A review by bellesmoma2021
A Guarded Heart by Heidi Kimball

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have a goal this year, and that is to read books already on my bookshelves. A Guarded Heart by Heidi Kimball has been on my bookshelf since 2020. Why haven’t I read it yet? Well, it just wasn’t time to read this book until now. And I am really glad that I did. A Guarded Heart is a good story. As far as pacing goes, A Guarded Heart is on the slower side but that is OK. I didn’t find the unhurried nature a detraction from my enjoyment of the storyline at all. In fact, I felt like I could savor every minute. As far as characters go, Kimball’s are realistic and relatable. Eleanor made my heart hurt. It’s like the world believes she’s their personal punching bag. Every time she pulls herself up from being knocked down, someone or something knocks her back down. I wanted to reach in to the book and make the ugly people and situations stop. But Eleanor doesn’t need me. She’s the kind of character who never gives up. She gets sad. She gets frustrated. She gets angry. But she doesn’t get hopeless and she doesn’t lose her sense of self. I love the undercurrent of strength that flows through Eleanor throughout the entire story. I also appreciate how much she genuinely cares for others. Eleanor is an all-around good person, and I really cheered for her. I wanted her to get her happily ever after. My feelings about Edmund are slightly conflicted. I really do get why he is the way he is. When one has demanding parents who judge you based on the actions and reputation of their favored child, trusting that someone chooses you and sees the true value of you is not an easy thing to do. So I do get Edmund’s cynicism and his constant state of waiting for the other shoe to drop. But he made me sad for a good chunk of the story. Edmund is an assumer. He assumes things based on his insecurities and then acts upon those assumptions. This really hurts people. He doesn’t mean to hurt people. His heart is not evil or anything like that. Quite honestly, his heart is super big and he feels deeply. He just doesn’t think through things, and that costs him and others so much. What I do love about him, though, is that when Edmund realizes he’s made an error, he takes responsibility, asks for forgiveness, and does all he can to repair relationships. I love this about him because it is they way we all should behave once we realize an error we’ve made towards someone else.

A Guarded Heart packs a lot of story into 216 pages. This review barely touches the surface of all that takes place. There is a lot of heart and a lot of depth, and I am really glad I finally got around to reading this really well-done Regency Romance. If you’ve not yet read this book and you’re a fan of well-written Historical Romances, then I highly recommend A Guarded Heart.

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on November 29, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.