Tangled Web

by Lee Rowan

Regency London…Brendan Townsend is a young man who is very loyal to his friends. So when Tony—his best friend, occasional lover, and a complete screw-up—comes to him in trouble, Brendan is determined to help. Tony is being blackmailed by the owner of a “molly house”, the private club that Tony—and other like-minded gentlemen—frequent in order to indulge their entertainment needs.

Brendan is disappointed in his friend, but goes to seek the help of his older brother’s military commander. Philip Carlisle is a gentleman to Society, and also a man Brendan’s brother trusted completely and told his younger brother to seek out if he ever was in trouble. Philip is a 40-year-old widower, and finds himself charmed, for the first time, by an attractive young man. Brendan is likewise besotted with hero-worship, especially when Philip turns the tables on the blackmailer and saves the day for many of Society’s closeted sons.

What follows is a tale of desire, regrets, cross-country pursuit, hidden identities, lovers torn asunder then reunited, clever cover stories, and the requisite pistols at dawn.

Genres: Historical, M M Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction, LGBT

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2009

Reviews

[Erastes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this, from beginning to end, as my previous posts have indicated. Brendan Townsend is a slightly naive 23 year old who has been entangled with a fellow from his university – whilst in college the relationship has been slightly circumspect and Brendan didn’t realise how rash and indiscreet his friend and lover was, but once they move into rooms together, Tony’s full “ungentlemany” behaviour comes to light when he rashly takes part in a publicly viewed sex act in a Molly House. Brendan seeks advice from his elder brother, and then is referred to Major Carlisle, his brother’s superior officer in the Peninsular War. Brendan then realises that his boyhood infatuation with Tony is nothing compared with the true love he begins to feel for Philip Carlisle.

This is probably the truest “Regency Romance” I’ve read in the M/M genre since I started out – Lee’s expertly light touch is perfect for the wit and the style of the era. You would never guess that the writer wasn’t English to the core, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give it. The inborn sense of Class within the book seems like it could only be written by someone raised in a class-fuelled society. Brendan’s (and others) inherent snobbery about Tony’s background as the son of a Merchant is nicely explored, and that sense of “Well, you can’t expect anything more from a man of his type” is ingrained throughout, even echoed by other merchants, who consider Tony to be “jumped up” and “nouveau riche”. The research regarding smuggling and the sections involving the horses were so impressive, and I learned a lot, which I don’t often end up saying in this period!

I’ve seen this described as a “gay for you” and a “May and December” – but in fact it’s neither. Carlisle is 20 years older than Brendan, and May to December in my eyes needs to be a lot more than that! – and Carlisle isn’t GFY, he’s bisexual. (If we are going to define things by today’s terms, whereas I rather think he just loves souls, rather than plumbing.)

Anyone who loves Georgette Heyer will enjoy this hugely. If you already love Lee’s nautical stories, this is a sure fire winner, but if you’ve shied away from reading the nautical stories because boats don’t float your boat, then give this a try—because it’s a winner.

[Annery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet coming of age romance with no true villains but really well developed characters. The fact that the couple that gets a HEA is almost irrelevant but not in a flippant way, rather in the sense that they individually come to terms with who they are and who they love with a realistic level of angst but not overwhelming self-flagellation. I appreciated that this was the true crux of the book and not external issues they had to deal within the course of the story.

An enjoyable and recommended read.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS QUEER REGENCY FICTION WHERE THERE IS MINIMAL HOMOPHOBIC ANGST. YOU GUYS.

Okay. Ahem.

Brendan Townsend's friend and (pretty soon ex) lover, Tony, behaves like a total idiot at a club for queer men and ends up getting blackmailed. Brendan's pretty disgusted with Tony's behavior both during and after said idiocy, but he agrees to help Tony out, except he has no idea how to do that. One extremely guarded conversation with his brother later, he gets sent to his brother's old commanding officer, Philip Carlisle. And promptly goes "OH NO HE'S HOT."

