedding plans going awry, Milagro has more to worry about than the vampire council.  Soon she is convinced that someone is trying to kill her (and based on her past experiences it’s not an unlikely scenario) but since she is unable to prove it Oswald seems loath to believe her.

In my opinion The Bride of Casa Dracula is the best book of the series.  It combines the language and the Jane Austen-ish romantic comedy of manners style of Happy Hour At Casa Dracula with the faster romance mystery pacing of Midnight Brunch and effortlessly comes out on top.  The comedy is laugh-out-loud funny in places as Milagro continues her personal journey to be “serious and sincere” which is at such odds with her silly nature.

Fast paced, funny and hip - Marta Acosta’s inimitable writing style makes The Bride of Casa Dracula a must read for vampire fiction fans.  It also has a wide cross-over appeal and I would recommend this novel to anyone, even readers who wouldn’t normally choose paranormal romance, since it has such a wide entertaining appeal.

Loved it!

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