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thefatpaperback's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
This is my first historical romance read, and I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. If you like stories of women taking down men who go unpunished for their crimes and abuse, you’ll likely enjoy this read! It wasn’t 5 stars for me because while this is the first book in the “hell’s belles” series, there is a lot of focus on Sera and Mal’s characters and relationship, and having not read that book from a separate series I felt like I was missing vital information about the relationship between Sera and this book’s hero, Caleb. That could be viewed as my fault for not researching before picking out this book, but I thought I’d be good to dive in since this is a separate series. There was a learning curve for me in reading historical for the first time, and having this extra level of confusion just made some parts of the book seem slow and unnecessary. But still, a GREAT read. And while I don’t know if I’ll go back and read books from that other series, I’ll definitely continue the Hell’s Belle’s series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Body horror, Grief, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Infidelity and Classism
sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
** while this is a standalone novel, and the start of a new series, is best to read, or be familiar with Sarah Maclean's Scandals and Scoundrels series first, particularly Day off the Duchess**
Squee!! So much to enjoy. Worth the wait for this story. I highlighted so many different pages of my ARC (thanks Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review).
If you are a fan of author Sarah MacLean, you won't be disappointed. The longing. The girl hang. Time with Sesily and her sisters. Easter eggs everywhere.
More detailed review after release date.
(Reminder for self: Athena)
Squee!! So much to enjoy. Worth the wait for this story. I highlighted so many different pages of my ARC (thanks Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review).
If you are a fan of author Sarah MacLean, you won't be disappointed. The longing. The girl hang. Time with Sesily and her sisters. Easter eggs everywhere.
More detailed review after release date.
(Reminder for self: Athena)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Sexism
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