Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed by Anna Campbell

Will a week of seduction…

Desperate to save her sister’s life, Sidonie Forsythe has agreed to submit herself to a terrible fate: Beyond the foreboding walls of Castle Craven, a notorious, hideously scarred scoundrel will take her virtue over the course of seven sinful nights. Yet instead of a monster, she encounters a man like no other. And during this week, she comes to care for Jonas Merrick in ways that defy all logic—even as a dark secret she carries threatens them both.

…Spark a lifetime of passionate surrender?

Ruthless loner Jonas knows exactly who he is. Should he forget, even for a moment, the curse he bears, a mere glance in the mirror serves as an agonizing reminder. So when the lovely Sidonie turns up on his doorstep, her seduction is an even more delicious prospect than he originally planned. But the hardened outcast is soon moved by her innocent beauty, sharp wit, and surprising courage. Now as dangerous enemies gather at the gate to destroy them, can their new, fragile love survive?

Rating: B

There were a few things that didn’t quite work for me in this book, but on the whole it was an engaging and often sexy read.

I think the problem with “Beauty and the Beast” stories like this one is that the Beast has to be sufficiently beastly whilst being attractive to both the heroine and the reader – and that is a difficult balance to find. Unfortunately, I don’t think the author got it quite right in this case. If Merrick had been as cruel and unfeeling as she would have us believe, he would, surely have taken his ‘payment‘ without compunction. Instead, he is immediately compassionate and ultimately intrigued enough by Sidonie to allow her to remain untouched and to strike a bargain with her.

That said however, it seems to me that what we have in our Beast is someone who is so convinced of his lack of goodness and finer feeling that he is determined to live up to his public image for profligacy and ruthlessness. His scars are not just physical, which is not at all surprising given what we later learn of his childhood and he’s a good man beneath all the self-loathing and the cynicism.

I enjoyed the way the relationship between Merrick and Sidonie developed. There was plenty of verbal sparring and lots of sexual tension; and I felt that it was very important that when the pair finally ‘did the deed’ , Merrick had released Sidonie from her obligation so she could make her own choice.

I have to say that I wasn’t really over keen on all the blindfold sex, and confess to being somewhat incredulous at Sidonie’s fast transformation from blushing virgin to a woman who felt reasonably confident tying her lover to the bed posts!
But then I suppose this is a romance novel…

The final third of the book felt a little rushed and occasionally a little muddled; Sidonie suddenly made a miraculous recovery after spending three months hiding away, a shadow of her former self and follows Merrick all the way to Devon whereas before she’d barely had the energy to walk to the end of the street!

But of course, it all works out and our Beauty and her Beast get their hard-won HEA.

Despite my quibbles, I enjoyed the book. It’s well written and the romance was well developed. Merrick was an extremely virile, attractive hero, despite his facial disfigurement and while I’m less enthusiastic about the character of Sidonie, on the whole I thought they were well matched.

This is the first in the Sons of Sin series, and I’ll definitely be looking for the other titles on the strength of this one.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.