Wicked Earls’ Club is an anthology series of 12 books, each written by a different author. Each installment tells the Regency-era tale of a different ‘wicked earl’ and his meandering path to true love. I read installment 11, Earl of St. Seville. Obviously, I was attracted to the concept of an earl bad-boy and his sultry pirate-inspired good looks. While I enjoyed the story well enough, I didn’t find anything particularly wicked about it, ergo I was disappointed.

Lady Patience is an activist and pamphleteer. She aims to educate the masses on the dangers of pugilism, or boxing. Having witnessed the decline and eventual death of her mother, a pugilist champ in her day, Patience wants to spare anyone the hardship her family has endured. Sinclair “Sin” Chambers, the Earl of St. Seville, is in London for one purpose; to save his estate from complete financial ruin. He plans to win prize fights and use the proceeds to save his estate on Brownsea Island. While Patience abhors the thought of Sinclair in the boxing ring, she’s an expert on the sport and agrees to coach him despite her better judgement.

I enjoy historical fiction. I found the subject matter and supporting details of the tale to be interesting and engaging. Ultimately, however, I don’t feel the book lived up to the series title. Where are the wicked? No one in the book behaved particularly wickedly, and Sin, in fact, is not nearly sinful enough. McKnight does a wonderful job building romantic tension between Sin and Patience. However, the ultimate execution was largely unsatisfying.

If you like your romance chaste, Earl of St. Seville is an excellent, entertaining read. If you’re like me and prefer your earls truly wicked, and a little more scintillating, you’re best to give Sin and Patience a pass.

Sinclair Chambers, Earl of St. Seville, is counting on his brute strength to win enough bare-knuckle fights in London to save his earldom and the people who depend on him. Being in London is the last place he wants to be until he meets Lady Patience. Turns out Patience's mother was a famous bare-knuckle fighter as well. When Patience offers to train Sin in the fine art of fighting, he has no choice but to accept her offer. What these two don't realize is that their lives will be forever changed.

I was not a fan of this book even though I do enjoy Ms. McKnight's books. When I read a regency romance, I prefer romances that follow a more traditional theme. I did not care to learn about the fine art of boxing nor that her mother was a famous fighter. I did finish this book, but there were many times I just wanted to put it down.

Lady Patience Lane is a crusader against boxing. In The Earl of St. Seville, she is the daughter of the famed Ivory Bess, one of the most famous female fighters. But having lost her mother due to the side effects of boxing, Patience wants to prevent others from losing their loved ones, or their own lives.

Sinclair (Sin) Chambers, the Earl of St. Seville, has come to London in hopes of earning prize money. He discovered that his father left the estate in financial ruin. He can think of no other way of saving his family and their loyal workers.

But there’s a big difference between fighting the lads at Brownsea and fighting a true prizefighter. As much as she objects to prizefighting, she hears of his plight. Patience knows that she must use all of the techniques her mother taught her to help Sinclair.

She takes him to Southlund House, her mother’s training academy for boxers. After a few short lessons, he is better prepared for his bout.

Different And Unexpected

This book is certainly as far away from a typical Regency romance as any story I have ever read. Although many a tale has included a prizefight or two, none involve female boxers. And none showcase ladies who know so much about boxing.

Certainly the fact that Patience not only knows how to box herself but also enough to know how to train a fighter makes her character far removed from the typical ton debutante.

Having the male protagonist be the one who is saved by the knowledge and expertise of the female, also makes the story unique. While females often “save” the hero of the story, it is unexpected when the young lady is the one with the expertise and knowledge of a very masculine undertaking.

This is the 11th book in The Wicked Earls Club series. This book works very well as a standalone novel if you’ve never read other books in the series. I have not read any of the other books by Christina McKnight but do look forward to getting ahold of more of her work.

Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.

3.5 stars

Patience and Sin are both pretty unique for their time. Patience has spent the last five years crusading against the dangers of boxing, and her single-minded focus has all but alienated her from society as well as most of her family. And Sin may be an earl, but he has lived his whole life on an island focusing on things like tilling the land and repairing homes. When he inherits the title and learns his father has all but run the estate into the ground he decides to go to London in search of a quick way to make some money. His sheer size and strength coupled with his success fighting other men on the island he calls home leads him to believe he can make that money in back-alley fights, but he feels a bit like a fish out of water when he arrives in the city. He has little in the way of fine clothes, no friends to speak of, and navigating the hierarchy of the ton is outside his realm of experience. His father was part of the Wicked Earls Club and he is hoping that one of the men who knew his father would be able to help him.

