I enjoyed this story of lost love, misunderstandings, and redemption. The two main characters were likeable and while the plot was a familiar one of lost love due to failed communication, it took a slight twist on that-the miscommunication was actually more realistic than most (it wasn’t just people refusing to talk). In fact, several times the heroine tries to broach the difficult subject of the couple’s broken relationship. How refreshing!

It was also an interesting read in that the author involved many elements of the regency time period and culture. While unfamiliar to us today it was interesting to see how these things could have been roadblocks to relationships in the past.

I would read this again and look forward to future books by this author.

Eleanor Hayward has grieved love lost for 3 years on top of repeated family tragedies when she unexpectedly meets the man who broke her heart again.
Edmund Fletcher battles his fear of being second best in everything when becomes reacquainted with the woman her nearly wed 3 years previous. Now on the brink of engagement to a confident and self assured woman, he struggles with feeling drawn once again to the one who broke his heart.
A sweet story, but it felt a little too .... scripted? Predictable? Over simplified? It read like a contemporary story iiib a Regency setting, and not really a "Regency" story. I did finish reading it though, and it was an enjoyable bit of escapism reading, which i enjoyed. 3 stars.

Heidi Kimball has delightfully entertaining descriptions. Emotions are hard to describe, but they're even harder to show. Heidi Kimball does a great job of showing outwardly what her characters are feeling inwardly.

She gave her characters individual and unique struggles to grapple with, and her characters were engaging. I loved Marianne, even her side characters brought life to the novel.

Eleanor and Edmund's love story, while difficult, was also beautiful, definitely worth the read.

"A Guarded Heart" is a romance set in 1813 and 1816 in England. The story switched between the two time periods to slowly reveal how the past and present intertwined. Eleanor and Edmund met and fell in love in 1813, but a misunderstanding and a family scandal tore them apart. In 1816, Eleanor is finally moving past the scandal when she bumps into Edmund again. He's about to be engaged to another woman, but his feelings of betrayal war with his innate kindness and attraction to Eleanor.

The characters were well developed, complex people. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Edmund realized that he had treated Eleanor the same way his parents have treated him. He felt rotten about that and was determined to show her kindness, even when she rejected his help. Both matured and were better people for knowing each other. I liked that they really dealt with the issues that caused the misunderstanding and came to forgive each other rather than the looms-big-but-is-quickly-dismissed problem that is typical in romances. There were enough historical details woven into the story to create a sense of time and place.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.

Picked up this historical romance from NetGalley with some trepidation since, romance can go wrong in so many ways for so many people. For some it may be too mushy, for others not mushy enough. For some there maybe too many details, for others not enough to satisfy them at all. For some there are too many love scenes and for some too few. The list for romantic preferences in novels are as varied and bewildering as the ones in real, everyday life.

For me, this novel thankfully ticked all the right boxes. The heroine was not the kind to fall into a faint at the sight of a cockroach, or lose her head completely and jump off a tower or run off to the circus if she didn’t get her own way. The hero was sufficiently gallant and disgruntled to be a good foil for her. Also, this book provided that elusive element to the long lost lovers that most romances lack – time.

So, Eleanor and Edmund meet at a house party 3 years after their first meeting and things are not as rosy now as they were then. Eleanor is just recovering from a scandal that her family was embroiled in 3 years ago and Edmund is preparing to ask another eligible young lady to marry him. Will they finally get together this time around or won't they remains the question. The narrative moves between the present and the past in order to bring us up-to-date with events in the first half of the book. The writing style is fast paced and makes for easy and quick reading.

I liked how Eleanor manages to maintain her dignity through all the accusations and snide comments that come her way. And also how she handles the reappearance of Edmund in her life. Unlike him, she does not let sleeping dogs lie, but ventures ahead to clear her name and reputation in his eyes. Later, when matters reach their extremely tragic culmination, she still manages to hold her head up high. I detest those coquettish females in fiction who refuse to make up their minds. They love the man, but cannot have them, but cannot let them go, nor withdraw with grace. It gets absolutely maddening. Usually, they will also manage to get themselves abducted by villains at this point and put everyone in life-threatening situations.

