I love this publisher, and I love these books. They always hit you right in the feels, the characters were a delight, and I loved the unique plot. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, closed door romance.

"I cannot be dashing and witty all of the time. One must be well-rounded."

"I tend to make terrible first impressions. I'm much better on the second go round."

What a fun novel! I can always count on Joanna Barker for an amusing and romantic tale! A Heart Worth Stealing was no exception. I loved Genevieve and Jack and their dynamic as they uncovered the mystery. Definitely a good book to pick up!

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this adorable, swoony read.

A Heart Worth Stealing is one of those books that absolutely hooked me in by the summary of a young girl, heiress to an estate having to enlist a thief-taker (or what we call a 'for-hire' PI) to find her father's stolen watch. From the moment they meet there is chemistry. I love that the romance was slow, that it didn't focus solely on them falling in love but that the story in itself brought them together.

There are some absolutely lovely moments, some intense ones, and happy ones as well. The twists and turns kept coming and I like that in a story. While the endgame was obvious, the story was not so much as how we get there.

If you're looking for a comfort read with lovely characters and a fun mystery, I'd recommend this!

This was a light and entertaining read. The characters were fun but sometimes inconsistent and not overly complex. However, this is often the case in frothy fun romances and can easily be overlooked and forgiven. The mystery was really only a mystery to the characters in the book, or to readers who aren’t familiar with reading mysteries, but it was enjoyable to watch it unravel. Supporting character Jack was the perfect hero for every clean-romance-loving reader.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#AHeartWorthStealing #NetGalley

As with all of Joanna Barkers books, I fell in love with this one! I absolutely love the strong female lead. Miss Wilde is capable of handling herself and her affairs. However, when her late father's watch is stolen and the local magistrate does not seem to be very much help, she has no choice but to seek the help of a thief-taker, Mr. Travers. Mr. Travers is witty and handsome, and very good at his job. I throughly enjoyed the love story and the twist in the reveal of who was attempting to harm Miss Wilde and her estate. This is a must read!

This book took a while to hook me. I’m not used to reading first person POV for regency and it threw me off a little. But by the end, I was reading as fast as I could, crying, gasping, and completely invested. I found the heroine and storyline to be unique and engaging, and I wasn’t entirely sure how the mystery would unfold even until the end.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Man this was so good I didn’t want to put it down. From the moment I read the synopsis I knew I would love it. And I did. I think this might be one of my favorites in the proper romance series and definitely one of my favorites this year!! I have definitely been dealing with a book hangover from this. Ginny and Jakes banter is what did it for me. I absolutely love them!! I could go on and on about this book, but I think I’ll settle for, go read this as soon as possible!!
I received an eARC from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

A Heart Worth Stealing is A Book Worth Reading

This books opens with a grieving protagonist - Genevieve Wilde. Deeply mourning the loss of her father, she is determined to prove that a single woman can run the estate of Wimborne without a man by her side. Her well laid plans go awry when it appears that someone is vandalizing the estate, with the latest being the theft of Ginny's late father's watch.

Determined to get to the bottom of the troubles, Ginny enlists the services of Jack Travers, a self-proclaimed 'special investigator'. Thrown by his unorthodox ways and charmed by his engaging nature, she is soon drawn into the investigation and becomes closer to Jack.

The book negotiates the fine line between humour, mystery and romance rather well. By about halfway (or 2/3rds) through the book, one should be able to predict the villain of the story but Ms. Barker throws in some unexpected misdirects that lead to a good ending. That said, the end did feel a bit rushed and neatly tied up in a bow rather quickly and ignores some hopes & dreams being dashed by the HEA for the story. Would have also liked to have seen this story in a 2 person narrative.

All in all, a well-envisioned story, and lead me to pick up previous books from Ms. Barker that I am currently enjoying!

(Disclosure: I received a copy of an ARC of this book from NetGalley, for a fair & honest review. All views here are completely my own)

This book has it all - love, humor, mystery, and twists and turns that keep you guessing. I did not expect the story that unfolded in A Heart Worth Stealing, which made me love it even more. Would absolutely recommend this read!

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I absolutely loved the unique storyline and the great cast of characters. Genevieve’s beloved father’s pocket watch is missing, and, after little help from the authorities, she hires Jack Travers to find it. Genevieve is so well written. I love that she’s strong, smart, and determined, but also vulnerable, and unsure at times. She and Jack are such a good match. The banter! The friendship! The tree!! So worth staying up way too late to finish. I’ll be reading this one again for sure!

Thank you Netgalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Joanna Barker for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I could not put this book down! It starts off with a mystery and the farther you get in the book, the more intense and dangerous the mystery becomes.. While you are trying to figure out the mystery there is a slow burning love story unfolding. I love the playful flirtatious relationship Jack has with Ginny throughout the book. The first few chapters I was reading slowly and just enjoying the cute mystery. After the first few chapters I couldn’t put the book down. I had to finish ASAP to know if Ginny was going to end up safe and if they would catch whoever was trying to harm her & the estate. This book was such a fun flirtatious thrill!!

