Sarah MacLean new series, Hell’s Belles, kicks off with a bang. Centring on a fierce girl gang in Victorian London, it starts with the love story of Sesily Talbot and tavern owner Caleb Calhoun, both characters that were previously introduced in the divine The Day of the Duchess (one of my fave Sarah MacLean novels ever). After years of living as the talk of London’s scandal sheets, Lady Sesily Talbot has leaned into her reputation, luring men for her own aims. Caleb has tried to deny his attraction to Sesily for years, but when he discovers what she's been up to, he becomes determined to keep Sesily out of trouble. The more time they spend together, the harder they fall for one another, until dangerous secrets from Caleb's past catch up to them both. I have never read a book from this author that I did not ADORE, and this one did not disappoint.

This is so much more than a historical romance. This is an Ocean’s 8 style girl gang bent on vengeance against the patriarchy and I am here for it.

I loved Sesily. I cannot wait for Adelaide.

A celebration of female ingenuity with an unpredictable twist. Bombshell is the battle cry of the female spirit. Sesily is proof that a hero doesn't need to have a deep voice and rough hands. Women are more than the damsel in distress. A heroine is just as industrious as her male counterpart. Sesily proves that when you listen to your heart anything is possible. Even finding happily ever after.

I’m not sure why I tried this author again after her disappointing last release. I think I was hopeful that Sesily’s long awaited story would be different. Sadly, it was more telling (rather than showing) of what strong, independent, unconventional women starred in this book. It was wearying and took me out of the story.

This was a lot of fun. I loved the lady vigilante theme and the supportive friendships between the women. I do think the story dragged a bit when our love interests continued to go back and forth on the same big issue without making any progress, but it all came together in the end.

I also liked the little cameos from MacLean's previous books. Perfect balance between enjoying the extra little connections without missing anything if you haven't read the backlist. I absolutely loved seeing little references to The Bareknuckle Bastards and I'm digging through the backlist hoping to find stories about Sesily's sisters. I'm certain I'll find more gems!

I am anxiously awaiting reading the stories of the other Hell's Belles.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Lady Sesily is used to scandal following her and joins a group of women who are overlooked by society to bring justice to the powerful men who run the London society. During one of her missions she runs into her sister's business partner Caleb who broke her heart. Throughout the book Sesily and Caleb are pushed together and torn apart when danger comes for Caleb.

This book was a little slow for the first few chapters but the pace and the plot line pick up after. This was a great and exciting romance book! I would recommend this book to all historical romance readers and I am very excited to read the next books in the series!

Sarah Maclean once again delivers clever dialogue, relatable characters, a tight plot, and sweeping romance. Bombshell is about redemption, and two flawed lovers who truly see each other, regardless of society’s judgment.

I have been anxiously waiting the tale of Sesily Talbot and it didn't disappoint. Sesily is a bombshell; beautiful, determined, and intelligent, and she needed someone who could match her. Caleb was on to her schemes immediately (Sesily and her friends work together to destroy the reputations of unsavory gentlemen), and she also quickly determined that there secrets he was closely guarding. The two of them together are fire, and it was delicious to read! Once again, I'm anxiously a waiting the next novel from Sarah Maclean.

Bombshell is the first book in Sarah MacLean's new Hell's Belles series and it is dynamite! If this one was any indication, I'm going to love this whole series. It was so much fun and filled with dynamic characters, hot chemistry, delicious longing, and just a touch of scandal. It is one hell of a ride from beginning to end.

The heroine for Bombshell is Lady Sesily Talbot. She is feisty, brilliant, and independent. Her nickname is Sexily and she has been known to cause more than one scandal within society. She is also part of a girl gang - the Hell's Belles - women who work together to right the wrongs against other women. She is proud of the scandals that she has created and the fact that no one is able to slow her down. Well, almost no one....

Enter American Caleb Calhoun. The one man who has had any sort of effect on Sesily. ..and I can completely understand why. He is such a good hero for this story. He's a charming, playful and devious. He isn't afraid to trade barbs with Sesily even though she's a woman. They push each others buttons in the very best way and have both been secretly pining after each other for years.

Secrets can only stay secrets for so long especially when it comes to pining. And when everything comes to the surface, it is explosive. There is chemistry, yearning, teasing, and an emotional connection. These two characters take you on a journey and it is a journey that I was invested in from beginning to end. They are drawn to each other, need each other, and will do almost anything to protect each other. It's just so good...and written so very well.

