From Goodreads: Lady A is the most
notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to
disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events
collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London - secrets. But
leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a
sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive
master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through
the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his
pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan
Wild, the infamous Thief Taker General who moves seamlessly between the
city's criminal underworld and its most elite upper circles. Arista
partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money
to buy passage out of London. Everything changes when she meets
Graeden Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the
world, has seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her
whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is - not for what she can do
for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that
she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the
life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you
ever truly escape the past?
My Rating: 2 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: When I decided to read Lee Bross’ Tangled
Webs, I thought I’d be getting a story with a badass heroine. Instead, I got a protagonist
who was constantly thinking about romance!
Right from the start, I had a bad feeling about Arista as a character.
In chapter 1, for example, rather than being focused on her job, Arista daydreams
about what it would be like to kiss her bodyguard and best friend, Nic – that
is, until she meets a mysterious stranger who she instantly connects with. From
here on, the story became one of insta-love with a bit of a love triangle
thrown in. Unfortunately, the hardened street rat I was expecting never showed
up!
In addition, although Tangled Webs’ setting was London in 1725, there was very little detail
devoted to the setting. This story could have easily been set elsewhere or in
another time period and still remained the same.
Tangled Webs was released by Disney Hyperion in June 2015.
Comments About the
Cover: I like how if you look closer at the cover, you can
see little illustrations of things that are significant in the book.
In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Disney Book Group) for free via NetGalley.
