“‘None of that matters,’ he said simply. ‘All that matters is this. Us. What we feel for each other.’ He took my hand, pressed a kiss to my knuckles. ‘Last night, I had a glimpse of my life where you were no longer in it. Where I might lose you. And it terrified me. Because strong as I think I am, I am not strong enough to live without you.’”

That, my friends, is Jack Travers for you. You definitely need to know Jack. He is a thief taker a.k.a. Special investigator. He became a favorite of mine quickly. Jack is hired by our leading lady, Ginny. Ginny is strong, brave and confident. She is not afraid to stand up for herself and her estate, even if that means arming herself with a vase. She is awesome! Together, they solve a mystery or two and find love while at it.

A Heart Worth Stealing is a slow burn romance. The banter and moments that lead them to their happily ever after are all so good, though, that I didn’t feel like I was being dragged through the mud to get there. It had just the right amount of everything and I can’t wait to read it again.

I have loved every Joanna Barker book that I have read and that is all of them. A Heart Worth Stealing was better than I imagined. It was so fun and unique. If you love that and want more swoon worthy goodness, you have to read this book. I have so many good lines highlighted and I just sigh a little every time I read them. Definitely add this fun Proper Romance to your TBR.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy. These opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Joanna but I absolutely enjoyed her writing! It was easy to get swept away and I just loved how different it felt than other proper romances. It had a bit of mystery and I loved the whole investigator/protector trope!

The romance is definitely a slowburn and takes a while to get there but it was so adorable!! I just loved their chemistry and banter. Lots of swoony moments and the their first kiss was *chef's kiss* perfect! This was just very delightful and made me so happy! Highly recommend if you want a proper romance with a little different plot but just as enjoyable romance.

I really liked the story line of this book. Ginny was a stubborn, loyal, and hardworking girl who loved her father fiercely. Jack is an active, curious, and astute individual. I liked how both of them worked together to find the culprit behind the terrorizing of Ginny’s home. They each had weaknesses that they had to overcome to be together.

I struggled with the flow of this book. There were times I didn’t like the main character’s bullheadedness. It could be a personality clash between her and myself that I didn’t like. But I felt like it wasn’t fair to Jack to always show why she was right. It would have been nice to see some scenes from his perspective. (That’s the only reason I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars)

This is definitely a book to read. It had some amazing nuggets of wisdom. I loved the line that it is impossible to know everything about a person. Because they constantly change. Everyday we make new decisions that shape our future selves. How can we possibly know every version of someone? That was very well said.

Joanna is a great author. I own all of her books and have been very impressed.

Loved this sweet regency romance! The characters were wonderful with plenty of tension between the two main characters. There was romance, mystery, danger and plenty of swoony kisses, the perfect recipe for a great romance,

Miss Genevieve Wilde realizes that her father’s watch is missing. This young heiress must track down someone to help in the search. See ends up counting on Jack Travers, a former Bow Street officer. You wonder what may develop between these two!

What a fun read! I enjoyed the mystery and the budding relationship between the main characters. As always, Joanna writes such amazing scenes ❤️ You are sure to enjoy this book!!

This is absolutely my new favorite book. I loved all of it. Not a single bit was boring. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll be vague. I loved how things were resolved at the end. I didn’t see it coming and it was so clever. A rescue as great as the end of the princess bride. Most novels I read I forget the plot line pretty quickly. I’ll be remembering this story. It was much different than all the other regency novels I’ve been reading. I learned a lot about thief takers and the underground of the crime world. The romance was toe curling and heart warming (I actually sighed a couple times).
This novel is clean but definitely has some great kiss scenes. Also be prepared to laugh out loud frequently.
You’ll regret it if you don’t read this one.

A Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker is a nicely combined Regency Romance and a mystery. The story takes place in the early 19th Century, and the primary characters are Ginny (Genevieve), her half sister Catherine, the nefarious Mr. Northcott and his side-kick James Garvey, and Jack, a thief catcher. The romance of the book is the burgeoning relationship between Ginny and Jack, and it is well-drawn and believable. However, a particular scene which was somewhat amusing and questionable at the same time was a drawn-out kissing scene which tenuously took place in an oak tree.

The plot of the book is cleverly crafted and believable as are the character developments. The book moves quickly and comfortably. The setting of Ginny's house in the English countryside and its surroundings creates a true description of the era. The relationship between Ginny and Jack, the thief catcher, develops slowly but steadily, and it addresses the questionable, for the time, idea of a woman of means (albeit small) with a man who comes from a somewhat dubious background. On the other hand, the frequently lighthearted banter between Jack and Ginny enriches the plot and keeps the reader engaged to the end.

