I love Sarah MacLean. After being introduced to her books by a friend, I have developed an addiction to her engaging, unique, and exciting historicals. Bombshell is the first of a new series and it's already shaping up to be one that I'll be adding to my all-time favorites list. There's push-pull, tension—so much delicious tension—and of course, all the feels. Sesily's story has been a long time coming and it's one that was well worth the wait, as she is not what she seems. Indeed, she's the kind of heroine we love to see—strong, determined, and falling in love with the only man who can see through her facade. **Sigh**

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean is a historical romance that I devoured in now sitting. A story with characters you are sure to love and hate at the same time.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

This book was explosive fun from the first page to the last!
MacLean has done it again with Bombshell. Creating such a badass heroine and a swoon worthy hero while also having an exciting plot.
I devoured this book the moment it was in my hands and I think other readers will too.

4 Stars
When I got this in my hot little hands made my little heart flutter! Sarah MacLean is the Woman for me when it comes to strong women and historical fiction. She got me started in my love affair with the first series I experienced.

This new book follows along the same path of smart women, men who think they know better and try to protect them, and then these smart women work to bring these men to their knees loving them for all they do.

Bombshell is the first book in the “Hell’s Belles” series.

Our heroine, Lady Sesily Talbot, is bold, beautiful and brilliant, as are the fiercely independent and powerful women in her girl gang, the Hell’s Belles—women who right the wrongs against other women. Sesily and her sisters (all now married to wealthy nobility), came from humble beginnings, their father a coal miner turned earl, have always been looked down upon by the ton. No worries, Sesily is proud she’s been nicknamed Sexily and is considered scandalous by the upper crust of society.

The only person that has any affect on her though, is the American, Caleb Calhoun. Caleb is such a cinnamon roll hero! He’s self-made, owning taverns in America and Britain. Caleb has pined for Sesily since the day he met her, and she’s lusted after him for years.
But of course, neither knows how the other feels. She thinks he left Britain for America without a single thought of her.

Both hold secrets and the Hell’s Belles are determined to find out Caleb’s, with their newest plan involving a very dangerous viscount.

There’s searing chemistry, spicy-hot intimacy, and sexy banter between Caleb and Sesily that will have you blushing. They are, hands down, my new favorite HR couple. I love that Bombshell has strong independent heroines righting the wrongs against women. It’s an interesting premise that I found very entertaining. I’m looking forward to her next installment.

*Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon Books for the complimentary arc in exchange for my honest review.

Softer and sweeter than I expected. Sure, there was mayhem; this is a book about a girl gang, after all. And there's Sarah's signature feminism subverting traditional characterizations of women in historical romance. Add the inclusion of queer and minority side characters to the quartet of powerful heroines plus an actual explosion and you'll get a book that lives up to its title. The worthy anti-patriarchy mission of the Hell's Belles and their chaotic serving of justice provided many of the highlights in Bombshell.

It's the romance between scandalous Sesily and broody Caleb with all the long covert looks and the longing and the pining that balances the book out. It's also the reason why I'm slightly frustrated. Caleb's noble reason for keeping his distance from Sesily is one of the storylines in Romance I actively dislike. Sarah almost made it work but not enough.

As with Sarah's last three series, there's someone else who captivated me more than the main characters in the current novel. Two someones else this time: Imogen and Duchess. I can't wait to read their stories. But knowing Sarah, I'll have to wait three years.

Yes!! There were feminists in historical England...at least I hope so!

Lady Sesily Talbot has spent the last few years becoming a scandal. Her moniker, Sexily, has been bantered around and now everyone believes the worst of her. Little do the men of the time and her social circle know, she and her band of merry female co-conspirators, are taking down the men who are abusing their wives, girlfriends, and other females, or who are being cruel to others.

Caleb Calhoun, best friends and a business partner with Sesily's sister, decides that he needs to be Sesily's champion, because he is more than an little attracted to her, and is worried about her safety. Sesily heartily disagrees and their banter is fabulous as she tries to go about her 'business' but keep Caleb in the dark! He's not going to let that happen...he thinks!

I loved this book. There is intrigue, danger, explosions, tight dialogue, and ultimately love.

This is the first book in the Hell's Belles series, I can't wait for the rest!

I was given this book by the publisher and author and purchased the hard cover. The review is my own.

