Sarah MacLean opens a new series with a bang in Bombshell. Revisiting characters from previous books - most notably The Day of the Duchess - she finally delivers a love story for Sesily Talbot, the remaining 'Soiled S' Talbot sister left unmarried. However Sesily is no retiring spinster. Instead we discover she's leading a secret life as part of a network of free-thinking women with hopefully many more stories to come in the new Hell's Belles series.

While Bombshell clearly builds on events from prior books, it stands alone as the start to a new series and shouldn't pose a problem for any new readers. From the first page, it's obvious where things stand: Sesily Talbot and Caleb Calhoun pine for each other. Caleb is a friend of Sesily's sister Seraphina and quickly fell for Sesily upon meeting her, but holds himself back from acting on his feelings for a mysterious reason. Sesily likewise quickly fell for Caleb when they met in The Day of the Duchess, but was hurt when he fled home to America rather than spend more time with her and explore their mutual interest. As the book opens, Caleb is returning to England for a visit after two years away, hoping he can resist the temptation to pursue Sesily, while Sesily is busy working with the Hell's Belles and trying to forget Caleb exists.

Those resolutions don't last long, however. Caleb seeks Sesily out at a ball on his very first night back, and she manages to kiss him during the same encounter. Like the opening bell of a wrestling match, that kiss seems to signal the start of all the action. The two begin to circle each other, with each new confrontation bringing them ever closer despite their efforts to stay apart.

While Caleb's reasons for avoiding a relationship with Sesily remain obscure until almost the end of the book (so I will avoid ruining the surprise here), Sesily is clear about her reservations. Not only is she getting severly mixed messages from Caleb about his intentions - he almost flees back to America after a night with her - but she's also wary of what involvement with him would mean for her activities with the women's network. And rightly so.

After Caleb fled from her the first time, two years before this story begins, Sesily was recruited by the Duchess of Trevescan to become involved in a group pursuing, on a broad level, women's independence. After honing her skills for violence and mischief, Sesily is prepared to handle a variety of scenarios. She helps women escape or avoid abusive relationships, holds her own in a bar fight, and has been known to transport dead bodies when called for. All of this is kept secret from her family, although it is clearly an important part of her character. Knowing that Caleb understands this piece of her is an important step for Sesily in their relationship.

Unfortunately, while Caleb frequently says he understands and respects Sesily's capabilities, his actions frustratingly said the opposite to me. Specifically related to his mysterious reason for avoiding a relationship - after Sesily shared her dangerous secret and pastime with him - Caleb should have been able to open up to her. By not respecting and trusting her enough to share his secret, or include her in decisions about the fate of their relationship, Caleb made a lie out of all of his promises of understanding. Sesily is a kickass heroine and deserved someone who treated her like a partner instead of an object for protection.

While Caleb's behaviour definitely prevents Bombshell from being a DIK, my liking for Sesily, her girl group, and the genuine chemistry between her and Caleb kept this at a B. MacLean delivers on a lot here, not least the promise of more books for this interesting band of women!

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If you need a steamy, feminist, Regency era romance read, your first stop should be Sarah MacLean. Her first in a new series, this one follows Lady Sesily Talbot and her band of friends, intent on stopping lords and dukes getting away with all levels of mayhem because they're men in power. Unfortunately, her old flame Caleb Calhoun is in town and knows exactly what kind of scheming Sesily is up to. Lady Sesily is a heroine to cheer for, and an easy and fun read to enjoy when all you've been reading are dark and depressing tomes.

This is the Sarah MacLean book I've been waiting for my whole life -- just an absolute delight. I loved Sesily, I loved Caleb, I loved Duchess and Imogen and Adelaide and Peck, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series. (I'm hoping at least one of the Hell's Belles will be an f/f story!) A great feminist romance.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Sesily and Caleb finally get their HEA…huzzah! Although thinking back on the evolution of their story from a novella to its current state as Bombshell, the first in the Hell’s Belles series, it’s almost a shame I ended up glomming it so quickly upon getting to it…but it’s just that good…perhaps even better than last year’s surprise, Daring and the Duke.