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Press and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book was incredible! I've read one other book by this author and this one u liked more. Following the story of Geneiveive and Jack was fun and it was very exciting and made me not want to put the book down.

After the death of her father, Genevieve Wilde has been on her own. Determined to prove herself, she has been running her estate and trying to stay afloat. When her father's watch (one of her most prized possessions) goes missing, she hires Jack Travers to help her find it. Jack is a thief-taker, or a special investigator as he prefers to be called, and Ginny has many reservations about hiring him. He's handsome and flirty but she has no choice but to trust him to see her watch returned. When they discover that the missing watch is just part of a larger attack against her, they come up with a plan to pretend Jack is her cousin so he can investigate and protect Ginny without damaging her reputation.

This was the perfect mystery romance! I appreciated that Ginny was independent and stood up for herself and was willing to do whatever it took to defend her home and her staff. I immediately liked Jack and his witty comments. This was a slow-burn, clean romance and I loved their emotional connection. The second half of the story was filled with twists and turns and it definitely kept the story interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC! Look for A Heart Worth Stealing in May 2023!

Genevieve Wilde - Ginny - is a smart woman and the daughter of the late magistrate. As heiress she runs Wimborne, the estate she inherited from her late father, and does that very well, but she struggles with the judgement from other people because of her heritage. Her mother was a governess so she feels judged and she feels she cannot put a foot wrong, so things get more complicated for her when accidents start to happen at the house. She fears when people find out about this, they will say that she’s unfit as mistress of the estate. When her father’s pocket watch is stolen and she isn’t taken seriously by the police, she decides to take matters in her own hand and hires Jack Travers, a thief-taker, or private investigator, as he calls himself.

Jack is a handsome, laidback kind of mn, brought up as a gentleman but like Ginny, he doesn’t quite fit in as well. They have that in common. He likes to tease to either thrown people off their game and learn more about their character, or charm them in revealing things about themselves. It is a clever way of getting more information, but it is also just a character thing. Jack doesn’t like to be all proper and polite all the time, he just prefers to say things as they are or look at the funny side of life. Ginny starts to appreciate that of him more and more, and value him as a person.

I liked the fact that two seemingly totally different people have the basics in common: the craving of being accepted and not judged and the fear or even the assumption that you are not good enough.
What I didn’t understand was that Ginny gets angry with Jack a lot. Even just after she hired him, she doubts and distrusts him, despite the fact that he hasn’t given her any reason to doubt or distrust him. When he’s working, she sometimes interferes, not always very clever of her, and ruins his work - and again, she gets angry with him again. I found that quite annoying and exasperating. Come on, girl; of course you can have doubts at the beginning, but you hired him so why not let him do his job and trust that he does well? Jack is prone to jump to conclusions, which I find quite unattractive and wouldn’t expect from someone like him. I’d expect him to be sharp, clever, witty, but not clumsy in that regard.
A few scenes are quite unrealistic, like having a whole conversation (and more) in a garden in the middle of the night while stalking a potentially dangerous armed and intruder. But overall it was a nice read. The whodunnit was well worked out, although I figured it out quite early in the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book had all of the elements of a good, sweet regency romance and I really enjoyed it!

First off, I loved Jack Travers character. I saw on the author’s Instagram where she mentioned he was like Flynn Rider who is one of my favorite heroes ever… so I was bound to like Jack Travers. He has a flirtatious, carefree front to cover up the sweet, caring man underneath… ah, I love it! He was just so fun and full of life. I would have liked to gotten to know his character even more but as it was, I really liked him! He was so much fun!
It took me a bit to warm up to Ginny. Probably because of how she acted towards Jack and I liked him immediately. I didn’t dislike her really, it just took me a while to connect to her. But by the end, I liked her!
Also, I liked Beatrice the little we saw her and Wily was pretty fun too!

The romance was really cute! I loved the banter between the characters. I was snickering and smiling for the majority of the book. Jack and Ginny were really just adorable.❤️

I liked that there was a mystery happening as well. Historical mysteries are my favorite so I really enjoyed that aspect to the plot since it added a bit of action, suspense, and danger to the book.
Also, I really liked the writing in this book! It was just enjoyable to read. The way certain things were put, especially how the author described Jack Traver’s character, was perfect and really made me like his character. Also, there were quite a few quotable lines.

