Something Fabulous
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- Create Date：2022-01-21 09:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Alexis Hall
- ISBN：1542036291
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Summary
From the acclaimed author of Boyfriend Material comes a delightfully witty romance featuring a reserved duke who’s betrothed to one twin and hopelessly enamoured of the other。
Valentine Layton， the Duke of Malvern， has twin problems: literally。
It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton。 But， unfortunately， too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic。 So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again。
Arabella’s twin brother， Mr。 Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton， has also grown up…romantic。 And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be。
Despite copious misgivings， Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side。 Bonny is unreasonable， overdramatic， annoying， and…beautiful？ And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew。 About himself。 About love。 Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing。
Valentine Layton， the Duke of Malvern， has twin problems: literally。
It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton。 But， unfortunately， too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic。 So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again。
Arabella’s twin brother， Mr。 Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton， has also grown up…romantic。 And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be。
Despite copious misgivings， Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side。 Bonny is unreasonable， overdramatic， annoying， and…beautiful？ And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew。 About himself。 About love。 Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing。
Reviews
Ann
，
Readers looking for romance， mad cap adventure and boundless misunderstandings set in Regency England will enjoy Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall。 Valentine is the stuffy， reserved Duke of Malvern who sets out to "do his duty" by proposing to Miss Arabella Tarleton who has been living in Surrey with her beloved twin brother Bonaventure aka Bonny。 It was the dying wish of his father that they marry so he can merge the two families。 This will also provide Arabella and her brother financial securi Readers looking for romance， mad cap adventure and boundless misunderstandings set in Regency England will enjoy Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall。 Valentine is the stuffy， reserved Duke of Malvern who sets out to "do his duty" by proposing to Miss Arabella Tarleton who has been living in Surrey with her beloved twin brother Bonaventure aka Bonny。 It was the dying wish of his father that they marry so he can merge the two families。 This will also provide Arabella and her brother financial security as they have been orphans since they were children。 However， it has been years since he has seen either sibling and things do not go well。 When Arabella runs away in the night， Bonny and Valentine set out to bring her home。 Adventures ensue， mostly at the expense of the Duke。 I really enjoyed the development of Valentine's character throughout the book as he learns what it means to be more than a Duke but a human。 While I can sympathize with the frustrations of Arabella's character， her antics became increasingly annoying and I don't really feel like she ever redeemed herself。 I loved Bonny and his strong belief in himself， his honesty about his sexuality and his determination to find love and unwillingness to bend on what he wanted。 This was a delightful romp！ Thanks to NetGalley for the book。 。。。more
Joanna Bishop
，
This was， in fact， a chaotic and fabulous book， full of nothing but vibes。 I absolutely loved all of the representation， and while it was a little slow to start for me （the writing style/voice took a few chapters for me to settle into） it was an easy story to get sucked into， even if the pacing was all over the place。 If you're looking for something completely over-the-top and dramatic， but in a humorous way， this is for you！ There were many times when it felt like too much for me， but every now This was， in fact， a chaotic and fabulous book， full of nothing but vibes。 I absolutely loved all of the representation， and while it was a little slow to start for me （the writing style/voice took a few chapters for me to settle into） it was an easy story to get sucked into， even if the pacing was all over the place。 If you're looking for something completely over-the-top and dramatic， but in a humorous way， this is for you！ There were many times when it felt like too much for me， but every now and then there would be the most sincere and soul-deep phrases that pulled it back。 I think I would have really enjoyed this story more if it hadn't been for Arabella。 I'm sorry， I have to say it， I could not stand her。 I'm not saying her feelings aren't justified， but no。 She took things too far and it pulled me away from the story and from Bonny and Valentine！I think in the end I would have preferred this to be a fun romp of a novella， rather than a full-length novel because I was really ready for it to be over at the end， which is never a feeling you want to have while reading！ However， I know I'm probably thinking too hard about it， and I know so many people will be delighted by it！ It was definitely an experience， I can say that！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through the Bonkers Romance Podcast via Netgalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thank you to the author， publisher， and especially the podcast for giving me the opportunity to read this book！ 。。。more
