One thing that I have accepted as true about Alexis Hall's writing in general, and the Something Fabulous series in particular, is that it will be at turns thought-provoking, unconventional, hilarious, and moving. And very, very queer. This is an excellent example of that.

I was never sure about Belle when she was a side character in the others' stories, but I loved her here. She is harder and sharper than Bonny and I love how Alexis Hall treated her aromanticism. She has no problem engaging in plenty of enthusiastic sex with all manner of partners, but she has discovered in herself an inability to comprehend romantic love and has come to think of herself as broken because of it.

Sir Horley - Rufus - thinks of himself as just as broken and unloveable after a lifetime of mistreatment.

They don't seem, at first, as if they will work out together, but their marriage works surprisingly well and brings them both contentment. After many, many hijinks, shenanigans, and other misadventures, of course, because this is an Alexis Hall novel.

Their arrangement is rather unconventional, but they are no less happy because of it. In fact, it rather suits them both.

I laughed out loud while reading this, even though I was feeling particularly sick and miserable, which is why I picked it up in the first place. Not my usual snorts and chuckles, but the sort of wheezing helpless laughter that you can't stop. It has been quite I while since I laughed like that. It was a welcome release.

I am not sure if there will be more in this series, as all of the main characters have been granted their various happy-ever-afters, but I hope Alexis Hall will surprise me and write more because I dearly love all three books. Even if not, I know there will be plenty more of his books for me to devour in the future.

*Thanks to Montlake for providing an early copy for review.

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

Oh, I really loved this one. I have been impatiently awaiting this book, as I have really loved Sir Horley in the first two books of this series and I was distraught over how we left him in Something Spectacular.

Overall, I don't feel like this book had quite as much of a bonkers feel to it as Something Fabulous did, but it was still very much in that world. After SF I wasn't the biggest fan of Belle's (she shot Valentine!), but I think that AJH has done an incredible job of showing us why Belle acted the way she did in that book; giving us a glimpse of her at the beginning of Something Spectacular, and then further expanding on that in Something Extraordinary. And by corollary, I really like how when we first meet Sir Horley he seems a bit of a flake, though with good intentions, seeming to be living his life the way he wants. Then we see in Something Spectacular that maybe things aren't quite as carefree as he would lead everyone to believe. I think that Something Extraordinary has a more serious tone than the first two have, but still being very funny and anachronistic. I love reading a QPR, which there are very few of out there, and this is by far the best written of the very few that I've read.

I fear that some people may get uppity about this book and if it's a "true genre romance", as the relationship is platonic, but I absolutely would call this a romance. While maybe it's not romantic between the two protagonists, it is still very much a story about a relationship and arguing for why those two people belong together. Basically the entire book is an argument between Sir Horley and Belle and about why they should be together.

I love that this book focuses on platonic love, because it is very clear that Sir Horley and Belle really do love each other and their relationship will be a good one. I also love the discussions Belle has about being aromantic and how being the focus of romantic love is so upsetting and uncomfortable for her. And while this book focuses on platonic love, it also explores what a marriage based on platonic love could look like. Belle has some fun and finds several people who she really connects with in a platonic, but definitely sexy way, and Sir Horley gets to try his hand at menacing a supposed highwayman.

I also love how we get to see both Belle and Sir Horley being vulnerable with each other. Throughout the first two books we don't really see that; Sir Horley is a fairly happy-go-lucky lad and Belle seems mostly confused and unhappy.

This book absolutely lived up to my high expectations, as do most of AJH's books. I love to see Belle and Sir Horley getting the HEA that works for them, even if it's not at all what others might consider to be an HEA.

ALSO: hilarious cameo by Stella.

It feels strange to give a book by my all-time favorite author "only" 3 stars, but this one simply didn’t resonate with me as much as Alexis' previous works. While the story had plenty of funny moments and some truly enjoyable scenes, the excessive dialogue and slower pacing made it difficult for me to stay fully engaged.

