Earl of St. Seville: Wicked Regency Romance

Christina McKnight is able to engage the reader from the beginning of this story and not let go until the last page. She captures the essence of the time period and introduces a new subject not often expanded upon in historical romances. This is a story involving boxing and the uglier side of what can happen to the fighters, which we all know today, but not talked about as much then. Lady Patience Lane, daughter of legendary female boxer and trainer Ivory Bess, is on a mission. Her mother had sustained substantial injuries from the sport and ultimately passed away due to severe injuries. Patience is trying to educate others on the dangers of boxing so this does not happen to them. But as fate would have it, in steps Sinclair Chambers, Earl of St. Seville who has come to London to try to earn money by boxing. He is desperate to generate funds fast for his estates and looks for the best trainer to help him. Of course that is Patience, but he has to convince her first to work with him. Can Patience help him yet follow her missive to keep Sin safe while training? As they spend time together, they are drawn more and more toward each other. But as secrets are revealed and trust is in question, the price might be too high to keep the two together. I truly enjoyed this story and encourage anyone to read. It will keep you captivated with the courage, trust and love of these two characters.

Lady Patience Lane, daughter of the Earl of Desmond and legendary boxer Ivory Bess, grew up learning to fight, not how to mind her manners. Following her mother’s untimely death she’s determined to save other families from the same heartache, by teaching others about the dangers of boxing. Sinclair Chambers, the Earl of St. Seville and known as “Sin” to his cohorts, inherited an insolvent estate. He has to make money, and fast, or his tenants & family will starve. The prize purses from the bare knuckle fighting will go a long way to solving his problems, if he can win them. Another very good read in the Wicked Earls series & a full length novel. The characters are very well portrayed, Patience is shunned & scorned by most of the ton because of her feelings about fighting & the injuries it can cause but Sin sees her as a beautiful, caring woman. Sin is desperate to help all the people he holds dear. The pair meet & after his first fight Patience insists on being his trainer, the pair are attracted to each other but it takes nearly losing each other for them to realise how they feel. I love the authors books & this was up to her usual standard & a great addition to the series. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

In this unusual Regency romance, Lady Patience is on a one-woman mission to warn pugilists about the risks they take in participating in the sport. Apart from the antagonism she arouses in the organisers of the fights, she is an embarrassment to her family and friends as well. It is generally thought that she should put her time and energies into finding a husband instead of confronting the fighters. When he Earl of St Seville escapes from her home after her father brought him home as he had been accosted in the streets, Patience sets out to find him and when she realises that he is hell-bent on participating in fights to solve his family monetary problems, Patience offers to help train him. The story revolves around training a pugilist and preparing him for a fight, which might just not be fair. The story is clean and well written with some suspense, however I was surprised at the subject matter of this book and the manner in which Patience set out her training program. Despite the ridicule that Patience has earned at the expense of trying to get her message across, Sin is protective of her and sees in her a woman who cares. I enjoyed the book and the romance that bloomed between Sin and Patience despite it being so different. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.