Allison
，
Alexis Hall is a fantastic writer and I've enjoyed this fun historical romp！ I really love the grumpy/sunshine trope and both Bonny and Valentine fit it so well。 I definitely enjoyed the goose chase around Surrey this book took us on and can't wait to read what Alexis Hall writes next！Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review！ Alexis Hall is a fantastic writer and I've enjoyed this fun historical romp！ I really love the grumpy/sunshine trope and both Bonny and Valentine fit it so well。 I definitely enjoyed the goose chase around Surrey this book took us on and can't wait to read what Alexis Hall writes next！Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review！ 。。。more
Angela Klueber
，
OMG OMG OMG。 I had been looking forward to this book since I first heard about it。 I pre-ordered it from my local bookstore and managed to get it two weeks before official release date。 I read the first half super fast， and then realized the faster I read， the faster it would be over， so I started limiting how much I read to make it last longer。 I just finished it and the whole book is everything I was hoping for and so much more！ Incredibly fun， fabulous （of course！） Regency romp/romance。 Lots OMG OMG OMG。 I had been looking forward to this book since I first heard about it。 I pre-ordered it from my local bookstore and managed to get it two weeks before official release date。 I read the first half super fast， and then realized the faster I read， the faster it would be over， so I started limiting how much I read to make it last longer。 I just finished it and the whole book is everything I was hoping for and so much more！ Incredibly fun， fabulous （of course！） Regency romp/romance。 Lots of craziness/silliness， just a tiny bit of angst in the right moments， but mostly just really super fun and light and romantic and beautiful and Ahhhhh！！ If I could give it more than 5 stars， I would。 This will be one I reread a lot。 。。。more
Carrie
，
This is such a fun and frothy regency romp！ It's absolutely ridiculous in the best of ways。 There is a diverse abundance of queer rep which always makes me happy， including a demisexual main character and a non-binary side character。 **Received an eARC via NetGalley for Bonkers Book Club** This is such a fun and frothy regency romp！ It's absolutely ridiculous in the best of ways。 There is a diverse abundance of queer rep which always makes me happy， including a demisexual main character and a non-binary side character。 **Received an eARC via NetGalley for Bonkers Book Club** 。。。more
Stephanie （read_with_steph）
，
After really enjoying Boyfriend Material and Murder Most Actual， I was excited to try this historical M/M romcom from Alexis Hall。 Unfortunately， I think it's a little。。。 out there。。。 for my tastes。 Fans of The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels may enjoy this one， for while not fantasy， it takes a number of creative liberties and dramatic turns。 Indeed， without giving too much away， the main character（s） go on a cross-country carriage adventure which involves kidnapping， dueling， and much， mu After really enjoying Boyfriend Material and Murder Most Actual， I was excited to try this historical M/M romcom from Alexis Hall。 Unfortunately， I think it's a little。。。 out there。。。 for my tastes。 Fans of The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels may enjoy this one， for while not fantasy， it takes a number of creative liberties and dramatic turns。 Indeed， without giving too much away， the main character（s） go on a cross-country carriage adventure which involves kidnapping， dueling， and much， much more。 It strayed so far from plausible that I found it hard to get into， but that's just my personal preference。 For those who appreciate the fantastical and overly dramatic， I think this would be quite an enjoyable read; it's prose is well done and its leads are entertaining。 Thanks to Montlake for my eARC！ All thoughts and opinions are my own。4 stars - 6/10 。。。more
Bethany （Bee_TheBibliophile）
，
Something Fabulous is the gay regency romp I never knew I needed in my life and never wanted to end！ It was outrageous， over-the-top， hilarious， incredibly sweet and a little raunchy - everything I could ever want in a story！ After Valentine Layton， Duke of Malvern， proposes to Arabella Tarleton， she runs away and her twin brother Bonaventure （Bonny） enlists Valentine’s help to bring her back home， resulting in a ridiculous cross-country chase。 Valentine is reserved， naive and lonely， hiding beh Something Fabulous is the gay regency romp I never knew I needed in my life and never wanted to end！ It was outrageous， over-the-top， hilarious， incredibly sweet and a little raunchy - everything I could ever want in a story！ After Valentine Layton， Duke of Malvern， proposes to Arabella Tarleton， she runs away and her twin brother Bonaventure （Bonny） enlists Valentine’s help to bring her back home， resulting in a ridiculous cross-country chase。 Valentine is reserved， naive and lonely， hiding behind his duties as a duke instead of putting himself out there to live his life。 On the flip side， Bonny is charming， flirtatious and so creative。 