The other thing that I felt was written very well in Bombshell was the description of the strong women within the Hell's Belles gang. Each of them had their own quirks and personality and I can't wait to learn more about them. Their bond felt real and I loved how they worked together to right what they felt is wrong within society. The fact that this was all inspired by an actual real life woman's gang during this era makes it even more interesting to me. These women have so many strengths which are often frowned up and they know exactly how to use them.

I'm excited that Bombshell is the first book within this new series. I can't wait to read more about the Hell's Belles and hopefully get a few more glimpses of Sesily and Caleb. I look forward to whatever schemes, dreams and romances are ahead for all of these characters. If you enjoy historical romance that is filled with banter, independent female characters, and chemistry, you will likely really enjoy this one too!

Every time I receive an advanced copy of Sarah MacLean I read and review on other platforms when book releases. I always forget to review on here. This book was amazing!!

Sarah MacLean kicks off her Hell's Belles series with Bombshell, featuring the bold and scandalous Lady Sesily Talbot in a feminist historical novel that will delight MacLean's longtime fans just as it introduces new readers to her work.

Sesily Talbot has never cared much for her reputation. The London elite calls her "Sexily" behind her back, a moniker she does nothing to discourage, in no small part because it's not entirely untrue--and because it gives her cover to go about her business taking down the worst of the London aristocracy without anyone noticing. But when her sister's best friend and business partner, Caleb Calhoun, returns to London after years away, she quickly realizes that her ruse as the reputation-less Lady may not hold up to his (very close) scrutiny.

MacLean (Daring and the Duke) has a knack for historical romances filled with both tension and intrigue, and Bombshell is no exception. The chemistry between Sesily and Caleb is substantial on every page of this well-paced tale, with passionate scenes between the two that defy the classic trope of the virginal aristocratic lady seduced by an all-knowing male suitor of some variety. Even more enticing than the romance between the two, though, is the intrigue behind both players' resistance to their undeniable attraction to one another. And at the heart of that intrigue is Sesily and her band of forward-thinking renegade friends--each with the promise of romances of their own to come. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm

Discover: The author of the Bareknuckle Bastards books begins a new feminist series with this sultry historical romance featuring an unstoppable, reputation-less heroine.

Sesily is an independent and determined woman who takes advantage of her reputation as a scandalous woman to take justice into her own hands along with a group of skilled women led by the Duchess of Trevescan. But this group's well-orchestrated plans will start to run into some setbacks when a certain wealthy American reappears in Sesily's path.

Caleb returned to London at the request of his partner for the birth of her child and to monitor the tavern they both own with another partner. What he didn't expect or at least thought he could avoid was that Hurricane Sesily would transform his life.

I love Sara MacLean's very intricate plots and Sesily's story has become a favorite of mine even though I spent much of the book angry at Caleb. His hot'n cold behavior irritated me a lot and even after the reason for such behavior was revealed I was still somewhat irritated with him. Buttt.... on the other hand, Sesily and her friends are so wonderful, fun and sarcastic that I ended up leaving Caleb in the background. The way these women achieve everything they want, the rapport between them, the adventures they live left me stuck in each new situation and I'm already looking forward to knowing a little more about each one in their own book.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an eArC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew Sesily and Caleb would be my new favorites the second we first saw them interact in Day of the Duchess and I was right! I read Bombshell in basically one sitting and completely fell in love.

Sesily Talbot uses her reputation of scandal to help those who’ve been wronged by powerful men. After seeing her disappear into a garden with a strange man, Caleb follows her in order to “help a sister of a friend” he tells himself.

I love Sarah Maclean’s writing so much and this book is no exception. The first couple chapters are slow to start as it is the start of a new series and MacLean really takes the time to set up what is happening but after that is is all fast paced action. The chemistry between our main couple is undeniable and their slow burn sexual tension is incredible. I love how both of them have personality and ambitions outside of their relationship as well. I genuinely want to be Sesily when I grow up.

I also loved our other Hell’s Belles and cannot wait to get their stories.

Overall Bombshell is a great start to the series and a satisfying payoff for the tension we had between Sesily and Caleb in the past.

This is the way to start a new series. This is the first in the Hells Bells series and it started off with a heroine Sesily who we have not only met before but so wanted her story as well. Sesily has a scandalous reputation and uses it to disguise what she is actually doing. She hasn’t fooled her her brother’s best friend Caleb Calhoun though. Caleb and Sesily have been avoiding their sizzling attraction but eventually sort of give in. There push pull remains because Sesily is headstrong. It’s endearing to see how Caleb begins to admire Sesily more and more as he uncovers her layers. Th elide characters s usual add to the story. It’s an intense female dominated romance that made my heart sing.

