Book Review: The Boxer and the Blacksmith
By Elizabeth Suggs
The Boxer and the Blacksmith by Edie Cay is a historical romance about, you guessed it, a boxer and a blacksmith, and it was absolutely wonderful.
The boxer, Bess Abbott, was a hardass, cauliflower-eared fighter who just wanted love and wanted to give love. I think my most favorite thing about her character was her many imperfections. She wasn’t beautiful or pure, but she was powerful. She would take beatings just to protect the ones she loved or just to see if she could withstand a fight. And the best part? Bess was a real person.
I loved this story, but learning that Bess was real made it all the better. She was based off of a real woman named Elizabeth Wilkinson. While the story wasn’t exactly true, there were elements and pieces that were true. I found this fascinating. Cay does a wonderful job explaining what was true and false at the end of the book.
I also loved Os, the blacksmith. It showed some aspects of life during this time as a person of color, so that was really fascinating. And the chemistry between Os and Bess is natural and compelling.
I picked out several more quotes than I usually do in my reviews, but that’s just because Cay is a fantastic writer with many, poetic moments.
Quotes:
Even when all else belonged to another, the money in his pocket, the sweat on his back, his word was his own.
We don’t get to choose where we start in life, only where we end up.
She was exhaustion, she was technique, she was the cold survivor of a lifetime ruled by violence.
If a man never tried anything new, a man might never experience anything better.
I can’t recommend this book enough! This story was awesome and very engaging. I’m excited to see more of what Cay has to offer. Read it if you enjoy historical romances.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee and co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com