I loved Bombshell and couldn't wait to get my hands on Heartbreaker. It truly did not disappoint! Adelaide and Henry's tender and sexy story was everything my heart wanted. Though the book can be read as a standalone, it would be most enjoyed if read in order since it introduces and gives more backstory to all of the characters.

Things to look forward to:
- Tropes like: enemies to lovers, only one bed, road trip romance, caretaker, who did this to you?, praise (the "good girl" was used so well *fans self*), slow burn, and stern brunch daddy.
- Henry. He was so gone for Adelaide (even if he didn't quite realize it right away) and I loved how he always saw her. He was so honorable, steadfast, and protective. I'm not normally a fan of the overprotective main characters, but it 100% worked for Henry because he knew she could take care of herself, but that she didn't need to. He accepted her exactly as she was and he's definitely going into my book boyfriend hall of fame.
- Adelaide. She's so strong, intelligent, and loyal. My heart broke for her again and again as her past was revealed, but her character arc was so satisfying. She's just as fiercely protective of her loved ones as Henry and their chemistry and banter was off the charts! The shift from enemies to lovers was really well done and I loved how things slowly became more between them.
- The spice. Holy moly the spice! Sarah MacLean teased and made us work for it, but boy were we rewarded for our patience! The praise! The face sitting! The chapters of goodness! Yup, chapters. ;)
- I really liked that there wasn't some forced 3rd act conflict. These two love each other (even if they are slow to feel worthy of it) and it's this love that guides their actions and decisions. Yes, there's a bit of mayhem as everything comes together at the end, but there's never any doubt that these two are meant to be.
- All of the Hell's Belles! I love this crew so much and seeing them all standing together and supporting each other was the best. I can't wait for Imogen's book next!

I both read and listened to Heartbreaker and it pains me to say that the audio was kind of a miss for me. I love Mary Jane Wells and have enjoyed so many of her performances, but the way that she voiced Adelaide really turned me off from the audiobook. Every other character was voiced wonderfully, but for some reason Adelaide was high pitched, shrill, and sounded like a child. It was very distracting and I found myself reading the book more than listening. Mary Jane Wells still conveyed so much emotion in her performance and her comedic timing was perfect, but sadly the audiobook wasn't the wonderful experience it normally is.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 5 stars

CW: kidnapping, violence - fighting, stabbing/knife wounds, pickpocketing/robbery, death of parents (past), parental neglect (past), family tensions

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

I became familiar with the author from her Fated Mates podcast where she dissected Kresley Cole’s catalog book by book. I stopped listening once they caught up to Wicked Abyss and stepped away completely. I knew she was a published author but I had never personally picked up any of her works. I read Bombshell, shortly followed by Heartbreaker, where I began and ended my journey with the Hell’s Belles series. I’m a big proponent of feminism and women taking charge, but it doesn’t always fit perfectly within a historical romance. I felt like I was three steps away from the heroine proclaiming “Yes, queen!” on the streets of Regency England. It seemed like the author was trying to mash together pieces from two separate puzzle sets.

While I may not have been a fan of the anachronistic writing choices, I could find enjoyment in the breakdown of the story’s elements. I’m always a sucker for ginger protagonists and Adelaide certainly met those fiery-hued requirements. She was also an underground thief masquerading as a ballroom wallflower on her off time. She paired perfectly with the Duke of Clayborn who provided a lovely foil to her seedy hobbies. The class disparity between the couple was fun to explore and didn’t gross me out like the usual differences in age or unfair power dynamics. The Duke needed a taste of his own medicine and Adelaide was more than happy to oblige.

I’m always grateful and humbled to review advanced copies of books, but I ended up not liking either book in the Hell’s Belles series. I could have saved myself some heartache because Bombshell didn’t have too much influence on Heartbreaker, in regards to important storylines. I can say at the least the title was appropriate because it was an utter heartbreaker that I didn’t enjoy this book very much.

Sexy fun times with the second Hell’s Belles book called Heartbreaker. The book starts off with a lot of action when a forced wedding turns into a turf war between the seedier elements of London. Adelaide escapes from her wedding and her life of being a professional pickpocket for her dad. She joins a group of female vigilantes, Hells Belles and is known to be a matchbreaker in London society. As she is protecting her next victim, she finds herself entangled with the Duke of Clayborn as they are both trying to prevent an elopement for different reasons.

