Susan Carroll spins a sweeping, spellbinding tale of magic, romance, and legend in this beautifully written, utterly gripping epic that illuminates the undying power of love. Anatole St. Leger lives in isolation on the steep crags of Cornwall. He calls on Septimus Fitzleger, the Bride Finder, to bring him the one woman who is his destiny; Madeline Breton. Madeline is convinced by Fitzleger, and dreams of her destiny man. But upon entering the ominous Castle Leger, her dreams are daunted. There's a mysterious air about her husband. Legacies, a curse, something spiritual, something, maybe even true love surround Anatole. As Madeline embarks on this odyssey, she plunges both of them into a fantasy world of spells, magic, power and fate. This hypnotic world illuminates their true love, but offers a terrifying enemy that threatens both their lives.
Chosen by the Bride Finder, a man blessed with amazing insight, Madeline Breton has come to Cornwall to meet her new husband, the enigmatic Anatole St. Leger. But her dream of happiness soon diffuses in his overpowering shadow. Anatole knows only too well the legacies that to him have been more curses than gifts. But as Madeline embarks on an odyssey both otherworldly and undeniably real, she and her husband fall hopelessly in love--until she sees a haunting vision of murder and a terrifying enemy emerges to threaten both their lives. . . .
Ruth Croome, a Blackamoor heiress, was supposed to get married in a gorgeous wedding gown, made from her father’s exquisite fabrics. Instead, they eloped to Gretna Green and upon returning, their carriage was beset by highwaymen and she witnessed the murder of her new husband. Now, four years later, with a child, she wants to move on with her life. A marriage of convenience will do. Ruth already had a love for the ages. Adam Wilky is really the heir to the Wycliff barony—which he never told Ruth. Too much danger. So many secrets. When he was nearly beaten to death and sold into impressment, he thought Ruth had died, too. Ready for revenge, he finally returns and discovers Ruth alive—with a son who could only be his—and she is furious to discover he lied to her. Now it’ll take more than remembered passion if he hopes to win his reluctant wife back... Each book in the Advertisements for Love series is STANDALONE: * The Bittersweet Bride * The Bashful Bride * The Butterfly Bride * The Bewildered Bride
In her award-winning historical novel The Bride Finder, bestselling author Susan Carroll bewitched readers with the legend of the St. Leger men--the descendants of a medieval sorcerer haunted by an unnatural past. Now Carroll once again conjures the unforgettable castle by the sea--a place where love is as mysterious and invincible as the family legacy. . . . Valentine St. Leger is a healer with a wounded heart. Born with the amazing gift to eliminate the suffering of others by taking their pain into his own body, Val's gentle hands cannot change a tormenting truth: he will never marry. According to history, should he defy his destiny and wed, his unfortunate bride would be doomed to an early death. Though he aches for the one woman who knows all his secrets, he cannot return her passion. Until a night of magic transforms Val into a different man, a man with desires he can no longer resist. Kate Fitzleger has loved Val almost her entire life and is not about to let a foolish superstition ruin her chance for happiness. Venturing into a forbidden room of the St. Leger castle to steal an ancient book of sorcery, she desperately hopes to find a powerful love potion. On All Hallow's Eve, when the spirits of good and evil mingle upon the earth, Kate tempts fate with an unholy spell that goes awry. When Val awakens, he has no memory of the bizarre events that have changed him--the visit from an old enemy or the return of a lost heirloom that has altered his soul. All he knows is that life is for the living . . . and his fair Kate is ripe for seduction. He will tempt heaven and hell to have her--even if it means he could lose her forever. Brimming with enchanting characters and stunning atmosphere, Valentine's Bride is a romantic masterpiece that will hold your imagination captive and provide a glimpse of a timeless world found only in dreams or the most treasured love stories.
USA Today Bestseller! From USA Today bestselling author Sophie Jordan comes a scandalously sensual romance in her beloved Rogue Files series. “Deliciously sexy!”—Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author An urgent dilemma… To save her impoverished family, Marian Langley will become a mistress. But she will not be just any mistress. Marian intends to become so skilled, so coveted, that she can set her own terms, retaining control over her body and her fate. Only one problem remains: finding a tutor… A scandalous solution… Other men deprive themselves of pleasure for propriety’s sake. Nathaniel, Duke of Warrington, would much rather be depraved. He slakes his desires with professionals who ask nothing of him but his coin. Marian’s proposal—that he train her without taking her virtue—is an intriguing diversion, until their lessons in seduction spin out of control. And a most unlikely duchess… When Marian is blackmailed into engagement by a man she despises, Nate impulsively steals her away. Though he never intended to take a wife, he can’t tolerate the idea of Marian forfeiting her freedom to another. But can he bear to give her what she demands—a real marriage?