A chance meeting between Patience and Sin intrigues them both, but Sin needs to be focused on his reason for coming to London. They cross paths again as she is attempting to lecture the peer who sets up the fights and Sin is arriving to meet with him, so Patience sets her sights on educating Sin instead. She takes all sorts of risks with the reputation she really cares nothing about anymore, but even Sin knows she is playing with fire. Fortunately he was raised a gentleman and he does his best to protect her from herself, but when she shows up at his first fight by herself only to witness his first loss, she makes a snap decision to help him instead. She doesn't want to inspect her reasons for that choice too closely as she braces for the heartache that is sure to hit when she walks through the doors of her family's boxing club again for the first time since her mother's death.

Patience's observation that he looks more like a pirate than a titled gentleman of society fits with the cover image well, and I have to admit I liked Sin far more than Patience although neither really lives up to the suggestion of their names. He is a far better man than many who hold titles in this time, and it shows through his thoughts and actions. Patience on the other hand does not possess an abundance of that characteristic, and I had a very difficult time liking her for most of this story. She is certain that she is right and all others are wrong when it comes to boxing despite her own mother's experience with the sport. She also acts with the impetuous nature of a spoiled child since her father has essentially encouraged her actions over the years.

Despite my feelings on the heroine, I did stick with the story from start to finish which is a testament to the author's writing. I have always enjoyed Ms. McKnight's stories, and she was able to weave a tale that kept me flipping the pages to find out how it all played if not for any other reason than to see how Sin gets himself out of the predicaments he finds himself in.

Book 11 of Wicked Earl's Club series, it can be read as stand alone.

Sinclair Chambers, tall, strong, manly and hardworking, has just inherited the title of Earl of St Seville, but the estate was in a bad state and there was no money to save the land and its residents.
Unlike other nobles who soon think of marrying an heiress, Sin decides to make some money by fighting boxe.
But despite his physical strength and height, in his first fight, which he lost shamefully, he discovers that inside the ring the technique is more important than brute force.
Since he needed to earn a fair amount of money to save his land, he decides to hire someone to train him.
That's when Lady Patience appears in his life.

Daughter of Ivory Bess, Patience lived in the world of the rings. She knew all the tricks, techniques and dangers.
Patience was more concerned with passing on the information of the dangers involved the match, but Sin was able to convince her of his need.

With the passing of the days, the coexistence of both gives birth to a strong feeling.
Sin still had responsibilities on his back, but more importantly now, he wanted to win another kind of fight: Patience's heart.
4 stars

Haha loved this story. The hero and heroine keep you entertained from beginning to end. This one of my favorite Wicked Earls books. Colorful characters, delightful diolague, and interesting story line

Patience is a crusader against bare-knuckle boxing. Her mother died suffering from injuries incurred practicing the sport, and Patience will do anything to end it.

However…. The earl of St Seville is arrived in London to use his big body to save his island.

“The Earl” has an interesting historical twist, and plenty of romance to go along.

I enjoyed this book immensely

Sinclair Chambers, the Earl of St. Seville and known as "Sin" has traveled to London to try his luck at becoming a bare-knuckles prizefighter, boxer to earn some quick cash for his estate. He’s low on funds and this seems like the best way for him to earn some money, after all he’s never lost a fight on the Island he calls home. Lady Patience Lane, daughter of the Earl of Desmond and legendary boxer Ivory Bess, grew up learning to fight, but after he Mother died from complication from her years of boxing she’s made it her mission to been teach others about the dangers of boxing.
Sin mistakenly believed he can take on and beat all comers that is until he learns that there is more to boxing than brute strength. Lady Patience witness’s Sin losing his first fight in the boxing ring and offers to train him, under certain conditions will she help him to get the cash he needs to pay the man who lost money when he fronted Sin’s first fight, and Patience to help his home and its people. Sin and Patience come together, grow closer, that is until she realizes he’s not going to stop at just one fight.
Can a romance blossom and survive when based on a lie? Will Patience come to realize Sin is everything she wants in a mate, he’s strong, dependable, and responsible, he understands her as no ever has? Patience goes through grieving process, especially when she brings Sin to her Mother’s boxing club to train. Sin realizes how hard it is for her to in the boxing ring with him and his respect for her continues to grow as does his love for her. This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

This story was not my cup of tea. Parts of it were interesting, but it dragged on for me.

