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Thief of Hearts
Though he was her late husband's twin brother, John Brodie was far from the perfect gentleman Nick had been. His manners were abominable, his language would make a sailor blush, and his heated glances made sheltered Anna Jourdaine burn with shame. No lady would allow the outrageous liberties Brodie took, but forced to pretend she was married to him to clear Nick's good name, Anna found herself weakening to her brother-in-law's seductive appeal. In Brodie's wildly titlialing embrace, Anna forgot her proper Victorian upbringing, forgot that she was only acting the part of the blissfully wedded wife. Caught up in deceits and desires beyond her control, she knows only that her future happiness depends on learning which brother was an immoral criminal and which merely a... thief of hearts.
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
About the author
Patricia Gaffney
40 books326 followersPatricia Gaffney was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, and also studied literature at Royal Holloway College of the University of London, at George Washington University, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.
Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.
In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.
Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.
More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.
Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.
After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.
Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.
In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.
Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.
More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.
Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 28, 2026
In my opinion this was way better than Lily. More realistic, less cruel and very interesting.
This is a story of Anna who marries Nick only to find herself a widow on her wedding night. But never fear because his identical long lost criminal twin brother can take his place.
Of course our proper Anna hates him, he is nothing like perfect Nick.
I loved the underlying theme of this love story how sometimes we fall in love only on surface with only a shell of a person and we are truly scared to love someone deeply and nakedly based on who they are not only how society sees them.
Once again Patricia Gaffney is presenting cool dichotomy of romance.
This is a story of Anna who marries Nick only to find herself a widow on her wedding night. But never fear because his identical long lost criminal twin brother can take his place.
Of course our proper Anna hates him, he is nothing like perfect Nick.
I loved the underlying theme of this love story how sometimes we fall in love only on surface with only a shell of a person and we are truly scared to love someone deeply and nakedly based on who they are not only how society sees them.
Once again Patricia Gaffney is presenting cool dichotomy of romance.
August 9, 2020
Credo che questo sia il terzo o quarto romanzo che leggo di Patricia Gaffney e mi sono accorta d'averle sempre dato 5 stelle: quest'autrice ha il dono di prendere dei plot magari già usati in decine di altri libri e di renderli delle avventure emozionanti, che non vorrei mai smettere di leggere.
Prendiamo questo "ladro di cuori" (titolo originale): l'inizio non è certo nei canoni, ma si parte subito in quarta, con un assassino in attesa della forca, un nuovo omicidio, una giovane ereditiera travolta dagli eventi e che vuole soltanto difendere la compagnia di suo padre, un intrigo che potremmo definire "internazionale", visto che passa persino per l'Italia...
Ma la Gaffney, mentre ci avvince con gli eventi, ci fa lentamente conoscere i due protagonisti: Nick, il marinaio, uno di cui nessuno sarebbe pronto a fidarsi, e Anna, la sua My Fair Lady, colei che ha il compito di trasformarlo in un "marito" presentabile.
Se Nick mi ha strappato più di un sorriso mentre affronta il galateo e mi è stato simpatico sin da subito, Anna è un personaggio che cresce in modo costante ai nostri occhi, acquisendo una maturità che non ci si sarebbe aspettati: rappresenta in pieno tante giovane donne, piene di iniziativa e idee, bloccate dai preconcetti della loro epoca, dall'autoritarismo maschile e dalla rigidità della classe sociale a cui appartenevano.
Per questo, ho apprezzato che si sia riusciti a ricavare per lei un bel ruolo, dandole fermezza e dignità, pur senza stravolgere il suo carattere.
Due paroline due sul finale: arrivata all'ultimo capitolo, devo ammettere che sulle prime mi era parso troppo veloce e improvviso. Invece, rileggendolo e pensando a come era stata costruita la storia, l'ho trovata una soluzione coerente e realista, tutto sommato azzeccata.
Per me altre 5 stelline per quest'autrice.
Prendiamo questo "ladro di cuori" (titolo originale): l'inizio non è certo nei canoni, ma si parte subito in quarta, con un assassino in attesa della forca, un nuovo omicidio, una giovane ereditiera travolta dagli eventi e che vuole soltanto difendere la compagnia di suo padre, un intrigo che potremmo definire "internazionale", visto che passa persino per l'Italia...
