Book one in the Second Sons series

TROPES:
🦢A decadent summer house party
🦢Sultry piano duets
🦢Brooding in stairwells
🦢An angry swan
🦢The OG storage closet
🦢Three best friends...and the lady who
*comes* between them

If you love Bridgerton but crave a why choose twist, Beautiful Things is for you!

This story pulled me in with its layered drama and rich social hierarchy! I couldn’t stop flipping pages.

Rosalie is such a strong FMC, and her journey to uncover her mother’s past turns into a powerful discovery of her own identity. I also loved the use of multiple POVs, it added so much depth and heat 🤭 I can't wait to read more because that ending left me yearning for more of Rosalie, Burke, James and Renley.

Emily Rath's first ever self published book and I can't wait to read the next book. Thank you so much Hambright PR and Net galley for this arc.

Wow. Emily Rath can write a why choose! I ate this book up. It gives Bridgeton vibes and I was here for it. I related so much to the FMC, Rosalie, when she said she didn’t want to be a caged bird. Funny how the books you read sometimes hit you in the right moment.

Now when it comes to the 3 men she can’t choose between struggled choosing also. I am starting to understand why choose is such a fun genre. I can’t wait to continue this series because it definitely leaves you wanting more.

Thank you Hambright PR, Kensington Publishing, and Emily Rath for the eARC and beautiful physical ARC!! I felt so lucky when it showed up at my door 🥹

👍🏻𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬𝑫 / 💗𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫: 💗

𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑰𝑭 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑳𝑰𝑲𝑬:
♡ historical romance
♡ why choose
♡ secret stairwells
♡ family secrets
♡ only one horse

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑺:
This was my first historical romance and I think Emily Wrath sold me on the genre 😍 I loved the countryside setting, the regal clothes, and the sharp tongues. Who knew people were so passive aggressive while holding the correct soup spoon? LOL

Rosalie was a headstrong FMC who vows to never marry and she has a past that really cements that decision. I loved her; she struggled with a choice to make a life for herself that she never could have imagined or love. In that time, that isn’t an easy decision when everyone judges you off titles and status.

Burke, James, and Renley were swoon-worthy MMCs. James is the ultimate “I shouldn’t; I can’t” MMC, Burke is the possessive type, and Renley is just head over heels for Rosalie. I actually loved that Burke was possessive because most RHs are brothers who are all cool with sharing and this felt a little more realistic.

This is the first book in a trilogy so I felt like we saw a lot of Burke’s love for Rosalie and we’ll see more from Renley and James in the following books. Which I totally plan to read because the TENSION in this book was at an all time high. I didn’t realize brushes of fingers on necks could be SO HOT 🥵

It's not overstating things to say that book and the ones that followed it rewired my brain. This was the first thing I ever read by Emily Rath, and I was so excited for the opportunity to reread ahead of its traditional publish date. This is excellent for people who love historical romances, particularly ones set outside of London. The whole series features heroines who you will root for, and heroes who will make you blush and swoon. Pick it up!

4.5⭐️ 2.5🌶️
Thank you to Hambright PR and NetGalley for an early copy of this re-released novel. Regency romance with a why-choose twist was not something I thought I’d be interested in, but boy did Emily prove me wrong. The FMC Rosalie is strong, independent, and full of wit and charm; what she doesn’t have is money or social status. That doesn’t keep her from staying true to herself while falling in love with not one but two men! I cannot wait til book two is released because that cliffhanger about ended me.

In Beautiful Things, Rosalie receives an unexpected invitation to the prestigious Alcott Hall. She does not come from money and has no title of her own, so she feels like an interloper at this house party meant to find a wife for the Duke. The Dowager Duchess takes Rosalie under her wing, only asking that she stay away from the attention of the available men and that she help her spy on the potential suitors for her son.

I really enjoyed this one! I thought the “why choose” aspect was unexpected when combined with the regency romance genre. I loved the slow burn chemistry throughout. And the jealously between the men just added to that tension in the best way! It was super entertaining, a bit unhinged, and so fun. I laughed at their antics the whole way through! It ended on a bit of a cliff hanger and I am so ready to read what happens next.

Give Beautiful Things a read if you like :
🌸 Why choose romance
🌸 Regency romance
🌸 Lots of chemistry and spice
🌸 Jealousy from the MMCs

Thanks to @hambright_pr for the ARC and yeah, you want to read this one. I'm currently waiting for my beautiful limited edition to arrive so I can add another trophy to my shelf

I'll read Emily's grocery list so it was a no-brainer to request this. A regency why-choose full of mystery, shenanigans and some very very slow burn romance. Sometimes a girl just doesn't want to choose which of the gorgeous three suitors to make out with in the woods in the rain and really, who can blame her?

Beautiful Things was just fun to read and full of everything I expect from an Emily Rath book. For my KU fans, the book is available now or you can get the limited edition from wherever you buy books. If you're looking for a new historical romance series to obsess over, pick this one up now.

