The Night Drifter [Hardcover]

Susan Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1999

Award-winning author Susan Carroll delighted readers everywhere with her extraordinary novel The Bride Finder. Nora Roberts called the story "an intriguing tale that proves the wounds of the heart can be healed by the magic of true love." Iris Johansen declared that its "dynamite plot . . . keeps you riveted to the last page and still wanting more." Teresa Medeiros pronounced the book "absolute perfection from start to finish." Now Carroll sweeps us back to the moonlight and magic of the Cornish coast, to the billowing mists swirling about the storm-lashed cliffs, to the mysterious St. Legers and the romantic legend of their Bride Finder.

Lance St. Leger is defying his destiny. The eldest son and heir to Castle Leger, he has returned from the army determined to continue his role as rakehell and black sheep, plagued by an infernal restlessness that cannot be appeased. Perhaps because the St. Leger legacy of strange powers is most pronounced in Lance's own dubious gift. He calls it night drifting--his ability to separate his body from his soul, to spirit into the night while flesh and bone remain behind. And it is on one wild night's mad search for a magnificent stolen sword--the icon of St. Leger power--that he finds her. . . .

Rosalind, a young, sheltered widow with a passion for the Arthurian legend, mistakes Lance's "drifting" soul as the ghost of Sir Lancelot. Seeing that she is in need of a champion, the St. Leger rogue assumes the role of the tragic knight, not knowing that this woman is his destiny, his perfect mate.

But deep down in her heart, Rosalind is all too aware she is a mortal woman with very real desires that only a man of flesh and blood can fulfill--a man like Lance St. Leger. The scandal-plagued scoundrel teases and tempts her, fills her with a yearning her chivalrous phantom knight cannot satisfy. And in this place imbued with both true love and otherworldly magic, where blood ties run as deep as eternity, 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.

The Night Drifter captures the magic of Susan Carroll on every page, in the depths of characters you long to reach out and touch, in every breathtaking word that conjures the fathomless power of love--and takes you to the places of the heart where anything is possible. If you believe . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Cornish coast of England, 1800s

Sensuality: 7-8

Susan Carroll's newest historical will make a believer out of the most pragmatic soul! Carroll acquaints readers with Lancelot St. Leger, the son of Anatole and Madeline St. Leger--the perfectly matched main characters from her bestselling novel, The Bride Finder. Lance, a cynical soldier just home from battle, is unwilling to shoulder the responsibilities of the family's holdings, which his role as elder son requires. Instead, he focuses his attention on recovering the recently stolen icon of St. Leger power, a magnificent sword called the Bride Finder. Lance's talent for "night drifting"--letting his spirit leave his body to roam free--which he uses to search for the stolen sword, also leads him to Rosalind, a naive young widow who believes him to be the ghost of Lancelot from King Arthur's Round Table. By day, Lance's scandalous reputation and far-from-chivalrous behavior provoke Rosalind, but by night his portrayal of the ghostly gallant Sir Lancelot woos the romantic long hidden inside her. When the St. Leger's Bride Finder declares Rosalind to be Lance's soul mate, the fun begins! Add a meddling ghost, a secret enemy bent on destroying the St. Leger power, a sensuality rating of 7-8, and The Night Drifter becomes a read you won't want to put down. --Alison Trinkle

From Library Journal

In a desperate search for a stolen family sword, Lance St. Leger uses his "night drifting" ability to let his spirit slip through the walls of the local innAand right into the presence of Lady Rosalind Carlyon, who romantically assumes he is the ghost of Sir Lancelot looking for Excalibur. But Lance is definitely real; and when Rosalind faints at the sight of him in the home of the St. Leger Bride Finder and then revives to learn she has been named Lance's intended bride, her sheltered life abruptly takes a turn for the more adventurousAand the more romantic. Old rivalries, real danger, and an ancient curse combine in this mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful love story that will linger in readers' minds. The award-winning Carroll, who continues the story of the mysterious, strangely gifted St. Leger family begun in her best-selling The Bride Finder (Columbine: Fawcett, 1998), lives in Rock Island, IL.AKR
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345433122
• ISBN-13: 978-0345433121
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,020,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Cliffhanger Ending, December 11, 2002

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Night Drifter: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read "The Bride Finder" I was eager to continue with the story on the children from Anatole and Madeline. It takes place after the battle of Waterloo in which Lancelot the eldest twin son and heir has returned from the war and while his parents are on a grand tour has been left in charge. Lance, having been wounded by an affair of the heart, has turned rather cynical and would rather not have these responsibilities, but as the heir apparent, is forced into it. One more disappointment he would rather not have to divulge to the `dread Lord' his father is the loss of the St. Leger Bride Sword - a priceless family heirloom that gets passed on to the brides found for St. Leger men by the `Bride Finder'.

