Seven Nights to Forever [Paperback]

My Review:

The Plot:

As a woman fully reconciled with her choices in life, Rose Marlowe has managed through sheer desperation to become the most beautiful and the most expensive courtesan at Rubicon's upscale brothel in London. Born a gentle country miss, obviously this direction she's taken with her life is not her fairytale dream coming true but rather a nasty turn of fate that's made selling her body for a man's pleasure an absolute necessity. Now, for one week each month Rose makes the trip from her wilting country estate to Rubicon's in dreaded anticipation of her body hosting a seemingly endless revolving door of flesh hungry men. But on the first eve of yet another week of torture, Rose meets James and her life is forever altered.

Like Rose, James Archer has made necessary choices in life. Willingly condemning himself to a marriage with a woman that despises him, all in the hopes of granting his younger sister's wish of making a splendid match with a titled gentlemen, James has subjected himself to a cold and endless isolation. When three years elapse without one single gentle touch from a woman, James is at his breaking point. Not a man who condones infidelity, James has even more reason not to trespass upon adultery. His despicable wife has threatened to rescind her sponsorship of James's sister if she's humiliated by an affair. This of course does not apply to her infidelities which rage across the ton like a burning inferno. But with the cloying loneliness overwhelming each and every thought, James gives in to his baser needs and knocks on Rubicon's door.

As a courtesan accustomed to men taking what they want with few incomplete pleasures tossed her way in the process, Rose is shocked and confused by her initial interactions with James. He talks with her, asks for her permission at every turn and gifts her with an endless and unrestrained pleasure that opens Rose to vulnerabilities that she'd rather keep under lock and key. Most of all, it's James's heartbreaking need for such simple pleasures as a kind word or touch, moments that lighten a heart that's obviously hurting. Burdened with her own pain and isolation, Rose goes against her better judgement and agrees to spend seven days on holiday with James at his country estate. Justifying her decision with the thick grip of pound notes James grants her, Rose steals her heart and musters her strength against the emotional onslaught that James's continuous presence is sure to bring.

For the first time in three long years, James is able to revel in seven days of utter selfishness - a mere moment's respite in the scheme of things but a break nonetheless. Yet as each night slips into morning, dawning a new day as well as edging both him and Rose closer to their final moments together, a tumultuous desperation unfurls within him unleashing jealousy and anger. Endless days of isolation awaits him with the termination of their holiday. Stuck in a position that leaves him with zero choices, James tries to resign himself to the remainder of his life with his hateful wife when an idea takes root that could potentially make the coming years bearable. James offers Rose the one position that he think she'll never refuse but it turns out to be the one position she's deeply determined to never fulfill. Both shattered and broken hearted, James and Rose resume their respective lives but when each find that they can no longer tolerate their previous lots in life, Happily Ever After comes sweeping in to the rescue.

The Heroine:

Rose is a captivating heroine as she's a woman with renowned erotic experience and a distinct worldliness but she's also surrounded by an intriguing and fascinating innocence that makes her incredibly endearing. Instantly the reader sympathizes with Rose while building a strong desire to protect her not only from her own self-flagellation but from the cruelty of her forced existence.

James is both a dream come true and a nightmare for Rose. For one, he's the first man to treat her like a true gentleman. He proves time and again that a gentleman isn't just a convenient title for when the occasion warrants it but that he's a gentleman in every sense of the term both in act and in heart. But James also represents the opportunity she's always coveted yet resigned herself to never have, a life where love and family is attainable. But as the saying goes: better to love once than never love at all. And in Rose's case, to love once - even if only for seven days - is worth so much more than a lifetime of enduring without ever having tasted, felt or lived in its embrace.

The Hero:

Deeply complex, James exudes both alpha and beta hero qualities. A man who asks rather than takes, James is not one to be direct unless his emotions drive him completely to the very edge and he's left with no choice but to leap. Rose drives him to that edge time and again as she inflates his heart and soul with untold passion and a boundless love. Instead of an alpha's feeling of entitlement, James is more concerned with worthiness but when he discovers what it will take to make Rose happy, he embraces a very alpha like unstoppable drive as he sets off demolishing every obstacle in his pursuit.

In every essence of the description, James is simply a good man. He comes to Rose out of sheer desperation of a basic human need. Deprived of any type of kindness, he's a man with a wilted soul and who could possibly blame him for drinking from the fount of Rose's heart once he's had a taste.

My final Thoughts:

SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER is pure romance from beginning to end. Focused entirely on the main hero and heroine, this is a character driven plot that revolves completely around two broken hearts.

What particularly struck a chord in this reader is the mirror like qualities of James and Rose. Both are selfless givers that willingly walk the paths they've found themselves on in an effort to protect another. Both are completely and utterly resigned to the choices they've made and the path in life they walk because for them, nothing can change that which has brought them to this moment and nothing will change in the future for the necessity that drives them is forever constant. However, the beauty is that no matter how dire the paths may be, these very same paths that James and Rose damn have subsequently led them to one another. And while they each would certainly love to eradicate the past that has led them to the present, they wouldn't change it. It makes them who they are at their core and perhaps without it, they wouldn't have found the deep love they feel now.

There is only one aspect of this beautiful novel that kept it from reaching an A rating and that's Rose. Her discomfort at the beginning of her and James's holiday, while it can be rationalized as to why, I felt frustration at her behavior which in turn led to frustration with James for not addressing it the way I would have liked him to. Rose's discomfort felt a bit contrived to provide momentum for the plot and slightly out of character and again while one can rationalize Rose's behavior, I would have preferred to do without the frustration.

