The Boxing aroness is an eccentric historical romance that ventures into uncharted territories of storytelling. Marianne, the unconventional heroine, emerges from the colorful world of a traveling circus, where she dons the title of 'The Boxing Baroness' due to her brief association with a Baron. The plot takes a wild turn when Marianne finds herself entangled in a peculiar arrangement orchestrated by Sinjin, the Duke of Staunton, involving a missing brother and a journey to France.

This narrative unfolds as a road trip romance,.. While the initial premise seems straightforward, the story gradually reveals layers of secrets, unveiling a surreal landscape peppered with secret identities and unexpected encounters, including encounters with historical figures like Napoleon and the exiled King of Sweden.

Spencer cleverly introduces characters set to star in future installments of the series, albeit not all may find them equally compelling. The Boxing Baroness is an enjoyable read, showcasing Spencer's audacity to break away from the norm.

This was a bit of a dud for me. The premise was interesting; a woman boxer in a circus of other female performers. The heroin has a secret past that has been kept from her and she embarks in a dangerous trip across France to discover the truth about who she is. The characters didn't speak to me; they seemed rather flat. Except for the boxer story line, the mystery of the book has been done countless time. Not the right book for me.

I always enjoy Minerva Spencer's writing, but couldn't help but feel like I was put through the absolute wringer with this heroine. She just went through so much and I was exhausted. The breakup was a perfect example of what I do not like for a third-act conflict.

Super cute story. Good character development and I found myself smiling a lot, I hope there are more in the series as I loved the characters so much

Reader beware: explicit language, explicit sex on page; killings on page; all the following as character background: miscarriage; death in childbirth; infidelity; marital rape; attempted suicide; death of children due to smallpox infection.

The first in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel, which is billed by the publisher as a “Regency-set, feminist series exploring the role of women in a rigidly patriarchal society”, this novel introduces the world of Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre, “the first all-female circus” in the British Isles, and the setting for at least the first three novels in the series.

A lengthy author’s note at the end assures us that there was, in fact, a historical figure known as the Boxing Baroness, and from that humble starting point, she takes us on a ride reminiscent of old school genre romance of the 1990s (see content warnings above), only the women here have agency and there’s a boat load of consent.

The story starts as the Duke of Staunton, known by all of Britain as the Flawless Duke (not so much because of his undeniable good looks and fortune, but because of his unshakable moral compass), is trying to engineer a meeting with the notorious Boxing Baroness; so known because of a rather spectacular scandal involving a dissipated aristocrat known as the Rake of Rakes, an utter blackguard who also happened to have been one of His Grace’s erstwhile friends.

Expecting a vulgar, worn-out whore, Staunton is more than a bit disconcerted at finding not just a fairly refined young woman, her profession aside, but one whose intelligence and education are evident–even if she spares him little common courtesy, and none of the deference due his rank.

At just shy of her twenty-first birthday, Marianne is done with the male of the species in general, and with aristocrats in particular. Raised by her uncle, the owner of Farnham’s, she’s been exposed to male selfishness since the death of her mother over a dozen years earlier: even being his only family, she’s expected to make a living entirely independently from him.

However, despite receiving a lady’s education at a private finishing school, her familial ties with a disreputable circus owner made it impossible for Marianne to find employment as a governess or some other respectable position; and, instead of allowing her to help manage the theater, take care of scheduling, keep the books, or some such job that would keep her both safe and out of the public eye, Barnabas demanded she perform, just like every other person employed at the circus.

And so, out of options, yet physically fit, Marianne found herself boxing for a living.

Such was her life when Dominic, baron Strickland, a long time associate of Barnabas, decided to court, propose to, and marry her–only for it to come out just a few weeks later that their ‘wedding’ was an elaborate farce. The resulting scandal earned Marianne the nickname of the Boxing Baroness, which, while increasing her popularity at the circus, has also subjected to deep public humiliation–never mind that she’s also angry at herself, over having let herself be deceived by someone she was sure from the beginning was a scoundrel.

Unsurprisingly, she’s not particularly eager to help Staunton, let alone reunite with Strickland (whom, for the best part of a year, she’s thought dead).

Unfortunately, he doesn’t hesitate to threaten her uncle, the theater, and Minerva herself with financial ruin and debtor’s prison, unless she does.

From the duke’s perspective, things stand thusly: Strickland is holding Staunton’s younger brother hostage in France, and is demanding both a fortune in gold and that the duke bring Marianne to him, before he reveals Ben’s location. In order not to call attention to himself, and to fulfill the conditions of the ransom demand (come alone), the duke is willing to join Farnham’s already planned triumphant tour of France, the first after the end of the war. Once the circus is near the meeting place, he and Marianne will head there alone to negotiate the ransom and rescue.

