3.5 stars rounded up.

Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced her role as London high society’s most scandalous lady, if she can even be called a true lady given her father’s common origins. She enjoys the freedom that comes with being older, wealthy, and already of dubious reputation. Seeing her lure a man into a darkened garden is nothing memorable to the eyes of the ton, and none have realized that her supposed trysts aren’t all they appear to be.

Except Caleb Calhoun, who sees much more than he should of the truth of his best friend’s lovely and rebellious sister. He’s impressed with himself for resisting his connection to Sesily for the past two years, especially considering the clearly interested looks and blatant invitations she gives him each time they meet.

But Caleb was most successful at resisting Sesily when there was an ocean separating them. Now he’s back on English shores and someone must try to protect Sesily from the risky endeavors she undertakes late at night. Caleb is hopeful that such time spent with Sesily will be enough to get her out of his system, once and for all, but it rapidly becomes clear that will never happen as Caleb realizes Sesily is a forever type of woman, and that sort of future remains woefully out of his reach.

I have quite a mix of feelings about this book, so as per usual when this happens, beware you may encounter spoilers below as I get my thoughts out, though I’ll try to remember not to.

I have been looking forward to this book for quite a while and putting off reading it for the same reason. When hopes and expectations are high, the standard can sometimes be impossible to meet, or we set ourselves up for a letdown. That was the case here in some respects, but not in others. For the first half-two thirds of this book, I just wasn’t that into it. Sesily, and at times Caleb too, just annoyed me. I found them arrogant and not that likable and I was annoyed by having the feminist aspects of the book shoved down my throat. For me, romance itself is feminism and empowerment, so I don’t need or want so much of a clear agenda in my book, especially when it makes me feel like I’m reading a modern contemporary romance rather than the escapist period piece I’m after. I think part of my annoyance stems from the fact that this agenda has been pushed so hard recently in nearly every book I’ve read that I’m just sick of it, especially when I didn’t need it reiterated to me in the first place and it just feels like preaching to the choir.

Besides that, I found Sesily off-putting because of her arrogance and the high opinion she had of herself and her good looks. She was very aware of her nickname as “sexily” and the fact that she could have anyone she wanted. In fact, the main reason she was so interested in Caleb, at least at first, was because she thought he had no interest in her. This just made her seem like a spoiled child to me, definitely not a mature and intelligent woman of 30, and boy did she ever emphasize her age, maturity and independence every chance she got. Her confidence and supposed empowerment for me just came off as obnoxious arrogance and poor decision making under the guise of bravery and independence. Most times, Sesily was cutting off her own nose to spite her face, as the saying goes, which is rather the story with much of the feminist movement itself over the years really.

This is probably just a weird quirk of mine, but the descriptions of both Sesily and Sera as beautiful women who are well aware of their beauty and who use it to get what they want just emphasizes stereotypes of women using their looks to manipulate men, which just breeds disdain. Anyway, the number of times Sesily mentions knowing she looks fabulous, and she can’t fathom why Caleb wouldn’t want her makes it hard to believe or relate to her insecurities about his rejection. It also makes her seem rather small-minded that she for quite a while there she really can’t think of much of anything beyond looks and physical attraction/desire. Sesily is a weird combination of worldly and incredibly naïve, so it was often hard to figure out where she was coming from, much less where she was trying to go.

I liked the concept of this book, I’m just unsure of the execution. A lot of this narrative rapidly fell into a repetitive enumeration of all the reasons Caleb and Sesily can never be together, and this was perpetuated by both Sesily and Caleb. Several times he calls her combative and accuses her of viewing everything as a battle even when it isn’t, and it is hard to disagree with him. For his part, Caleb was very preoccupied with his past and his secrets and when this was matched with Sesily’s immaturity and quickness to fall into a sulk (much too often for a grown woman who loves to emphasize just how grown up she is), I got a little frustrated. At this point in the book, a plot device that is just a pet peeve for me was deployed and I nearly threw the book, it just felt like such a cop out and unnecessary.