That said, I did adore the characters. I was thrilled to see an aromantic main character, and it was a pleasant surprise to find myself loving Arabella, despite having despised her in the first book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with an e-ARC!

The high-strung Belle has left behind her heroine era, and the drama-prone Rufus has left behind his Sir Horley Comewithers era. Together they embark on the worst elopement in history (per Belle, it’s not vainglorious to claim that when it’s true), and what ensues is a meditation on friendship, love, sexuality, identity, self-discovery, society, and *home* in a way that only Alexis Hall can do it. There’s a meet-cute with a highwayman just responding to a personals ad; Belle’s dalliance with Sir Horley’s theologically-inclined jilted fiancé; a wayward, thieving steward who just needs some kink, care, and tenderness; and through it all, the rock solid foundation of trust and support Belle and Rufus start to build for themselves.

When I heard they were going to be the pairing, I was giddy with delight. When I read the last line, I was giddy with delight. I’m on record with Sir Horley stealing my heart in the first book, and Belle lowkey having the best background arc in the second. There was rich soil to till there, and still Alexis Hall surprised me at every turn. I’ve yearned for YEARS for a friendship to get the full romance novel treatment, not as something inferior or less interesting or a detour on the way to romance, and he delivers that in extraordinary fashion.

If anything, this third book is the necessary capstone to the rest. Something Fabulous is quite focused and selfish; Something Spectacular embraces a larger, weirder family; Something Extraordinary asks what that even *means* and bares its heart to the world.

I was lucky to get an ARC, so I can’t add my usual wall of quotes until it’s published in December. But I will be re-reading then, and if the first two books are any indication, for many times to come, whenever I need belly laughs and a balm for my soul.

This book is one hell of a bumly ride!
I loved how developed each character and how fun an engaging the plot line is. So of the dialogue could have been condensed a little, but overall, it is a fluffy fun read!

Thanks to netgalley for providing the ARC

4.5

I’m a huge fan of this saga and I wanted so badly a book about Sir Horley. The fact Bella is also the main character is just a wonderful bonus. Bella is my favorite, I have to said it.
This book is just as funny and weird as the previous two, so of course I loved it so damn much! I cry every time Valentine and Bonny, and Peggy and Orpheus were on the pages. I love those character so much, I love this dysfunctional family so much.
I think I will never be tired of these characters, so I really hope there will be a forth book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the book!

The premise of this book made me think it was going to be right up my street but it just felt it was lacking something. The relationship between the two main characters felt at times forced and then was too quick for the depth of feeling.

Hall writes well and the story has some lovely moments but the whole thing felt a little rushed and I couldn't quite get into it. I did enjoy the representation across the board, this felt a lot more authentic than in some novels and is something I enjoyed reading. I will definitely see what they write next.

This isn't a romance, but a story of friendship and the love of friendship.

Wonderful queer joy on every page with sparkling banter.

As a fan of Boyfriend Material, I was excited to read this - regency? Fantastic. QUEER regency? Even better.

In Hall's style the book is fun and silly, the lighthearted moments and banter working in tandem with the deeper complexities of queer identification and understanding. The fact that this is historical had me slightly apprehensive since it is rare to find a queer historical romance that isn't completely and hopelessly tragic, but this was a fun and really enjoyable read that felt similar in tone to Emma and Boyfriend Material.

Utterly enchanting! The writing is exquisite. The characters are wonderfully developed, and their romance is both tender and exhilarating. The witty dialogue and well-paced plot keep you thoroughly engaged. A must-read for anyone who loves historical romance with a perfect blend of charm and passion.

The Vibes: queer found family, true love, calling HER daddy

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

Horley Comewithers (or, as he is known for much of this novel, Rufus) is set to marry a woman of his aunt's choosing, despite the fact that he is a) gay and b) in love with someone else. In swoops Arabella Tarleton, twin sister of the man he's pining after. Arabella will secure her own freedom through marriage, and she has a fat dowry—but she knows she's no good for anyone who wants true love. So she proposes a scheme: why not run away together and marry?

