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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Really enjoyed this one! Can't wait to talk about it at book club
I did struggle with the concept of a Boston accent in an erotic capacity. But a delightful read otherwise.
lighthearted
fast-paced
A celebration of female ingenuity with an unpredictable twist. Bombshell is the battle cry of the female spirit. Sesily is proof that a hero doesn't need to have a deep voice and rough hands. Women are more than the damsel in distress. A heroine is just as industrious as her male counterpart. Sesily proves that when you listen to your heart anything is possible. Even finding happily ever after.
Meh. This is not the best book this author has ever written, but it's hard to put into words why it was dissatisfying for me. Every author has a style, but sometimes MacLean's books feel interchangeable and this one really just felt like a bunch of her other books mushed together. Unfortunately, that left the charm of her writing style extremely diluted.
The plot was okay, but the story was a little too longwinded. I didn't really love the main couple. Neither character was all that incredible on their own, and they didn't improve once they matched up. There's a lot of wishy washy nonsense and hemming and hawing once the big secret is revealed and I was definitely ready for the book to end by the 75% mark.
That being said, If you're bored and looking for something to read and you've read the rest of the author's books, it's not going to kill you to read this. Plus it's setting up the next book which I'm definitely interested in.
The plot was okay, but the story was a little too longwinded. I didn't really love the main couple. Neither character was all that incredible on their own, and they didn't improve once they matched up. There's a lot of wishy washy nonsense and hemming and hawing once the big secret is revealed and I was definitely ready for the book to end by the 75% mark.
That being said, If you're bored and looking for something to read and you've read the rest of the author's books, it's not going to kill you to read this. Plus it's setting up the next book which I'm definitely interested in.
Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2021/08/review-bombshell-by-sarah-maclean.html
I’m always excited for a new release by Sarah MacLean, especially if it’s in a new series and features a heroine who readers have met before. This is Sesily Talbot’s book and she is FIERCE.
Sesily is one of the infamous Talbot sisters, referred to by the ton as the Soiled S’s because of how their father gained his title. She is also the last remaining sister who hasn’t yet settled down into marriage. And she really has no intention of doing so. She doesn’t crave marriage and children like her siblings and she is just fine living her life under her own terms and using her notoriety to help with the behind the scenes, undercover, secret work she does with a small group of friends, righting the wrongs of society by exposing dastardly noblemen and terrible employers.
The only man she wants is the one man who keeps running home to Boston every time he gets too close.
Caleb Calhoun owns numerous taverns, including one with Sesily’s sister Sera. He’s come back to London to help until the birth of Sera’s child, then he plans on boarding a ship and heading back home once again. Despite his attraction to Sesily, the secrets of his past won’t let him pursue a relationship with her. But when he discovers that she may be in some trouble with a ghost from his past he can’t help but try and protect her.
This couple y’all. Sometimes I like the whole I can’t be with you because I have secrets, so instead, I’ll just make you feel like shit because I keep running the other direction trope and sometimes it makes me want to smack the offending main character upside the head. I really wanted to smack Caleb upside the head a few times. He acts like he doesn’t want her, but then he keeps getting in her way to “rescue” her and telling her what she will and won’t do. He’s hot and cold and I hoped that Sesily would make him grovel way more than she actually did.
I will say that this couple is super hot together. They have closet sexy times, gamekeeper’s cottage sexy times, just lots of hands and mouths and bodies pressed up against each other. Their mutual pining and sexual tension made those sexy times all the more delicious. Caleb does eventually admit to his big-time secrets and why he was running, but damn. I was so thankful to finally find out why he was acting the way he was. For me and for Sesily. I did enjoy their honest talks about not wanting children and what they wanted their HEA to look like.
Sesily is a strong, smart, resourceful woman surrounded by other strong, smart, resourceful women and I love that they have formed this cool girl gang who figures out ways to help people who need help the most. I enjoyed meeting all of them and watching as they make plans on how to bring down the despicable people who are hurting the vulnerable. There’s the mastermind, the spy, the genius who specializes in explosives, and Sesily who uses her reputation to put it all into play. I love these women and can not wait to read their stores and see if their hinted at love interests pan out.
This was a good start to what I’m sure will be a most enjoyable series.
Final grade- B
I’m always excited for a new release by Sarah MacLean, especially if it’s in a new series and features a heroine who readers have met before. This is Sesily Talbot’s book and she is FIERCE.
Sesily is one of the infamous Talbot sisters, referred to by the ton as the Soiled S’s because of how their father gained his title. She is also the last remaining sister who hasn’t yet settled down into marriage. And she really has no intention of doing so. She doesn’t crave marriage and children like her siblings and she is just fine living her life under her own terms and using her notoriety to help with the behind the scenes, undercover, secret work she does with a small group of friends, righting the wrongs of society by exposing dastardly noblemen and terrible employers.
The only man she wants is the one man who keeps running home to Boston every time he gets too close.