How cynical do I seem? It seems my taste would turn out to be just a bit too bland for most people. But I do love my George RR Martin, so maybe not so bland after all. Anyhow, be that as it may, I truly enjoyed this book by Heidi Kimball. Good, clean, vibes all around.

I loved the creative storytelling in this bittersweet Regency romance, with alternating perspectives of Eleanor and Edward, and also the past and present. It allowed details to unfold gradually and added elements of suspense and anticipation to the plot. Conflict due to misunderstanding isn't my favorite, but the characters were complex and well-developed, drawing me into their world and emotions. The relationship between Eleanor and Edmund was a pleasure to read, and it was gratifying to see them have a second chance at love after everything went so wrong. So happy to have a new Regency author to follow and read!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

This was a nice slow moving regency romance. Think Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility. I appreciated the very slow story telling but never felt like I was given too much inner dialog or too much nonsense. This could have been a real story much like Jane Austen's books. It was heart breaking and lovely. I think this writer will do well. This is a proper romance with no religion. My one issue with this book was how sad it was, I was in the mood for a happier love story, so just have that in mind when you pick it up.

‘A Guarded Heart’ was a delightful book to read, told with such tenderness. This was a such a bittersweet romance between Eleanor Hayward and Edmund Fletcher who meet three years earlier and fall in love. However, before Edmund can propose, an event transpires, changing their lives irrevocably, or so they believe. They meet again in 1816 and find their lives have changed. Eleanor is visiting her mother’s second cousin, after her mother’s death and events in the family that have left her ostracised from society. Edmund has inherited further wealth and looks to wed another.
I enjoyed the telling of their story from both time period and both Eleanor and Edmund’s perspective. It gave me an understanding of their feelings, their background and also how they had changed over time. Both were characters that I enjoyed reading about, finding them both so interesting to read about. The secondary characters which added to this story were also given great detail, making for an enjoyable story.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This tale jumps between current day and three years previous when a scandal ruined a budding relationship between Eleanor Hayward and Edmund Fletcher!

A very interesting tale to follow!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the way the author set the stage in vagueness and then filled in the back story with chapters from the past to complete the story. I loved the characters. I enjoyed the emotional roller coaster filled with joy and sadness. Most of all, I loved the ending!

Fair warning this book is a tear-jerker. This is a very sad book and brought tears to my eyes. The book is well written, full of expression and imagery. It was wonderful how the author described the surroundings of nature. The characters are well developed and had amazing personalities. From the heroine and the hero, to the other cast of characters, each one is defined and played perfectly in this story. They were so realistic in manner, deed, emotion and feeling. This book is about the travesty and fickleness of society bearing down on an innocent young woman in the early 1800's. She is Eleanor Hayward and her life is about to be turn upside down and tumble way down that hope of societal recovery is a distant dream. Prior to the scandal Eleanor embraced life, enjoyed the outdoors, loved to laugh, learn new things and loved her family and friends. She had garnered the attention of Edmund Fletcher and their friendship blossomed into love. When Edmund witnessed Eleanor with another male professing her love, he became enraged. He was told by the mother of her best friend that Eleanor dallied with the affection of men and he now believed it. When he heard of the scandal, it gave him even more reason to cut off all association with Eleanor. After the scandal she was shunned. Even though she had nothing to do with the scandal, she was tainted by association. Her friends deserted her, her father was emotionally unavailable, notorious gambler and drunk. Her life was in tatters. Three long isolated years pass and her dearly departed mother's childhood cousin invites Eleanor to their home for the summer. Mrs. Warwick decides to relaunch Eleanor into society. They held a gathering. When Eleanor comes face to face with Edmund her emotions were all over the place. Edmund did not see fit to acknowledge his previous acquaintance with Eleanor. He was hurt and angry. He was staying with his cousins and they were the Warwick's neighbors. That meant he would be crossing paths with Eleanor again and again. Would Edmund give her the benefit of the doubt and ask her to explain what he saw that night three years ago? Would Eleanor come to forgive Edmund for breaking her heart and deserting her without warning? Would the scandal resurface and bring shame to all those who truly had Eleanor's best interest at heart? Would anyone care what the truth of the scandal really was? It is only at the end does everything get settled out and a peace returns to Eleanor and her father. Edmund is courting a young haughty young lady who is determined to ignore, shame and belittle Eleanor. Edmund's feelings are confusing and frustrating him. Will Edmund forget his past and move forward with someone new? Or will the old feelings reemerge? And if they do, what will he do with them or make of them. This is the first book I have read written by Heidi Kimball. I look forward to reading more from her. This is a must read. I highly recommend it.