What neither Rufus nor Belle realize is that there's a lot more to love than storybook romance, and sometimes the person you're meant to be with is the one you least expected.

The Review:

What an exciting, unique, heartstoppingly lovely book. Do Horley and Belle suddenly fall into the kind of m/f relationship you normally see in romance novels? No. But I would call this a romance nonetheless, because, despite Belle being on the aromantic spectrum (I'm not sure if you'd call her totally incapable of experiencing romantic attraction? I'm not educated enough on the aromantic experience to be certain, but based on what I've read, grayromantic may be a way to describe her?) there's just this like... sense of two people finding each other's soulmates in a way that isn't sexual, and isn't conventional, but also goes beyond standard platonic friendship.

Because Rufus and Belle have friends. They actually have a lot of them, even if the relationships aren't always easy or straightforward... and we see several of them in the form of couples from the two previous books in this series. So I would say that it's best to read Something Fabulous and Something Spectacular first. They're great books anyway, but you pick up on some dangling emotional threads from them and get resolution.

But no, what Rufus and Belle mean to each other is such a special and intense yet soft dynamic... They're truly husband and wife by the end of this book. Their future is together. They also enjoy sleeping with other people (though sex isn't out of the question for the two of them—there's a rather beautiful thing Rufus says about the capacity in which he would enjoy sex with Belle, if it ever happened, that I found remarkable).

What I find so smart about this book, the way so many Alexis Hall books are smart, is that she does confront the way something could be "missing" from Rufus and Belle's marriage. But it's not to do with Rufus's lack of sexual attraction to Belle. That's really not seen as an issue. It's not to do with their lack of monogamy, either (they both sleep with other people, on the page and off). It's to do with Belle feeling that, because she can't experience the type of romantic feeling that she's seen idealized in books, or within the sweepingly romantic relationships she's surrounded by... She is essentially depriving Rufus of finding the thing that she believes he needs.

Belle has been a polarizing character for readers throughout this series. Not for me, personally; she's flawed but hilarious, and clearly has had a good heart from the beginning (even if her choices aren't always... the best). She gets a bit of karmic retribution in this book that I feel some of her haters will enjoy, but it's not over the top, and she's not "redeemed", because there's... no need. But being fully in her head allows us to really get into why she is the way she is, and so much of it is like... Kinda meta?

Like—what would it be to be aro or on the aro spectrum in a fucking romance novel series? What would it be like to clearly love someone and not feel like you can ever love them in the "right" way? I will say, I don't consider myself on the aro spectrum (though shit, this book has made me wonder) but I did relate to Belle in many ways. It put her experience in a very "layman's terms", approachable perspective, which could be less than what the aro community could want? I can't speak for them, again, I do not identify on the spectrum. BUT I do think that if you've literally never read up on it at all, this book probably won't confuse you.

Rufus's development is probably a little less significant than Belle's, but it's still a breath of fresh air to see someone who's like... a bit lost, a bit sad, but also so funny and so willing to fully embrace "the difficult one" for who they are. He really rolls with the punches without ever seeming like a doormat. I also feel that his relationship with Belle would have fallen into "gay best friend" in a lesser writer's hands. But he's given such agency and such determination, even as he's initially drawn into this admittedly kind of zany plot.

No, this is a true queerplatonic relationship, and I love that it's given the space to be that while also receiving a classic historical romance novel treatment (albeit with the same degree of hilarious self-aware commentary this entire series has had—at one point we get an entire 1800s version of like, the Google review system for inns, and it is INCREDIBLE). Rufus does a run for your love. There's only one bed (and like, they are naked in the bed together, but no sex). There's an anvil marriage. It's great.

