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Cover of The Tangled Web

The Tangled Web

223 pages

A sparkling, theatrical romp through Regency drawing rooms where absolutely everyone is courting the wrong person.

What it feels like

Reading this book feels like securing a front-row seat to a delightfully chaotic stage play. It is a sparkling, traditional Regency romp that thrives on the sheer absurdity of its own premise, wrapping the reader in a breezy, drawing-room-bright atmosphere. The narrative moves at a brisk, theatrical clip, propelled by arch dialogue, hidden motives, and a cascading series of social blunders. Rather than deep angst or heavy melodrama, the emotional texture here is light, wry, and deeply playful, inviting you to laugh as the romantic knots pull tighter before finally unraveling. It is a perfect, cozy escape for readers who love the crisp wit of Georgette Heyer and the timeless charm of a well-executed comedy of errors.

Mood
  • breezy
  • sparkling
  • drawing-room-bright
Tone
  • wry
  • playful
  • farcical
  • lighthearted
Pace
brisk
Themes
comedic misunderstandings · the absurdity of courtship · romantic deception · social maneuvering
The writing
Arch and dialogue-driven, capturing the crisp, mannered wit of traditional Regency society.
The arc
Begins in a delightful tangle of crossed wires and hidden motives, culminating in a warm, perfectly orchestrated happily-ever-after.
Who it's for
Readers who delight in classic, closed-door Regency romances built on witty banter and Shakespearean comedies of error.
Content notes
  • mild social embarrassment

About the book

"O WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE, WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE!"

Here is the Duke of Chatham, deeply in love with Lady Winship, but supposedly courting her daughter, Mariel, instead. And here is young Algernon Carleton, deeply infatuated with the same Lady Winship, but escorting the same Mariel everywhere!

Add to this Lady Winship's desire to marry her daughter to the duke, and Mariel's determination to marry no one at all.

In the meantime, young John Greeton is beginning to hope he can change Mariel's mind about the happy state of marriage!

Toss in a mischief-maker named George Barton, and mix thoroughly with all of Mariel's social mistakes.

Description from Open Library.

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