I will say the obligatory things: this is the first in its own series, and while there are connections to prior books, particularly the Scandal and Scoundrel series where we met Sesily, Caleb, and the Soiled S’s, you can start here without feeling lost. However, there is a nice bonus if you are familiar with the characters, especially given the way Sarah MacLean writes her series to bridge into one another and they’re all set in the same world with a revolving cast of recurring characters from prior books.

I adore Sesily. All her sisters have settled down into marital bliss, and are even having kids, and Sesily wants none of it. She remains committed to her antics on the edges of ballrooms and in dark gardens, and can hold her own in intense situations…even if her family remain protective of her.

I really liked Caleb’s dynamic with both Sesily and her sister, Sera, in The Day of the Duchess, and I’m glad to see it remains a constant. I feel like platonic friendships between people of different genders that don’t turn romantic are so rare in cishet romance (aside from the obvious ones between someone and their partner’s friends), so it’s refreshing to have the setup being a different take on “best friend’s sister.” And given he was a supporting character with a lot of mystery to him, I liked getting to know him, and was deeply moved by the difficulties he faced in his past, especially as they color his relationship in the present with Sesily.

But while he does deal with a lot of emotional turmoil, I also appreciated that the focus over time moved from a purely internal crisis to one where the external crisis was motivated by Caleb’s internal demons, leading to Sesily having a grand way to rescue him.

I’m also incredibly pumped for the rest of this series, and I’m excited to see what Sarah MacLean can do with a series about a radical girl gang, as if what we got here was any indication, it’s definitely more to my taste than the overarching themes of some of her prior series, especially the ones that were more hero-centric.

In short, this is the book (well, one of them anyway…poor Benedick from Nine Rules!) longtime fans of Sarah MacLean have been waiting for, and in my opinion, as someone who has had mixed experiences with her work, it was absolutely worth the wait.

Sesily Talbot is not a helpless damsel in distress.... in fact, she spends more time running into danger than away from it...

Caleb Calhoun has vowed to stay as far away from Sesily as he possibly can... but sometimes even an entire ocean isn't far enough to keep him away. And when he discovers just what Sesily has been getting herself into... all previous notions of avoiding her are suddenly completely null and void...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bombshell was a super sexy and incredibly witty, historical romance... with a twist. This story was packed full of daring women who refuse to let society dictate the way that they... or any woman... chooses to live her life. But when it comes to Sesily and Caleb... living life apart will simply never do...

This book was such a great read! Sesily was a strong and admirable character, who along with her intriguing group of friends, work together on righting the wrongs found in London society. And while Sesily makes no secret of her history with men... there is only one man who continues to hold her attention...

Caleb is an American who always runs back home when things between him and Sesily get complicated. He claims he wants nothing to do with her... but his actions speak of a very different story. There was so much more than meets they eye when it came to Caleb... his protectiveness with Sesily was only the beginning of his vastly layered personality.

After this delightful introduction to the new Hell's Belles series, I am beyond excited to see what this author has in store for the rest of Sesily's fascinating friends... and the antics they have yet to get into...

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s been a couple days since I finished the ARC of Bombshell, and I have been trying to put a review together that does this book justice. A few quick things:⁣
⁣⁣
⁣- Caleb Calhoun can GET IT. Thick thighs save lives, amiright?⁣
⁣⁣
⁣- Sesily, Duchess, Imogen, and Adelaide are squad goals. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣- The romance is top-notch, but you know what else I really 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 loved? The friendship between the women, and their strength and bond and love for each other. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣-Throwbacks to the Bareknuckle Bastards (MY BOYS!!) made my day and totally didn’t make me want to reread that trilogy right away. 👀👀⁣
⁣⁣
⁣-also: 𝙉𝙄𝙆 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙉𝙊𝙍𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼.⁣

- if you’re hesitant to start reading the romance genre, Sarah’s books are the perfect place to start.

