Welcome back, Romanceaholics!
If you like your historical romances served hot, dirty, and laced with revenge plots, then Sarah MacLean’s Bareknuckle Bastards series is about to become your new obsession.
We’re talking secret identities, wallflowers turned temptresses, feminist heroines who throw punches and shade, and brooding heroes who could ruin you with one smolder.
This trilogy is bold, brash, and unapologetically sensual a full-throttle ride through London’s glittering ballrooms and its dangerous underbelly.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
Book 1: Wicked and the Wallflower
Sparks, Schemes, and a Scoundrel Named Devil
You had me at “mysterious stranger in her bedchamber.” Felicity Faircloth is the kind of heroine who refuses to fade into the wallpaper.
Spinster? Maybe. Boring? Absolutely not.
She makes a deal with a literal underworld prince named Devil, yes, really, and from there, it’s all corsets, chaos, and chemistry.
Book 2: Brazen and the Beast
Lady Hattie Sedley: Certified Scene-Stealer and Total Badass
This is the book that had me standing on my chair yelling, “YES, QUEEN!”
Lady Henrietta Sedley, aka Hattie, is reclaiming her life, her body, and her future, one bold decision at a time. She’s planning her “Year of Hattie,” and she kicks it off by finding a literal king of Covent Garden Beast, sigh, tied up in her carriage.
Book 3: Daring and the Duke
Revenge, Redemption, and a Right Hook to the Feels
Grace Condry is not here for your tragic Duke redemption arc until she is. Raised in the shadows, she’s built an empire, crowned herself queen, and is ready to wreck the man who betrayed her.
Too bad, Ewan. Yes, the Duke is back, determined to grovel his way into her cold, furious heart.
This final book gives us the showdown we’ve been waiting for with stakes that are more emotional than violent. There’s so much history between these two that you can taste the regret and longing.
What Works Across the Series
- Strong, sensual heroines
Each leading lady, from Felicity the clever wallflower, to Hattie the business boss, to Grace the underground queen, is her own damn force of nature.
They’re not waiting for permission. They’re claiming what’s theirs.
- Swoon-worthy, broken-but-beautiful heroes
Devil, Beast, and Ewan may be bastards, but they’re your new favorite bastards.
Each man is layered, complicated, and more than ready to drop to his knees, both literally and metaphorically, for the woman who brings him to heel.
- Found family & fierce loyalty
Underneath all the steam and scandal is a surprisingly emotional core about loyalty, trauma, and healing.
The Bastards’ bond is just as compelling as the romances, maybe more.
- Feminist fire
This isn’t your grandma’s historical romance. Women have power, voice, and agency, and they use them.
These heroines walk into male-dominated worlds and own them.
Where It Falters (Slightly)
- Slow middles. Each book sags just a bit mid-way, as secrets stew a little too long before boiling over.
Most Memorable Moments
- Felicity bargaining with the literal Devil and winning more than she bargained for
- Hattie storming into men’s territory and rewriting the rules
- Grace walking back into Ewan’s life like a damn storm wrapped in silk
Each book delivers at least one unforgettable mic-drop moment that’ll have you fanning yourself with one hand and fist-pumping with the other.
So, How Does the Series Stack Up?
Compared to other historical romances, the Bareknuckle Bastards feel gritty, modern, and ferociously feminist. MacLean doesn’t just give us dukes and dances, she provides us heroines who fight, men who fall on their knees, and love stories that burn slow and deep.
Each book builds on the last, and while they can be read separately, the payoff is so much sweeter when you follow the series from start to finish.
The Bareknuckle Bastards series is not your typical historical romance.
The Bareknuckle Bastards series is not afraid to get dirty, emotionally and literally.
The Bareknuckle Bastards series is not one you want to miss.
Should You Read It?
If you love:
- Dark historical romance with edge and elegance
- Emotionally complex heroes who aren’t afraid to fall apart
- Heroines with ambition, attitude, and agency
- Steam that simmers until it scorches
Then yes. A thousand times, yes. The Bareknuckle Bastards series is a knockout blend of grit, glamour, and glorious groveling.
Sarah MacLean didn’t just write a romance series, she wrote a revolution in ruffles. So, if you’re a Romanceaholic who likes your dukes dirty, your heroines daring, and your love stories deliciously dangerous…
Have you read the Bareknuckle Bastards series? Who’s your favorite bastard? Let’s fight it out in the comments, babes.
