Adelaide escapes a deadly battle between rival gangs to become part of the Hell’s Belles, a group of strong women who right the wrongs of bad men. While on a mission for the Belles, she comes encounters the Duke of Clayborn, who is after a stolen treasure. Sparks fly and they discover they have something else in common. His brother and the witness in a murder have eloped to Greta Green. Clayborn wants to see his brother happily married, while Adelaide must protect the woman so that she will live to give her testimony.

Both Adelaide and the Duke put others needs before their own, and when she finally made him a priority, bad things happened. My favorite elements of the story included the puzzle box which held his secret, the journey to catch the young couple (and the characters encountered along the way), and the Shield Maiden painting at one of the inns.

The scorching chemistry between Adelaide and the Duke made the book a page turner. Seeing more of the Belle’s network was a nice treat. The Belle’s are shown together in a few scenes, but the romance is the focus and thus the bulk of the book involves Adelaide and the Duke. Weddings are a reoccurring theme from various weddings that take place, the Duke’s feelings about getting married, and Adelaide’s role as the Matchbreaker. Even though I figured out the Duke’s secret early, I was no less delighted in the wonderful way it was revealed.

The next book, which features Detective Inspector Thomas Peck and Lady Imogen Loveless, is nicely set up via a chapter in Peck’s perspective at the end.

In the acknowledgments, the author talks about how the romance genre provides a source of hope which provides a light in dark times.

For me, HEARTBREAKER is a 4.5 star read, rounded up to 5.

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

Thanks to Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Nothing hits quite like a Sarah MacLean book and this book was no exception!

After the anticipation leading into Bombshell, the first of the Hell's Belles series, I wasn't really sure what to expect from Heartbreaker. Bombshell had several books of buildup leading up to it, making me invested in Sesily and Caleb for long before we finally got their story, and so I admit to being a bit nervous at the prospect of having to connect with a whole new couple that I didn't know much about at all. This anxiety was unfounded, because oh boy did I love Adelaide and Henry.

Adelaide grew up in the thick of her family's criminal empire, becoming a master thief but ultimately only valued for her skills. She is able to escape her family's clutches and assumes a life amongst the Mayfair elite, who are unaware of her past. It is in this new life that she encounters Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, who is everything a good duke should be. But when these two are thrown together on a road trip across the country, they both begin to peel back the other's layers and tear down the walls they have carefully built to hide their secrets and their hearts.

In general I am not the biggest fan of road trip historicals because I often love to feel immersed in the setting, whether it's London or an ancestral estate. But when the characters work, it doesn't matter what the setting is, and that was certainly the case here. I loved how capable Adelaide was but also appreciated her vulnerability given her past. I especially loved Henry, who had some typical historical romance man reasons for vowing never to marry or fall in love - seeing Adelaide not only tear away at his reserve but also show him why he was worthy of love and his title was very rewarding to read. I also loved his deference to and acceptance of the Belles and I look forward to him hopefully working with them in future books. As always, MacLean never misses on the steamy bits, but what really makes her writing special is how emotions + sex come together, and predictably I was a big ol' puddle of swoon while reading.

I also need to point out how easily MacLean's books generally and this series specifically appeal to a modern reader without ever feeling anachronistic. In books by other authors it often seems to me that efforts to include a more modern sensibility in a 19th century setting result in rote bluestocking-type characters that are just mouthpieces for 21st century ideas, which isn't necessarily wrong, but inevitably pulls me out of the story. In contrast, the Hell's Belles feel like fully realized characters who push back against the law and society's rules in a way that feels like it would be very true to the time period, using subversion and secrecy to help others and enact change. I just love this series and these women, and I cannot wait for Imogen and Tommy's story in the next book.

Thank you SO much to Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy!! All opinions are my own.

Another amazing, hot, funny, witty book from Sarah MacLean! This one had a bit less painful angst than the last few, but I think in this day and age that is A-ok. Clayborn and Adelaide are a great match - each trying to protect the other at all costs.
Sarah has built an amazing world in her books and seeing each piece come together and build on themselves is truly a gift.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

This one's a heartbreaker all right.

