This book has a promising start. It took me a little bit to figure out who the characters were, but by the end of the sample, I had become interested in the story.

What if the British and their allies lost the war at Waterloo. Imagine the French invading England and Wellington is a prisoner. Josephine is at Carlton House and Napoleon's brother is on the throne. The Earl of Lamorna known as Crow, is working both sides as a spy. He marries Hester, the daughter of his mentor who was murdered, to protect her from the French. Her father was black and her mother white. Crow has a fourteen year old brother setting off bombs in London and if captured by the French will be hung. To add to his stress, Crow suffers from PTSD and has a stepmother who is very angry when he breaks off their relationship as lovers when he marries Hester. It was difficult for me to grasp the concept of the turn around of the British losing. It just felt weird, but I managed to work my way through the concept. The love story of Hester and Crow is very tumultuous. One reference to explicit sex, but otherwise it is left up to your imagination. This is only the first few chapters, but I waited to review until I read the complete book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This is the beginning of a really good regency romance story, which leaves the reader wanting to get the next instalment.

Having read the other two books in this trilogy, I enjoyed reading the six chapters of the first book in the series. Set in 1817 in an alternative history world where Bonaparte, not Wellington, won the Battle of Waterloo. The story introduces the main characters and hints at what motivates them. An intricate historical is vividly described,.and Hester and Crow's chemistry is evident. This is a tempting sample of Game of Hearts.

I received a sample of this book from 'Head of Zeus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This sneak peek is quite fast-paced, so I assume that more exposition will come later in the story to flesh out the characters are their identities more. These first few chapters definitely piqued my interest, though the descriptions are a bit long-winded. I find it interesting that the author explores an avenue of history where the black daughter of a sailor and an English earl could cross paths.