Well, I've heard a lot of great things about Jen Turano so I thought I'd try To Steal a Heart. While this book isn't a new favorite, it was still worth my time.
The plot of this was solid.
It isn't often that books have whole groups of friends. I was pleasantly surprised to find that each girl had her own unique personality and I really want to know what will happen to some of them. *cough, cough Daphne*
However, I was not a fan of Nicholas and Gabriella together. I loved the fact that they were childhood friends but the idea of romance was just pushing it for me. I really did not feel like they were a couple as I was reading and there really was not any romance until the last few pages. I would have been happier with no romance.
One note: Dear authors, please stop using the phrase, "She let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding." Hopefully, this doesn't make it into the final version of To Steal Her Heart.

Rating: 3.5/5
Language: n/a
Romance: a kiss
Spiritual: not much, characters are Christian
Violence: n/a

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required. ( )

When a resident at the Holbrooke boardinghouse is falsely accused of theft, the other ladies of the boardinghouse band together, using their diverse talents and abilities, to clear her name. From this comes the idea to form the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, which appeals to the ladies of New York City in 1886. For Gabriella Goodhue, who puts her childhood as a thief to use for the agency, this leads to a reunion with her once-best friend from her childhood, who has also turned from a life of crime. Nicholas Quinn is as surprised to see Gabriella as she is to see him and even more surprised by the fact that she seems to hate him now.

This book, unfortunately, was not really for me. It hit a lot of wrong chords with me, and I really don't care for the author's writing style. The characters are okay, though most of the larger characters seem too similar to each other, with only a few stand-outs. The villain is incredibly over-the-top and cliched. The plot is disjointed and doesn't really follow one thread all the way through, except maybe for the connection between Gabriella and Nicholas.

The premise is interesting and the story that comes out of it is decent. The given synopsis (clearing the friend's name) comes to a conclusion before the 50% mark, which led me to wonder what the book was really about. In the end, the story goal seems to really have been about giving both of these street urchins (Gabriella and Nicholas, who were both orphans and part of a gang of thieves in their childhood) answers to their past. This came out of nowhere, as it wasn't really established in the first part of the book, other than the simple fact that they had been orphans.

I also thought the history between Gabriella and Nicholas was not nearly strong or deep enough for how they acted and talked. Gabriella was 12 when she was taken away from the gang. Nicholas was (I think) 14. Yet they act and talk as if they were much older and more mature when they knew each other in the past. When they meet again, they've been apart longer than they've been together, and they certainly don't act like they were super close as kids. We only know they were because they say they were.

All of the above things, however, would probably still have left me with a book I could enjoy, had it not been for the writing style itself. It was very wordy and felt really shallow. I'm not a stickler at all for the "show, don't tell" adage, but if I am noticing an abundance of adverbs, it's probably too much. Take for example the following: "That he looked incredibly furious was not in question, nor was it in question that he also looked rather dangerous." Not only is this pure telling, it's telling with way more words than necessary (and this happened often). Various expressions were overused throughout the book, too, like "resuming the friendship" and "lady love."

I like the idea of the premise of the series, and the fact that the next book is about one of the most interesting characters from this book makes me a little sad. Because from reviews I've read of other Jen Turano books, I have a feeling this one is not a stand-out in regards to writing style. I don't have any plans at this time to read any more of her books. However, she has many great reviews on a lot of books, including this one. So if you don't think the issues I've mentioned in my review would bother you, please do give this book a try. It's just a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

Best vermakelijk boek ookal bleek het aan de God kant van de Duke books te zitten. Wel erg veel personages en veel dat steeds doorgepraat moet worden. ( )

A standing ovation for the Bleeker Street women!

Do we truly have to wait until August of next year to continue reading the journey of the all-inspiring Bleeker Street Inquiry Agent women?? I'm not certain if I'll survive.

What an enjoyable read! This is the first book of Jen Turano I've read, and while I can't vouch for all her books, this one was extraordinary.
It was a clean read which I'm happy over! However, deep topics were discussed and/or mentioned (i.e. brothels, mentions of ruined women, mentions of philanderers, inappropriate stares from men, etc. These things are looked down upon and the main characters do NOT agree with them.)
The main characters are also seen drinking champagne at social gatherings. Although, more often than not, hot tea plays the role of their go-to beverage.

All-in-all, this book is an incredible read. I found myself covering a smile quite often or chocking down a laugh. The protagonists had a undeniable realness about them.
It's simply for a mature audience with the understanding of how sad and cruel this world can be. Deserves beyond 5 stars, but I sinoly can't give it due to some of the topics discussed.
All that aside, this book has created me into a Jen Turano fan!

Age appropriateness:
Mature 16 and up. ( )

Gabriella Goodhue has had a hard life. As a child she was forced to work as a thief many other children for an unscrupulous man, until being rescued into an orphanage. Now as an adult she has turned all that around. She is has become an upright citizen and has a respectable job as a seamstress. She resides at the Bleeker Street Boardinghouse with a most unusual group of women. Each with their own past and funny quirks, but together have formed a close knit family.
One of the tenants there is falsely accused of stealing an expensive heirloom from an aristocratic family. Gabriella is determined to clear their name. She disguises herself and goes undercover at a ball to try and nab the real thief. In the process, she is thrown together with Nicholas Quinn. He was a part of the child thief ring and they had been very close, but had not seen each other in many years. Nicholas was taken in by a wealthy man and is now part of high society. He purposes to help her solve her case but she wants nothing to do with him. She has past hurts of feeling he abandoned her.
As with all of Ms. Turano’s books the events that follow are hilarious and touching! I couldn’t quit laughing at the escapades of Gabriella, Nicholas and the motley group from the boardinghouse. Daphne, her friend and fellow tenant, was my favorite character! Her eccentricities paired with her helping Gabriella were hysterical I loved the suspense and close calls they found themselves in. What I liked most was Nicholas’s strong faith in the Lord and his gentle guiding to help Gabriella see that God loved her and she could trust Him. This is such a fun book and the ending will surprise you. Thank you Ms. Turano for brightening my reading days with another fantastic book! ( )