Nonconforming Peggy Delancey is constantly pulled into the orbit of her friends the Tarleton twins. When best friend and unrequited love, Arabella Tarleton, calls her to London, Peggy heads to town posthaste. Arabella wants Peggy to act as her emissary on a mission to help famed opera soprano Orfeo fall in love with Arabella. But, as these things go, that’s not exactly what happens. Orfeo is not interested in falling in love, especially not with Arabella, but they are interested in spending more time with Peggy.

In Something Spectacular, Alexis Hall takes on themes of romance, identity, and finding a place to belong with his trademark humor and heart. There were moments when I was cackling—yes, cackling and maybe even guffawing—out loud. There were moments when I ached for the characters. There were moments that made my heart swell.

If you are looking for a Regency romance with a nonconforming couple and a highly entertaining—although not always helpful—found family, check this one out.

I received an advance copy from Montlake and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Peggy has feelings for her friend Arabella and when Arabella asks for Peggy's assistance in wooing the famous opera singer Orfeo. Peggy is surprised when she finds a connection with Orfeo. Both have never felt accepted by society as they are seen as being different and they form a friendship which might develop into more.

This is a light-hearted historical romcom. I sadly didn't love this. Both characters are coming to terms with their identities and I would like to see more historical romances with queer characters. However, whilst I did like the characters I didn't love the writing and I didn't feel invested in their romance.

Overall this was an ok read for me but not a new favourite.

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall

I got this ARC several weeks ago and I’ve been hoarding it like a dragon with gold. I finally succumbed and read it, and it was as funny and delightful as I was hoping!

This book follows the excellent Something Fabulous, and I was so thrilled to have so many moments with Bonny and Valentine. I don’t think it’s essential to read it first, but I would highly recommend it!

Something Spectacular is written in the same fun, over-the-top style as its predecessor. Full of zany humour, characters being Extra, Tarletons being Extra Extra, everyone is queer, bonkers situations, etc.

This book follows Peggy as she falls in love with Orfeo, a castrato opera singer. The book does a lot to interrogate gender and sexuality, and the multitude of ways these can be expressed. Peggy struggles with her desire to be seen and accepted as fully herself as a non binary person, while also desiring things that are perceived as more normative, and working out how those things can co-exist. I really loved seeing her HEA.

I really enjoyed the love story between Peggy and Orfeo, how they were pulled to each other right off the bat, and the ways they overcame different obstacles to be together in the end. I did not know anything about castratos going into this book, and I appreciated the way this aspect of Orfeo’s life was handled with sensitivity and care.

As is always the case in books by Hall, the big group scenes were a major highlight. The secondary characters were excellent. I was among those who were not super fans of Belle in the first book, and I really appreciated getting to know her more in this book. Sir Horley continues to be the BEST.

Recommended if you’re looking for a super queer, super funny historical romance!

Genre: queer historical romance
London, regency era

Peggy Delancey is convinced she’ll never love someone the way she loves Arabella Tarleton. Arabella herself is down on luck in love, flitting from one lover to the next looking for something more satisfying. She has her eyes on Orfeo, famous castrato opera singer, and wants Peggy to help bring them together. But the moment Peggy hears Orfeo sing, she is drawn to the flamboyant singer. Their relationship may be frowned upon by polite society, but that’s never stopped Orfeo, and Peggy is learning to listen to her heart.

Something Spectacular has absolutely incredible queer energy. Alexis Hall points out in the author’s note that he is playing fast and loose with history, utilizing modern language for the queer experience, which fits well with the bold tone of the book. Something Spectacular is a total romp, touching on serious issues of gender identity and presentation and finding one’s own path, but remains light and immensely fun to read. Orfeo identifies as nonbinary, which is a historically accurate interpretation for a castrati, and Peggy identifies as female while possessing both male and female traits. The queerness of the characters - while shunned by the larger society - is fully accepted as natural as a part of the book.

I actually hadn’t read the first book in the series, Something Fabulous, and I enjoyed stepping into a world that had an assumed familiarity. It was as if I walked into a group of wild friends who knew each other already, they gave me a hug, and suddenly I knew them all. I never once felt lost or as if I was lacking from not having read the first, other than to know that whenever I need this energy again, it’s there waiting for me.

