Heart’s Gambit

The Davenports and Baldwins go way back. Titus and Venus were cursed by Sabine, a white landowner caught in a mad rage over her husband’s dalliance with Venus’s mother. Though the future generations of both families would have the ability to travel through time, they would be pulled into a deadly game in which the only winner was Sabine. Emma has lost family members to the horrific game, including her sister, though she doesn’t remember exactly what happened. Emma continues performing in her family’s circus, granting wishes, and avoiding the Davenports. Meanwhile, Malcolm Davenport uses his musical gift to enthrall audiences and change the past for his people. An accidental meeting leads to love leads to despair when Emma and Malcolm discover they are Tethered and expected to fight to the death. Breaking the curse is the only way out, but no one knows how.

Heavy on detail and description, readers are submerged into Black culture and hardships throughout American history. Time travel with magical powers creates a fresh, original world. While the fast-building relationship may seem unbelievable, the angst is real, if overwrought sometimes, and the ending is worth the middle slog if readers can get past the drama.