Caleb Calhoun owns numerous taverns, including one with Sesily’s sister Sera. He’s come back to London to help until the birth of Sera’s child, then he plans on boarding a ship and heading back home once again. Despite his attraction to Sesily, the secrets of his past won’t let him pursue a relationship with her. But when he discovers that she may be in some trouble with a ghost from his past he can’t help but try and protect her.
This couple y’all. Sometimes I like the whole I can’t be with you because I have secrets, so instead, I’ll just make you feel like shit because I keep running the other direction trope and sometimes it makes me want to smack the offending main character upside the head. I really wanted to smack Caleb upside the head a few times. He acts like he doesn’t want her, but then he keeps getting in her way to “rescue” her and telling her what she will and won’t do. He’s hot and cold and I hoped that Sesily would make him grovel way more than she actually did.
I will say that this couple is super hot together. They have closet sexy times, gamekeeper’s cottage sexy times, just lots of hands and mouths and bodies pressed up against each other. Their mutual pining and sexual tension made those sexy times all the more delicious. Caleb does eventually admit to his big-time secrets and why he was running, but damn. I was so thankful to finally find out why he was acting the way he was. For me and for Sesily. I did enjoy their honest talks about not wanting children and what they wanted their HEA to look like.
Sesily is a strong, smart, resourceful woman surrounded by other strong, smart, resourceful women and I love that they have formed this cool girl gang who figures out ways to help people who need help the most. I enjoyed meeting all of them and watching as they make plans on how to bring down the despicable people who are hurting the vulnerable. There’s the mastermind, the spy, the genius who specializes in explosives, and Sesily who uses her reputation to put it all into play. I love these women and can not wait to read their stores and see if their hinted at love interests pan out.
This was a good start to what I’m sure will be a most enjoyable series.
Final grade- B
Feisty girl gang in Victorian London romance. But full of intrigue, grit, mischief, steam, and intelligent women. Not my favorite by MacLean, but for me her books are always a sure bet for pure enjoyment.
Sarah Maclean has done it again! Bombshell is the bomb!
*****
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 2 flames
Genre: Historical / Strong FMC
*****
Finally, we get Sesily’s story and oh what a story it is! Sesily the second oldest of five sisters born to a wealthy coal miner who won his title in a game of cards, has never truly been accepted by the ton, the Soiled S’s is what they are called behind their backs.
Sesily is the only unmarried of the five. She had feelings for a man once, and even expressed her feelings but he didn’t reciprocate. Caleb (the American), her sister Seraphina’s business partner, ran all the way to America after Sesily’s confession, but now he is back in England to help with the bar he and Seraphina own.
In the years since Caleb left, Sesily found her people “a spymaster, a con artist, and a woman who is extremely fond of explosives.” Sesily lives her life unapologetically, as a 30 year old wealthy unmarried woman, she makes her own way, sees who she wants, and has one mission in life...to help those women who are trapped in terrible situations find their freedom. These women are a force to be reckoned with.
“It was a crew if he’d ever seen one. A revolution, clad in rouge and silk.”
Caleb has secrets. Secrets, if discovered, could hurt those he cares about. It’s for this reason that Caleb keeps his distance from everyone, especially the very dangerous, very intelligent, and beautiful Sesily. But, I think Sesily will have something to say about that.
Bombshell was fantastic! This book is filled with favorite characters, new characters, suspense, strong intelligent females, and a storyline that kept me engaged and turning the pages as fast as I could. I simply adored this book. All of it! I can’t wait for the next in the series because it is going to take a special man to tame these belles!
A must read, definite recommendation from me!
*****
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 2 flames
Genre: Historical / Strong FMC
*****
Finally, we get Sesily’s story and oh what a story it is! Sesily the second oldest of five sisters born to a wealthy coal miner who won his title in a game of cards, has never truly been accepted by the ton, the Soiled S’s is what they are called behind their backs.
Sesily is the only unmarried of the five. She had feelings for a man once, and even expressed her feelings but he didn’t reciprocate. Caleb (the American), her sister Seraphina’s business partner, ran all the way to America after Sesily’s confession, but now he is back in England to help with the bar he and Seraphina own.
In the years since Caleb left, Sesily found her people “a spymaster, a con artist, and a woman who is extremely fond of explosives.” Sesily lives her life unapologetically, as a 30 year old wealthy unmarried woman, she makes her own way, sees who she wants, and has one mission in life...to help those women who are trapped in terrible situations find their freedom. These women are a force to be reckoned with.
“It was a crew if he’d ever seen one. A revolution, clad in rouge and silk.”
Caleb has secrets. Secrets, if discovered, could hurt those he cares about. It’s for this reason that Caleb keeps his distance from everyone, especially the very dangerous, very intelligent, and beautiful Sesily. But, I think Sesily will have something to say about that.
Bombshell was fantastic! This book is filled with favorite characters, new characters, suspense, strong intelligent females, and a storyline that kept me engaged and turning the pages as fast as I could. I simply adored this book. All of it! I can’t wait for the next in the series because it is going to take a special man to tame these belles!
A must read, definite recommendation from me!
Wonder how much better this book would have been for me, were it not for the fact that I kept seeing Caleb Calhoun as Greg in "Succession!" Talk about confusing one's genres.