A review by jcpdiesel21
Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

3.5

Fun! Since I'm not an avid reader of historical romance, I didn't get hung up on the many anachronisms here and simply enjoyed the ride that the story provides. Sesily is an enjoyable central character with an abundance of brains, beauty and sass, and her chemistry with Caleb positively sizzles, leading to many memorable interactions and scenes. After a while I began to tire of the way that their romance fell into a repetitive pattern of Caleb disappearing once he and Sesily started to become closer, but the reveal of his secret shed welcome light on why this was necessary, even if his penchant for acting as a martyr to keep others from harm became annoying. I enjoyed this group of badass women teaming up to take down nefarious men, even if they are clearly modeled on a combination of Charlie's Angels and The A-Team; there is even a line of dialogue late in the book very similar to the latter's memorable "I love it when a plan comes together." Given the seeds planted for future installments, I wouldn't mind continuing on with this series.

Random note: Mary Jane Wells does an amazing job narrating the audiobook, switching seamlessly between British and American accents and using distinct vocal tones and inflections to capture the essence of both Sesily and Caleb. However, I've clearly been spoiled by dual and duet narration because it's always a disappointment when stories with multiple perspectives have only one narrator.