They’re opposites in almost every way， but as they get to know each other again， their relationship takes a really precious and endearing turn。 Valentine’s demisexuality and inexperience is definitely in stark contrast with Bonny’s flamboyant nature and wealth of experience and it makes for some awkward and sweet conversations and a lot of growth。 The banter and chemistry between Valentine and Bonny was next level。 Their grumpy/sunshine dynamic pulled me in and What started out as Valentine thinking Bonny was just a ridiculous man obsessed with romance and stories turned into a fun and emotional journey toward self-discovery， acceptance and unconditional love。 I really wanted to take off half a star for Arabella Tarleton’s character - she was so irritating， dramatic， violent and rude that it drove me up a wall， but I couldn’t take any stars away because without her insane antics， Valentine and Bonny would have never had a chance to fall in love and be together。 This book is campy （in the best way possible！） yet intelligent and deep， all things I’ve come to love about Hall’s writing。 Like always， I didn’t want it to end， but when it did， I had a huge smile on my face for Valentine and Bonny。 I can’t recommend this book enough - I already pre-ordered the paperback because I need to have this book in my collection！ 。。。more
Ann
，
Something Fabulous is my third book by Alexis Hall and my latest binge-read。 I love Hall’s writing style and unique character banter that always leaves me cracking up。 This is a genuine romantic comedy with phenomenal chemistry between the love interests。 The hilarious premise of this book is that Valentine has proposed to Arabella but she runs away。 So， her twin brother， Bonny， enlists Valentine’s help to get her back。 Bonny is flamboyant， loyal and an absolute dreamer。 Valentine is reserved at Something Fabulous is my third book by Alexis Hall and my latest binge-read。 I love Hall’s writing style and unique character banter that always leaves me cracking up。 This is a genuine romantic comedy with phenomenal chemistry between the love interests。 The hilarious premise of this book is that Valentine has proposed to Arabella but she runs away。 So， her twin brother， Bonny， enlists Valentine’s help to get her back。 Bonny is flamboyant， loyal and an absolute dreamer。 Valentine is reserved at best and cold at worst with an unwavering practicality。 As these two chase Arabella across the country they have numerous adventures and slowly but surely fall in love。 I seriously adored this book and I can’t wait to read more by Alexis Hall soon！ 。。。more
Ana Ramirez
，
The banter is incredible and so so funny。 The relationship builds up so nicely and the fact that the duke begs， omg I can't。 Sometimes the sister annoyed me and the roadtrip problems were insane。 Loved Bonny so much， he's perfect。 The banter is incredible and so so funny。 The relationship builds up so nicely and the fact that the duke begs， omg I can't。 Sometimes the sister annoyed me and the roadtrip problems were insane。 Loved Bonny so much， he's perfect。 。。。more
J。M。 Spade
，
This book was certainly "something fabulous"， but I didn't expect anything different considering I'm still laughing when I think of Alexis' last book。The Duke of Malvern is fulfilling his late father's wish of marrying Arabella Tarleton。 There is but one problem: she has run off the moment he has proposed！ Helping to capture the missing bride is her twin brother， affectionately known as Bonny。 Thus begins the adventure that changes the Duke's entire life。I loved the narrator of the audiobook。 I' This book was certainly "something fabulous"， but I didn't expect anything different considering I'm still laughing when I think of Alexis' last book。The Duke of Malvern is fulfilling his late father's wish of marrying Arabella Tarleton。 There is but one problem: she has run off the moment he has proposed！ Helping to capture the missing bride is her twin brother， affectionately known as Bonny。 Thus begins the adventure that changes the Duke's entire life。I loved the narrator of the audiobook。 I'm not sure if its the British accent or the way in which he reads the story， but I love every bit of it。Alexis' writing is hilarious and fabulous。 Gah - I just love her writing。 There is so much to gush about this book and yet I don't feel I can't find the proper words。 The characters are so darn lovable and the plot is entertaining。 Everyone who enjoys romantic comedy needs to be reading these books - or listening to the audio！Thank you Brilliance Audio for allowing me to listen to this one！ 。。。more
Queen A。
，
The ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley and thanks to the Bonkers Romance Book Club。 Review to come
Sophie Reads A Lot
，
