What a heartwarming second chance romance. I enjoy these clean romances quite a bit. This one goes back and forth in time so make sure you can sit and really immerse yourself into this lovely story.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Sweet. I have been binge reading all of Ms. Kimball's books because I have just enjoyed them so much! This probably isn't my favorite of the bunch, but it was a sweet, pleasant read. Here's the thing, its totally a personal preference, but I am just not a big fan of flashbacks. I was also hoping for a different outcome for her brother. Overall, Ms. Kimball is still a great writer and storyteller, I just didn't connect with this book personally. Worth the read though.

Oh Heidi, Heidi, Heidi…. I love her books! She was a great way of writing and she just writes regency so well. I love every page I read. I just kept wanting more even when it was over!

I really wanted to enjoy this story but there was so much jumping back and forth to tell the tale of Edmund and Eleanor that I had trouble keeping up.

It was a sweet romance but just couldn't hold my attention, unfortunately.

This is a sweet and clean Regency romance. I loved the characters in this book. I felt empathy with Eleanor’s struggle with her family’s past and how she longed to make a fresh start and be accepted on her own merits. I also liked Edmund, even though I found myself a little irritated with him at first in regard to his treatment of Eleanor. But they made an excellent couple, and their story held my attention. The settings in this story are great and make the time period seem real. I also thought the dialogue was authentic to the time period. I’l be watching for more books from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Eleanor is coming back into society after three long years away after a devastating scandal rocked her family. She didn't expect to meet the man she had fallen in love with but was separated from back then at her first society event at her cousin's house. They don't quite know how to act with each other, as those hurts from the past haven’t gone away. Neither fully understood what really happened three years ago. Both see the other to be at fault but don’t know why the other acted that way. What will happen when they figure out the truth?

The author alternated between the perspectives of the hero and heroine, and we learn their story before they do as the story goes on. I like how Edmund still acted the gentleman even when confronted with this woman whom he perceived as breaking his heart. Usually in stories like this, they either try hard to avoid each other, or there is some confrontation. While there is some of the former, there is little of the latter. Eleanor is strong, holding her head high in the face of people who want to tear her down because of the scandal. Edmund is a solid hero who—after more is revealed about what really happened—goes to great lengths to protect and help Eleanor. Gotta love a hero who does that!

What a gem! Heidi Kimball's "A Guarded Heart" is a delightful regency romance and a thoroughly good read.

Eleanor Hayward is our heroine. As a young woman her winsome smile and easy laughter catches the eye of the dashing Edmund Fletcher. A courtship ensues and a love blossoms, however a mistake is made, a judgment cast and a future that once seemed so bright is lost. A shocking scandal threatens to destroy the happiness Eleanor has always wished for and three years pass in isolation and heartache. Then one night, amidst the light of a glittering ballroom, Eleanor comes face to face with the man who broke her heart.

Alternating between the past and the present, a bittersweet story emerges drawing you into the world of regency England to the time of grand estates, music filled ballrooms, whirlwind courtships and proper romances.

Heidi Kimball's "A Guarded Heart" is irresistibly sweet, wonderfully romantic and absolutely perfect. Her writing is positively lovely, you will instantly forget the laundry that needs done, the house that needs cleaning and the noises that surrounds you as you escape into the world of Eleanor and Edmund, falling in love with this satisfying romance.

Review posted on Goodreads, Amazon and my Instagram book review page (Lost_in_a_book_reviewer)

This book is a nice slow moving romance.
This book reminded me of something written by Jane Austen
It was sad, heartbreaking but lovely.

It's no secret if you've read other reviews of mine, that I love Regency romances. I get so easily swept up in them, the manners, the society, the clothing, the language, the propriety, the balls...everything. I just love it all! Another non secret is this...I loved this book. I was hooked!

This book focuses on Eleanor and the scandal from three years ago. The author alternates the chapters between Eleanor's present time and three years in the past. I absolutely loved it. I loved seeing who she was currently and then going back in time and seeing who she was previously. It was so well written with the different times as well as having the point of view of Edmund, the man Eleanor loved and has come face to face with again. They are not the same people, and yet they are. But time and scandal and broken hearts have shaped their decisions and future.

I loved it and found that I wanted to just stop everything so that I could discover what was going to happen between these two. I wanted to know what the scandal was and I wanted to know what their previous love story had been. This book was so sweet and I loved that we got to read about their first love story as well as seeing their hearts soften, allowing them to have a second love story as well.

