Griffin Oake, the "Mighty Oake," needs a lady to help take control of his daughter and turn her into a lady for her debut in London. . What he needs is an unmarried lady who is plain, unattractive and knows her way around society. Thea Hart is the spinster aunt in the family. She is the one that takes care of her siblings children. At thirty she has given up on finding a husband and having her own children. Her one freedom from her family is sneaking out at night to watch the "Mighty Oake" fight. When fate steps in, Thea finds herself married to Griffin. She's willing, he's not, but is he really not? Time is on their side, until a man from Griffins past tries to tear his family apart. Secrets aren't always good to keep secret. I must say I feel sorry for Griffin always putting his foot in his mouth. He only ends up hurting Thea, but she knows how to put him in his place. A nice romance of a self-made working man as a hero and a thirty year old spinster. An older heroine is definitely more interesting then a young debutant. 4 1/2* STARS*
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

The Prizefighter’s Hart is the fourth book in the Headstrong Harts series and focuses on Dorothea Hart, a thirty-year-old spinster who finds herself in a compromising situation with widower and prizefighter Griffin Oake. Griffin knows he will never be accepted into polite society, but he agrees to marry Dorothea in the hopes that she will help his daughter become a proper lady. Theirs is not a love match, but Dorothea hopes that their marriage of convenience will develop into something more. However, with a hellion step-daughter, a husband who avoids her, and suspicious circumstances behind the death of Griffin’s first wife, Dorothea’s path to happiness is unclear.

Dorothea is a dynamic character, as is Rowena. A spinster who is beloved by her family and gifted with children, Dorothea longs to have a family of her own. She also longs for Griffin ever since she saw him boxing. She is so smart, strong, and capable, and she has a way of making everyone around her feel comfortable, accepted, and respected. She’s also super patient, which is invaluable when dealing with Rowena.

I loved the relationship that Dorothea forged with Rowena. From their first meeting, Rowena proves difficult, but Dorothea sees past Rowena’s poor behavior and appreciates the strong-willed young woman. Dorothea becomes Rowena’s staunchest supporter, and as she envelops Rowena and Griffin into the Hart family, she shows them both what it means to be loved and accepted.

I also like how much Griffin loves Rowena. He wants more than anything for Rowena to have a good future, and he knows that she needs to curb her hellion ways and become a proper lady. As the story progresses, the relationship between Rowena and Griffin changes, and he realizes that what he wants for his daughter isn’t exactly what she wants. I like how they grow closer and learn to communicate and show their love more. They both learn a lot about love, family, and relationships from Dorothea, who changes their lives for the better.

The relationship between Dorothea and Griffin is unconventional and slow-building. Griffin is so closed off emotionally that he doesn’t know how to handle himself as Dorothea slowly breaks down his walls. He is the kind of person who sometimes speaks without thinking about how his word will affect other people, which is to his detriment. He says and does several things to Dorothea that contradict his growing feelings for her, and he has to work even harder to prove his love for her is true. Much of his attitude stems from trauma in his past as well as feelings of unworthiness.

At times, Griffin felt a little too boorish, and I didn’t like that he threatened bodily harm on Dorothea and Rowena more than once in the story, especially considering he is a boxer known for decimating his opponents and Rowena has been abused by someone else. Though it’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t really mean it, it still feels so intimidating, and it doesn’t endear his character to the reader. I think Griffin is so undone by his feelings for Dorothea, and he doesn’t always know how to deal with them. His attitude and words also show how different he is from the polite society Dorothea is accustomed to. Luckily for Griffin, Dorothea likes that he is not proper and is more savage than the men she knows.

There is also a mystery surrounding the life and death of Griffin’s first wife, which is intriguing. I don’t want to give too much away, but as her story is revealed, you learn why Griffin is so guarded and emotionally closed off. The past, unfortunately, comes back to haunt Griffin, and it threatens to destroy everything he’s worked so hard to protect.