Anyway, Philip is on his way out of town for a murder investigation and Brendan, still stuck in "OH NO HE'S HOT," agrees to come with. Philip ends up pretty thoroughly charmed by Brendan, though he takes a while to realize that it's attraction and affection as opposed to just affection. They end up coming together through the aforesaid murder investigation and the blackmail problem with only a minor freakout on Philip's part before the happy ending. MINIMAL HOMOPHOBIC ANGST. I am so happy.

So, anyway. I really like this book! It's basically a queer Regency romance along the lines of any other actiony Regency romance. There is a lot of background period-appropriate homophobia, but none of it is espoused by the main characters, and it remains mostly a sort of specter hovering over them rather than any overt actions or words. There is also a lot of pretty schmoopy fluff and boys being idiots over each other (I realize Philip is in his forties but I reserve the right to call him an idiot boy when he behaves like one). It makes me happy. It might make you happy too. Highly recommended.

[JD Crittendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Unexpected Love!

The relationship between Gentleman Brendan & Major Carlisle is fraught with family obligations, a feckless brat, a molly house, blackmail, smugglers, murder and most importantly love. I love Regency historical romance stories and this is an excellent one. Great storytelling, well-developed characters, and an intriguing, dynamic plot. It even has a “love to hate”, “I wish I could wring his neck” antagonist, Tony!😈
I want more, please!
Dear Ms. Lee, please convert all your books to ebook format, thank you!

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent piece of historical fiction that's camouflaged in a tawdry cover. It takes the concept of Regency society much more seriously than most Regency romances, as well it should, and the formality of the dialogue conveys it so well.

[Josephine Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this title on the strength of having enjoyed Alex Beecroft's False Colours in the same series, and although the two books were very different, I wasn't disappointed. Rowan's tale details the growing attraction between the young Brendan Townsend and the older Philip Carlisle, set against a backdrop of blackmail and smuggling in Regency London and the surrounding countryside.

Interestingly, for a book that begins with a scene of public sex in an upper class Molly house and deals with the criminal underbelly of Regency life, this novel is rather sweet and innocent - or at least, Brendan is. He seems genuinely bewildered by the sorry state of affairs his one-time lover has gotten himself into, and it is his petition to Philip for help that leads him to the true romance of his life.

This is not one of those m/m romances with a torrid sex scene every chapter, but rather a character study, where the sexual tension is allowed to simmer for quite a while as the plot plays out. The author, who I was surprised to learn is American, has a perfect grasp of Austen-like dialogue, and can gently poke fun at the foibles of society in this era without ever seeming condescending. Indeed, the only thing that struck a wrong note with me was the mention of early daffodils in April, which I would think of as main daffodil season!

All in all, a gripping story with a touching romance, and the closest thing to a "happy ever after" you are likely to find in the historical m/m romance genre. It left me with a very satisfied smile, and a desire to read more by Lee Rowan - as well as the remaining two books in the series.

[Ekollon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good lord the main characters in this story drove me batty. "Oh, my, look how much better we are than everyone else! We don't play cards like they do: we like horses instead! And surely the horses love us, too; just our being present as their masters will perk them right up. Because, you know, we're special like that. We're just going to sit here for paragraphs upon paragraphs and pat each other and ourselves on the backs for being so great. Yes, isn't it wonderful being us?" Blarg! I wanted to smack them for being so superior. It's like they didn't even need me to like them because they liked themselves so much. I don't even know why I finished it other than I was feeling bored and low on books . . . that and it kind of felt like a train wreck that I couldn't really look away from. I also didn't like the strong undercurrent of, "Gay men don't see any use for women because they aren't sexually attracted to them," feel that particularly Bren had going on. You don't have to be sexually attracted to a group of people to feel they are useful and valuable. It's really unfortunate when this happens, and it makes me sad. Also, Bren's sense of privilege ("oh, I'd be just as happy as happy as a stable hand . . . and I have no understanding what-so-ever of the hardships that people who aren't of the upper class face, especially given the fact that I'm about to run off and engage in all sorts of monied activities like attempt to become an artist") was incredibly irritating. But I did finish the book, so that's something.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light romp which was a lot of fun to read.

