{"id":27576,"date":"2021-08-24T07:42:10","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T11:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=27576"},"modified":"2022-10-16T18:02:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-16T18:02:46","slug":"review-bombshell-by-sarah-maclean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/24\/review-bombshell-by-sarah-maclean\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Bombshell by Sarah MacLean"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-27576\" data-postid=\"27576\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-27576 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bbbcac8 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_49667e8 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7036296 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"336\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/bombshell-sarah-maclean.jpg?resize=336%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-29409\" title=\"bombshell-sarah-maclean\" alt=\"bombshell-sarah-maclean\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/bombshell-sarah-maclean.jpg?w=336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/bombshell-sarah-maclean.jpg?resize=202%2C300&amp;ssl=1 202w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/bombshell-sarah-maclean.jpg?resize=400%2C595&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_a1982ef customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">After years of living as London\u2019s 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\u2026and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0to notice his best friend\u2019s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he\u2019s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him\u2026and the way she talks to him\u2026and the way she\u2019d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019s fast realizing that Sesily isn\u2019t for forgetting\u2026she\u2019s forever. And forever isn\u2019t something he can risk.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_23787e9 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2d1ea91  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25879 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong><br \/>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Aug 24, 2021<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Hell&#8217;s Belles\u00a0<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br \/><br \/>I have been so excited to finally read Caleb and Sesily\u2019s story, and Sarah MacLean did not disappoint! <em><strong>Sarah MacLean<\/strong><\/em> is one of my favourite historical romance authors and each book I read by her is better and better than the last. I love the way that the characters from the other novels pop in and out of the stories in subtle nods.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Bombshell<\/strong> is the story of <strong>Sesily Talbot,<\/strong> one of the \u201csoiled S\u201d sisters, who found themselves thrust into the world of London\u2019s <em>ton<\/em> with little to no training. All of the sisters were often shunned and gossiped about, but none more than Sesily who is extremely beautiful and alluring and refused to settle down and get married like a proper lady. I love a strong female lead, and Sesily is one of the best that I have every read. She understands her privilege and works with it to help others in need and does not ever shy away from a challenge. She is also extremely relatable as a female, in that she professed her love once for a man she adored and was rejected, but she never let that get her down for long and kept doing her best to live her life. I really admire that her journey was not an easy one, and that no matter how many times she faced rejection she found the inner resolve to keep going \u2013 makes me want to be more like her!<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The man in question here is <strong>Caleb Calhoun<\/strong>, an American in England who is close friends with Sesily\u2019s sister and owns a tavern with her. Therefore, there is no escaping Caleb and Sesily seeing each other when he is in town. As much as he tries to avoid her, he cannot deny the attraction they have which keeps pulling them together. Caleb also promised Sesily\u2019s sister that he would watch out for her and keep her out of trouble, so he finds himself closer and closer to her as the days go on.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a reader, you can actually physically feel the chemistry between Caleb and Sesily, it is that palpable. I really enjoyed seeing how both of these strong leads developed throughout the book and how they eventually came together after many trials and tribulations. The banter between the two of them was hilarious and I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the thoughts and conversations they were having. The secondary characters were also amazing and I am excited to read the stories of the others in Sesily\u2019s girl gang. Highly recommend this novel for those who are fans of modern historical romances.\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Harshita<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_eb0616c customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2UJLser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/bombshell\/id1541610771?itsct=books_box_link&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=11l88k&amp;ct=books_bombshell&amp;ls=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/bombshell-sarah-maclean\/1138730845?ean=9780063055841\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/bombshell-36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sarah_MacLean_Bombshell?id=8uYKEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After years of living as London\u2019s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. No one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,106,107,48],"tags":[153,183,305,307,404,405,485],"class_list":["post-27576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avon-books","category-harpercollins","category-harshita","category-reviews","tag-4-5-stars","tag-avon","tag-historical-romance","tag-historicals","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-top-picks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Bombshell by Sarah MacLean - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/24\/review-bombshell-by-sarah-maclean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Bombshell by Sarah MacLean - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After years of living as London\u2019s brightest scandal, Lady Sesily Talbot has embraced the reputation and the freedom that comes with the title. 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No one looks twice when she lures a gentleman into the dark gardens beyond a Mayfair ballroom\u2026and no one realizes those trysts are not what they seem.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">No one, that is, but Caleb Calhoun, who has spent years trying\u00a0<em>not<\/em>\u00a0to notice his best friend\u2019s beautiful, brash, brilliant sister. If you ask him, he\u2019s been a saint about it, considering the way she looks at him\u2026and the way she talks to him\u2026and the way she\u2019d felt in his arms during their one ill-advised kiss.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">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\u2019s fast realizing that Sesily isn\u2019t for forgetting\u2026she\u2019s forever. And forever isn\u2019t something he can risk.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-top-pick-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong><br \/>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Aug 24, 2021<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Hell's Belles\u00a0<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br \/><br \/>I have been so excited to finally read Caleb and Sesily\u2019s story, and Sarah MacLean did not disappoint! <em><strong>Sarah MacLean<\/strong><\/em> is one of my favourite historical romance authors and each book I read by her is better and better than the last. I love the way that the characters from the other novels pop in and out of the stories in subtle nods.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Bombshell<\/strong> is the story of <strong>Sesily Talbot,<\/strong> one of the \u201csoiled S\u201d sisters, who found themselves thrust into the world of London\u2019s <em>ton<\/em> with little to no training. All of the sisters were often shunned and gossiped about, but none more than Sesily who is extremely beautiful and alluring and refused to settle down and get married like a proper lady. I love a strong female lead, and Sesily is one of the best that I have every read. She understands her privilege and works with it to help others in need and does not ever shy away from a challenge. She is also extremely relatable as a female, in that she professed her love once for a man she adored and was rejected, but she never let that get her down for long and kept doing her best to live her life. I really admire that her journey was not an easy one, and that no matter how many times she faced rejection she found the inner resolve to keep going \u2013 makes me want to be more like her!<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The man in question here is <strong>Caleb Calhoun<\/strong>, an American in England who is close friends with Sesily\u2019s sister and owns a tavern with her. Therefore, there is no escaping Caleb and Sesily seeing each other when he is in town. As much as he tries to avoid her, he cannot deny the attraction they have which keeps pulling them together. Caleb also promised Sesily\u2019s sister that he would watch out for her and keep her out of trouble, so he finds himself closer and closer to her as the days go on.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a reader, you can actually physically feel the chemistry between Caleb and Sesily, it is that palpable. I really enjoyed seeing how both of these strong leads developed throughout the book and how they eventually came together after many trials and tribulations. The banter between the two of them was hilarious and I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the thoughts and conversations they were having. The secondary characters were also amazing and I am excited to read the stories of the others in Sesily\u2019s girl gang. Highly recommend this novel for those who are fans of modern historical romances.\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Harshita<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2UJLser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/bombshell\/id1541610771?itsct=books_box_link&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=11l88k&amp;ct=books_bombshell&amp;ls=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/bombshell-sarah-maclean\/1138730845?ean=9780063055841\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/bombshell-36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sarah_MacLean_Bombshell?id=8uYKEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27576"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29411,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576\/revisions\/29411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}