I love Sarah McLean's adventure stories with a generous side of steamy romance. I was intrigued by the premise of this series, being loosely based on a band of real women. After reading book one, "Bombshell" and loving Sesily, Caleb, and the rest of the Hell's Belles I jumped at the chance to read book 2 before it came out.

Unfortunately, McLain can be a hit or miss with me, this one was a particular miss for me. I Did not like Adelaide in this book. I couldn't connect with her and the interaction between her and Henry wasn't always believable. Reading this novel felt like a chore. I will count it as a miss and hope that the next installment to the series is a hit again.

This historical romance was so stinking fun! It was unique way to create a forced closed proximity one bed trope! The mix of troubles, vengeful aristocrats, dangerous past adds up to perfection. The teasing chapter between Thomas and Imogene at the end just has me shaking for the next installment

I love everything about Sarah Maclean and her writing style. Whenever anyone mentions Regency romance I immediately recommend everything Sarah has ever written and Heartbreaker just reaffirms this love.

We have enemies to lovers, a trip, potential injury, and so many single beds it’s hard to keep track!

I love her use of Tropes and I found myself laughing out loud at Adelaid’s antics and Claybourne’s acceptance of her.

If you love regency, don’t miss Sarah Maclean! All romance readers should love her!

This book felt like a more light hearted Lorraine Heath novel. There was drama and turns, but overall, not too dark. This book has two characters with very different pasts come together with a shared goal of trying to stop a wedding. They experience danger over the journey, pretend to be together, are forced to share a room, and are at risk of having their heart stolen.

I liked this read. I do feel like there were certain scenes that took too long, and i had a hard time connecting with the characters. If you're looking for a fun story with a journey, class difference, and steam, this is a good one to pick up!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest thoughts.

“There is a shocking lack of beds in this country.”

The number of forced proximity, only one bed situations in this book is pure delight!!

Eeeek I’m so sad I read this so late!! Honestly I’m in love with this series and all the Belles! They are absolutely legendary women and I’m here for it!

Clayborn was a hero of all heroes… the way he saw her and made her feel seen, ugh be still my beating heart! He put in so much effort to let her know how worthy she is, till she believed it because how he saw her and the depth and breadth of his feelings could not be denied… swoon!

If you love smart, sassy, strong as hell heroines (who are occasionally too stupid for their own good trying to be all noble), and heroes who don’t want to control but team up and protect, and cherish, with a rather filthy mouth (for a HR anyways) then this is the book/ series for you!!!

Sarah MacLean is the historical romance goddess. I loved this one as much as I love all of her books. Five stars!

Not only is this novel just plain fun, but I love the idea of these two characters, both of whom have done an excellent job of taking care of themselves all their lives, allowing someone in the protect and love them and to protect and love in return. And OOOH boy, the bedroom talk hit all my buttons. Some seriously switchy (vanilla), praise kink behavior between these two and I was living for it.

I just looooove Sarah’s writing ✍️ like you need to try her HR even if you are not a HR reader! This group of ladies are just a pure delight and this leading duke will make you full on swoon! The quotes from this one are 💯

So yeah go read and report back if we can be friends 💛💙💛

Thanks so much @avonbooks for this eARC 💙

This book was *amazing*. I adored it. I have recommended it to every single person that I have talked to about books.
Unfortunately I've had a nightmare year, and I thought I had posted my review but had not.

It's an unwritten rule that I will read just about everything Sarah MacLean writes and those books will in turn wreck me, but holy cow, I think she's topped herself in just about every possible way in terms of the utter swooniness of this one. Adelaide and Henry were absolutely gone from each other from moment one, and I loved the conceit of them racing across the country to save an eloped couple for their own unique reasons — as well as all the trope fodder that results! The only part that didn't quite coalesce together for me was in the third act; it felt like the story remembered that every dangling thread suddenly had to be resolved and found a way to mash everything together in one conclusion, which resulted in a messy finish for me. But otherwise, another installment in one of my favorite MacLean series and I'm very, very excited for Imogen and Tommy's story next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was so much fun. The characters were witty, fun, and oh so romantic. I listened to the audiobook and the speaker used different tones and voices for the characters and it just made the whole story deliciously delightful and full of adventure. Loved every second of the story. Adelaide was such a fun heroine and her Duke was the perfect match for her. Their adventure from start to finish racing to Gretna Green to protect his brother and his future wife, was fast-paced and full of witty quips and the back and forth between the two. Loved their love story. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

This was a good book. There is a reason that Sarah MacLean is so well known in this genre. This was spot on when talking about powerful men having that charge over women. Good read.

Sarah MacLean has done it again and has absolutely become a must buy for me! This book is a great follow up to Bombshell which allows the "Sarah MacLean Cinematic Universe" to expand further and encompass more unreal heroes and strong, smart, and brave heroines. Clayborn's love for Adelaide can inspire us all, and also depress us a little bit because no one can live up to a MacLean hero. Just enough adventure and mystery to add to the romance but not distract, can not wait for the next one!

