Wowowowow I am a huge lover of historical romance but this book brought a few firsts for me. 1) my first Emily Rath book and 2) my first ever why-choose novel. And I can safely say both were good. Rath has such a way of building the story up and making your head spin from everything that is happening— especially towards the end. I throughly enjoyed her writing style and her knowledge of the time-period was seen in all the little details.

Rosalie, Burke, James, Renley: what a group of characters! I loved seeing their relationships blossom and figuring out how they could all be with Rosalie. The spicy scenes were also hot hot hot!!!

My only critique is I feel like the first two thirds dragged a little bit and the last third had everything happening all at once. The book could have been a bit shorter and with better pacing for it to get five stars from me.

Beautiful Things was a dynamic, fast-paced, wonderful story. The romance between Rosalie, Burke, Renley, and James was palpable and beautiful and sweet. I loved all of them, together and separately. This was a super slow burn which was enhanced by the regency setting. The plot was fun and dramatic, and I flew through this book! I’m very excited to see how this story continues to develop in the next book! I thoroughly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend if you’re a fan of historical romances.

4.25/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- Rosalie’s attitude and independent streak from the beginning appeals to me. She’s seen her share of troubles and knows what she wants.
- There were a couple of deeply comical scenes. The punch, the swan… I lost it 😂
- I really feel for James, honestly. He does so much and doesn’t get what he deserves in return. I think he should tell everyone to f*ck off and go do what he wants 🙃
- The friendship between the 3 MMCs is appealing. And the way they can employ teamwork… if you know what I mean 😉🔥
- The whole thing culminates in an absolute shit show that kept me invested and needing to see how things unravel from there!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advance copy of this Deluxe Edition 💝

I really enjoyed this book and the regency theme with a twist of it being why choose. I enjoyed that’s its modern in the aspect of it why choose but still stayed with the regency and it gave bridgerton vibes which i enjoyed.

I was intrigued by the description of a spicier Bridgerton so I had to give it a try!
I didn't realize the book would end on a cliffhanger, so when I got to 80% of the book and not much had happened, I was confused. When I got to the end, it made sense.
I think the premise of the book was good, my only problem was with Rosalie. I understand why she doesn’t want marriage, I just felt like she was demanding things of her partners that she herself wouldn't do.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I will read the next one!

i have never been edged more in life than when reading this.

it’s a slow burn guys, capital S capital L capital O and capital W, okay?

the regency vibes were there, all characters were likeable (even the antagonistic ones, George was insane 🤪, all love interests were hot

so the book ended and left me craving more so u gotta pull out the second one,

the ending got really messy and i need answers ASAP

i need more MMM action in the continuation

well done, dr dr Emily Rath

thank you netgalley for the ARC! really enjoyed it 🥺❤️

This one took me a bit to get into. It was sort of boring at first, but once I started figuring out what was going on, it definitely picked up my interest. But Burke deserves to be happy. All 3 of these men of hers deserve to be happy. She deserves to be happy. And George can kiss my 🍑, because him and his mother are the biggest jerks ever. No wonder her mother didn’t want to stay friends with the Duchess, my god she’s a back stabbing witch.

Rosalie Harrow is 22, virtually penniless and living with an aunt. She gets invited to be a guest of the Dowager Duchess of Norland who claims to have once been a childhood friend of her dead mother. The Duchess clears the debts of Rosalie’s family and in exchange wants her to be the spy at the house party when she wants to find a great match for her son the Duke. Rosalie genuinely has no interest in the Duke herself but she catches the attention of three men. James, the Duke's younger brother who shoulders most of the Duke’s duties, Lieutenant Renley who has been encouraged to find a wife to help him purchase his next promotion and Mr. Burke, an illegitimate son of the previous Duke. The men are good friends and have grown up together.

Rosalie isn’t looking for marriage as her parents were not happy together. She is hoping to become a governess or art teacher, wanting her independence. So in a way she is a non-traditional lead for a historical romance. This is only my second polyamorous book, where the lead is intentionally involved with more than one man at the same time. And I did like getting the POVs from the various leads. The POV is listed at the head of each chapter making it easy to follow. The one thing that I was not expecting is that after over 450 pages the story ends on a cliffhanger. This is not a situation where a sequel will follow another character, but instead it ends when things are at a boiling point and the story will continue in “His Grace, The Duke”.

This is a previously independently published book from 2022 that is now getting a new cover and being published by Kensington Books. I don’t know if any changes have been made, but I read the Kensington digital edition. I do recommend the book if you don’t mind that the story is not finished.

I was able to finish but honestly it took me a while. I thought I was going to love it because regency love, I’m all for it but if it’s done right and for me this wasn’t it.


What I did love about it though was I love that Emily rath is messy and can’t be bothered by it. Because this one for me was all over the place and that wasn’t always a bad thing.

I first read this series in 2023 when I was perusing Emily Rath’s black log. I was extremely exited to find a why choose regency romance, because at the time, I had never seen polyamory in regency romance. Now, in celebration of the new deluxe paperbacks releasing for this series, I was gifted a e-book copy of book one, Beautiful Things. Rosalie’s story finishes in book two, His Grace The Duke.

