”The Bride Finder” by Susan Carroll (published paperback edition 2006 (1/30/99 original publication))
Anatole and Madeline
(Gothic setting romance believed to be set in the Georgian period (probably more toward 1800), Cornwall, England (no actual date noted.))
Anatole St. Leger comes from a long line of men that hold a menagerie of mystical powers – anything from Anatole’s psychic abilities to know the future and levitate objects, to one of his cousins being able to “see into the true soul” of another. With the first of his line, Prospero, a great sorcerer with the charms of a Don Juan still haunting the very “Castle Leger” he lives in, there’s not much escape for Anatole from the unusual (to say the least) legends he’s been born into, much to his dismay.
The time having arrived to choose a bride, Anatole knows the consequences, harsh and fatal, of going against the legends and making the choices himself, despite his reservations. Only the Bride Finder knows the destined perfect mate for a St. Leger man, and so Anatole sends him on his quest to ascertain who he will be obligated to pledge his heart and soul to for all eternity (as the legend goes). Of course, not before trying to influence him on the type of woman who he feels could stand up to his horrific countenance (as Anatole sees himself -- and not too far off the mark in reality). Making a laundry list to assist the Bride Finder Vicar Fitzleger, it contains qualities like large and buxom, with a sturdy frame and no-nonsense personality, not easily scared off or fragile. In this way Anatole feels he will be able to endure what he sees can only end up in reality as a marriage of convenience. Afterall, what woman in her right mind would want him – a beast in his gothic castle in the wilds of Cornwall? However, Fitzleger, with the added ghostly unknown assistance of Prospero, has other ideas about what is best for the tough as nails warrior on the outside, yet sensitive and loving at his core Anatole.
Fitzleger is “guided” by his own special gifts (as yes, the Bride Finder is actually a “Fitz” (meaning “bastard son of”) a St. Leger himself. The illegitimate son of Anatole’s great grandfather, Fitzleger has inherited the special powers of the line as well. He quickly hones in on Anatole’s mate of his heart, the only perfect woman for Anatole – Madeline Breton
Madeline is the only member of the Breton clan who seems to have any common sense. A bluestocking and mere slip of a woman with the good sense to keep all her family’s penchant for frivolous living under control from one day to the next. She’s a regular juggler of keeping all their overspending and over-socializing from toppling down on them and leaving them destitute. When a chance meeting with Fitzleger leads her down the path that her wisest choice is to marry by proxy the unknown yet wealthy Anatole, she comes to a decision quickly, practical woman that she is; it’s her family’s only hope of salvation out of its quick descent into bankruptcy. How bad could it be Madeline wonders? With the miniature portrait from Fitzleger of a poetic looking young man clutched to her breast and her head filled with the Bride Finder’s assurances that only she can fulfill the prophecy of the perfect love for Anatole, she sets out from London to the wild back country of Cornwall full of nothing but hope, happiness, family and babies for her future.
Upon Anatole and Madeline’s first meeting they are completely taken unawares of the reality of the other, in no way matching the expectations of each. Anatole is convinced the first time he lays with this fairy princess of a woman, she will be crushed under the weight of him alone, if not frightened into complete hysterics beforehand. Madeline is certain the dark, large and looming lord who has ridden up on a great destryer stallion, long black hair flying in the breeze, cannot possibly be her young, sweet-faced prince. From this point on, each will little by little disspell the stereotypes the other has created in their head, and find a love so deep with one another, they will genuinely be the most potent example of the Bride Finder’s certain powers.
This book is such a moving tale – really a true fairytale romance from beginning to end. Yet oddly enough, it rings true with so many real life relationship details that can’t be ignored that it’s a testament to Susan Carroll’s writing skills: She puts the fantastical together with paced and precise plotting, leading the reader to the end with just the right amount of suspension of disbelief necessary to go from reality to fantasy. There are no great leaps of logic that are necessary other than the fairytale premise itself’s magical elements, as the protagonists are instilled with very human characteristics necessary to emotionally travel through the book. It takes time and mutual trust and getting to know the other, flaws and all, for these two to find the love they are destined to have with one another. As intriguing as the fantasy plot was, it was all about the romance!
Anatole comes from a loveless and abused childhood, his parents so caught up in their own unfulfilled dreams they selfishly ignore little Anatole’s pleas for love and inclusion in their lives. And oh, can Susan Carroll write a tortured hero. My heart just ached for Anatole’s lost childhood and the cruelness heaped upon him by his mother’s overwhelming fear of the “other worldly gifts” of the St. Leger men, including her own baby. Naturally, with a rejecting mother and an emotionally withdrawn father, Anatole grows up very lonely, distrusting, guarded and cynical in the ways of love, feeling completely unworthy of Madeline. He’s built his emotional fences high in order to remain invulnerable, yet inside he can’t help but long for the sweet and beautiful Madeline, his one and only chosen bride. Madeline, though fraught with her own insecurities, with her gifts of common sense and no nonsense approach to life, hangs in there and doesn’t allow Anatole to run over her despite all his overwhelming outbursts of temper. She ultimately has the patience to allow Anatole to slowly come to terms that she, unlike his parents, will not shut him out permanently and he slowly lets his guard down as he falls in love with Madeline and she with him.
This is not a fast-paced romance full of lusty sex scenes. I read a review on this book at another site wherein the reviewer called it a “bodice ripper”; a description which couldn’t have been farther from the truth. That reviewer obviously had no idea what the true definition of a bodice ripper novel consisted of, as this romance smoothly and succinctly follows a trajectory of inevitable romantic love to a crescendo that leaves the reader as breathless as the story’s lovers. When these lovers finally let down their guards and make true, passionate love as only those who are securely sure of their love for one another at last, it was a scene right out of the most romantic love stories that anyone can imagine. Like many, I read a lot of different types of romance novels for a lot of different moods and reasons. Read this book for it’s deeply emotional journey and complete immersion into the life and love of these two people. You won’t be sorry. I closed this book with a smile on my face and a heartfelt *sigh*. Truly a keeper if I’ve ever read one.
K.
[NOTE: Mainstream “PG-13 to R” rated sex scenes, minor graphic sexual references; no graphic language; minor/non-graphically described violence; considered suitable reading for teens 16+ (younger teens with parental guidance).]