Sarah MacLean is one of my all-time favorites. I wasn't wild about Bombshell, but I figured that was a fluke. There was still plenty to like about the book, and besides, I've read plenty of great romance series where the first book was a little iffy.

This was not a little iffy. This was rough. And it's looking like the whole Hell's Belles series is gonna be this way.

The Hell's Belles series follows an early Victorian girl gang of talented, scandalous women on the fringes of good society. None of them are looking for marriage, but it seems all four will need to squeeze in a romance somewhere in their busy schedule of... sabotaging the patriarchy? Or something? They have a whole system set up for taking down aristocrats abusing their power and protecting women caught in the crossfire. It involves disguises and seductions and explosions and heists and a vast network of spies. The operation is complex and extensive but we don't hear very much about the details. I honestly have no idea how this thing works. I think it's like the Baby-Sitter's Club, but instead of babies it's terrible men and instead of sitting it's orchestrating arrest. Their goals? Unclear. Their methods? Batshit insane. Their wardrobes? Fabulous.

Look, the execution is messy, but I love the idea of this set-up. So fun! This is a logical progression from MacLean's previous books, and it takes advantage of the passage of time. In the Sarah MacLean expanded universe (TM), the start of this series coincides with the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign. Things are feeling unstable in London--nobody knows if Victoria is gonna stick, and nobody is sure what having a reigning queen will mean for women. Some feel excited and emboldened, but the backlash has been immediate and violent. This is a great backdrop for romance! Characters are being forced to confront their expectations about gender roles and class distinction. Plus, we get to have heroines running amok, leading double lives in steampunk outfits.

Some reviewers that didn't like Bombshell simply don't want this setting, and generally don't like the way MacLean's books have been spending less time in ballrooms and more time in various dens of sin. (Side note: a number of reviewers were bent out of shape that the heroine was not a virgin, which is deeply embarrassing. Go home. I'm embarrassed for you.) This isn't my issue at all.

Is the Hell's Belles set-up a little much? Perhaps... too much? Sure! But the Bareknuckle Bastards series was also "too much," and I adored it. The over-the-top details (all the heroes were born the same day? really?) perfectly cued me, as a reader, to expect higher drama. The writing style matched the content. Characters' tragic backstories were given a poetic treatment. Their tales felt mythological. I felt free to indulge in sweeping, shameless angst. All that drama and danger was ultimately in the service of the romance. The stakes were higher, but so was the intensity of the relationship. Always, the focus was on the characters. I was immersed in their relationships every step of the way, because these were books about feelings, dangit.

Heartbreaker isn't a book about feelings. It fulfills the requirements of being a romance novel in a perfunctory, disinterested way. What do these characters love about each other? I have no idea. The book doesn't care. I know that they are impressed with each other. I suppose they're attracted to each other, but only in the vaguest way. I couldn't name anything in particular that one finds attractive about the other. I certainly couldn't explain when or how they came to fall in love.

Come to think of it, I couldn't tell you much about the characters as separate individuals either. Each presents a public face to society that hides their true histories, but there's no emotional tension associated with living a lie. We barely see them in their normal lives.

The hero, Henry, is supposedly a serious stuffy Duke with a hidden gooey center, but his center isn't actually that hidden. His feelings are on his sleeve. He campaigns for labor reform in Parliament and doesn't actually seem that committed to propriety. Why is he so passionate about child labor specifically? No reason! Will his relationship with Adelaide endanger his political goals? Doesn't matter! What will it take for him to overcome his Secret Pain From His Past? Nothing, he's already past it!

Our heroine, Adelaide, has like three different alter egos, each of which individually sounds like the makings of a fun heroine, but we barely see them in use. I have zero sense of what her everyday life is like. What are her goals? What is she missing in her life? Who cares, she's too busy being a badass to have a coherent inner world.

Adelaide and Henry even know each other from society events--they even once had a public confrontation--but none of this is seen on-page, even in flashbacks!

There isn't really space in the book for this relationship to develop. Heartbreaker is mostly action. There's no time to get to know Henry as a person--we need to see him throw another punch. The couple has no reason to be in love, but perhaps another sequence of danger will simulate authentic feelings. Again, chases and kidnappings and such can be a great catalyst for romance... but you need to get around to the romance at some point.