With the two main characters known as Sin and Patience, this was going to be an interesting read. The Earl of St. Seville by Christina McKnight has an interesting beginning. The Earl of Desmond has travelled to the seedier parts of London to distribute flyers produced by his daughter, Lady Patience Lane, as she is trying to prevent further boxers from dying later in life, from the injuries sustained during their fights. Patience has experienced first-hand, the effects of traumatic brain injury, or what we now know is CTBI (Chronic traumatic brain injury) as her mother (Ivory Bess) was a professional boxer before her marriage. Patience’s father saves Sinclair Chambers, Earl St. Seville, and returns him to their home but before he can call the doctor to treat Sin’s injuries, Sin flees.
The events that transpire make for an interesting storyline, with Sin, venturing to London to raise money to restore his family’s property on Brownsea Island, before his lack of finances becomes apparent. Patience decides to train Sin and their relationship develops as his skills in the ring, progress. I enjoyed this novel, finding it to be quite engaging, particularly in its ability to make connections to relevant issues.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining, sweet historical read. Lady Patience grew up learning how to fight, planning to be a trainer just like her mother. Until injuries from the ring lead to her mother’s death. Now she speaks out against boxing. Sin has inherited an insolvent estate and needs money quickly. To be a success in the ring he needs the best trainer and that is Patience can he convince her to train him? As they spend time together sparks fly. Will they find their happily ever after? I really liked it. Great characters and enjoyable read.

Sweet PG love story, well written with all the great aspects covered.

Christina McKnight once again entertains with the Earl of St. Seville and his quest to bring his homeland back to a prosperous living. He is a rather large man who has boxed successfully and believes he can do so in London, too. Using his ability and size to gain the needed funds through boxing. It is not until he meets the Earl of Desmond and his daughter, Patience, that he sees there is more to winning at boxing and after he has lost his first London fight.

Patience grieves for the loss of her mother by hounding those who box and those connected to boxing to stop the sport. She even pushes her father into helping spread her message. I think you have to realize her huge need to prevent head and other physical injuries due to boxing stems from the weaknesses her mother experienced before her death. Patience cannot bring back her mother, but she believes she can prevent another family from losing its loved one from the physical sport.

Patience’s brothers, Merit and Valor, are quite the pair. Their reaction to learning Patience has helped Sin, or the Earl of St. Seville, improve his boxing technique is almost comical. They immediately realize what Sin means to their sister if she helped train him so he could ‘box’ out of his debt through boxing, a sport she now abhors.

Both Patience and Sin grew during their time together. She realized how she had broken her family apart rather than bring them together. He realized he needed Patience and more than the Wicked Earls’ Club.

This is a very enjoyable book with details about pugilism of which I know little. Any reader will enjoy Patience and Sin’s love as it grows. This book is more romance than sensual and recommend it to all.

Perfect for when you have a couple of hours to read.

This book was a short and sweet romance. Lady Patience is the daughter who still hurts from the grief of her mother's death. Since her mother was a prizefighter, and her death was due to the many injuries sustained during her fights, she works to ban the sport. Only no one really cares about her efforts.
Lord St.Seville is broke and wants money. He sees an easy way to make it through bare-knuckle fights, only he is not very good at it. Patience helps him by training him and eventually they fall in love.
The book deals with how patience really gets over her loss of her mother and moving on with her life with St. Seville's help. An all's well that ends well book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. The Wicked Earls Club Series is a collection of 12 novellas by different authors, each about how a member of the club finds his countess. Earl of St Seville by Christina McKnight is the 7th book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone as I have not read the others myself. Currently you can download the prequel that sets up the books for free and find a list of the other books at this website
http://www.embracingromance.com/welcome-to-the-wicked-earls-club/
I had a hard time at the beginning of this book because I really didn’t like the heroine, Lady Patience Lane. She struck me as as selfish and uninteresting, her single minded quest to eliminate the sport of boxing renders her unsympathetic, and uncomfortable to be around. I also wondered if her knowledge that boxing causes head injuries that can incapacitate and lead to death was not perhaps a bit of an anachronism. Sinclair Chambers the Earl of St Seville has journeyed to London with the goal of winning some prize fight purses in order to restore his bankrupt estate. After losing his first fight badly he realizes that being big and strong is not enough to win fights and agrees to have Patience train him to fight. I started to like Patience at this point in the story and quite like the idea that not only rogues can be redeemed. Sweet not steamy with a very satisfying HEA. #EarlofStSeville. #NetGalley

Earl of St Seville by Christina McKnight is book 11 in the "Wicked Earl's Club" series. This is the story of Lady Patience Lane and Sinclair Chambers, the Earl of St. Seville. I have been jumping in and out of this series so for me this was easily a standalone book.
Patience lost her mother about 5 years ago and has had a hard time since dealing with the death. Patience mother was a famous prize fighter and now Patience tries to discourage and educate others on the out come of fighting. Patience father helps Sin out when he is hurt and bring him home and this is were Sin meets Patience they end up meeting again at a ball where Sin stands up and defends her to someone being mean to her. When Patience goes to seek him out to thank him she find him fighting and she knows enough from her mom that she fears he will be hurt.
Patience and Sin end up working together but this leads them to waiting more from each other. But the Patience learns that Sin wasn't going to stick to their agreement...can he win her back?
Really great read!