This was a perfect read to kick off the #TransRightsReadathon! Reader beware, though, if the only other book by Alexis Hall you’ve read is A Lady for a Duke, this has a completely different tone! While ALFAD is an angsty and beautiful second chance, Something Spectacular has a bonkers premise and a tone to match.

4.5 stars
4 flames

Another thoroughly delightful, hilarious historical romp from Alexis Hall. It also happens to the queerest book I’ve ever read, and one of the most feminist. Watching sensible, forthright Peggy fall head over heels for Orfeo, the most glamorous superstar, while also working out who she is and what she wants, is such a satisfying experience.
And I have to say, a meet cute involving Handel’s Largo is clearly the best meet cute. I mentioned it was funny, didn’t I? Very, very funny. Watch out for the hyacinth.

Something Spectacular is an absolute delight. Alexis Hall returns to his over the top, queer-filled regency world and it’s even more fun than the first time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Peggy is trying to give up being in love with her best friend Arabella, since Bella doesn’t return her feelings. Then Bella asks for Peggy’s help to woo a new love interest, the famous castrato Orfeo. One look at the talented and charismatic singer, though, and Peggy has a dilemma. She’s attracted to Orfeo, and the feeling seems to be mutual. But how can she betray her best friend?

I adore non conforming Peggy, both for her general common sense and her self awareness about her own identity. Something Spectacular is an over the top story, but Peggy is the common sense that keeps the characters somewhat tethered to reality. Kinda. Orfeo is a whirlwind by their own design, and honestly doesn’t know they can function outside of their theatrical setting. It’s wonderful watching Peggy explain that she accepts them for who they are, not only their talent. I really appreciated the author’s note at the beginning of the book which thoughtfully looks at how a castrato fit, or didn’t fit, into society.

Hilarious asides abound throughout this delightfully queer filled take on historical romance, and specific names alone offer tons of entertainment. And it’s a bonus to visit with Bonny and Valentine, from Something Fabulous, who have gone on to live their best lives together.

I adored Something Spectacular. While the plot is set firmly in the regency, there are many details that feel true and contemporary. Amid the delightful chaos, all the main characters are real and three dimensional, and their frank discussions about gender and identity are a treat. Peggy and Orfeo deserve their HEA, and I’m glad I got to come along for the entertaining ride.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Something Spectacular is an exuberant historical romance with two genderfluid leads. Peggy begins the book in deep and unrequited love with her best friend Arabella. She's recently had to accept that Belle will not fall in love with her, and she's trying to juggle heartbreak and being a supportive friend - especially when being a supportive friend means, in Belle's eyes, being a good wingperson.⁠
⁠
Belle has decided she wants to fall in love with Orfeo, a star opera singer who happens to be a castrato. The problem? Orfeo is much more interested in Peggy than in Belle. Peggy returns their interest, ⁠but acting on it means a double betrayal of Belle: first, by the realization that her love was, in fact, fleeting; and second, because she was only supposed to be talking to Orfeo on behalf of Belle.⁠
⁠
Soon, though, the book moves beyond this initial conflict, and Peggy and Orfeo begin a relationship. Hall places them in hilarious situations and just seems to let things unfold. Perhaps our favorite part (definitely the part that made us laugh the most) was when Peggy and Orfeo attend a poetry reading that devolves into an 0rgy. ⁠
⁠
Hall opens the book with a note acknowledging that it is not meant to be historically accurate. The dialogue is modern, just about every single character is LGBTQ+, and the social mores of the time are glanced at in passing if they're even acknowledged. "Why write a historical romance, then?" you might be wondering. Like our favorites of the genre, the setting is used to highlight contemporary issues and concerns. The marriage restrictive social norms with expansive views of sexuality and an overlay of an almost absurd humor make this a joyful romp to read.⁠
⁠
On a final note: we weren't sure what to expect on the spice level, but baby this is SPICY. Holy moly! If you're not fanning yourself at that last chapter, we're just not sure what to say anymore. ⁠
⁠
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Peggy Delancey has been in unrequited love with Arabella Tarleton for as long as she can recall. She wants to move on and Arabella does too, as she enlists Peggy to help her fall in love with flamboyant opera singer, Orfeo. However, when Orfeo and Peggy meet, Peggy can't ignore the pull she feels towards them. Orfeo is just as nonconforming as Peggy is and find themselves unable to deny the chemistry they feel.