6 stars。（Thank you to the Bonkers Romance Book Club and NetGalley for a digital ARC， this is my honest review）This book is bottled sunshine， like dripping honey-covered fingers unabashedly being shoved in mouths， like giggles shared under the covers of a summer campout， like the perpetual buoyant optimism of a honey-bee （yes， you're sensing a bee-theme， and you'd be correct）。 This book is fiercely， unapologetically fabulous。 It is goddamn hopeful。 It dares to dream of love， of the experience of 6 stars。（Thank you to the Bonkers Romance Book Club and NetGalley for a digital ARC， this is my honest review）This book is bottled sunshine， like dripping honey-covered fingers unabashedly being shoved in mouths， like giggles shared under the covers of a summer campout， like the perpetual buoyant optimism of a honey-bee （yes， you're sensing a bee-theme， and you'd be correct）。 This book is fiercely， unapologetically fabulous。 It is goddamn hopeful。 It dares to dream of love， of the experience of truly being seen， of the opportunity to live in the fantasy worlds that we bookish people wish we truly lived in。I giggled。 I squealed。 I may have even squeezed my poor e-reader to my chest and flailed around at various points。 This book may have single-handedly fought back the last 2 years of COVID-related-anxiety/life anxiety/seasonal depression - like a complete hard-reset of my central nervous system leaving me a bit brighter and shinier and hopeful。There's really no other words， other than please RUN/DON'T WALK to get yourself a copy as soon as you can。My ARC is digital， otherwise my highlighting job would have looked like a demonic two-year-old who is three cupcakes deep into a birthday party got a handful of markers and went to town。 No joke: I think every other page of my e-book has highlights。 Some of my highlights have highlights。The story and characters and romance are superb， top-tier， flawless - what else to expect from Alexis Hall？ But what really shines is the writing。 I have no idea HOW he did it， but。。。 I want this entire book to be taught as a masterclass of SOMETHING。 I don't even know what it is？！？！ But I need。。。 so much more of it？！ Please？！And for those interested， a summary of the tropes you want and need and will certainly get:•marriage of （in）convenience•an absolute beaming ray of sunshine + a very un-self-aware grumpy cloud•demisexual rep•sapphic couples•trans* / non-binary rep•honestly， queer rep of every kind / everywhere / pretty much everyone in this book is queer and it's great•road trips （but with curricles）•only。 one。 bed。•picnics•rope play （but not how you think） 。。。more
Jessie
，
3。5 - No one turns a phrase quite like Alexis Hall。 In Something Fabulous， a queer romantic regency romp， Hall gets to manipulate language in a way only he does best， executing laugh out loud lines and swoony moments with the same dry wit that makes his books instantly recognizable no matter what romance genre they are。 This book was at its best during the moments between Bonny and Valentine where Valentine catches a case of the feelings and the two of them have the most delicious and adorable b 3。5 - No one turns a phrase quite like Alexis Hall。 In Something Fabulous， a queer romantic regency romp， Hall gets to manipulate language in a way only he does best， executing laugh out loud lines and swoony moments with the same dry wit that makes his books instantly recognizable no matter what romance genre they are。 This book was at its best during the moments between Bonny and Valentine where Valentine catches a case of the feelings and the two of them have the most delicious and adorable banter。 Truly， find me a line more swoon inducing than “all of me is yours， books included。” The book follows Bonny and Valentine in what is basically a buddy comedy， the two of them teaming up to find Bonny’s sister and Valentine’s sort of fiancé who has run off after Valentine’s proposal。 What follows is funny and a tad bit ridiculous and while I’m able to suspend my disbelief for a good time there were points in the main plot that were rather cringe inducing。 Belle is…a very annoying character whose antics run very stale as they escalate in scale。 It is one thing for me to be on the side of a regency romance heroine on the run from her brutish fiancé but it is quite another for me to be ok with some of the things Belle does。 While I understand this cast of characters is never going to stop and have some healthy communication， the characters also enable Belle in a way that made me uncomfortable enough to take me out of the story。 Apart from that， I loved Valentine so much。 He is so grumpy and adorable and I loved so much watching him explore his feelings and sexuality。 Overall this was a very fun escape read and I will never cease to be impressed with Hall’s clever writing。 I think it’s a worthwhile book to read for Valentine’s story but I just wish maybe Belle hadn’t taken things so far or had been appropriately apologetic for her actions which I don’t think are funny or cute or the result of reading too many novels。 Thank you so much to Montlake publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰Janeane ✰
，
What an absolutlely， gloriously delicious regency romp was Something Fabulous。A man who is all sunshine and unicorns。 A man who is grumpy and curious。A chase across the countryside after the one he doesn't want， but feels obliged to marry。Oh， when the surly Duke is out of his comfort zone， what a bunch of silly situations he finds himself in - and they put a smile on my face the whole time I was reading。It is unabashedly， fabulously gay - and I LOVED IT！It is funny， witty and ridiculous - an What an absolutlely， gloriously delicious regency romp was Something Fabulous。A man who is all sunshine and unicorns。 A man who is grumpy and curious。A chase across the countryside after the one he doesn't want， but feels obliged to marry。Oh， when the surly Duke is out of his comfort zone， what a bunch of silly situations he finds himself in - and they put a smile on my face the whole time I was reading。It is unabashedly， fabulously gay - and I LOVED IT！It is funny， witty and ridiculous - and I couldn't put it down。Even the bratty， self absorbed Arabella， who I really didn't like most of the time， couldn't stop my enjoyment。 Bonny made up for her shortcomings in abundance。I need Bonny as a friend in my life。I can't wait for the next in the series。 。。。more
