LOVED this book, and I am so happy I convinced my book club to read this book. It was a bit of a slow start but ended up being an amazing read, just as all of Barker's other books are!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review it!

4.5 stars
This was cute and sweet. I have to admit that this was the first book that I have read by Joanna Barker. However, it was so good! I have heard great things about this book and this author so I was really excited to read it.
Genevieve, Ginny, was a lovely character. I liked her from the beginning and it was interesting to get to know her more. Ginny had to learn to trust Jack and how to live again. Ginny was struggling after her father’s death but Jack had a way of helping her breath and laugh.
Oh, Jack, he was such a charmer. At first I did not know what to think of Jack, but he quickly won my heart. Jack was the perfect fit for Ginny. He was trying hard to prove himself and make amends for past mistakes. I enjoyed getting to know Jack more and seeing who he truly was. He was kind and considerate. Jack had to learn to fight for Ginny.
I loved the chemistry between Jack and Ginny. They were such a fun couple to read about. Their banter was funny and engaging. It was sweet to read about Jack and Ginny falling in love as they tried to find Ginny’s father’s watch. I was rooting for them. Barker wrote their romance so well, that it felt seamless.
The plot was also very interesting. Although it took me a little while to get into the book, I ended up sucked in by the end of it. I love the blend of romance, hints of suspense, and mystery that was woven into this book. I did not know how it was going to end and I really enjoyed reading the story. There were so many twists and turns. The characters were likable and the side characters were wonderful additions.
A Heart Worth Stealing is a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it! It is a clean historical romance, I would recommend it to those at least 13 years and up.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Such a good suspense and romantic book. I loved Joanna Barker’s sense of humor. If you are looking for a clean book with good humor and swoon worthy scenes this is the book. Jack and Ginny were so cute! Jack is such a swoon worthy character. I can not wait for more of Joanna Barker’s book. Let me just say that Ginny’s perspective of the romance was so good! And the tree! It also has a good mystery which I did not see coming but yet I did at the same time. Really confusing, but Joanna Barker concocted a good mystery. *happy sigh*

I requested and received a mentally copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

What a delightfully fun romance! I admit to being suspicious on the villain early on, and I was correct. But I enjoyed this story every step of the way. I even loved the hope filled ending. Not just for Ginny and Jack's marriage, but for Ginny and Catherine's relationship.
.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the ARC and the patience in my getting to it.

A Heart Worth Stealing was an engaging Regency romance, by an author that I had not read before. I look forward to reading more books by this author, though, after enjoying this one.

At first, I was a bit frustrated with Genevieve, as she started out with a lot of preconceived notions about Jack and the way things should be investigated. I felt for her with all the troubles that were occurring, yet I wanted her to recognize that she was not the expert here. Jack was. And even as the story progressed, she occasionally stormed through, doing her own thing, when it was recommended she do the opposite. However, as the attraction grew between Jack and Ginny, I didn’t mind her strong willed actions as much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two, as well as the deeper dive into both of their backgrounds, including their strengths and insecurities. They were an intriguing pair and ended up being very good for each other. The investigation and mystery of who was behind all of Ginny’s troubles was fascinating and I really enjoyed the way the author wrapped up the story and also the happily ever after.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Ginny and Jack’s banter is perfection! I am so glad the teasing didn’t stop even after they confessed their feeling for one another. Their banter was definitely my favorite part of the book. The romance was so heartwarming and full of sweet heat. I could practically feel Jack and Ginny’s chemistry jumping from the pages.
While I did guess the “bad guy” right away, it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the mystery. I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

A mystery, plenty of witty banter, and swoony romance made this an unputdownable read! The characters are vibrant, and I loved their interactions and the humor woven in. Jack's undercover role as Ginny's idiot cousin was hilarious, and their bickering over investigative choices put them at odds until they figured out how to work together. The suspense increased as they realize the danger is greater than they believed, and I was glued to the pages as I tried to figure out along with Jack and Ginny the who and why. I adore character-driven romance, and this book was a perfect balance between that and an engaging plot. They added to each other rather than distracting, delivering a perfectly satisfying reading experience!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