I always enjoy a good historical romance/mystery, but I hadn't read anything previously by this author, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This was a pleasant surprise, with a fairly well-paced, low-steam but compelling setup that has a small twist toward the end. The MC's are Jack, a charming Runner turned thief-taker, and Ginny, the daughter of a deceased magistrate who who has hired Jack to investigate her father's missing pocket watch and ends up stumbling into a tangled web of deceit.

The author is talented, with a smooth writing style, and the language throughout seems true to the time period. She's obviously done her research. The insights into the workings of the law in Britain during the Regency time period are probably my favorite aspects of this book; Wily is a fun secondary character and the street jargon of the day is amusing. Actually, many of the secondary characters, particularly Ginny's friend Beatrice and Jack's family members, end up stealing the scenes they're in. I'm hoping that Beatrice and Jack's sister get books of their own.

Further, the MC's have great back-and-forth banter, and even though their physical relationship on-page doesn't go beyond a few kisses, the romantic tension works, notably in the first half of the book.

The only real weakness of this book for me was the limited first person perspective. I generally don't care for this POV, as it can be difficult to truly understand the behavior of both MC's with no switch of viewpoint. In this case, Jack was the MC I liked the most, but in the last quarter of the book his behavior seems rather hot and cold. Deeper insights into his ruminations regarding his future with Ginny would have enhanced his personality and the romantic tension.

Another danger of sticking with only one character's POV: unless that character is super interesting and smart, the narrative can become bogged down by that person's flaws. Ginny is so stubborn and narrow-minded I got fed up around the halfway mark. Pretty much any time Jack has a bright idea she dismisses it, and any time a clever gut feeling hits she pushes it away. Slight plot twist aside, figuring out the bad guy is easy peasy, and that sets the reader up to get frustrated with Ginny at points throughout the book. I particularly didn't like how she treated Jack around the 50% mark. She had agreed that one of the characters was suspicious, and it's his job to investigate, but because this involves family she accuses him of breaking her trust and gets downright nasty. She behaves as if he's not really a professional--despite his experience and obvious effectiveness--and instead as if he's just hired help she's supervising. I felt that Jack should have figured out the baddie a lot sooner, but even if he had, Ginny would have argued with him and fired him again.

Ginny's obtuseness, aside, I was happy for her eventual HEA with Jack, and thought everything was wrapped up nicely in the epilogue.

This book will be published in May 2023. I read an advanced reader copy and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for this opportunity.

Thank you, Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley, for the free copy of the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My first book from the author, and it definitely won't be my last one. Genevieve 'Ginny' Wilde is a magistrate's daughter and the owner of the Wimbourne estate. Since her father's passing six months ago, she has been experiencing a series of incidents at her estate (missing sheep, blocked ditch, etc). One night after a dinner party, the pocket watch her father gave her went missing. She went to Mr Northcott, the current magistrate, who also happened to be her father's protege and her suitor, for help. He was dismissive, and she sought a thief-taker's help. The thief-taker is Jack Travers, a young, roguish, handsome man who is also an earl's baseborn son. Will Ginny be able to recover the watch and protect her estate together with her heart?

What a fine book! The characters really shine here. I absolutely adore Jack. He is a fun-loving and flirtatious guy, but at the same time, he is competent at his job (he reminds me of Rupert Carsington from 'Mr Impossible' by Loretta Chase). He is a well-fleshed-out character, and he is more than he seems as his background is slowly revealed. Ginny is very prim and proper, a stickler for propriety. I wasn't quite taken with her initially as she appeared so staid. Ginny has to be since her mother is her father's second wife, who also happens to be her half-sister's governess at that time. She can't put the wrong foot in society due to her parents' scandalous marriage. They are total opposites, and Ginny is the yin to Jack's yang. Jack is always trying to get a rise out of her. The exchanged banters between them are witty and great to read. It was lovely to see Jack's effort in trying to draw Ginny out of her shell.

This book was a bit slow to start, but once it hit its strides at the 25% mark, it was a page-turner for me. The book is entirely from Ginny's point of view. I'd usually prefer both the hero's and heroine's point of view, but Jack's absence didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. The mystery was well done with the series of accidents at Wimbourne interconnected with the missing pocket watch. I loved how everything turned out (I was able to guess how Ginny and Jack could be together at the 70% mark, but I was slightly off the mark).

Ginny's memories of her father were heart rending. And the final letter that he wrote to Ginny, man, I was bawling my eyes out. What a great dad! Wait for the epilogue. Jack's words to Ginny were an absolute chef's kiss. This sort of scene can sometimes be cringey, but it's utterly romantic here. I had a sappy smile on my face by the end of the book.