And, since Strickland is also a traitor, the duke plans to drag him back to England in chains, so he can hang for all his crimes.

However, neither of his best friends, the Marquess of Carlisle (known by all as The Darling), nor Elliot Wingate, younger son of an Earl and an agent for the Crown, are willing to let Staunton risk his life alone. And so, three privileged members of the ton become working minions for a traveling circus.

And work they do; for one thing, Marianne is perfectly content to vent her resentment over the duke forcing her hand and threatening everything and everyone she loves, by working him (and by extension his friends) to the bone. For another, in order to remain anonymous, these men have taken the place of three laborers with specific essential jobs to keep things working, as a large group of people, their costumes and props, travel from town to village to city for several months, holding performances at every stop.

Oh, and they will also help with some of the performances.

Staunton will be Marianne’s trainer, overseeing her runs and so on, and her “knee man” during the actual matches. Darling and Elliot, for her part, will be the ‘volunteers’ for two other acts: they’ll be the targets for Cecile Tremblay’s trick shooting and Jo Brown’s knife throwing.

After a few weeks of preparation and training, they cross the channel to France, working their way slowly south. They’re still far from the exchange spot, when the news reaches them: Napoleon has escaped Elba and is marching north to Paris–and all hell breaks loose. Not only are they now foreigners in a country at war with itself, England is part of the coalition forces assembling to once again oust the once-Emperor; now, they aren’t traveling performers, they’re essentially the enemy.

Things only get more fraught from here.

The safest course of action is to return to Calais with the rest of the circus, but Strickland’s deadline is now fast approaching: they must reach Metz on the appointed date or Ben will die. And so our core group presses on.

Mind you, I haven’t even mentioned all the secrets, lies, crosses and double crosses happening around the more straightforward plot; the layers upon layers of intrigue reminded me of some of the early 1800s swashbuckling serials, à la Paul Féval’s Le Bossu or Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.

Between that and the characterizations and banter, I inhaled this book in greedy gulps.

At the beginning, the duke’s perception of Marianne is colored by what he knows of Strickland; he’s predisposed to dislike her, and she purposefully plays into it, being as outrageous and disagreeable as she can. He considers her mannish, what with her straight wide shoulders, modest bosom, and muscular legs (which he has occasion to appreciate as she wears men’s attire often), and it’s interesting to see how his view of her physique changes the more time they spend together.

For her part, Marianne fights her awareness of the man by focusing on the duke; this of course becomes harder as they work together. Little by little, Staunton earns her respect, then her liking, until finally all there is is Sin, her lover–at least for a while. Because if Marianne is sure of anything, it’s that she won’t be a married man’s mistress, and that a duke can’t marry a commoner, let alone someone with her checkered reputation, never mind her past.

Then there is the rest of the group.

Most romance readers have already guessed that the duke’s two friends are the heroes of the next two books, as well as who their heroines are; while they are all written as very distinct people, and the author lets us see what attracts them to each other, their characterizations here are per force broader.

For Cecile Tremblay, with her pistols and rifles, it leans a bit much on the romance Regency “French people are loud and mercurial and voluble” stereotype. For Darling, on the “big, beautiful, good-natured and shallow”.

Josephine Brown, with her crow Angus and her ever-present knives, is written as eerie and detached (likely autistic), and incredibly competent–as is Elliot; the description of their mutual reaction upon meeting is ::chef’s kiss:: perfect. (“Both went strangely still, and Marianne was put in mind of two alley cats. If they’d had fur, it would be standing on end”, chapter 9)

The one thing the text makes clear, beyond how well each of them face every obstacle that comes their way, is that there is more to each one of them that’s apparent on the surface.

There are few other secondary characters of importance, from Marianne’s regular trainer to Sonia, Barnabas housekeeper and long time lover; the only one of these with a character arc is Barnabas himself, and it’s notable that he’s given so much nuance, even as it’s clear how much of a knave he is.

Our main villain, Strickland, is pretty much just a loathsome opportunistic evil leech, and it’s to the author’s credit that he still came across as real rather than cartoonish. I am glad to report he got what he so richly deserved.

On the relationship side, there is a lot of sexual tension between Staunton and Marianne from early on, but it’s not until past the halfway point of the novel that they have the first sexual encounter. The sex scenes are very well written, and, because they happen after all the banter and tweaking and learning to work together, they contribute both to characterization and relationship development while being undeniably steamy.

The worldbuilding happens organically, and there are no wasted words; from the landscape to the clothing, there is enough description to make the setting real, without clogging the narrative with useless detail. The stakes and danger feel real, the conflict between the main characters has weight.

I really liked the pace of the story, and how the secrets and plots are laid out, little by little; the eventual final revelations lean on known historical fact, and are simultaneously fantastical and perfectly plausible.