The sexual tension is immediate, but they have a job to focus on in forced proximity to each other. (ohhhhhhh) Of course, there is only one room at the Inn and they are still competing with each other in some way. Their banter is hilarious. Lots of competition between Adelaide and Clayborn. That competition eventually leads to some steamy scenes that you might have to reread a few times ;) They both have a lot of secrets to reveal, which keeps the story exciting and interesting. Readers will fall in love with all of the other female characters and the men who love them. I think this series will leave a lot of book boyfriends to choose from. I also love MacLean’s stories because they all have such strong female characters who are unconventional. Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down.

MacLean never disappoints! A Sexy, High-Stakes Romp! There is nothing I didn't love about this book.

The Hell's Belles series is full of adventure and eccentric, tough heroines and MacLean gives us another with Adelaide Trumbull/Frampton! This gang of women have the best luck in finding the BEST guys to love them! Henry, the Duke of Clayborn is the devoted, do anything for the woman he loves kind of hero that makes me swoon. To him, she can do no wrong, and Addie does a LOT of wrong-ish stuff.

This story has a LOT of adventure and romance to unpack. -
We've got a favorite trope of mine - forced proximity. There's always just ONE room at the Inn! Duh!
We've got a star-crossed pair of lovers. Can two people from completely different worlds make a life together?
We've got a great action-packed plot with people to rescue, thugs to outsmart, perfectly timed smoke bombs, bad guys galore to punish, a carriage accident, a life-threatening illness and so much more!
And we've got the most swoony romantic dialogue, sweet details and callbacks, moments and bedroom scenes to read and then read again slower. Like I said, MacLean NEVER disappoints.

So, in summary --
Super dope heroine and her gang of kick-ass besties. CHECK
Super adorbs hero with a noble heart. CHECK
Several Steamy Love Scenes - CHECK+
Set up for NEXT book's power couple. CHECK CHECK and when is it publishing?
Epilogue with HEA look into the future. CHECK

What more could a romance reader want? I loved watching these two fall in love and this book has just made me thirstier for more Hell's Belles. Lady Imogen & Inspector Peck, here I come!

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the complimentary finished copy & @avonbooks and Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Wow, Sarah MacLean doesn’t play around with Heartbreaker. Honestly it feels like she took some of *my* favorite things & wrapped them in a stunning package & said “please knock yourself out with good feelings, Jessica” .

I’m trying to think of how this book could have been any better & it’s just not possible to me. From its seemingly mismatched leads—a thief from the rough & tumble part of London & an uptight duke—to its “chase me” vibes, to its badass group of Belles & the ways said leads show they care over & over again…it’s quite a one-two- to infinity punch.

I adore how Adelaide Frampton is written & how Henry, the aforementioned duke, is so aware of her strength, courage, & effectiveness. This isn’t a book where the hero is sleeping on the heroine’s attributes .

& Henry is basically a perfect hero. Or at least perfect for me. Coming at the reader with big “not like other toffs energy,” his background gives him empathy, a sense of fun, & sportsmanship & it’s easy to see how they work together despite their difference in status.

Who could have suspected that a thief & a duke would be so good together? Okay me. I suspected .

Powerfully written, sensual & hot & passionate, funny & romantic & trope-tastic, filled with moments where the leads try as hard as they can to protect each other, Heartbreaker both packs a heart wallop & had me grinning. I’m pretty sure this one’s going on my best of 2022 list!

In conclusion this is the first time I’ve been sexually attracted to the name Henry.

​5 ⭐️. Out 08/23.

CWs: violence. Horrible rich white people—mostly men—only caring about themselves. It’s implied that Adelaide’s father “all but insisted” that she become physically intimate with her former fiancé, who was of his choosing. Kidnapping. Probably others.

ID: a white woman wearing a floral dress stands in front of a field holding a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

CW: Violence; blood; child abuse

This review is a tough one for me to write. I’ve had to sleep on my rating for this book as there were many things I liked, but a few things stopped me from loving it. Weirdly, I think this is a book I’ll enjoy more on reread than on the first read.

After Adelaide’s crime lord father tries to marry her off to a rival, a twist of fate takes her from the streets of the South Bank to the ballrooms of Mayfair. Her upbringing helped her hone some unique skills, such as blending into the background, which means no one knows she’s the notorious Matchbreaker, using her skills to help brides avoid the altar to unworthy gentlemen. Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, has an impeccable reputation and seems to be a typical, stuck-up aristocrat. However, he’s got some secrets that he’d rather keep hidden. When Adelaide and Clayborn find themselves in a breakneck race to stop a wedding (for very different reasons), he can’t resist Adelaide, who both frustrates and fascinates him. As they are forced together by fate, they cannot resist the electric pull between them, and the walls come down between them as secrets are revealed.

