Rating: 
Summary: What a great book!!!!!!
Review: Susan Carroll has hit a full winner with this story. Madeline and Anatole work so well together, that I can easily imagine them together through out eternity, body and soul. Anatole is everything a romance reader could want in a hero, and then some. A child feared by his mother because of his special gift, Anatole just wants to be loved. What a weak man his father must have been to neglect such a wonderful being. All St. Legers have had powers through time so the fact the his father "turned" on him, favoring his mother, is indicative of a very weak and contemptable man. Anatole is anything but, though deep down he fears Madeline's rejection of all he is. It does not help that from the first, she is a practical thinking female who grounds everything in logic. Poor Anatole, he follows his family's legend to the letter (even after all the rejection) and feels that even his bride can't love him.There is a special "something" in the writing that Ms. Carroll captures that makes this story so endearing to its readers. My only complaint, (and its fairly small - but why it only got 4 stars) was that the plot itself, outside the love story of our hero and heroine, was weak. The St. Leger males (not unlike Stephanie Lauren's Cynstr males), are a strong brood who I would like to get to know better. But by using a legend as the basis for everything in the story, I got the feeling that the plot became quickly contrived. Even if our evil cousin Ronan wanted to redeem himself, he couldn't...his path was written once certain deeds had been set in motion. No one (except maybe Anatole and Madeline) can outwit the family legends. Thus saying, I am eagerly awaiting the sequel of Madeline and Anatole's son(s) story(ies?)!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely the best fantasy romance I have ever read
Review: I still have my battered copy of winterbourne that I purchased years ago, but I had no idea that Susan Carroll had written another book. After reading The bride finder I now consider Carroll my favorite romance author. The Bride finder has all the elements of a romance with a new twist on the fantasy elements. The reader will not be disappointed in the end. Anatole is all that one would wish in a leading character. Readers will be delighted to find that the herione Madeline has a brain, as well as beauty. One wishfully romances that all Brides had the St.Leger Legacy upon their marrage. I could not put this book down!!!!!! I can't wait until the sequel The night drifter is released.
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Summary: Unique and utterly wonderful
Review: Wow! This is one of those books that takes your breath away because of the quality of the writing, the unusual premise, the well-plotted story, and the marvelous characters. Carroll's writing is one of the finest in any genre; it is bold, insightful, and arresting, with exactly the right blend of humor, passion, angst, hope, and danger. The author has created what may be the most unique family in all romance literature, and readers are introduced to the magical St. Legers in a way that can only be described as perfect. The characters, the setting, indeed the entire story, will stay with you long after you have read it. It's one of those books you want to reread from time to time for the sheer pleasure of basking in such excellence.
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Summary: Terrific characters & a very different storyline
Review: This was an amazing story. The hero, Anatole St. Leger, is clairvoyant, "senses" when people are near and has telekinetic powers. That's one heckuva burden to bear and if that isn't enough he was emotionally abused as a child. His mother was terrified of him, even though she knew that all St. Leger men had "powers", and kept him at a distance. His father was a weak man who caved in to his wife's wishes. Anatole was left orphaned at 15. His visions usually foretell grim occurrences, which has led Anatole to lead a secluded life as he is often feared. Madeline, is above all else - reasonable and sensible. She marries Anatole by proxy through the Bride Finder. Fitzleger is an elderly relative of Anatole's who comes from a long line of bride finders for the St. Leger family. He has his work cut out for him as it seems that Madeline and Anatole are too different to be fated for each other. They could never be in love with each other and be happy. How wrong you'd be to think that. This book is filled with fanciful "magic", romantic yearnings, funny otherworldy presences (wait until you meet the ghost of the notorious Prospero St. Leger! ) and a couple who are destined to be soulmates. Its a wonderful book, one you won't regret reading. Ms. Carroll is a wonder herself.
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Summary: Will leave you sighing from its romantic perfection!
Review: Oh my goodness. I don't know how I missed reading this book when it first came out but I was sure sorry I had! This book is just breath-takingly romantic. The paranormal aspect is wonderful, creating a hero who will steal your heart. Anatole is tortured and aloof, not wanting anything to do with the "Lady of Flame" who arrives as his bride. Madeline stands up to him however and totally melts his heart. A perfect romance! I loved it! :->
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Summary: Perfection!!
