Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
Hell’s Belles #1
Historical Romance
August 24, 2021, by Avon
ARC

Review by Angela

I’m always excited for a new release by Sarah MacLean, especially if it’s in a new series and features a heroine who readers have met before. This is Sesily Talbot’s book and she is FIERCE.

Sesily is one of the infamous Talbot sisters, referred to by the ton as the Soiled S’s because of how their father gained his title. She is also the last remaining sister who hasn’t yet settled down into marriage. And she really has no intention of doing so. She doesn’t crave marriage and children like her siblings and she is just fine living her life under her own terms and using her notoriety to help with the behind the scenes, undercover, secret work she does with a small group of friends, righting the wrongs of society by exposing dastardly noblemen and terrible employers.

The only man she wants is the one man who keeps running home to Boston every time he gets too close.

Caleb Calhoun owns numerous taverns, including one with Sesily’s sister Sera. He’s come back to London to help until the birth of Sera’s child, then he plans on boarding a ship and heading back home once again. Despite his attraction to Sesily, the secrets of his past won’t let him pursue a relationship with her. But when he discovers that she may be in some trouble with a ghost from his past he can’t help but try and protect her.

This couple y’all. Sometimes I like the whole I can’t be with you because I have secrets, so instead, I’ll just make you feel like shit because I keep running the other direction trope and sometimes it makes me want to smack the offending main character upside the head. I really wanted to smack Caleb upside the head a few times. He acts like he doesn’t want her, but then he keeps getting in her way to “rescue” her and telling her what she will and won’t do. He’s hot and cold and I hoped that Sesily would make him grovel way more than she actually did.

I will say that this couple is super hot together. They have closet sexy times, gamekeeper’s cottage sexy times, just lots of hands and mouths and bodies pressed up against each other. Their mutual pining and sexual tension made those sexy times all the more delicious. Caleb does eventually admit to his big-time secrets and why he was running, but damn. I was so thankful to finally find out why he was acting the way he was. For me and for Sesily. I did enjoy their honest talks about not wanting children and what they wanted their HEA to look like.

Sesily is a strong, smart, resourceful woman surrounded by other strong, smart, resourceful women and I love that they have formed this cool girl gang who figures out ways to help people who need help the most. I enjoyed meeting all of them and watching as they make plans on how to bring down the despicable people who are hurting the vulnerable. There’s the mastermind, the spy, the genius who specializes in explosives, and Sesily who uses her reputation to put it all into play. I love these women and can not wait to read their stores and see if their hinted at love interests pan out.

This was a good start to what I’m sure will be a most enjoyable series.

Final grade- B

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