New
York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with a blazingly sexy,
unapologetically feminist new series, Hell’s Belles, beginning with a bold,
bombshell of a heroine, able to dispose of a scoundrel—or seduce one—in a
single night.
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.
Book
1
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Reviews by the
Wicked Reads Review Team
Erica
– ☆☆☆
Bombshell is the debut in the Hell's Belles series.
Sarah MacLean tops my favorites list on Historical Romance. I need to add a
disclaimer. If you're an old-school Historical Romance fan, where historical
accuracy is tantamount, I might dissuade you from reading. Simply put, I see
MacLean's novels more like a historical spin on modern romance, with a feminist
twist in an era where women were not treated as a man's equal in society. The
heroine will know her worth, be it in the 1800s or the 2000s, even if it messes
with historical accuracy.
Bombshell was an anomaly to what I posted above, the fine line generally
ridden was pitched, where the feminism was so hard-hitting that it felt as if
it was in the wrong era, the wrong genre. No longer a romance novel but a vehicle
to punch the reader in the face with the author's mindset, none of which worked
in the era/genre it was written.
To be honest, I struggled from the start, not truly hooked, attempting to read
the beginning portion of the novel, which is not the norm for me when it comes
to MacLean's novels. I have no idea if it was my mood, or inability to
concentrate, but I was just not connecting with Sesily or the story itself.
After I fell into the groove of it all, I read the rest of the novel in a
single sitting. But the struggle was real in the beginning. If you're
experiencing this as well, here's my push to soldier forth if you're a fan.
Lady Sesily Talbot is not unfamiliar to those who have read all of MacLean's
works. Scandalous and brazen, Sesily has the personality to start a brand-new
series, featuring Caleb Calhoun. Their connection was introduced in Day of
the Duchess, and I was surprised that MacLean didn't end the Scandal &
Scoundrel series with their story. Embracing the freedom scandal allows her,
Sesily doesn't fret over what the ton thinks of her reputation, one of the
little freedoms women were allowed in the era.
Quite frankly, I'm not a fan of this premise. "Caleb wants Sesily but
can't have her, so he ignores her, which affects her self-esteem, because she's
heartbroken someone doesn't want her, someone she just met, in the ultimate of
insta-loves, because Caleb had the audacity to not want her back."
Sesily is a feminist, right? Doesn't she realize she is the one who is
responsible for her own feelings? Caleb doesn't have to want her, just because
she wants him. To have this impact your life for two years is a bit extreme and
childish. It's ironic that as a reader I'm to feel bad for her because of this,
even if it's angsty AF how he wants her back too but feels as if he can't have
her.
Sesily is invited to join a grouping of women, spearheaded by Duchess of
Trevescan, focusing on helping women escape abusive marriages, dubbed the
Hell's Belles. With a varying cast of personalities, the women stole the show.
A heavy feminism mindset is woven throughout the entire story, one that may not
feel authentic for those who read old-school historical romance.
Caleb has always been drawn to his friend's scandalous sister, and together
they share a past, a past in which he has hurt Sesily's feelings. Even still,
the protective sort, Caleb is determined to watch Sesily's back from afar,
watching on as Sesily behaves as the ultimate of pot-stirrers. Caleb is
harboring secrets of his own, ones in which the author keeps from the readers
and fellow characters alike.
I'm not a fan of this drawn-out delivery system, and this isn't being said by
an instant-gratification reader. It's not a mystery if one of the narrators
knows the secrets but purposefully withholds it from their own mind for over
70% of a novel. A mystery is something in which neither of the narrators knows.
Otherwise, it's just an evasive tactic utilized by the author to withhold
information until they feel it will be most impactful, either making it look
like it came out of nowhere or that we had an unreliable narrator for the most
part. This is just a pet-peeve of mine that I had to voice.
Forced proximity places both Sesily and Caleb in readers' grasps, which is one
of my favorite, angsty treats. Forever drawn to one another, they are under the
impression how they can get each other out of their systems. I'm not sure where
this premise started, one which we have in real life, how you can get someone
out of your system. Never once has this helped in novels or in person, forever
falling for the object of your obsession. Who is spreading this BS to get
people to honestly think this is a course of action? Name one person in history
where this worked? Why does this keep being perpetuated? But I digress.
What I will say is this was an entertaining calamity of errors, where nothing
on the pages would have had happened in reality. Was I entertained? Yes, for
the most part. But I spent the entire time reading at a rapid pace, entirely
flying by the suspension of belief notion. If I paused too long, if I mused
over anything, it would tear me from the story and I'd begin to struggle too
much.
As a feminist myself, even I had a hard time connecting with Sesily. I found
her behavior and mindset somewhat disrespectful for the era, as well as
childish and self-indulgent, with all the pot-stirring, "I don't care what
others think." It came off as she very much cared what others thought, so
she went out of her way to make them uncomfortable, knowing they thought poorly
of her, so she might as well make an impression, ya know, versus not be thought
about at all. My over-analytical mind thought Sesily insecure, no matter how
much she professed her independent thinking.
Sesily's behavior was selfish and mindless. She felt she had a right to do
anything she wanted, consequences be damned, caring little of the impact her
actions had on others. If anyone, particularly Caleb, voiced how she was being
an idiot, she would argue how she had a right to do as she pleased. Reminded me
of trying to explain to a toddler why they can't run into traffic, even if they
were completely capable of running there, the toddler not able to realize how
the person who hits them will ultimately feel, or how badly it will hurt if
they survive. That is Sesily, and I couldn't figure out why anyone liked her.
She gave my ilk (feminists) a bad name, selfish, vapid, and narcissistic. I
doubt MacLean wished to have the opposite happen, where readers would actually
resent people like Sesily, instead of identifying with her.
This is a case where I wanted to like it but struggled to find entertainment
within it. As a fan of MacLean's, I'm sure that influenced my rating, as well
as my overall thoughts on the novel. This is by far one of her most
feminism-forward novels, to a preachy degree.
As a feminist seeking escape, I personally didn't need to be preached at one
iota. I think this impacted my entertainment value. I hope Sarah MacLean just
takes her foot off the gas a bit, idles it back a bit in future installments.
You change more minds by being subtle than punching them in the face with it.
Because the story stops being about the characters, their journeys, the
journeys of the side characters, all completely overshadowed by an agenda being
preached.
To be honest, I just expected more out of Sesily and Caleb's story, after
waiting to read their journey so long. What was promised as an angsty journey
seemed to be overshadowed by preaching and showcasing other characters who will
undoubtedly get an installment next. I felt the novel was disjointed, the wrong
things in the forefront, with not enough of the couple or their romance
showcased, especially as this is historical romance.
Many of MacLean's novels are on my reread list. I'll skip Bombshell on
future rereads and only recommend it for series continuity. I look forward to
the next installment, hoping this was just a dud among diamonds.
SARAH MACLEAN grew up in Rhode Island,
obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born far
too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn
her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set
pen to paper and wrote her first book.
Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, baby daughter, their dog,
and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from
readers.
Connect with
Sarah
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~ Goodreads
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Bombshell (Hell's Belles #1) by Sarah MacLean to read and review.
