Haunted Honeymoon by Marta Acosta

Genre: Comedy-of-Manners, Paranormal, Series
Series: Casa Dracula Series, Book 4
Paranormal: Vampires
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Review copy from publisher.

PJVs QUICKIE POV:
First off, I have to say that I haven't read any of the Casa Dracula series books, which I think is probably why I didn't enjoy this as much as I should have. While the book could be a stand alone - I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I would have read the first three books. But, this book was very enjoyable with a vivacious female lead and two sexy men vying for her attention, along with larger-than-life side characters and and interesting plot sequence - I'm definitely going back to read this one from the beginning.

REVIEW:
Milagro de Los Santos is the only human to ever survive the vampire infection and is regarded as something like a superhero in the vampire community. If they aren't trying to kill her they are staring at her in awe - or trying to get some Milagro action. If only that celebrity could pay the bills. Behind on her condo fees, unable to sell her novels and the one book she did write - as a ghost writer for a lunatic - hit the best-seller list and is raking in millions, but for someone else, not her.

On top of the monetary crisis she is also having a bit of a romantic crisis also. Besides pining over her ex-fiance', Dr. Oswald Grant, philanthropist vampire plastic surgeon, her current beau, Ian Ducharme, ridiculously sexy, mysterious but stand-offish, is making sexy eyes at the stuck-up, perfectly coiffed neighbor with the absurd name of Cricket.

In a bout of desperation she dumps Ian and heads overseas to see her lunatic client and to have a torrid adventure in London. She ends up in a sexy surfer, vampire, activists' bed and in the midst of a torrid adventure affair with one Wilcox - whom she just loves saying his name Wil-cox.

After a week of partying, reality hits home and she heads back to her condo and life. She isn't there for two seconds when she is framed for murder and she has to run and hide - the first person that comes to mind is Oswald. Barely escaping being autopsied and cloned, Milagro makes it to Oswald's ranch only to bump her head and lose her memory. She has to regain her memory to clear her name - and now she can't remember all the reason she decided not to marry Oswald. Does this mean that she has a second chance for marital bliss with Oswald, or will everything screw up again?

Quite an intense plot, dontcha think? I thought so too, but Acosta pulls it off fabulously. The characters are all played out well and I didn't notice any hanging plot lines. The novel is comedic and light, with the character of Milagro full of one-liners and off-kilter remarks. I kept thinking it was in line with the Betsy Vampire Queen novels.

Because this was my introduction to the series, I did feel a disconnect to the emotional ties between Milagro, Ian and Oswald, which in a paranormal romance I find integral. I also thought Milagro was a character I just couldn't respect. She was one of those chick lit characters that everyone else always solves their problems. The ones that bumble along looking sexy, shaking their tails, kissing strangers and then they get a phone call that solves all their problems, or their ex shows up and fixes what is currently wrong. While enjoyable to read, I personally never attach to characters like these. I did like the hot sexy male leads, but there wasn't a lot of them.

Besides what I mentioned earlier, I did enjoy this read and found it entertaining and witty. I liked Acosta's play on words throughout the book and Milagro's sharp and sometimes silly tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you are looking for a fun read, this series might be right up your alley. Fans of Betsy the Vampire Queen should definitely take a look. This is an adult read and recommended for mature readers.