Heart's Gambit by J.D. Myall

Heart's Gambit by J.D. MyallA 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,

Thomas von Dreiss has resigned himself to a solitary fate

drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame

but the grumpy woman she encounters upon her return is nothing like the dynamo she remembers

As Lola and Renee reconnect

it falls on Nell's shoulders to cover their mountain of bills

Until one fateful night when she uncovers her twin brother William’s secret and stumbles into a brewing rebellion—where he takes the knife meant for her

As they try to guide her down what they each see as the best path for her

So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny

find her gate

As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do

not even his story assignments have much variety