…Brendan Townsend is a very likeable young protagonist, who has had the bad luck to become entangled with trouble -- in the person of Tony, a school friend who suffers from an ambivalent class status (his father earned money in the trades) and incredibly poor judgment, dragging poor Brendan into a blackmail scheme involving a house of male prostitution.

Philip Carlisle, the friend of Brendan's brother who Brendan turns to in desperation, is a perfect gentleman. A respectable and sensible widower (forty whole years old!), he agrees to help Brendan out of the mess he's in.

There is some charming, angsty does-he-love-me-or-doesn't-he interplay -- between Brendan's worry that Philip will judge him for being gay, and Philip's confusion over his own reaction to Brendan, and various other resultant complications.

The language is sometimes incongruously modern, to the extent that it threw me out of the narrative. But if you can ignore that, it's a nice fluffy read.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of the best M/M romances I've read so far. The two main characters are easy to love and easy to cheer for and when there's heartbreak you really FEEL for them. I only gave it four stars because the plot is a little thin in places, but, still, incredibly well done for the genre. Not that I'm knocking the genre, since, obviously, that's all I've been reading lately...

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2010 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, engaging characters, sweet romance and even a bit of suspense... and I'm just little in love with Carlisle.

[Tarowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In London in the Regency period, 22 year old Brendan has known he was gay since he was at Oxford. Luckily for him, his roommate at Oxford was also gay, and they became more than friends. Now, though, they are both in the city, and their differences are becoming more apparent. Brendan is from a noble family and his friend is not, but more importantly, Brendan has no interest in patronizing the so called “Molly houses” where gay man meet for sexual purposes. When his friend takes him to one without telling him where they are going, and then himself participates in a voyeuristic scene, Brendan is disgusted and appalled. Worse, though, the proprietor then blackmails Brendan’s friend, and the friend expects Brendan to get him out of it. Not knowing what to do, and not wanting to be exposed himself, since homosexuality is a hanging offense, Brendan seeks advice from a military commander who had served with his brother and had proved a good friend. It’s just his luck that Phillip is unfortunately not only kind and intelligent, but gorgeous—and has been mourning the death of his wife for 10 years. As Brendan gets to know him better, going with him to his manor house and getting involved in the difficult birth of a horse and local efforts to curb free trading, he feels more and more that this is the man he wants. Is there any chance?

This is the first Harlequin-style M/M romance I have ever read, and I was kind of expecting something along the lines of a cheesy series romance. Luckily for me, this was actually extremely well written and researched. It also has a high degree of plot compared to the degree of romantic scenes, which seems a bit surprising in a romance, but then I haven’t read too many of them to really know what to expect. I do wish that as a Regency story, it had had the froth of a Georgette Heyer, but it was more sort of action adventure romance. And it had a much more serious edge, since it was so much more dangerous to be gay in those times. I thought it was very realistic and how it portrayed what life would be like for someone gay at the time, and how what they would have to accept as a happy ending would not be ideal for a heterosexual couple. I also could have done without the explicit scenes, to be honest. Just more of a romance would be nice.

[Kassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read of Rowan’s and I can see why her regency romance novels are so popular. Tangled Web is a strongly plotted book with good characters, a lovely romance, and written with an easy, light hand that is so often lacking in historical romance novels. The prose flows almost effortlessly making the story very enjoyable to read. There is significant historical detail but without the overblown descriptions that threaten to bog down similar themed books. The characters combine with classic regency settings to give a very entertaining and absorbing story while staying true to the era and threat to homosexual affection of the time. If this is a good example of the author’s skill, I am looking forward to delving into Rowan’s backlist.