If this story were a girl band music video, I would love it. I'm picturing something in the vein of Taylor Swift's Bad Blood-- women in fabulous corsets breaking and entering, punching bad guys, creating explosions. But on the page, it's just silly. The many fight scenes felt forced and shallow, with no real sense of danger and no reason to care.

The cover copy pitches Hell's Belles as "unapologetically feminist," and Sarah MacLean seems desperate to prove it. I want to know who told her that her previous books weren't feminist. They were! And they were also romances. Who told MacLean that these characters had to be stripped of flaws, nuance, and emotion in order to be empowering? What is this Strong Female Character (TM) doing in 2022?

Thank you, Avon, for the arc copy, which I was so excited to receive! No thanks for the broken heart.

This is such a satisfying and delightful book - a real romp with plenty of action, laughs, just the right amount of angst, and a hero who is gone for the heroine and just wants to support her even though she can absolutely take care of herself. This whole series is a joy to read, but this book in particular hit the sweet spot for me.

Heartbreaker is the second book in Sarah MacLean's Hell's Belles series. It's not completely necessary to read the first in the series Bombshell but I absolutely recommend starting with it. It's such a good book and it gives background to some events that are mentioned in this book.

Adelaide has spent years running from her past as the Cutpurse Queen. Now her goal is trying to make life for other women safer and more secure. Her alias, the Matchbreaker, helps women get out of terrible matches by exposing nefarious aristocracy members. The Duke of Clayborn, Henry, has a secret and he keeps running into Adelaide around every turn. Adelaide and Henry embark on a race to Gretna Green. One is racing to ensure a marriage and the other is racing to break up an engagement. In the process, they learn it might be better to work together.

I just love MacLean's way of writing. The characters are smart and witty. The Hell's Belles are fierce women bringing such a range of unique talents. It is not an exaggeration to say that I checked NetGalley daily once I saw the cover art was released. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It was satisfying in every way. The only thing I would have wished more of was the other Hell's Belles. The few scenes where they were included had me smiling ear to ear with Sesily's incessant snacking. The positive is that since Henry and Adelaide were road tripping alone there was hardly a page where they were apart from the start. I enjoyed all of the quirky inn names that MacLean came up with this time. I am so looking forward to the next books in the series. I have a feeling Imogene is going to be my favorite of the Belles.

Tropes Include: secret Identity, one bed, road trip, class difference, sick bed, hero falls first, Love is for everyone but me

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Harper Voyager, and Sarah MacLean for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

"Heartbreaker" is the 2nd book in Sarah MacLean’s “Hell’s Belles” series, and it was probably my favorite book by Sarah MacLean to date. Spoilers will ensue.

I liked "Bombshell," the previous book in this series (all of MacLean’s adult books to date take place in the same universe but aren’t part of the same series), but I LOVED Heartbreaker and I was struck by just how much so. Adelaide and Henry made me believe in them and their love, and nothing felt contrived or performative even though the book employed a bunch of tropes that have shown up in many romance novels over the years like the single bed in the inn, angsty convalescence, etc. I also have grown increasingly bored with the “bad” boy/”good” girl trope in romance novels, so it was so refreshing to come across a heroine that was genuinely morally ambiguous in Adelaide, and a hero that was realistically upstanding in Henry.

Something I keep coming back to in my reviews of romance novels in particular is the concept of stakes or, “Why do I as a reader care that these two people end up together and do I buy what’s keeping them apart?” I can suspend a lot of disbelief when I read fiction but when characters behave in ways that are completely antithetical to human nature, I’m automatically not going to enjoy a novel as much. Plus, Adelaide and Henry were both realistically flawed and their motivations make sense, even if the situations they land themselves in are fantastical, and that’s imperative in constructing a good romance novel.