By the time we got more details of why she is the way she is, and why he’s so resistant to her advances, it was very nearly too late for me to care. Thankfully, things turned around in the nick of time for me and I actually really liked the bravery Sesily began to demonstrate. She was brave enough to tell Caleb her feelings, even knowing the difficulty they faced due to his unique circumstances. I somehow wound up loving their teamwork and her refusal to give up when he could see no way out. Caleb could see only one way to protect Sesily and he was too blinded by his need to keep her safe to see any other options. This is where Sesily’s strength and ingenuity finally, finally got a chance to shine and I’m glad I stuck it out to get to that point, even if it was a long time coming. Sesily and Caleb truly met each other halfway in the end and I’ll never not be a sucker for a couple who works together as a real team to fight some sort of outside force. For me, the first 60-65% of this book was very much not working, but the last 30% or so of the story saved this book for me and I will look forward to the next book in the series.

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

The spin-off series we have all been pining for is finally here as Sarah MacLean gives us the long-awaited story of Lady Sesily Talbot and the love of her life American Caleb Calhoun. If anyone has read previous series by Sarah Maclean you will be familiar with these characters (though if not you might lose a bit of the overall beautiful effect of the story but not much) and have been dying to see them finally get their HEA like the rest of us. Sarah Maclean has the beautiful talent of creating strong, sassy and believable historical heroines that leave you wondering just how much of history is wrong about the females of the past and wishing that we could truly go back and find out if some of these women existed. Sesily once thought she was going to find love with Caleb but when he returned to America leaving her heart broken she decided that instead of having any man in her life she would dedicate her life to a greater cause. Caleb returned to America when he knew that the desire he felt for Sesily was becoming too much to resist but he left his heart with her, so returning and finding her putting herself into dangerous situations means he has to protect her. As these two spark off one another and find a way to coexist, they slowly begin to see that life together would be much more fulfilling that life apart, if only the dangers stalking them would let them be. I love the sexy and sassy romance between these two and the way that Sesily is portrayed as not only the hero of her own life but Caleb’s hero as well. Caleb was a strong and protective alpha male, but he slowly began to understand that Sesily truly could take care of herself and he gave her the freedom she needed and instead stood at her back. Sesily was a brave, determined, and brilliant heroine, truly a woman well before her time and I loved getting to know her. The passion between these two was amazing and I loved watching them light the fire once they finally began to accept that there was no fighting it. I am dying to find out what comes next for Sesily and her friends and see who falls under love’s spell next. Sarah has struck gold once again with her Belles.

Sesily (aka "Sexily") is part of a group of rebellious society women who take matters into their own hands to see that powerful men are taken down for their abuses. She's devoted herself to her band of justice seeking friends, the Hell's Belle's. But when Caleb, the American, re enters her life he's too much to resist because he was the one-who-got-away.

This is a fun romp but can't be taken too seriously as a historical novel because it's really so contemporary in it's tone. That said, the characters are likeable and it's a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Not my favorite, it was kind of meh for me.

It started really slow, but picked up . I liked the couple and they had great chemistry but i was distracted because I really felt like it was a contemporary novel...set in historical times.

In fact..the Lady Vigilante group felt like a historical version of sex in the city...with this main character being Samantha I guess?

I think the story would have flowed better if it had been set in modern times because even for a fictional romance, it was a bit unrealistic.

BUT i did like the role reversal of the standard : rake saves the girls and she tames him. It was interesting seeing the lady as the rake ( even if the hero was a bit...whiny). lol

I gave it 3 stars.

Thank you Net Galley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

FINAL DECISION: An incredible disappointment. The book was a slog to get through and there was no chemistry between the hero and heroine unlike in the prior series where they appeared. MacLean has been a disappointment for her last several books. I hope she gets back to what made her books magical.

THE STORY: Two years ago Lady Sesily Talbot was rejected by Caleb Calhoun, but she also gained the friendship of a group of women who have mysterious intentions (no spoilers!) Sesily's scandalous activities have a purpose. Caleb has spent years trying to avoid the sister of his best friend and business partner. The American has his own secrets that keep him away from the frustratingly attractive woman who he can't forget.

OPINION: This book is a mess. It feels like a collection of "choose your own adventure" romance tropes and sayings rather than a well-constructed story. It took me a long time to write this review because it was almost impossible to be interested enough to get through the book and then to have to write such a bad review for an author that I have loved for about a decade.

