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gillianw's review
2.0
2.5 stars
While the premise of this book had me intrigued when I first read the blurb, the story itself left me a little cold. I had initially thought this would be a great enemies to lovers book, but it lacks in any sort of chemistry between the two MCs. This was a huge letdown.
Uptight, by-the-book, Peregrine Dean could have been the perfect foil for the light-fingered, socially minded Tomas Quick. In fact, that should have been the catalyst for a great game of cat and mouse, with the UST ratcheting up with each encounter. Unfortunately, the author didn’t capitalize on that opportunity and the resulting relationship between the two men felt merely perfunctory. In fact, I would have been happier if they ended up as friends instead of lovers. It wouldn’t have been a romance, but there’s barely a romance here to begin with.
I had also been looking forward to reading a little bit about the challenges a young, career-minded black man would face in Cornwall in the 1700’s, especially one tasked with cleaning up corruption in a local Customs House. All we got, however, were clumsy investigations, repeated threats of slavery and several abductions. The fact that entire plot involves a white man (Tomas) constantly stepping in to save a black man (Perry) from the clutches of the bad guys, feels like a big misstep on the author’s part. This could have been written far better.
Sadly, this was a miss for me.
copy provided via Netgalley
While the premise of this book had me intrigued when I first read the blurb, the story itself left me a little cold. I had initially thought this would be a great enemies to lovers book, but it lacks in any sort of chemistry between the two MCs. This was a huge letdown.
Uptight, by-the-book, Peregrine Dean could have been the perfect foil for the light-fingered, socially minded Tomas Quick. In fact, that should have been the catalyst for a great game of cat and mouse, with the UST ratcheting up with each encounter. Unfortunately, the author didn’t capitalize on that opportunity and the resulting relationship between the two men felt merely perfunctory. In fact, I would have been happier if they ended up as friends instead of lovers. It wouldn’t have been a romance, but there’s barely a romance here to begin with.
I had also been looking forward to reading a little bit about the challenges a young, career-minded black man would face in Cornwall in the 1700’s, especially one tasked with cleaning up corruption in a local Customs House. All we got, however, were clumsy investigations, repeated threats of slavery and several abductions. The fact that entire plot involves a white man (Tomas) constantly stepping in to save a black man (Perry) from the clutches of the bad guys, feels like a big misstep on the author’s part. This could have been written far better.
Sadly, this was a miss for me.
copy provided via Netgalley
jackiehorne's review
3.0
Peregrine Dean, a black man, is sent to late 18th century Porthkennack by his white patron to root out corruption in the local customs office. But his mission is immediately diverted by the local magistrate, who wishes him to investigate a smuggler with the same last name as his own. And that mission gets diverted not just by Perry's attraction to said smuggler, but also by his discovery of a wrecker (a person who deliberately entices ships to wreck on unseen coastal rocks in order to rake in the cargo) at work in the area.
There's a lot of time spent on details of sailing/smuggling/customs house stuff, which doesn't give Beecroft enough room either to develop the romance romance or to craft a tense plot. There's far too many "oh, Perry's getting hit on the head again/captured again" scenes, and not enough building up of tension about whether Perry should or shouldn't trust Tomas, the smuggler.
Still, fascinating stuff about the challenges faced by a well-educated black man in late 18th century England, especially one with ambition and white patronage.
There's a lot of time spent on details of sailing/smuggling/customs house stuff, which doesn't give Beecroft enough room either to develop the romance romance or to craft a tense plot. There's far too many "oh, Perry's getting hit on the head again/captured again" scenes, and not enough building up of tension about whether Perry should or shouldn't trust Tomas, the smuggler.
Still, fascinating stuff about the challenges faced by a well-educated black man in late 18th century England, especially one with ambition and white patronage.
daniellesalwaysreading's review
4.0
Standard romantic fare with good characters. I especially liked that both men were from working class backgrounds.
alisonalisonalison's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting historical. I enjoyed that it was about a Black man in 18th century Cornwall. I didn't really connect with either main character, but their story held my attention. The romance was a little lackluster, but the plot really hummed along. This author writes excellent historicals, but this one wasn't one of my favourites.
viktorian's review against another edition
3.0
Pros: Basically everything—interesting plots outside the romance, a rich and detailed setting, multifaceted and on point characterization that added to the story, and most of the side characters were interesting, too. (Also, Zuily is the best.)
Cons: I can't pinpoint what it was; I think it was truly a case of "It's not you, it's me," because despite all of these great elements, I just wasn't shipping it that hard. This is the time for the shrug emoji, because I really don't know why. I liked them? It's not like it was instalove or a case of "I'd rather A be with C than B." Really, not a clue here.
