Welcome to Litsy!

#FirstLineFriday @ShyBookOwl

I'm about halfway through and really enjoying this book!

Series won't be hard as I am currently reading book one in the Hell's Belles series. And I have several new books in series that I am eagerly awaiting my library to process.
Perpetual challenge is an ongoing personal book challenge. For instance, I have a list of all the Stephen King and Louis L'Amour books and am slowly working my way through them. Also, I want to read on my 50 States 50 Books list. Then there's presidential bios I want to read⬇️

The third Hell's Belles book is coming out in a few days, so I KNOW y'all want yarn pairings.

Here's one for Bombshell, book one! This colourway is called “Everything Changed Me“. It's by Blue Barn Fiber and comes on the yarn base of your choice.

#booksandyarn

Lady Sesily Talbot has a well-earned scandalous reputation and the freedom that comes with a title. Nobody realizes that she uses it for good rather than evil.
When Caleb Calhoun comes back into her life, things get complicated and it doesn‘t take long for Caleb to realize there is more to Sesily than he originally thought.
Finished 2/4/2022

Meh. I‘ve quickly discovered that when MacLean runs out of obstacles to keep the two apart to keep the tension, she simply repeats the same thing over and over again. I found the same thing in Heartbreaker. This endless repetition is one of the reasons why the romance part fails for me.

Clearly this author isn‘t for me. 2 stars.

5 stars for the narrator, Mary Jane Wells.

Book 6 for #winterreadathon

1) Tagged. Finished earlier today.

2) FairyLoot and OwlCrate. They are both YA book boxes.

3) No, but I like Christmas themed romances.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

The female A-Team of Regency London. 😁

This is book 1, I read book 2 with #LittensLoveRomance

I can't wait for book 3.

Tbh, Caleb is not my favorite leading man, but I am Actually In Love with Sesily and the Hell's Belles, so it's still got full marks from me. #historicalromance

Finally giving Sarah MacLean a second chance! I read A Scot in the Dark several years ago when I was new to the genre and really disliked it, but since then I've found more historical romance authors that I do like. Really glad I picked this one up bc it's great so far! Might even be a new historical romance fave...🤔

It‘s been a long time since I picked up a historical romance. I‘ve been a long time fan of this author and reading this reminded me how much I love historical romance! Truly enjoyed this book! #romantsy #100readchallenge #readingchallenge2022

I finished BOMBSHELL while put in some more work on Fox Face Mitten #2! (This is the palm, which I don‘t think I‘ve shown y‘all before.) I had a great time with this story of early Victorian society women who‘ve teamed up to see justice done in situations where the law is disinclined to act. #audioknitting #NewYearWhoDis

1. I made butternut squash soup! Flavour‘s great (I used coconut milk and green curry paste), but it needs another trip through the blender before my next bowl.

2. I‘m a fair ways into BOMBSHELL, my third #NewYearWhoDis book! I really like the story, but I‘m glad I have it on audio because there‘s something about Sarah MacLean‘s prose that doesn‘t quite click for me. I recognize the technical skill, but I find it a little… breathy? #audiocooking

Took me a little longer to get into than some of her other stories but I enjoyed it. Sarah MacLean never disappoints.

Continuing with my skipping ahead…my #august pick for #12booksof2021 is Bombshell by Sarah MacLean. August was a rough month, apparently, that I stuffed with rereads, comfort reads, and light things. 🤷🏻‍♀️

OMG @StayCurious I can‘t even say thank you enough! The gifts were amazing , as well as the book! But that STOCKING! I can‘t believe how much work you put into that. 😍😍😍😍😍 🦕🦖🎄❤️❤️❤️
It is amazing and I love it! Thank you a million times over. !!!! #stockingswap #poutinepenpals @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego

I really enjoyed this one, though I would have loved to know more about the activities the Duchess's band of activist women gets up to. Maybe that's coming in the next book?

Also, having a heroine called Sesily (with the soubriquet of Sexily) is inspired!
#romantsy

Kindle screenshot

While not my favorite of MacLean‘s I have read, I still found myself looking for more household chores I could do to finish the book! Romance and danger and strong females kicking some butt…perfect combination. I also like Mary Jane Wells‘ narrations, so was happy to hear her reading this one.

I am bummed that this was a disappointment. I love Sarah MacLean and her modern takes on period romance. The girl gang concept of this book is great, it‘s just that honestly this was kind of boring. The hero was just bland, and I almost DNF‘d. I am giving this a so-so because there are some great characters and I am intrigued enough to continue the series. 3⭐️ Another #bookspinbingo square too.

Some books are perfect. This is one.

“When the stilt-walker approached, Sesily Talbot realized someone was toying with her.”

#FirstLineFridays

When the stilt-walker approached, Sesily Talbot realized someone was toying with her. #firstlinefridays #firstlineFriday #romance #romantsy

Another fantastic one from MacLean! She was my first romance novelist and continues to be my absolute favorite. This was one was exciting with high stakes and a very, um, giving hero 😅 I also loved a minor element that I‘ve maybe never seen before in a historical romance - will tag as a spoiler in a comment below. #romantsy

Fantastic! May be my favorite MacLean book yet; I love this girl gang! Can‘t wait for the next in the series!

MacLean does it again with another smart and steamy start to a romance series—this time following a Victorian vigilante girl gang. With vibrant interior and exterior worlds, this, if you haven‘t read yet, would be a great way to spend part of the long weekend. https://youtu.be/cH5aXSiCXaw

Nothing better than a Sarah Maclean romance. Loved her books - love the strong feminist characters and the steamy scenes! Highly recommend! Can‘t wait for the the others In this series!

Last night I was deep into my book only to realize I had mass market ink thumb. Please tell me others deal with this too.

Making a start in the new Sarah MacLean before romance book club to talk about Benedict and Colin Bridgerton.

After a really long week, a comfort read is just what I need!

So excited for this one!! I‘ve been waiting all year for this! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

My recent #bookhaul purchase from Tattered Cover and Katy Budget Books (mail order). Gotta keep ‘em coming!

Softer and sweeter than I expected. Sure, there was mayhem; this is a book about a girl gang, after all. And there's Sarah's signature feminism subverting traditional characterizations of women in historical romance. Add the inclusion of queer and minority side characters to the quartet of powerful heroines plus an actual explosion and you'll get a book that lives up to its title. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sarah MacLean has outdone herself with Bombshell! I don‘t even know where to begin. It‘s hot and hilarious, full of fantastic characters, including women who know what they want, aren‘t afraid to go after it, and do good in the process of being so, so bad, and a truly hateful villain. If you enjoy historical romances, this one is an absolute delight from start to finish. I can‘t wait for the rest of the Hell‘s Belles to get their chaotic HEAs.

Look what arrived today! All the way from the US and still here with me in the UK ahead of actual official publication day. So excited to read this.

SHE‘S HERE!!!!!!!! 💣Hello Sesily!

Work day is done and everything else is canceled.

I have today off. I'm waiting for the vet to call to let me know Peri's out of surgery. She had a few small growths removed from around her eye. Took care of them before they got to big, especially the two on her eyelid.🐕
In the meantime, I'm reading this beautiful ARC.