Ma la Gaffney, mentre ci avvince con gli eventi, ci fa lentamente conoscere i due protagonisti: Nick, il marinaio, uno di cui nessuno sarebbe pronto a fidarsi, e Anna, la sua My Fair Lady, colei che ha il compito di trasformarlo in un "marito" presentabile.
Se Nick mi ha strappato più di un sorriso mentre affronta il galateo e mi è stato simpatico sin da subito, Anna è un personaggio che cresce in modo costante ai nostri occhi, acquisendo una maturità che non ci si sarebbe aspettati: rappresenta in pieno tante giovane donne, piene di iniziativa e idee, bloccate dai preconcetti della loro epoca, dall'autoritarismo maschile e dalla rigidità della classe sociale a cui appartenevano.
Per questo, ho apprezzato che si sia riusciti a ricavare per lei un bel ruolo, dandole fermezza e dignità, pur senza stravolgere il suo carattere.
Due paroline due sul finale: arrivata all'ultimo capitolo, devo ammettere che sulle prime mi era parso troppo veloce e improvviso. Invece, rileggendolo e pensando a come era stata costruita la storia, l'ho trovata una soluzione coerente e realista, tutto sommato azzeccata.
Per me altre 5 stelline per quest'autrice.
October 20, 2023
3.5 stars
Not as good as To Have and to Hold and Lily. Also what is it about Gaffney's h or H being wrongfully accused of committing a crime at the beginning of her books?
I think the pacing was off in this book and the romance between Brodie and Anna developed too easily. Especially after he pretty much r@ped her. He doesn't really do any groveling for that and Anna doesn't really bring it up after it happens. It's too abrupt for it to have been "forced seduction" in my opinion. After that the book kind of becomes predictable and goes down hill (50-ish% mark). I do have to say Nick's killer kind of came out of left field, but I think that was because he was in the book for 2.5 seconds and then wham-o it comes out that he is the major bad guy. There was barely and build-up or hinting towards it.
I think I liked To Have and to Hold and Lily better, because the stakes seemed higher in both books and they both kept me wondering what was going to happen to the couples all the way up until the end. Where as Thief of Hearts could have been 100 pages shorter and I would have been fine with that.
Not as good as To Have and to Hold and Lily. Also what is it about Gaffney's h or H being wrongfully accused of committing a crime at the beginning of her books?
I think the pacing was off in this book and the romance between Brodie and Anna developed too easily. Especially after he pretty much r@ped her. He doesn't really do any groveling for that and Anna doesn't really bring it up after it happens. It's too abrupt for it to have been "forced seduction" in my opinion. After that the book kind of becomes predictable and goes down hill (50-ish% mark). I do have to say Nick's killer kind of came out of left field, but I think that was because he was in the book for 2.5 seconds and then wham-o it comes out that he is the major bad guy. There was barely and build-up or hinting towards it.
I think I liked To Have and to Hold and Lily better, because the stakes seemed higher in both books and they both kept me wondering what was going to happen to the couples all the way up until the end. Where as Thief of Hearts could have been 100 pages shorter and I would have been fine with that.
August 11, 2025
In general, it's good. Not among Ms. Gaffney's better works though.
May 5, 2009
Patricia Gaffney is probably my favorite historical romance author but Thief of Hearts just wasn’t up to her usual standards. The first half of the book is not very good. The plot is just silly and the hero comes off as a bit of a jerk. Fortunately the second half of the book is much better. The hero undergoes a personality transplant and becomes likeable and I did end up enjoying the romance. The plot even becomes slightly less silly. This wasn’t a bad book but it’s not one I’d recommend to people who’ve never read anything by this author.
May 31, 2024
A nice story but it was a bit of all over the place … a romance as well as a mystery that just didn’t jell very well. I did like the MCs, John and Anna, both very personable … they just weren’t given an interesting story.
April 1, 2014
Oh I wanted to love this so badly!! But there was just something wrong with it! I couldn't seem to really get into the story But I loved John and Anna so much, I just wish they were given a fabulous book in which we can read about their love. 2.5 Stars.
November 9, 2020
I started this, and could not finish it. Despite the fact that I usually love this type of romance, I found the Hero unlikeable, and the heroine stuffy and petty. I gave up around page 100. I have too many books on my TBR pile to keep struggling with this one.
