Marianne Simpson was orphaned and raised by her uncle, a showman. Though respectably educated, once she left school she was obliged to repay the man by boxing for the entertainment of the wealthy. Her uncle’s show, Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre, also includes a knife thrower among the entertainers. THE BOXING BARONESS gained her nickname by having been deceived into marriage with a man who was already married, Baron Dominic Strickland. 

St. John Powell, Duke of Staunton, attends the bouts not just to watch two half-stripped women fight, but because he wants something from Marianne. If he can persuade her to accompany him to France, he might be able to get Baron Strickland to help him release his missing brother, a hostage. 

Politics rears its head, and campaigning of one sort or another, as in 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte is imprisoned and Europe is uneasy. The story actually divides between London and France and might be two different romances, because once the show takes to the road, the proprieties are called off. I greatly preferred the first half, with the details about boxing and training at that time, and much of this is based on an actual female pugilist. Delightfully, we see that St. John and his two best friends boxed at Eton, so they play a very active role. Marianne has no intention of being taken in by a man again, and she knows her worth--she also knows she can't keep fighting or she’ll be damaged in looks, but she has no other job. 

THE BOXING BARONESS by. Minerva Spencer is first in a promising historical romance series called The Wicked Women of Whitechapel, and next up will be THE DUELING DUCHESS. I can hardly wait. Minerva Spencer’s present tale is suitable for lovers of adult romances, with notes on her research at the back. High-time women were shown in their rightful place alongside men--in sport, entertainment, and intrigue. 

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