✨I’m going to start a patriarchy smashing gang of women, anyone want to join? Applications open to hot heroes for me to have amazing tension with✨

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I had been waiting to read Sesily and Caleb’s story the second we were introduced to them. And this did not disappoint.

Tropes:
- strong female friendships
- pining
- will they/won’t they
- friends to lovers-ish?
- adventure/grit
- hero with a secret
- strong heroine
- banter

This book gave me everything I wanted and more, even scenes I never knew I wanted (a steamy time in a closet and a tavern brawl? yes please!)

Sesily is definitely one of my favorite MacLean heroine. It is not easy to write a sassy heroine without making her annoying. I loved how she turned her reputation into a fuel to combat the patriarchy. She is fierce, independent, loving, passionate, strong, I could go on and on. She is everything I want to be.

Caleb may not be my favorite MacLean hero, but that does not mean I did not love him. He was so in love with Sesily, my heart was hurting. We got to learn more about him and see a side we didn’t before. This is still just a personal thing, I am getting a little tired of the "hero with a mysterious past, that's why they can't be together" trope. I normally don’t like the “hero with a secret” trope, but it was done well. The layers of the story and of his past came undone in an interesting way.

Don’t even get me started on the chemistry between these two. ABSOLUTELY SIZZLING. 10/10. *chef’s kiss* All they had to do was be in the same room and I was practically screaming "JUST KISS ALREADY!"

It is not easily having a fully developed plot and cast of characters while developing a great romance, but yet again, MacLean does it flawlessly. I am in love with the Hell’s Belles. Each and every character and their relationship has my heart. We have a mysterious leader, spunky heroine who wants to blow up everything, and a shy wallflower who gathers intel for the group. I am so so excited to read their stories. Sarah MacLean is an autobuy author for me for a reason, I just know I am going to love the rest of this series. The story was so well done. I was on the edge of my seat. It was the perfect mix of grit, humor, adventure, history, romance. If you loved the way the Bareknuckle Bastards was written, then you will absolutely love this too. Wicked and the Wallflower is my favorite Sarah MacLean so if we get that kind of story for our wallflower heroine, I will simply pass away.
Also, may I draw attention to Avon giving me the Avon Romantic Treasure goodness I am a whore for?! I love how they put the stepback picture on the back cover. I am very excited.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars | 🌶🌶🌶/ 5 steam

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Sarah MacLean for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

This book! I loved every page of Sesily and Caleb's story. My only complaint was that it didn't last longer and that I will have to wait for the next installment in the Hell's Belles series. If someone is looking for a smart, swoony historical romance with strong women and the men who love them, definitely check out the first book in Sarah MacLean's new series - Bombshell

I have waited years for this book. For Sesily and Caleb to finally, finally have their moment and with all of that anticipation, Sarah MacLean delivered. Caleb calls Sesily Athena in this book and honestly, the woman IS a goddess. I love her so much. She is everything I already knew her to be and so much more. This book is a wild ride and the most fun, but also, MacLean perfectly crafted the angst in this one so that it was never over-bearing but kept you gripped. Even if you could argue that Caleb maybe needed to spend a bit of time in cold storage, I ultimately found the pacing of this book to work perfectly.

Honestly, it's still hard for me to say much about this book beyond raving about Sesily. I think MacLean delivered the look back at Sesily's siblings in such a way that fit the story and didn't detract from the fact that this ultimately is Sesily and Caleb's book. She also crafted characters that I am incredibly intrigued by and am super looking forward to getting their stories in the upcoming years. I also want to know if one of them (Duchess) is going to be a marriage in trouble story?? Because if so, I'm desperate already and cannot wait. I think our next one is sadly not Imogen's, which is not to say I'm not excited for the one whose name starts with an A, but I'm holding out judgment until MacLean confirms the hero is who I think he is. If I'm right, I need the book like tomorrow because I HAVE to know his backstory. I'm so intrigued.

So, all in all, I thought this was an excellent book from MacLean. I love the floppy mass market x or whatever sized paperback and I am really, really excited for more in this series!

I adored this book. Just... *contented sigh* It's EXACTLY the book I needed to break through a reading slump I've been struggling with. Nobody does witty banter and that will they/won't they back and forth like Sarah MacLean, and she delivers on a whole other level with Bombshell.

The chemistry between Sesily and Caleb is explosive (even though I want to punch Caleb in the head, well, most of the time). Sesily is... gosh, I can't even words about Sesily. She's the glint off the steel of a dagger you don't see coming straight at your heart. And then Caleb comes barreling in to rescue her, which Sesily does not NEED, thank you very much. She reminds me a little of Meg from Disney's Hercules - "I'm a damsel, I'm in distress - I can handle this. Have a nice day!"

