This was one of the best Sarah MacLean novels that I've read in a while. I love the group of heroines and really enjoyed the storyline.

Thanks to @avonbooks for sending me an advance copy of one of my most anticipated reads of the year: Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean, out August 23rd!

I don’t think I’ve ever checked NetGalley as often as I did in the months leading up to Hearbreaker’s release. I read through MacLean’s extensive backlist during a grueling recovery from surgery earlier this year, and she has quickly become a favorite author.

When I reread Bombshell, the first book in the Hell’s Belles series, it was angstier than I remembered, and MacLean took that angst and dialed it up to eleven in Heartbreaker!

Adelaide and Henry are SO swoon worthy!!! I love animosity in a romance, but there’s something incredibly lovely about seeing these characters so gone for each other and spending time together. I really loved it.

What to know:
-spy ring
-rivals to lovers
-feisty thief meets starchy Duke
-only one bed “There’s a shocking lack of beds in this country.” 🤣
-I love you but we can’t be together

I love that we got to see more of Hell’s Belles and how their network runs in book two, and I love that MacLean is continuing to lay the groundwork for Tommy and Imogen in book three!

CW: child abuse, grief, sexual content

This series is at its best when the female friend group is interacting and planning chaos, and too much of this book was just Henry and Adelaide on their own. Henry was a great romantic lead though and I'll definitely continue the series.

Oh Yum! Sarah MacLean does not ever disappoint when it comes to sizzling sex, breathless action and adventure. In this wonderful book she outdoes herself with all of those. Add to that her terrific plotting and superbly nuanced characters and you have an un-put-downable romance read. What a joy to read this author! I can't wait for the next book.

Bravo!
💕Who does not want a kickass heroine with the charisma of a pirate and as nimble as a dancer. Adelaide is such a force. She grabs your attention from the first page she enters to her happy ever after.

💕Heartbreaker is the second book in the Hell Belle series. A historical romance of vigilante women seeking justice in their own ways to protect women and children while ending corrupted men.

💕A sensational piece of writing with humor, heroism, courage, and love. Heartbreaker is everything I was looking for in breaking the monotonous mood of historical romance I was in. I inhaled this book in a day! That’s how good it was 💕💕

If you are looking for …

✔️Found family
✔️Witty heroine
✔️Romance
✔️Adventure
✔️Woman Power!

Then this is definitely the book for you!

⭐️This review could not have been done without the generosity of @Avonbooks and @HarperVoyagerUS for an eARC provided thru @netgalley.

Thank you for letting me read this book it was not my favorite from her other books. The story was a little too boring for me and dragged. I see that the characters fell in love but it wasnt really that good.

The Hell's Bells female gang is back for another adventure. Adelaide is an expert thief. She grew up learning how to cut purses for her father. Once she escapes she uses her skills to become the Matchbreaker, helping women escape evil men and bad marriages. Henry, Duke of Clayborn wants his younger brother to marry the woman he loves. It would appear that the Matchbreaker has other ideas. They set off to Gretna Green in search of the young lovers. Will they make it in time? Other bad guys are also on their trail. But the Hell's Bells have friends everywhere. And they always come out on top. I admit to occasionally wanting to Gibbs-smack (NCIS reference) these two. Why did they have to jump to conclusions? Anyway - the bad guys get theirs in the end. Imogen gets to use her explosive skills. The thief and the Duke get their HEA.

I can't wait for Imogen and Tommy! The sparks have been flying for several books now.

4 Stars

ARC review copy via NetGalley

Another winner from MacLean--snappy banter, a sickbed scene, a heroine only "seen" by the hero...TROPE-TASTIC!!!!

This started out with me not liking the cover and never recovered. There was a lot of longing and not feeling good enough and it got terribly old fast. I love the feminist aspects of Macleans books, but this one just ignored the sisterhood of her gang until the very end. The duke character wasn’t as well developed as it could be and so Adelaide’s longing made little sense. Especially when the first book in the series was so great, this just fell flat.

I loved this second entry in the Hell's Belles series, featuring a woman with a criminal past as a talented pickpocket and a duke with secrets of his own. When they are thrown together by circumstances, Adelaide knows their connection cannot last, but Henry comes to realize he might have other thoughts on the matter. Their frantic journey to save Henry's brother and the lady he has run off to elope with puts them in close contact and forces them to face the attraction that is only getting stronger as time passes. This is an emotional read with two very appealing characters, and I very much look forward to Imogen's story in the next book.