Bri
，
Something Fabulous is a dramatic， ridiculous， over-the-top， adventurous， HILARIOUS story with a lot of heart。 I don't think I've ever read a book that has made me laugh quite as much as this one。 In the way of plot， it's quite simple: Valentine Layton's fiancée， Arabella Tarleton， has run away。 Her twin brother awakes Valentine at an "ungodly" hour to track her down。 And that's what they spend the majority of the novel doing。Of course， Bonny and Valentine begin to have *feelings* and that change Something Fabulous is a dramatic， ridiculous， over-the-top， adventurous， HILARIOUS story with a lot of heart。 I don't think I've ever read a book that has made me laugh quite as much as this one。 In the way of plot， it's quite simple: Valentine Layton's fiancée， Arabella Tarleton， has run away。 Her twin brother awakes Valentine at an "ungodly" hour to track her down。 And that's what they spend the majority of the novel doing。Of course， Bonny and Valentine begin to have *feelings* and that changes some things。 This is a grumpy/sunshine story if I've ever read one。 Bonaventure Tarleton might be my favorite character to ever exist ever。 My dramatic， squishy， bumble bee！！ I also adore Valentine who is just a grumpy， eight and twenty year-old who wants to go home and take a bath and kiss Bonny。 Their relationship is simply magnificent。 Bonny loves his Valentine and Valentine is secretly rather obsessed with his Bonny。 Also， every time Bonny called Valentine “flower，” my soul collapsed from immense joy。 The side characters are also great。 Whenever Sir Horley entered a scene， I knew I was going to laugh at his antics with poor， oblivious Valentine。 Peggy was simply amazing and much of her dialogue was hysterically funny。 Belle was。。。a lot。 I loved Belle's dramatics at first， though by the end of it， I was ready for Valentine to let her go lol。I'm on a bit of an Alexis Hall tour and am slowly reading all his books。 I love the way he writes and he is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me。 If you're looking for a fun， absurd， romantic book， Something Fabulous is definitely one to start with！ I can't wait for the sequel！ 。。。more
Claire
，
Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall🌟🌟🌟🌟💫*thanks to Bonkers Romance and Net Galley for the book （my first ever ARC！！）This book is billed as a fun-filled， over-the-top queer Regency romp， and it fully delivers on that promise。 Valentine is a grumpy Duke who is disconnected from his feelings and from himself， and sort of on a “does what is expected” autopilot。 Bonny is his opposite: loud， loquacious， confident， joyful。 He truly believes in romance and the promise of love for everyone， including himse Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall🌟🌟🌟🌟💫*thanks to Bonkers Romance and Net Galley for the book （my first ever ARC！！）This book is billed as a fun-filled， over-the-top queer Regency romp， and it fully delivers on that promise。 Valentine is a grumpy Duke who is disconnected from his feelings and from himself， and sort of on a “does what is expected” autopilot。 Bonny is his opposite: loud， loquacious， confident， joyful。 He truly believes in romance and the promise of love for everyone， including himself。 I picture them as Mr。 Darcy and a more boisterous Bingley from the 2005 P&P movie。The plot is basically a series of increasingly improbable and hilarious hijinks。 The banter crackles， honestly no one writes this kind of dialogue better than Alexis Hall。 I loved all the side characters， though I did find the sister to be a bit much at times。 I really loved Valentine’s slow realization of his feelings for Bonny， and I really appreciated Bonny giving him space to do so。 Recommended if you’re interested in something light， funny， queer， sexy， and completely full-suspension-of-disbelief bananas。🌶🌶🌶🌶 Sex is on the page in a couple of scenes， with some pretty explicit descriptions 。。。more
Shelby
，
What a flirty， sexy， absurdly funny regency romp from Alexis Hall！ Valentine， Duke of Malvern， is chasing his runaway fiancé across the English countryside with the help of her twin brother， Boneventure， when he discovers he may in fact be closer to love then he thought。 I loved the playful witty banter， the whimsical + ridiculous storylines， the vibrant characters and of course， the historical queer rep。 I definitely laughed out loud several times while reading this。 I’ve read a couple of books What a flirty， sexy， absurdly funny regency romp from Alexis Hall！ Valentine， Duke of Malvern， is chasing his runaway fiancé across the English countryside with the help of her twin brother， Boneventure， when he discovers he may in fact be closer to love then he thought。 I loved the playful witty banter， the whimsical + ridiculous storylines， the vibrant characters and of course， the historical queer rep。 I definitely laughed out loud several times while reading this。 I’ve read a couple of books from this author and I appreciate his creative + flexible writing talents。 Note to readers: it helps to suspend disbelief to fully enjoy this one。 It’s truly something… frivolous， fantastic， and fabulous。 Thank you so much to Montlake + Netgalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Caz
，
Review to follow。
Vanessa
，