This book was clean, which as always, I really appreciate! The kisses were a bit more descriptive than I typically prefer but that’s easily skimmed. There was no language and the violence was minimal.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read with a sweet romance, an interesting mystery, and great writing. It made me smile, laugh, and swoon a little too!
If you like regency romance books that have:
•a enemies to lovers/ opposites attract romance
•a flirtatious, lovable hero
•a slightly headstrong, totally feisty heroine
•fun banter
•a whodunit mystery that brings action, danger, and suspense to the plot
•great writing
then I think you will love this one!☺️

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a complimentary copy to review! All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I will be honest,the first couple of pages in I was not so sure about this book. But as I stuck with it, I was more than pleasantly surprised!

Ginny is trying to run her family home. Her father has recently passed away and her step sister is more than unkind. Little things have been happening on her estate, but the worst was when her father's watch was taken from her study. With Little help from the local Magistrate, she chooses to higher a special investigator. And that is when things start to change.

Jack has been let go from the Bow Street runners after political reasons. He arrives and turns Ginny's life upside down.

This was a fun read, lots of intrigue, the characters were well drawn, the stage well set.

The Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker is a fun read that hit all the right places. There is witty dialogue, a puzzling mystery, and a budding romance with just the right amount of tension. I enjoyed watching Ginny and Jack's relationship change and grow, and I loved that Jack wasn't too serious. Overall a great read!

When Miss Genevieve Wilde's father died and left her the family estate she had no idea the challenges she would face including the theft of her father's beloved watch. She decides to contact a "thief-taker" to investigate the crime and a series of events and spirited conversations makes her realize just how much she trusts former Bow Street officer Jack Travers.

This fast paced novel was very enjoyable. The banter between the two main characters was both humorous and romantic. Unfortunately an obvious clue was shared early in the story to give away the mystery, but it did wrap up satisfactorily in the end. The mystery was a good twist to the proper romance genre and I'd love to see this couple take on more adventures together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A clean historical romance with an excellent plot twist. Thieves, investigators, humor and romance. A typical read for a Regency genre novel with extra mystery vibes. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read for an honest review.

DNF 18% Unfortunately the characters are just too one dimensional for me to feel involved. I can tell this isn't going to be over a 3 star for me so I'm going to move on to something else. This is my second book by this author so I think she is just not for me.

I love Joanna’s work and this - her first Proper Romance - is just what you want in a PR book! The swoon! There’s lots of it. There’s mystery and action! A rakish scoundrel who is too handsome for his own good and a heroine out to prove herself.
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It all starts with a watch gone missing and Genevieve goes to the local magistrate and gets laughed at. So she does the next best thing and hires a thief taker. I found this whole thread fascinating and I haven’t read anything explaining what a fence is. So I loved that!
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I came for the “he’s basically Flynn Rider” and stayed for the enemies to lovers, the banter and annoyance and the love story. I honestly didn’t know how it would end, I had an inkling of the bad guy but this went above and beyond my expectations. I couldn’t stop reading and had to know how it would end.
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This fantastic book comes out until May 2023 but it will be worth the wait! And the cover is gorgeous so just look at that until then 😉😁
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Thank you to the publisher Shadow Mountain and Net Galley for the advanced copy. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

What’s not to love about this book?

-A beautiful, independent, red haired and spunky woman trying to prove herself to everyone and not really caring about what society says about her, but becomes a ninny when around a certain handsome man. (Check)
-A dark curly haired handsome and daring thief-taker who tells it like it is, flirts shamelessly and knows his smiles are disarming, especially to a certain red haired firecracker. (Check)
-A best friend who is witty, funny and cares not for what society thinks, but cares greatly for her best friend. (Check)
-A invisible thief in the night, causing mischief and sleepless nights for the mistress left to live at her home alone, with only servants to keep her company. (Check)

Will the thief-taker find the thief?
Will the red haired firecracker find what she is searching for?

You will love this witty, swooney, funny, action packed book! Joanna Barker outdid herself with this one. It is definitely a new favorite!

*I received a copy of this book as an ARC reviewer, but a positive review wasn’t brequired. All thoughts are solely what I personally thought of this beautiful book.

I enjoyed this blend of sweet romance and mystery with a dash of danger. I loved both of the main characters. Ginny was capable and kind. Jack was a charming protector. I appreciated what family meant to both of them. It was nice to see how Jack interacted with his family, and I was moved by Ginny's efforts to improve her relationship with her half-sister.

I liked the secondary characters too and would love to see more of them. It would be nice to see Beatrice find love, and I think a book about Verity would be fascinating.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys sweet historical romance and mysteries.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for the early read.