Heartbreaker was a great book about the love story of a duke and a thief. The couple was amazing and you could really feel the love they had for each other. This hero is definitely my favorite Sarah MacLean hero so far and I loved how he looked at our heroine. Our heroine did not believe that she was wordy rod our hero, but true love always win.

4.5 stars

Sarah MacLean continues to knock it out of the park with the second in her Hell’s Belles series.

Adelaide was raised in a crime family with no expectations besides helping her crimelord family make powerful connections. A chance encounter led her to London’s elite society where she helped the Duchess and her friends take down powerful and corrupt men. In her spare time, she moonlighted as the Matchbreaker, an unknown woman who made a business out of dismantling engagements. Unexpectedly, she found herself in a race against time with the Duke of Clayborn to locate two young lovers who went on the run.

Oh my, where even to begin? Bombshell was such a special book and I was nervous that Heartbreaker wouldn’t live up to it, but it was just as special as Bombshell! MacLean crafted her characters with such depth that it was impossible not to revel in their development and love. Adelaide and Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, had a fiery passion with a quiet vulnerability that demonstrated how they completed each other. Besides an engrossing romance, MacLean will win over readers with a smart conflict that puts Adelaide and the Hell’s Belles at center stage.

Mary Jane Wells is a national treasure. If you have the option to listen to a book narrated by Wells, jump at the chance. As expected, Wells’ performance made MacLean’s world and characters more whole and I often found myself rewinding some passages to ensure I didn’t miss a single word.

Heartbreaker is a stellar addition to the Hell’s Belles world, and makes for perfect rereading material!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
HEARTBREAKER is the second installment in the Hell's Belles series by Sarah MacLean. While it can easily be read as a standalone with little to no confusion, I highly recommend reading BOMBSHELL first, as the storylines are interconnected.

Read in a single sitting, I couldn't put the book down. I always look forward to devouring Sarah MacLean's novels, because of how happy they never fail to make me feel. Warm, entertained, and amused.

The ballroom wallflower or the infamous matchmaker, which is the real Adelaide Frampton? Beneath the façade of a meek and awkward, Plain Jane, Adelaide hides her calculating intelligence. Aiding her fellow young maidens when it comes to the perils of the marriage mart, stopping the marriages before they make it to the altar.

Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, is a stringent rule-keeper, walking the fine line of the Ton, never making waves. His impeccable reputation is more important than the salacious gossip of the matchmaker, as she yet again thwarts one of his peers.

A forced proximity plot device is utilized, much to the entertainment of this reader, and the frustration for poor Henry. On a cross-country journey, filled with highwaymen, inns, secrets and lies, hunting down a couple eloping. Adventurous action, heart-pulsing tension, and budding romance, what a journey it was!

I was absolutely entertained by Adelaide's duplicity, especially with the juxtaposition of Henry's personality. I was amused with the turn of every page. The witty banter, the push-pull tension as Henry fights the draw he feels for Adelaide.

Highly recommended to fans of Sarah MacLean. However, I do warn that the author's more modern take on the era may not be the cup of tea for those looking for an old-school historical romance novel.

I loved the 1st 2 books in this series. Continuing the theme from Bombshell, we have this amazing group of women working together. This is very much a feminist historical romance, celebrating the power of women!!

I love the interaction between Henry and Adelaide as they try to acheive their separate agendas & it’s so refreshing to see relationships that are equal. Although I’m not sure it was possible at that time, is it wonderful to read this as a possibility.

I can’t wait to read the next book!

Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another MacLean hit! Adelaide and Clayborne’s story was so unexpected. I never imagined their story would be told over the course of a road trip with multiple there’s only one bed scenes. The plot moved quickly and the spice was on point. I have wanted to read their story since Bombshell and it did not disappoint!

I love a group of strong kick-ass women that investigate and take down the patriarchy from the inside.

As Adelaide is in the middle of a job she keeps running into the Duke of Clayborn. Their competition to get to their quarry first turns into a one bed, one chair situation.

He has his own secrets and she is definitely hiding a lot. But love finds a way or is that life. Her Dad is a scary guy though.

Total historical steam! Like one room taking a bath steam!

I need to read Bombshell!! Also the setup for the next book sounds great! I loved Lady Imogen Loveless! She's already got that poor detective discombobulated. 