Most of the St. Leger descendants usually have some kind of supernatural power, Lance's is the power to separate his soul from his mortal body and night drift. Thinking this a great way to search for the stolen sword he happens upon the very young widow Rosalind, who believes him to be Sir Lancelot de Luc of King Arthur's Round Table. Rather than let her know the truth he plays along with her misconception and tells her he is looking for a missing sword - well that was part of the truth.

As it turns out, Rosalind while visiting the Effie Fitzleger, granddaughter of the original `Bride Finder' is astounded when Lance shows up with his brother Val and Effie is hit with the `tingly' feeling that Rosalind is meant to be the bride for all eternity of Lance St. Leger. Rosalind does not recognize Lance as her nightly apparition and wants no part of this reputed St. Leger rakehell. In order to woo the naïve widow, Lance has to continue as Sir Lancelot at night in order to convince her to give Lance St. Leger a chance to redeem himself during the day.

This was a continuation of a wonderful storyline that Carroll has crafted using the unforgettable family created with her stunning `Bride Finder'. She has given us a new plot with interesting characterizations and a real cliffhanger ending to show us once again that true love can heal all!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THANK YOU SUSAN CARROLL FOR GIVING US THE ST. LEGER FAMILY!!, July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Drifter (Hardcover)

The Night Drifter is a wonderful continuation of the Bride Finder and I pray only the 2nd of many in this rich, saga. I had difficulty keeping my eyes tear-free so that I could read. The characters are so very down to earth and yet so magic filled.

I can hardly wait for the next installment; which will surely be the story of Val's bride. But of course there are Lance's children (surely)to consider. What wonderful traits will they develope? Ooow what possibilities.

The Mortmain family introduced in The Bride Finder made a reappeance in The Night Drifter, but with a difference brought about by Lancelot St. Leger in his attitude toward his contemporary ,Rafe Mortmain. This more enlightened openness of Lance brings the hope that perhaps this generational family enemy may, in time, grow from a bitter and bleak family group to reclaimed souls who do not automatically intend death to the St. Legers.

The Night Drifter and its predecessor, The Bride Finder, gave much joy. I am so glad I found them, and now must wait for their sequel(s); which I'm sure are in Susan Carroll's writers' aura.

Bravo Ms. Carroll, what a delectible banquet you prepare for your readers enjoyment!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hero Gets Mistaken for the Ghost of Sir Lancelot, February 21, 2006

By 

Dakota "daxydakota" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Night Drifter: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

THE NIGHT DRIFTER by Susan Carroll is second in a trilogy of paranormal romances about an 18th century English family blessed (or cursed) with inherited magical abilities. In this book, Lance has the ability to separate his spirit from his body to roam the night in spirit form. That's how he meets Rosalind, a young widow who comes to believe she has met the ghost of Sir Lancelot of Camelot fame. Rosalind, of course, falls in love with the ghostly knight, never once suspecting he really is Lance, who she can't stand in person. And little does Lance know that Rosalind is his chosen bride, so now he must compete with "Sir Lancelot" for Rosalind's love.

The book is well written, the story engaging and fluid. I read it in one sitting, and enjoyed it a lot. Lance was a strong hero, and I especially enjoyed his relationships with his saintly brother, Valentine, and his shady friend, Rafe. In fact, in some ways, I felt this book was less a romance story between Lance and Rosalind, and more about how Lance dealt with both the people in his life (including Rosalind) and his magical powers.

What I didn't like about this book was Rosalind's character. She was a strong character, yes, but she also irritated me with her absolute devotion to loving a ghost. It seemed a little too much. I wanted her to get over it, and fast. Another thing I found strange was all the talk about how much of an experienced rake Lance was, yet we didn't get much of a love scene. Sigh.

Anyway, it is definitely a book worth reading, though you may enjoy it more by reading it in order of the trilogy. The first book, THE BRIDE FINDER, is the best in my opinion; it is also about Lance's parents. Lance's book, THE NIGHT DRIFTER, is number two in the trilogy. The last book is about Lance's brother, Valentine, and it is called MIDNIGHT BRIDE.