The only reason why I won't rate this a little bit higher is that I would've loved a teeny bit more Rufus and Belle together on the page, but I also deeply appreciated the roles Bonny and Valentine and then Peggy and Orfeo from the two previous books played in this one. Especially Orfeo. My kingdom for Orfeo, would die for them.

The Sex:

HOT. KINKY. SUPER GAY. You get several on the page sex scenes in this one, and they're all great (and not a one involves Rufus and Belle together, and they're so good with that). You have one f/f scene involving a sort of like... baby lesbian "it's giving missionary as in God" but in a funny way girl...? An m/m scene with a would-be highwayman bookseller guy and his MASSIVE SEA SERPENT (and some role-playing! Of the "oh no, I've never touched one before, you show me how" variety).

And... A spanking scene. Which is the first time I've ever read a man call the heroine "daddy". I was VERY pleased.

This may be the most unique romance novel I've read yet, and I'm so impressed with it. Would recommend to people interested in expanding their horizons (as readers, as people, whatever) or like, just interested in a hot, literally laugh out loud book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Alexis Hall and immediately grab for any new release of his. However, I extend a caution with this particular book. If you haven't read the first two books in this series, don't start with this one. The narrative takes off like a runaway carriage and never really lets you catch up if you're thinking, "Wait. Who? Huh? What?"

This book centers on Arabella "Belle" Tarleton, twin to protagonist Bonny of book 1 and BFF of protagonist Peggy from book 2. In those stories, she is a supporting character and general catalyst for mayhem. She hasn't changed much in that sense, which accounts in some part for the pace of the book and general sense that the plot is about to go off the rails or actually just did. Hall has referred to his "Something" books as silly, but as always, he attempts to inform the silliness with humanity and progressive thought. This book begins with a gender reversal as Belle kidnaps Sir Horley Comewithers the night before his marriage to an unsuitable bride, and she sort of convinces him to elope with her instead.

Yeah. That's his name. Sir Horley Comewithers. I laughed at it in book one even though I knew it was silly. I laughed at it in book 2 every time I saw it because in print, it's delightfully dirty Dickensian. By this novel, , it was still worth a chuckle, but when Belle discovered to her horror, she was now Lady Comewithers, that people would actually call her Lady Comewithers, I lost it. . So did Belle. SPOILER- So did Peggy.. Peggy sent her a letter addressed to Lady Comewithers, and the entire text was AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA. This silliness led to Sir Horley adopting Belle's last name instead, and Belle along with the narrator referring to him as Rufus for the rest of the book because Belle decided Horley sounded too much like horny. Like Horny Comewithers.

If you're still with me (and Alexis) at this point, you'll love the book. It has an unexpectedly happy ending that redefines what a good and loving marriage should look like, checks in with old friends from other books in the series, offers surprises aplenty, and is pretty extraordinary way to pass a few hours.

I have no idea what's happening in this book or if the story is going anywhere. The dialogues make no sense, and the scenes feel like coming from a cheap theatre play. 50% in, I gave up.

I haven't read the previous books in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This book is about finding that person who accepts you for who you are with no expectations. Rufus and Bella are friends who learn to accept themselves with the help of the other. It is also laugh out loud funny and in parts complete farce. If you are looking for romance this isn't it but if you want a good laugh I'd definitely recommend.

Something Extraordinary
- historical queer joy - hijinx and shenanigans - aromantic rep -

I don't think I've met a book by Alexis Hall that I didn't love, and 'Something Extraordinary' is certainly not an exception.

I'm always nervous heading into historical queer romances. All too often there looms over the central pairing this spectre of compromise, of only achieving a 'making the best of things' resolution -- it's a disheartening thing for any romance fan. However, I knew immediately on beginning this novel that I was in for something quite different.

'Something Extraordinary' lives up to its title magnificently. With hilarity and humanity, we're treated to a world of historical queer joy, of rollicking adventure and touchingly real characters.

Hall has such a talent for dialogue - for natural and witty banter - that I'm always immediately immersed, and the central relationships of this study of unconventional family and belonging are presented with both sensitivity and thoroughly satisfying forthrightness.

