Heartbreaker, p.37
Heartbreaker,
p.37
“Mmm,” she said, her arms twining around his neck. “All excellent reasons.”
“You’re mine, Adelaide Frampton,” he whispered at her ear, low and dark like a gift. “As someone once said to me, he who finds, keeps.”
“Mmm,” she said, threading her fingers through his soft, lovely hair. “But I found you, if you’ll remember.”
He kissed the smile from her lips until she sighed her pleasure and said, “Alright then. You found me . . . but I’m keeping you . . .”
Any argument she might have had was lost in another kiss. And another. And another . . .
Acknowledgments
Two years into a global pandemic, it’s not too much to say that romance novels have kept me going. It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me outside of my books that the lion’s share of my joy comes from this genre I adore. Reading romance gives me a daily reminder that the world runs on hope, and writing romance—especially the Hell’s Belles—over the last two years, has given me a constant, hopeful escape to a world where beautiful, brilliant, deeply extra people are able to live beautiful, brilliant, deeply extra lives.
But the wild thing is this: in all the years I’ve been writing historicals, I’ve never once had an idea that I could not find at least a glimmer of evidence for in history, and the Hell’s Belles are no different. Several years ago, I discovered The Forty Elephants, an all-woman crime ring and the largest shoplifting ring the United Kingdom would ever see. The Forties were born into a world that taught them early to steal to survive—and those who rose through their ranks not only survived, but thrived for nearly a century.
Without the wild, wonderful stories of The Forty Elephants, I would never have imagined the Hell’s Belles, with their far-reaching network of scouts and spies and partners who know their way around highwaymen (and women), church brawls, and pickpockets. The Bully Boys are inspired by the men’s half of The Forty Elephants—the Elephant and Castle gang—which predated the Forties but didn’t come with furs and fashion and a queen of their own. For more on both gangs, do not miss Brian McDonald’s Alice Diamond and the Forty and Gangs of London.
Adelaide herself was inspired by the gorgeous collection of Horace Warner’s photographs of Spitalfields Nippers, collected and published by Spitalfields Life Books. The puzzle box Henry’s father designed was inspired by the beautiful boxes crafted by Craig Thibodeau, to whom I am so grateful for hours of videos and explanations.
As always, I owe a tremendous debt to the Museum of London, the British Library, and the New York Public library for endless rabbit holes of research . . . even during a global pandemic. Hug your closest research librarian.
2021 made me more and more grateful for dear friends, whom I would happily fight alongside any time they need it. First, thank you to Kate Clayborn and Megan Frampton for generous use of their names—you are the best of the absolute best, and I hope I did you proud. This book would not exist without Louisa Edwards, Sophie Jordan, Jen Prokop, Adriana Herrera, Joanna Shupe, Christina Lauren, Meghan Tierney, and Erin Leafe—each one of whom believed in it before I did. Special thanks to Kennedy Ryan, who dragged me over the finish line . . . again.
Thank you to the amazing team at Avon Books, which continues to make books happen despite paper shortages and printing delays and pandemics. Thank you to Carrie Feron, Asanté Simons, Brittani DiMare, Brittani Hilles, DJ DeSmyter, Jennifer Hart, Eleanor Mickuki, Jeanne Reina, Liate Stehlik, Bridget Kearney, Christine Edwards, Carla Parker, Andy LeCount, Kristine Macrides, Fritz Servatius, Rachel Levenberg, Stefanie Lindner, and Jessica Montany.
Rounding out this truly excellent gang are Holly Root, Kristin Dwyer, Alice Lawson, and Linda Watson—I’m so grateful for each of you.
Thank you to my loves, V and Kahlo, who are sweet and funny and never fail to cheer me on when I need it, and Eric, who always tolerates my chaos and sometimes finds it charming. To my sister, Chiara, who is on my couch right now, as I write this, the most patient of houseguests—you can finally read it!
And this is all before I get to you, Dear Reader! The books are just words until you read them . . . thank you for bringing Adelaide and Clayborn to life. I can’t wait for you to see Imogen and Tommy burn up the pages next year!
About the Author
A life-long romance reader, SARAH MACLEAN wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romances translated into more than twenty languages and the co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast Fated Mates. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, Sarah lives in New York City.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
By Sarah MacLean
Hell’s Belles
Bombshell
Heartbreaker
The Bareknuckle Bastards
Wicked and the Wallflower
Brazen and the Beast
Daring and the Duke
Scandal & Scoundrel
The Rogue Not Taken
A Scot in the Dark
The Day of the Duchess
The Rules of Scoundrels
A Rogue by Any Other Name
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover
Love by Numbers
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart
The Season
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
heartbreaker. Copyright © 2022 by Sarah Trabucchi. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition AUGUST 2022 ISBN: 978-0-06-305588-9
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-305678-7
Cover design by Amy Halperin
Cover illustration by Alan Ayers
Cover images © Depositphotos Inc.; azzardo © 123RF.COM
Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Books & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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Sarah MacLean, Heartbreaker
