Theo wants to be an actress. She and her siblings were raised by their uncle, who owned a theater. When their uncle died, he gave Theo and her siblings each partial ownership of the theater, but since Theo is an unmarried woman, her brother controls all of it. Now her brother wants her to give up acting to work as an unpaid housekeeper in their family home.

Clem is a former prize fighter who now runs a music hall. He wants to expand his business and he has his eye on Theo's family theater.

Theo propositions Clem with a convenient marriage so they can both get what they want. He will have partial ownership of the theater, and she can work as an actress at the music hall.

I really like Theo and I love that she figured out a way to follow her dreams. She's a unique character and has many qualities that seem almost contradictory, but somehow it works and makes sense. She's confident and perceptive, but insecure and naive.

Clem has always thought of himself as ruthless. He was alone from a young age, became a prizefighter, then, when his fighting career slowed, he opened a music hall. He is enamored with Theo pretty much from the get-go, but tries to keep her at arm's length. It takes a while for him to figure out his feelings.

This book has some cameos from the first two Victorian prizefighter books. ( )

I love Ms. Coldbreath's medieval books, but I've hesitated on this Victorian prizefighter series because of the fighting theme. What a mistake! These stories are great!
Theo is an actress, playing second fiddle to her beautiful sister. When her sister leaves the stage to marry, Theo is left without a part. Clem Dabney, an ex-prizefighter, is looking to invest in a theatre for his retirement. He and Theo marry in a marriage of convenience to take over and run the theatre. Theo becomes a most unusual star, and Clem doesn't know what to make of his spouse, but he knows he wants her as a real wife.
It's a different but very good story. I loved Theo and Clem both; they make for an interesting couple, different from a lot of romances. The Victorian era worked well in this setting, and I'm happy I decided to dive into this series, albeit a bit out of order. ( )