Book Description:
Little Sowerby, England, 1802
Miss Genevieve Wilde―a magistrate’s daughter and independent heiress―is determined to meet life’s challenges all on her own, just as her late father had taught her. So when her father’s pocket watch is stolen, she will do anything to get it back, especially when the local authorities prove incompetent.
Upon reading an advertisement in the paper, she takes a chance and contacts a thief-taker to find the watch. It’s a choice Ginny regrets when former Bow Street officer Jack Travers arrives on her doorstep. He is frustratingly flirtatious, irritatingly handsome, and entirely unpredictable, and Ginny wonders if she’ll be able to resist such a man.
But after Ginny discovers that the missing watch is just a small part of a larger, more frightening plot against her, she needs Jack’s help more than ever. To protect her home and her reputation, the two enter into a risky charade―pretending Jack is her cousin so he can begin his investigation, starting with the household staff. As they work together to unravel the mystery, Ginny finds herself falling fast for her charismatic thief-taker, leaving her heart in just as much danger as her life.
Rorie's Review:
It's not too often that I read about independent heiresses in the Regency era, so it's a nice breath of fresh air when it does happen. (I still really enjoy the traditional Regency stories too, though.) Ginny is trying to prove to everyone that she can handle the estate just fine, and as a result, she tends to take too much on. I enjoyed watching her interactions with Jack, and watching her walls start to crumble as she came to the realization that she could still be strong and independent while accepting help.
Jack's character was wonderful. He had his own past that he was dealing with, but he was the quirky, humorous person that Ginny needed. Their story was sweet and, thankfully, not an insta-romance. I definitely prefer the build-up over instantly falling in "love."
This is a clean, quick read, and I definitely recommend it.
Andrea's Review:
Joanna Barker did an excellent job crafting this story and the characters. I felt a connection to Ginny right off. She was running her late father’s estate and struggled to be taken seriously by those around her. When her prize possession, her father’s pocket watch, disappeared from her study she tried getting help from the local authorities but they acted as though she was a silly female who must have lost it. Her best friend talked her into reaching out to a thief taker (an investigator) for help, and their journey in discovering who stole the watch and who was also causing issues on the estate was very entertaining. This is an excellent addition to the Proper Romance line.
Title: A Heart Worth Stealing
Author: Joanna Barker
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Published: May 2023
ISBN: 163993104X
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Purchase: Amazon Deseret Book
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