The first problem with this book is that there really isn't any reason for these two to be apart. We are teased with the idea that there is some huge reason why two single people who clearly have the hots for one another don't get together. Because Sesily is not constrained by the "proper" woman behavior of her day and Caleb is an American who doesn't seem to adhere to societal restraints himself, there really isn't an external conflict keeping these apart. Instead, the story relies on Caleb two years ago having pulled away from his growing attraction to Sesily because of "something". Unfortunately, that reason ends up not being satisfying and seemed really contrived.

I did enjoy the introduction of the other significant women who will appear in the series. Their stories were intriguing, but like many first books in the series, too much time was taken up with developing these new characters. In this book, the introduction of new characters detracted from the main romance. Perhaps this flaw wouldn't have been so obvious if the book doesn't also stuff in updates from prior series as well. We get an update on all the Soiled Ss. While I generally am happy to read more about other characters, I kept thinking ... when is this story going to progress. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any interesting plot or conflict, or romance to keep this book going.

I also thought that some moments were highlights, such as when they first kissed. The language and the moment were perfect. This book, however, suffers mightily from being contemporary with a thin veneer of history. I'm not picky about such things, but I read chapter after chapter and thought whether the same story could be EXACTLY the same word for word in a modern story. MacLean is often guilty of putting excessively modern sensibilities (language, attitudes, situations) in her historicals recently, but usually, there is an interesting grounding to history (such as the ice business in the Bareknuckled Bastards series). This story, however, lacked that base and thus it felt more ahistorical than normal.

Endlessly disappointing.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are plenty of references to other MacLean books for long-time readers to discover.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BOMBSHELL is the first book in the Hell's Belles series. The hero and heroine of this book, however, appear in the Scandal & Scoundrel series (most significantly THE DAY OF THE DUCHESS).

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I love Sarah MacLean and I was so excited when I heard about this new series. I put off reading it for so long because I get nervous reading books I'm excited for (it doesn't make sense, I know). Anyways, I finally read it and felt a little let down. It wasn't bad by any means, and I enjoyed it, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Sesily has been a favorite since she was introduced years ago, and I am so glad we finally got her story!

I've become obsessed with Sarah MacLean over the past year, so I'm sad to say that this was just an okay read for me. The first 50% of this was sooooo slow, I was tempted to DNF it multiple times. I was so excited to read another feminist historical romance with strong badass heroines, however there was too much telling and not showing for me to really see their strength and character. I didn't always feel the chemistry between Sesily and Caleb, but I was still living for the angst and really fell for Caleb as a hero. I also feel like this story lost me once the far-fetched plot twists hit in the second half. Regardless, this is still a Sarah MacLean book so I still loved the writing style and will continue to pick up everything she writes in the future. Also, especially with how slow of a build this was and some of the more intricate plot setting, I am much more excited to pick up the rest of the books in this series.

And I just have to say - this is still probably my favorite historical fiction cover that released in 2021. I mean the stepback-esque back cover? STUNNING.

I listened to this story over my winter break and I have to say, the reader for it brought the story to life in ways I haven't seen in audiobooks. She brought each character to life with their own accent and inflections and the personality traits of each character just made this one a WOW in my book.  The story itself was fun, flirtatious (just like our heroine), and full of action and adventure.  She works in the shadows with a few other ladies to bring down the more cruel of the male ton society members and when her own crush crashes in on one of her missions she is left with no other choice then to kiss him.  He left England to get away from her, his own temptation, and to hide from his past, but the upcoming birth of one of his good friends, and business partners, brings him back to England and back into the allure and frustration that is Sesily Talbot. These two were so much fun and got into so much trouble together, and when the sparks flew they exploded. Loved it (and REALLY loved the audiobook of it) and cannot wait for more.

I won’t lie… I was so scared to read this book, that I dragged my feet and I really shouldn’t have. But the expectations were so high for Sesily and her American, and us readers had been waiting for so long for their story. That being said, Bombshell delivered a really great book. While there are definite moments where you want to shake Caleb to bits for his stubborn refusal to reveal details about his past faster. The pace at the end is a bit of a whirlwind for all the conflict resolution and HEA. The world building and side character development in this book are A+++. I am so beyond in love with this “girl gang” and can’t wait to read all of their individual backstories. Overall, this is a 4 star read and a solid start for a new series for MacLean.