Finally, if you’ve read the other books in the series, you’ll be happy to know that most have roles in this book. I love that we are able to find out how the couples are doing and what has happened in their lives. However, as much as I liked Dexter in Queen of my Hart, I hated him in this book. He treats Dorothea so poorly, and some of the things he says to her are unforgivable. And he doesn’t even try to gain her forgiveness, which I thought was terrible. Dorothea gave so much to Dexter, and he treated her more like a servant than a family member, acted dismissively toward her, and so callously believed certain unsavory things about her lessened his likability in my eyes. He has some major groveling to do, in my opinion.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read with well-developed characters, and it’s a great addition to the Headstrong Harts series. It’s an emotional, intriguing, and engrossing story that will appeal to lovers of historical romance, and I’m so thankful to NetGalley, Emily Royal, and Dragonblade Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
I cannot resist a romance between a rugged man who thinks he's brainless and a proper lady, so I was really excited to read this. I loved it and there really wasn't anything I had a problem with except Dex. I didn't read his book, but from my impression of him in this one, he's a jerk to his sister and I hated him.
I loved Rowe and I really hope we get her story, some years into the future. I would love to read that.

If you were ever the nerdy, uncool girl in high school with an unrequited crush on the football star, this is the book for you.

This is the fourth book in the series following the Hart family. Poor Thea is about to turn 30 and has unexplainable feelings for Griffin Oake when she sees him fight. She is the spinster aunt. The sister who handles everything and everyone. Griffin doesn't trust women but really just wants love. Griffin only cares about one thing in life and that is his hellion daughter Rowena. He wants her to grow up to be a lady and respectable, which is why he offers marriage when there is an inconvenient ruination.

There were two different instances in the book where Griffin threatens to strike or hit his daughter or wife, and honestly it turned me off. Especially from someone of his size and the ability he would have to do true harm. With that being said, I love the complex and detailed relationships of all the Hart's and their interactions. Thea's relationship with Rowena was as much as a slow burn as Thea's relationship with Griffin, which made for a great read with emotional attachment.

The tropes are spinster heroine, class difference, widower and there should be a trigger warning for child abuse by a non-family member.

The Truth Can Set You Free:
The first paragraph had my attention.
The second chapter had me consumed into this turbulent emotional story.
I enjoyed the strong characters and the story that was filled with suspense,
humor, tragedy, love, honor, lies and a sorry excuse of a villain.
Fast paced story that kept my interest to the very exciting end.
A really good romance along with a few surprises and heartaches.
There are a few intimate moments that would have been better for
me with a bit more smoldering passion.
A really good epilogue that made he story complete with a HEA.
I would recommend this story.
I was offered this book for an honest review.

This was an okay story, I feel like Emily Royal could have given a little bit in the story, like a development between Griffin and Thea. Yes, I love the unconventional way they meet, she falls a few times, but the awkwardness could have grown into relentless, but this is just my option only. I do like that the hero loves his daughter but he didn't know her, much like his wife. He didn't know her that much in the beginning. It was an okay read.

A compromised spinster a prizefighter and a 14 yo daughter. A recipe for disaster or a happy family. Taken for granted by her family and placed firmly on the shelf, Meggie is forced in a marriage with the object of her fantasies. Except the realitly of it comes with a distant husband, a house being run by an incompetent angry old woman, and a 14 yo running wild. Meggie is nothing if not determined to have her dream so she sets to slowly putting her world together She wants a dream not this nightmare Beautiful written, intense characters great story.

Thea Hart has watched all her siblings find love but she remains the spinster aunt who can only dream of finding love and starting a family. She even has picked out names for her children and found the man that she secretly lusts after - a boxer known as the Mighty Oak.

Griffin Oake only cares about one thing - finding someone who can help his daughter become part of respectable society. After years of prizefighting and smart investments, he has a fortune but his first wife's memory haunts him and left him without any trust in women or love.

Despite a bit of a rocky beginning I couldn't put this down. After an accidental compromise, Thea ends up wed to Griffin and a stepmother to Rowena, his teenage daughter (who is quite the hellion).

Things I loved:
The setting is split between London and a Sussex country estate and the different way their relationship develops in the two settings was very interesting.
Thea's relationship with her family is so complex. Her eldest brother Dex seems like a jerk at times but there is definitely a strong family bond.
Griffin's reasons for keeping his distance are pretty legit while Thea's acceptance of her new life fits in with what we know of her as a character.
The slow burn feels very real and the eventual intimacy is satisfying.
The main conflict is a great mystery throughout and continuously surprised me!

Things I didn't love:
The dialogue is wonderful but some scenes lack description and action seems abrupt.
At least twice Griffin threatens to hit his wife or daughter and no amount of "he would never hurt a woman" explanation can make the verbal threats okay.