Now for my thoughts:
Rosalie is such a feminist icon and uses her voice to reveal the hard truths for women of the time. I really like her as a FMC and I like the way she challenges her men and society at large. Their relationship dynamic is certainly different for the time for people in such elevated potions, but you can expect a more modern opinion by the MCs. Even if there is some yearning, angst, and complications along the way.

If you enjoy Jane Austen inspired men, with Bridgerton level drama and twists, I think you’ll enjoy this series.

3.5 stars — Gorgeous writing, slow start, and not quite for me (except Burke)

I wanted to love Beautiful Things—and eventually, I almost did. The writing is lush and atmospheric, and the historical setting was genuinely intriguing. But the pacing in the first 40% dragged for me. I debated DNF’ing, but I’m glad I pushed through because things finally picked up and I started getting invested… well, mostly in Burke (seriously, I need to know his fate!).

This is a MMF/M story (I think?), but the dynamics weren’t entirely clear, and I didn’t realize this was part of a continued series. After a book this long, I expected more resolution, so I was a little disappointed to find it all continues into an even longer sequel I’m not planning to read.

That said, Emily Rath’s writing really shines. The vibes? Immaculate. The tropes? A delicious mix:

💐 Decadent summer house party
🎶 Sultry piano duets
🦢 An angry swan (yes, really)
💋 Brooding in stairwells
🎩 Three best friends… and the lady who comes between them
💕 And of course, the OG storage closet moment

If you're looking for something character-heavy, slow-burn, and a bit chaotic in its romantic web, you might love this more than I did. I’m just here, still thinking about Burke.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hambright PR, the publishing company and Emily Rath for the copy in exchange for an honest review !

Pride and Prejudice meets Bridgerton

Read if you love:
-Regency romance
-Headstrong FMCs
-Why choose
-Slow burn

Beautiful Things was such a fun read! I flew through it and had a great time. Rosalie, our FMC was a breath of fresh air- tough and witty, but kind. The three MMCs were all dreamy and each brought something different to the table. I liked the court politics aspect of finding a wife for the Duke and what goes on behind the scenes when trying to make a This was definitely a slooooow burn but in the best possible way. Overall this was a great read and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

Thank you to Kensington Books, Hambright PR, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Book review of Beautiful Things: Deluxe Limited Edition by Emily Rath.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for my gifted ARC. And thank you, Emily Rath, for wrecking my entire weekend plans because I couldn’t put this book down.

This book is what happens when Regency romance drinks two glasses of wine, rolls its eyes at social norms, and says, “Actually, I’d like all three, thanks.” Beautiful Things is unapologetically modern, delightfully indulgent, and so good it had me giggling, blushing, and muttering, “Ma’am, you cannot say that in 1813!” But she did. And I loved every second.

We meet Rosalie Harrow, a twenty-two-year-old penniless woman in Regency England who is this close to becoming a governess or marrying someone she hates for survival. A true feminist icon of the early 1800s, Rosalie decides she’d rather risk mysterious invitations from sketchy duchesses than settle for a life of pouring tea and biting her tongue. When she receives said mysterious invite to Alcott Hall, she assumes she’s about to meet a kindly old lady. Instead? She walks straight into the Regency version of The Bachelor.

Let’s be clear: Rosalie wants no part of this mess. She’s surrounded by desperate noblewomen clinging to fainting couches and dignity, all vying for a duke who (thankfully) is not the love interest—because he’s a walking red flag with a title. Rosalie, naturally, becomes the unexpected favorite of three (yes, three) very different and very dreamy men: Lieutenant Tom “Tragic Backstory” Renley, Lord James “Responsible and Brooding” Corbin, and Mr. Burke, aka “Grumpy Bastard with Hidden Depths.” She says she doesn’t want a husband, but if the vibes get any hotter, we’re going to need a chaperone—and a fan.

This is a slow burn romance. And by slow, I mean glacial. Think longing stares across candlelit rooms, conversations charged with repressed feelings, and so much sexual tension I swear I heard the wallpaper in Alcott Hall crack. But the payoff? Whew. Let’s just say once these people start touching, they don’t stop touching. And Rath does not disappoint. The steam sneaks up on you like a scandal behind a hedge maze.

Rosalie is hands-down one of my favorite heroines in recent memory. She’s clever, stubborn, emotionally intelligent, and allergic to nonsense. She’s also painfully relatable—trying to maintain her independence while falling for three different men who all somehow understand her better than she understands herself. And instead of spiraling into “but who will I choose?” nonsense, Rosalie basically says, “Why not keep all three?” Which is… fair. Very fair.

Each of the love interests brings something unique: James is the moral compass who’s probably dying of repressed feelings. Renley is the charming soldier trying not to fall for Rosalie while absolutely falling for her. And Burke? Burke is the chaos raccoon of my heart. Every scene with him was like biting into a chocolate with an unknown filling—sometimes sweet, sometimes sharp, always addictive.