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I love Pucking Around*, but I wish it took place in the Regency era,”* then you’re in luck, Emily Rath has written exactly the book you didn’t know you needed.
Beautiful Things is the first in a steamy, “why choose” Regency-era duet that brings all the charm, chemistry, and clever banter fans loved in her hockey romances but now it includes cravats, country estates, and slow-burn tension under candlelight.

Rosalie, is fierce, witty, and completely uninterested in marriage. But when she arrives at Alcott Hall, she finds herself entangled with three very different, irresistible men none of whom society would consider a proper match. But when has that ever stopped Emily Rath?

✨ Tom: the handsome naval officer nursing a broken heart until Rosalie turns his world upside down.
✨ James: the dutiful second son of a duke, burdened by family expectations and torn between obligation and forbidden desire.
✨ Burke: the charming, sharp-tongued, illegitimate son of a duke who hides vulnerability behind smirks and scandal.

It has it all; chemistry, banter and romantic tension I was ready to combust myself.

Set against the backdrop of a house party brimming with secrets and stolen glances, this book channels all the best parts of Bridgerton—but with a bold, modern twist.

If you’re a historical romance lover craving something smart and scorchingly hot or if you simply trust Emily Rath with your entire TBR like I do then Beautiful Things is an absolute must-read. It’s not your grandmother’s Regency romance… and that’s exactly the point.

My first Emily Rath book! This is a regency, slow-burn, why choose romance, and the writing and the swoon and the steam were soo fun to read!

Also, I didn't know this was book 1 of a series?? 😭 I'm dying at the cliffhanger, I need the second book and the hea so bad 😭

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

Why choose, indeed. This is the regency romance that I didn’t know I needed.

I devoured this over two days - the plot, the characters, the slow burn, the *spice*. All of it.

Recommended!



Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for the DRC

4.25*

This was so fun and messy. I crave this drama. Bridgerton inspired but make it why choose? Yes please… sign me up! It did start off a tad slow but when it picks up it doesn't stop. Rosalie Harrow gets invited by the Duchess to the Alcott House. Rosalie and the Dutchess come up with a plan to help Georgie find a wife. The only problem with this is that he doesn't want to get married at all making it a tad difficult. Rosalie finds herself being captured by James, Burke and Tom. The only problem is she made a deal with the duchess to not get involved with anyone. This was so fun. I will be diving into the next one immediately.

“Rosalie Harrow was not the shore. She was the moon. There would be no escaping her pull for either of them . . . any of them. The moon is everywhere—always coaxing, always claiming. Even when she cannot be seen, she is felt. And James felt her everywhere. Damn it all to hell.”

Bridgerton vibes meets Regency romance… but make it a why choose love story??!!
I AM IN. I AM OBSESSED.!!!!!

I devoured this book.
I love all the characters.
I love the setting and the courtship and the ode to regency romance but make it SO HOT AND SPICY AND FORBIDDEN
The drama, the tension, the SPICE🔥🔥🔥🔥 it’s everything I love about historical romance turned up to eleven

Yeah I am straight diving into book 2 head first no question about it.
Emily is making my dreams come true with this series
Nobody quite writes why choose romance like Emily Rath does 🥵 🔥

Thank you to Hambright PR, NetGalley, Kensington, and Emily Rath for the copies of Beautiful Things.

5 lovely stars!

At 22, Rosalie Harrow faces a bleak future: marry for money or become a governess — neither of which appeals to her. When she receives a mysterious invitation to Alcott Hall, she expects a quiet meeting with her late mother’s old friend, but instead finds herself at a house party filled with ambitious debutantes hoping to win over a newly single Duke. Rosalie wants no part of the competition, but soon finds herself entangled in a whirlwind of suitors. As the grand Michaelmas ball approaches, Rosalie must balance her desire for freedom with the unexpected thrill of romance.

I need to know what Emily Rath put in this book because I could not put it down. My eyes were GLUED to those pages! This book has everything: moving plot, lovable characters, and spice to put Bridgerton to shame. This is a slow burn that starts with an ember and then grows into a flame so hot that you won’t get away unscathed.

I loved Rosalie. She spoke her mind and wasn’t satisfied being a pretty wallflower. She understands the way she must behave in society, but knows that she can fight against it if she is discreet. Now…we need to talk about these men who honestly might be at the top of my book boyfriend list. Each has a backstory that pulls at your heartstrings and it was hard for me to pick which one was my favorite. I mean, really. It was an impossible choice.

Beware: Beautiful Things ends on a cliffhanger. So, please excuse me while I lock myself in my room to read the next book!