Such a fantastic plot, and so full of substance. Both Edmund and Eleanor are loveable and connect emotionally to the reader. Proof that misunderstandings can lead to serious consequences. The heart breaks for Samuel too, who through an act of honour has a ended up with a price on his head. So many tragedies abound in this story, and sometimes you wonder how on earth Eleanor manages to get out of bed in the morning. Three years later and she not only is the social pariah, and has to face what she lost all over again. To top it all off, the nasty Miss Coombs is in her face at every event.

One thing that made this a difficult read for the first half of the book at least is all the chopping back and forth between 1813 & 1816, with a bit of 1814 in between. Sometimes that works, but it really didn't here. Far too much of it, and just when you are getting a grasp of whats going on, you're thrown back 3 years - again. It would have been better if we had only the night of the ball, where the misunderstanding took place. I can understand keeping that until later, because thats the big mystery - why they are not together in the first place. But there was just too much switching back and forth.

That aside, the plot was fantastic - a great mix of characters, even though there's quite a few of them. Loved the scenes in Folkstone, they were so tenderly written. Eleanor totally took my heart!

I received a complimentary eARC from Netgalley, but also bought my own paperback. This is my honest review.

Three years ago, Eleanor Hayward fell for Edmund Fletcher and thought he cared for her, too. However, he broke her heart and then scandal rocked her family, leaving Eleanor shunned by society and isolated. When her cousins reach out to her, indicating that they want to help her reenter society, Eleanor accepts and goes to their estate, never imagining that Edmund has inherited a neighboring estate and she will run into him time and time again, breaking her heart all over again.
Edmund Fletcher has spent the past three years getting over the woman who betrayed him, and he's less than pleased to keep running into her. He wants to put her out of his heart and mind once and for all and plans to move forward with asking another woman to marry him, but when he finds out what really happened three years before, letting go is made much harder.

This was a very enjoyable story. The plot was really engaging, and the characters were realistic and well-developed. This was very well written, particularly the characters' emotions. I also really liked how the book started off by alternating between the present and the three years prior; I liked being able to see what had happened between Eleanor and Edmund and not just get a summary of it thrown in somewhere.

I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A clean historical romance that is not focused on the the usual burning passion for both main characters.

It dwells on the love between two people separated by misunderstanding but their feelings remained strong despite everything. Even if they both tried to deny it. Their love were mostly shown through actions, not by words. I love Edmund's sweet gesture without taking any credit from it. I love that this story doesn't involve any lust. At all. It felt pure.. if you know what I mean.

It also gives us a bigger picture on how the people look down on someone that is not of their standard. How one scandal can easily destroy your family's reputation.

Warning though, possible trigger death and maybe cheating? though to me it doesn't really count as one.

**spoiler ahead**

Even if I love Edmund's character, I was disappointed to know that <spoiler> he really planned to ask for Ms. Coombs' hand even if he dreaded it and his heart belong to someone else just because it was the honorable thing to do. I hate that he had no plan to fight for his love for Eleanor, despite his strong feelings for her and if it wasn't for the easy way out of the situation - that his and Ms. Coombs' way of thinking weren't the same, our hero would probably be married to another. </spoiler>

I snipped 3/4 of a star because of the many Miss and Mr. in the story. To be honest, I'm having a hard time grasping who is who. 😂My fault.

Overall, it was a great read.

What a beautiful story. The easy writing style allows the story to just flow effortlessly. And I loved the use of flashbacks - the device can often result in disjointed storytelling, but the author’s mastery of the narrative leaves it very accessible. I look forward to reading more from Heidi Kimball!

