Witchling Wanderer: Prepare To Be Hooked (By Blackhearts)!!

I'm super delighted to be part of this blog tour for Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman. It was one of the very first 2016 debuts I read and I fell IN LOVE!! I've said it so many times but I was worried about not enjoying it because it was my most anticipated release of this year. And it didn't let me down!!!

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Series: To Be Determined...

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

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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.

*Thank you so much to Simon Pulse for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for my review!!*

This was my most anticipated debut of 2016 and it completely exceeded my high expectations!! I completely devoured it in like three sittings. The characters were just absolutely unforgettable and I couldn't get enough of them!

The writing definitely pulls you into the story. Nicole managed to capture the feel of the time with her writing. By just the way the characters carry themselves and speak, it makes it more easy to visualize the era.

I kind of wish the story had started when Anne was kicked out of her home by her brother and left homeless. I think it would have given readers more feels for her predicament. But at the same time, I like how the story began because it just gets straight to the point when Anne and Teach meet. And it moves the story at a more quicker pace which I loved.

The romance was exactly how I wanted it to be. I loved how the characters got off to a wrong foot. I'm such a fan of love-hate relationships so it worked out in my favor. There was also something very sexy about how Anne kept calling Teach "sir." It's just meant to be as a way to respect those she works for but I was just picturing something else in my mind!! It was a slow-burn romance which I'm often not a fan of because it leaves me wanting more. But that was not the case here. I ship Teach and Anne so SO MUCH!!! I just wanted to grab them and hug them!!

I wanted to mention that this is an origin story. A pre-pirate story is how Nicole calls it. If you go thinking we will get to see the famous pirate Blackbeard, then you will be disappointed (But it's still amazing, regardless). I did a little research on him since I didn't know much. And I think the author did such an amazing take on who Blackbeard was before he became a pirate because not much is known about his early life.

Overall, Blackhearts is was such a beautiful pre-pirate, historical romance, filled with madness, and left me wanting for more!! There better be a sequel because I cannot be left hanging like that. I highly recommend this to all fantasy and pirate lovers.

5 Sea Stars: Out Of This World!!

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.