Contraband Hearts

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.