This is one of the zaniest historical romance series and is truly so fun! If you're looking for angst, you really won't find it here, and honestly sometimes that's exactly what I need. The poetry salon turned orgy was absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious and something I will return to when I need a laugh.

I really love what Alexis Hall is able to do through so much of his work - subverting norms and allowing his characters to just be exactly who they are. So many characters are unapologetically queer and don't feel the need to explain themselves to us as a reader. In this book, Orfeo is a castrato which isn't fully explained, particularly in the beginning (we find out a bit more later) and Peggy identifies as "neither man nor woman" without labeling it in a way that usually society requires. Orfeo and Peggy have many complex and nuanced conversations and it really felt like an honor to be able to watch two people just trying to figure themselves out in relation to one another.

What this has:
- Lovely, complex LGBTQ+ representation
- a supportive and hilarious friend group
- Supportive parents! (Peggy's)
- Amazing throwbacks to the first book in the series

I do hope Sir Horley gets a book and the happily ever after he deserves as well!

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVED Something Fabulous when I read it last year and was really hopeful for Peggy’s story, but I feel like all of the magic that made Something Fabulous so special was totally missing from this story.

The queer representation in this story was fun to read - Peggy Delancey and Orfeo were interesting characters, especially in the historical romance setting. But I felt like I didn’t know enough about either of them and they didn’t know enough about each other. There wasn’t any chemistry between them, leaving me feeling disconnected from the story and not very invested in how they’d make things work. I found myself skimming a lot of the book once Peggy and Orfeo get together or putting it down to do other things - their connection didn’t grab me and it wasn’t nearly as over the top and endearing as Something Fabulous was.

The best part of this story was seeing more of Valentine and Bonny - their dynamic made me smile and I was always laughing when either of them was in the scene. They brought their unique brand of crazy, sweet, funny and endearing to the story, something Peggy and Orfeo were missing. But, like in Something Fabulous, Arabella was insufferable and almost made me quit reading early on. Luckily she becomes less of a main character after a while, but she still had too much time on page for my liking.

I really wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t work for me. Curious to see if there’s any more stories in this world after this one.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for this ARC of Something Spectacular!

Let me begin by saying I love Alexis Hall. I adored Boyfriend Material and am very excited for many of his upcoming releases! Unfortunately, Something Spectacular was not one of my favorites of his.

Things I really enjoyed:

🏳️‍🌈 Excellent queer representation in this story. I really love the range of genders, gender expressions, types of queer relationships and overall expansive view this book provides.
🎵 As a musician, I had not given nearly enough thought to what it must have meant to be a castrato and to grapple with decisions made for not only your career, but for your body development and relationship with your gender expression and sexuality. Orfeo is such a beautifully painted character in their self confidence in who they are. I loved every scene they were on stage capturing an audience, and every intimate conversation between themselves and our other MC Peggy.
🍑 Bonny is an absolutely hilarious mess of a character and I love him dearly.
❤️ Alexis Hall does a really excellent job of taking away the limits society puts on queer and nonbinary people in his characters. His decisions (no spoilers) he makes for Peggy's future, without taking away what this means for her future with Orfeo or her relationship with her body was so well done. He does not put his characters in boxes.

Things I did not love:
⌨️ The writing style was very weird to me in this one. Something about the flow of the text felt very rocky and a bit difficult to follow.
📍 The plot was all over the place. There were lots of side adventures but not all of them really seemed to be resolved, including some major ones towards the end. Maybe they come back in the next book? I don't know
💔 The 3rd act breakup was so abrupt and their reunion was just as sudden. I still don't understand how they got back together.
❤️ Unfortunately, this is another story where I saw the romance starting to develop at the VERY beginning, and then I feel like we skipped so far ahead in the emotional journey. In my opinion, these characters got together way too soon.

Something Spectacular releases April 11th of this year.