For reader's looking for a sensual escape that's unencumbered by dastardly subplots, scene-stealing secondary characters, and action scene filler, feel free to submerge yourself into the romantically charged SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER. Enjoy!

After Rose's parents died a few years ago, her 13 year old brother was left without a great outlook in life when most of their money went to cover the family debt. Without many options, Rose decides to take control of her life, and sell her body. A profession where she comes to realize leaves her with little control at all. After two unsuccessful protectors (one married, one abusive) she finds Madame Rubicon's brothel and has been employed there for the past four years. Being beautiful, and having experience, she only needs to work seven days out of each month and then she is able to retire to her country house for the remaining three weeks, and spend her hard earned money covering her brother's luxurious lifestyle.

James Archer has become very wealthy in trade. He is a commoner though, no titles in his family. His father gave him his shipping company and James is set for life, although works extremely hard. Wanting his younger sister to have every advantage, he knew he had marry someone titled. He ends up marrying Amelia, a daughter of an earl. Now his sister is able to have a coming out season, but James is paying for it emotionally. After his wife told him to come no where near her at their wedding breakfast, and she parades her lovers in front of him, James has turned to work, to hide, and forget about his life at home. He is so lonely for attention, and for a woman's touch after three miserable years of marriage, that he finds himself at Rubicon's. He has never been unfaithful to his wife, until this night and he promises himself it will only be this once.

It is here he meets Rose, and they both are surprised at who they find. James treats Rose with respect, and dignity, yet he still lusts after her something fierce. They become friends, and deeper feelings start to run, but at the same time James is still paying for her services, and the word whore is always on Rose's mind.

I loved Seven Nights to Forever. James and Rose are two of the sweetest, most adorable characters I have read about in quite some time. First of all, I love that Rose is a prostitute. It might sound weird to say that, but it is just so different in a historical romance. There is no pretending - she has been a prostitute for four years and that is just the way things are. She doesn't like it, but it allows her to only work one week a month and take care and spoil her younger brother.

When James comes to her he is at the end of his patience. It's tricky to write this story with James married. But, Evangeline Collins makes James's wife so despicable, that honestly, you can't help but push him towards Rose. When he is asked by Rubicon what kind of woman he wants, his first thought is "someone kind." It is heartbreaking to read when he is touched for the first time, or even just held in Rose's arms. He has lived a solitary life for so long, and has to live with a passive façade around his wife, who has shamed him so much. When Rose opens her arms to him, it is so beautiful.

And although there are many romantic, very sexy scenes, I also love that during most of the book, James is still paying for Rose. It is never forgotten that she has been with a countless number of men. When Rose performs a sexual act on James, he can't help but think about how many other men she had done this with. They both wish they had been each other's first, but that is not the reality. And when James takes Rose out of her environment, Rose doesn't know how to act. She doesn't know how to just be a woman, always questioning herself as to what James would want. So - it is not like they meet and everything is rainbows and flowers. It's a struggle to mentally remove Rose from being a prostitute and I think Evangeline Collins handles that extremely well.

My only wish is that the ending conflict with Amelia would have been more explosive. I felt like for as evil, and conniving her character is portrayed, she didn't put up enough fight at the end.

Seven Nights to Forever is one of my favorite historical romances I have read this year because of the beautiful characters Evangeline Collins gives us. I highly recommend this one.

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

How do you take prostitution and infidelity and turn it into a compassionate love story? Ms. Collins answered that question by writing SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER, a heartwarming story of two extremely complex characters who are trying to fit a lifetime of loneliness and love in seven days. The chemistry, not just sexual, between the two main characters was so good that you could feel the passion and the heartbreak that they were going through.

Rose Marlowe is the most beautiful and the most expensive courtesan in London. Her price is so high that she only works one week out of a month. The rest of the time she lives at her country estate that has seen better days. The reasons behind this woman's downfall become clear to us as we get to know her and her younger brother, who is totally oblivious to their predicament.

Three years ago, James Archer, out of necessity and duty, married a titled woman that not only despises him, but hates him for his commoner status. He's more than aware of her feelings as she never passes the opportunity to put him down; he's resigned to it, and willing to put himself through this sham of a marriage only because it'll guarantee his sisters entry into society.

In order to avoid conflict at home and his wife's vicious tongue, James dedicates all his free time to his work. One evening, out of loneliness and after three years of celibacy, hungry for a kind word and companionship as well as woman's gentle touch, he finds himself at Rubicon's, a brothel where he meets Rose.

This is a well-written story in which the subject matter was addressed with care and thought, and not just thrown in our faces. Even though James was no Rogue of Regency novels hero, nevertheless, he was a strong, sexy, and very vulnerable gentle man. His patient and accepting nature pulled Rose in, and she couldn't help but fall in love with a man that selflessly gave of himself to her.

I also want to give Ms. Collins credit in creating a secondary character with a loud voice that you just want to embrace and have a need to know his story as well. This book would not be the same without the character of Timothy Ashton, Rose's best friend and fellow prostitute. Ms. Collins, please let him speak to you. We want to know him better.

It was a pleasure to read this book, and I'm looking forward to many more from Evangeline Collins.

Melanie