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
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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.

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!

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARCC

I’ll start this by saying I didn’t know Something Spectacular is a sequel, which informs my understanding of the book. I had a hard time figuring thing out in this story at first, partially because I kept feeling like I’d missed something (aka the first book!). Something Spectacular is ripe for an audience—it’s fiery, cute, emotional, and very sexy. I’m not entirely sure that it was my cup of tea, mostly because of the anachronisms. But I know plenty of people who will love this one.

I struggled with book one, (I felt badly for Valentine the entire time) but I loved A Lady for A Duke, so I’m going back in, hopeful for good banter.

Peggy Delancey’s hung up on Arabella Tarleton. But Belle needs Peggy to help her woo the famous opera singer Orfeo—but Peggy finds an immediate kinship with Orfeo, a castrato who’s just as nonconforming as she is.

Arabella is as unlikable here as she was in the first book. There’s a heavy focus on the side characters, but if you liked Val, Bonny, and Belle then you won’t be as frustrated as I was. It seemed like the first quarter was as much about Belle as Peggy. You wouldn’t have known they weren’t supposed to end up together because it took so long to meet Orfeo. And once we met them, I never felt like we got to know them.

“Love is supposed to be (women’s) consolation.”
“You’re what now?”
“Our consolation. For the fact we have fuck all else.”

The writing style is fantastic and so is the banter. It’s a romp. I just struggled with the time spent with the supporting cast when I wanted more time with Orfeo and Peggy. It was also single POV, so I struggled to connect with Orfeo. I wanted more time with them and less time with Peggy’s friends and her endless navel gazing.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Alexis Hall is my most hit or miss author. Typically, I know I'll enjoy a book written by an author whose work I've previously enjoyed but I have loved some of Hall's books, dnf'd others, and finished others out spite. And this book falls flat in the middle of that. It was fine.

I picked this up because I loved a Lady for a Duke. And while this book contained some of the melancholy of that book, it didn't resonate the same way with me.

I didn't realize it was the second in a series until I started reading and those who haven't read Something Fabulous will be able to read this without issue (but those who have will enjoy the endless cameos of the main characters of that book).

Hall also has a habit of creating love interests I deeply dislike. I understand that I was supposed to like Orfeo but I just didn't. I didn't really care about them and the connection between Peggy and them felt totally manufactured.

Overall, read a Lady for a Duke instead.

Holy fuck cakes, Something Spectacular left me speechless and reeling in the best way. I absolutely loved this book. I’m not very good at favorites, but this just might be one of my favorites from Alexis Hall so far.

Something Spectacular is a whimsical histromcom, set in Regency England, about two nonbinary characters getting things they’ve always dreamed of but never believed they could have themselves. And it’s a fucking masterpiece.

As always, Alexis Hall’s writing is playful and incandescent, and, as always, the story is so wonderfully queer. Something Spectacular thoughtfully explores gender and identity, examines why we are the way we are (spoiler alert: it ultimately doesn’t matter why), and has some of the queerest (and steamiest and most romantic) sex scenes I’ve ever read.

This was a truly incredible sequel to Something Fabulous. I can’t recommend it enough.