This series is just the most fun and I hope it continues. What a joy to see two non-binary main characters in a historical romance! And both were totally charming. I loved Peggy’s explorations of gender and what felt true for her. I also love that everybody in these books is queer in one way or another.

This book is very much for a niche taste, but if you loved Something Fabulous you will certainly love this one too. You have many cameos and longer reappearances of your favorite characters, and the very silly over-the-topness is back in full force. If you loved SF, read this for sure.

I truly loved the first book in this series - Something Fabulous - so naturally, this book was one of my most anticipated reads this year. And LET. ME. TELL. YOU. It did NOT disappoint! This has become one of my favourite go-to queer comfort books to read and recommend. It's so cozy and wholesome and I genuinely loved every second of this journey. It was so nice to see characters from book one come back in and see how their relationships have grown and developed. Alexis Hall is such a fantastic author!

Something Fabulous worked so perfectly for me. It was a hilarious comfort read that made me laugh so much. So I fully expected Something Spectacular to hit as well, especially since the romance is non-binary x non-binary.

Honestly, I felt bored most of the time. The tone of the book was similar to Something Fabulous, so this is not a book to take too seriously, but it was nowhere near as funny, so it just felt a little off to read.

And I'm so disappointed because I wanted to love them, but both Peggy and Orfeo just... didn't make me click with them. Especially Orfeo felt like some kind of manic pixie dream person, and not like a fully fleshed-out character, which didn't really make me root for the romance.

I’ve been super excited for this book since i finished Something Fabulous (which was indeed fabulous).
Unfortunately i don’t have spectacular feelings about this one.

This book follows Peggy and Orfeo (they/them) as they meet at Orfeo’s opera concert and immediately feel a spark between them. Following a different couple than the first book which was MM romance.

Let’s start with the best things; there’s nonbinary rep in a medieval setting. And i absolutely loved seeing characters from the first as fell even more in love with them.
However, i did not see the chemistry between Peggy and the love interest at all. The book felt longer than it should be and i found myself putting it down every chapter and even skimming a lot.
It was just not as fun and light as the first book but maybe it’s because i had too high expectations.

Though I do love the world of this standalone series and i hope to see more books in the future. I know Belle won’t rest until she gets her happily ever after.

Of course, I loved it, since Alexis Hall is an auto-buy or, in this instance, auto-arc author to me. Loved to meet Valentine and Bonny again, and I loved even more that it was Peggy's story - after Something Fabulous I felt that she deserved her own story and her own happiness. And here we meet them - spectacular Orfeo and what a complicated character they were: dazzling, selfish, vulnerable, proud and dramatic, perfect fit for Peggy's reliability, down-to-earthiness, generosity and loving heart. The story itself is a bit lighter than Something Fabulous, though it retains this absurdly ridiculous (in a funny way) tone, and at the same time touches many sensitive topics. Yes, sometimes it gets messy, but then suddenly everything falls into place. I laughed and cried a bit, sometimes felt dazed and curious, bet mostly I had a smile on my face. 4.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange of honest review.

I absolutely loved Something Fabulous, so I was going to read this follow up no questions asked! I didn’t love it quite as much but it is good and I enjoyed the book!

4.5/5

One of my favorite Alexis Hall books to date!!!

The exploration of two different nonbinary main characters was absolutely magical for me! How these characters truly see each other as they are is a beauty to behold. Plus this was some much-needed insight into some of the secondary characters from Something Fabulous that left me understanding and liking them much more. Plus we get to spend some more time with our faves from Book 1. One thing is for sure: I truly never know what's going to happen to anyone hanging around the Tarleton Twins!

Brava.

I really enjoyed this book, I really liked all the characters and I loved seeing more or Bonny and Valentine too!

Rounded up from 2.75 stars.

I really disliked Something Fabulous, I have to admit. This book shared many things that annoyed me about its predecessor. The anachronism, though deliberate grates on my nerves. I loathed this book less though. I liked the characters in this one better than the first, although regrettably Bonaventure Tarleton continued to have a not insignificant presence. What got to me, however, was the tropes. I love an affair the involved parties believe to be doomed from the start and this was not an exception. Also, I love Peggy's gender fuckery. I was invested and almost even enjoying myself by the end, so for that this gets 0.75 of star more than I gave the first book.