Something Fabulous

By: Alexis Hall

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

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.

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

Fabulous

I have to agree with the title; this story is something fabulous. A young duke (Valentine) finally proposes to the daughter of a family friend (Arabella Tarleton). Their fathers had always wanted them to marry and now Valentine wants to do right by his deceased father. Arabella runs away because she doesn't want to marry him and Valentine goes after her along with Arabella's twin brother, Bonny. On the way, Valentine and Bonny fall in love. Crazy things happen, mostly because Arabella is a lying, impulsive drama queen who thinks she is living in a novel and wants to get away at any cost and Valentine is a bit obtuse. Arabella's actions are annoying and I wanted to throttle her and some of the other characters too. That is the point, though. The novel pokes fun at over-the-top dramatic characters and plot elements, the gothic genre of the 19th c. as well as ideas of respectability and decorum (hence the reference to Austen's Northanger Abbey). The characters and dialogues are hilariously funny but the novel is plot-driven; it hangs on the ridiculous plot elements and how they develop. The point of this novel is to entertain, first and foremost and it does exactly that without being realistic or profound. It's just fun! I've listened to and read a few of Alexis Hall's novels and while very different, all have been well-written and this one is no exception. The narrator also did an excellent job of portraying the different characters and the absurdity of situations. His performance was just right for this work. I'll probably listen to this again when I'm having a bad day and want something to cheer me up.

What a HILARIOUS FARCE! 😍

I ADORED this farcical romp across the British countryside.

Included:
A Duke
A gentleman
A lady
A lady’s companion
An ostler
And assorted characters
ALL QUEER

Required:
Suspension of disbelief
(This is a farce, after all)
Alone time so no one looks at you funny while you chuckle, snort, and laugh your way through the story.
Something to strangle or throw (one of the characters will force you to do this).

Recommended:
The audiobook (unforgettable)

Warning:
You may fall in love with Bonny, the gentleman.
You will want to slap Valentine upside the head.
Scenes with Arabella will cause steam to come out your ears and daggers to fly out your eyes.
Side aches from hard guffaws may be treated with ice.

A fun and ridiculous romp

4.5 stars

This was so ridiculous, but so much fun in the best way. It's campy and SO melodramatic, but Alexis Hall makes it work. I loved the MCs. Valentine is a grumpy demisexual duke just trying to live his life without issue, but his childhood friends Bonny and Arabella have other ideas after Valentine's botched proposal to Arabella. The shenanigans that ensue are entertaining af. I loved how Bonny was unapologetically himself and not ashamed of who he is and what he likes. He won't settle, and I love him for that. I got a bit annoyed with Arabella at times, especially when she seemed pretty okay with Valentine being unalived. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and had an amazing time reading it. I definitely recommend it.

Fabulous indeed

This book is so wonderful, and the narrator brings it to life so thoroughly. He absolutely nails every character and affectation. A delightful listen.

Hysterical and Sweet Regency Romance

Alexis Hall continues the great British tradition of telling stories about people who can be awful but funny and somehow endearing, such as in A Fish Called Wanda and Absolutely Fabulous. I had a great time reading and listening to the ridiculous situations Valentine, Bonny and the others got themselves into. I also smiled at the absolutely sweet love story between Valentine and Bonny. Nicholas Boulton’s narration was fantastic. I knew which character was speaking at all times. It was a great listen. Just a fun and fantastic time all around.