I almost didn’t request/purchase this book because of the subject matter – bare-knuckle boxing – however, I decided to go ahead with it because I wanted to read all of the books in the series. Also, I had not read anything else by the author and wanted to give her writing a try. What a wonderful surprise! No, I still don’t like the subject matter and it still wouldn’t be my normal choice of books to read, but this is a marvelously well-written, well planned and well-executed book. This author made me feel as if I were reading a full-length novel because of how complete the story was. The characters were fully-developed, interesting and very relatable – I could even see a couple of them in later novels perhaps. I really dislike it when I read a review where someone has lowered the star-rating on a book because they didn’t like the subject matter. I think that is very unfair to the author and I always try my best not to do that. I knew the subject matter when I purchased the book, so I shouldn’t complain when that is what the story is about. So, I have given this book 4-stars because of how well it is written – not because I liked the subject.

I liked Sinclair Chambers, Earl of St. Seville from the very beginning. When he inherited the title from his father, there was no money in the coffers – none – and he had to find a way to save his estate, his family, and his people. His family and his people are his heart and soul and he will do whatever it takes to save them from ruin. Sin is a huge man – well over six feet with shoulders so broad that he takes up an entire carriage seat. With his size and all of the muscles he’s earned from working in the fields along with the people on his estate, he decides to go to London and become a bare-knuckles prizefighter. The purses are very large and if he can win enough fights he can fill the coffers of his estate. With his size and muscle, he is sure he can take on and beat all comers – that is – until he learns that there is more to boxing than brute strength. He loses his first match – badly – to a much smaller, smarter and more agile fighter.

Lady Patience Lane, daughter and youngest child of the Earl of Desmond is still reeling from the death of her mother five years earlier. She hides it well, or at least she thinks she does. Patience has become a zealot against prizefighting. She writes pamphlets and her father goes into the most dangerous and seediest of hells to deliver them for her. He does that because he knows how much pain she is in. You see, her mother was Ivory Bess, a renowned female prizefighter and the cause of her death was what we’d call today CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Patience watched her mother lose functions like speech and muscle movement, etc. until one day she died of it.

I enjoyed watching Patience learn to cope with her grief. She finally realized that her zealotry was only causing people, even her own family, to turn away from her. They still loved her, but they avoided her. Her father couldn’t heal until she could heal.

If reading about a violent sport like bare knuckles boxing doesn’t bother you, this is an outstanding book and I’m sure you’ll love it.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

When it comes to love the adjectives are numerous and the emotions are boundless, but there is only ever one conclusion. Love is facing the inevitable, to gain the impossible. Earl of St.. Seville examines love in all it's glory. From the tragedy that inspires a daughter's crusade to the man who has her questioning it all. Patience is the daughter of an exceptional woman. Her mother broke down barriers in a male dominated sport, but in the long run the price was too high. Now the daughter she left behind, will risk everything to protect a man she has only just met. Even at the cost of her heart. Sin and Patience are magnificently captivating. From tragedy rises inspiration. Ms. McKnight continues to captivate readers with her empathetic stories of faith, courage and love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a young Earl from a distant part of Englamd, nicknamed “Sin”, who comes to London to secure the futures of his family and those who live on or near his estate. Sin is a large man with a talent for bare knuckle boxing, popular in London at the time. It’s there he intends to become involved in the sport to win the funds needed to rescue his ailing estate. After his first bout he meets a young Lady named Patience, the daughter of an Earl. For reasons of her own, she is against boxing but has a unique knowledge of the sport. She agrees to help train Sin so he can improve enough to win the funds he needs in exchange for his promise to stop doing it after winning his next bout. But can he stop? What about the funds he so desperately needs? And all of the time he is spending with Lady Patience, learning, leaning in close to her, longing....
It’s a unique premise that kep this reader turning the pages. The other characters in the story added a levity and color to the plot too. I would recommend this book to historical romance readers, and the series it’s part of as well.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end, I just couldn't recommend it to my readers. Christina McKnight is a fantastic author, but this book was all over the place. The heroine was so strong in the beginning, I loved her conviction and passion, but then it fell to pieces. First, in her desire to help, she decides to train the hero in pugilism, which made no sense considering how vehemently she was against it. An explanation was made, but it was flimsy and didn't really make sense to me. Then, the hero continues, several times over the course of the book, to lie to her. She's mad at him for all of a few seconds, but then forgives him. In the end, she even goes so far as to say "I gave you no option but to lie." Excuse me. You forced him to lie to you?? So now, not only has she forgiven him but now she has removed the blame entirely from him and placed it on herself. Seriously folks, she went from a kickass activist fighting for what she believed in to an unrecognizable shell of a woman. It was *such* a letdown.