Never Too Many To Read : Blog Tour: Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman...Review, Favorite Quotes, & Giveaway!

Today I am so excited to be a host for the Blacksouls Blog Tour!

I loved the first book and couldn't wait to read this one!

Keep reading to learn more including my thoughts on this exciting sequel!

Blacksouls (Blackhearts #2)
by Nicole Castroman
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 11th 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Pirates, Adventure

Synopsis:

Nicole Castroman brings the dangerous pirate ports of the Caribbean to life in this vibrant sequel to Blackhearts—the reimagined origin story of history’s most infamous pirate, Blackbeard.

Edward “Teach” Drummond is setting sail to the Caribbean as first mate on the most celebrated merchant ship in the British fleet—until he rebels against his captain. Mutiny is a capital offense and Teach knows it could cost him his life, but he believes it worth the risk in order to save his crew from the attacking Spanish ships.

Sailing on the same blue waters, Anne barely avoids the Spanish attack, making it safely to Nassau. But lawless criminals, corrupt politics, and dangerous intentions fill the crowded streets of this Caribbean port. Soon, Anne discovers that the man entrusted to keep the peace is quite possibly the most treacherous of them all—and he just happens to hold Teach’s fate in his terrifying hands.

Life and death hang in the balance when Teach and Anne are given a dangerous mission. It’s a mission that will test their love, loyalty and devotion, forcing them down a path neither one could have ever imagined.

Be sure to check out the first book in the series: Blackhearts

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.

Title: Blacksouls

Author: Nicole Castroman

Format: Digital ARC

Source: Netgalley/Blog Tour/Publisher

This fantastic follow-up to Blackhearts is wonderfully entertaining read. If you haven't read Blackhearts (the first in the series), I highly recommend you do before diving into Blacksouls and if you like smart, strong characters and/or historical settings, you probably won't be disappointed reading either book.

In the first book, we met Anne and Edward "Teach" Drummond (later to be known as Blackbeard). Anne was an illegitimate child of a nobleman working as a maid for Teach's father and Teach was a young man who longed to be at sea rather than to conform to what his father expected him to be. Both intrigued the other and an unlikely relationship developed with plenty of bumps and surprises along the way. It was a wonderful book with an ending that left me wanting...or rather needing even more.

Which brings us to this book...Blacksouls.

As you can probably tell, I fell in love with Anne and Teach in Blackhearts and was sad to see that book end (especially considering how it ended). I couldn't wait to read the second book to see what would happen next and it did not disappoint. Filled with the same tenacity, feistiness, and strength they showed in the first book, Anne and Teach continue to earn my love in Blacksouls as they sail the seas and deal with the dangerous situations that await them.

Picking up after the last book ended, Blacksouls starts with Anne and Teach sailing the seas...but each are on different ships. Anne is a passenger aboard the Providence while Teach is a crew member on the Deliverance. Teach tries to keep his identity a secret, but that is a struggle due to an awful Captain who abuses his powers and endangers the lives of the crew. Teach realizes he must take action and soon finds himself leading and saving his fellow crew members.

Eventually, Anne and Teach both survive their harrowing experiences aboard the ships and find themselves in Nassau, but a powerful and corrupt Governor and other nefarious characters threaten their lives and happiness. As you can probably guess, things are not easy for our couple at all and my heart broke for them and other characters we are introduced to along the way. I really don't want to spoil things but I will say that I definitely felt like smacking a few characters (or worse) a time or two...and I am not a violent person.

Blacksouls was a wonderful and emotional follow-up to a book I loved. I especially enjoyed the character of Anne, a smart, strong young woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself and for those she cares about. She definitely is no simpering maiden. And Teach! I don't know much about his true story, but I find this reimagining of Blackbeard to be fascinating. Strong, brave, and caring, he is a great match for Anne.

As with the first book, Nicole Castroman has a way with words and the wonderful ability to create strong characters that you can't help but enjoy and care about. From the two main characters to the antagonists, each character brings something different to the story. I could easily picture each one and the events surrounding them. For me, the characters are a big part of why I love these books and I enjoyed getting to know a little about each of them.

That's not to say that the plot of Blacksouls wasn't exciting or interesting, because it definitely was with plenty of action and swashbuckling adventures that I long for in pirate-themed books along with a few unexpected emotional moments. While the previous book moved at a slower pace and focused more on Anne & Teach's blossoming relationship, the story in Blacksouls picks up the pace and is filled with a lot more action, intrigue, and emotion. And I loved every bit of it!

Blacksouls is definitely one of my favorite reads this year. And now, I NEED another book in this entertaining series....please.