It was great to go back to the world of the bareknuckle boxers. Both main characters were interesting and likeable. There wasn't enough of the villain on the page for me to really feel much threat from him which made the peril feel less perilous.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ever since Sarah MacLean came out with Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake all those years ago, I’ve loved her historical romances - although I’ll admit that I haven’t kept up with all of her series since the Love By Numbers books first came out.

But when I read the synopsis of Bombshell, I knew I had to read it! And I’m so happy I was given the chance to read this ARC. Talk about a switch on the usual historical romance trope. These society ladies are not your usual wallflower types.

Sesily is the last unmarried Talbot sister - the last of the Dangerous Daughters - and she doesn’t give a fig about society papers relating her scandalous adventures. In fact, that’s her role: to distract and misdirect as she and her friends bring the abusers, adulterers, and thieving men of London to their knees. And she’s never met a man or woman who hasn’t - as her friend says - wanted to “swiv her”. Except one. The one who got away, the one who rejected her by running away to America. Her sister’s best friend, Caleb Calhoun. So when Caleb is conveniently around when she needs to be hidden, she does what she promised herself she’d never do, and kisses him.

Caleb has many secrets that mean he can never marry, never be in love. But he can’t stop thinking about his best friend’s scandalous sister. So when she kisses him, he realizes that she and her friends are more than they seem. When his past and present collide, Caleb must decide whether he’s willing to put all his cards on the table for the chance of being with a true Bombshell.

While just a taaad anachronistic, I really enjoyed these badass, feminist, women. Sesily is a strong and determined heroine who knows exactly what she wants, and I wouldn’t mind being shut away in a laundry closet with Caleb, just saying 🥵 this was another light and fun read by Sarah MacLean. I found Caleb’s backstory a little too unbelievable, but there is some suspension of disbelief required to enjoy this book as it should be enjoyed.

Definitely looking forward to the next of the Hell’s Belles books!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bookstagram post coming soon!

I have not read Sarah MacLean's entire backlist, and I think that hampered my reading experience here. Though this is marketed and described as a new series, it was clear I was missing out on a lot by not having read her other books. I had trouble for at least the first third of the book following along with who people were and I was obviously missing information I'm not sure I ever got. It was also hard to keep track of all Sesily's sisters and their husbands and kids. So I don't recommend this one if you are new to the author, but if you've read all the necessary books before then it's probably pretty enjoyable.

Once I figured out who everyone was, I started liking the book a lot more. It's sexy, there's so much longing and pining, especially from Caleb who was just so gone for Sesily. There's also tons of action and adventure to keep you on your toes.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

💛 Q: do you have any sisters? I have two: one biological & one adopted.

Well I’ve been waiting on this romance for a while. The unapologetically sexy & confident Sesily Talbot—nicknamed Sexily by scandalized Londoners—& the sexy (how many times can I use that word in this review 🤔) self-made American Caleb Calhoun.

Whew, what a ride it was, replete with sexual tension & so much emotion & yearning.

It’s been two years since Sesily confessed her feelings for Caleb & he returned to America. At 30, Sesily is living her calling; scandalizing the aristocracy & using her wits & physical prowess to help bring down the worst men amongst her circle.

But one night—after Caleb has returned to London—he spies Sesily in the midst of a mission & he has questions about the woman most people have discounted, underestimated, &/or completely misread.

As they spend more time together he sees her & she sees him but there’s a reason Caleb hasn’t pursued her…a reason why he thinks he can never act on his feelings.

Bombshell generated a plethora of feelings within me, chief of all a longing for these two to reveal all & accept that they’re meant to be. The yearning, the longing, the desire is strong between Sesily & Caleb 🥵.

