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Allan's Miscellany #3
A Tangled Web: Allan's Miscellany 1846
Lawrence Pelham works as a comic artist for the magazine Allan's Miscellany. A chance meeting with a young woman dressed in mourning changes Pel's whole life, and without his even knowing, he is thrown into a world of mystery and intrigue, where nothing is as it seems to be - especially not the woman he has given his heart to.
Her whole life Sarah Browne has been told how plain she is, how nondescript, destined to become an old maid. For years she has been her family's dutiful nursing maid, but now a secret inheritance and an encounter with the charming Mr. Pelham seem to offer her a chance to break out of her life of duty and drudgery - if she dares to take it. Yet how could such an interesting, witty man be possibly interested in her boring self?
And so, Sarah soon find herself entangled in a web of lies and deceit, which might even cost her the love of her life.
Her whole life Sarah Browne has been told how plain she is, how nondescript, destined to become an old maid. For years she has been her family's dutiful nursing maid, but now a secret inheritance and an encounter with the charming Mr. Pelham seem to offer her a chance to break out of her life of duty and drudgery - if she dares to take it. Yet how could such an interesting, witty man be possibly interested in her boring self?
And so, Sarah soon find herself entangled in a web of lies and deceit, which might even cost her the love of her life.
- GenresHistorical
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2014
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Schwab
24 books77 followersSandra Schwab has been delighting readers with her unusual historical romances since 2005. She particularly likes the quirky bits of history, so in her books, you’ll find Roman pet eels, Regency gentlemen with green hair, and medieval tournaments in Victorian Britain. She writes both m/m and m/f historicals - happy endings always guaranteed!
She lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with a sketchbook, a ukulele (well, more than one), and an ever-expanding library.
She lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with a sketchbook, a ukulele (well, more than one), and an ever-expanding library.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 21, 2014
Sarah suffers from low self esteem both promoted and capitalized by her family. She feels she’s destined for a solitary life due to her below average appearance. A chance meeting revives life into Sarah as we champion her on to her quest of self discovery. Loved the way Schwab takes Sarah on a journey where she gains independence and learns to love herself. She discovers her voice and sets off on her own course. Seeing herself through Pel’s eyes is touching and well done.
Pel is a sensitive sweet man. Smitten instantly with Sarah he approaches carefully not wanting to cause Sarah to flee. He’s tender and caring, exactly what this young woman needs. Watching him pursue Sarah is just plain sweet. Both evoke a wholesomeness and vulnerability. Pel isn’t hesitant to apologize and say he’s sorry with heartfelt meaning.
The ending albeit predictable, a cute little twist towards the end caps the story. A feel good story with the right dose of romance. Quick sentimental read. Worth your time, will put a smile on your face and warm your heart.
Pel is a sensitive sweet man. Smitten instantly with Sarah he approaches carefully not wanting to cause Sarah to flee. He’s tender and caring, exactly what this young woman needs. Watching him pursue Sarah is just plain sweet. Both evoke a wholesomeness and vulnerability. Pel isn’t hesitant to apologize and say he’s sorry with heartfelt meaning.
The ending albeit predictable, a cute little twist towards the end caps the story. A feel good story with the right dose of romance. Quick sentimental read. Worth your time, will put a smile on your face and warm your heart.
May 8, 2019
Utterly delightful Victorian romance novella with tremendously likable characters and an unusual, truly fascinating deep dive into the world of that era’s illustrated weekly periodicals, like the fictional Allan’s Miscellany, based in part on Punch. A key part of what made this work for me is that Sarah, an aging spinster in her family, resigned to caretaking, doesn’t think of herself as beautiful, and Pel (Lawrence Pelham) is very, very nice. The complete opposite of the domineering types one finds too often in the genre. I absolutely loved them.
Schwab makes all the tiny, repressed, moments of physical contact allowed between Victorian men and women into shimmering, seismic events. I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
Schwab makes all the tiny, repressed, moments of physical contact allowed between Victorian men and women into shimmering, seismic events. I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
May 18, 2017
Lovely
A tangled Web was a lovely and sweet story. Sarah has always, always been the unpaid servant to her family until the Aunt she took care of for 10 years. Aunt Em leaves her a small windfall and with the encouragement of her cousin Edward (the other Brown ) she finds her own life. Pen works for Allens as an artist. My heart went out to Sarah and Pen is a sweetheart. Edward comes of as a snob but I think he really cared what happened to Sarah.
A tangled Web was a lovely and sweet story. Sarah has always, always been the unpaid servant to her family until the Aunt she took care of for 10 years. Aunt Em leaves her a small windfall and with the encouragement of her cousin Edward (the other Brown ) she finds her own life. Pen works for Allens as an artist. My heart went out to Sarah and Pen is a sweetheart. Edward comes of as a snob but I think he really cared what happened to Sarah.
November 12, 2017
Utterly charming !
July 31, 2014
Like earlier stated, I was given this from the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion. Also, this works perfectly well as a stand alone short story.
Oooooooh silly Sarah. Silly, silly chit. There were no reasons to lie about who she was. I get WHY she did lie to Pel, because she thought she was a no one and he wouldn't want to talk to such a "loser" nursemaid who takes care of her nephews for free and she is also a spinster in her late twenties. Totally get it, but there was no reason. He liked her before she told him anything about herself. A moral lesson to all the girls out there...be yourself; don't be self-conscious or you could push away someone who really loves you *makes mental note too*.
Now...Pel. You are an idiot. One could see a mile away she is not who she says she is. Her acting is bad and he should have used his brain. Yes, love is blind, but still....even though she says she is a widow and has her own place must you go over there and hang out? NO! It is the middle of the city and someone is BOUND to see. C'mon silly boy. Also, Mr. Pel, I get how you responded when you found out all the lies, but it was indeed a little melodramatic. Poor Sarah.