I've loved everything I've read by Joanna Barker and this book was no different!! What a wonderful whodunnit mystery mixed with some romance! I loved Genevieve (Ginny) and Jack together. One of my favorite tropes is enemies to love because of the banter and these two had quite the witty banter going on. The fake cousin relationship they come up with to help Jack investigate lead to some fun moments. One of my favorite scenes was in church when Jack kept talking to Ginny. "I gripped my prayer book, wishing I could use it to smack him upside the head. Would it be considered sacrilege if I only did it in order to hear the sermon?" I think I laughed out loud at that one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of the missing pocket watch and when the guilty party was revealed I was surprised by their reason for doing it. This is a great addition to the Proper Romance line. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Joanna Barker is without a doubt my favorite Regency romance author! She stole my heart when I first read Otherwise Engaged and my opinion of her brilliance still stands.

This story was an absolute delight! I love characters who are on the outskirts of society because it allows for a little more freedom with what the author can have them do. Add to that a brilliant, stubborn, daring heroine and you have the key ingredients for a fantastic story!

Genevieve and Jack were such a great team. I loved their witty banter and teasing, and how well they worked together to solve the case.

I guessed within the first twenty pages who the culprit would be but it didn't bother me that I knew. I still kept on my toes waiting to see how they would figure out who it was.

I LOVE books that have secondary characters that make you fall in love. This book was full of them!! Beatrice was so funny and loveable, even Katherine was a wonderful side character because I was rooting for some kind of reconciliation. BUT Travis's family takes the cake on side characters. If there's one thing I could say to complain about this book (but I'm NOT) it's that we didn't get enough page time with Trinity, Verity, and "crotchety" grandma! They were the best!

The whole story was wonderful from beginning to end and I can't say enough how much I loved it!

This was such a wonderful story that had an intriguing mystery and heart warming romance! Joanna Barker's stories have stolen my heart! I look forward to reading all of her books!
Genevieve was a lovely character. I thought the author did an amazing job showing us her grief over her loss, her care for others, and her strength and bravery. I pulled for her the whole story through. Mr. Travers, Jack, was such a great character. I enjoyed how we found out pieces about him as the story progressed, and felt like he was a wonderful partner for Genevieve. The mystery was so well done. I couldn't figure out all that was going on, and the twists and turns kept me on my toes.
This was a delightful read and I enjoyed every minute!
"How badly I missed having an us here at Wimborne. Someone to make plans with, to see every morning at breakfast and every night at dinner. Father and I had been that us before his death. Jack was slipping into that void, filling my home as well as my heart."
"Making him laugh was the greatest pleasure of my life. Besides kissing him, obviously."
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Who knew a pocket watch would lead to so much?

Ginny can’t do it on her own, but neither can she reach out to her sister for help—that would be disastrous. So instead, she hires a thief-taker.
What she didn’t expect, however, was that he would be doing some stealing as well…of her very guarded heart.

This book is phenomenal!! I can’t stop thinking about it…well after I’ve finished.

A Heart Worth Stealing is the perfect amount of romance and mystery, neither overpowering the other. Such a beautiful story of grieving, reconnecting, and family—past, present and future.

Oooh!! And the kiss!! 🥰🥰🥰 Joanna knows how to write the perfect kisses and are perfectly sweet and clean!

I will never not recommend this book! It is absolutely amazingly woven together!

Thank you Joanna, for giving this story to us!! I will forever be grateful to you! ♥️♥️

Joanna writes historical romance in a way that is still approachable for the modern reader, which I greatly appreciate. I don't enjoy first-person narration as much, but that is a personal preference. Easy to visualize the characters and setting. Love that it has some banter and cheek.

