BLACKHEARTS by Nicole Castroman / Book Review

By: Nicole Castroman
Published by: Simon Pulse
Released on: February 9th, 2016
Pre-Order it from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
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Rating: 5 Stars - I LOVED IT!
* I received an arc from the publisher to review, in exchange for my honest review

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. This is their story.

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.

A fantastic debut that will leave you wanting more! This book is brilliant! I absolutely love what Castroman did with the story of one of the most dreaded, if not the most dreaded pirate in history, Blackbeard. I never would have thought I could have fallen in the love with this pirate, but what Castroman does with his story is amazing. Very little is known about him, and I love that not only do we get a back story on him, we get a character to know, and love, and see the beginning of what made him turn into the feared pirate he became.

I might have a thing for pirates, and Castroman just upped that to a whole new level with Teach's story. Teach is a character whom I couldn't help but falling for. Despite the fact that he may have a temper, Teach is the kind of compassionate character who sweeps you off his feet, not with what he says, but what he does for those he cares about. Trust me, there's nothing he wouldn't do for those who cares for. Not to mention he doesn't stand for innocent people getting hurt, which I found fascinating, and greatly admired about him. He's a character who naturally commands attention when he's in a scene. To be honest, there's no way you could pretend he wasn't there, and trust me, he uses this to advantage a time or two. He's also someone who's easy to sympathize with. He comes from high society through his family's name, yet he wants nothing to do with the title he was born into and the money his father has. He's a character who feels trapped by the responsibilities that come from that. I greatly admired his wanting to be free to do what he wanted to do, and that was sailing the seas.

To equally match him is the book's main character, Anne. I loved this girl! She is the perfect match for Teach. She's witty, educated, has a hard time not speaking her mind (something frowned upon in high society), and can take care of herself. She grew up having a good life, but after something happens (which I won't spoil here), she now finds herself a servant/staff member in Teach's father's home. I admired Anne's strength. She has nothing left to lose, and yet this girl continues to keep going, and won't give up on her dream to sail away from England. At the moment, she's doing all she can to make the dream a possibility. One of the things she and Teach have in common, is the need for escape from the life they're both stuck in. Like Teach, she's something who's trapped by the standards of society because of her birthright.

The chemistry between Teach and Anne is awesome! I knew from the moment these two met that I was in for one heck of a battle of wills, and I couldn't wait to see which one would cave first. With these two stubborn characters, I knew the sparks were going to fly. Did they ever! These two couldn't have been more perfect for each other. It was highly entertaining watching these two fall for each other. It was definitely not a love at first site, though there was something there. Their first meeting was definitely unforgettable *snickers* What transpired shortly after that first encounter was simply awesome, and slowly grew into something so much more. I love that they had a lot of similarities and understood each other, and their need to follow their passion. It's one of the things that drew them closer together. I love that they confided in each other, and learned to trust one another. My one of my favorite scenes between these two revolved around a book! *sigh*

This debut swept me off my feet! I loved this book! I seriously hope there is a sequel, because with the way this book ended, I need to read it now. haha. Seriously though, that ending is begging for a sequel, and I REALLY hope that happens, because I am not ready to be done with Teach and Anne's story. There's so much more to be told, and I can not wait to read it. I highly recommend picking up this book! I am looking forward to reading many more of Nicole's books.