I have wanted to read A Heart Worth Stealing by Joanna Barker since the first time I saw its gorgeous cover. Isn’t it just lovely?! And the story itself is pretty excellent. My favorite aspect to this story is the mystery. It is very well done. I was all over the place trying to guess whodunnit, and it kept me up way past my bedtime furiously turning pages. I really enjoyed Ginny’s character. She is a wonderful heroine: determined, feisty, highly intelligent, and brave. Ginny finds herself in need of help at the beginning of this story. She is forced to take matters into her own hands after it is made clear that local powers-that-be won’t help her. Enter Jack Travers, a former Bow Street officer. I very much enjoyed the back-and-forth banter between Ginny and Jack. They made me chuckle often. Jack is a perfect hero — he has a good heart, he cares about doing what is right, he is loyal and steadfast, and he is willing to do whatever necessary to keep Ginny safe. He immediately understands that Ginny needs actual help and does what he can to help her, all while good-naturedly ribbing her and getting her to open up. I thoroughly enjoyed their journey to a romantic relationship. The internal struggle of both characters to keep their distance emotionally is well written. The chemistry between Ginny and Jack is palpable from their first interaction, so it was fun to follow along as they attempt to ignore their very obvious feelings towards each other in order to placate Society. The whole time, I kept saying to myself, “Who cares?! You love each other and that is enough!” I appreciate when a good story makes me scold it. LOL! This story also includes timely themes. I especially appreciate Ginny’s perspective on loss. Something very bad happens to Ginny near the end of this story (yes, I’m being vague on purpose), but instead of dwelling on the very bad, Ginny rolls up her sleeves and focuses on what she can do, what she can change. I love this SO much. There is no whining, no complaining. Just a strong woman standing up and doing whatever she can to make her situation better with the resources remaining to her. This world would be a better place if we all acted like Ginny in times of struggle.

A Heart Worth Stealing is a well-written, highly engaging Historical Romance + Mystery that I highly recommend. I enjoyed my time with this story very much. Purchase yourself a copy today. You do not want to miss out on this story!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.