However, as much as I enjoyed the ride, there are a few things that I wish the author hadn’t chosen to include; specifically, Staunton’s truly horrific backstory. In fact, most of the content warnings at the top are for the page or two where he explains his family to Marianne, and I am not sure I understand why readers are given so much traumatizing detail–just say his father was a sadistic bastard or some such, and be done with it.

Despite that, I am hooked, on this series, and on the author’s writing.

The Boxing Baroness gets a 9.25 out 10.

What a fun, unique story. I listened to this on audiobook and found it to be very entertaining. The heroine of Marianne was a beautiful and unique character. I enjoyed the balance of strength and beauty, not a classical beauty but a statuesque beauty. Seeing Sin’s growing appreciation of her made for a great story. The circus antics made a fun twist, and l the characters created a wonder story. This book will keep you glued to the pages as we learn of the secrets surrounding the Boxing Baroness.

The Boxing Baroness by Minerva Spencer is a historical romance loosely based on a real historical figure. This is an enemies-to-lovers romance where the protagonists are at odds because they both make incorrect assumptions about each other’s character. I really disliked the beginning of this book, but I couldn’t quite figure out why until after I’d finished the novel. The novel’s hero, the starchy Duke of Staunton (called Duke Flawless by the novel’s heroine, Marianne), makes a lot of incorrect assumptions about Marianne because of her previous affair with another aristocratic male. And because of those assumptions, he thinks of Marianne as a “whore,” and I just don’t support that energy.

Marianne is a much more likable character, and I stuck with the book because I was intrigued by the plot. I also enjoyed the various side characters, who are all set up to protagonists of their own books. I’ll keep reading the series, but this book will not go down on my favorites list.

3.5 stars

Read this book if you’ve been looking for a Regency alternative to Edie Dunmore’s Victorian-era League of Extraordinary Women series.
At first I was skeptical of the entire premise of The Boxing Baroness. A Regency-era woman who earns a living in the ring? Ridiculous! Then I learned that Spencer’s main character is based on a real person.
Marianne Simpson (the character) is an educated, impoverished woman whose uncle introduced her to life in a traveling circus. She meets St. John Powell, the Duke of Staunton, when he must ask her help to find his missing brother. The back-and-forth interaction between them is a charming rendition of the “forced proximity” trope. The Bridgerton-esque smut level is perfect, and Minerva Spencer deserves Julia Quinn-level accolades.
This book is the first in Spencer’s Wicked Women of Whitechapel series. The next one, The Dueling Duchess, is due out in May 2023, so you’re just in time to start the series. Strongly recommend: 5 out of 5 peaches

The Boxing Baroness by Minerva Spencer is the first book of the Wicked Women of Whitechapel. Marianne Simpson is a pugilist at her uncle’s circus, Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre. When St. John Powell, the Duke of Staunton, begins to show up for all her performances and repeatedly requests to talk to her, she is reluctant to do so. St. John needs Marianne to help rescue his brother, who is being held for ransom by the man who wronged Marianne. Her former lover. Marianne and St. John do not get along at first, but soon the two find chemistry between them that is undeniable.

This is a super bonkers and fun historical romance that is inspired by real-life events. It was full of surprise mentions of real-life figures such as Napoleon! The whole cast of characters is so cool and likeable. I’m looking forward to continuing this series!

A promising start to the series, the two main characters had good on page chemistry but the action did start to wane a bit near the end.

I liked the two leads here and the circus background and cast of characters, will try the next in the series.

The Boxing Baroness is the beginning story in the Wicked Women of Whitechapel series. We are introduced to Marianne, who is part of her uncle’s traveling circus,’Farnham’s Fantastical Female Fayre’… a very female-oriented production with a definite feminist slant to each woman’s story. If I had to define this one it would fall into the more modern take on Historical Romances but with definite vibes of the old bodice-ripper antics at times.

Unfortunately, this story simply wasn’t for me, and this review will be very brief. Everyone has different styles of romance that they enjoy, and when I open a book, I expect to walk into someone else’s world and be entertained for a bit of time. I found the plot of this story to be so convoluted and beyond my capability of stretching my imagination to accept some plot twists. I read a lot of Paranormal Fiction, and even I could not pretend to believe in one plot line, at all. It’s taken a long time to finish this one as I’d put it down, walk away and come back to it weeks later, only to do the same thing again. There are readers who will love this story, especially as this author has a huge fan/reader base. And there are readers who simply won’t enjoy themselves… and the latter was my experience.

I’m not bashing Marianne and Sin’s story; I just saying that it wasn’t for me… with the addition that you should make up your own mind about this book. This is one reader’s opinion, so you won’t know if you’d love this story unless you take a chance on it and read it for yourself.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*(3.5 stars rounded up)

Again Ms. Spencer enthralled me with her writing. Her books are out of the box things, and this one about the boxing baroness. Always enjoyed her unnatural themed that were weaved nicely thus creating wonderful story. This is the story of a female boxer with quite a past, that had to help a peer to retrieve his brother. Nowadays we heard of boxing females, but not back then, making me more curious about this book. What is this about? And wondering what will happen next. Can't wait for Cecile & Jo's turn.