Librarian/Reader's Advisory Note that might be a little spoilery:
tl;dr: Don't bother with my cons. The pros are where it counts, really.
Cons: I can't pinpoint what it was; I think it was truly a case of "It's not you, it's me," because despite all of these great elements, I just wasn't shipping it that hard. This is the time for the shrug emoji, because I really don't know why. I liked them? It's not like it was instalove or a case of "I'd rather A be with C than B." Really, not a clue here.
Librarian/Reader's Advisory Note that might be a little spoilery:
Spoiler
I would recommend this as a good possibility for someone just starting out with m/m romance, especially you don't know how comfortable they'd be with ~special time scenes~, because 1) there aren't many of them, and 2) the ones that are featured aren't very detailed.tl;dr: Don't bother with my cons. The pros are where it counts, really.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
4.0
Alex Beecroft writes Age of Sail stories with such skill, something I discovered when I read the lushly detailed novel False Colors back in 2010. Beecroft’s latest historical, Contraband Hearts, is the tenth standalone book in the Porthkennack universe, and is equal parts land and sea tale set in this fictional Cornish town, incorporating Cornwall’s rich factual history with the story’s smugglers and the wreckers who are its central figures. If you’re a fan of the author, the Porthkennack collection, and historical fiction, this book is the trifecta.
Peregrine Dean has been sent by his patron, Lord Petersfield, to investigate reports of skullduggery in the Porthkennack customs house, which, by default, makes Perry an adversary of the townspeople as well as an unexpected shock to the magistrate and his family. Perry may be a free black man, but his freedom isn’t a carte blanche pass despite Lord Petersfield’s letter of introduction. The prejudice he faces from others, his being judged by the color of his skin with a haughty disdain and entitled disregard for the great content of his character, is in direct opposition with the validation he seeks from his job and the dream he has of one day being accepted by, and into, the very society that sees him as a lesser man and seeks to oppress and subjugate him. His commitment to fulfill his duty introduces him to no small amount of danger at every turn and at risk of capture by slavers who have no regard for his free status. Perry faces each instance with strength and conviction, and he is the unquestionable hero of this story, resilient in the face of opposition and courageous in his pursuit of the truth, but he’s also a hero with his own flaws—his desire to carry out his orders comes close to blinding him to the truth.
Tomas Quick is the man Perry has been ordered to prove guilty of smuggling, not an easy task to be handed as it becomes increasingly obvious that Tomas is slippery and that the townsfolk see him as a Robin Hood and savior of sorts to those who would otherwise be homeless and on the brink of starvation without him. Tomas is most definitely not innocent of the crimes he’s been accused of. He has a mother he loves and respects—with an interesting past I’d have gladly read more about!—to protect, he’s cheeky and charming, and he has his own ax to grind with the magistrate and his family, a personal vendetta which also comes to serve as his Achilles heel. In some ways Tomas and Perry are pursuing the same end-goal—being more than what has been afforded them by society, by law, and by injustice. And, eventually, in pursuing each other.
I savored Contraband Hearts, not so much for the enemies-to-lovers romance between Perry and Tomas, which I didn’t feel was examined as deeply or fleshed out as completely it could have been, but for Alex Beecroft’s overall storytelling skills and the threats to life and limb both Perry and Tomas experience, which add plenty of action to the adventure. The ways in which the contraband was concealed was so clever that I had to applaud the ingenuity involved in the smuggling of it. The town, the landscapes, the locations, the vibrant characters all come together to encompass a rich and animated setting that I enjoyed immersing myself in. There’s also quite the learning curve for Perry, who had the most to lose and then was given full agency to discover the truth and fight for himself every step of the way as he is determined to bring law and order to Porthkennack, but then begins to question those laws that would see harm come to innocent women and children. He and Tomas were great foils and adversaries, and they each ended up tempering the other’s ambitions, each for the good of the other.
From the vivid setting to the appeal of its characters to the surprise revelation of the story’s true villain, Contraband Hearts added up to another win for me in a series of strong reads from the Porthkennack-verse.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
Peregrine Dean has been sent by his patron, Lord Petersfield, to investigate reports of skullduggery in the Porthkennack customs house, which, by default, makes Perry an adversary of the townspeople as well as an unexpected shock to the magistrate and his family. Perry may be a free black man, but his freedom isn’t a carte blanche pass despite Lord Petersfield’s letter of introduction. The prejudice he faces from others, his being judged by the color of his skin with a haughty disdain and entitled disregard for the great content of his character, is in direct opposition with the validation he seeks from his job and the dream he has of one day being accepted by, and into, the very society that sees him as a lesser man and seeks to oppress and subjugate him. His commitment to fulfill his duty introduces him to no small amount of danger at every turn and at risk of capture by slavers who have no regard for his free status. Perry faces each instance with strength and conviction, and he is the unquestionable hero of this story, resilient in the face of opposition and courageous in his pursuit of the truth, but he’s also a hero with his own flaws—his desire to carry out his orders comes close to blinding him to the truth.