Three generations of Irish nobles face their family secrets in this spellbinding novel from the award-winning author of the Boleyn King trilogy. The Gallagher family has called Deeprath Castle home for seven hundred years. Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, the estate is now slated to become a public trust, and book lover and scholar Carragh Ryan is hired to take inventory of its historic library. But after meeting Aidan, the current Viscount Gallagher, and his enigmatic family, Carragh knows that her task will be more challenging than she’d thought. Two decades before, Aidan’s parents died violently at Deeprath. The case, which was never closed, has recently been taken up by a new detective determined to find the truth. The couple’s unusual deaths harken back a century, when twenty-three-year-old Lady Jenny Gallagher also died at Deeprath under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an infant son and her husband, a renowned writer who never published again. These incidents only fueled fantastical theories about the Darkling Bride, a local legend of a sultry and dangerous woman from long ago whose wrath continues to haunt the castle. The past catches up to the present, and odd clues in the house soon have Carragh wondering if there are unseen forces stalking the Gallagher family. As secrets emerge from the shadows and Carragh gets closer to answers—and to Aidan—could she be the Darkling Bride’s next victim? Praise for The Darkling Bride “A gorgeous concoction of Victorian gothic, mystery, and romance, all with an unforgettable library, The Darkling Bride is the perfect book to curl up with in front of a roaring fire. Laura Andersen has created a masterpiece.”—Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Emily Mysteries “Who can say no to an abandoned castle, a mysterious library, a renowned Victorian novelist, a brooding viscount, and a mystery that goes back several generations? Andersen captures the gothic tone perfectly, drawing you into the secrets of Deeprath Castle. . . . Perfect for reading on a rainy day with a strong cup of Irish tea!”—Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of That Summer
The eldest son and heir to Castle Leger, Lance St. Leger is plagued by an infernal restlessness that cannot be appeased, perhaps because the family legacy of strange powers is most pronounced in Lance's own dubious gift. He calls it night drifting--his ability to spirit into the night while his body remains behind. And it is on one wild night that he finds Rosalind, a young, sheltered widow who mistakes Lance's "drifting" soul for the ghost of Sir Lancelot. Lance teases and tempts her, fills her with a yearning her chivalrous phantom knight cannot satisfy. But in this place imbued with both true love and otherworldly magic, a new dire portent vows to come full circle. As a murderous enemy challenges the St. Leger power, Rosalind must tempt magic herself to save her beloved from the cold depths of eternal damnation.
"A bright, intelligent, heart-tugging romance.” - Kirkus Lisa Berne’s Penhallow Dynasty series continues as a Highlander marries against his will— and discovers he may have found the perfect bride Alasdair Penhallow, laird of his clan and master of Castle Tadgh, is forced to end his carefree bachelorhood, thanks to an ancient decree that requires him to marry. But Alasdair’s search for a biddable wife comes to a screeching halt when Fate serves up Fiona Douglass. Prickly as a thistle, Fiona challenges him at every turn, rendering herself surprisingly irresistible. Her love would be a prize indeed . . . if Alasdair could accept it. Fiona gave her heart once, and doesn’t plan to repeat that folly. Yet she finds herself drawn to Alasdair’s intelligence and strength, and the passion he incites goes well beyond her expectations for what’s only a marriage of expedience. Despite herself, she’s falling in love with her husband. But there’s a high wall between them—and Fiona’s not sure it can ever be torn down.
From 1505 to 1689, Russia's tsars chose their wives through an elaborate ritual: the bride-show. The realm's most beautiful young maidens—provided they hailed from the aristocracy—gathered in Moscow, where the tsar's trusted boyars reviewed their medical histories, evaluated their spiritual qualities, noted their physical appearances, and confirmed their virtue. Those who passed muster were presented to the tsar, who inspected the candidates one by one—usually without speaking to any of them—and chose one to be immediately escorted to the Kremlin to prepare for her wedding and new life as the tsar's consort. Alongside accounts of sordid boyar plots against brides, the multiple marriages of Ivan the Terrible, and the fascinating spectacle of the bride-show ritual, A Bride for the Tsar offers an analysis of the show's role in the complex politics of royal marriage in early modern Russia. Russell E. Martin argues that the nature of the rituals surrounding the selection of a bride for the tsar tells us much about the extent of his power, revealing it to be limited and collaborative, not autocratic. Extracting the bride-show from relative obscurity, Martin persuasively establishes it as an essential element of the tsarist political system.
Valentine St. Leger was born with an amazing gift: He can purge the suffering of others by taking their pain into his own body. Yet Val's healing hands cannot change destiny. Should Val wed, his unfortunate bride would be doomed to an early death.
