A review by shantastic
The Bride Finder by Susan Carroll

4.0

Oh, Anatole St. Leger. You are so emo. It is so very hard to take you seriously, but I love you anyway.

This book has the feel of a Gothic. Young innocent girl moves from the big city to a mysterious castle. There are servants who don't like her much, and the master of the castle, our hero, kind of reminds me of the Beast in the Disney movie. Only more emo.

Basically, Anatole had a terrible childhood, which, combined with his being a St. Leger *thunder boom* means that he feels he is just too unsafe for any woman. When he sends the ancient Bride Finder to find is destined mate, he gives the man a list of qualities, none of which Madeline Bretton fits. In fact, she is the polar opposite of what he thinks his ideal mate should be. But Madeline isn't intimidated by the whole St. Leger *lightning flash* legend, and she's inherently cheerful and practical, exactly the sort of woman our hero needs. Watching these two come together is great fun. I especially loved watching them struggle through their marital relations, especially given that Grandpa St. Leger *thunder crash* kept *his* destined bride in the bedchamber for three days. Anatole cannot hope to compete with that.

At times, I found the writing a bit overwrought, but it fit the Gothic theme, so I really didn't mind. The characters were such fun, and I enjoyed watching Madeline discover what it means to be wed to a St. Leger *rain pelts* man.