My sister and I are big on regency romances. We pass them back and forth like candy on Halloween, and I think we always have 2 or 3 waiting in the TBR list. If you, like us, can't get enough of petticoats, balls, and old-school England, A Heart Worth Stealing is worth putting at the front of your list. It has it all: a roguishly handsome gentleman, a woman of wealth, and swoon-worthy shenanigans that will have you wondering just how soon you can book that trip to a regency-themed LARP weekend. I've read several of Joanna Barker's releases, and they just get better and better. A must-read clean romance author you can feel good about recommending to your mother.

I think this would be a good book for many people wanting to read from this time period. I wanted to love it but it was hard for me to stay interested.

"...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. "

Genevieve and Jack's story was one of the most sweetest, thrilling stories I've read. 🩷 All the action, chemistry, close to death, I knew it moments, (yes I yelled it out loud...😂😂) It was all enough to satisfy me and make me want to dive into another one of Joanna Barker's books!
Everything about this story was so perfect and endearing, full of clean romance and regency vibes! 🩷

*I received an e-ARC copy, all opinions are my own

This book is so much fun! I loved how unique Ginny is and the mystery surrounding her father's missing watch. There is some interesting history in this story that I enjoyed learning about.

LOVED this book, and I am so happy I convinced my book club to read this book. It was a bit of a slow start but ended up being an amazing read, just as all of Barker's other books are!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review it!

4.5 stars
This was cute and sweet. I have to admit that this was the first book that I have read by Joanna Barker. However, it was so good! I have heard great things about this book and this author so I was really excited to read it.
Genevieve, Ginny, was a lovely character. I liked her from the beginning and it was interesting to get to know her more. Ginny had to learn to trust Jack and how to live again. Ginny was struggling after her father’s death but Jack had a way of helping her breath and laugh.
Oh, Jack, he was such a charmer. At first I did not know what to think of Jack, but he quickly won my heart. Jack was the perfect fit for Ginny. He was trying hard to prove himself and make amends for past mistakes. I enjoyed getting to know Jack more and seeing who he truly was. He was kind and considerate. Jack had to learn to fight for Ginny.
I loved the chemistry between Jack and Ginny. They were such a fun couple to read about. Their banter was funny and engaging. It was sweet to read about Jack and Ginny falling in love as they tried to find Ginny’s father’s watch. I was rooting for them. Barker wrote their romance so well, that it felt seamless.
The plot was also very interesting. Although it took me a little while to get into the book, I ended up sucked in by the end of it. I love the blend of romance, hints of suspense, and mystery that was woven into this book. I did not know how it was going to end and I really enjoyed reading the story. There were so many twists and turns. The characters were likable and the side characters were wonderful additions.
A Heart Worth Stealing is a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it! It is a clean historical romance, I would recommend it to those at least 13 years and up.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Such a good suspense and romantic book. I loved Joanna Barker’s sense of humor. If you are looking for a clean book with good humor and swoon worthy scenes this is the book. Jack and Ginny were so cute! Jack is such a swoon worthy character. I can not wait for more of Joanna Barker’s book. Let me just say that Ginny’s perspective of the romance was so good! And the tree! It also has a good mystery which I did not see coming but yet I did at the same time. Really confusing, but Joanna Barker concocted a good mystery. *happy sigh*

I requested and received a mentally copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

What a delightfully fun romance! I admit to being suspicious on the villain early on, and I was correct. But I enjoyed this story every step of the way. I even loved the hope filled ending. Not just for Ginny and Jack's marriage, but for Ginny and Catherine's relationship.
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Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the ARC and the patience in my getting to it.

A Heart Worth Stealing was an engaging Regency romance, by an author that I had not read before. I look forward to reading more books by this author, though, after enjoying this one.

At first, I was a bit frustrated with Genevieve, as she started out with a lot of preconceived notions about Jack and the way things should be investigated. I felt for her with all the troubles that were occurring, yet I wanted her to recognize that she was not the expert here. Jack was. And even as the story progressed, she occasionally stormed through, doing her own thing, when it was recommended she do the opposite. However, as the attraction grew between Jack and Ginny, I didn’t mind her strong willed actions as much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two, as well as the deeper dive into both of their backgrounds, including their strengths and insecurities. They were an intriguing pair and ended up being very good for each other. The investigation and mystery of who was behind all of Ginny’s troubles was fascinating and I really enjoyed the way the author wrapped up the story and also the happily ever after.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Ginny and Jack’s banter is perfection! I am so glad the teasing didn’t stop even after they confessed their feeling for one another. Their banter was definitely my favorite part of the book. The romance was so heartwarming and full of sweet heat. I could practically feel Jack and Ginny’s chemistry jumping from the pages.
While I did guess the “bad guy” right away, it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the mystery. I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

A mystery, plenty of witty banter, and swoony romance made this an unputdownable read! The characters are vibrant, and I loved their interactions and the humor woven in. Jack's undercover role as Ginny's idiot cousin was hilarious, and their bickering over investigative choices put them at odds until they figured out how to work together. The suspense increased as they realize the danger is greater than they believed, and I was glued to the pages as I tried to figure out along with Jack and Ginny the who and why. I adore character-driven romance, and this book was a perfect balance between that and an engaging plot. They added to each other rather than distracting, delivering a perfectly satisfying reading experience!