The only thing better than the epic mutual pining between Sesily and Caleb, is the crazy #squadgoals of Sesily, Imogen, Adelaide, and Duchess. I fell INSTANTLY in love with Imogen and I have a MIGHT NEED for her book nowwwwww. They're all just such fun and interesting women. I always say I know it's a great book if I want to crawl inside and be besties with the characters, and BOY do I want to be in with this crowd!

This is Sesily's book, and while it's the first in this series, there are nods to several other books and series by Sarah MacLean. Sesily sister Sophie's has her own book, The Rogue Not Taken, the first book in the Scandal & Scoundrel series, and Seraphina's book is the third in that same series, The Day of the Duchess. Bombshell does contain some spoilers for these other books, though it's not necessary to read them to fully enjoy this book. There are also a few mentions of the Bareknuckle Bastards, who are the stars of another series by the same name by Sarah MacLean, as well as (I think) mention of the plot of A Scot in the Dark. I love how Sarah MacLean weaves these elements of her fictional world together across these different series, and it's so expertly done.

This is the first book in the Hells' Belles series, and can be read as a stand-alone. There are bits and pieces that lay the groundwork for the next book, Heartbreaker, which will be about Adelaide and the Duke of Clayborne, and then FINALLY the third book had better be about Imogen and Thomas because I NEED their book. I'm also very much hoping Duchess gets her own book, please, if you're out there and you're listening, book fairies... :)

This is book 1 of the Hell's Belles series. Some characters were previously introduced in the Scandal and Scoundrel and the Barenuckle Bastards series. I had not read any of those books but was able to enjoy this story as there were just enough references to past events that I wasn't lost. I liked it so much that I am planning on reading the books in the Scandal and Scoundrel series that feature Sophie and Seraphina Talbot, two of Sesily's five sisters.

Sesily is 30 years old, bold, and a brilliant strategist. This book was a surprise to me at first because the women were so bold and unconventional, a rarity in the Victorian period where women were safer when they remained respectable and unremarked. Sesily and her friends were well named as the Hell's Belles. They rescue women in danger and at times, dish out retribution. I was shocked at first, as this is *not* what most people think of society women doing in Victorian England, but I ended up loving it, and am planning on reading the Scandal and Scoundrel series.

I highly recommend this book to any lover of independent, strong women in Victorian romance. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and was pleased to voluntarily read and review it.

Probably one of my best personal book/author discoveries this year has been Sarah MacLean. I started my MacLean journey with the Barenuckle Bastards and when I tell you how deeply I fell in love with Devil and Beast…there are no words.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity by NetGalley and Avon to review a copy of MacLean’s newest book, Bombshell, but I wanted to do my homework! So I immediately gobbled up The Rogue Not Taken and The Day of The Duchess so I could meet The Dangerous Daughters and fall in love with them. We catch glimpses of Sesily and Caleb in prior books so by the time I got to Bombshell I was begging for more of Sesily Talbot and her American.

This book did NOT disappoint. Despite crossing an ocean to get away from Sesily, Caleb can’t stay away. But while Caleb has been away Sesily has not been idle. Instead, she has hooked up with a girl gang to rival all girl gangs as they wreak their havoc upon the horrible men of the ton. When Caleb returns the sparks immediately fly. When I tell you this book has PINING! It has HEAT! Some of the lines in this book are like poetry.

I will no longer be scared of historical romances. Instead I will embrace this gift MacLean has given us. I can’t wait to read more of her books as well as see what’s to come with our Hell’s Belles. Look out terrible aristocratic men of Victorian England!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for going me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean is the story her fans have been waiting for since Day of the Duchess 4 years ago...Sesily finally gets her American!

No damsels in distress here. When push comes to shove, Sesily and her girl gang save her man, not the other way around. And I wanted to smack noble Caleb once we learned why he has tried to be so distant all these years. He should’ve known better.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! 4.5 stars

Dang, I'm loving all of these feminist historicals lately!!

Sesily is one of five scandalous sisters, and the last of them to pair off with their One True Love. Sesily thought that her One was Caleb, her sister Sera's American friend and business partner, but he doesn't seem to want to stay in one place despite their obvious chemistry. Instead, she and her three closest friends spend their time helping women in need of escaping terrible situations. But then Caleb comes back to town. And catches her in the middle of doing one of her assists. And now they can't seem to keep their hands off each other.

I really liked this book! Somehow I didn't read Sera's story, so while this could be read as a stand-alone, I found myself wishing I had some of the obvious background from her book. But Sesily and Caleb were super hot but cute together. I loooved the secondary characters and can't wait to get Imogene's book. All in all it kind of reminded me of a heist movie with all the moving pieces that led to resolving the conflict. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my thoughts!