The story begins with the young hero Brendan, loyal to a fault, scandalized by his introduction to a molly house. His friend Tony, not so scandalized, eagerly throws himself into the debauchery of the private club and ends up the victim of blackmail. Throwing himself on Brendan’s mercy, Tony appeals to his friend for help. Brendan eventually finds help and advice from a family friend, Major Philip Carlisle. Philip has his own issues to take care and together he and Brendan strike up a friendship which leads to something deeper.

The plot itself is very engaging and interesting with a lot going on. To start there is the blackmail of Brendan’s friend Tony, which is a main theme in the book. This sets up a reason for Brendan to seek out Philip and his help, while remaining an issue here and there for the remainder. The concept and execution is well done with a lot of natural flow to the action, progressing the characters, plot, and action without the need for obvious manipulation or contrivances. There are a few stumbles, the most obvious is the use of Brendan’s uncle which is never fully resolved and feels awkward whenever used. The purpose he plays could have been done another way and left out the disconnected and detached thread. The blackmail thread runs parallel to the theme of smuggling in the country town of Kent, which is another subplot adding action to the story. Besides these two main subplots there are family obligations, Brendan’s beloved sister getting married, Brendan’s struggle to find a purpose in life, the equal struggle of both Brendan and Philip to reconcile themselves to a hidden relationship, and the subtle machinations to ensure a life together as much as possible.

So beyond the action of smuggling and blackmail, the story is filled with characters and everyday life occurrences. On the one hand, this keeps the plot moving quickly and interesting. The detail afforded is natural and fits well with the scenes, giving the settings a rich vibrancy of the time without including too much detail and slowing down the story with unnecessary description. On the other hand there are almost too many threads going on. The book could have been focused solely on the characters as they move about their life and adjust to a new, hidden relationship or focus on the blackmail thread without the smuggling to no detriment. I’m not sure why the smuggling aspects are included as they seem the most remote and disconnected of the many subplots. They also throw in more names, characters, and superfluous details that seem unimportant in the larger plot. While not poorly executed, the plot at times felt like one too many threads were being pulled.

If the plot stumbles slightly, the characters pick up with a lot of charm and gentle warmth. The dialogue is often filled with wit and humor while Brendan alternates between being young and emotional with an older, wiser sensibility. As the main narrator, Brendan is by turns immature, foolish, loyal, intelligent, forgetful, dynamic, and always charming. He has a few moments of angst, which may bother some readers, but I found him thoroughly delightful even with his occasionally uptight or immature manner. I liked that he had a strong definition of himself and wasn’t going to settle for marriage when it didn’t suit him yet he still hadn’t figured out what to do with his life. I liked his eager fumbling when he finally gets Philip in bed and his later emotional turmoil at their parting. He is a growing character that matures and changes over the course of the book, which offered a nice contrast to the settled and more consistent Philip. In all the areas Philip is established, Brendan is finding his own footing and where Brendan is confident – male loving – Philip is just finding his way. This leaves Philip slightly less charismatic but his warmth and honesty help make him an endearing character.

The writing is skillful with a great flow and pacing. There are a few minor dangling threads but nothing to bother readers and the ending is very strong and romantic. There is perhaps an over emphasis on the consequences of the day but considering the backgrounds of the two men, their overabundance of caution seems fitting. These aren’t men willing to throw everything away for love and ride through any scandal that might occur, but want to find a way to be happy while living within the limited parameters they’re allowed. They find a good solution and the use of eccentricities makes for a fun detail. Likewise the passion between the men isn’t overwhelming but slowly builds to a gentle peak.