Thank you avonbooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This story was GLORIOUS, and Clayborn was the MOST romantic hero! Swoons forever!!

Adelaide Frampton grew up a princess of thieves, from the wrong side of the river. Her circumstances unexpectedly changed 5 years earlier, when The Duchess helped her escape her situation, and make a new life for herself. She's enjoyed the missions she and her fellow Belles have undertaken, and how they've brought low the wicked, titled men, who most deserve it. The ones who no one else is willing to take on. She's still a thief, but now she steals secrets, and puts them to good use.

Henry Carrington, Duke of Clayborn, lives an impeccable life. He is above reproach, and works hard to keep it that way. So, when the infamous Matchbreaker, thinks to threaten his younger brother Jack's nuptials to his beloved, Henry must intervene. What he doesn't expect is for the Matchbreaker to be Adelaide. A woman who runs around town acting as though she's invisible, though he's never been able to do anything BUT notice her.

Henry and Adelaide were magic together, and their connection was RED HOT, much to both of their chagrin. They begin as adversaries, but of course that doesn't last long. And their descent into true, unbreakable love, and partnership, was a complete and total delight! They could not get enough of each other: mind, body, heart, and soul. I was 100% here for it! Henry was the most romantic of heroes, and Adelaide needed someone to completely adore her before she could believe she was deserving of such devotion.

The Belles were AMAZING as always, and GAH! I can't wait for the next book, which will be Imogen and Tommy. Explosions will be occurring, for sure! Some of Adelaide's thieving compatriots were hilarious too, including a couple innkeepers, and of course Lucia the Highwaywoman, and her men!

I adored Bombshell, but I think I loved Adelaide and Clayborn even more! It was such a beautiful story about knowing your worth, and knowing who loves you, who has your back, who you can trust, and finding that all those people are intertwined in the life you're already living. I highly recommend it to any romance lover, but especially historical fans!

Adelaide is the daughter of a notorious crime lord. The worst of the worst. She had a terrible childhood, forced to be an expert pickpocket or there would be hell to pay. She finally escapes this life with the help of Duchess and the group of women known to Britain as the Hell's Belles. With a vast network of informants, they help women avoid horrendous men among the aristocracy. Adelaide is the Matchbreaker. She poses as the Duchess's cousin, going unnoticed amongst the Ton, gaining information and helping women avoid matches to terrible men. Henry is a Duke with a secret. A secret Adelaide just stole from her father. When Henry's brother takes off for Gretna Green to marry the woman Adelaide must protect, a road trip follows. Here is where the story lags for me. A lot of over-the-top gushing insta-love. Henry has more energy of any human in existence after surviving broken bones and a five-day coma! Much is made of Adelaide not wanting to ruin Henry with her low-born past. I give it the fourth star because of the flip of the women being the bad-asses, saving the day. Fist fights, knife fights, gun fights, and gang wars. I'm really looking forward to explosive expert Imogen and her Detective.

Another amazing book by one of the queens of romance. Bravo and eagerly anticipating the next in the series!

This is a unique historical romance with a heroine like no other. Adelaide Frampton grew up in London's dangerous slums with an even more dangerous father who ran a vicious gang. To say that he was not a protective dad was an understatement - he was one of her biggest dangers, and put her to work stealing by age 6. She learned to dress and act so that she went unnoticed - one of her most important assets, along with her courage, always being armed, and on high alert. She is a member of the Hell's Belles, a group of intrepid women who help other women in danger.

Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, shows up when she is 'retrieving' something from her father's office at his headquarters in the slum where he runs his gang of murderers and thieves. Henry is there for the same reason as Adelaide - to recover something that was stolen by her father's gang, something very important to him. Henry is shocked when he recognizes Adelaide - he is more used to seeing her at dinner parties given by titled people - always quiet and unobtrusive. She is a master at blending in and being invisible. Adelaide ends up stealing both items, his and hers, and escapes, but Henry has not given up on retrieving his puzzle box. It holds a secret that he wants to keep sealed away. He also wants to figure out the puzzle that is Adelaide now that he really sees her.

There is a complex plot to this story, but what really thrilled me was the women of the Hell's Belles - women who help other women in the Victorian period, a time when women had about the same legal standing as children. Some of the characters in this series were previously introduced in two other series - the Scandal and Scoundrel series and the Bareknuckle Bastards series. I don't think it is necessary to have read the earlier series to enjoy this one.