Even though I grumbled and complained, waiting for Sarah to write Caleb and Sesily’s story, once I had it in my hands, I knew it was worth the wait.

Sesily, the eldest of the Soiled S’s, is a walking scandal, but one society can’t get enough of. Caleb is her sister’s friend and business partner and an American—and even worse, the one man Sesily can’t stop thinking about, even after he rejected her advances two years ago.

Y’all. This book is so hot. And so smart. And so much fun. I’ve read every one of Sarah MacLean’s books and she never disappoints. Sesily and Caleb’s closet scene will live rent free in my mind—and I’m not sad about it.

I love that all of Sarah’s books take place in the same “world,” and I live for those “Easter eggs” from previous books—a glimpse of the Bareknuckle Bastards or a mention of the Fallen Angel. I cannot say this loud enough—Sarah’s books are an AUTO-BUY. Every single time.

I have all the faith that this series will be incredible. Being that this is the first book in the series, there was more focus on setting up the overall storyline and introducing future characters than on the romance between Lady Sesily Talbot and American, Caleb Calhoun, They clearly had a physical attraction but it never delved beyond that point for me. I am, however, interested in the other storylines that were set up.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean is a triumph. MacLean wrote this during the pandemic, but you'd never know it by the rolicking, rompus fun it is. Girl gang in Victorian England fighting for justice among the richest of London. I know this book is a romance, and of course I loved the love story, but it was the sisterhood between the Bells that really got me. Each book MacLean writes gets better and better.

** I was given a ecopy to review on NetGalley**

I loved everything about this book! There was badass ladies doing badass things in the middle of a romance that was just… absolute perfection!

There wasn’t a second of this book that I didn’t love. Between the female friendships, and the absolute stunning romance between the hero and the heroine, I was hooked. Sarah has made a forever fan out of me!

I loved Sesily, and how she was unapologetic about who she was. She is probably one of my favorite female characters of all time! But her friends though, this group of friends is amazing!

This book was one of my favorites of the year! 😻😻😻

Hi, I’m Nikita and I’m in utter and irrevocable love with the Hell’s Belles, specifically with one duchess. More on that later, but first, about this book and couple we’ve waited for for 4 whole years. And what a fantastic payoff. You’d think the wait would be too long, but it comes together perfectly and feels like it drops at just the right time in the MacLean-iverse. Make some space Avengers, the Belles are in town. With diverse, colorful, queer characters, MacLean’s London is as vivid as it is gritty, as real as it is fanciful (and PoC/queer rep in 19th century Britain is real, no matter what anyone tells you). Also, kudos to the clever fourth wall breaking.

Caleb is ever the SIMP we know and love, pining for his love from afar, growling and grunting when she’s in danger of any sort, which is often considering it’s Sesily, the last and most of the dangerous daughters. He’s also a typical, foolish man (as the author never fails to point out, tongue-in-cheek), who loves his girl so much he makes the worst sort of self destructive choices. But fear not, Sesily, walking scandal and absolute delight (I quote), is there to set him straight and save the day. Just by existing really, but also with her brilliant mind and equally brilliant girl squad. She’s fearless in everything including love, and while she longs and yearns and pines right alongside Caleb, she does not hesitate to make her moves when necessary either.

Speaking of squad, this gang of women with a mission was my absolute favorite part of this book, tied with the epic Casily romance. Irreverent and hilarious and noble and unfailingly supportive, these women got me thinking of how those who came before us made the way easier for us, and basically gave me the good kind of chills. I’m pretty sure we already got a glimpse at 2 of the 3 remaining heroes, and while I’m pumped for Adelaide next and Imogen’s story is sure to be explosive, it’s the Duchess I love. Like I either want to be her or marry her when I grow up, and I already can’t wait to dig into her past.

With BOMBSHELL, MacLean proves once again that she is the ultimate "hold my beer" author. Sesily is ALL the things hinted and promised, and so much more....and Caleb (Oh. My. American....expressssss). The man's a delicious mountain of salty caramel, and so much more fun to climb. Add in the Girl Gang chops (delightful & funny...and I am claiming them all as My Squad!) and yeah...another WINNER in the Sarah MacLean column!

"Bombshell"- A Hells Bells Novel
by Sarah MacLean
I always enjoy MacLean's historical fiction and this novel does not disappoint. We get to learn more about Sesily Talbot in this installment, one of the "Soiled S's." Sesily and her gang of women crusaders are taking it to the patriarch and I loved the excitement, action, and humor throughout!
Loved it!