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

First off - the cover- beautiful.

I like Ms. Kimball's writing style and enjoyed the story. It had swoony moments but was also heart breaking and I did cry a bit.

I don't always love flashback stories and this flashed back and forth for much of the book but this one worked for me. I saw in some other reviews that people didn't like the flashbacks but when I thought through the story told start to finish chronologically I didn't think it would hold the same impact. I think the flashback element made the book what it was.

Already being familiar with North and South I guessed right off what had happened three years earlier that caused the rift between Edmund and Eleanor but I had no idea how the book was going to play out at that point. So every time a chapter flashed back to that time I wished we'd just get to that point in the story so I could see if I was right. I wanted to pat myself on the back. :) Still I was definitely not reading a N & S retelling. Completely different story. Just a similar element involved.

I liked both Eleanor and Edmund. I was frustrated with Edmund but I still liked him. I was glad that he was willing to stand against society for someone he cared about. I kind of expected a bigger blow up between Edmund and Miss Coombs whom I didn't like from the beginning but I think what did happen was probably more realistic to me. I thought the banter between Eleanor and Edmund was fun. There was nothing contrived in Eleanor. She was just a delightful person in her younger years before being hit with her trials in life.

I was disappointed in Beatrice. She had such a strong, outspoken personality that I expected her to be more loyal instead of following her mother's shallow ways.

I loved the Warwicks and their kind goodness toward Eleanor and her family. It was surprising that Mr. Warwick invested so much time with them. What a wonderful support he was.

I enjoyed this story and the style of writing. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Kimball's work.

Sex: some kisses
Language: no
Violence: tells story of past violence. Atrocities of war. Not graphic

*This book was provided to me by Netgalley and I voluntarily chose to review it.

I have just finished reading A Guarded Heart and let me say that it is one of the best books I have read and I’ve read a lot of books. I absolutely loved how this book really tugged at your emotions. I loved Edmund and Eleanor. You really felt for them both. This book was very clean but swoony at the same time. I would definitely buy and re-read this again. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

It was okay.

I didn't like the every other chapter back and forth between the present and three years before. It kept pulling me from the main narrative.
I also didn't like that the main conflict between Eleanor and Edmund could have been resolved if he'd confronted her.
Too many times the characters discussed issues in conversation that I'm pretty sure real people back in those didn't, especially with someone who wasn't a close friend or family (finances, dowries, etc).
It got a little better towards the ending once the dual timeline was done.

Also the word resumé (it needs the accent, by the way) is a word used in the US. In Europe, in the 19th century, the term would have been curriculum vitae, but it was mainly used in academia, not in every day conversation.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

A new author for me and I'm so excited! This book was so good. I loved the heroine and the hero. This story tugged at my heart with all the feels. I was sad, frustrated, and happy. I loved the ending. This was a sweet romance and I highly recommend to all Austen lovers.
*I was given a copy by the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

This was a really nice example of Regency romance. The writing was beautiful, and there was emotional depth to it.
Anyone who reads many of my reviews will know that I am not a fan of the plot that hinges on avoidable misunderstandings or stubborn lack of communication. That is what drives the plot for half of this book. Edmund and Eleanor fell in love with each other three years ago, and he was on the point of proposing when he happened to see her in the arms of another man. Crushed and convinced of her fickleness, Edmund storms off without a word. After all this time has passed, they are thrown into one another's company again, and the old wounds have not healed. Their affection is still alive, but it's tormented.
For at least the first half, the book alternates between chapters of their original romance and falling-out, and their current reunion. Even though I found their breakup frustrating, as I always do when a simple conversation could clear things up, after the halfway point I was more satisfied with the direction the characters are heading. It becomes at least a little understandable why Edmund was so sensitive all those years ago, and his emotions upon realizing his mistake are strong enough to be gratifying to the reader. His subsequent attempts to help Eleanor, even without the hope of marrying her, really go a long ways toward redeeming his major error. And, as mentioned, the writing is very lovely.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.