The St. Ledgers are all possessed of strange magical powers. Anatole moves things with his mind and sees visions of the future — visions that warn him against a red-haired woman. But when he sends the family bride finder for his intended bride, with a detailed list of what he needed, he is presented with a red-haired woman who seems to be the opposite of everything he wants. Yet this, the bride finder assures him, is the woman he is destined to marry.
I loved the magic of this story, seamlessly interwoven with historical England. The myths and legends came to life as Anatole and Madeleine came together — from curses to visions to ghosts to family enemies who should have been dead.
Anatole was angsty — a bit too angsty for my tastes at the beginning although as the story unfolded we saw the reasons. His mother never should have married his father — she was the wrong woman, not chosen by a bride finder, and in the end she rejected her own son. Anatole sought the love he never received from his parents in Madeleine, but he had idea how to love and ended up keeping her at arm’s length by keeping secrets from her.
My only real complaint here is that I felt Madeleine was a flat character. She came across more as an idea than a real woman, and it hurt the romance.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read. I intend to look for more books by this author. I recommend to paranormal romance lovers.
Rating: 4/5
Title: The Bride Finder
Author: Susan Carroll
Published Published January 30th 1999
ISBN: 0449003884