The romance shines in this. Sarah MacLean truly packs in ALL THE TROPES in this book and executes them flawlessly. She knows what her readers want and delivers. For a taste, here are just a few of the tropes in this book:

-Only one bed
-Forced proximity
-Road trip
-Class differences
-Hero falls first
=Tall/spectacle heroine
-Age gap
-Praise kink
-Nursing back to health

The banter between Clayborn and Adelaide was electric, and I loved how they continued to try to one-up each other. They also have one of my favorite meetings in a historical romance – its action-pack, high stakes and perfectly sets the tone for their relationship. Clayborn is so far gone for Adelaide, and I adored that. And MacLean truly delivered on the sex scenes. Like seriously, they were HOT. She’s a master at building the sexual tension and romantic relationships.

When it comes to Clayborn and Adelaide, I started out loving both of them but ended up liking Clayborn more in the end than Adelaide. Adelaide made some decisions towards the end that made me want to shake her. She kept insisting on doing things on her own despite having all these people in her corner willing to have her back. I thought Clayborn was a fascinating character, especially since he’s a Duke. There are a lot of layers to him, and he’s so not what I expected after our introduction to him in Bombshell. Adelaide was a badass and more than capable of taking care of herself. This is very much a feminist historical romance, celebrating the power of women, which I truly enjoyed. However, with Adelaide, I felt like she failed to see that letting people in to support her is a strength, not a weakness.

One thing that made me question how I would rate this book was the pacing. It felt a bit uneven to me. The book started with a bang, and its first half felt like it was moving ahead at a lightning-fast pace, with action-packed scenes, good banter and fun plot points. However, around the 60%-70% mark, the story started to drag, which made it hard to stay invested. The plot felt like it hit a wall and slowed down dramatically before picking up again right towards the end. There was also a LOT going on plotwise, and I’m not sure all the elements were executed flawlessly. By the end, I wished for tighter plotting in the book as there were a lot of storylines to wrap up in a few short chapters.

I feel like most people will love this one, but I wished for a little more than I got. I did go into this book with sky-high expectations as I adored Bombshell. This book mostly met those expectations, but it did have a lot of extra pressure to deliver. I still love Sarah MacLean’s writing and story. She truly delivers on the romance, and I know she’ll never let me down there. I can 100% see Heartbreaker being a book I reread and ending up loving more in the future – that’s happened to me with multiple books before, and this book is giving me that vibe. But overall, I think if you’re a fan of MacLean’s writing and enjoyed Bombshell, I think most people will end up loving this.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Second in the series this can be read entirely as a standalone

CW: violence, family tensions, death of parents (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f historical romance
-Rivals to lovers
-roadtrip romance
-only one bed
-he's feral for her
-a bit of adventure
-hurt/comfort
-so much sexual tension

I've read a few Sarah MacLean's and I adore her writing but this book just hit me in all of the right places and just has been my favorite of hers. Can we talk about how these two were secretly pining for each other for years. Adelaide and Henry were just crackling with sexual tension. These two just fit each other so well, neither looking for love. Just seamlessly connecting the adventure plot line to the overall romance, I devoured this book.

Adelaide was just hard, competent, and struggled to trust in the others around her as much as she adored them. I loved all the glimpses of the Hells Belle's and their strong friendship. Adelaide was entirely herself and just kicking ass, and taking care of Henry along the way. I loved all the moments which she was in denial that she felt anything for him.

And staunchy I'll never accept love but I believe in it Henry. Gosh, he just went feral for her. Not doubting in her skills, but never wanting Adelaide to ever hurt again. He just had me swooning throughout my reading. Refusing to be cared for because Adelaide had a scratch. Needing a bit of rescuing but also competent in his own ways he's just a 10 no but about it.

The third act was a masterpiece. No unnecessary angst, both of them saving each other and recognizing what they had found in each other. Adelaide and Henry were equally gone on the other and just such a match. Impeccably written I could see it playing out as a movie. The writing, the romance, this is just well executed tropey goodness and I loved every minute of it.

Steam: 3.75

I've been eager for Adelaide is story in Heartbreaker the moment I finished Bombshell. I don't want to give anything away, but you won't be sorry you picked this one up. If you loved Bombshell then you'll love this. Sarah MacLean always impresses me. I'm excited for Hell's Bell's 3! Thanks to Avon and net alley for the advanced digital copy.

Adelaide and Clayborne were the historical romance couple I needed! Such a sucker for a badly injured man being nursed back to life by his intriguing lady. Lots of lovely tension and very hottt once Clayborne was able-bodied again!

A wonderfully adventurous romance. This is my favorite romance the year. The characters are very engaging and the plot kept me reading. Yet I didn't want it to end!