The writing? Impeccably cozy. It’s witty without trying too hard, romantic without being saccharine, and funny in that sly, under-the-breath kind of way. One line had me cackling into my tea: “You are a woman who sets fire to the air around her. And still, I am breathing.” Like sir? You good? Because I am not.

Now let’s talk cliffhangers. This book ends on one. Not a gentle, thoughtful “maybe I’ll check in with them again someday” kind of ending. No. It’s a throw-your-Kindle-across-the-room, frantically-Google-the-release-date-of-book-two kind of situation. And yes, I am suffering. But I’m also excited, because His Grace, The Duke is coming, and if it doesn’t ruin me emotionally, I’ll be shocked.

And while I read the eBook, I must mention that the physical Deluxe Edition sounds like a love letter to book nerds. Stenciled edges, full-color interior covers, designed chapter headers—if you’re a collector, go ahead and preorder it now. You’ll want it on your shelf just so you can say “Oh that? Yeah, that’s the one where she falls in love with three men at once and it actually makes sense.”

This isn’t your mother’s Regency romance. This is the version where the heroine is messy, the men communicate (mostly), and nobody gets punished for wanting more than one great love. Beautiful Things is smart, subversive, and steamy in all the right ways. I went in expecting manners and maybe a polite kiss. What I got was a polyamorous slow-burn with emotional depth, spice, and a heroine who deserves the world—and then some.

So cozy up with some tea, grab your comfiest blanket, and prepare to be wooed by not one, not two, but three swoony men in cravats. Just don’t blame me when you yell at the last page. You’ve been warned.

Genre: Romance / Women’s Fiction
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

This was such a fun and refreshing read. It had ALL the angst that Emily Rath has perfected. The why choose dynamic is executed so well, and the twists?Completely unexpected. I found myself gasping more than once. How could you leave us like that, Ms. Rath?!?

I honestly can’t think of another book or series that blends a regency-inspired setting with the why choose trope this seamlessly. It’s original, gripping, and extremely entertaining. I’m invested, and I cannot wait to see Rosalie rise and wreak havoc in the next installment. Looking directly at you, Dowager and Marianne…

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Hambright PR for the E-ARC of this book!

I did not see a cliffhanger coming on this one! Just when the story was really heating up, BAM! To be continued. I suppose the fact that I was disappointed it was ending is a good thing considering I'm invested in knowing what happens next. I think the three suitors that have caught Rosalies eye and heart were well drawn out. The glaring difference in class will continue to be intriguing as the series moves forward.
I was delighted with the spice level of this one. It wasn't over the top and didn't overshadow the plot.
I did expect a big more scandal and betrayal, but I think that is where this book is leading up to.

Read if you like headstrong MFC's, why choose, and spice.

I think fans of Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice will love this book.

Pride and Prejudice meets Bridgerton 💥❤️‍🔥 This book had me hooked from page one. I knew going in that this was a regency why choose and while it seems impossible to be as scorching hot as it is – Emily Rath mastered it to perfection. I could not put this book down and I’m gonna keep on reading…
And just as Rosalie - I could not choose just one. Fortunately we all don’t have to.

I was provided and eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

It's regency, it's reverse harem, it's the steamy, angsty slow burn

If you love Bridgerton and want a sprinkle more self-possessed women, dukes who aren't the most honorable after all, steamy tension and high-stakes trysts, Beautiful Things might be up your alley.

A fun spin on the normal why choose I’ve read from
Emily! The regency setting with the slowest burn but still having the why choose element was fun!

Emily Rath is here for a good time, not a serious historical time, and if you go into this knowing and expecting that i anticipate that you'll have a great time reading this. While some historical romances take the historical setting seriously, ensuring all decorum and societal expectations are woven into the conflicts of the story, Rath brings a modern lens to a historical setting, allowing the British aristocracy and layers of clothing to play as ambience as opposed to grounded historical reality. This worked for me because I wasn't expecting a 'why choose' historical to be more history than romp and so allowed myself to get carried away by Rosalie's adventure. IMPORTANT NOTE though: this is a SERIES, and so the end of this book does not give the reader the HEA they may go in hoping for, and instead lands on a rather abrupt cliffhanger with no one being particularly happy about their current situation(Hello Kensington, please do let me know when the next book is available for requesting!). One of the things I enjoyed about this was that Rath writes the 3 male suitors with clear distinctions and for the most part I understand what draws Rosalie to each of them individually (I'm not convinced about James yet - but I anticipate that will be a big part of book 2 based on where we left off) and while I do have a favorite (i'm a sucker for a brooding hero generally) I can understand why Rosalie has a hard time choosing, and what a relief she doesn't have to!

This is such a great start to the series - I'm looking forward to continuing!

I liked the FMC - she's smart and has clear ideas of what she wants/doesn't want. That said, I really hate when lust overtakes everything else, especially for a character who knows better and has already expounded on why it's a bad idea.

I thought the author used the supporting cast (the other ladies) well, and also showed why servants were so vital, both in the running of the household and for gossip.

The plot made sense and the characters acted accordingly.
Multiple POVs, split between the FMC and MMCs.
Definitely a different take on historical (Regency) fiction, with they why choose element.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.