Sarah MacLean, as always, has my heart. Her ferocious heroines are not just feminist as a word for “strong” or “not like other girls,” but are actually feminist to their core, to their backgrounds and complex inner selves and the things they want and the way they act on the page.

Sesily and Caleb may not be my *favorite* MacLean couple, but only because the bar is so high. Nevertheless, I now have a physical copy of the book and many rereads in my future. I can’t wait for the next installment of Hell’s Belles.

I received a digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Maclean that’s all I need to say. This is an amazing book passionate hero and passionate heroine. Miss Maclean writes these amazing women that just are strong, and resilient. She’s very much the historical romance writer of our day.

This was such a fun book full of angst, romance and humor. Now I have not read the series where we meet the hero and heroine but I feel like this is a great tribute to the fans who could not wait for their story. Cant wait for the next book in the series!

This hit all my buttons - sexy, swaggy and swoony!! Who says that all historical women were victims? I loved that the hero completely accepted the heroine for who she is.

Can’t wait for the next one!!

Such a unique take on the historical romance. I really loved the characters, both main and side. The side characters were even more interesting and I cannot wait to read about their lives in the rest of the series.

Overall really enjoyed, but what kept it from being a 5 star for me:

1- talked a lot about the past, which I had super recently read about in the direct companion book to this one. (Not anyone's fault, but I read that book specifically to be able to read this one, so it felt redundant to keep repeating info I'd just learned.)
2- The ending was too rushed. Going from learning about Caleb to the end was kind of jarring and I don't think I got a ton of time to get used to it.

***ARC Provided by the Author***

I struggled with this title. There were parts of it that I enjoyed, but overall I just found it to be dark and it didn't feel happy, rather sort of awful.

I enjoy dark romances, so that was not the problem...I think it was the overall feeling of...tragedy...for lack of a better word in this one that made it really not work.

I finished it, as I wanted to see how it ended, but I am not able to recommend this title.

A historical romance that has a rebellious heroine who could care less about what others think of her and her choices to not be a proper woman and follow the rules that society has set for women. During the time period in which this story is set it is highly frowned upon for a woman to be anything but a respectable young woman that will be a obedient and accepting wife.

Our heroine, Sesily, has amazing confidence that allows her to stand up for herself. She isn't afraid to speak her mind and out men- specifically Caleb- in their place. She is a fierce and strong women that has made waves in society and she is proud of it.

The Hell's Belles (Sesily, Adelaide, Imogen, and The Duchess) step out of the conformities that society has set for them and it's amazing. They use their "faults" that society sees in them as a strength and don't let themselves be walked over for them.

This story uses one of my favorite tropes that I never see enough of which is her sister's close friend to lovers. Not to mention the use of both Caleb and Sesily being in love with the other person but never pursuing it due to thinking the other doesn't feel the same.

The romance within this story was truly wonderful and so was the bond between Caleb and Sesily even before things got deeply romantic between them. The slow burn pinning was so well done, and when they romance really blooms I couldn't get enough of it. I am a sucker for moments in the rain and this book definitely didn't disappoint. That scene was one of my favorites.

I truly can't wait to read more about the Hell's Belles and read the other women's stories. Adelaide's is next and I'm so very excited for it. I'm excited for both The Duchess and Imogen's books as well. I can't wait to see what all plays out for all the women in the Hell's Belles.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

I read a good amount of Sarah MacLean, so I know what to expect with her romance books. Bombshell was pretty in line with my expectations: in some ways it was very compelling, and in other ways utterly ridiculous.

I know Sarah MacLean likes to write bad-a$$ girl romances, and I deeply appreciate that, but I think sometimes she crosses the line from conceivable to historical-punk-fever dream. Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure.

I think if the pacing had been brisker, I could have overlooked the flaws in the plotlines, but I found my attention dragging a bit though the middle. Even though there was plenty of action, it felt a bit long at times. I did enjoy the pining and the chemistry, though I wish they just communicated better all along.

A fun read that kept me wanting to read more, but with lots of plot holes and ridiculous antics.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Crazy fun and romantic. The banter was superb and had me smiling and giggling. I am definitely going to like this next series.