Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean, narrated by Mary Jane Wells. Great narration and a cracking story.

When I heard that Heartbreaker was a road trip book where the love interests were together for most of the story and that Mary Jane Wells was narrating, I knew this would be a good first Sarah MacLean historical for me to try. Until now I’ve only listened to one other MacLean – a novella length contemporary – A Duke Worth Falling For – which I reviewed here as well. I was not disappointed.

Heartbreaker is the second book in the Hell’s Belles series but it stands alone well. I didn’t have any trouble following the story at all and there were precious few spoilers for the prior book too, for extra bonus points.

Adelaide Frampton (aka Addie Trumbull) grew up in Lambeth, the daughter of the leader of the local gang, the Bulls. That didn’t make her protected or pampered. Instead, she was required to earn her keep by picking pockets and she became a most excellent “South Bank nipper”. After she’s grown up, her father, Alfie Trumbull, arranges to give her in marriage to the leader of a rival gang – the Boys – in order to unite the two groups. Adelaide isn’t keen on the match but doesn’t have much choice. However, at the wedding ceremony it’s clear that a takeover is planned – by her would-be-husband over Alfie’s gang or vice versa – and in the violent fracas (which ends with Alfie the victor and king of the merged “Bully Boys”) she is offered an escape by a mysterious woman.

That woman is Duchess of Trevescan, the leader of what will become the Hell’s Belles.

Five years later, when the main action of the book begins, Adelaide is well established in London society as a distant relative of the duchess and is close with her and the other Belles – Imogen and Sesily. The women have a powerful network of informants and helpers all over England, their goal to take down powerful men who, without their interference, would face no consequences for their terrible actions.

In Sarah MacLean’s Victorian England, a group of overtly feminist women are kicking arse and taking names. It’s fun to read about and obviously influenced by modern (and current) sensibilities. Heartbreaker is not designed and doesn’t promise to be truly authentic to the period.

The Belles’ network includes some rather improbable conveniences but it worked for the story and I was having a good time so it didn’t bother me other than that I noticed them.

Adelaide and the Belles are involved in a plan to take down the Marquess of Havistock, an evil man who makes money from child labour (something quite legal at the time, the story notes) and who has various other nefarious activities. His daughter, Helene, witnessed her father murder another peer and if the Belles can protect Helene long enough to bring the matter before the law, this time, Havistock is going down.

Helene however, has other plans, which put the Belle’s to scrambling. She is in love with Jack Carrington, the younger brother of the Duke of Clayborn. Rather than hide at the Duchess of Trevescan’s house, she and her beloved elope to Gretna. Hired by Havistock, members of the Bully Boys are following. If they’re caught, Helene’s life is forfeit and probably Jack’s too and Havistock will likely get away with it all.

Adelaide follows to ensure Helene and Jack’s safety but on the pretence of stopping the match (her alter ego being “the Matchbreaker”). The duke follows to stop Adelaide from stopping the wedding – he knows nothing of the Belle’s plans for Havistock and the other context around the pursuit – so as to ensure his younger brother’s happiness.

Thus the promised road trip begins, with Adelaide and Clayborn sparring (verbally) and trying their best to one-up the other. Mostly it is Adelaide who is the victor.

As it happens, Clayborn has had his eye on Adelaide for the past couple of years. He thinks she’s beautiful and clever. He’s even noticed her nimble fingers picking ton pockets a time or two and that hasn’t put him off. Adelaide for her part, admires Clayborn’s staunch advocacy in the House of Lords to end child labour but thinks him rude personally as a result of some interactions they’ve had on social occasions. (Of course, Clayborn had his reasons.)

Over the course of their journey, their latent attraction comes to the fore but a HEA for them seems impossible. Adelaide is the daughter of a criminal – indeed she is one herself. She still picks pockets (only for good, not evil these days). The duke has his own secret which led him to vow never to marry but even leaving that aside, he’s a duke.

However, in this universe there is a way for them to be together and over the course of their whirlwind romance (about 10 days I think) the barriers are brought out, considered, strategized upon and, eventually surmounted. It is, after all, a romance novel.

Mary Jane Wells is a favourite narrator (I have a lot of them, it’s true – I contain multitudes) and I knew I was in safe hands with her. As expected, she gave a very enjoyable performance, with good accent work, character voices, emotion and pacing. I had some mixed feelings about the character voice she gave Adelaide. Clearly, Ms. Wells wanted to make each of the Belle’s distinct. This left Adelaide with a bit of a wobble in her voice – the kind I associate with difficult spinsters from Jane Austen movie adaptations – so it took me a little while to get into the groove with it. However, Adelaide herself won me over and by about a third into the book I just accepted the voice as “her”. On the other hand, Ms. Wells’ tones for Clayborn, while familiar, were very very good.

There were a few occasions where Clayborn’s voice was used when it should have been Adelaide’s or vice versa and there was one time where there was a clear error but I don’t know whether it was the text or the narration. Otherwise however, Mary Jane Wells delivered a great performance and remains high on my list of favourite narrators of historical romance.

I’m very much looking forward to Imogen’s book which I think must be next. I believe she will be giving a certain police officer from Scotland Yard continued indigestion and it promises to be glorious. I can’t help but wonder if the mysterious Duke of Trevescan may turn up in book four?

Heartbreaker was a lot of fun. I think I need to check out book one, Bombshell, soon.

Grade: A