So are the emotional nuances in this book. I consider myself to have been punched in the gut with emotion at least once during my reading 😆. Sesily’s complicated feelings for her sisters & her assertion that she’s “tired of wanting” him are particularly powerful.

If angsty reads are your jam, if you love MCs who fiercely want but one of them keeps denying them a path forward, if you crave steam + devotion, Sarah MacLean’s Bombshell is a great bet.

4.5 ⭐️. Release date: 08/24.

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

Well DAMN. I did not expect this one to be that good.

It’s so so rare for me to even like a first in a series, but holy shit, I love this one so much!!!

Sarah can fucking WRITE and I ate up every word. Like, Y’ALL. I’m swooning hard. STILL!! Who gave this woman the right to be so good with words that made me laugh, and blush, and just pull at my heart strings like that??

This one was just so much fun in every sense of the word, Sesily was such a badass, this group of women gave me Ocean’s 8 vibes and I was here for every single part of it! The fact that I have to wait another year for the next one has me in shambles, but I absolutely cannot wait for it and AHHH!!!!!! CALEB + SESILY HAVE MY HEART WHY’D THEY HAVE TO BE SO FUCKING CUTE I CRY

I think I speak for every Scandal & Scoundrel series fan out there when I say- thank you Sarah for finally giving Sesily and Caleb their own book! This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier.

For me Sesily was the most engaging of the Soiled S’s and the definition of femme fatale. I absolutely adore Sesily!!! The fact that she didn’t let Caleb’s dismissal of her affections negatively impact her life deserves a round of applause. She rises above the rejection and joins an awesome group of women doing their part to hold aristocratic men accountable for their actions.

I have strong love-hate feelings for our Hero Caleb. Mainly I have a bone to pick with all the back and forth and what he puts my poor Sesily through. It’s not kind to play with someones emotions and this is ultimately why I gave the book 4 vs. 5 stars. I would have been fine with him being a little wishy washy but once he became intimate with her he needed to be upfont with her. Even if he didn’t want to expose all of the skeletons in his closet he could have at least let her know “hey I’m going to disappear in the morning because I can’t commit.” Not cool Caleb, not cool. However, Caleb absolutely adores Sesily just as she is and so he ends up scoring some major brownie points from me. For me, his genuine love and caring for Sesily redeemed him in the end.

There were some slow spots but I loved the entire story line. Sarah gave us action, murder, feminism, mystery, hidden identities and romance. Who could ask for more? The MC’s have wicked chemistry and great banter throughout. 5/5 on the passion scale. Plus it was great having past characters come out to play. I genuinely can’t wait to read future books in this series.


I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bombshell by Sarah Maclean is this summer’s historical romance that will sweep you off your feet. Maclean is always an instant buy and read for me the minute it lands on my kindle. So excited for this new series.

Lady Sesily Talbot is the only sister left unmarried in her large family. Scandal follows wherever she goes until she finds a new path. This new path has lead her to new friends that know how to fight back and cause mayhem when needed. Caleb Calhoun, an American, is Sesily’s business partner in The Sparrow (Tavern). He fled back to America two years ago after what could have been a romance with Sesily. Only he has so much more to confront than just Sesily.

What I loved so much about Bombshell is the blend of humor and heartache that Maclean writes so well with the Talbot sisters. I’m in love with this network or female gang she is setting up. It really feels like a fresh perspective we haven’t seen in a historical romance before. The romance is all consuming and what I loved so much is the deep connection these two already have. The romance is decadent, lush, consuming, passionate and you won’t be able to put it down.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley, #Avon and #HarperVoyager for the ARC. Opinions are my own. #SarahMacLean #Bombshell

4/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

This is the first book I've read by Sarah MacLean and I had a great time with it. I enjoyed the plot and the writing. I really loved the characters. I loved that we had a group of women that were fierce and independent. I had a great time reading the romance. I loved their chemistry from the very beginning, so watching that grow as the book went on just made me love them more! I can't wait to read more from Sarah MacLean. I would for sure recommend giving this a read!

