The boxing baroness

As the Boxing Baroness, one of the stars of Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre, Marianne Simpson has turned down her share of propositions from men. But St. John Powell, the duke of Staunton, has presented Marianne with a proposal she can't refuse. To rescue his younger brother, Ben, St. John needs to arrange a meeting between Marianne and her treasonous ex-lover Baron Dominic Strickland. If Marianne won't cooperate, St. John will call in her Uncle Barnabas' debts, and Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre will cease to exist. With no other choice, Marianne agrees to St. John's plan, but she's about to embroil him in a fight he will never forget. With the launch of her swooningly romantic, sizzling sensual new Regency-set Wild Women of Whitechapel series, Spencer delivers her own one-two knockout punch with a superbly realized cast of characters that includes an intriguingly different yet historically credible heroine and an exhilarating plot that not only delves into the fascinating world of female pugilism--Marianne is based on a historical figure, Mary Anne Pearce--but also deftly illuminates the dangerous state of affairs in France after Napoleon escaped from Elba.

Spencer (Notorious) launches her Wicked Women of Whitechapel Regency series with an outstanding romance based in part on a real historical figure. Before the start of the novel, Marianne Simpson had a disastrous dalliance with dastardly Baron Dominic Strickland, who staged a fake wedding to Marianne solely to get beneath her skirts. Unable to work as a governess after this scandal, the delightfully confident and forthright Marianne now stars in Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre as the Boxing Baroness. Dominic is also causing problems for the powerful and upstanding St. John "Sin" Powell, Duke of Staunton, who receives a letter offering information about his missing, presumed dead brother if Sin can convince Marianne to meet with Dominic. The traveling circus is headed on an ill-advised tour of war-torn Europe--so Sin and two friends do the only thing they can think of and join the Fayre as carnies. Marianne initially disdains Sin for his privileged background, but as he proves himself a hard-working circus employee, he earns her respect and admiration, heightening the magnetic attraction already between them. Spencer ramps up the mystery and the romance in equal measure as the threat of Dominic and the knowledge that society would be unaccepting of their relationship hover over the captivating couple. This is sure to wow. (Nov.)

Spencer's (Phoebe) first in a new Regency-set series is a story loosely inspired by a real-life individual known as the Boxing Baroness. A mysterious past, an unsavory family business connection, and a youthful indiscretion have left Marianne Simpson with few life choices beyond being a pugilist in her uncle's establishment, Farmham's Fantastical Female Fayre. Unfortunately, the fights she participates in are very real and constantly put her health and future at risk. When St. John Powell, the Duke of Staunton, comes to her with a proposition to go with him to France to meet her ex-lover, who claims to have information about St. John's missing brother, Marianne's choices are to cooperate with the infuriating peer or risk losing her livelihood and condemning her only known relative to jail. As the two travel through a continent that suddenly teeters once again on the edge of war, their lives--and their hearts--are soon at risk. VERDICT Fans of historical romances with strong female characters in non-traditional roles and the men who aren't afraid to love them won't be disappointed by this series starter.--Rebecca Moe