Another fun installment in the series. I loved the unconventionality of the story and how it is a different kind of romance. I strongly suggest reading the previous one to fully enjoy this one (specially to see how the FMC has grown as a character) but it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Spicy, gay male main character, aromantic female main character, historical fiction. This is the third standalone interconnected book in the Something Fabulous series. A tad too long with a tad too much dialogue. Still, a fun romp though with some great moments.

This is a hilariously unconventional Regency adventure. Sir Horley Comewithers, flamboyantly gay and resigned to an ill-suited marriage, is saved by his aromantic best friend, Arabella Tarleton. In a dramatic escape, Belle whisks him away to Gretna Green, where they decide on their unique marriage. Filled with madcap adventures, witty banter, and colorful characters, this story explores the beauty of platonic love and forging a relationship that works on your terms. Hall’s signature humor and heartfelt writing shine, offering a fresh perspective on romance. The audiobook brings this delightful tale to life with vibrant narration by Steve West and Ell Potter. A must-read for fans of unique, character-driven stories.

I feel like l was missing bits of the story as I have only read book 1 of this series.

While the story has little to do with the historical regency accuracy, it does provide a variation on "what" a historical romance could feel like if told with modern language. This was a truly silly romp between mischievous characters seen in the previous books.

Thank you, Montlake

A gay man resigned to a loveless marriage, Sir Horley is dramatically rescued by his friend Belle, leading them on a chaotic journey to Gretna Green that redefines their views on love and marriage.

This novel is hilarious. Like the previous books in the series, it’s a romp, but it’s deeply emotional with well-developed characters. Don’t miss it!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Motnlake for the arc. I loved having a romance featuring a Queer Platonic Relationship. I was a bit nervous when I saw Belle had a book because I didn’t know how to reconcile aro and romance but this was amazing. In classic Something Fabulous way this was over the top, super dramatic and such a fun ride. Belle and Sir Horley were amazing together and I loved seeing them navigate the world and come to platonically love each other so much. While not my favourite of the series, I am thrilled that this exists and loved it.

This is not a romance in the traditional sense. Sir Horley and Belle have been friends and partners in crime, but they are not in love. Sir Horley is “extravagantly gay,” and Belle is aromantic (that term is not used in the book, but it’s been obvious from previous books that’s where it was heading, and even more so here). They ultimately decide to marry each other. They care about each other in a platonic, best friends way. And they are both open to the other dallying outside the marriage. Other than romantic love and smexytimes, this book follows all the conventions of a romance novel. Misunderstandings, wanting the best for the other while not believing you deserve what you want, and cuddles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I feel like this book was about 125 pages too long. The journey to GG was too long. The Carswiles were an unneeded deflection. We spent way too much time in the characters heads.

In general, it's a book I read, it'll probably hit for a lot of people just not for me. Arabella and Rufus were great when they actually talked to each other. I think the author put too much focus on the two of them getting off with their respective needs instead of making their relationship shine.

A new queer romance of the regency with the intervention of Hall.

We have Bella who sees that her friend Sir Horley, has resigned himself to marry a young woman chosen by his aunt, being gay; so before her lodge is that if he is going to submit to a marriage of convenience, what better than to do it with her, who at least likes him.

Moving on to Grtna Green, this escape has Hall's sarcastic and humorous elements that make the story crazy.

I had a great time reading about these varied characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this beautiful ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Something Extraordinary is book three in the Something Fabulous series by Alexis Hall.
An absolute delight, full of wit, charm, and just the right amount of chaos. It’s set Regency England and such a fun read.
As always, Hall excels at creating characters you’ll fall in love with.
I’m so in love with this series!

I think I might have to reread this one. It wasn't my all time favorite of this series. I maybe just wasn't in the mood for this one, it was a bit long for me and it dragged in some parts.

4.75 🌟
The Something Fabulous series has been my introduction to Alexis Hall and I am a staunch supporter of whatever they decide to write next (and I will be visiting their entire backlist because of course I will). This particular story gave me whiplash in all the best ways - every time I assumed the story was going to play out in a prescribed way, it went in the polar opposite direction, which was a delight. The characters were well developed and fully flawed, and I love the fact that Hall recognizes that we contain multitudes, as all humans do. Love, love, love this book! 💖

Everything Alexis Hall writes is gold. I am obsessed with their writing and generally everything they put out. I loved this marriage of convenience and that this was a queer story! I cannot wait to read more.

4.5 - “No human being is worth any more or any less than any other.”

For me, Alexis Hall does not disappoint. The way he balances humor and heart is incredible. This series in particular is pretty silly, but the topics explored are so relevant and it’s really poignant being set in the regency era.