Overall Tangled Web is a delightful, warm story with humor, passion, action, adventure, and creative horse analogies. Although it does not have a sharp intensity to the story, readers will enjoy the effortless narration. Definitely pick this up when you want the perfect romance for a lazy afternoon.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, but I found the romance a little disappointing

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- I love Regency romances. (Love, love, love.) And this is a very well-written Regency romance. Rowan’s writing is top-notch: her turn-of-phrase is concise and slick and often, in my opinion, just perfect for the situation.
- The dialog is exceptional. In very few instances was I brought out of the story because one of the characters said something that seemed out of character or inconsistent with the setting.
- The two heroes are (as one would expect) quite heroic. They are true paragons, both of them, of male beauty and respectability: proper, valiant, and chivalrous--but appropriately unruly in bed, of course.
- Rowan weaves 2 plotlines together fairly well (or 3, if you count the romance separately), so that the book is pleasantly exciting throughout.

CONS:
- I was just a bit disappointed by the romantic element. I couldn’t make myself truly believe in the strength of the two men’s attachment. Brendan’s worship of Philip made perfect sense to me and was quite convincing, but I wanted more from Philip. He is utterly restrained and refined, and I understand that, but even in his unvoiced thoughts I saw little more than an appreciation for Brendan’s propriety and physical attractiveness. It also bothered me more than a little that Philip repeatedly refers to Brendan as “a brave lad” and “my dear boy” and other descriptors that bring constant attention to Brendan’s youth.
- Philip’s decision to give in to Brendan’s seduction occurred rather suddenly for me. Just 25 pages before Philip first admits to wanting Brendan sexually, Philip is still “hoping that such an agreeable young man was not…engaging in activity that was roundly condemned by the Churches of both England and Rome.”

Overall comments: I think this book is good: it captures not only the gallantry of early 19th century English society, but also its seedy corruption. I simply found the relationship a bit lacking emotionally.

[Tonileg · Rating 3 out of 5]

December-May M/M romance with an older widower retired military man with a just out of Oxford 22 year old who knows he is only interested in men and is smart enough not to let on to anyone then his roommate/lover Tony. Tony is a hot mess, sodomy is a hang-able offense in historical England and Tony must be suicidal the flagrant way he exposed himself.
Major Philip Carlisle is a dreamy hero so it is very much understandable when Brendan falls in love with this good ideal of a man. Philip is generous and smart as well as fun and has many similar interests (like horses) in line with Brendan.
The mystery surrounding the blackmail is just a small part of the story while Major Carlisle is also dealing with life and another smuggling/murder mystery which came across as really believable because it is rare when there is only one thing going on in a person's life. The historical English setting works for the evolution of the story and the development of friendship and more between Philip and Brendan. I was really glad when Brendan finally puts Tony in his place and 'breaks up' with him because Tony was only bad news.
There is a sexy scene, but it is a page or two and very vanilla. Then there is a few furtive moments because they are very careful which is remarkably accurate for the period. This is a romance and not erotic which was a pleasant surprise in this genre so it made it easy to believe in the chemistry, respect and love in their relationship.
256 pages in a larger format paperback
3 stars

[Adrienne -kocham czytać- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic Regency voice (perfect grammar and phrasing!), multi-faceted and good heroes, interesting mysteries in the plot, clever and sometimes humorous dialogue...this book is very well done and I was much more impressed with it than I thought I would be going in.

It's a bit slow to develop the romance, but that fits the time period and different pace of life and circumstance that they lived by. My only complaint is that when the romance did spring into being, it literally sprang from nothing, at least on Major Carlisle's side. Brendan had been extremely attracted to him since their first meeting, but Philip (Carlisle) never even had any thoughts of attraction, and then boom, a dream followed by sudden, rampant desire, leading to declarations of love on both sides. So it went from no chance of anything happening [except in the reader's expectation of course ;)], to carnal and emotional desire, to love and thoughts of forever practically overnight.

So, in general, I found that one part underdeveloped, but the rest was splendid and has my mind back into Regency England accent and thought. I am definitely going to read more books by Lee Rowan, and highly recommend this if Regency romances are your cup of tea. And woohoo for m/m Regency!

[Natalie Aemmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely charming!


