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Something Fabulous

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Something Fabulous

By: Alexis Hall
Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
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About this listen

One of AudioFile Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2022

From the acclaimed author of Boyfriend Material comes a delightfully witty romance featuring a reserved duke who’s betrothed to one twin and hopelessly enamoured of the other.

Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally.

It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again.

Arabella’s twin brother, Mr. Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, has also grown up…romantic. And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be.

Despite copious misgivings, Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side. Bonny is unreasonable, overdramatic, annoying, and…beautiful? And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew. About himself. About love. Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing.

©2022 Alexis Hall. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Romantic Comedy Comedy Heartfelt Witty

Critic Reviews

“[Nicholas] Boulton perfectly captures Valentine's tendency to become stiff and overly formal when he is distressed.… On the surface, Bonny seems flighty and flirty, but Boulton gives him unexpected depths of compassion and insight into Valentine and the workings of the world at large.... A delightful performance will leave listeners alternately cackling with glee and cringing in sympathy.”–AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“Alexis Hall’s first queer historical, Something Fabulous pays homage to the classic Heyeresque Regency romp while subverting many of its problems…The whole duke archetype is deconstructed piece by piece in a series of comic mishaps unfurled with impeccable authorial control.”—The New York Times

“[A] wonderfully queer mash-up/send-up of buddy movies, Austen novels, and classic rom-coms.”—Publishers Weekly

All stars
Most relevant  
Alexis Hall can do no wrong, and Nicholas Boulton was the icing on this fabulous cake!

Heartfelt, funny and just the right amount of drama

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I listen to lots of audiobooks and rarely review. I have also listened to and loved many of Alexis Hall’s books. This was beautiful, ridiculous. laughoutloudable and unputdownable. Enjoy!

Fabulous!

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I have to admit I love historical romantic satires so I loved this. Very funny indeed and great narration.

Great fun and great narration

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This was a thorough delight, completely ridiculous, yet utterly delectable. Peaches & pies, bread & butter & cheese, wild honey, tea with cake, and Bonny forever dazzling & smelling of strawberries.

If you are somewhat delicate in nature then the lovemaking may be too descriptive for your liking, be warned that it's thoroughly ravishing & entirely enjoyed by the boys. This is very much an adult romance. This ain't Boyfriend Material, although there's plenty of humour here too.

A 👌 narration by Nicholas Boulton, wonderful characteristics across the board.

Fabulous indeed

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I found all the characters unlikable, limited character development and a silly storyline.

The use of language and the performance were the only redeeming features.

Unlikable characters

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Never having had to care about anyone else but himself, Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, is bewildered when his less-than-romantic proposal to Miss Arabella Tarleton is met with high dudgeon and an attempt to flee the country. Fearing for her safety, Arabella’s twin brother, Bonny, demands the Duke help him rescue her. Along the way, Valentine develops feelings for Bonny that he’s never had for anyone. This regency romp / comedy of manners amused and frustrated me in equal measure. It’s an ambitiously different historical romance: there are gloriously written passages - some witty, some beautiful - and the opening scenes are a triumph, but over time the farce moved from fun to surreal. It reminded me of Martin Scorsese’s nightmarish film After Hours where an ordinary character has an increasingly weird and distressing set of encounters. Similarly, Alexis Hall subjects the Duke to a series of embarrassing and humbling events as she breaks down his walls and carefully self-constructed image - I just felt so sorry for him and I hated Arabella’s lies, melodrama and bloodthirstiness, she really was a bit unhinged. I loved the scenes when Bonny and Valentine were on their own and Valentine could breath and appreciate Bonny, but there was never time to enjoy them before the next madcap episode - the romance really took a backseat. Audio narrator Nicholas Boulton really sparkles, it’s a flawless performance.

Surreal regency romance / comedy!

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I enjoyed Alexis Hall’s other book ‘Boyfriend Material’ so when I saw this one I couldn’t help but want to listen to it. I mean, Queer and Regency? It’s like this book was written for me. But god, I hated it. I barely got past chapter 16 before I gave up. Bonnie and Arabella were the absolute worst characters and I kept wishing someone would just kill them so they would shut up. Bonnie did not deserve Valentine at all and Peggy deserved better than to be Arabella’s toy. Valentine was so clearly coded to be autistic and Demi-sexual and then was treated so poorly for the whole book for being exactly that. I mean, he realistically didn’t do anything wrong and time after time he was treated rudely, spoken over, abused, and put into situations that threatened his life because of the twins and then we’re just meant to be like, yeah this is fine? Absolutely not. Do not bother with this book, try something else by Alexis Hall if you want a decent queer book, but stay away from this one. Especially if you’re autistic or demisexual, or both.

This book made me so angry I almost crashed my car

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the book is funny, however Bonnie and Arabela were terrible characters. they acted more like 5yr olds than adults. I hoped for character growth but got none.
I loved the narrator.

Not what I was expecting, the characters put me off

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