I really enjoyed this new installment in the Hell's Belles series. Adelaide and Clayborn intrigued me in the first book, and I was excited to read their story. The characters have good chemistry and I enjoyed learning more about the Hell's Belles and their network of bad ass women. I love these Feminist heroines and I can't wait to read Imogen's book!

I'm upset that this wasn't as great as I hoped. The first few chapters dragged and I didn't care about the plot or the characters. I am a very big fan of her books and I'm upset that this was so disappointing. I don't understand how they fell in love with each other. It is an action book, but no emotional relationship development between the characters.

This book gave me real feelings while also being exciting and action packed. I don't know how it managed that. It has the feel of an action romcom movie.

Adelaide and Clayborn are both on the trail of a young couple on their way to get married. It becomes less and less clear why they are on opposing teams in this chase, especially when they work better together.

I loved the hero. He is ready to take the hits for our heroine, and those hits keep coming. The heroine is so capable, and she saves him on more than one occasion. I really felt the way the hero sees her, actually sees her. She is so unused to the attention, and there are several touching moments. It was such a fun ride, the adventure of the trip to find this couple and all the secrets revealed along the way.

Sarah Maclean is a romance queen and Hell’s Belles is a triumph of a series. I love each book better than the next. Adelaide is a wonder. Who doesn’t want to read about the best cutpurse in all of London? And we were not disappointed, Imogen may have exploded a thing or two. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Every time a new Sarah MacLean masterpiece makes its way into my hands, I get tunnel vision. I am unable to do anything, or think about anything else, until I’ve devoured every page.

Bombshell was amazing. On every level.

But Heartbreaker. Look.

Heartbreaker is beautiful and amazing and it may or may not have made me emotional in multiple places because I LOVE ADELAIDE SO MUCH. There are aspects of Adelaide that felt like she was holding up a mirror and I was looking at myself.

The dynamics between Adelaide and Clayborn, and Adelaide and the Belles were all so well done and I just. I love them all so much.

Adelaide and Clayborn’s story was everything I could have asked for and then some.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I do not need any information beforehand. If a book is written by Sarah MacLean, I will be the first in line to buy it.

I have to say this book was so good! The relationships, the secrets, the pining! All of it was so good. I also loved how the author teased this relationship in Bombshell and was h0nestly even better than I expected. The romance that grew between the two of them felt very real and the spice level was also amazing.

Heartbreaker follows the story of Adelaide Frampton and Henry, the Duke of Clayborne. Adelaide is a wallflower who uses her plain looks and invisibility to steal secrets and information. Also known as the matchbreaker, Adelaide uses said information to end bad marriages before they can begin. Unfortunately for her (but fortunate for us) she is not so unnoticed by Clayborne. The two are thrown together in a race toward Gretna Green to stop a marriage supposedly. Of course, at the inns they stop at along the way there is only one bed. Both Adelaide and Henry have secrets and past hurts that they slowly reveal to each other and the ending chapters bring everything together. I won't spoil anything but their learning to trust each other is one of the best parts of the book. Henry noticing Adelaide and pining after her (though he won't admit it) is also perfect.

Overall this book is fun, sweet, spicy, and an absolute delight. I love how all Sarah's books are connected and we get little callbacks to other series. I can't wait to see more of Henry and Adelaide in the next book and I highly recommend.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Five years ago, Adelaide Frampton (born Addie Turnbull) was nearly forced into a marriage she didn't want by her crime boss father. She was given an out by the mysterious Duchess, ringleader of the Helle's Belles, and has since devoted her cunning (and pickpocket skills) to helping other young women out of situations like the one she was in. She's the mysterious Matchbreaker, enabling women to break free from engagements they don't want.

The Duke of Clayborn, on the other hand, is everything Addie seemingly stands against--uptight, living a life of a cold perfection, and dominating. The Duke didn't expect to end up chasing someone his care across Great Britain; and he certainly didn't expect Addie to be working with him.

As the two struggle to work together (and deal with the issue of there being only--one--bed) Clayborn must question what he stands for... And Adelaide must question if she's ready to trust.