It was satisfying to see Belle and Sir Horley’s story after they were background characters in the first two books. They are so similar in their quests for love and feeling unlovable, which inevitably leads them to their marriage of convenience. I love the way this comes together in that they agree that they don’t have a romantic attention, but rather a platonic one. The marriage of convenience was such a fun aspect, especially because they want to protect the other so much, There's a lot to be said about their friendship, even though they go through their rough patches throughout the story,

Their journeys are as humorous as they are heartfelt. It does seem a bit long, but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment. They have an understanding about taking lovers and how their lives will work, which I think works so well for their characters. The vulnerabilities that they share and the metal support is endearing. Considering the setting, it's so refreshing to see these types of characters portrayed. This is something Hall has done so well in all of his books set in this time period.

“Come closer. Hold me tighter. Let me feel your breath and your heartbeat and all the devastating warmth of you.”

Belle and Sir Horley’s friendship is so deep and they truly want the other to be happy. Over their calamity of a journey, he learns that he’s worthy of love and she learns that there are more type of love than just romantic. For an unlikely pair, this was a true joy to read.

Last year, I read my first Hall, 10 Things That Never Happened, and loved it and it now goes down as one of my favourite Christmas-set romances. As a result, I was quite looking forward to Something Extraordinary. My responses to Extraordinary, however, were as uneven as the narrative itself. I started confused, moved to delighted, grew restless, grew bored, recovered and experienced new-found delight, was scandalized, grew restless, and ended with a bout of reader whiplash as the HEA hit me like a fast-falling brick. Am I sorry I read it? Nope. Would I want to repeat the experience? Also nope.

Here are the publisher’s blurb’s details:

Sir Horley Comewithers isn’t particularly interested in getting married, especially when his match is a perfectly respectable young woman. Sir Horley is, after all, extravagantly gay. But he’s resigned to a fate there’s no point resisting—until a dear friend does it for him.

Arabella Tarleton has no interest in romance, but even she can see that Sir Horley’s nuptials are destined to end in a lifetime of misery. Well, not on her watch. And what are friends for, if not abducting you on the night before your wedding in an overdramatic attempt to save you from a terrible mistake?

Their journey to Gretna Green is a hodgepodge of colorful run-ins and near misses with questionable innkeepers, amateur highwaymen, overattentive writers, and scorned fiancées. Then again a bumpy road is better than an unhappy destination.

But when it comes to marriage, Belle and Sir Horley are about to discover that it’s not what you do or how you do it but the people who you choose to do it with that matter most.

Thematically, healing is always Hall’s most important message. He achieves his purpose in two modes: hilarious, especially via snappy banter, and sentimental. These two modes are my romance faves: wit and redemption. While they’re present in Extraordinary, the meandering narrative replacing the classic Regis-ian romance arc work against them. Hall’s narrative is, at best, picaresque, with a stop-start movement which echoed my responses to it.

When the narrative opens, Arabella “Bella” and Sir Horley, whom she calls Rufus after his father for the remainder, leave his messed-up engagement situation for Gretna Green and an equally though less pernicious mess. The opening is weak as it hearkens to the series’ earlier volumes, none of which I read, and took me out of the narrative as former couples and their complications pile on. Once Bella and Rufus are on their way, things look up, though Rufus is in a depressive state and steadily, constantly in recovery from inebriation. There’s a lot of vomit.

Conceptually, I liked what Hall was trying to do: say something about love and commitment, a gay hero and bisexual heroine, no necessarily being linked to sexual desire and preference. Bella and Rufus are funny, the dialogue in particular is hilarious, but they’re also good people who care about each other. And others — many many others. Especially Bella, who makes everyone a project of her goodness. And yet, feels unloveable, especially to Rufus, whom she coerced into the Gretna-Green-bound marriage. Interspersed with Bella’s goodness projects and Rufus’s feelings of unworthiness, a long-standing wound stemming from being abandoned and unwanted by his parents and not having Bella’s twin’s love, and and and and…are a variety of every rainbow colour love scenes, which I skimmed. Because, honestly, like our former prime minister wisely said, the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation. And I agree, consent and adulthood are the only perimeters to the bedrooms of the nation, but these elaborate details of choice were not to my taste. You’ve been warned, reader, and as for the details, ’nuff said. Irrespective of sexual preference, I prefer subtle over explicit, but that’s my stance and others may enjoy the long, detailed love scenes.

In the end, other than the aimlessly episodic nature of Hall’s narrative, I think my main problem was Arabella’s characterization (though Rufus is screwed up in many ways, his characterization is confident and consistent). “Bella” is saintly and all-knowing and knows exactly what everybody needs. A paragon of perspicaciousness is Bella. She knows what all the broken people need, sexual healing; being of a generous nature, it’s her specialty to ensure it. She can rescue a friend from sexual assault, encourage Rufus to find pleasure with inept highwaymen, and get a fractious baby to sleep. She alternates between aggressive boldness and abjectness. An uneven narrative with inconsistent characterization, especially because what appeared to be Rufus’s story turns out to have the spotlight predominantly on Bella, make for a tedious read.