Omg what a fun start to a brand new series. The story of Marianne and the staid Duke is a fun filled adventure and huge connect to France.


More to come…..

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(rounded up from 2.75)

Somehow this story never really caught my interest. Much of it was quite predictable (although I certainly hadn’t anticipated the whole “return of Napoleon” situation because I don’t know my French history in that much detail).

I did like the main character, Marianne, and also enjoyed the various side characters, but the plot was both lacking and a bit convoluted. The most interesting parts were those that took place in the “circus”, especially Marianne’s preparations for and recovery from her boxing bouts. The trek across parts of France brought home the difficulties of travel in those days. We take for granted how quickly and easily we can get from one place to another now (when the weather and the airlines aren’t messing things up, at any rate).

The author supposedly based this on a real-life “Boxing Baroness” but the author’s note made it clear that this was simply a nickname for a real person who wound up as a drunk who fought with the local police (or something to that effect). This was profoundly disappointing, giving lie to the publisher’s blurb.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Clare Staniforth, did a good job with the various voices and accents.

Minerva Spencer has written a regency romance with an intriguing heroine who is a boxer in her uncle's circus troupe. Marianne Simpson is blackmailed by the Duke of Staunton to accompany him to meet her former bigamous husband who is in France. Then everything goes to hell in a hand basket. The Duke of Staunton is trying to trace his brother; Marianne simply wants to be elsewhere but her uncle stole all her money and smuggled goods into England to boot. This is just to start with the twists and turns of this complex and entertaining story.

This was such a unique romance. First, the fact, the Boxing Baroness is a person blows my mind. I was researching and although this book is the same as what I found it's not too far off it quick to get this story between the lines. Now some of it is blatantly made up but I can see it still

Marianne is doing what needs to be done to survive. She's been lied to by men time and time again and she needs to be able to have a livelihood. How she came to become the Boxing Baroness doesn't matter to her as long as people are paying.

Lord John has only come into her life to control her for his means while bringing up a painful time.

What I loved about this romance is that Marianne was tough, intelligent and soft at the same time I felt for her and the situation she found herself in. The supporting characters in the circus with her were funny and charming.

Lord John has one goal in mind save his brother no matter what. he doesn't love to bring Marianne into the plan but he has to do what he has to do

the chemistry between these two was fire and the dangerous scenes felt truly dangerous and dire. The villains were awful and I truly felt that throughout the book. They took on a life of their own as well

The beginning was a little slow - cause I did put this down for a bit after starting but after the fourth or so chapter it keeps you engaged
I don't know if the last chapter was truly needed but it did close off all the treads I think that could have been left up to the reader

This was a great regency romance with a really unique premise! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I read this as an ARC through Netgalley.

Spencer has delivered a compelling tale that involves social stigmas getting in the way of two people who are ultimately well-suited because of shared interests. In this case, sport.

We are introduced to an incredibly compelling cast of characters in this one with half belonging to a female-fronted circus troupe and a trio of noblemen who get involved with them as cover for a secret mission into France. Our two mains, Marianne Simpson and the Duke of Staunton fall in with each other due to Marianne’s former bigamous “marriage” with a former friend of the Duke, who now claims to have news of the Duke’s brother, who was thought to have been killed in France during the war with Napoleon. The Duke thinks she knows something, and basically blackmails her uncle, the owner of the circus, into allowing him and his friends to accompany them on their upcoming French tour in order to find out if the former friend is lying again, or if he actually has found the Duke’s brother. This is the very basic outline of the setup, but there are a LOT of moving parts here.

The attraction between Marianne and the Duke due to her athleticism in a sport he also enjoys is actually a really cool hook I haven’t seen used much elsewhere. So kudos. And her descriptions of the boxing matches and training is excellent.

I really enjoy plotty romance and this is that in spades. There are tons of plots and subplots and they all do hang together, but some of them work much better than others. For example, I love the revelations based on people’s shown skill sets in the course of the story. I hate some of the revelations due to people not telling each other the truth about things. And the end of it gets really implausible. I wish Spencer had not felt she needed to graft on quite so much over-the-topness in the revelations in this one. That said, I did enjoy it a lot even if I eyerolled a bit at the end.

However, this works as a romance. The central characters coming together is earned and excellent. And her sex scenes are hot and not weird and offputting and full of internalized misogyny, so that’s also a plus. If you like the absolute craziness of Laura Kinsale plots, this might be for you. It might also be for you if you like plotty romance, but you will probably eyeroll.