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

I've loved everything I've read by Joanna Barker and this book was no different!! What a wonderful whodunnit mystery mixed with some romance! I loved Genevieve (Ginny) and Jack together. One of my favorite tropes is enemies to love because of the banter and these two had quite the witty banter going on. The fake cousin relationship they come up with to help Jack investigate lead to some fun moments. One of my favorite scenes was in church when Jack kept talking to Ginny. "I gripped my prayer book, wishing I could use it to smack him upside the head. Would it be considered sacrilege if I only did it in order to hear the sermon?" I think I laughed out loud at that one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of the missing pocket watch and when the guilty party was revealed I was surprised by their reason for doing it. This is a great addition to the Proper Romance line. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Joanna Barker is without a doubt my favorite Regency romance author! She stole my heart when I first read Otherwise Engaged and my opinion of her brilliance still stands.

This story was an absolute delight! I love characters who are on the outskirts of society because it allows for a little more freedom with what the author can have them do. Add to that a brilliant, stubborn, daring heroine and you have the key ingredients for a fantastic story!

Genevieve and Jack were such a great team. I loved their witty banter and teasing, and how well they worked together to solve the case.

I guessed within the first twenty pages who the culprit would be but it didn't bother me that I knew. I still kept on my toes waiting to see how they would figure out who it was.

I LOVE books that have secondary characters that make you fall in love. This book was full of them!! Beatrice was so funny and loveable, even Katherine was a wonderful side character because I was rooting for some kind of reconciliation. BUT Travis's family takes the cake on side characters. If there's one thing I could say to complain about this book (but I'm NOT) it's that we didn't get enough page time with Trinity, Verity, and "crotchety" grandma! They were the best!

The whole story was wonderful from beginning to end and I can't say enough how much I loved it!

This was such a wonderful story that had an intriguing mystery and heart warming romance! Joanna Barker's stories have stolen my heart! I look forward to reading all of her books!
Genevieve was a lovely character. I thought the author did an amazing job showing us her grief over her loss, her care for others, and her strength and bravery. I pulled for her the whole story through. Mr. Travers, Jack, was such a great character. I enjoyed how we found out pieces about him as the story progressed, and felt like he was a wonderful partner for Genevieve. The mystery was so well done. I couldn't figure out all that was going on, and the twists and turns kept me on my toes.
This was a delightful read and I enjoyed every minute!
"How badly I missed having an us here at Wimborne. Someone to make plans with, to see every morning at breakfast and every night at dinner. Father and I had been that us before his death. Jack was slipping into that void, filling my home as well as my heart."
"Making him laugh was the greatest pleasure of my life. Besides kissing him, obviously."
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Who knew a pocket watch would lead to so much?

Ginny can’t do it on her own, but neither can she reach out to her sister for help—that would be disastrous. So instead, she hires a thief-taker.
What she didn’t expect, however, was that he would be doing some stealing as well…of her very guarded heart.

This book is phenomenal!! I can’t stop thinking about it…well after I’ve finished.

A Heart Worth Stealing is the perfect amount of romance and mystery, neither overpowering the other. Such a beautiful story of grieving, reconnecting, and family—past, present and future.

Oooh!! And the kiss!! 🥰🥰🥰 Joanna knows how to write the perfect kisses and are perfectly sweet and clean!

I will never not recommend this book! It is absolutely amazingly woven together!

Thank you Joanna, for giving this story to us!! I will forever be grateful to you! ♥️♥️

Joanna writes historical romance in a way that is still approachable for the modern reader, which I greatly appreciate. I don't enjoy first-person narration as much, but that is a personal preference. Easy to visualize the characters and setting. Love that it has some banter and cheek.

Yet another delightful book by one of the best regency period authors out there. The characters are so vivid and realistic and the romanc is utterly swoonworthy, I cannot recommend this book enough

All of the heart emojis and swoony sighs for this story! Can I give it 10 stars?!? I absolutely adored Ginny and her stubbornness and determination to run Wimborne on her own. I loved her grit and her strong willed personality, she was an amazing person. Jack was so handsome and full of jokes and smiles. I loved the chemistry between the two, the sparks were flying! Some were from chemistry and others from words of anger! The dichotomy was intriguing and quite captivating! Their interactions never had a dull moment. The entire mystery behind the theft and damage to the estate was quite the head scratcher and kept me page turning until the very end. I absolutely adored this book and I feel like I need to read it again or have a book two or something! I would be ecstatic if Barker writes a book about Ginny’s friend Beatrice, she is a fun character and I would love to hear her story. This is one of my favorite books of 2023 and I recommend it to any regency romance fan! I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not my favorite book by this author; but was fun; lighthearted and swoon worthy hero. I wish the heroine had more substance but; a great read for a lazy Sunday afternoon! Look forward to more by this author as she happens to be my favourite in this genre

What a ride! What a nice balance of romance and mystery from Ms. Barker! Jack is my new boyfriend and every page he was on was my new favorite page. He is a dream boat and he is reason enough for everyone to read this. Also, the setting and the lovely writing and narrative skills of Ms. Barker are always solid and the kisses are incredibly swoony. Easily a five star read!