Not giving a star rating because I think this is a good book objectively， but maybe not the right book for me right now。 It’s funny with lots of hijinks， but also I was very over the hijinks halfway through。 It’s almost a little satirical， definitely very over the top， but I think this is gonna be a big hit when it comes out in a few weeks。 I did appreciate how there were very few straight people， and how accepting everyone in this world was。Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。
Lila Reads
，
Thank you very much to the publisher Montlake and NetGalley UK for the digital ARC！“Something Fabulous” by Alexis Hall set in the regency era and hella gay。 *rainbows everywhere* Valentine Layton， the Duke of Malvern， is somewhat grumpy and reserved， and he has two problems:1。 His recent proposal to Miss Arabella Tarleton， with which he hoped to fulfil their fathers’ wishes， went horribly wrong when she flees into the night。2。 Her brother， who goes by the ridiculous name of Bonaventure “Bonny” T Thank you very much to the publisher Montlake and NetGalley UK for the digital ARC！“Something Fabulous” by Alexis Hall set in the regency era and hella gay。 *rainbows everywhere* Valentine Layton， the Duke of Malvern， is somewhat grumpy and reserved， and he has two problems:1。 His recent proposal to Miss Arabella Tarleton， with which he hoped to fulfil their fathers’ wishes， went horribly wrong when she flees into the night。2。 Her brother， who goes by the ridiculous name of Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton， barges into his bedroom at an ungodly hour and demands that Valentine join him on a mission to find her。„Not only had Tarleton burst in on Valentine unannounced at an unseemly – nay， ungodly – hour and subjected his proposal to excoriating critique; he was now getting his feelings everywhere。“Begrudgingly， Valentine agrees to go， and finds himself much closer to the hopeless romantic childhood friend he lost somewhere along the way， when he had to take over the responsibilities of being a Duke。 And so a chaotic romp through the English countryside begins， and it involves bees， only one bed at the inn （oh no！）， sapphic saviours/kidnappers （depending on who you ask）， a duel （of course！）， a horny gentleman with a hunting lodge dreams are made of， and hungry flowers。 “Bonny had made himself: from books and stories， and hopes and dreams。 As Valentine had made himself from duty and fear and mistrust and ignorance。”Needless to say， I loved this。 It has Alexis Hall’s signature style hilariously funny writing， which works really well in this historical setting。 The characters are overly dramatic in the best way possible and I love them dearly。 The banter！ The incredibly gentle discussion of sexuality， gender and body image！ The steamy scenes！ It also makes a lot of important points about privilege when it comes to Valentine’s status as a Duke， and as a man。 This book has gay， sapphic， genderfluid and demisexual representation。PS: Bella made me furious！！5/5 Stars 。。。more
Jessica （the naptime writer）
，
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。I wanted to love Alexis Hall’s Something Fabulous。 But while there are things I appreciate about it—including how funny parts are—on the whole it’s uneven for me & I was increasingly frustrated by some of the characters 😩。The premise of this romance is that Valentine， a Duke， has just proposed very badly to Arabella Tarleton out of a sense of family duty。 She runs away & her twin Bonny persuades Val Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。I wanted to love Alexis Hall’s Something Fabulous。 But while there are things I appreciate about it—including how funny parts are—on the whole it’s uneven for me & I was increasingly frustrated by some of the characters 😩。The premise of this romance is that Valentine， a Duke， has just proposed very badly to Arabella Tarleton out of a sense of family duty。 She runs away & her twin Bonny persuades Valentine to follow her & do better with his proposing。A road trip romance that takes them all over， that encapsulates lots of adventures， & that opens the stuffy Valentine’s eyes & mind over & over again， Something Fabulous is—like others have said—often fun & funny & gives me some of those screwball comedy moments I love。 One of my fave things is how consistently clueless Valentine is—how often he misses the obvious clues about relationships （especially those of a romantic nature） & people in general。Alexis Hall tackles Valentine’s privilege again & again & that’s a refreshing element in this historical。 As is Arabella’s unwillingness to give her life over to anyone she doesn’t want to， including （especially？） a Duke。But by the end of the book I was exhausted by the characters & their hijinx & I just wanted something else to happen， besides Valentine still being insensitive & overly concerned with appearance & what he grew up believing in & for Arabella to stop being reckless & actually violent。 At a certain point it just stopped working for me。This book is by turns amusing & serious & Bonny & Peggy provide anchors for the story。 The speech at the end is particularly lovely to me。 But overall this romance didn’t win me over 😢。CW: Bonny hooks up with someone else before he & Valentine begin a romantic relationship。 Arabella sabotages Valentine’s curricle & shoots him later。 。。。more
Liz
，