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. This book is gloriously fun. There are thieves, dukes, carriage races, road trips, murder attempts, explosions, incredibly hot times, so much banter, and not a spare bed to be found in the whole country. In other words, this has everything a girl can ask for!
While the plot is mainly "Adelaide and Henry go on a road trip adventure" (with a healthy dose of finders keepers), the characters are what truly make this story. Adelaide is such a strong person, and I love that Henry is so accepting of every single thing about her. They are fantastic together, and the supporting characters are top notch. (Can I please get a novella about Lucia and her crew? ) I had a great time reading this book, and it has made me even more excited for Imogen's book.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Sarah MacLean for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was a little nervous going into this one because I didn’t love Bombshell, but I enjoyed this one much more! I loved the romance between Adelaide and Henry and the pacing seemed a lot better in this one.

This book follows Adelaide, a wallflower who has great skill as a thief who helps women, as she journeys across Britain with Henry to stop his brother’s wedding. I really enjoyed following them across the country and seeing them grow closer.

The chemistry in this book was AMAZING! I truly felt the feelings between the couple and the spicy scenes were great as well! This is definitely one of my favorite historical romances I’ve read for that fact alone.

I also really liked seeing some familiar faces and learning more about the “Hell’s Belles” - and the possible teaser as the end for the next book! I’d recommend picking this one up even if you weren’t the biggest fan of the first book in the series.

Beautiful! So happy to be back with the Hell's Belles. This book really packed an emotional punch. Adelaide and Henry were the perfect match. These two loved and adored each other and it was evident in every word they spoke. This book was adventurous, romantic, fun, exciting, and so darn sexy! Nothing Sarah MacLean does is run of the mill, and it is evident in this new series of female Belles. I cant wait for the next book in the series as Imogene is one explosive lady!

Sarah MacLean is one of my few auto-buy authors. I have loved everything I have read by her and this was no exception. She pens compelling stories with exceptionally realistic characters and fantastic love scenes. Heartbreaker is the much anticipated second book I. The Hell”s Belles series and it was just as wonderful at the first one. I especially loved the side characters in this one. Each one was interesting enough to be main characters in their own books. I truly hope to see a book about Lucia in the near future, her story would be phenomenal. If you like fun historical romances with witty characters and excellent love scenes, you will like this book.

This book was a much needed sequel. While I liked bombshell. I loved this story! The tension was amazing!
The male had a little insta love but I adored it! I appreciated the love story and cat and mouse game the book played. While I did think the book went a little off the rails with plot at the 50-70% part. I throughly enjoyed it and really can’t wait to read more!

Oh, I’m am in love with this series. This book had a traveling theme but done in a unique way. There was a part about 2/3 through the book where I thought it dragged on a bit long. Other than that, I loved the book. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher and Sarah MacLean for the arc via Netgalley

✨Sarah said ❤️praise❤️ and face sitting✨

I’ve been aware of this book for SO long. Seeing positive after positive review come in sets the bar very high. Having people tag me in “good girl” quotes? A great way for me to absolutely lose my mind. So when I was lucky enough to secure an eARC, I knew this was going to be A Moment. And many A Moments it was.

My favorite A Moments:
- Excellent sick scene—this man woke up after being knocked out absolutely distraught because “BUT SHE’S THE ONE BLEEDING”
- His whole reason for not wanting to get married seemed very typical at the surface but LORD I was sobbing—I love how it deviated here
- When characters try to make terrible decisions and the other character is like shhhh stop shhhhh stop it that’s foolish I won’t let you let’s just love each other instead >>>
- PAGES worth of sex scenes
- “Good girl” employed TWICE in two different A Moments, one of which being A Moment: The Face Sitting Edition

✨

The best was I can describe this book is capital R Romantic. It just felt very classic. Very “I intend to sweep you off your feet and take your breath away, while absolutely railing you into next Tuesday.” But a very romantic railing. The sex scene vocabulary consisted of “slow,” “deep,” “full,” “that’s it,” “take it,” “such a good girl.” Clayborn is the literary equivalent of rolled-up sleeves and a proper Mayfair accent doing very dirty things with intense eye contact.

- Also when my ears get ahold of Mary Jane Wells providing his “hmms” I will need many A Moments for myself. *heavy breathing*

✨

Heartbreaker is definitely a character driven book and they each hold their own. If you’re not a fan of seriously solid, good, dependable heroes who are absolutely gone from page one, then I wouldn’t read this… but the man crashes a carriage because he saw her hair so I would also just read it anyways.

The story itself took a bit for me to get invested in, but once the two were together, everything made sense. There wasn’t really a breakup and it turned out to be so heartfelt between the two. I’m greedy and think one final sex scene (even brief) would’ve rounded out the ending perfectly. They were still having sex but it was summed up and left me a little bereft.

