

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice Rating: (closed door)
Title: Heart’s Gambit (#1)
Author: J.D. Myall
Narrator(s): Khaya Fraites, Eric Lockley, Alaska Jackson
Format: audiobook (NetGalley)
Pages: 335 Listening Time: Approximately 12 hours
Publication Date: 2/3/26
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners
Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel, Young Adult
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


A thrilling and romantic debut fantasy where competitors from two prominent, time-traveling Black families must fight in a deadly magical duel – and find themselves falling in love.
The Baldwins and the Davenports have been sworn enemies for centuries. Ever since Venus Davenport and Titus Baldwin, two enslaved kids, fell in love, tried to run away, and got caught by their mistress, Sabine, a powerful witch. Desperate for freedom, they struck a bargain, and she gifted their families the ability to exist outside of time, along with magic to survive and thrive.
Those gifts came at a price.
Once a generation, their families must put forth a competitor for a magical duel to the death to feed Sabine’s immortality. This time, Emma Baldwin – a wish spinner – and Malcolm Davenport – a maker of illusions – are chosen.
But when they meet to check out the competition, sparks fly. Soon, the two are exchanging letters, having secret meetings, and fighting off their cursed urges to hurt one another, all while trying not to fall in love. And if they are ever going to have a chance to be together, they only have one choice: to put an end to Sabine’s curse, once and for all.
J.D. Myall’s Heart’s Gambit is an irresistible journey of dazzling magic, unforgettable first love, and daring to dream of something more.


Content Warning: violence, death, trauma, slavery, racism
Sworn enemies, a family curse, slavery, history, trauma, a deadly game, and forbidden love? I was intrigued by the synopsis. And let me say the narrators did such an amazing job – it was the reason why I was riveted to the story!
I don’t usually like stories where there is a lot of time jumping and travel but this story has a lot of it but I didn’t mind. I like the years Emma and Malcolm would travel to. We would get a sense of how Black people were treated in certain eras but it let us know that no year has been good to them and they have had to survive anyway they could through every era since they were brought as slaves to the USA. Emma’s family runs a circus and performs but Malcolm performs too, as a singer. These young ones are raised to hate each other’s family but a forbidden love grows between them.
I was rooting so hard for Emma and Malcolm because I love that they found love with all the hate going on. They try to work together in coming up with a plan to beat their common enemy Sabine at the deadly games they have to fight in. But they fall in love, like their ancestors, the reason why the curse on their families exist in the first place. Their love isn’t easy because with the curse comes bloodlust to kill one another. So throughout the story not only are they falling in love and trying to figure out a plan, but they are trying to hold back feelings of wanting to kill one another also!
There is a strong element of family in this book. At some points Emma and Malcolm were so conflicted about their love because their families were against it. But they had to make some strong and almost heart-breaking choices.
One issue I had with the story was all this talk about these deadly games they have to compete in, but these games/trials only start at 80% in the book. I wish it started earlier.
I do think things for the most part things get wrapped up especially when it comes to Emma and Malcolm’s forbidden love but the ending definitely let’s us know what is to come in book two.


Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the story telling, and the narrators. The time travel was important in giving us insight and history about what Emma and Malcolm, their ancestors and people had to go through. I thought there was a lot of action and magic, but I did want the games to start earlier in the book. Overall though, I found this to be a really entertaining story that was emotional at times.





















































