My thanks to publisher Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advance reading copy. These are my own opinions of the book.

“Do you hear me, Adelaide Frampton, Addie Trumbull, Matchbreaker, fucking chaos—I don’t want any of it if it ends with me loving you from afar.“

I don’t believe I’m spoiling anything with that quote but is there anything more romantic and simultaneously hilarious? THANKS SARAH now I will not settle for anything less than someone proclaiming their love to me by calling me “fucking chaos.” Goals.

There is a lot of funny writing in this book, and some very snappy and sizzly dialogue. Imogen made me LOL several times (“I like chemicals.”) and I can’t wait to see what she gets into in her installment.

I just love a romance with a heavy dose of feminism:
“‘…I would spend my life erasing the memories, if you would let me.’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t want them erased.’
‘No?
‘No. Henry. Don’t you see? They are fuel.’”

I have a physical copy of the first book in this series and I haven’t read it yet- I definitely see how they’re tied together but I don’t think it’s crucial that you read these books in order.

I have two minor quibbles:
1. Adelaide’s “spectacles” are mentioned repeatedly throughout the book, and yet are not featured on the cover. Boo.
2. A little overboard on the “protagonist believes she is worthless” thing. I mean it’s an important part of the story but I feel like it just got explained to death.

Anyway it’s late and this review is mostly nonsensical but if you like romances, add this author to your list because there’s steam, humor, and badass women.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the review copy!

This book was so good. I loved the first book in this series, and being able to see the story of the Hells Belles continue through a different characters point of view was really nice. I never wanted to put this book down, much like the first one. The way that Sarah MacLean writes draws the reader right into the story. I'm really excited to see what is to come for the other characters in the next books. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

Everyone knows that I am a true blue Sarah MacLean fan. I think more about the MCU (the MacLean Cinematic Universe, for the uninitiated) than anyone has a right to and I credit Sarah with welcoming me into the romance genre and community. And so I loved this book, because it was a new Sarah MacLean novel and any chance I have to read anything Sarah has written for the first time is a blessing.

This book started off a little rocky for me - it's somehow both slow and action-packed at the same time, and I find Sarah's new more mysterious writing style challenging to cut through. But then, about 2/3 of the way through, everything fell away and it became one of the most romantic romance novels I have ever read. There was a delicacy that I found so unexpected and overwhelming. I swooned and I remembered why I read romance and why love and community are the most valuable thing we have. I gobbled it all up.

I do feel like sometimes Sarah gets so caught up in the badassery that some more nuanced feminism and characterization gets lost (especially in this series). I'm actually interested in flawed heroines, and it seems like sometimes she's more interested in badass heroines who have no weakness. All of that being said, I adored the way sex was handled in this book - as though it were important, and not a throw away for either of them.

So while this doesn't reach the levels of One Good Earl Deserves a Lover or Brazen and the Beast, It's a Sarah MacLean novel, and a damn good one at that.

CW: force marriage, gun on page

I think this one was interesting with Adelaide being a "heartbreaker" (its not really what you think). I think how Henry and Adelaide reason's for working/getting together was fun. Preventing runaway marriages in Gretna Green for historicals in general always are! Middle was a bit slow but keep at it. This was still a good read for me.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It’s pub day did this gem! This is the second book is the Hell’s Bells series by Sarah MacLean. Historical romance with a bad ass girl gang. I definitely recommend reading Bombshell first.

This story follows Adelaide Frampton is a master wallflower. Always going unnoticed in every ballroom. Little does everyone know she’s a master thief and the notorious Matchbreaker of London society. When she’s on a mission to steal from her own father, the notorious head of the Bully Boys she runs into the Duke of Clayborne who almost gets her caught, but not before kissing him and then jumping onto another boat. Little do they know a common goal will lead them on a race across Britain, putting them in close quarters where one thing leads to another. Maybe two people from two different worlds really aren’t that different after all.

•enemies to lovers sort of
•forced proximity
•self forbidden love
•steam is ON POINT 🌶🌶🌶🌶 sometimes I was like dang how many pages is this going to last 🥵
•strong women who don’t need men but find their equals instead

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I had not read Bombshell until this came on my radar and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the other members of Hell’s Bells!