Also, and this may sound odd, but I really enjoyed that there wasn’t a lot of tiptoeing around the sex so to speak in this book. I’ve noticed that in a lot of romance novels, even when both protagonists aren’t virgins, authors shy away from just letting the leads hook up before like 70% into the book, even if that’s not realistic or logical based on the characterization or the plot. The allegation a romance novel has open-door sex scenes is inherently frivolous or “porn without plot” has always frustrated me like I’m not saying that everybody has to enjoy reading open-door sex scenes but when people claim that sex detracts from a book’s intellectual slash emotional value, I genuinely wonder if we’re reading the same romance novels. I’ve read a lot of terrible romance novels that I had to put down part way through, but I’ve read a lot of good ones as well, and
"Heartbreaker" is one of the best.

Anyways, this is the first 5/5 book I’ve reviewed, so kudos to Sarah MacLean, and I’m going to be coming back to the quote, “When we banish sins to the past, we must not lock them away. We must keep them close so that their memory reminds us never to allow them back to the light,” for a long time.

**Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

An absolute masterpiece.
After reading Bombshell, I was so excited for Adelaide's story, and Heartbreaker did not disappoint.
Adelaide Frampton and Henry, Duke of Clayborn are absolute opposites in every way. She is the queen cutpurse, raised in South London, dealing in secrets with the Hell's Belles. He is a powerful Duke with secrets of his own. When fate (and Duchess, perhaps?) brings them together sparks fly.

The chase to Scotland is played brilliantly, the "only one bed" commentary is hysterical and self-aware while also paying great respect to the genre. The network of agents that the Belle's have all across England is so well done, women who fight together for justice, equal treatment, and respect.

The Belle's are fearsome and fearless, and the men who love them don't stand in their way. Henry is bent on protecting Adelaide, trying to convince her that while she thinks she's gone unnoticed, he's always been there, noticing her.

"Adelaide Frampton, I promise you this - as long as I breath, I shall keep you safe and secure"

⭐️5/5
🔥3/5 (open door)
🗝 several, likely in Addie's skirts

CW/TW: Murder (off page, but mentioned), abusive treatment of children (off page, mentioned in the context of child labor laws, workhouses, and prisons); death of parents (off page, but mentioned); on page violence and explosions courtesy of Imogen.

As always Sarah Maclean writes another delicious romance! I’m absolutely in love with The Duke of Clayborne, I’d say his only flaw is that he’s too damn perfect, which was the point. Adelaide is such a total bad ass heroine, infamous for being the best thief in the streets of London, she is now stealing sunset kisses and the heart of a perfect Duke. I’ve read hundreds of historical romance novels including all of Sarah’s books and I absolutely adore them all so I have to note that the Hells Belles series is not your typical HR, its a fun and refreshing change from a lot of historical romance books in that it is action packed the whole way through, filled with super strong and witty female characters band together to mete out justice and the hero’s who swoon for them. Heartbreaker is a road trip romance where the only one bed trope doesn’t disappoint. A must add to your summer reading list! I can’t wait to read the next two in the series!

Sarah MacLean writes some of my favorite historical romances and 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑 (Hell's Belles #2)  (PUB 8.23) is in the running as a favorite.  I have no chill and mainlined my early copy (thanks @avon) in hours. 

Adelaide has one foot her criminal South Bank past and another is her secretive yet notorious North Bank present. 
Henry, Duke of Clayborn, appears a bit dull and indifferent. Together they are explosive. Seriously- the steam was sizzling off the page. Plus- a not-so-friendly competition that morphed into each of them fiercely wanting to protect the other while insisting they didn't need protecting.⁣
Road trip, only one room/bed, class-difference, action, and sick bed.
The banter, the tension, the story and their romance had me unable to put it down.

My favorite component was that we get to spend a lot of time with Adelaide and Henry together and that takes their story to another level. They each have closely held secrets and when they begin to put trust in each other - oh.my.goodness, swoon!!!

I ADORED this book!

The first one in the series, did 't hold my attention as much as I wanted it to,but this one? So So Good.
Adelaide and Henry race ( literally race) to stop a wedding and fall in love along the way.

I loved the character growth and that all of their "issues" were believable ones and ones that were believably overcome. It was light and witty and still tackled a few social issues.

Loved it and can't wait for the next one next year!

