Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed (Anna Campbell, HarperCollins)

Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed kicks off a new series by Anna Campbell, who has signed with a new publisher, Grand Central Publishing, though she remains with HarperCollins in Australia. It seems that new beginnings agree with her. Declared a bastard and pushed to the fringes of society, Jonas takes his revenge as best he can. However, when he attempts to ruin his cousin with a wager to spend a week with his cousin’s wife Roberta, Jonas is stymied by an adversary he didn’t expect—Roberta’s sister. Sidonie is willing to sacrifice everything by taking her sister’s place, and after a few days in her presence, Jonas begins to feel his desire for revenge replaced by his desire for something real. Campbell has made her name in ‘Regency noir’: dark, edgy, risky historical romance. This novel is more conventional than some of her previous books, but feels stronger for it. While some authors toy with darkness, Campbell is able to exploit it, even if her plot doesn’t delve as deeply as it could have. This novel’s strength lies in the inner life of its two protagonists. For the bulk of the novel there is just the two of them, but readers will not be bored. Instead, the rich emotional landscape provides ample interest, and demonstrates that, while happy endings are almost always assured, it is truly the journey that counts.

Kate Cuthbert is the romance blogger for Booktopia

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Category: Reviews