Heartbreaker: A Hell's Belles Novel, Book 2

This was the first Hell's Belles novel I read and WOW. I loved it! It checked all the boxes for me.Excitement/Adventure? Check.Strong FL? Check.Romance? Check.Steamy? Check.First, I LOVE how strong of a character Adelaide is. She's no damsel in distress. If anything, the ML tends to be more of a damsel in distress than her! She's intelligent and witty, but still flawed. She's spent her entire life having to take care of herself, which has made her hesitant to accept help from anyone else. Every interaction is a transaction. Despite her rough upbringing, she still has a heart of gold. Although, she might be a bit too stubborn for her own good. But who can blame her? Life in Lambeth forced her to forge a strong armor to protect herself, but it's not impenetrable.Second, the Duke of Clayborn is not your typical duke. Oh he has a strong sense of righteousness to be sure. However, he's not afraid of fighting for what he believes is right. With passionate speeches in Parliament or with his fists. Whichever is more appropriate at the time. Also, he *sees* Adelaide with all her quirks and still falls for her. He might be a little too stereotypical white knight for some, but I enjoyed him.Third, the steamy bits. If you're looking to add more steam to your life, look no further. These scenes will warm those cold winter nights. I will say, if you're not a fan of long steamy scenes, this book may not be for you.Overall, I loved this book. The pacing was good and the characters felt fleshed out. If I had to critique anything, the only thing would be that the ML was almost too good to be true. I'm looking forward to reading Imogen's story when it's released!TLDR: Excellent read if you're looking for a steamy read with a strong FL and a too-good-to-be-true ML.

This novel is very entertaining and the very definition of "Girl Power". Strong, fascinating female characters along with an original storyline.

This second book in the Hell's Belles series is Adelaide and the Duke of Clayborn's story. First of all, let me say that Henry, the duke, is one strong, swoony, romantic, protective, sexy, loyal, insightful and steadfast hero! He was introduced in the first book when he intervened in a Hell's Belles situation but we don't learn until this book that he's basically been in love with Adelaide for two years. Every woman should have a man who loves her as deeply and truly as Henry loves Adelaide! She thinks no one notices her and that's one reason she's such a good nipper (pickpocket). While that's true when it comes to most others, the duke has watched her closely for a long time because he's attracted to her. So he's figured out things about her and the Belles that others are unaware of. Adelaide is independent, strong, courageous, an excellent match for the duke. But she doesn't see it that way, although she quickly becomes attracted to him, too, when he comes upon her in a compromising (thieving) situation. She is actually the daughter of a crime king. She was rescued from her dismal life under her father's brutal thumb when she's recruited by the Duchess, leader of the Hell's Belles. She's since become a central part of the team. She's on a mission to find an eloping couple when her path collides with Henry's again and they engage in a breakneck journey north to Scotland. Both have secrets. Adelaide's is her unsavory past which she feels makes her unworthy of Henry. Henry has a secret about his past, too. There are several twists and turns to the story but the couple eventually find their HEA. A brief preview of Imogen and Tommy's story is shared, and I can't wait to read it. (Tommy is the Scotland Yard inspector also introduced in the first book.) Plus, I HOPE, I HOPE, I HOPE that there will be a story about the Duchess! She deserves a HEA, too!!!

Fun and super sweet, but lived more for the glimpses of Imogen and her bombs and chemicals than anything else. (Also very steamy)Adelaide gets her book here in the second of Hell's Belles series, and also gets her Duke. Henry Clayborn is only after his father's puzzle box that contains a secret his political rival, Havistock, has hired the infamous gang, The Bully Boys, to steal.Only, the Bully Boy's King is actually Adelaide's father, and somehow not only is the puzzle box in the mix, but also a client of Adelaide, in her role as the Matchbreaker, is determined to protect as she elopes with....Henry Clayborn's younger brother.So they get mixed up in hijinx.Adelaide's big emotional journey is that she isn't good enough-- born to a gangster, bred to be a pickpocket, she doesn't quite believe she's worthy of either the Hells Belle's loyalty or Henry's regard.Henry also hides a secret that means he doesn't feel worthy, either, but thankfully that all blows away quite handily in his desire for Adelaide.While fun, this historical dwells a little too long on Adelaide's feelings of inadequacy, which are believable in terms of her reservations about Henry, but not really believable when pertaining to the Hells Belle's, who literally have her back. (Imogen! Doesn't it feel warm in here?)And sometimes Henry's inner monologues about his warrior princess got a little wearisome. But then some bit of hijinx or Imogen would come into save the day and it was fun again.The next book will be Imogen's...and I literally can't wait. We get a teaser at the end of Adelaide/Henry's story.

The plot and characters in this story should have made for a strong book, but the repetitive inner thought soliloquies about why they shouldn't be together and what their future could or couldn't be, made to book drag. It felt like MacLean was too enamoured with the characters and writing quasi-poetic thought prose to just get on with it.Also, overlooking and not addressing how the Duke would be recieved by the peerage after marrying Adelaide was an omission that left the plot hanging loose.I'm looking forward to the next Hell's Belles and hope it's up to MacLean's usually strong standard.

Como sempre amo os livros de Sarah , esse tbm foi maravilhoso, ansiosa já para o próximo livro... Pena ter que esperar tanto.

Riveting read, loved every page

Ich kann das nächste Buch der Reihe kaum erwarten. Grad im letzten Kapitel hab ich nicht aufhören können zu lachenDie Freundschaft der Bells ist was die Serie besonders macht.

Después de sus últimos dos libros no creo que vuelva a leer nada suyo. Historia absurda e irreal, con personajes poco creíbles más propios del siglo xxi, y cargada de wokismo. Sus primeros libros eran geniales, una pena.