I felt safe, and seen and completed my eArc with a small sigh of contentment.

What an absolute joy of a book.

- Reviewed from eArc, many thanks to the publisher Montlake and Author Alexis Hall for the copy -

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6687791249

Sir Horley isn't interested in getting married because he's gay. His friend Arabella decides to help him by abducting him on his wedding night. Lots of exciting adventures on their roadtrip....

Like any book by Alexis Hall, this book is terrific. It's funny, romantic and over-the-top in the best possible way. I enjoy the humour and laughed out loud so many times. Love the plot, the journey, the characters.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

The cover was so enticing I had to read.
The main Characters of the book were full of personality and traits that dragged my interest back into the book, although the lengthy dialogue throughout the book was quite hard to keep engaged in.

Thankyou NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a truly magnificent book for those who love a story to be fun, warm, and ridiculous. With all sorts of flavors of the human kind, even though you don't have to be flamboyant to be colorful.
Yet it sports the deeply serious theme of not being good enough which I think is an important and very timely topic whether this story is set in a different century or not: the feeling of being unworthy, thinking you don't matter, the pain in experiencing all that. This was rather splendidly described, but at the same time in small amounts... leaving enough room for all sorts of shenanigans and weird encounters. Let me not reveal too much, but just add to expect the unexpected :)

And I enjoyed how it ended with a splash, making me yearn for the next book in this series. I. Can't. Wait.

PS – let me explain why this theme is significant enough for me to have a special being-good-enough shelf on Goodreads. As I've come to realize, being ill with ME for over nineteen years, how overwhelming hurt can be for people treating me differently since I am longterm ill. I feel I am not good enough as they no longer see me as fun or helpful which of course says nothing about me or who I am, but something about their lack of... well, you name it: lack of understanding, the inability to deal with someone else's pain, or simply denial of reality? Something like that? Either way, there is more to life than a demanding society, difficult or even toxic family members and/or people's ignorance. I am not less of a person, simply because they think I am a problem.
So please be kind, to each other generally – not only those ill with ME or LC/PC. You don't have to be brave, all you have to do is try not to be a coward and dare to doubt your own assumptions.

This book is truly something extraordinary—something exciting, something kind, something honestly revolutionary. I laughed, I gasped, I clutched at my chest. Essentially I behaved like Bonny with a book and enjoyed myself immensely.

This was a really fascinating story that explored all kinds of complex issues, played in unusual and lovely places, and wasn’t afraid to wade into murky waters—all the while offering up a great deal of real deep tenderness between our leads and a flurry of delightful side characters to take joy in as well. Throughout this trilogy Belle has always been wonderful, as has Sir Horley, but seeing what they can and do offer each other and the serious care they take with each other’s lives and hearts is extremely rewarding and deepens both characters in beautiful ways.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC. All opinions my own.

Something Extraordinary by A. Hall isbook 3 in Something Fabulous pub by Montlake.
Anhistorical marriage of convenience that is a witty and fun read.
Blurb: Sir Horley Comewithers isn’t particularly interested in getting married, especially when his match is a perfectly respectable young woman. Sir Horley is, after all, extravagantly gay. But he’s resigned to a fate there’s no point resisting—until a dear friend does it for him.
Arabella Tarleton has no interest in romance, but even she can see that Sir Horley’s nuptials are destined to end in a lifetime of misery. Well, not on her watch. And what are friends for, if not abducting you on your wedding night in an overdramatic attempt to save you from a terrible mistake?
Their journey to Gretna Green is a hodgepodge of colorful run-ins and near misses with questionable innkeepers, amateur highwaymen, overattentive writers, and scorned fiancées. Then again a bumpy road is better than an unhappy destination.
But when it comes to marriage, Belle and Sir Horley are about to discover that it’s not what you do or how you do it but the people who you choose to do it with that matter most.