Girl gangs, and pining, and smashing the patriarchy, oh my! Bombshell is the first in a new series for Sarah MacLean, centered around a girl gang hell bent on making sure dastardly men get the justice due them. It is the long awaited tale of Sesily Talbot and Caleb Calhoun, which many of us have been anxiously awaiting since seeing their chemistry on page in Day of the Duchess. While Caleb Calhoun is the quintessential MacLean Universe Hero (fans of Cross will swoon!) who cannot pursue love because he doesn’t deserve it for tragic backstory reasons, Sesily takes on a new path. Long cast as the scandalous sister, heavy on banter and sexily swanning through the ton’s ballrooms behavior, here we see how she functions with an actual purpose. And that purpose is glorious. The fight scenes and female relationships crafted on the page take the best of Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, and Charlie’s Angels, mix them together in a potent brew worthy of Adelaide, and drop them into a Victorian London frothing with tension over a woman on the throne. Absolute must read! I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Fucking Hell Sarah

I just— god I loved this book so much!!!! After having Sesily and Caleb’s undeniable attraction BLATANTLY teased in Day of the Duchess, Sarah has kept us on tenterhooks for ~four long years~ and let me tell ya, these two idiots are well worth the wait🥰

reading Bombshell just felt ✨l a v i s h✨ every moment charged with a sense of giddy exultation— like Sesily’s almost mystical, labyrinthine journey through Vauxhall? Amazing. The playful, quippy Suicide Squad style intro of Sesily’s Belles? Unparalleled. Literally any moment where Caleb and Sesily were arguing/bantering/flirting? EXQUISITE TORTURE!!! I mean, reading a Sarah MacLean book always feels like a headlong tumble into something magical, but Bombshell just hit *different*

And of course, I can’t talk about this book without waxing poetic about my sweet babies, Caleb and Sesily😍 these two have had it coming, and the payoff we get in this book was utterly delicious! The tension ~simmering~ between these two is unparalleled, and the way Caleb sees all of who Sesily is and loves her unreservedly, like🥺 its just perfect

All of my favorite elements from the latest installments in the MacLeaniverse are in full force here— Women who refuse to be made small & limited by society’s dictates, Angsty (with a capital ANGST!!) heroes who simp ~hard~ for their partner, challenges to hegemonic patriarchal power structures, taking the finger, you name it🧑🏼‍🍳😘👌🏻 Bombshell has all that SM nostalgia, but this series starter is really setting the stage for an exciting new era of Sarah’s work and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for my review copy❤️

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. Sesily Talbot is magnificent. I may not have the right skills for the job, but I would love to be in her girl hang of Victorian vigilantes. I liked Sesily in her appearances as a side character in previous books, but she richly deserved her own book, and this was practically perfect for her.
Sesily and Caleb were incendiary together, and my God; the sheer pining in this book is enough to make a girl jealous. He's such a dummy sometimes, but when he gets his act together, it's so very satisfying. This book was so much fun, and it left me wanting more. I loved Sesily's community of friends, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series. This book is full of richly characterized people, the world building is A+, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

4,5 Stars - Top Pick

I have been so excited to finally read Caleb and Sesily’s story, and Sarah MacLean did not disappoint! Sarah MacLean is one of my favourite historical romance authors and each book I read by her is better and better than the last. I love the way that the characters from the other novels pop in and out of the stories in subtle nods.

Bombshell is the story of Sesily Talbot, one of the “soiled S” sisters, who found themselves thrust into the world of London’s ton with little to no training. All of the sisters were often shunned and gossiped about, but none more than Sesily who is extremely beautiful and alluring and refused to settle down and get married like a proper lady. I love a strong female lead, and Sesily is one of the best that I have every read. She understands her privilege and works with it to help others in need and does not ever shy away from a challenge. She is also extremely relatable as a female, in that she professed her love once for a man she adored and was rejected, but she never let that get her down for long and kept doing her best to live her life. I really admire that her journey was not an easy one, and that no matter how many times she faced rejection she found the inner resolve to keep going – makes me want to be more like her!

The man in question here is Caleb Calhoun, an American in England who is close friends with Sesily’s sister and owns a tavern with her. Therefore, there is no escaping Caleb and Sesily seeing each other when he is in town. As much as he tries to avoid her, he cannot deny the attraction they have which keeps pulling them together. Caleb also promised Sesily’s sister that he would watch out for her and keep her out of trouble, so he finds himself closer and closer to her as the days go on.

As a reader, you can actually physically feel the chemistry between Caleb and Sesily, it is that palpable. I really enjoyed seeing how both of these strong leads developed throughout the book and how they eventually came together after many trials and tribulations. The banter between the two of them was hilarious and I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the thoughts and conversations they were having. The secondary characters were also amazing and I am excited to read the stories of the others in Sesily’s girl gang. Highly recommend this novel for those who are fans of modern historical romances.

