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    Joanna Barker’s A Heart Worth Stealing is satisfying romance

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    By Jessica on May 1, 2023 Adult Crossover, young adult
    Heart Worth StealingA HEART WORTH STEALING, by Joanna Barker, Shadow Mountain, May 2, 2023, Paperback, $16.99 (young adult/ new adult/ adult fiction)

    A young heiress turns to a former lawman for help when someone targets her estate in A Heart Worth Stealing, by Joanna Barker.

    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. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain

    A Heart Worth Stealing is part of Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line and follows the same sort of formula as its other books — boy meets girl, obstacles stand in their way, they find love in the end. It’s also worth noting it falls into the “chaste” romance category, meaning some kissing is as steamy as it gets.

    But there’s more the A Heart Worth Stealing than a formula. There’s the story that’s applied to it. And in this case, there’s a mystery running through it, too.

    At the center of the story are Ginny and Jack. Both were born out of scandal of sorts and understand what it’s like to be watched and judged your whole life. But while Ginny has mostly conformed to societal norms, Jack has chosen a path that skirts it. This creates a nice push and pull between the two of them as their relationship develops.

    Heart Worth Stealing is told mostly from Ginny’s point of view, which is fine and adds to the mystery, but Jack feels less developed as a result. Author Joanna Baker does a great job introducing his family, and I found myself wanting to know more about his life pre-Ginny.

    Despite this, A Heart Worth Stealing is a satisfying mystery. If you’re looking for a fast-moving sweet romance, it’s a good option.

     

    Copyright © 2023 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

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    Jessica
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    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. Jessica is currently a freelance writer/editor. In 2023, she was selected to be one of the first-round judges for the Cybils Awards — middle-grade fiction. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

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