Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Bombshell

Okay, okay, okay. I LOVED Sesily Talbot and her band of utterly bad ass women. I mean, like, Sesily is GOALS. I really loved her character and how she was written as a strong, independent woman of 30 years old.

AND ONE WHO HAS A FRANK TALK WITH HER SIGNIFICANT OTHER ABOUT NOT WANTING CHILDREN. HOW I NEEDED THIS. GIVE ME MORE BOOKS WITH WOMEN NOT WANTING CHILDREN.</spoiler) I loved the feminist-centric angle of this book and how all the women's worked together to take down the shit men of London. Like, F*CK YES. I NEED MORE.

I must note that I docked 1/2 point each for two things. #1 --Mary Jane Wells was a fantastic narrator for all the characters, <i>especially</i> Sesily. HOWEVER. However. I almost gave up on the audiobook, because the narration of Caleb Calhoun was so <i>cringe</i>. Honestly, British people trying to do American accents is painful on a good day, but this was... Lawd. I just.

It definitely improved once it was revealed that Caleb is actually British, but it was excruciating before then. The voices for the other men were fine, and I especially liked DI Peck's voice.

Anyway, for me, a narrator excels when they manage to nail all the voices, and Caleb's American voice fell short.
#2 -- I've come to realize that in romance novels there's the inevitable conflict and something that temporarily divides our main pairing. Which if fine. I understand. There needs to be some sort of drama to keep the plot going, and this helps our faves grow and evolve. Mmmkay.

Caleb's savior instinct was excruciating at times. So much so that I literally threw my head back and shouted, "LAWD, make it stop." The dude was relentless. I mean, thank F*ck for Sesily and her reasonable faculties, because Caleb brought the drama. I DID love how it was resolved, with Sesily and her gang hustling in to save his sorry ass and him realizing that he and Sesily could be amazing TOGETHER. I appreciated how he finally and truly allowed her to save him and recognized her bad-assery in the process.

All in all, it was a great book. I tried reading the physical book but decided I wanted to experience the audio first. Obviously, that went well except for one character's voice. But the spice was diviiiiiiiine, and the PINING....lord almighty.....the pining. A+++++++ if that's your thing.

ALSO, CONFINED SPACE, HOLY HOTNESS. YOWZA.

Mmmkay, if you like bad ass female characters and historical romances, read this.

Content Warnings

ticktock's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

"Love is nonsense, and you are going to need your girls with you to survive whatever it brings next."

So I have to admit to some foolishness on my part. I picked this up, delighted with the "first in a new series!" advertisement, not understanding it was actually "first in a new spinoff series, deeply embedded in an established world of characters with long, intertwined backstories" so my bad on that front. I wasted a lot of time in the beginning perplexed by shorthand reminders of characters and situations that were all completely new to me. I just figured other lovely fools like myself could use a warning on that front.

But let's get down to the fun of this book. I liked the set-up for the series, which is a team of women using information, craftiness, and occasional explosions to curb men who use their power to harm others. Sesily is this gender-bent rake/vigilante, which brought me great delight. Her wit is SHARP, and I found myself highlighting several one-liners on the off-chance it inspires me to be faster (and cleverer) on the uptake, myself. Sesily's wit, flirtatious nature, and penchant for scandal obviously lent itself to superior banter, as well. My favorite humor was the self-aware jokes that make nods to genre tropes and old standbys. I appreciated that Sesily broke so many barriers, not only through her boldness but also her lack of desire for children (only #1 cool aunt status). There's also something extremely satisfying about a thirty, flirty, and thriving historical heroine rather than a teenage ingenue just loose on the world.

Then we have Caleb. He's an overly dominant, protective alpha man for my tastes. There are no red flags in terms of unbalanced power dynamic or consent issues. In this case, it's merely a case of personal taste. In the last quarter, I did appreciate learning his backstory, but an intriguing background does not a compelling personality make.

This is a romance where I far preferred one lead over another, and I thought the sexual tension was much stronger than the emotional journey. For those reasons, I enjoyed my introduction to this series and to the author in general, but it wasn't my favorite. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the girl gang find their own love stories.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's out now!

Content Warnings

sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

** while this is a standalone novel, and the start of a new series, is best to read, or be familiar with Sarah Maclean's Scandals and Scoundrels series first, particularly Day off the Duchess**

Squee!! So much to enjoy. Worth the wait for this story. I highlighted so many different pages of my ARC (thanks Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review).

If you are a fan of author Sarah MacLean, you won't be disappointed. The longing. The girl hang. Time with Sesily and her sisters. Easter eggs everywhere.

More detailed review after release date.

(Reminder for self: Athena)

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