~ Harshita

This was such a fantastic romance! Bombshell was so much fun and had me laughing and swooning throughout the entire novel. I loved Caleb and Sesily and the tension and build up was so painfully perfect between them. Sarah MacLean makes us work for it, but the payout is completely worth the wait. These two had off the charts chemistry and nothing makes me go heart eyes faster than an all in pining hero. My heart hurt for Caleb and Sesily at times, but the angst was offset so well by the secondary characters. The Hell's Belles are fantastic and this group of extraordinary women stole the show. Each is so strong and loyal and I cannot wait for future books. Sarah MacLean set them up very well and I'm hoping my suspicions about Adelaide and Imogoen are correct, and that we'll be seeing a certain Duke and Detective again soon.

Mary Jane Wells can do no wrong. She masterfully narrated Bombshell and I'm always impressed by her ability to change accents and voice each character uniquely and effectively. Her performance always increases my enjoyment of a book because she brings so much energy and emotion to her narrations. This is a fantastic book to experience on audio and I can't recommend it enough!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 5 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*

Sesily Talbot has got to be one of the best heroines in historical romance! A feminist badass before her time, I am crushing on her even more than our hero, Caleb. He was great too, but even Caleb would agree that he doesn’t hold a candle to Sesily.

This romance put me firmly in 1838 and it was a fun escape. The writing I was fantastic and Sesily and her lady friends truly stole the show.

Caleb, however, was a great cinnamon roll hero who let Sesily shine and it’s refreshing to see the more recent historical romances do that.

I loved this one and Sarah MacLean can do no wrong by me!

Bombshell is the first book in a the new Hell’s Belles series. The first book in this series seems to follow a side character previously seen in possibly another series I have not read. But no worries on that front, you don’t need to have read anything else to enjoy Sesily and her scandalous ways. She isn’t your typical HR heroine.

Sesily has been on the shelf for years and there is some great freedom to that. She told Caleb a few years ago she thought he was the one and he promptly left to America for two years, for some mysterious reason. In that time, Sesily has been busy. She has a great crew of friends who have decided to help other women of the Ton not end up in horrible marriages or get out of them. They aren’t afraid of getting their hands a little dirty and each in the crew brings a different expertise. Sesily is somewhat of a sexpot so she is often the temptation distraction and she plays the part well.

Caleb has a secret from his past looming and it is dangerous for him to be in London. He has wanted Sesily since he first met her but if his enemy finds out he is alive or who the people he cares about are they will be in danger. So he has tried to shield all the people he cares about from this and in so has only lived a half life. No worries, Sesily is determined to find his secrets and protect him from them to get only man she has wanted.

I really loved the female crew in this and how they banded together to help one another. You have the widowed Duchess, the brains and money behind the operation. There is the quirky scientist with some pretty dangerous experiments happening that could blow someone up accidently at anytime and no one would be surprised. Then there is the wallflower who really is a fantastic spy and can listen in to get most peoples secrets without being noticed. All of these women make up a really fun cast of characters that you can’t wait to see what other trouble they can get into.

Caleb means well but sometimes that male protective streak runs a little too deep. I was glad that he and Sesily eventually learned to work together to clear up the mess he is in. They make a great power couple.

I had a lot of fun with this book and I really enjoyed all the smart characters throughout the story and how they found unique ways to play their parts in society.

I read this book 2.5 months ago and I still haven't been able to figure out how I feel about it.

Sarah MacLean is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this book is the start of a sparkling new series. It has tones of what I think is her best series, Rules of Scoundrels. It has some of the best bits of all of her best books, and lays all the groundwork for the fierce, loyal, and mysterious camaraderie that makes that series so fantastic. And this time it's a girl gang.

However, I found myself really frustrated at multiple points while reading this book. Sesily is a queer-coded character, but I can't tell if Sarah MacLean was just trying to be inclusive with her language or if she meant to make Sesily queer. Either way, this really didn't sit right with me. If you're going to have a queer/bi character (and please do), they should be identifiably queer, if only in their own perspective. As a queer reader, this didn't feel good. This didn't feel like representation. This felt like vague wokeness.

Another thing that I found frustrating throughout this book was the vague feminism, surface feminism. It felt like FEMINISM was written in bold print on every page, without very much actual interrogation of the systems and intersections that are required for anything to truly be feminist. I am bored and disappointed by the cis, white (maybe het, who knows) m/f romances from historical romance writers these days, and especially from Sarah MacLean. And most especially when it's clear that the rest in the series (at least the next 2) have been set up to be this way as well.

I want to be very clear - I am not upset about the overt feminism in this book, I'm upset that it's not enough. I wanted this to be a radical, inclusive feminist romance, and underneath it all, it felt like all of the other simple, easy "feminist" historical romances throughout time. I believe that reading romance is feminist, and I believe that this genre has an immense capacity for radical inclusion that centers the experiences, oppressions, loves, and joys of women and other marginalized genders. For me, this book just didn't go far enough.

I also found myself really frustrated with the ending, which reaffirmed the very conservative social structures that the whole book was (at least nominally) fighting against.

