Book Review: Tangled Webs by Lee Bross

I rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

Overview: 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?

Review: Big thanks to Disney Book group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Tangled Webs is out today! Happy release day Bross!

This book had my interest at 'London,' from the blurb. I love this time period and historical YA novels. However, the historical element was lost on me. As a setting, it didn't really contribute to the story. Yeah, their were mentions of society and fashion, but what really makes a good historical fiction for me, is taking historical context and weaving it into the story. Unfortunately this book did neither.

All in all, it is well-written. The protagonist is someone you'd root for because she's caring, yet daring, and you get to know her past so that you understand why she's the way she is. The aspect of the double life was also interesting, but throughout the book I wanted a little bit more. I feel like the story line was like coasting. Kind of slow and the big moments not very realized to the reader because it took so long to get there.

Also, don't hold out for the romance, because it's instalove and not very grounded, and I didn't really care for the love interest that much. All in all, I had hoped that this was my kind of book from the blurb, but I think the blurb really set up some disappointment for me.