What a breath of fresh air! Brenden and Philip were adorable, so charming and capable, dashing and daring, perfectly believable when they were being earnest or playful. Brenden especially enchanted me. Characters is m/m historicals tend to be very self-involved in their angst. While Brenden had his momements (who doesn't), he usually got himself out of them by doing good deeds for others. I wanted happiness for him the minute he decided to dance with the less pretty girls at the country club.

The plotting was so strong in this. Always something intriguing going on, and so much of the plot came from what had happened before. Very natural build. The pacing, the danger, the actions read so believabily and breathlessly. The love story was sweet. The mysteries made the story, though. It's a rare treat to read gay men as something beyond their sexuality. I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch these two grow.

[J.L. Merrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no doubt Lee Rowan is an excellent writer. And whilst I'm not knowledgeable enough to judge, I'm sure her research is impeccable.

So why am I wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this book? I think it's because I decided straight off that any reviews I wrote here were going to be a subjective opinion of how much I liked the book, not an attempt (for which I'm woefully unqualified) at a proper critical appraisal. So while I liked it 3 stars, it's probably worth 4 stars.

Despite the technical competence, I just wasn't quite persuaded the stakes were high enough for the characters. We had a blackmail plot and mortal peril, but despite that I didn't get a real feeling of just how much in danger these guys were.

And perhaps Brendan was, for me, just a bit too nice.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. To fans of m/m romance and the novels of Jane Austen, I heartedly recommend this book. Set in Regency England, our protagonist Brendan Townsend, youngest son of a baronet, becomes embroiled in the intrigue and blackmail of a "Molly" house owner. Molly House is the period name for a male brothel.
Trying to save his friend from a blackmail attempt he turns to a family friend, one Major Philip Carlisle for advice and ultimate help. In so doing he becomes involved in a tale of Kentish smugglers, Murder and attempted murder.
A bodice ripper in the Regency style, although hardly bodice in this m/m adventure/romance.
Thoroughly enjoyed it second time around.

[Erik Orrantia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this book, which demonstrated, once again, Lee Rowan's superior intelligence and amazing ability with the [Old] English language. She has a way of saying it all with such an efficiency of words. In contrast to my own works, she often features protagonists who are well to do, and who are almost extremely handsome and otherwise perfect in many ways. To me, this sometimes borders on the very fantastic side of romance. Nevertheless, the story is encompassing and enjoyable, and the characters are well-developed.

[Annadicleva · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world with plenty of m/m Regency romance on offer this book stands out, offerng a fresh plot, really likeable protagonists with genuine humanity and page-turning tension, sexual and otherwise. I'm afraid to say I would have liked even more intimacy between the main characters, but I was pleased with this and have re-read it since.

[Ken Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new genre for me - I hadn't picked up a romance novel ever, and this was male/male set in Regency London and nearby Kent, and involved blackmail and smuggling as well as mild romancing. No graphic sex, so could be enjoyed by any history buff. Well developed characters, colorful descriptions of Society and Trade, "molly houses" and a horse farm in the country. Great discussions of horses too.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story. I liked both main characters and non bored me, lol. From point of view of time set from story is logical and understandable how characters act and behave. Good romance book. I enjoyed it.

[Cheryl Ingro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single thing about this story. The main characters were likable and well-developed, individually and as a couple. Touching and sweet, with just the right amount of angst and suspense, and even a bit of humor, culminating in a well-deserved and not at all contrived HEA. Well done!

[Lee Rowan]

More about horses and equine obstetrics than I ever intended to. Thank you, Erastes and Terri K, vet tech extraordinaire!

[Kevin Orth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoughly enjoyed this book. It is an easy, breazy, engaging and fun. I would say this a real classic m/m romance story. Not necessarily the most orgininal or outstanding but I'm glad I reead it.

[MsMiz (Tina)]

I am not particularly a fan of regency in the genre, but the blurb makes this one too good to pass up.

[Cara Corcoran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read, though at times I wanted to beat some of these characters for what they did.

[theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: two goody-two-shoes horse nerds fall in love.

[k reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 for me. Well-written but not my cuppa.