Tangled Webs #1 by Lee Bross

Published: June 23rd 2015 Disney Hyperion

London, 1725. Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours—for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.

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?

Being the obsessive Pretty Little Liars fan that I am, when I read the synopsis and saw the mention of secrets and the name, Lady A–my mind immediately flashed to a PLL masquerade and the almighty villainess/villain? 

Rest assured, this book is completely original and any comparison to PLL in the storyline is virtually non-existent.I must admit, I was quite taken back with how much I loved this book. There have been a few books I read this summer that I finished and thought, wow that was great then found myself passing it along to a friend, knowing I would never read it again.

Tangled Webs, will definitely never leave my possession. It is a book I will return to again over the coming months/years.

The world of London was crafted so brilliant it felt as though I was watching a film, the whole world coming to life in front of me. I loved Bross’ style of prose. At times minimalistic, and in appropriate times over-the-top and gorgeous.

I am a steampunk fanatic and this book was just the fix I needed.

I am not a reader that flocks to romance. I was very pleased that the romance elements didn’t overpower or take away from the true mystery and thrilling aspects of the story. There was enough of each element to make the story appeal to a universal audience.

Bross really knows how to reel a reader in with her dynamic characters. Lady A is one fierce protagonist. I enjoyed watching Arista transform from low-class, to the mighty powerful Lady A. Yes, Lady A is a criminal, but sometimes it is appealing to read about a naughty girl instead of the typical ‘bad boy’ in YA fiction.

Arista is one of my favourite female protagonists. She is clever, sly–and brave. She puts others first–always. She has had a terrible past, and well to be frank, her present is pretty awful too, but she is motivated for change and one of the driving forces for that motivation is to better the lives of those she cares about.

This is a great historical read. The reader is not bombard with facts, the era is mostly just used for atmosphere. Engaging and exciting. A book I recommend to all my book buddies.

I just learned there will be a companion book! JOY! JOY! JOY! 😀