I was in love with this book right from the first chapter. The first few pages had me hooked to the story and were rooting for Adelaide and Henry. The book is absolutely bada** and packed with action and heartwarming romance. A road trip romance follows Adelaide and Henry as they journey through England at a breakneck pace to stop a wedding. I adore Sarah Maclean’s writing and this one hit the mark for me yet again. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This was book two in the Hell’s Belles series and if you haven’t read the first book, Bombshell, I would highly recommend it. Even though this book could be read as a stand-alone, I would definitely recommend reading it as part of the series as these women are absolutely amazing and you don’t want to miss out on any of their stories.

Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the second book in Sarah’s Hell’s Belles series, and I have to say I loved this one better than the first! We follow our heroine, Adelaide, who is known as the princess of thieves, and the notorious Matchbreaker. Adelaide’s newest mission involves breaking a match between the Duke of Clayborn’s brother and his betrothed. The Duke of Clayborn, Henry, and Adelaide team up to chase the young couple cross country, and end up falling in love along the way.
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Ughhhh I loved this. Adelaide was such a strong character, and Henry was soooo gone for her. The chemistry between them was everything!! I loved how Adelaide was invisible to everyone else except Henry, who had seen her all along. 😍🥺😭 And props to Henry for not allowing that third act breakup to be a thing. 😂

I LOVED this book. The introduction immediately grabbed my interest, and I did not want to put this book down until I have finished the entire story. I really appreciated the deliberate choices that Sarah MacLean has made in staying true to the historical period while still fleshing out the quartet of women with such vibrant detail. Their wants and need in their lives and in society felt very timely while also appropriate for the setting. The chemistry between the Adelaide and Henry was scorching while also heartwarming. I would highly recommend this book to romance readers who enjoy a story with added substance.

The Hell’s Belles series is swoony, action-packed, and just so much damn fun. The Belles themselves have a wonderful found family vibe, and I love when my historical fiction has an abundance of brash women who fight back against an oppressive society. A group of women silently and skillfully taking down the powerful men who have wronged so many? Take my money now.

Adelaide fascinated me as the group’s resident pickpocket in the previous novel, Bombshell, and she completely captured me as a lead. She’s quietly bold, willful, stubborn, and brave, and I loved watching her come to terms with the idea that even when she assumed she was invisible, Henry noticed everything about her. Women in fiction rarely get to be the scrappy character, but Maclean has created a female thief with a heart of gold and a strong moral compass, who uses her skills for good. And I loved Adelaide so much for it.

For his part, Henry doesn’t jump off the page the same way, but it felt intentional. Where Adelaide is constant action, Henry is the steady, dependable heartbeat of the novel. Adelaide constantly notes just how good he is, and she’s not wrong. He staid and serious, and he needs Adelaide to push him out of his comfort zone. Much like with her heroine, Maclean flips the gender norm and creates a lovely, compassionate, well-behaved man who needs a hellion to shake his foundations.

And he gets extra points for actually having a plausible reason for insisting he’ll never marry and have children. That’s so rare in a romance novel.

Was the book perfect? No. Was my reading experience perfect? Pretty darn close. This book took the series to another level. I loved it, both the leads completely wormed their way into my heart, and I can’t wait to read Imogen’s book next.

Sarah MacLean has done it again with Heartbreaker. And by done it again, I mean, written a completely swoon worthy romance that kept me engaged from page one. I love the Hell’s Belles and Adelaide’s story was an absolute delight. I loved how smart and capable Adelaide was and the way the relationship she has with her past melds with her present.

MacLean is such a good writer and I think the strength in this book comes from the romance (unsurprisingly of course). Every moment Adelaide and Henry (the Duke of Clayborn) share on the page sizzles with chemistry and heat and the dialogue in this book is some of the most romantic, beautiful prose I’ve ever read. Like…total swoon. Henry is adorable and I feel like I read a lot of books with very over protective men in them and this is no different. However, Adelaide is just as feral over Henry and the way the two of them battle over who gets to save the other one is wonderful.

The story plays out as a race across the country as Adelaide and Henry are after the same goal with different motivations. I found myself rooting for both of them but also rooting for them to kiss, like, all the time. Adelaide thinks no one notices her but Henry has, even before the events of this book. There’s just something so delectable about one person seeing the other person for who they are at their core, through the good and bad.

I’m so excited for Imogen’s book. The set up was so good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.