This historical romance, set in the 1840s, is somewhat unusual in that the protagonists are working-class people rather than aristocrats or members of the landed gentry. Mina Walters has spent the past several years as a teacher at her father’s school. But now her father is dying, the school is failing, and her future is uncertain—until her father reveals the existence of a half-brother, Jeremy, whom she never knew about. (Her mother had formerly been married to Jeremy’s father, a viscount, but divorced him to marry Mina’s father.) Jeremy shows up on her doorstep shortly after her father’s death and whisks her away to an unknown destination.

With no other options, Mina accompanies Jeremy on a weeklong journey to Cornwall, where his plan for her becomes clear: He’s going to marry her off to his father’s illegitimate son, Will Nye, who owns a pub called the Merry Harlot. There’s no love lost between Nye and Jeremy, but Nye agrees to the marriage in order to get his hands on some property from Jeremy’s estate. Mina is desperate enough to consent as well, though she is dismayed by her brutish bridegroom and appalled by the disreputable nature of the pub. As Mina adjusts to her new life, however, she slowly begins to appreciate its—and Nye’s—good points.

It’s worth noting up front that there is surprisingly little prizefighting in this book, given the title (and the series is even called Victorian Prizefighters!). Nye is indeed a prizefighter, and the Merry Harlot does host the occasional fight; but all the actual fighting happens off-page, and the plot would be exactly the same without the prizefighting element. So if you’re hoping for an inside look at Victorian boxing, you’ll be disappointed. But frankly, I was too busy enjoying the rest of the book to be bothered!

I think my favorite thing about this novel is that it feels authentic to the time period. I don’t mind the occasional wallpaper historical, but my favorite historical romances are the ones that transport me to another place and time, and this book is a great example. From the clothes and furnishings to the various household chores Mina performs (cooking, cleaning, etc.), the details ring true. Granted, I’m not a historian, so it’s completely possible that I just didn’t notice the errors—but nothing jumped out as glaringly implausible, and it felt like Coldbreath had done her research.

Moreover, I really liked both protagonists in this novel. Mina is a practical woman who adapts fairly quickly to her new circumstances—almost unbelievably so, but for one early scene where she is temporarily overwhelmed with panic. She doesn’t bemoan her fate but immediately tries to make the best of it, making friends with the pub’s employees and finding ways to be useful to the business. And despite her genteel past and her half-brother’s aristocratic status, she never feels that her current situation is beneath her or that she deserves more. This may be the first historical romance I’ve ever read where the heroine “marries down” and it’s a non-issue.

As for Nye, he’s surly, inarticulate, and often jealous—but also surprisingly gentle and perceptive when it comes to Mina’s feelings and needs. Readers who pine for a good old-fashioned alpha male hero will love him. Though the book is written in third person and limited to Mina’s POV, we get plenty of insight into Nye’s state of mind from his dialogue and behavior—and it’s clear he wants Mina almost from the start. I wouldn’t necessarily describe his relationship with Mina as enemies to lovers, but there’s an antagonistic edge to many of their interactions, including in the bedroom, that definitely keeps things interesting!

One aspect of the book that might bother some people is the plot, or lack thereof. Not a lot happens till quite late in the game; most of the book is just Mina acclimating to her new life as she and Nye get to know each other. A smuggling subplot pops up near the end—not really a spoiler, because it’s the 1800s and it’s an inn in Cornwall, so of course there’s smuggling. Events related to this subplot place Mina in danger and jeopardize her relationship with Nye. But they don’t feel organic to the story; it seemed like Coldbreath shoehorned in these events just to manufacture some drama right before the happy ending. I would rather have had that drama come from the relationship itself, as Mina and Nye have plenty of differences that could have generated a realistic conflict.

I also don’t quite know what to make of Mina’s half-brother, Jeremy. He’s thoughtless and arguably cruel; his insistence that Mina and Nye must marry is both monstrous and ridiculous. He becomes a bit more sympathetic as the book goes on, as it becomes clear that he’s trapped in a terrible marriage and is trying to do right by his young son. But I don’t think that’s enough to redeem his earlier actions—though I think the book wants me to think so. Overall, his character is necessary to get Mina and Nye together, but otherwise I’m not sure he adds anything significant to the book.

Despite these criticisms, however, I ultimately liked this novel a lot! It’s well written, historically accurate (as far as I could tell), and the romance really worked for me. I can forgive a lot in a romance novel if I buy the central relationship, which I definitely did here. I’m excited to read more by Alice Coldbreath—not only are there two more books in this series, but apparently she’s also written a series of medieval historicals that I’m hoping to get my hands on soon!

reviewed by Christina Behe