She helps women escape or avoid abusive relationships, holds her own in a bar fight, and has been known to transport dead bodies when called for. After honing her skills for violence and mischief, Sesily is prepared to handle a variety of scenarios. And rightly so.Īfter Caleb fled from her the first time, two years before this story begins, Sesily was recruited by the Duchess of Trevescan to become involved in a group pursuing, on a broad level, women’s independence. Not only is she getting severly mixed messages from Caleb about his intentions – he almost flees back to America after a night with her – but she’s also wary of what involvement with him would mean for her activities with the women’s network. While Caleb’s reasons for avoiding a relationship with Sesily remain obscure until almost the end of the book (so I will avoid ruining the surprise here), Sesily is clear about her reservations. The two begin to circle each other, with each new confrontation bringing them ever closer despite their efforts to stay apart. Like the opening bell of a wrestling match, that kiss seems to signal the start of all the action. Caleb seeks Sesily out at a ball on his very first night back, and she manages to kiss him during the same encounter. Those resolutions don’t last long, however. As the book opens, Caleb is returning to England for a visit after two years away, hoping he can resist the temptation to pursue Sesily, while Sesily is busy working with the Hell’s Belles and trying to forget Caleb exists. Sesily likewise quickly fell for Caleb when they met in The Day of the Duchess, but was hurt when he fled home to America rather than spend more time with her and explore their mutual interest. Caleb is a friend of Sesily’s sister Seraphina and quickly fell for Sesily upon meeting her, but holds himself back from acting on his feelings for a mysterious reason. From the first page, it’s obvious where things stand: Sesily Talbot and Caleb Calhoun pine for each other. While Bombshell clearly builds on events from prior books, it stands alone as the start to a new series and shouldn’t pose a problem for any new readers. Instead we discover she’s leading a secret life as part of a network of free-thinking women with hopefully many more stories to come in the new Hell’s Belles series. Revisiting characters from previous books – most notably The Day of the Duchess – she finally delivers a love story for Sesily Talbot, the remaining ‘Soiled S’ Talbot sister left unmarried.

Sarah MacLean opens a new series with a bang in Bombshell.

Bombshell maclean