This was just an all around good time。 It was ridiculous， and campy， and hilarious， and swoon-worthy and I loved every moment of it。 Don’t go into this expecting some literary masterpiece。 This book is completely ridiculous and knows it。 But it was just so fun。 Definitely both making fun of and paying tribute to the regency romance genre we all know and love。 I laughed out loud more than a few times。 Also， can we all agree that there are not nearly enough demi-sexual characters in media and the This was just an all around good time。 It was ridiculous， and campy， and hilarious， and swoon-worthy and I loved every moment of it。 Don’t go into this expecting some literary masterpiece。 This book is completely ridiculous and knows it。 But it was just so fun。 Definitely both making fun of and paying tribute to the regency romance genre we all know and love。 I laughed out loud more than a few times。 Also， can we all agree that there are not nearly enough demi-sexual characters in media and the world would be a better place if there were。 It just feels really nice to see myself in one of the main characters （even if that character is a complete idiot whom I want to smack upside the head more often than not but I also love so very much）。 So yeah， I’m really pleased that this was my first read of 2022。 I think we’re off to a good start。 。。。more
Courtney
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I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 Every time I think I can’t love Alexis Hall as an author more， he releases another absolute gem of a book and conquers yet another genre or style。 In the first of two ventures into historical romance this year， Something Fabulous is everything I love （and even some stuff I’m a bit critical of） in HR， with a gay twist and Hall’s signature British humor。 The two leads are an absolute delight。 Hall de I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 Every time I think I can’t love Alexis Hall as an author more， he releases another absolute gem of a book and conquers yet another genre or style。 In the first of two ventures into historical romance this year， Something Fabulous is everything I love （and even some stuff I’m a bit critical of） in HR， with a gay twist and Hall’s signature British humor。 The two leads are an absolute delight。 Hall describes them in his GR pitch as “a overly dramatic beautiful rainbow sunshine unicorn” and “a overly dramatic demisexual grumpy duke。” While grumpy dukes aren’t typically my cup of tea， Hall’s rendition of the archetype in Valentine is brilliant。 He’s very much aware of his position and responsibilities， but he’s not snobbish about it （much）。 I rooted for him to overcome his dedication to duty and conformity over all else， and this is perhaps one of the best renditions of that trope I’ve read。 I appreciate the way it subtly touches on the issues gay men faced at the time， while retaining the generally positive， lighthearted tone and providing a believable path for Valentine to find his HEA with Bonny。 And Bonny is sentimental and lovely， and he’s one of those characters you can’t help but immediately love。 I loved his kinship with his sister Arabella， and how he was interested in what she wanted。 The romance is so freaking fun。 These two have the best banter initially， and I loved seeing them interact as they’re on this madcap chase after Arabella， with things slowly evolving from animosity due to their present situation and seemingly opposing worldviews to falling for each other。 The supporting cast is great too。 I was particularly surprised by Valentine’s mother， the former duchess。 She’s so different from many stereotypical mother characters in historicals， and was the catalyst for one of my absolute favorite moments。 This book is so charming， and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for more queer historical romance。 。。。more
Nicole
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I laughed and I cried。 This book is truly fabulous。
Kellie Fontecchio
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I got an Advanced copy from NetgalleySo， to preface， I am a huge Alexis Hall fan。 His humor and sense of style just hit all my buttons。 What I absolutely adore most about this book is， even though it is supposed to be a comedic romp， it still has so much heart and just realness to it。 The characters are absolutely fun and enjoyable。 Valentine， the main character， the one who’s voice we hear through the whole novel， goes through great growth and even when there are times you want to bonk him on t I got an Advanced copy from NetgalleySo， to preface， I am a huge Alexis Hall fan。 His humor and sense of style just hit all my buttons。 What I absolutely adore most about this book is， even though it is supposed to be a comedic romp， it still has so much heart and just realness to it。 The characters are absolutely fun and enjoyable。 Valentine， the main character， the one who’s voice we hear through the whole novel， goes through great growth and even when there are times you want to bonk him on the head， you still are rooting for him。 It’s fascinating to see how Alexis Hall uses the regency backdrop to also bring in a character questioning their place in society and in general how they fit in， even when for all intents and purposes they should have no issue。 Without going into spoilers， Valentine’s journey of self discovery was just wonderful。 The comedy was great， it bordered that line of ridiculous， but in a good way。 You know some of this stuff is not plausible in ‘real life’ but in the universe of the book it is just worked in very well so it is not overdone。 It’s fun。 I smiled most of the time and even laughed out loud a few times。 Over all， I have this book on preorder and even after getting a chance to read an advanced copy， I will be keeping my preorder because I loved it so much and will definitely be reading it again。 。。。more