I do think you should read book one first, as there’s a scene between Clayborn and Adelaide that really sets the tone for their dynamic. My favorite part was how the fiercely independent Adelaide allowed Clayborn to take care of her (cue the Praise). Their relationship also felt very balanced and equal. Adelaide wasn’t afraid to give it all right back to Clayborn. Am I talking about oral sex? Of course I’m talking about oral sex.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.75*/5

*Probably closer to 3.5🌶 but good girls automatically bring up any score.

Part of the Hell’s Belles series, Sarah MacLean's Heartbreaker immediately places the reader into a heart thumping adventure with adventurer-masquerading-as-a-wallflower Adelaide Frampton, and the staid and true Henry, Duke of Clayborn. Heartbreaker is a true romance novel, with mystery, intrigue, interwoven with two humans striving for an emotional connection and a well-deserved contented ending.

sarahmaclean do you read here often? Are you a secret smuttybookreviews scholar? Yes- I thought so. I feel like you wrote this book for me and my sickbed and one bed. All of my historical kink boxes were checked here. And now I sit, in a book satisfied daze, smoking my post coital cigarette.

Adelaide is a professional pick pocket from the slums and the daughter of the London slum mob boss. She’s also a part of the group of female vigilantes, Hells Belles. She finds herself entangled w the Duke of Clayborn as they each race after the Duke’s brother and his future wife (who Adelaide is trying to protect from her corrupt father) as they head to Scotland to elope.

Adelaide and Clayborn are immediately enamored with each other- but act like they are frenemies…who want to bone. Their sexual tension is so rife that it causes a carriage crash, which forces them to travel together and their focus moves from the wayward eloping couple and onto their own ramped up sex hormones. We are then rewarded with a harrowing sick bed scene. YES!! My fave thing about a sick bed scene is the men who wake up horny AF from their sick bed. One moment they are feverish and near death, the next they are awake and DTF w the woman sitting vigil at their side. This is why I love them- be damned how bad Clay must smell (trust me, he stunk), he is vulnerable and sexy and bonered and a Duke and those all overpower his ripeness. Go get it, Addie!!

I can’t say how much I loved this book. Perhaps Addie and Clay are my fave MacLean characters so far. They were so hot for each other and on page together for almost all of the book, which is such a gift to the reader! I demand you read this book- it drops 8/22.

Smut- 3 stars
Romance- 5 stars
Story- 5 stars
Being so horny for someone that you make sweet love to them despite the fact they have been sweating the bed for the past 4 days and haven’t bathed- 25 stars

“Look at her: Adelaide Frampton, a solitary genius with a wicked sense of justice and a talent for stealing.”

Heartbreaker is book two in Sarah MacLean’s Hell’s Bells series! I adored the first book, Bombshell, so it shouldn’t be a shocker that I loved Adelaide Frampton and super sexy Henry, Duke of Clayborn! Adelaide is the daughter of a notorious crime boss, raised on the wrong side of the tracks she became the best thief around simply to survive. When her father tries to marry her to a rival gang bloodshed ensues (think red wedding GOT style). Years later she has reinvented herself and with the Hell’s Belles they are trying to protect a young lady with knowledge of her fathers terrible deeds. Unfortunately the girl is marrying the Duke of Clayborn’s younger brother, putting Henry and Adelaide in a frantic race to Grenta Green to protect the couple.

Heartbreaker starts with a bang and does not let up! Adelaide and Henry are together in almost every page from roadtripping to carriage races to there’s only one bed to caretaking these two bring the heat, the banter and some of the hottest s*x scenes (Chapter 18 🔥🔥). Add in secret identities, a puzzle box, hidden letters and a network of highwaywoman, it’s a recipe for a fantastic fiercely feminist book.

The romance between Adelaide and Henry was my favorite. He’s completely, absolutely gone for her with the hottest amount of dirty talk, “good girls” and a tiny bit of spanking! How she falls for him is so perfect! The lady gang of the Hell’s Belles are the best Ride or Dies a thieving princess trying to do good can ask for.

Heartbreaker has everything that I love in a Sarah MacLean novel- strong female heroines smashing the patriarchy, steamy banter and character vulnerability. The ending with Thomas and Imogen has me not very patiently waiting for the next book.

“I am a woman alive in the world, Your Grace. My existence is politics, whether I care for it or not. It is not the politics but the politicians.”

Thank you to the publisher (Avon) for an e-ARC. All thoughts are my own. Heartbreaker has a pub date of August 23, 2022.