A review by cakt1991
A Champion's Heart: Born to Win Men by Piper Huguley

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve hoped to read A Champion’s Heart for a while, since I first read the linked book A Virtuous Ruby, and am glad to finally be able to. Piper Huguley writes such richly detailed and researched Black American historical romance, with this one being no exception. 

Secret baby is a trope I don’t love, but the way Huguley writes it as a facet of Champ and Delie’s relationship, is well done. I loved seeing Delie thriving, receiving higher education and taking in orphaned children with her sisters. And Champ is a great hero, and I loved that he had dreams of making it as a boxer, but also wanted to make things right with Delie too. Their relationship is a beautiful one, and I rooted for them to work through the challenges they faced to find happiness together. 

This is an inspirational romance, and whether you enjoy it will be dependent on your feelings on the genre. I personally liked that it felt believable for the characters, and given the general whiteness in the more mainstream areas of the genre, I appreciate titles like this that have an intersection of faith with the experiences of racism (or other marginalizations). 

This is a delightful gem of a book, and one I’d absolutely love to see get more attention. If you’re looking for more American-set historical romance, especially with Black leads, I recommend picking this one up.