Lovvvvvvvved it. Sarah MacLean is an automatic buy for me and I can't wait to read the rest in the Hells Belles series.

I'll preface this review by saying that every Sarah MacLean book is a 5/5. The woman does! not! miss! She's absolutely one of the best writers working right now -- not just in romance, but in fiction writ large. Thus, the adjusted for Sarah MacLean rating is 3.5 stars.

My primary issue with this book is also my primary issue with her last book, Daring and the Duke: if you are going to tease a couple for several books (in Sesily and Caleb's case, across four books and two series!!), I want them to be on the page together IMMEDIATELY. Sesily and Caleb don't get together until about the halfway mark, and spend more time apart from each other than together for that chunk. It's frustrating because 1 - I would like them to kiss, but also 2 - we've spent several books clearly getting the picture that Sesily likes Caleb and Caleb likes Sesily but can't be with her for Reasons. This issue is repeatedly hashed and rehashed in the front half, I think unnecessarily.

We don't learn the Reason until literally three-quarters of the way through, and I think that's a big pacing flaw. If, as Sarah's podcast partner Jen has noted in reviews of other books, the big question is "why can't this couple be together right now?" and the answer seems to be "literally no good reason," then this book initially misses the mark by a wide mile. And to be fair, the Reason is a good one! But it's introduced too late.

Sarah has said (in interviews? online? on the podcast? somewhere) that her goal is to set up heroines that would be just fine if they didn't end up with the hero at the end, and there's no doubt that Sesily has been getting along well without Caleb and would continue to do so if he hadn't pulled his head out of his ass. Spending the first half of the book establishing this, though, left me wondering at points if this was becoming more of a historical fiction novel with a strong romantic subplot rather than a true romance novel. Contrast it with Brazen and the Beast, in which I think it's equally clear that Hattie would be perfectly alright without Beast but we get much more romantic content.

Once we hit that Reason, the book absolutely sings. It's classic MacLean throughout -- gorgeous prose, eminently quotable, fiercely feminist, and wryly funny. It's not until the last quarter of the book that it becomes so characteristically achingly, achingly, achingly romantic, though.

It's worth it to push through what I found a very frustrating first half to hit the true romantic arc. I'm sure a lot of the worldbuilding that I found fascinating but a detraction from the kissing is going to ensure more time for romance in books to come in this series, and I cannot wait to meet the rest of the Belles.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

Bombshell is what happens when Sarah MacLean writes an adventure novel, and I LOVED IT.

Our heroine is a blast. Her friends are the best. Our hero steadily grew on me until finally - after a pretty slow burn! - proving himself to be worthy of our heroine (which she knew all along, because she's the best).

(Sidenote: My ONLY nitpick on this one is that I don't think our leads needed to get married at the end - our heroine LOSES social power and property rights when she gets married, and there are no inheritence or parentage reasons to do so since our leads are clear on not wanting kids. And it's not like being together unmarried would ruin either of their reputations, because those are ALREADY scandalous. In a novel that's so much about building a future that will make YOU happy, versus anything imposed by anyone else, the engagement just felt like...ticking a box. Whereas everything else sparkled off the page! But, like: this is a minor quarrel. I'm all for getting married! I just think you've got to weigh your legal options!)

Also, now I REALLY want the book about the friend who blows stuff up and that detective she keeps flirting with/driving absolutely bonkers. She's my favorite, and I absolutelly cannot wait!

So fun! This was my favorite Maclean yet because of the FUN. The banter and wit I personally find missing from her other more serious/angsty books was alive and well here and I am rooting for this lady gang.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

I am a huge Sarah Maclean fan and would attribute her first series to making me love romance novels. Bombshell doesn't disappoint with complex feminist characters and just overall a fun plot and story.

I cannot wait for the next installment!

I had a hard time getting into the story at the beginning but once I started I was glued. The writing was wonderful, and this book was beautifully written and unique. I especially loved Sesily and her character. Caleb came in second. He kept running from his problems and that did make a good impression on his person. Although he was not my favorite, I did enjoy him as a character. He's completelt selfless and truly devoted to keeping the people he loves safe, even if it means sacrificing his own freedom.

Sesily on the other hand is wild and head strong, she's independent, strong willed, and loyal to the T. She's the backbone that made this entire book! She saved caleb when he thought all hope was gone.

I recommend this book if you like a strong heroine rescuing the man she loves.