I love Sarah MacLean. I love romance. I so badly wanted to love this book.

I love Sesily. I love badass heroines and holistic and profound friendship between women. I actually found myself far more interested in the Belles and their work and relationships than in the romance or in Caleb's arc. At times, I found myself exasperated by the foggy subterfuge of the series and world building, and I felt like the external action of the book fell a little flat.

All of that being said, I thought this book was a lot of fun! Sarah MacLean knows the beats of a romance and writes such immersive, seductive stories. Sesily Talbot is one of the most enticing, endearing, vulnerable, sexy and (there's no other word for it) badass heroines I have ever read and I feel so lucky that she now exists in my mind. This book was so compelling and entertaining, a truly action-packed explosion of a story with some of my favorite tropes (second chance, sibling's best friend). I am glad I read it, and I will never not read a Sarah MacLean book the moment I can get my hands on it. All in all, I think I just felt let down by this book.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

Bombshell was unlike any historical romance I've ever read, in a good way! Sesily and her friends use their talents to take down toxic men in their London society. I loved this group of women! They were totally fierce, and this book has no shortage of action, bar fights, and feminist adventures.

And then of course there's the romance. Caleb is totally GONE for Sesily from page one. Their chemistry was great, and I loved the way they fought side-by-side throughout this novel.

This book shows a darker, more modern side of London than a lot of books in this genre, and for that reason, I think it really stands out. Bombshell has angst, action, and pining for days!

I want to be Sesily Talbot when I grow up! Ok, I know I’m older than her, but she is an historical romance heroine goddess and one of my favorite characters. She’s strong and fierce while fighting for others and loyal and loving towards family and friends.

She’s loved Caleb for two years, two years in which he has spent more time in America than in England. He wants her too, but he’s hiding dangerous secrets that are about to come to light. Sesily’s work and Caleb’s secrets merge into one dangerous situation, but with the help of friends there is always hope.

This book was sexy and funny, heartbreaking and uplifting.

Big thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager for the advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall 5 stars

This was my first Sarah MacLean book and I really loved it. Sesily was an awesome heroine who exceeded all my expectations. Caleb met my expectations but didn't necessarily exceed them. Overall I think this was an awesome start to a new series and I can't wait for what else the author has planned for the Hell's Bells.

I don't think one needs to read the previous books that feature our main characters or Sesily's sisters, but it might be beneficial. This is because it is mentioned that Sesily & Caleb have known each other for years and I think it would make keeping track of all of the characters a bit easier.

I have absolutely no idea how to review this book without getting completely emotional and detailing the hundreds of reasons why I loved it, so here's the long and short of it: this is a fantastic story that made me feel so deeply. It is unquestionably one of the best books of the year and you will not regret it if you pick it up and read it immediately, which I highly suggest you do!

So now, if you want my incoherent thoughts and general gushing love for this story, read on!

Where to start? With Caleb, the (not so) American? Listen. I love this big, dumb, incredible man. I would give nearly anything to hear someone call me my lady like he does, because God, the pining and absolute adoration this man has for Sesily, swoon-worthy doesn't even begin to cover it. He's so dumb, and I mean that in the most loving way. And Sesily, who really does love with her whole heart; when they came together it was so fierce, I cried through pretty much the last 30% of the book.

"This is how we love. Out loud. With truth. This is how we fight. Together, or not at all."

I have so many highlights in this because their love, once they figure it out, is so raw and emotional and beautiful. If you're a sucker for mutual pining by two stubborn idiots in love, look no further! But honestly, there was such depth, I can even begin to parse it out in this review. Sarah MacLean is a genius storyteller. This is how you romance!

And the women. This book (and now here's where I'm going to get emotional) felt like such a love letter to women everywhere. It's like a literary anthem for all the girls and women who were told they were too anything. Too brazen. Too quiet. Too weak or too strong. Too smart. Too 'dumb'. Too much. It managed to show how far we've come in society, and how sadly, some things are still the same. And it showed what I think everyone has always known; if a group of women, whose fierce love and support for one another outweigh their fear of the patriarchy, get together, there is literally nothing they can't do. This story made me so grateful for my friends and all the women in my life.

This is such a modern historical romance. There are old characters and new, friendships and love, laughter and tears, and I cannot wait to see where this story goes!

Ok, so who's ready to go start a girl gang with me?

I've read and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of Sarah MacLean's novels in the past, so reading Bombshell seemed like a no-brainer to me. And for the most part, it was. However, while I definitely enjoyed the novel, I did struggle at times. Although Bombshell is a new series, these characters have been in other books by the author. Because I haven't read those books or don't remember the details, I think it hindered my enjoyment of this one. It does give me an excuse to really dive into MacLean's other books though, and I'm definitely interested in reading more in this series!