I found the writing of this book absolutely gorgeous, which makes it hard to say I found the story incredibly frustrating. We were promised an early Victorian girl gang, but what we get are four capital-L-Ladies who mostly use upper-class social humiliation (drawing on some jerk’s face) and not actual theft, cons, blackmail, or similar illegalities. This book talks the talk but does not walk the walk, and it feels like a bait and switch.

It’s possible I was the wrong audience for this, because I have gotten very tired of the aristocracy being the imaginative center of so many British-set historical romances. I like fancy people drama as much as the next reader, but if you promise me something with a different lens I’m going to expect something other than every hero and heroine ending up wealthy, titled, and socially connected. Especially since this is so interwoven with the author’s past series heroines and heroes — the accumulation of happy, rich, straight, noble characters gets to be absurd in accumulation.

We are finally blessed with Lady Sesily's story! I was very excited to read this one, and it did not disappoint.

I particularly loved Lady Sesily and how she lived her life the way she wanted. While that was true of each of her sisters, she seemed to embody it the most. I also loved that she was making her life useful in such a meaningful way - helping to save people who were stuck in bad situations. I loved that Sesily and her amazing friends could shoot, use a knife, and fight their way out of (most) situations. These were no shrinking violets, and none of them needed a man to save them. I adored the complexity of the cast of Sesily's friends, and I can't wait to read their stories too. I think many women can identify with the woman people tell is too much, the one who is told she's too smart, and the one who is told her interests are less than 'ladylike.'

While Sesily and Caleb's romance was satisfying, it was also a little too melodramatic. I still enjoyed the book very much, but I miss the tone of MacLean's earlier books. We seemed to spend a lot more time in the main character's heads in this one, with a little less action.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Ok here is the deal with this story. You can not go in expecting a true historical romance. I will say having read the reviews I was ready for this. It has been a while since I read MacLean so when the new series began I thought “why not?” and picked up the book. Usually I do not read the reviews before reading a book. But I am glad I did in this one. Because I might have been upset as some others have been had I not realized this was more of a contemporary romance wrapped in a historical wrapper.

BUT… I enjoyed the book. It is written very differently than most HR because the women aren’t the typical Victorian ladies we expect. They are some bad-assed women who are out to save women who are in abusive situations. These are modern day vigilantes in long flowing gowns.

I enjoyed the women and I liked Caleb with Sesily. The romance between them is slow moving but worthy of the read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW, Sarah MacLean writes another phenomenal romance book! This book was amazing: hot romance, sexy hero, strong heroine, passionate love story, and a killer ending. Sarah's books are always amazing but this one had something a little special. I highly recommend this book because it had everything a reader would want in a sexy romance.

I just reviewed Bombshell by Sarah MacLean. #Bombshell #NetGalley

Bombshell is the very first book in the brand new Hell’s Belles series by Sarah Maclean, and it’s also my very first ever read by her as well! I have quite a few of Sarah’s books on my TBR, so I’m thrilled to have finally read something by her!

Historical romance is a genre that I used to read ALL the time, but haven’t read much in the past few years. I was really excited to start reading it again, especially after starting the Bridgerton series and all the success with the tv adaptation. I definitely wanted to read more, but was honestly a little overwhelmed by ALL of the historical romance series that are available to read. When I found out Bombshell was the first book in the series, I jumped to request it, and I am so glad I did.

This book was so much fun … and not really at all what I was expecting from a historical romance. First, I love Lady Sesily and Caleb together SO much! (Even though I never though Caleb was going to get his head out of his ass and see what an awesome heroine Sesily was.) They were super cute together, and I am definitely going to have to find out which other books these two were in previously so I can see how they got started!

(If you’re wondering about that, Sesily’s sisters have been in some previous series… I’m pretty sure it’s the Scandal and Scoundrels series, but The Bareknuckle Bastards series was mentioned as well, and of course I will be checking out both series asap!)

Moving on … I also want to add that I love this awesome group of women! Known as The Hell’s Belles, each one was special in their own way. Of course Sesily kicked us off with her awesome story, but I am so excited to get to know the rest of them more as well! (Especially the Duchess!) Imogen’s story is coming next, and I absolutely can’t wait to see what next for this gang of wonderful women.

I also really loved the storyline for this book. I don’t want to go into it much and give anything away, but I promise you, you’re in for a treat! It was absolutely fascinating and a whole lot of fun! Especially if you’re a fan of kick ass women who love taking down the bad guys. *wink*

Overall; Bombshell is my first ever read by Sarah MacLean, but it definitely will not be my last! I will be over here pining away for the second book in the series, which at this time is currently untitled and set to release sometime in 2022. While I wait I plan to devour the rest of Sarah’s books as quickly as I can! Fans of historical romance, or those that are new-ish to the genre like myself, do check out Bombshell! It’s a fantastic read.

Happy Reading!