Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Knockout

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Knockout by Sarah MacLean

9 reviews

distilledreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Sarah MacLean is quickly becoming one of my favourite romance authors which is great, but also not great because I’ve already read through most of her back catalogue. I was so excited for Tommy and Imogen’s story and already I want the fourth Hell’s Belles novel. I adore these ladies and I love the hell they raise, and the men they have by their sides.

Another thing I noticed in this installment was how MacLean describes the colour of everyone’s skin, not just POC, so that white isn’t the “default” colour of someone’s skin. This would be refreshing in any novel, but is especially so in a historical romance.

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susanatherly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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livlamentloathe's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

3.0

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purplepenning's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Ah, Imogen — "a vigilante with a penchant for chemistry and explosives… Perhaps she'd get herself a dog to carry about in her carpetbag. She could call it something delightful. Like Pyroglycerine."

Love these characters but the story was a little slow, repetitive, and predictable for me.

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carbs666's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

The unbeatable Sarah MacLean does it again. Is there anything better than a chaos demon × control freak pairing? No!!! There is not!!
The way I've been WAITING for Tommy and Imogen's book for literal ages. They have an undeniable chemistry that MacLean has expertly built over the past two book in the series, and I love how badly these two are crushing on each other. I love how Imogen knows what she wants and gets it, and her unshakable confidence despite never "fitting in" is really refreshing.
As usual, the internal and external conflict was expertly balanced - the stakes were clear and the cause was noble. I also appreciated that MacLean did the only possible thing you can do when an MC is a cop, which is make him not a cop anymore so he can truly be on the side of justice. Also, the sex was hot fire flames 🔥

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bookbrig's review

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a breezy sweet read, with an extremely lovable main character. Imogen is so much fun, and I really enjoyed the descriptions of her fashion-all the colors made me want to go poking about on museum fashion pages. The story was engaging, even if the main moment of conflict between Imogen and Tommy felt a little flimsy. I think this might be one of my favorites of MacLean's books, though it's been a long time since I've read some of her older series and I'm pretty fuzzy on the details. I also loved the little moment at the end that sets us up for Duchess' story. I'll be looking for that one when it arrives!

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bibliomania_express's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Knockout by Sarah MacLean is the third entry in the Hell's Belles series, and it brings all the banter, charm, danger, and romance you could want. I adored Tommy and Imogen, who have been dancing around each other since book one. Tommy is a detective, torn between law and justice, and trying ever so hard to resist our explosive Imogen because he's low-born. Imogen, meanwhile, has never felt good enough, considered too odd by Society, including her brother. But that doesn't stop her from hunting down a bomber and fighting for what she wants.

The banter between Tommy and Imogen is top notch, and I laughed out loud numerous times. I also liked that this book delves into the meaning of justice and how it intersects with class and gender in different ways. While MacLean's books always feel bright and boisterous, she doesn't shy away from digging into the dark underbelly in a way that reflects our modern landscape.

I had a lot of fun with this book. I did guess the bad guy, but only because a lack of options coupled with the necessary enotional impact made it obvious. I do think the end reveal was a bit rushed.

I'm very intrigued by the final pages and what they hint at for Duchess's book.

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overflowingshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

CW: Sexism; classism; fire/explosions

After being a bit let down by Heartbreaker, I was worried that Knockout wouldn’t live up to the hype. But, oh my god, was this such a fun, exhilarating ride with an explosively sexy romance! I loved the vibes of Tommy and Imogen’s relationship – it feels like Sarah MacLean watched Miss Scarlet and the Duke and thought, “But what if they HAVE SEX?” and I was HERE FOR IT.

Believe the hype – the romance in this is 🔥🔥🔥. I absolutely could not get enough of Tommy and Imogen. They’re both so far gone for each other, and I LOVED how she could perfectly get under his skin and push his buttons. The chemistry and banter between them was electric, and I was living for the scenes with the two of them. Tommy has no idea what he’s in for with Imogen, as she’s constantly trying his patience, but we all know he secretly loves her. But once they kiss, there is no denying the explosion between them. This book is incredibly sexy, as Imogen and Tommy want each other so badly, but it’s also incredibly romantic. The emotions between them were so genuine, lush, and raw. The relationship developed perfectly, and seeing these two fall in love and find their perfect match felt exhilarating.

Tommy really does go BOOM 💥 in this book. Tommy has this perfectly ordered life and thrives on routine, yet Imogen tends to bring chaos, disorder, and the unexpected with her. He’s thoroughly exasperated by Imogen but in the best possible way. And Tommy cannot help but be intrigued by her as he knows she is brilliant and she’s helped him with a case more than once. He’s got a very strong moral compass and believes in justice, and wants to help those who need it. Growing up in the East End of London, he’s worked hard to get to where he is as one of the best Detective Inspectors in Scotland Yard. He’s got this hard and rigid exterior, but he so easily comes undone by Imogen. I also loved how protective and loyal he is to those he cares about, even if that does get tested. However, I also wanted to shake him at times as he gets it into his head that he is so inferior to Lady Imogen and she would never want a man like him. He’s so stubborn on this point, and I was just like, BOY, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT because Imogen is the last person in the world who cares about class.

I was so excited to learn more about Imogen, as she always was a bit on the periphery in the other books in the series. We knew she had a knack for explosives and tended to show up in the most unlikely situations, but I couldn’t wait to dive into her backstory. I absolutely loved her once I got to know her. Imogen’s always been told she’s “too much” and odd. My heart ached for a bit as she was on her own after her father died, as her brother is 100% the opposite of her and seems to take no interest in her. It wasn’t until she found the Belles that she found her place. There is no denying that Imogen is brilliant, and if she was a man, she would have been celebrated instead of looked down upon for her scientific interests. I love how hard she is willing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and how strongly she believes in the work she is doing with the Belles. And I am so glad she found Tommy, as he’s never seen her as “too much” and loves her for exactly who she is.

Outside our main couple, I loved all the scenes we got with the rest of the Belles. I felt Heartbreaker was missing some of that, and it was so good to see the friendship and camaraderie between these women. That friendship is really at the heart of the series, as all four of our gals are outsiders in their own way, but they’ve found their family together. I also adored seeing Caleb and Clayborn again and how seamlessly they fit into the group. Tommy’s about to be the perfect addition to the group.

Now outside the romance, I loved the plot of this! We get a bit of mystery as Tommy and the Belles are trying to figure out who is behind three explosions of businesses that were secretly helping women and others in need. I loved how seamlessly the mystery and romance were intertwined in this – neither seemed to overpower the other. The plot also helped reinforce the Miss Scarlet and the Duke vibes for me (if you’ve seen season 1, the mystery will feel a bit familiar in the end). I also thought the story’s pacing was spot on in this book – the action heightened the tension at times, but the story also knew when to slow down and take a beat to let the emotional moments shine. And oh my gosh, that ending makes me so excited for the final book in the series, as I cannot wait to learn more about the Duchess.

Like most of MacLean’s recent books, this is a thoroughly feminist and empowering story. Her work definitely feels more modern than some other authors, but I don’t mind that. I love how she draws inspiration from real women in history who were fighting for equal rights and protections of marginalized communities – things we are, unfortunately, still fighting for today – as it helps to show that these are not modern ideals plopped in a historical setting.

Knockout was hot, it was emotional, it was action-packed, and it was everything I wanted from a Sarah MacLean novel. I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this, and I could not wait to sit down and read each night. I had a massive grin on my face the whole time while reading it. Sarah MacLean delivered a worthy story for Tommy and Imogen – fans of the series who have been waiting for their book will NOT be disappointed.

Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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uranaishi's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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