Review: How does one describe perfection...The Bride Finder...would be one way. I sensed by reading some of Ms. Carroll's earlier novels that hers was a rare talent for combining deeply emotional writing with some uplifting sparks of wonderfully humorous dialog. Anatole St. Leger is a very private and lonely man whose childhood left him with more scars than the visible one on his forehead. As head of the St. Leger family, he knows that he must marry and because any St. Leger man whose bride is not chosen by the Bride Finder is cursed he sends for the Bride Finder - a distant relation the Reverend Septimus Fitzleger. Anatole also gives him a list requesting a tall, large-bosomed, horse-loving wife. Well, the resident ghost Prospero - switches the list so that what Fitzleger does find is a tiny petite fairy-like creature that basically scares the hell out of our fearsome hero - the Lady Madeline Breton. The description and dialog of their initial meeting is pricelessly funny! Anatole definitely desires her but having never experienced any gentleness in his young life it was difficult for him to understand what exactly he should do or how to act with this woman who was now his wife. The legends state that the brides found by the Bride Finder would be the 'soul mates' of the St. Leger men - passionate and all-loving. Anatole is at a loss and feels a complete failure that he cannot seem to elicit this passionate response from Madeline. Madeline, something of a blue-stocking - possessed of a very sensible nature - had been the one that had kept her family from ultimate ruin so when approached by Fitzleger and offered a huge marriage settlement that would help her family from impending doom, she agreed to this proxy marriage. She had consoled herself with the locket that portrayed an image of a handsome and gentle faced man whom she had halfway fallen in love though she had never met him. The reality of meeting the very fierce warrior-like Anatole was at once shocking and mystifying. Had her family not spent the generous marriage settlement beforehand - she might just have turned and ran as far away as she could. The rest of the novel is spent with Anatole trying desperately to keep his special powers hidden as well as the resident ghosts, from his bride, Madeline. His tiny but very sensible, forthright, and honest wife who does not believe in ghosts or things that have no logical basis in fact. The secondary plot here is the very real danger from St. Legers' archenemies, the Mortmains - whom it is believed all perished years ago. This is the kind of book and story that remains with you long after you turn the last page. I am so happy that I have the next two sequels to this book just waiting for me to dive into. I highly recommend this book to be placed on most everyone's keeper shelf and enjoyed over and over again.
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Summary: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Review: Typical fairy-tale about Beauty who is "chosen" as the bride of the dark and tortured lord of a misty, dark castle. It however, has all the emotional sensations you could want: innocent awakenings, which grow into understanding and love on both sides, the family with as many peccadilloes as anyone's but which include "special" abilities to heal, see the future, talk to animals, etc. The usual misunderstandings occur between the hero and herione but are overcome. There are tender moments, terrifying moments, moments that make you want to scream "Tell her/him you love him/her!" It all is wound around the terrible abuse and neglect of the hero when he was a child which is the perfect opportunity for her to teach him about real love. The love scenes are sweet not overpowering in their sensuality and you could (almost) read this to a child as a bedtime story. Better yet, read it to yourself as a bedtime story!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: i think that this is a good book one of the best i have read in a long time. I always like the dark and grumpy lord but who has a sense of humor and this one fit to perfection, it was a hilarious book that kept me laughing from start to finish i think madeline and anatole were a perfect couple well done Ms. Carroll.
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Summary: Wonderful to read--you just don't want it to end
Review: One of the best fantasy romance books I've ever read. The world the author creates is believable and intriguing. I had a very hard time putting it down. Anatole St. Leger is the member of a very special family. Some might say they are gifted while others that they are cursed. As descendants of Prospero, the magician immortalized by Shakespeare in the Tempest, they have all inherited various psychic abilities. In addition to be burdened with these unusual skills the St. Leger family must have their spouses chosen for them by the Bridefinder. A member of the family whose gift is to be able to sense the perfect soul mate for each person whether they agree with his choice or not. Anatole sends the Bridefinder of his generation out to find him a wife, but the woman seems to have been misled. She has fallen in love with the kind face in the portrait she was shown. When she arrives at the ancestral home she finds an angry volatile man who is nothing like the image she has come to cherish. He also has the terrifying ability of telekinesis and when he's angry doors slam and things fly across the room. She's convinced she's made a terrible mistake. It's hard enough being married to someone you don't even know let alone someone who scares the dickens out of you. The author weaves an enchanting story of true love. Not the instant physical love you find in most romance books. This is the story of what the love of a couple married in it for the long haul is all about. They come with emotional baggage and reservations. They will fight, have many problems to deal with throughout the years and it won't be easy. Despite the fantasy/romance category this book falls into the relationships seem much more realistic. No one gets along all the time and no one has such perfectly matched personalities that they will never disagree. I highly recommend this book for it's excellent writing, great characters, and wonderful storyline.
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Summary: Utterly Brilliant!! Spellbinding!!
Review: This is one great book!!! The men of the cursed St. Leger family cannot select their wives. They must accept the mate chosen from them by the bride finder. If they accept any other, they are doomed. Anatole St. Leger gives strong instructions to the Bride Finder what sort of woman he wants and will accept. Only Madeline Breton from Cornwall is NOTHING like he wants. Madeline finds herself dealing with a man that is not quite 'normal' and begins to have visions of a murder and a terrifying enemy that threatens both their lives. Absolutely a must!!! Sequal- Night Drifter
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