Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Book Review: Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman





Members of the Vise Library were selected to review Blackhearts.  We received a copy of Nicole Castroman's book for an honest review.






About the book:

In this stunningly creative debut, Nicole Castroman reimagines the origins of history's most infamous pirate--Blackbeard--and tells the story of the girl who captured his heart and ultimately set him on his path of destruction.

When Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, returns home from a year at sea, he finds his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn't love and sick of the high society he was born into, all Teach wants is to return to the vast ocean he calls home. There's just one problem: he must convince his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following the death of her parents, Anne Barrett is left penniless. Though she's barely worked a day in her life, Anne takes a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks and Anne longs to escape the confines of her now mundane life. How will she ever achieve her dream of sailing to Curaçao--her mother's birthplace--when she's trapped in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn together by a shared desire for freedom, but kept apart by Teach's father, their love is as passionate as it is forbidden. Faced with an impossible choice, Teach and Anne must decide whether to chase their dreams and leave England forever--or follow their hearts and stay together.
Castroman's novel offers a unique perspective on how Blackbeard became to be and how he settled down the path of not being Edward Teach (who was a pretty put together guy).  Anne is a maid that works for Edward's father.  She is the daughter of a slave and a respected business man.  However, Edward's father does not know this.  Anne was brought to this house by her (not-so-nice) half brother after both of her parent's died.  At first, Anne has a rough encounter with Edward, but over time they both realize how much they have in common: feeling trapped, no capabilities to make their own decisions, enjoying the simple life and caring about much more than titles and money.  They form a unique bond and have plans to leave London until both of them are tricked by several people.  

I enjoyed the backstory of what made Blackbeard "Blackbeard."  You find out how the names Queen Anne and Blackbeard came to be.  There are several twists to this book that made for a very enjoyable read.  I think readers will enjoy the plot of this book and how the story shows how Edward evolves.  There really isn't anything not to like about this book,  but seriously who doesn't love a good pirate story? :)  Our copy will be available for checkout when this book releases in February!
Buy the book:
     Amazon
       Barnes and Noble
      Parnassus Books







About the author:

Nicole was lucky enough to come with her very own best friend...she has a twin sister who can read her mind and finish her sentences for her. 

At the age of 13, she went to Europe for the first time and it changed her life. She loves learning about different people, languages and cultures and speaks fluent German. She knows enough Spanish to get herself into trouble and can still read the Cyrillic alphabet from when she studied Russian.

She received her B.A. from Brigham Young University and has lived in Germany, Austria and two different places called Georgia. One is located on the Black Sea. The other is the state of Georgia where she now lives with her handsome husband and two beautiful children who continue to amaze her.


Connect with the author:
Twitter
   Website

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