To Steal a Heart - Jen Turano

 

From christianbook.com:

After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she'd put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend's innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend--until he abandoned her.

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he'd be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.   

This story was an interesting combination of class perspectives.  I especially loved Nicholas's contradictory character of trying to fit into society to please his adoptive uncle, while also caring so strongly for those from his former life, and having a heart for those from the life he'd managed to escape.  I liked that while many of the former criminals Nicholas and Gabriella had associated with were reformed and striving for better lives, it wasn't true of all of them.  While some of that was merely to serve as a plot device, it rang true - some people are going to continue to make bad choices and will despise those who find a better way.

I enjoyed the characters and their growth over the book.  I am excited for this series to continue, and hopefully not only get the rest of the boarding house ladies' stories, but continue to revisit the characters we meet in this one.

I give this book 4 stars.  I always enjoy Ms. Turano's humorous stories and characters.

You can find To Steal a Heart HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.