Portia’s Review: Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

When I first came across this on Goodreads a million years ago (well the wait felt that long, anyway) I was SO EXCITED. I assumed, like everyone else, that it would be about PIRATES. There are not nearly enough books about pirates. Then I got an ARC; I was so happy! But then I started seeing early reviews of people complaining that it wasn’t pirate-y at all, just a love story for the most part. This worried me.

But then I saw a post by the author, who said “If you enjoy the period drama Poldark, then I think you’ll enjoy BLACKHEARTS”…….

UMM OKAY.  I love Poldark! That gave this book high expectations to live up too, and made me even more intrigued. So, did that turn out to be a good comparison?

SWOON.

It turns out, I loved this book. I see the similarities to Poldark for sure. The story revolves around political intrigue and romance, basically. But I’m not even mad. Nope. I loved Teach. I am sure I will love him even more in what I assume might be a second book…..??? I loved Anne – though she had moments that annoyed me a bit. Some characters were just awful. Wretched. But they were supposed to be, so that worked out.

This book ends on a kind of cliffhanger. Like it could be the end, but…. there is more to tell now. That more may contain the pirate-y action everyone missed in this book. I mean, I definitely enjoyed this book, but I do wish there had been a bit of pirate-y goodness. Overall, if you like Poldark, then yes, this is a great YA story that is similar in style to Poldark. I highly recommend it!

4 1/2 Stars!

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Portia

Florida girl. Mom and wife. Obsessed with all things horror. Lover of all things pop culture. Fangirl of too many fandoms to count. Reading is my passion and obsession, it's my mini vacations and relaxing getaways. Find me on Instagram (@itsportiasbooks) if you want to chat!

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