Scandalous Sesily is the last of the Talbot girls left unwed, but her heart was captured long ago by her sister’s best friend and business partner, Caleb. Having found purpose as part of a group of vigilante women, Sesily discovers on Caleb’s return that he too has secrets of his own – and a dangerous enemy.
Sarah MacLean’s books can be a hit or miss for me. They have so much to love – smart heroines, dashing heroes, engaging premises and plots, and an early Victorian London seething with an exciting underworld. But I have sometimes found her writing to be too over-the-top or her heroes too hard for my taste.
But this is certainly not the case with Bombshell, in which Sesily and Caleb, both introduced in earlier books, finally get their happily-ever-after. Sesily is an especially compelling heroine. Though I remember feeling ambivalent toward her in previous books, here she springs to life in vivid color, a bold woman with a big heart.
In a sense, Caleb suffers in contrast to her though, as he feels flatter than the heroes we have generally gotten from MacLean in the past. I distinctly remember him being way more cocky before, for one. Though the main subplot centers around him, he didn’t really stand out to me terribly. But the relationship between the two of them was really sweet.
The plot of the vigilante group is enjoyable, and I liked how Sesily and her friends all had their own parts to play in their schemes. I expect the mystery of who is smashing up women-centered spaces in London will continue throughout the books, which I am both excited and impatient for. As the first book in the series, Bombshell has also got to set things up for the next books, and the author does a great job of doing so. The potential heroes and heroines (though of course we already know who they will be!) are likable and present some interesting possible dynamics.
Overall, a strong start to the new series, and I am excited for the next one to be out in August! Adelaide and Clayborn? Yes please!