Okay! I'm excited to talk about this one. Sarah MacLean is one of those authors where, even if I feel like she could do better on some novels... A Sarah MacLean "good" is another author's "great" in many cases. She's consistent, she's got a fun and intelligent perspective, her books are hot, and her characters are my kind of people. Also, she's just a talented writer.

I say that because while I liked and would recommend Bombshell, the first book in her Helle's Belles series, I wouldn't say that it was a favorite of mine. It's fun, adventurous, satisfying, and it even has some important things to say--but it felt like a "first book" in a series. It was setting up a lot, introducing many new people, and very much a foundation for the rest of the series. I think you could say something similar about Wicked and The Wallflower, the beginning of her Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy. Conversely, I found the beginners of her previous series quite strong (among her strongest). But both Bareknuckle and Helle's Belles are kind of built on a heavier, more intersecting mythology, right? Wicked and Bombshell had more weight to bear.

With all that being said, Heartbreaker doesn't feel any of that weight at all. It's got emotion, don't get me wrong; both Adelaide and Clayborn (Henry) have their childhood traumas, especially surrounding their fathers. But it's also a very romantic, very fun, and ultimately very sweet romance. Sweet... but not like, closed door sweet. Not at all.

In fact, I will say that Heartbreaker is one of Sarah MacLean's hottest books yet. A lot hotter, in my opinion, than Bombshell--and that book was about a heroine gossiped about for her promiscuity. Addie is a bit on the quiet side as a heroine; and Clayborn is very much a rigid, stern brunch daddy hero. But when I say Sarah MacLean is into writing dirty talk, she isn't writing dirty talk--and once he gets going, he! Is! GOING! This dude was like... another thing entirely. He's like, pulling her hair and noticing that she likes it and calling her a good girl and there may or may not be some truly excellent facesitting.

But there is also a story! There is also a romance. Clayborn is stern, but I wouldn't say that he's one of the more aggressive MacLean heroes... Conversely, I wouldn't say he's one of her softest, either. He's a 2022 Alpha, where he'll smack your ass (maybe) and tell you to come to daddy--but he's not going to like, kidnap you or anything (... unless you ask for it). Personally, I loved him. Clayborn would like, campaign to uphold Roe v. Wade but he'd also be like "you sit back with the womenfolk while I handle this threat", and I'm deeply into that. He can throw a punch, but he can also do that cool little cufflink adjustment gentlemen do. He'll be like "FAMILY. DUTY. HONOR." but he'll also be like "LISTEN BABY I LOVE YOU AND I DON'T CARE IF THE WORLD KNOWS IT!!!" A truly dramatic, endearing, and fine as fuck man. I'm a man.

Adelaide was the kind of quieter heroine that I haven't seen MacLean do in a while. Her previous few heroines, Sesily, Grace, and Hattie were all kind of bold and brash and vivacious. While Addie is certainly aware of her value and her skill as a thief, she's also trained herself to go unnoticed, and to appreciate that ability. Nonetheless, she clearly WANTS to be seen by some--mainly Clayborn. Her reliance on her talent for slipping into a crowd is reflective of the emotional walls she's put up since essentially abandoning her life to break free from her father's control. It's quite lovely on a literary level, and it gives us a heroine who isn't a bombshell, quite--but she's also not a mouse. She's more mysterious than she is nondescript, more withholding than she is insecure. That doesn't mean Addie isn't human--but in a lot of ways, I think that she's the less emotionally accessible person in this couple. Typically, that would make Clayborn a cinnamon roll hero for her--but I wouldn't call him a cinnamon roll at all. He may not be an old school alpha, but he's not a cinnamon roll (and thank God for that). To me, MacLean has done a great job in presenting the idea that you can have a hero written for 2022 readers who hasn't lost his edge, and that's important. He doesn't have to be dumbed down to make Adelaide seem stronger or more independent; she doesn't need that. He complements her perfectly.

It's not a perfect book. There is a plot happening, though I wouldn't say that it's necessarily as twisty and turny as that of Bombshell, and I don't know that it's merged into the romance as well as what you might find in some of MacLean's earlier works. However, I don't think that super matters. You're really here for the road trip romance, and it's a great road trip romance. There is... one thing that keeps this from being a 4./5 out of 5 for me. One character thing that nagged me towards the very end. However, it's over pretty quickly (which kind of makes me feel like it could have been edited out) and it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment factor.