I don't know if I can articulate how excited I am for Sarah MacLean's newest series, Hell's Belle's. "Bombshell" was everything that I've come to want and expect in a MacLean novel; a fabulous story with just the perfect amount of steam, witty bantering, longing, and brawls. I absolutely love how strong and fiery she makes all of her heroines and Sesily was no exception. The chemistry between Caleb and Sesily was undeniable from the beginning.

It is rare in a historical romance for the heroine to have an entire network of strong females as friends. I am grateful we got to know the other Hells Belle's as fleshed out personalities and not just background characters. I'm so excited to see these women in their own stories.

I want to thank Sarah MacLean and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah MacLean writes the best historical romance fiction. I will die on that hill defending the statement!

We finally have Sesily's book! I've been looking forward to her POV for a while, especially after we were introduced to Caleb and their story was hinted at. I'm a huge Sarah MacLean fan and I couldn't wait to dive into this unrequited/mutual pining book.

Unfortunately, the story fell pretty flat for me. I think some of the issue lied in the fact that it had been a while since I read about these characters and I struggled to remember all of the secondary characters and their role in Sesily and Caleb's lives. I was also expecting more angst and development between them, but I found it lackluster and the sexual tension was a bit lukewarm. For all the years of pent up tension that readers are told about, I was expecting fireworks.

Overall, enjoyable but definitely not my favorite of her books. I love Sarah MacLean so there's no doubt in my mind that I'll pick up the next book in this series however!

If you like Sarah MacLean, you'll love this. Filled with her usual tricks, it is sure to delight fans of her work.

What a ride! I love how action packed and steamy this book is!

Let's be honest, I'm probably going to love a Sarah MacLean novel, but I really loved this.

Sesily is a scandal. And her scandalousness allows her to get away with things others can't. Like belonging to a girl gang that works to bring down bad men and raise up women. Then there's Caleb, who's been studiously avoiding Sesily for two years by MOVING TO A DIFFERENT CONTINENT, and who finds himself swept up in Sesily's life.

There are all of these amazing scenes in this book that just hit SO GOOD. A tavern brawl with banter? Bathing behind a screen? Carefully caring for one another. Pining pining pining. Yes please.

It's great. It's a romp. There is danger and stakes and bad men who need to be taken down. Go read it.

If I'm being honest, I can't wait for Imogen's book. That woman is a menace and I love her.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book which is a historical fiction about Lady Sesily who is London's Brightest Scandal and Caleb has caught an eye for his best friend's sister. Keeping her out of her late-night troubles, Caleb is falling in love but can't have her forever because he can't take a risk. I'm a huge sucker for historical romance so when I received an e-arc of this book. I was super excited to read it. I enjoyed the setting, characters, plot, and drama in this book. I do have to say that the beginning was a little hard to get into because so much is going on but once you catch on to what is happening, the story is entertaining and very interesting to read. The pacing is a little slow for my liking but also perfect for this book.

I LOVED the characters in this book. This book is written in both from Sesily and Caleb's POV and I just loved reading from both of their povs. Sesily is a great heroine and the one a girl wants to be like. She is brave, loyal, and has the most amazing friends. I enjoyed her character development in the book and loved how she opened up to love. Then there is Caleb who is mysterious and protects Sesily with all of his life. He is such a true gentleman and a guy the ladies want. I also enjoyed his character development and unraveling his mystery. I also loved the side characters in this because especially Imogen is super funny and has a dark sense of humor. There is also romance which is kind of like best friend's brother but instead of the brother, it's the sister. The romance is also steamy by the way...

I enjoyed the ending of this book and seeing how the story of Sesily and Caleb ends but I can't wait to read the second book when it comes out. It's based on Sesily's friends so I can't wait. I did have a minor problem with this book but overall this book was greatly done and I can totally see why The Bookish Box decided to curate this book. This book is perfect for those who love historical romance and strong heroines.