ARC Review: The Prizefighter's Hart (Headstrong Harts #4) by Emily Royal
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Series: Headstrong Harts #4
Author: Emily Royal
Published August 26th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
A spinster. A prizefighter. A marriage of convenience. This bout can’t end well.
Plain, prim, and beyond marriageable age, Dorothea Hart is resigned to the life of a spinster aunt. But she yearns for a family of her own, and is hopelessly attracted to the ‘Mighty Oak’—a prizefighter renowned for his prowess—who stirs previously unknown passions in her.
Widower Griffin Oake made his fortune in the ring—but he can’t buy respectability, or a footing in society for his daughter. After a disastrous first marriage, he has no wish to wed again, but is looking to employ a genteel woman to chaperone the rebellious teenager—preferably the plainest, dullest woman in London.
When Dorothea is publicly compromised, she’s pushed into a marriage of convenience with the object of her infatuation. Exiled to the country, with a husband who avoids her, and a stepdaughter determined to defy her, Dorothea’s dream of a loving family seems further away than ever… and she begins to suspect that Griffin’s first wife’s death was not an accident.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Approaching her thirtieth birthday, Dorothea Hart has resigned herself to life as the spinster aunt, to be pitied by those who see her. Longing for her own family, she makes do by caring for her nieces and nephews, many of whom she helped deliver, but she does allow herself the indulgence of watching the 'Mighty Oak' fight. For Griffin Oake, he made his fortune in prize fights, and has amassed a number of inns, but no respectability yet. Hoping that by banking with the Harts, he'll be able to find someone who can help his daughter become the perfect society miss. He sees how Dorothea is treated by her family, and wants better for her, but would a second marriage be any different to his first, or have the scars of the past run too deep?
After seeing Dorothea in the previous books, I always wanted more for her as she was happy in her life until Dexter brought her room to make the family more respectable. Everything she did was for the family, and she wasn't allowed to do anything for herself, lest it bring the family name into disgrace. Only Devon really saw how she felt, but even so, he couldn't do much to help. I liked that Thea was strong, and she didn't let Griffin, or Mrs Ellis, run all over her. She understood that Rowena needed a softer touch, someone to help her, but not force her to change. I wish Thea and Griffin had spoken about their pasts a lot earlier, but I can understand why they didn't, particularly Griffin. This book has ended the series perfectly, and I loved the epilogue scene of the whole family!
Dates Read:
February 4, 2023
Rating
3 Stars
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