To me, this is a very classic Sarah MacLean book. It feels more like some of her earlier books than Bombshell or, to be honest, any of the Bareknuckle Bastards books--not that the change was a bad thing. Daring and The Duke is one of my favorite MacLeans. But if you're someone who wants a somewhat simpler, more straightforward book with a lot of adventure, emotional moments, and really hot sex--this is the one for you. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Here’s the pitch: a haughty Duke who’s sworn never to marry to pass the title to his brother, and a former princess of London’s criminal underworld who disdains men meet mid-heist when both plan to steal from the same man. They meet again under different circumstances—her in a different role—and find themselves aligned. A road-trip/race caper ensues.

Adelaide joined the Hell’s Belles five years ago when The Duchess rescued her from a waylaid wedding turned riot. She now fills many roles in the group, including that of The Matchbreaker, creating dossiers of information to allow women to break engagements to unsuitable men. Henry, the Duke of Clayborn meets Adelaide for the second time because she has been hired to break the engagement between Clayborn’s younger brother and the daughter of somewhat of a rival. It turns out the lovebirds have eloped, which sets off the race to Scotland to catch them.

Both Adelaide and Henry have secrets, and find it difficult to trust anyone, but find it difficult to leave one another’s orbit. As their attraction and relationship grows and deepens, and they begin to want to trust the other—if not outright being able to do so—each of them realize their inability has more to do with themselves. Adelaide knows she will never be good enough for a Duke, and Henry is steadfast in his vow to never marry—the crux of which is revealed at the 75% mark, and beautifully done.

This relationship aspect of this, the emotional and romantic journey that we go through in this novel is incredible. Both Adelaide and Henry struggle with some level of imposter syndrome and a lack of confidence in their roles in this world. This comes to a crux late in the novel, and I found the last two scenes in the climax to be a little clunky. I mentioned in my initial thoughts that the ‘Hell’s Belles’ aspect of this story was a little too girlboss-y for my tastes. That aspect of the story was much smaller in this novel than the first, so I still greatly enjoyed the majority of this.

Adelaide Frampton was raised amongst London's worst. With her father at the helm of the notorious Bully Boy's gang, she grew up fighting and pickpocketing to scrape by, never dreaming that she could escape especially when her father tried to seal her fate in marriage to a rival in order to expand his turf. But a wedding day riot offered Adelaide a chance to escape and reroute her life under the wing of the Duchess, a fierce woman who leads a gang of women coming to be known as Hell's Belles. Through her work with the Belles, Adelaide finds purpose helping save women from bad marriages and bringing down wealthy men of ill gains and bad purpose. When her latest heist brings her into direct contact with her fathers gang, her escape is made more complicated by Henry, Duke of Clayborn. After proving himself adept at escaping a tight spot, Adelaide finds herself intrigued by the Duke with the stiff upper lip who seems inclined to challenge her at ever turn. As circumstances force the two into close proximity in a race across Great Britain, the two discover more than they had ever suspected about one another from across the ballroom.

The second novel in the Hell's Belles series, I think this book has enough merit to standalone. Adelaide is a fierce heroine who challenges the Duke at ever turn and he is a patient man with the will to break through her tough defenses. The chemistry is there from their first heated kiss and the tension builds as they are forced into close proximity. This is one of those pairs in which each person makes the other truly better. I loved the cast of characters surrounding Adelaide and only wish we had gotten to know the Duke a bit better. I am truly looking forward to book three.

This is truly the perfect historical romance: a queen of cutpurses (the incomparable Adelaide) and an extremely honorable duke with secrets (that would be Henry, my new dream man) wind up on a trip across Victorian England, one trying to stop an elopement, and one trying to make sure it sticks. Throw in the Hell's Belles, stunning banter, the most flawless declarations of love, and thoughtful character arcs, and I simply don't see how a historical romance could be any better. Though this book is mostly a delightful romp, I was actually in tears near the end. Sarah MacLean will make you feel every single emotion in Heartbreaker and you will not regret one second!

You need to preorder this book, own a copy, and treasure it forever. Like I said, this one is perfect.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for an advance review copy of Heartbreaker in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.