Tomas Quick is the man Perry has been ordered to prove guilty of smuggling, not an easy task to be handed as it becomes increasingly obvious that Tomas is slippery and that the townsfolk see him as a Robin Hood and savior of sorts to those who would otherwise be homeless and on the brink of starvation without him. Tomas is most definitely not innocent of the crimes he’s been accused of. He has a mother he loves and respects—with an interesting past I’d have gladly read more about!—to protect, he’s cheeky and charming, and he has his own ax to grind with the magistrate and his family, a personal vendetta which also comes to serve as his Achilles heel. In some ways Tomas and Perry are pursuing the same end-goal—being more than what has been afforded them by society, by law, and by injustice. And, eventually, in pursuing each other.
I savored Contraband Hearts, not so much for the enemies-to-lovers romance between Perry and Tomas, which I didn’t feel was examined as deeply or fleshed out as completely it could have been, but for Alex Beecroft’s overall storytelling skills and the threats to life and limb both Perry and Tomas experience, which add plenty of action to the adventure. The ways in which the contraband was concealed was so clever that I had to applaud the ingenuity involved in the smuggling of it. The town, the landscapes, the locations, the vibrant characters all come together to encompass a rich and animated setting that I enjoyed immersing myself in. There’s also quite the learning curve for Perry, who had the most to lose and then was given full agency to discover the truth and fight for himself every step of the way as he is determined to bring law and order to Porthkennack, but then begins to question those laws that would see harm come to innocent women and children. He and Tomas were great foils and adversaries, and they each ended up tempering the other’s ambitions, each for the good of the other.
From the vivid setting to the appeal of its characters to the surprise revelation of the story’s true villain, Contraband Hearts added up to another win for me in a series of strong reads from the Porthkennack-verse.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach
otterpebbles's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked a lot of this, how the characters had to fight between their instincts and initial desires to find new understandings and a way to get through together. The atmosphere was well depicted and I enjoyed the range of characters. A satisfying conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, and Confinement
susanscribs's review
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I hate to post a lukewarm review when the book hasn't even been published yet, but Contraband Hearts did not work for me as a love story at all. First, the two MCs barely interact until almost halfway through the novel. When they finally do meet, there's a lot of kissing/making out, then pushing each other away. Then they suddenly decide they're in love with each other, based primarily on their assessment of each other's character and physical appearance (as opposed to actually spending time together and getting to know one another). Secondly, although Perry is supposed to be an experienced, highly regarded customs officer, he spends a lot of time getting hit over the head and being at the mercy of various bad guys.
The last third of the book is the strongest, as Perry finally gets to kick some butt, and the climactic scene manages to be exciting, poignant and even funny as the two MCs are forced to examine how much they really want to achieve the disparate goals they have been trying to accomplish for so long. Beecroft's writing is stellar as always, and her secondary characters are interesting (I would argue some of them are more interesting than the MCs), plus the risky experience of living as a free black man in 18th century England is an important issue to examine.
I had similar "insta-love" concerns about the last Beecroft book I read ([b:Foxglove Copse|34093999|Foxglove Copse (Porthkennack, #5)|Alex Beecroft|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487206368s/34093999.jpg|55111151]) so maybe her style just isn't right for me. YMMV, especially if you are looking for a well-written adventure story.
ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.
The last third of the book is the strongest, as Perry finally gets to kick some butt, and the climactic scene manages to be exciting, poignant and even funny as the two MCs are forced to examine how much they really want to achieve the disparate goals they have been trying to accomplish for so long. Beecroft's writing is stellar as always, and her secondary characters are interesting (I would argue some of them are more interesting than the MCs), plus the risky experience of living as a free black man in 18th century England is an important issue to examine.
I had similar "insta-love" concerns about the last Beecroft book I read ([b:Foxglove Copse|34093999|Foxglove Copse (Porthkennack, #5)|Alex Beecroft|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487206368s/34093999.jpg|55111151]) so maybe her style just isn't right for me. YMMV, especially if you are looking for a well-written adventure story.
ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.
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