Alexis Hall’s Something Extraordinary is published by Montlake and releases today, Dec. 17th. I received an e-galley, from Montlake, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, AI-free opinion.

Something Extraordinary took everything that made this trilogy so brilliant, and turned it up to the max. So many tropes and cliches have been amplified or turned on their head in this series, and in this final book, Alexis Hall takes the whole concept of a romance and turns that around too.

I will admit I did go into this one with some trepidation, as neither of the main characters – Sir Horley (Rufus) and Belle – have been my favourites in the previous books. They did both come into their own though, and Belle’s earnestness made for a great contrast to Sir Horley’s cynicism.

I did find the plot to be a little more scattered than the previous books, and the ending felt quite abrupt. Really though, this book is all about the characters, as both Belle and Rufus and went on their own journeys of working out how they could find a place in the world, and eventually realising that it would be with each other, in what we would now call a queer platonic relationship.

The triumph of this whole series is how these ideas of identity and societal norms, which can often feel so modern, are dialled up to the max and celebrated through this camp, larger-than-life regency lens. It’s regency but without the pearl-clutching and the constant scandal, and is instead just people trying to live their lives in a world that isn’t set up for them – and that’s something that is still relevant today.

While this book wasn’t my favourite in the series, I did feel like it really captured what this whole series has been about, and was a fitting end for the trilogy.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

In order to solve all of her problems, Belle decides to kidnap her friend & elope with him on the eve of his wedding. Remarkably, after creating a whole lot of new problems, it actually works out:

This was fucking ridiculous & I loved it. With an aromantic lead and a gay lead, and a focus on queer platonic relationships, this was everything I didn’t know I wanted from a romance novel. I deeply empathized with Belle’s worry about being broken and not enough, and seeing that represented in a romance novel, and specifically a romance novel deeply motivated to examine different forms of relationships and decentering romantic relationships as the be all end all was wonderful.

Millennial humor that made me laugh out loud multiple times, with mostly really engaging sex scenes. The Daddy scene in a regency novel threw me a little bit.

Where this book really shone was in Belle and Rufus’s friendship, and I would read 50,000 more words about Belle and Rufus’s domesticity.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Montlake for this arc!

Thanks to Montlake and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

This was fun. I have not always loved this series (or Alexis Hall) but this book was fun and I really appreciated how he is taking historical romance, and the romance genre in general, and reworking it to best fit his characters.

Bella and Rufus may not be attracted to each other physically, but through a number of mishaps, come to love each other dearly and for themselves. I loved the road trip aspect of this book (hello Gil) and how up front each character was about their intentions with other people. Will they find love? Will it be romantic? Hall challenges us to recognize that within society's constraints, love can look different for different people and there is a lot of contentment in that. I want Belle and Rufus to narrate more books or really just be the Stadler and Waldorf to this little world. Screw Bonny and Valentine, this is the best couple yet.

Rounding up to five stars (partly rounding up for the whole series).

Something Extraordinary is a lot heavier and darker than the first two Something Somethings. While it still has a lot of fun and humour, it's quite serious at times.

There are a few things that made me love it, despite being a bit clunky in execution in places:
• Like the first two books - so much about this story was unexpected
• The focus and deep dive into aromantacism is so rare and that makes it special
• I am low-key obsessed with queer platonic relationships (another rare type of rep) and this one is so gorgeous that I was crying my way through the last chapter
• The main characters have the deepest hidden depths revealed in this book - in ways that are sometimes uncomfortable and unrelatable - and I really welcomed the complexity

I don't think this was a perfect book, there are a lot of not-so-hidden depths surfaced in less-than-subtle ways and a few gaps that I sort of filled in with my imagination. I know Alexis Hall often espouses the death of the author but I felt like for this whole series I really got what he was going for. And in this case, it made for a very enjoyable and deeper reading experience for me.

When society frowned on their sexual orientations, Belle and Sir Horley found a way to happiness and freedom.

This book presented profound discussions and thoughts about friendship, sexuality, and aromanticism. The characters did a lot of introspection that made me think as well. By the time Belle and Sir Horley made it to Scotland, their unconventional marriage seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Even though it was set in the Regency period, the characters used very modern language and phrases. This didn't bother me at all, in fact, I enjoyed the bits of contemporary vernacular in the historical context.

Any sex happened without the usual romantic build-up and our MCs weren't attracted to each other at all, but that's not what this story was about anyway. The focus was on Belle and Sir Horley and their personal journey. And at the end, I 100% believed in them, their marriage, and that they can make their lifestyle work for the long run.

There were also plenty of very entertaining and sharp, witty banter spread throughout. I truly enjoyed reading this book.

In terms of sexuality, you'd be hard pressed to find a more diverse representation. I won't call this a romance, necessarily, as it deviates quite a bit from what you'd expect from a traditional romance novel, even though there is a happy ending.

I didn't read any of the previous books in the series, and this one stood well on its own. If you like books about queer relationships in a historical context with interesting characters, then this is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.