Jen
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Okay， I'm back to try to say something coherent about this。 This book was the most wonderful fluff。 Hilarious and silly and sweet and so joyfully queer， it's a book that never felt the least bit stressful to read， but still inspired lots of feels。 I read it in a day because I was having so much fun with it。 It's one of those books I just want to crawl inside and hide from real life in。I loved both of the MCs so so much。 I always love a grump， and Valentine was just the sort of grump I adore。 And Okay， I'm back to try to say something coherent about this。 This book was the most wonderful fluff。 Hilarious and silly and sweet and so joyfully queer， it's a book that never felt the least bit stressful to read， but still inspired lots of feels。 I read it in a day because I was having so much fun with it。 It's one of those books I just want to crawl inside and hide from real life in。I loved both of the MCs so so much。 I always love a grump， and Valentine was just the sort of grump I adore。 And BONNY。 Bonny is so completely， unabashedly himself in a way that won my whole heart。 We should all be more like bonny。 All the scenes between the two of them were just perfect。 There were so many scenes that had me grinning the biggest grin and that I couldn't wait for friends to read so we could gush about them together。 And the BANTER。 Ugh。 So good。 Just an outstanding comfort read and guaranteed good mood book。 And I highlighted an obnoxious amount of it because there are so many great lines。 What I wouldn't give to be half as witty and full of heart as this author。Gushing aside， while I absolutely， unequivocally think you should read this book because it is fucking delightful and you will be happier for doing so， there were a couple of things that could have worked better for me personally。 The first of these is Arabella。 Hmmm。 Arabella did not win me over。 At all。 I found her childish and hard to figure out。 Does she believe the things she's saying？ Is she purposefully playing a part， the part she feels she's being cast in against her wishes？ I never really quite figured that out。 And while her attitude and actions towards Valentine wore thin for me pretty quickly， it was the way she treated Peggy and Bonny that really made me dislike her。 Even at the end she was still so churlish and I just didn't ever get a sense of who she actually is or why Bonny and Peggy think she's so great。 I think that had she been a little bit different I might have liked her。 If she'd been more self aware maybe and playing the role more on purpose？ Like with a wink wink？ I don't know。 But she was my least favorite aspect of the book。I didn't really gain anything from getting her POV at the start of the book。 I think what might have helped is to have Bonny's POV at the beginning， maybe after he finds her letter？ Because then I could see her through the lens of someone who loves and better understands her。 I actually think what would have been great is to have a flashback scene at the start， of the three of them in younger days， to get an idea of what Bonny and Arabella saw in Valentine back then and what the dynamic was like。 Then a flash forward to Bonny finding the note and he and Arabella's feelings about Valentine in the present。 As it was， Bella was the one aspect that didn't quite work for me。I'm excited about Peggy's book being the sequel though！ And again， highly recommend this one as the best sort of feel good， low stress read。 。。。more
Kristīne Vītola
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Demi MC
Tasia
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There was a lot I liked about this book — it is sharp and funny， there are a lot of fantastic queer characters， the main couple are very swoony — but the overarching plot （chasing the love interest’s twin sister） was sort of irredeemably frustrating。 The sister was an absolute unhinged monster， yet everyone around her （and the text itself） makes excuses for her and indulges her to the point where she literally nearly has our main character killed several times and HE is blamed for it， and made t There was a lot I liked about this book — it is sharp and funny， there are a lot of fantastic queer characters， the main couple are very swoony — but the overarching plot （chasing the love interest’s twin sister） was sort of irredeemably frustrating。 The sister was an absolute unhinged monster， yet everyone around her （and the text itself） makes excuses for her and indulges her to the point where she literally nearly has our main character killed several times and HE is blamed for it， and made to feel as if he’s a monster for daring to express displeasure at the treatment he’s receiving。 It’s played for humor， but I’m sorry， I don’t really find the victim blaming all that funny。 Instead of having a conversation with anyone like an adult， she does the absolute MOST to vilify him and we’re expected to be on her side， because…the circumstances of being a woman in that time are unfair？ Empirically true， but also not an excuse to behave monstrously and have everyone congratulate her for it。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Something Fabulous
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Something Fabulous&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Something Fabulous&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0