I just adored this book. Great found family themes and and fun use of only one bed tropes. And I related to Adelaide a lot, especially her mistaken view that no one notices her even though Clayborn and the other Hell’s Belle’s clearly do. I always enjoy when a hero is so gone for the heroine that he will do whatever it takes to have her, but only with her full consent of course. Chapters 18 and 19 were my absolute favorites. Cannot wait for Imogen and Tommy’s book next.

No one was more surprised than me when I got approved for this ARC and I’m really grateful. Thank you Avon and NetGalley!

I really, really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time. It was sweet, romantic, and I loved the story!

This very well could be my favorite Sarah MacLean book yet.

I loved Sesily in Bombshell, but did not expect to love Adelaide and Henry so very much. Road trip/chase books only sometimes work for me. They can be a little over the top and too many things in one story. But Sarah MacLean takes Adelaide and Henry's journey to stop a wedding and writes it perfectly. Yes, hijinks abound. Yes. There's only one bed. But the hijinks and adventures don't overwhelm the love story and heat between these two characters. In fact, her absolute determination to "win" makes the tension even better.

It was a joy to watch her grow in his confidence in her and to find where she belongs. It made my heart happy to have them reveal secrets that gave them both so much depth and secured their place in my heart. Read Bombshell. Then you must read Heartbreaker. It's the actual best.

Sarah Maclean is one of three authors that always write 5 star books for me. Every single Sarah Maclean book transports me and leaves me feeling giddy and full of love. Heartbreaker is no exception. I adored Henry and Adelaide more than any two characters in a long time.

This book was the perfect historical romance - Sarah Maclean writes strong women in historical romance in the perfect way for me. She makes them strong but in a way that feels believable for the time (even when they’re in a band of women that set off explosives and take down villains led by a duchess). Henry and Adelaide have secrets but they feel so natural to unravel. They aren’t insane secrets that are completely unbelievable and they aren’t mundane where you roll your eyes- these are secrets that you can totally see people fearing their loved ones knowing.

Henry and Adelaide are so beyond beautiful - the way that they fight for each other and love each other and respect each other is almost too much for my heart. Did they make me cry and feel like my heart would burst? Yes.

Also, as always with a Sarah Maclean romance, the book was SO FUN. The hijinx were wild and crazy with so much adventure and sass. The characters are always quick witted and great with banter and Adelaide is absolutely no different with Henry being able to accept it and give it right back.

I absolutely adored Heartbreaker. Beyond recommend that everyone reads it! Sarah, lemmmmme see Imogen’s story asap please!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Maclean, and Avon for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I pre-ordered a physical copy so you know I’m honest about this being 5 STARS!!

I begin this review with my usual Sarah MacLean disclaimer - all her books are automatic 5/5 stars for me for the writing and the work they do, so really this is a 9/5 star book. I’m biased! You must live with it. But I will admit to struggling with her last two books: the characters had been teased for so long that it was tough to watch them still dance around getting together, and to be honest, they kind of lacked the joie de vivre that I expect from her. They felt like they were tough to write, and thus became a bit tough to read. As much as I knew Sarah would take care of me in Bombshell and D&TD, it took us a long, painful while to get there.

This book, though, comes very close to achieving the lightness and wittiness of early MacLean books while still doing the important political and social thinking she’s begun to integrate more fully (not that Sarah has ever written an apolitical book, but it’s become more integral to the structure recently, which I love).

Heartbreaker is fun from the first page - we have a duke who’s no-nonsense on the outside and gooey cinnamon roll on the inside, a heroine who’s afraid to acknowledge her own worth because then someone might take it from her, and a band of strong, strong women who would do anything to protect the people in their crew. And Sarah certainly never skimps on the spice but here? Whew. I think that sweet Henry may be her dirtiest talker yet.

This book came to me in the middle of a tough week in the middle of a tough month in the middle of a tough year in the middle of a tough…well, you’ve all been around for it too. It felt like a glass (bottle) of wine with a good friend, and truly reminded me why Sarah is one of the best in the business. It’ll be one I dive right back into when my hard copy comes later this summer!