3.5/5

a why-choose regency romance?!? sign me up ✍🏼

this book was so unserious and gives the same ridiculous vibes as the bridgerton show, but I cannot deny its entertainment value! I flew through this 400+ page romance book in 2 days 🫣

my fav part of a regency romance is the tension and yearning, there’s nothing as fun as the characters finally touching SHOULDERS after 200 pages and this book delivered on that!! bonus points that it was 3 MEN 🤭🫣

also side note - george may be an ass and the most useless duke I’ve ever read about, but some of his one liners and shenanigans were so hilariously ridiculous that he may have ended up my fav character in this book 🤣

my only complaint is that I don’t think this book needed to be as long as it was, especially with the super long descriptions of how london society looks and the inner workings of this estate. there is also a sequel so I’m curious what else these characters will be up to! other than that, it was a fun time and if you’re looking for a fun spicy take on a typical regency romance, Emily Rath has provided 😌

thank you to Hambright PR, Kensington Publishing, and Emily Rath for the e-ARC and physical copy in exchange for an honest review.

Slow-burn
Very sexy
Headstrong heroine
Stolen kisses.
Family secrets.
Definitely NOT grandma’s #massmarket regency romance

Three best friends…and one lovely who “comes” between them. Why choose just one? DAMN now I need book #2, His Grace, the Duke - coming October ’25.

Thank you HambrightPR, Kensington Books.

This was my first Regency era book! And a why choose with a strong, independent, outspoken FMC...? yes please!

Rosalie Harrow is making a trek to see the duchess, who supposedly was friends of her late mother's. Upon her arrival to the house, she meets three incredibly attractive men and...you can see where that's going. She also gets a request and proposal from the duchess.

This was so witty and sweet and spicy. Literally Bridgerton but why choose. A good fun read overall!

Being invited to a house party in the country is a complete mystery to Rosalie. She's destitute and lacking a position. What could a Duchess want with her? Soon enough, she finds out the Duchess's connection to her past. She wants Rosalie to stay and be her eyes and ears during the part,y but under one condition - she cannot pursue her sons.

On the surface, this is no problem for Rosalie. She sees marriage as a cage she doesn't want to be in. But the more she tries to avoid hooking a potential suitor, the more she is bombarded... by three gentlemen. But who says she can't enjoy the chase?

Friends, this is how historical romance is done!

I saw Emily Rath describe this as a Jane Austen-esque romance that asks the question - what if the heroine doesn't have to choose between Darcy, Knightly, and Wentworth? This is a great way to describe this book and the MMCs.

When I read a historical romance, two of the things that I love as a reader are the tension between the characters that continues to ratchet up and the pining/suffering in the pursuit of love. Burke, James, and Tom all SUFFERED, and I kind of loved it! There was no easy path to love, and I really enjoyed how Emily made their characters work for happiness.

Rosalie was a much more interesting character than I was expecting. Based on the first 10%, I felt like she was a pretty standard feminist regency FMC, but as the plot rolled on, she was increasingly complex and interesting to me as a reader.

Overall, I loved this book so much more than I was expecting to. It's billed as Bridgerton, but spicier. The "spicier" part is right, but I think it's better than Bridgerton 😉

Thank you to Hambright PR and Emily Rath for the eARC of Beautiful Things.

“𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓮 𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓮. 𝓢𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷. 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓪𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓹𝓾𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓮𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 . . . 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮—𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓪𝔁𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓬𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓷, 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓽.”

As someone who isn’t drawn to historical romance I knew Emily Rath would be the person to change my mind. And oh boy DID SHE!! Rosalie is invited to Alcott Hall by the Dowager Duchess, an old friend of her late mother. With no more information Rosalie goes not knowing what to expect.

Historical drama, tension, high stakes and three men she can’t shake! Beautiful Things was such a fun time and I need more! I love how sweet and strong willed Rosalie is, shes the type of friend everyone needs! The men’s friendship was heartwarming, the way they all have such mutual love and respect for each other brought me so much joy. Now this is NOT your regular regency romance these men have some DIRTY mouths and know just what to do with them😏 Burke and Renley…yep that’s the sentence. The slow burn was so good and made that tension so delicious! The small twist at the ending?? And the cliffhanger?? I cannot wait to see what comes next and how they’ll figure their way out of this situation!! Thank you Hambright PR and Emily Rath for the ARC<3

as someone who has been anxiously awaiting the next season of Bridgerton to come out, i adored this book! I loved how you really couldn’t tell who Rosalie would choose at any point in the book and the ending caught me so off guard. I’ll be waiting for book 2!

Ohhh Emily, how I love thee.

Talk about a sloooow burn. I loved all of the tension and angst! Every touch and stolen kiss had me giggling and kicking my feet.

This is not your typical Regency Romance. It definitely has a modern feel to it (which I was all for, but not everyone may be)

I loved Rosalie immediately. She’s poor AF, has zero interest in marriage, very strong minded, but also has some trauma when it comes to men that holds her back from accepting (and giving) love

Emily has said many times that her books are Fantasy. They are set in the “real world” but in a world that isn’t an accurate portrayal of said real world. Some parts are absolutely unbelievable, but in an ideal world would make perfect sense.

I loved all three of her suitors. Yes, even James. The dynamic between them all was different, and it works. They are all in different levels of society (still high up, but definitely not all equal)

Her Meet-Cute with Burke? 😻 Having him watch her slug a drunk man, and not needing assistance from him, was fabulous

Tom, Tom, Tom. 🥵