Even though both were silly and caught up in their love web (see what I did there?), I liked them. They were so human and 3D and I could really relate to both. The side characters were okay too, except for Mr and Mrs Browne who were a little 2D asshole brother and sister-in-law, but I found them entertaining nonetheless. I really liked Edward. :3 He was a cutie and such a good cousin to Sarah. I hope to see more of him someday.
I am currently mad at Mac. Very, very rude in this one especially with his loathing a woman joining in on the editorial. I'm not sure if it is because he is sexist or because he looks at the magazine as a "Boy's club" type thing. It's hard to gauge, but he made me mad. He better redeem himself later on! I am proud of him for sticking up for Pel against Sarah even though she was innocent, but I'm proud of him being loyal.
Well, this was a nice short story. Not as good as #1, but still really good. I am glad that it wasn't easy for the two to be together after Sarah's stunt. I was worried that they wouldn't be together, but c'mon...it is a romance after all. haha. I definitely recommend this to those that don't mind short stories and those that like Historical Romances. Out of five stars, I stamp this one with 4.
Favorite Character(s): Sarah, Pel, Mr. Allan (such a cute old man), Robbie (yayy for him getting a little round in the face!), Mac (even though I'm mad at him), and Edward.
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Mr and Mrs Browne (>__>)
Oooooooh silly Sarah. Silly, silly chit. There were no reasons to lie about who she was. I get WHY she did lie to Pel, because she thought she was a no one and he wouldn't want to talk to such a "loser" nursemaid who takes care of her nephews for free and she is also a spinster in her late twenties. Totally get it, but there was no reason. He liked her before she told him anything about herself. A moral lesson to all the girls out there...be yourself; don't be self-conscious or you could push away someone who really loves you *makes mental note too*.
Now...Pel. You are an idiot. One could see a mile away she is not who she says she is. Her acting is bad and he should have used his brain. Yes, love is blind, but still....even though she says she is a widow and has her own place must you go over there and hang out? NO! It is the middle of the city and someone is BOUND to see. C'mon silly boy. Also, Mr. Pel, I get how you responded when you found out all the lies, but it was indeed a little melodramatic. Poor Sarah.
Even though both were silly and caught up in their love web (see what I did there?), I liked them. They were so human and 3D and I could really relate to both. The side characters were okay too, except for Mr and Mrs Browne who were a little 2D asshole brother and sister-in-law, but I found them entertaining nonetheless. I really liked Edward. :3 He was a cutie and such a good cousin to Sarah. I hope to see more of him someday.
I am currently mad at Mac. Very, very rude in this one especially with his loathing a woman joining in on the editorial. I'm not sure if it is because he is sexist or because he looks at the magazine as a "Boy's club" type thing. It's hard to gauge, but he made me mad. He better redeem himself later on! I am proud of him for sticking up for Pel against Sarah even though she was innocent, but I'm proud of him being loyal.
Well, this was a nice short story. Not as good as #1, but still really good. I am glad that it wasn't easy for the two to be together after Sarah's stunt. I was worried that they wouldn't be together, but c'mon...it is a romance after all. haha. I definitely recommend this to those that don't mind short stories and those that like Historical Romances. Out of five stars, I stamp this one with 4.
Favorite Character(s): Sarah, Pel, Mr. Allan (such a cute old man), Robbie (yayy for him getting a little round in the face!), Mac (even though I'm mad at him), and Edward.
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Mr and Mrs Browne (>__>)
September 29, 2014
Copy Received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest review
Historical Romances are one of my favorite genres so I was really excited to read this short but satisfying story. Although it's only 104 pages long Schwab was able to deliver interesting characters, a satisfying romance and a mystery to the mix. I would have thought that all these elements would be difficult to balance but she was able to pull it off. Lawrence Pelham was a great male lead. He seemed to really balance the plain-Jane: Sarah Browne. I really enjoyed Sarah and though that the author was able to show her growth as a character. Stories like these are my favorite because I feel connected to the character when I see their evolution. The Sarah that we meet at the beginning is not the same Sarah that we see at the end. I'm excited to have experienced a great author that I had not read before. Anyone looking for a short but sweet venture into romance, adventure and mystery will enjoy this fun story.
Historical Romances are one of my favorite genres so I was really excited to read this short but satisfying story. Although it's only 104 pages long Schwab was able to deliver interesting characters, a satisfying romance and a mystery to the mix. I would have thought that all these elements would be difficult to balance but she was able to pull it off. Lawrence Pelham was a great male lead. He seemed to really balance the plain-Jane: Sarah Browne. I really enjoyed Sarah and though that the author was able to show her growth as a character. Stories like these are my favorite because I feel connected to the character when I see their evolution. The Sarah that we meet at the beginning is not the same Sarah that we see at the end. I'm excited to have experienced a great author that I had not read before. Anyone looking for a short but sweet venture into romance, adventure and mystery will enjoy this fun story.
October 7, 2014
A Tangled Web. Allan’s Web Miscellany 1846 is a delightful historical romance set in London in the mid-eighteen hundreds. Estimated at right around a hundred + pages, it is a quick, easy read without a lot of subplot or development of peripheral characters. But the main plot, the romance, is sweet and drew me right along. The two protagonists are well-rounded and sympathetic. It was enjoyable cheering for them. And the setting of the magazine adds unique and interesting historical context.
For my complete review, see Reading World.
For my complete review, see Reading World.
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October 2, 2014Welcome to the Quirky Side of History: A Guest Post from Sandra Schwab: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews