Alexis Hall does not necessarily offer an EASY book to read in SOMETHING SPECTACULAR--not quite as lighthearted as its predecessor, SOMETHING FABULOUS--but he offers a real gut=punch of commentary on arophobia (even within queer communities) and the struggle to make choices--sometimes even affirming ones--about your future. Also, what other author would actually include the (mild spoiler) sex scene that depicts how to achieve a queer reproductive future! Many historical romances talk about other possibilities of kinship-making and having children in relationships where (for whatever reason) this is not a straightforward biological process between the main couple. But Hall included it on the page, which was so smart that it smacked me right upside the head.

Peggy and Orfeo are the perfect pairing. Friendship blossoms into a sweet, sexy and intimate relationship. The intimate scenes between the two of them are heartbreaking and sweet. Wonderful comedy throughout with mentions of the horrible treatment someone like Orfeo could experience. The book does feature characters from the 1st book in the series.

The signature wit and whimsy of Alexis Hall was present from the start but I struggled with the first couple chapters. It wasn't until Peggy actually met the love interest, Orfeo, that the story really started to flow for me. I really enjoyed how charmed they were by each other as it just felt so right. In fact, when Peggy and Orfeo were together - just the two of them - those were my favorite moments. I always anticipate that an Alexis Hall book will have me tearing up at some point and this one was no different. There were some tender moments between our couple that just had me truly in my feels. Overall though this was such a joyful romp and I had a fun time.

Thank you to Montlake for the ARC.

Incredibly charming. Alexis Hall knows his voice so well, and he leans into it here--it's anachronistic, sure, but it's perfect for the over-the-top, non-conforming characters of this series. I really loved Peggy and Orfeo together, especially since they didn't fall into the common romance trope of miscommunication. Their conversations are thoughtful and honest, and neither of them hide what they want out of life (at least as they understand it themselves). I was okay with the single POV for the most part, except at the very end where I think we really needed Orfeo's perspective. The Tartletons are still A LOT, and almost overshadow Peggy at the beginning, but Belle mellows somewhat over the course of the story (and is clearly getting ready for her own book).

Also, this book features perhaps the most unexpected sex scene I've ever seen in a trad historical--it's so well done, and I love how fearless Hall is in pushing against the conventions of romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

I loved Alexis Hall's Something Fabulous and had been looking forward to the second book of this series Something Spectacular. I can say that this is a spectacular follow up to a fabulous book.

Something Spectacular brings us back to Hall's Regency world for another romp, set in London this time, rather than the English countryside. The focus is on Peggy Delancey this time, the delightful and intriguing side character from Something Fabulous.

Peggy's been in love with Arabella Tarleton for a long time but there's no future ahead with Belle. And Peggy knows that. When Belle decides to forge ahead with her own romantic plans, Peggy is a somewhat reluctant accomplice in her friend's plot to woo the mysterious and intriguing opera singer Orfeo.

But when Orfeo and Peggy meet sparks fly between them and Belle's plot unravels as Peggy's attempts as a go-between only end up fanning the flames between Orfeo and Peggy.

They are both caught by each other but also caught in the expectations and attitudes of the society around them. They navigate their way through the complexity of their world together and find not only common ground and an unshakeable bond, but a way to create a future for themselves. A future that gives them a chance to have what they want and have it together.

It's lovely having Peggy's POV. Peggy was the solid, dependable, reasonable one in Something Fabulous. It is wonderful to watch her continue to be the forthright, intelligent, resourceful and capable individual she is but also to see her put her own wants and needs and hopes at the forefront.

The romance was electric. Orfeo is a fascinating and entrancing character. Brilliant, tempestuous, unique, and in many ways achingly alone. Hall weaves in the history and reality of being a castrato in that time period in a nuanced and sensitive way as Orfeo makes his way through the narrative.

Favorite characters from the previous book appear at regular intervals and we get to see where Bonny and Valentine are almost a year after their escapades and adventures. Belle and Sir Horley are also back, bringing their own unique humor, innuendo and antics to the story, but also intense vulnerability and heartache. They become even more developed characters in this book, even when the focus is not on them. The found family theme was so elegantly and achingly brought to the forefront here.

New side characters were also nuanced, engaging and entrancing.

All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, spicy, thought-provoking, and tender book about finding yourself, your place, what you want and how you want it.

Highly recommended.

my thanks to net galley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my honest review.

This book should be sold in a pharmacy for it did a bang up job of treating my world weary soul. It took me longer than usual to read Something Spectacular because work something something kids something something life something something. Escaping into the world of Peggy and Orfeo for a little bit each day soothed me in a way I haven’t experienced from a book in quite a while. It’s like Icy Hot but instead of cold and heat you have humor and tenderness as the one-two punch to dull your pain and keep it at bay.

It cannot be understated how funny this book is. It’s got that classic British humor to it – full of deadpan self-deprecation, absurdity, word play and silliness. I was delighted from page one. But then I got to Chapter 21 – where Peggy and Orfeo visit a poetry salon – and I died and went to heaven. This chapter is the funniest thing I have ever read. Ever. I’m not exaggerating. I was literally squealing with delight the entire time.

As much as this book is hilarious, it is also gentle. The characters love each other, whether romantically or platonically or otherwise, and care for each other and support each other. It’s so beautiful and heartwarming. While there is recognition that the broader world can be cruel and unjust, the world these characters have built for themselves is blissful. There’s also this beautiful message of choosing to love yourself and be happy with who you are woven through the book.

Alexis Hall does an excellent job of establishing a very strong voice and unique characters within this book. I really enjoyed the representation in this book and would love to see more in the future. But this book overall it was just not a great fit for me. I found Arabella to be incredibly annoying, which was a challenge at the beginning, and the modern language in the regency setting may work in Bridgeton but I found a bit distracting here. I’m interested to see what Hall does next, but not sure I will return to this world.

Something Spectacular is book 1 in the Something Fabulous series by Alexis Hall.
I loved book one and was thrilled for the opportunity to read book two.

I freaking loved this Spectacular story!
A sweet, funny, sexy and queer Regency romp…. What’s not to love y’all!
Hall creates characters you’ll fall in love with.
I laughed, smiled and smiled some more.
I pretty much swooned from beginning to end.
A sexy, fun romance. I cheered for these two all the way.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC
.

I have completely fallen head over heels with everything Alexis Hall has written and this new book is up there with the best of them - simply spectacular!

*Received a copy for review.*
This book is so much perfection. I am a sucker for wit and banter and witty banter. I love a great turn of phrase and word play. This book has it in spades. I also love when I learn new things that make me want to research. The first book was great fun with depth. This book takes that lightness and depth and goes to a place that was so unexpected that I am still possessing.
I felt such a connection to Peggy in book one. She had been waiting around waiting for her best friend to fall in love with her. She has always been the solver of problems, the supporter, and overall always there for whatever reason. Now that she begins to realize that she may never get the relationship she wants with Belle, she is a bit adrift and yet as soon as Belle needs her, it's off to London.
Orfeo is such a fascinating character. So many societal contradictions subverted and yet not sure where they actually fit. The banter with Peggy is spectacular.
The men's salon and poetry was spectacular. The tongue in cheek attitude made this book a delight from the first sentence to the last.
I loved every single complicated second of this book and have a very Darcy idea of who Belle is about to be poleaxed by.

Something Spectacular is dazzling, campy, and over-the-top, and it was absolutely incredible to read a Historical Romance with two nonbinary MCs. I loved both Peggy and Orfeo, and would have liked the story to be dual POV just so we could better understand Orfeo's side of things. I enjoyed being in Peggy's head, however, and adored seeing her grow and realize how her dreams and self-expression could coexist. The build up to the romance in the first part of the book was great, but the second half felt clunkier in my opinion, with the I-love-yous seeming to come out of nowhere.

An important and necessary book, and I fully hope we'll see more NB/NB stories in the future. And with that ending, I'm wondering if (and hoping!) we'll get a book for Sir Horley?

Thank you to Montlake via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm incredibly torn between my love for the spectacular romance between Peggy and Orfeo (and all of Peggy's struggles around what the world thinks she should be and how she feels about herself) and my truly spectacular, unadulterated loathing for Arabella Tarleton, whose crazy antics ruin everything for me and overshadow everything I love about this book...

I know this is supposed to be a light romp and all the Tarleton antics are probably supposed to be funny, but I just LOATHE Miss Tarleton (there where brief moments where I thought she would grow, but then she goes back to throwing hissy fits and kidnapping people). I really do. I didn't even finish the first book because I found her actions so despicable and unforgivable. And she and her twin still take up too much time of this book for my taste (although, to be fair, the crazy is a tad less extreme in this one. Up until the kidnapping, that is.). There are probably readers who will find them funny, but I just can't.

But back to the good things, and they are GOOD! Peggy still struggles with her identity and I loved how she finally admitted to herself what she wants and went after it. And I really loved how she finally moved on from the horrible Miss Tarleton and saw that she was more in love with the idea of being in love with her, as it kept her busy and safe. I feel that.
Also, she starts an orgy at a poetry salon, which was pretty epic and hilarious.
The romance is also everything I expect from Alexis Hall (although thankfully it hurts a bit less than his books usually do).
And then there's Peggy's version of what she would sing about if her life was an opera, which sums up all my love for this book so perfectly:

"I am mildly conflicted about
my life sometimes
And it is hard to know how to
be yourself
When everything in the world
is full of other people's ideas
About what things are and mean.
But mostly I am very lucky
with the people who love me
And fine. Mostly I am fine."

So. All the stars for Peggy and Orfeo, but zero stars for the Tarletons? Oh this is hard... It did have glorious moments (mostly in the absence of any and all Tarletons) but. Oh the kidnapping. The hissy fits. The drama.

3.5 stars?

Something Spectacular is a lot, even by Alexis Hall standards. Incredibly queer, in turns silly and serious, sentimental and scorching hot, it's a kaleidoscope of all the things I love about AJH books. 

The setting is once again Regency England, but as with AJH's other historicals, the attitudes toward gender/sexuality are a-historically lax (at least among family/friends), allowing the characters some breathing room to explore their identities without the burdens of society introducing too many obstacles. That isn't to say bigotry is non-existent, but that it's a bit distant, acknowledged but worked around through a communal understanding. In this way, the characters' struggles feel much more modern and relevant to issues that continue to exist today.

Peggy, reeling with her unrequited love for Belle, meets the "rock star" opera singer Orfeo who sweeps in and knocks Peggy's world completely askew. Orfeo, a castrato, is a musical celebrity and a much sought-after lover. (Aside: the things Alexis Hall has caused me to Google. I had much to learn about the castrati and found the topic quite fascinating.) Orfeo, initially forced into gender "otherness" recognizes in Peggy a like-soul, but someone who's thrown off gender binaries by choice. Their attempted seduction is frustrated by Peggy who's searching for something more than a simple physical affair, even though that's all Orfeo feels they have to offer. Peggy wants Orfeo enough to consider what's at her core, how much will she sacrifice for a moment of bliss with them? This opens a recurring question: What kind of romance is within reach? Orfeo's beholden to a patron, traveling the world, unable to produce children, or even marry. Peggy knows this means they will have to leave her. Their ensuing romance is tender, one where heartache feels certain, and yet, readers will root for the two to find a way against the obstacles.

I can't leave this review without mentioning a few key highlights. There is a poetry salon that is a hilarious send-up of writing groups, in which an ode to a hyacinth may be the dirtiest poem I've ever read. Classic AJH. I was wiping tears from my eyes. A B-story takes us into a debtor's prison where we meet some lovely new characters, the Duke and Duchess. Then there's Bob, wonderful Bob. And we get a fun romp with our old friends from Something Fabulous. Bonnie, Valentine, Sir Horley, and Belle are all back attempting to steal every scene they are in. And the hair brushing scene... Yas.

And then that ending. Phew. *Fanning myself.* I've never been so angsty watching the 99% on the corner of my Kindle, fearing the book would run out before everything teased could make it to page, but the climax was truly something spectacular.

All in all, this book amplified my joy.

I have never read anything by this author before, but I had heard good things about the previous book in this series and I have found myself enjoying regency era books with some contemporary influence. This book gave me the kick that I wanted from that genre. The romance was steamy and sweet at the same time, the discussions of gender and sexuality was fresh to me and felt so authentic.

The writing style was so easy to fly through and I will definitely be going back to read more by this author!

I will say that I am confused about the start with the character of Grace, I hope that that can be clarified by me reading the previous book or in a future book. There were also a few sentences that had grammatical errors or spelling errors that meant I had to read a few times to find there was a word missing or a name had been changed to a word by autocorrect or spell check.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Peggy has been hung up on her best friend Arabella for years. Just as she decides it's time to move on, Bella asks for her help in wooing a castrato singer who's taking London by storm. Only Peggy is surprisingly taken by them herself, and they seem to like her, too. As Orfeo and Peggy spend more time together, she starts to imagine a different future might be possible.

With this series, Alexis Hall is veering into straight-up farce, and I'm here for it. Although there are serious and swoony moments, there are also hilarious bits like Peggy explaining the joys of homosexuality to a group of sexually frustrated poets.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh, this was such a sweet and lovely read, the slow-burn love and heartfelt/vulnerable conversations were the best. This is my second Alexis Hall book (the first being Mortal Follies, which was also a mediaeval romp), and I can conclusively say I love the style of mediaeval romances written by this author.

--- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Something Spectacular' by Alexis Hall.

'Something Spectacular' is one of those historical romances that even historical romance haters can read perfectly okay. Hall's writing style is fascinating and makes for a good story no matter the topic. However, I gave it only a 4 because I just didn't love the book as much as I thought I was - it wasn't a 5 star read for me personally.

I do wanna say that I'll definitely read another Alexis Hall if he keeps this type of character building because I love the way he writes characters.

I am so in love with this book!!
The writing style, the humour, the characters, the setting and the exploration of gender and sexuality.
Absolutely adore both Peggy and Orfeo. I thought Bonny and Valentine, from the first book, couldn’t be topped, but think I loved this even more!
Lots of comedy and farce but also some really emotional and poignant moments.
A complete win for me!!

As usual, I loved this one. Alexis Hall is easily my favourite romance writer. This book is so funny and queer and sexy and delightful. I’ve never identified with a character like I do with Peggy. Her gender makes my gender make sense, and I’m so grateful for that.

4.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to Montlake/Amazon and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly does Alexis Hall ever miss?

All his books make me so happy and this one is no exception. I enjoyed this more than Something Fabulous, possibly because I went in knowing the amount of silly I was set to encounter, but also possibly because this one’s just more solid?

And that’s really largely down to Peggy. She’s a fantastic character. I loved learning more about her, the way she works, the way she expresses and feels gender and sexuality. And more than that, I loved the conversations both she and Orfeo had around these subjects. I felt seen and represented and understood and my god, it always blows my mind when a character in a book puts into words things that I find so incredibly difficult to articulate myself.

Orfeo was a really interesting love interest, honestly. They were a little bit damaged and rough around the edges, and it took me a little while to truly warm to them for Peggy because of that. I loved them instantly as a character, but genuinely wasn’t sure if Alexis Hall was going to give me a happy ending because, before Orfeo’s trauma was unpacked, they kinda just seemed like a self-centred ass. A FUN self-centred ass, but a self-centred ass nonetheless. But my gosh, for a love interest instead of a POV character, their journey was so, so beautiful.

And while Bella continues to not be a favourite of mine, her discussions around possibly being aromantic (though the word isn’t used because the language didn’t exist then) really resonated with me. As someone who’s questioning whether they’re aromantic or not, and who’s so often met with sadness about my asexuality and lack of desire for a relationship by people who mean well but don’t realise my needs and wants are not the same as theirs, it just…really struck me and I loved this inclusion.

All of that emotional rambling to say I really loved this book and I can’t recommend if enough if you’re looking for something outrageously silly but with added depths and intricacies.