Isn't that a wonderful bonus? Two love stories in one? I thought so. And very cleverly written. This was the second story that I've read by Heidi Kimball and I have to say that she has earned another reading fan in me. I'm really looking forward to what she has in store for us readers next.

Grab a copy, and clear your schedules so you can be swept away in the sweet love stories of this book. I will warn you though, you won't want to put it down, and you might shed a few tears. So grab some tissues and enjoy!

Content: Clean. Nothing more than a few sweet kisses.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

A Guarded Heart just didn’t grab my attention. I have read this author’s books in the past and enjoyed them as well as her writing.

Romance, clean; Period;
Eleanor and Edwards story is told from alternating time periods the present and the past. We see both of their reactions to each other in the present and the past and as they finally unravel and figure out the past separation and misunderstanding. Their genuine honest hearts, the misunderstanding, their every day emotions coming together with their heartfelt and well drawn emotions and actions within the family setting where they re acquaint with one another as they are thrown together, somewhat against their wills was very well drawn. Emotionally charged, heartfelt, honest and beautifully portrayed as they fell for a second time. Lovely read.
I loved the cover. Covers always help to make a book for me as a reader. I was going to put a 3.5 for my rating, but rounding up to 4 with the gorgeous cover. Someone needs to come up with an award just for cover work for some of these novels.

I enjoyed reading A Guarded Heart and I recommend it for other readers. I am giving it four and a half stars.

What a wonderful book of love and mistrust. Edmund and Eleanor's story is so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. At first, I did not care for the back and forth of the chapters from 1816 to 1813 but as the story unfolded it become clear this was very important to the book. The message in this book is how a misunderstanding can change your life completely but if its fate you might just get a second chance to find happiness. This is my first read by this author and I must say I very much enjoyed this story and time setting. A lovely second chance romance.

A scandal three years ago changed Eleanor Hayward's life completely and she did not know if she wanted to make the effort to rejoin the public society again. She was left broken-hearted in many ways by many people. She did not expect to find one of those that broke her heart in Herefordshire in her Uncles Ballroom.

Edmund Fletcher had let the past go three years ago but he finds himself the new owner of his Uncles Estate in Herefordshire England an invited to his neighbour's estate for a ball. The one person he did not expect to be attending was the woman he once thought to be his wife Eleanor Hayward.

<i>" She wondered if he could possibly be feeling the same increasingly familiar ache that seemed to grow stronger each time she was in his presence,"
" Try as he might, he couldn't get the image of Eleanor out of his mind."</i>

What will happen between these two?
Can they fix the problems of the past or has the future got other plans for them both?

I find myself wanting to tell all about this lovely yet heartbreaking story. But, doing so without giving things away does not come easily. The best stories reveal the truths of characters and the reader simultaneously. This is such a tale. People have failings and also virtues. One does not necessarily preclude the other. And sometimes our failings can lead to the rise of stunning virtues. This is simply a lovely story. I cannot say more.

A decent read. It was easy to get through although not memorable. Everything was just OK. It was hard for me to be fully invested in Eleanor and Edmunds relationship. This book may not have worked for me but I would still recommend to others. I would also read another book by this author as I liked her writing style.

A Guarded Heart is a delightful book with lovable characters. Eleanor and Edward (did anyone else notice the name match with Sense and Sensibility?) are both beautifully flawed, kind, good (but not too good) and fun to read about. The author writes well, the story moves well... I just really enjoyed it. Definitely worth a read if you like clean, historical romances.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. The thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Sweet and rich with heartache, A Guarded Heart was a pleasant surprise for me as I don't typically read much historical romance. But this story swept me away and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a pleasure to read.The two main characters have a second chance after everything went wrong.The plot was good, great description of places.Pleased it had a happy ending.

Mixed thoughts but overall was enjoyable I'm not quite sure how I feel about this story. It held my interest from the start, and I only got confused at one point with the switching of timelines, so I thought that was well done by the author. She definitely lost me at one point where there was WAY too much detailed description of running around dealing with vomit bowls - I'm reading to escape this reality of life and thought it could have been a little more cleverly executed! - I skimmed for some time after that as the story got bogged down and boring for a little while and seemed poorly edited in that section as it had a lot more contemporary language - but then it picked up again and I enjoyed the ending. So overall a pretty good read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't sure if I would because it is a slow moving story. It reminded me alot of Jane Austen's books which I also love. If you are looking for a happy romance this is not the book for you. I look forward to more books from this author.