A Bride for the Prizefighter

Written by Alice Coldbreath

Narrated by Carmen Rose

Mina's well-ordered life is thrown into disarray when her father drops a bombshell on his deathbed, she has a brother she never knew of. Not only that, he is on his way to rescue her from the collapse of their school under a mountain of debts.

A wild journey across country later, Mina finds herself thrown at the feet of the brutish William Nye, prize-fighter and owner of a disreputable inn, The Merry Harlot. Respectable Mina is appalled to find herself obliged to wed this surly stranger!

Forced to draw on reserves of inner strength she never knew she possessed, Mina uncovers perilous secrets and bravely carves herself a new life at the side of this man, as she proves herself a more than worthy partner for the prize-fighter.

Contains mature themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666130706

Reviews for A Bride for the Prizefighter

[Megan Patrick · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a very strong DNF. I'm pretty sure I came across this title suggested on a blog post where people were listing their favorite funny historical romances but it's neither funny nor romantic. I've chuckled a couple times at most, there's no chemistry between the two protags, and I'm 6hrs into the audiobook. Actually, I just got to the ubiquitous First Time and that's where the story took a nosedive from what was already a 3-star experience. The male lead is supposed to be of the tough and brooding character type which is fine, but now he's giving serious assault vibes. She's a virgin, because of course she is, and he is utterly indifferent to her pain or comfort. At one point he literally laughs and is like 'oh is it that bad?' This is after he's promised to go slow and then just immediately rams his way in. She says it feels like she's been run through with a sword, and she isn't being coy or joking. She's in pain and is having a bad time of it. So, of course, he apologizes and gives her time, right? Nope. He tells her that she's just making things harder on herself because that makes him all hot and bothered. Like... I'm sorry, what? He lacks any and all charm (or personality, really, other than Tough and Brooding with an uninteresting side of Secretive). If I'm supposed to believe he actually cares about Mina, even a little, even just as a living creature, then the author has failed miserably.

And lest you think I'm just being prudish, I'm not. I've read plenty of racier, more intense scenes--including those that fall into the dubious or non-consent categories--and have written quite a few, too. Ropes, chains, whips, and crops? Sure, so long as the author has the skill to pull it off. So, my issue with the above is very much about the male protag as a character. Instead of darkly thrilling, it just comes off as brutish. He does not care what she wants or is experiencing at all. Which, I suppose, shouldn't be surprising given he'd had that attitude throughout the novel up until this point.

That I find him so objectionable is telling, too, since I don't much care for Mina. If I found out she died at the end, I wouldn't particularly care. She's snappish yet dull, incredibly judgmental and has the nerve to be a bit of an idiot, to boot. She's a former teacher, and her educated status is brought up constantly. So are references to her supposedly being at least a little rebellious against a very 'women have less mental capacity' father. Like one chapter before the deflowering, she's snidely informing her brother that telling a girl what she isn't allowed to read and learn about will just encourage her to do the opposite. But then she knows absolutely nothing about her own body or how it functions? She's gone through an entire puberty, hormones and all, and doesn't understand, to put it bluntly, a bit of horniness? Her students seem to have been better informed than her. Even without the shady undertones of the marriage consummation, I'd probably have quit soon anyway because the story and characters just aren't very good. The person who's the most interesting and, I dare say, likable, is the brother who I'm pretty sure we're supposed to hate.

Also, the whole relationship situation is just weird. The two characters share a brother, Jeremy. The male protag, Nye (maybe not how it's spelled in the book, I don't care enough to check) has the father in common, while Mina and Jeremy share a mother. Are they related, no. But she was at the brother's house admiring how much his dad looks like her husband. It's just...giving unpleasant incest adjacent vibes. Especially with how hard the author hits the familial connections.

The more I think over what I've heard so far, the more surprised I am that I even made it to almost 7hrs of listening.