Publication Date: June 23, 2015
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?
Tangled Webs is the perfect example of disappoint after building up a book too much in your mind. I'm being generous and giving this 2 stars. It wasn't a particularly bad book, but it wasn't particularly good either. I just got bored after awhile and didn't really care what was going to happen to anyone. I kept waiting and waiting for something interesting to happen, but nothing ever did (or if it did, it was extremely short-lived.
When I originally picked up this book, the summary made it sound right up my alley. I expected a strong heroine that was tough and didn't take any prisoners. She wouldn't let anyone get in her way. Sadly, that is not what I read. The promises that the summary promoted, did not deliver. Our lead character, Arista/Lady A suffered an identity crisis and couldn't figure out who or what she wanted to be. She was overly-emotional, very easily distracted from her goals by a cute boy, and many times, hypocritical. Ultimately, she was extremely naive and indecisive, which led to many bad decisions. I never felt like I could connect to her character, and she fell flat right away.
The insta-love drove me insane. There is some insta-love I can do, but this was just a no go for me. Apparently there was chemistry between Arista and Grae, but I honestly did not see it. I never saw sparks between them or even a genuine quality to their "relationship." The romance between Arista and Grae wasn't described well at all, and it sometimes felt like an after thought. Much like the rest of the story, it was boring.
There were some interesting parts, but as I said, they were few and far between. This book had a lot of potential, but it just wasn't fully taken advantage of. Overall, this one just wasn't my cup of tea. I can't say I would recommend this book, but others might have better luck.
~Cassie
No to insta-love! That is all. :)
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