Review: Seven Days - A Painful Love Story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2011
Seven Days by Andrew Grey chronicles most of the major events in Evan Donaldson's life, beginning as a young rent boy on the streets rescued by Father Val of St. Bartholomew's Academy to his adult life as a school teacher and father.Grey paints some poignant images of growing up with abuse and the pain of loss. He creates a strong character in Evan Donaldson. Over and over Evan faces obstacles with courage and strength. His takes a painful childhood and makes a life worthy of admiration. Evan faces adversity, but his refuge is always his best friend Clay Mueller.The two young men meet on Evan's first day at St. Bartholomew's Academy and start a life-long relationship of friendship and support. Their relationship is the backbone of Seven Days. The story follows them through their time at the academy through college and the early days of their careers.The transitions in Seven Days are a little rough in some places. Evan meets a new lover, goes out on a first date, and almost immediately its years later and they're breaking up. The plotting changes might be easier to recognize if the book contained visual cues, such as chapter headings that indicated event dates, or the passage of time.Plotting issues like this do not detract from the story, though. The characters in Seven Days are likable, with the exception of one or two, and the emotions in the story are very real. If you're looking for an erotic romance with plenty of smoldering sex scenes, this is not the book to pick up. Seven Days is a book about the redeeming value of friendship. Grey is a fine writer and Seven Days is worthy of 3.5 stars.Review originally appeared on Blackraven's Reviews