Game of Hearts
Excellent writing and characterisation… Hester (is) a fizzing-with-life,
believable and resourceful heroine if ever there was one—Daily Mail
A swashbuckling, sparkling world of a novel
—Suzannah Dunn
1819: Cornwall and London
In a family scorched by scandal and scarred by war, Crow, the Earl of Lamorna, is as self-destructive as he is charismatic, and it will only take one spark to set his world aflame. So when Crow’s younger brother catches him in flagrant with their widowed stepmother, a lethal chain of events is set in motion.
Heiress Hester Harewood is on the run from the men who shot her father. The last thing she needs is a complicated aristocrat offering her his protection. But who is more dangerous? Those she is running from? Or Crow himself? For Crow is glamorous and unpredictable, yet capable of such tenderness that Hester’s heart is in just as much danger as her life.
“A marvellously dark and compelling anti-hero and a truly gutsy (and sexy) heroine … A terrific read.”
– Caro Fraser
Reader advisory: this book includes mention of PTSD, violence and racism
REVIEWS
“Those who like their action on the swashbuckling side will enjoy this fabulous debut set in a world in which Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo. A cross between Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Dunnett and Poldark”
— iNews
“The quality of the story in itself is sufficient to carry this novel, but excellent writing and characterisation pushes it up several notches — with special mention for Hester: a fizzing-with-life, believable and resourceful heroine if ever there was one.”
— Daily Mail
“Featuring Cornish separatist rebels, Napoleon’s brother Jerome on the English throne, and a mixed-race heroine (not to mention another particularly wonderful depiction of a working-class woman whose capacity for military strategy wins her the Duke of Wellington’s respect), it’s like a glorious mashup of Frenchman’s Creek and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (but without the magic.)”
— Elle Thinks
“Witty, exciting and heartfelt, the book had me hooked, from the minute I picked it up until I put it down at four o’clock in the morning.”
— The Roaring Bookworm
“Rugged scenery combined with even more rugged leading men and feisty leading ladies does make this a book that one can easily compare to Poldark – but Whittaker provides depth and nuance to her characters – meaning that the intensity of the plot is only amplified by quite how much she makes you care about the characters it revolves around.”
— The Bookbag
“Wars, murder, rebellion, slavery, PTSD, bravery and love, all scrambled into this one hell of a ride for both characters and readers.”
— Our First Year Here
“K J Whittaker draws the reader into a world full of adventure, romance, treachery, and espionage, with believable characters and wonderfully evocative settings of Scilly, Cornwall and London.”
— Mostly Books
“Adventurous, dark, brooding and mysterious.”
— Rachel Bustin
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