Yet another delightful book by one of the best regency period authors out there. The characters are so vivid and realistic and the romanc is utterly swoonworthy, I cannot recommend this book enough

All of the heart emojis and swoony sighs for this story! Can I give it 10 stars?!? I absolutely adored Ginny and her stubbornness and determination to run Wimborne on her own. I loved her grit and her strong willed personality, she was an amazing person. Jack was so handsome and full of jokes and smiles. I loved the chemistry between the two, the sparks were flying! Some were from chemistry and others from words of anger! The dichotomy was intriguing and quite captivating! Their interactions never had a dull moment. The entire mystery behind the theft and damage to the estate was quite the head scratcher and kept me page turning until the very end. I absolutely adored this book and I feel like I need to read it again or have a book two or something! I would be ecstatic if Barker writes a book about Ginny’s friend Beatrice, she is a fun character and I would love to hear her story. This is one of my favorite books of 2023 and I recommend it to any regency romance fan! I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not my favorite book by this author; but was fun; lighthearted and swoon worthy hero. I wish the heroine had more substance but; a great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon! Look forward to more by this author as she happens to be my favourite in this genre

A Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker was an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of NetGalley. It is historical romance which published on 2 May 2023. Yes, I'm a wee behind on my reviews.

Genieve Wilde is faced with the challenges of coming out of mourning for her beloved father, managing the estate she inherited on her own, the unexpected accidents that have been plaguing the estate since his death, and now, the theft of her most precious memory of her father, his pocket watch. Genieve decides to meet these challenges head-on and hires a "thief taker" to sort out who stole the watch and secure its return. Jack, former Bow Street runner turned thief taker, accepts the job and soon uncovers that there is something much more sinister going on at the estate. Can he protect Genieve and not lose his own heart in the process.

This was a delightful story and was different than A Game of Hearts which I read earlier this year. Different isn't bad, this one was much more traditional in its storytelling than A Game of Hearts. I love traditional stories, so as you can imagine I loved this one.

Genieve is a strong and determined young lady who knows her own mind and while she worries about her reputation, that worry does not stop her from doing the right thing. she is willing to take risks in order to control her own future. Jack is an unconventional hero in that he is the illegitimate son of an earl, listens to Genieve when she speaks, and is willing to alter his dreams for her.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It is completely clean and is an enjoyable romance with a well plotted mystery. There is character growth, humor, romance, and family drama. There is something for every reader who prefers their romances without spice. All of these characters are welcome into the pub at any time.

What a ride! What a nice balance of romance and mystery from Ms. Barker! Jack is my new boyfriend and every page he was on was my new favorite page. He is a dream boat and he is reason enough for everyone to read this. Also, the setting and the lovely writing and narrative skills of Ms. Barker are always solid and the kisses are incredibly swoony. Easily a five star read!

I really enjoyed this romance. I liked how there was a mystery for the characters to solve and that as they worked to solve the mystery, they fell in love. The story kept me engaged the whole time and I cared about what happened to Ginny and Jack. I thought the story was well written and very enjoyable.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

Joanna takes regency era romantic mystery to a whole new level. With witty banter, flirtations that make a person blush, and kisses that curls the toes she can weave majic with words. This book with it's well rounded characters, dramatic mysteries, and overall perfect tension throughout you have a perfectly crafted story of love, tension, and happily ever after.

This was a first time read for me by this author, but it definitely won't be my last. The story was well-written and had an interesting plot and kept my interest from start to finish. The story is a romance, but also a mystery and had plenty of danger and intrigue which kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what happens next. After Ginny's late father's watch disappears, she hires a thief-taker, Jack, to help her find it. Together they go in search of the watch and discover not only the mystery as to why it was stolen, but also a beautiful bond that begins to form between them. The mystery and suspense kept me intrigued, and I enjoyed the budding romance between Jack and Ginny. The witty banter was also very entertaining. I really enjoyed this Proper Romance and will most definitely be coming back for more!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.