A sequel to Something Fabulous that follows Peggy finding her own happiness in the wrong places. The rep & writing were top notch. Started off great but the humour/fun relied too much on the supporting cast but still enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley!

I love this author and i was sure it was gonna be amazing and it did not disappoint!
I adored them and this story in general.
The synopsis did not lie one bit, it sure was perfect!

Much like Something Fabulous, Something Spectacular is a romp of a romance that takes place in an extremely modern "Regency" setting and a core theme of being true to oneself. Thankfully, unlike Something Fabulous, Something Spectacular stays on this side of the line between fun and frustrating, which given the feeling on wanting to crawl out of my skin while reading Something Fabulous, says something. Characters still speak and act like they're on the stage (which, in Orfeo's case, is semi-intentional) or in a Tumblr post, but there's a lot more heart to this one, now that there's only one mad dash across the countryside in a curricle.

Most of that is due to Orfeo and Peggy's romance centering around both of them coming to terms with what it means to live as they wish and learning to identify and embrace their needs and wants (not just desires, they're both fairly set in terms of knowing what they like in bed) for a future. Both of them occupy different liminal spaces in a society that wants rigid roles, and sorting out defiance from desire takes some time. A nice side effect of the wish-fulfillment setting is that while nebulous societal pressures exist in terms of consequences or factors in decision-making, anyone who comes on-page is accepting (even if not immediately understanding) of each person's identity and desires. For all that we see the stress of Peggy's worries and anxieties on her, all the actual drama and conflict comes from them or from within their circle.

There are, of course, a lot of strange tongue-in-cheek asides or lines that don't quite fit either with actions or lines from Something Fabulous, or even actions or lines a few chapters prior, but at the end of the day, Something Spectacular, while not spectacular, is quite fun.

Also Peggy gets to peg, and Hall has written some of the better sex scenes that elide specific genitalia terms, so that's a definite plus in my book.

I loved this book! I liked Something Fabulous, but it was a bit too over the top chaotic for me to truly love it. The story in Something Spectacular is a bit more grounded in reality, which I appreciated. In this book we follow Peggy, Arabella’s companion from the first book, as she tries to move on from unrequited love and get on with her life. Of course love is not so easily controlled and things don’t go according to Peggy’s plans.

I loved meeting the characters from book one. Aside from Peggy, we spend a lot of time with Belle, Bonny, Valentine and sir Horley. This book gave a chance to really get to know the side characters from book one. Especially Arabella who I honestly hated in the first book grew on me significantly once I got a chance to understand her better. I genuinely hope we will get additional stories in this series about Arabella and sir Horley.

This book has all of the wit balanced with emotional gravitas that you would expect from a book by Alexis Hall. I laughed out loud on several occasions and there were many truly touching moments of romance and friendship. Not to mention the relationship between Peggy and her parents, I wish everyone could have that kind of relationship with their parents!

In summary, I can’t recommend the book enough and I will definitely read it again!

While I really enjoyed Something Fabulous, this was even better. Something Spectacular has the humor and absurd moments I’ve come to expect in an Alexis Hall book, but it has so freaking much heart too. It’s at turns poignant, tender, heartbreaking, hopeful, joyful, and beautiful. With both MCs being nonbinary, there are some really profound conversations around what it means to inhabit your own skin vs what your choices might mean to society (and if you can live with that perception or not).
I loved still getting to see Valentine and Bonny and their others friends we met in the last book. Belle wasn’t quite so insufferable (but she’s still my least favorite).
Highly recommend for a wonderfully inclusive AND spicy book!

4.5 stars

Also many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I truly loved Something Spectacular. Chapter 21 may have been the funniest thing I've ever read. Alexis Hall writes with such wit and warmth, and as with Something Fabulous and A Lady for a Duke, I'm always impressed by Hall's ability to adapt prose to suit the needs of the world and time with such a deft touch and confidence. Something Spectacular involves the same group of characters as Something Fabulous, but it isn't necessary to have read the first book before reading this one. Although I always loved Valentine, I found myself appreciating Bonny and Bella a lot more in this book, with a loveable and basically all-round good egg such as Peggy as the protagonist. Orfeo very much was the rock star in a kind of Freddie Mercury-esque no-apologies power self, even though there's still care taken to weave in their grief and trauma. I loved the nuance with which Peggy and Orfeo's gender and sexual identities were explored, and I was cheering at the end when Bonny and even Valentine were welcomed in to the group's plans for the future. This is a book for those trying to discover who they are and trying to find a place where they belong. It's funny and tender and a classic Alexis Hall mix of modernity and Regency appreciation. It felt to me as though the author was having an enormous amount of fun in this book, and it really shows.

rep: nonbinary MC; genderqueer/gendervoid LI; gay secondary characters; demisexual secondary character; aromantic secondary character (please note these are my interpretations, not specified on-page) in a queernormative(ish...) ahistorical world
cw: dysphoria; references to castration; misgendering; religious trauma; religious abuse; sex; abusive relationship; sex shaming; arophobia; homophobia (more provided by the author).
favourite character: Peggy, Orfeo and Valentine. I felt the characters all worked well together in this instalment.
CAWPILE: 9.4 (5*)

I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Montlake via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

3/5 stars! I have loved several books by this author but this one was not for me. I felt like there was a lot of harshness in the treatment of Peggy in this story and it made it hard to digest the story. This was a good historical romance and the LGBTQ+ representation was nicely done, but I couldn't find myself rooting for the characters. Just an ok book for me.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

When trying to help the girl you have been hopelessly in love with pursue her latest crush... and end up attracting said crushes attention for yourself, things are about to get complicated. Peggy Delancey has been in love with Arabella Tarleton since forever, they are former flames but Peggy still holds a one sided crush on her. When Arabella asks Peggy’s help in pursuing her latest crush on the famous and flamboyant opera singer Orfeo, Peggy can’t say no. What Peggy doesn’t expect is that Orfeo is much more interested in Peggy than Arabella. Peggy and Orfeo have an instant chemistry that Peggy just cant deny. but being in a relationship with a famous opera singer was never going to be easy and now Peggy and Orfeo have to see if they have any space in their lives for the other or if their love was doomed from the start. This was definitely an interesting read as it’s main characters dealt with a lot of issues from differences in lifestyle to differences in their views of love and what they can expect in a relationship to what it means to love without condition. They have a complicated relationship but they are both learning and growing as they both have never met someone like the other. Peggy is learning what she wants and what it means to go after what you want while Orfeo is learning what it means to have freedom and love that isn’t transactional. They went through a lot of back and forth and relationship drama as well as other things and found a way to work it out in the end. I think this would be a great read for fans of historical lgbtq romances!

*Thanks Netgalley and Montlake for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*