I really struggled with Heartbreaker. On paper, it's the type of historical romance trope I adore: The feisty heroine with skillz and the stoic aristo whotries to resist her. However, Sarah MacLean has shifted from her traditional historical romance roots and gone more and more fantastical (writing this as a long-time fan of the genre who is aware of how ridiculously unrealistic it is in general!). To me this latest series is more of a wish fullfillment Mary Sue type series that is pretty jarring with how amazing and talented the heroines all are and very atypical of the timeline (especially the types of Jane Bond like skills(. I'll still give it 3 stars because I know for others, this is exactly their cup of tea. I just didn't feel any emotional connection to it. I can believe almost any romance if that leaps off the page. Sadly this one didn't do it for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Adelaide Trumbull alias Frampton was born in the filth of Lambeth, daughter of one of London’s gang leaders. She was recruited into another, more secret gang, however, the Hell’s Belles, dedicated to undoing the myriad wrongs committed by powerful men. She hides in plain sight as a poor relation, a wallflower no one notices while she steals the information that helps the Belles bring them down. Their latest case is a young woman who has witnessed a murder, and she and the other Belles have vowed to keep her safe until she can testify to what she’s seen.

Henry Carrington, Duke of Clayborn is a man with one enormous secret and unflinching morality. He runs afoul of Adelaide as he attempts to retrieve property stolen by her father, which she, herself, takes instead. Along with the information she had come for. But he’s been noticing the wallflower for some time. And when she impulsively kisses him after he gives chase to retrieve his stolen property, he won’t stop until he gets her to see him as well.

It turns out the young woman Adelaide is protecting is the sweetheart of Henry’s younger brother, Jack, and the two of them embark on a race to find the couple, who have eloped to Scotland. Their competition quickly turns to allyship when men hired by the murderer threaten the young woman under Adelaide’s protection and Henry’s brother.

This book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up for a minute until the end. It’s loaded with plot and a heartfelt romance between two extraordinary people who both find themselves unworthy but the other person exceptional. It’s exciting. There’s a bit of a mystery. And you really like the characters. The entire thing is great fun from beginning to end. You should read it and I won’t put much more in here to spoil the ride. I will rec this to anyone who enjoys a good historical romance.

Tropes/Themes:
-MF historical romance
-Frenemies to lovers
-Road trip
-Forced proximity / only one bed
-Caretaking / nurse back to health
-Light mafia princess vibes
-Feminist backdrop
-2nd book in a standalone series

This was so SO good!!! I’m a huge fan of Sarah MacLean, but to be honest I was a little skeptical going into this one after not loving book one in the series. This story follows Adelaide (the next members of the badass feminist Helles Belles group and former Mafia princess) and Henry (Duke of Clayborn). Hands down, Henry is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. I loved how he completely worshipped the ground Adelaide walked on and would do absolutely anything to keep her in his life. He was desperately pining for her from the moment they first met and wasn’t afraid to let her know it. I also really liked that he respected and was infatuated with the fact that she was so strong, fierce, and independent. There were moments when he wanted to protect her and keep her safe but only because he wanted to, not because she couldn’t protect herself. No fragile masculinity here!! I also loved how he would be horrified anytime that Adelaide did or said anything that indicated she felt anything less than perfect. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of everyone not immediately seeing her appeal and worth. The banter and chemistry between Adelaide and Henry was OFF THE CHARTS. After their first interaction at the very start of the book, I was immediately invested in their relationship and needed to see where things went. The icing on the cake was the top tier caretaking scene in the middle of the book after Henry gets injured during an altercation. I ended up rating this 4 and not 5 stars solely because the pacing in the middle of the book dipped a little bit for me, but the beginning and ending more than made up for it. This installment just really really worked for me, and I can now confidently say I can’t wait to continue on in the series.

Story: 4/5
Audiobook: 5/5
Length 12h 16min

Digging this series and author, but I did have a harder time getting into this second title compared to the first but to be honest, I think that reflects more on my stress level lately than the book. I want to reread when I'm more relaxed. Would definitely still recommend for fans of historical romance - and even those who aren't as familiar with the genre. This series is a good entry into historical.

HOT HOT HOT HOT.
This book was the perfect definition of it. I love these two main characters so much, especially Adelaide. She’s so relatable, sassy and feisty.. and there’s no wonder she had the duke wrapped up into her lil pinky finger lol. I am so pumped, and can’t wait enough to read the next instalment already.

The second in the series and I loved this one as much as the first in the Hell's Belles series. This one is quite a spicey romance but it suits the main characters. Get ready for a hot and feisty romance! Highly recommend!

First thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager books for an e-arc of Heartbreaker!

Well... I loved it! I'm a sucker for a well done historical romance - especially ones like this series and Sarah MacLean has done it again! Adelaide is scrappy and doesn't need anyone, except for her close group of ladies who know many of the tons darkest secrets, which they use to bring down the worst of the aristocracy.

She has crossed paths with the Duke of Clayborn before and didn't care for it. So what makes her change her tune? Well you'll have to read to find out! Just kidding, if you've read any historical romance you can probably guess what happens. Look I don't read historical romance for giant plot twists, and sometimes they are predictable, but I'm totally ok with that. Like we all know where the end leads... to a HEA and that's what I'm here for! I loved getting to know a little more of the Hell's Belles in this book and I'll be impatiently waiting for the next one to drop as well so I can see Imogen fluster Detective Peck even more.

If you like historical romance with a crew of wonderful women taking down the evil that lurks in society - then you'll want to read this! Adelaide and Henry were an absolute delight!