I hope that this is the start of a new series. The author hinted at Ginny's best friend, Beatrice story (a failed season in London), which sounds too delicious to pass up.

All in all, this book was an immersive and enchanting reading experience. Simply wonderful! A strong 4.5 stars.

Steam factor: Nil. Kisses only.

Oh my word I LOVED this book! This is your typical, wonderful, regency romance but has so many fun new elements. This story has that fun “who done it” feel to it and kept me reading way past my bed time.
We follow Ginny, the daughter of the town’s previous magistrate, as she continues to grow into an incredible woman. She faces struggles and must overcome the new mysteries happening to her and her home.
Then we welcome Jack, and this already incredible plot just gets so much better. He’s a breath of fresh air for Ginny and great comic relief for the reader. He is strong and capable without dousing Ginny’s natural feistiness.
These two are an adorable couple and the romance was easily 100/10.
And one of the best parts, for me, about this book is all the things I learned about upholding, and even skirting around the law during this time. This story answered questions I didn’t even know I had about how things were run and a person’s role in bringing about justice. There was the perfect amount of mystery and action, with some suspense and of course the perfect romance. Joanna Barker is able to take a classic genre and add her own fun twist in this new and enchanting story that keeps readers engaged from page one.
A few of the things I really enjoy about this book are:
• funny fencers
• starry skies
• swoony special investigators
• fun and supportive best friends
• tree (and billiard room) kisses
• the action and mystery
If you love regency romance at all this is the PERFECT book for you. Please do yourself the favor and dive into this incredible story.

Joanna Barker is SO good at the witty banter between characters, and A Heart Worth Stealing may be her best one yet!

Things I loved:
- It wasn't the normal Regency book. Genevieve is unique in that she runs her home and property as a single young woman. And Jack is not the normal member of society either.
- I loved the banter between Jack and Genevieve. Their story is everything an enemies-to-lovers should be! Their first introduction was hilarious!
- I loved that the family relationships weren't perfect.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Joanna Barker for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

When Genevieve's pocket watch suddenly goes missing, she knows it has been taken. It was her father's and after his death she's still adjusting to run her household. When local authorities don't take her seriously, she impulsively hires a former Bow Street officer to get it back. The search will lead to more questions than answers even about what she believed to be true. Themes of broken family relationships, independence, and trust are woven throughout the story.

Recommend for readers who enjoy clean historical romance with a plot-twisting mystery.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and for the opportunity to post an honest review.

I love a book with romance and mystery! This book was sweet and funny. The main characters were very likable, and I enjoyed how the author developed their relationship. If you like regency romance, I recommend this book!

“A Heart Worth Stealing” is such an apropos title for this book. Jack is a “thief-taker” born of an earl on the wrong side of the blanket. Genevieve, while not titled, is the well-to-do daughter of a recently deceased magistrate, and a landowner in her own right. After the theft of her deceased father’s watch (and an heirloom to her) as well as several other incidents on her property — and with the current magistrate and constable seemingly unwilling to take it seriously — “Ginnie” puts aside her qualms and hires a thief-taker to investigate.

Jack is charming from day one, but Genevieve is initially shocked by some of his comments and subtle flirtation. There is a mystery throughout which I was obviously trying to solve. Fairly early on I had guessed that one person in particular might be behind these crimes. As it turned out I was correct but I still hadn’t guessed at how truly evil the person would turn out to be.

The romance is delightful but remains ‘clean’ and, although there is much adversity to overcome, this one has a beautiful HEA. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from NETGALLEY but the review above represents my true opinions.

I was so excited to see Joanna Barker was picked up by the Proper Romance line, as she is truly one of the best regency romance authors there is. "Otherwise Engaged" was my favorite book of hers, but I think it has just been usurped by "A Heart Worth Stealing."

Upon reading the description, I was skeptical that a whole story could be crafted around a single missing pocket watch. I was so wrong! There were layers and layers of deception and mystery. The mystery often feels like an afterthought in regency romance books, but not in "A Heart Worth Stealing." It was engaging and interesting, and the mystery itself kept me turning the pages well into the night. I can tell Joanna Barker put a lot of thought and research into that aspect of the story.

Jack and Ginny's relationship was absolute perfection. Jack made mistakes but was quick to take ownership of them. He respected Ginny as an independent woman and honored her decisions even when he disagreed with them. Ginny was headstrong and smart, but willing to admit when she needed help. They made sense together, and the last quarter of the book was a delight to read as their feelings came to light. The whole book was filled with interesting characters with well-done growth, and Joanna Barker should be incredibly proud of this story. It was one of the best I've read all year.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good regency romance or mystery. Do not hesitate to purchase this for yourself or a friend- it is well worth the money. This is a book I will revisit, and I can't wait for the audiobook to be released.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Regency Romance with a little mystery and as always a strong minded woman. Genevieve and Jack were such good characters and their chemistry was amazing.