Bombshell

Hell’s Belles #1, Sarah MacLean.

4*s, Best enjoyed if you like your Victorian romance with some spice and a kick–literally.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“After years of living as London’s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom…and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem.

No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he’s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him…and the way she talks to him…and the way she’d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss. 

Except someone has to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous late-night escapades, and maybe close proximity is exactly what Caleb needs to get this infuriating, outrageous woman out of his system. But now Caleb is the one in trouble, because he’s fast realizing that Sesily isn’t for forgetting…she’s forever. And forever isn’t something he can risk.“

Review:

This took me way longer to read than I want to admit. I’m a mood reader, so if I’m not in a certain mood, the vibes of a book may throw me off a little until I “feel” it. Again, I’m a little ashamed, because I am a big fan of Sara Maclean and this book was really great. 

I loved the dynamic between the MCs was a delight. There were plenty of buried secrets to be unearthed for both characters, a couple I honestly did not see coming. 

I loved how strong Sesily was and how much she cared about Caleb. I also loved her convictions and desires to be seen as more than just a beautifully scandalous woman, but also someone’s everything. Not to mention her very active work righting society’s wrongs in secret ways. That’s one thing I’ve absolutely loved while reading books like this. Usually it’s the men who are the spies or disrupters of society for the sake of justice, but this one it’s a group of badass women who want to make life easier for all women and children at all levels of society. 

Caleb clearly loved his friends and family. It was a struggle to understand his spartan ways, physically, emotionally, and etc. When you learn why, it all makes sense. I loved how often he was magnetically dragged into Sesily’s late evening adventures, and how very much he cared for her when he let her see it. But it was also great to see a female MC turn around and fight for her desired partner. 

This was a refreshing historical romance read and I’m very excited to finish reading the second installment in the Hell’s Belles series. 

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!