January 3, 2018
I read this as a teen and loved it, I take more from it every time I read it as an adult. One of my faves
November 17, 2024
This story begins in a prison, where 2 cellmates are on death row. The second chapter centres on a newly-wed couple who have eloped because they couldn't wait until the planned wedding date. It is with horror that the new bride witnesses her husband's murder on their wedding night. The connection? The murdered bridegroom and the condemned prisoner are twin brothers. With Nick's death, the powers that be release his brother to carry out Nick's plans, trying to uncover the truth about some of Jourdaine Shipping's boats ending up being used by the Southern States in the American Civil War. But this means that John Brodie, Nick's twin, has also to play the part of the new bridegroom with the widowed bride, Anna. An interesting scenario, which holds the reader's attention as the plot develops. Some of it is very predictable, but there are unexpected twists, especially towards the end.
June 24, 2021
4.25/5 stars
March 22, 2024
3.25 stars
Plot wise I really liked it. Its a decent book but there's quite a lot of spice.
Plot wise I really liked it. Its a decent book but there's quite a lot of spice.
March 17, 2025
Quite a good storyline!!! Male protagonist was not the best at the beginning but as the couple grew closer, he redeemed himself I think
October 1, 2025
Not my favorite of Gaffney’s but still fun to read
May 1, 2026
I was a little worried when I saw the setting was 1860s…but this book didn’t contain any of the stuffiness I expected. It felt natural and easy to read. I ended up really enjoying it!
November 12, 2022
3.5 stars
The premise: Anna Jourdaine has been in love with Nicholas Balfour since she was 14 years old. Eight years later, the man proposes and she is ecstatic to become Mrs. Balfour. However, on her wedding night he is murdered before her eyes. She must now pretend that Nick's twin brother, John Brodie, is her husband in order to find Nick's murderer.
Miscellaneous notes: To further explain, Brodie has been in gaol awaiting hanging for the crime of murder. Of course, he is innocent, while his 'perfect' brother is actually the criminal. Nick works with Anna's father in the ship building business. He has managed to steal ships, refit them for military purposes, then sell them to the American Confederacy. Anna slowly learns about each of Nick's indiscretions, including the real reason he married her. And during this journey of sorts, she finds that the prisoner, Brodie, is a better man than her husband could have ever been.
This plot had the makings of a truly terrific book. Too bad the sexuality included mild violence and near-rape. The heroine consistently begged Brodie to not touch her...and he kept promising not to. Yet, inevitably, he would try to force himself onto her. Finally, he gets in her pants, only to find that she and Nick had never consummated their marriage before he was killed. So, now, Brodie's nearly forced himself onto a virgin and made the experience painful and traumatic for her.
While I never developed a dislike for the character due to these unromantic gestures, I really could not like the couple.
The premise: Anna Jourdaine has been in love with Nicholas Balfour since she was 14 years old. Eight years later, the man proposes and she is ecstatic to become Mrs. Balfour. However, on her wedding night he is murdered before her eyes. She must now pretend that Nick's twin brother, John Brodie, is her husband in order to find Nick's murderer.
Miscellaneous notes: To further explain, Brodie has been in gaol awaiting hanging for the crime of murder. Of course, he is innocent, while his 'perfect' brother is actually the criminal. Nick works with Anna's father in the ship building business. He has managed to steal ships, refit them for military purposes, then sell them to the American Confederacy. Anna slowly learns about each of Nick's indiscretions, including the real reason he married her. And during this journey of sorts, she finds that the prisoner, Brodie, is a better man than her husband could have ever been.
This plot had the makings of a truly terrific book. Too bad the sexuality included mild violence and near-rape. The heroine consistently begged Brodie to not touch her...and he kept promising not to. Yet, inevitably, he would try to force himself onto her. Finally, he gets in her pants, only to find that she and Nick had never consummated their marriage before he was killed. So, now, Brodie's nearly forced himself onto a virgin and made the experience painful and traumatic for her.
While I never developed a dislike for the character due to these unromantic gestures, I really could not like the couple.
June 28, 2016
True Hearts are meant to be captured in time.
If you are interested in reading the complete review and other reviews from my 2016 Goodreads Book Challenge go to http://sensoryperceptionsbc.blogspot..... Also please check out Sensory Perception Book Club’s latest reading.
October 15, 2014
Despite the very obvious mistake of ranking an Earl before a Marquis, this was a wonderful love story. The author uses evocative language to good effect.
October 17, 2014
a good read
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews