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taliejane's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I haven't emotionally recovered from the ending of this book yet so I have no hope this review with be coherent. Alexis Hall you know what you did 😡
This is the sequel to Something Fabulous (which is really enjoyed too) and this time follows Peggy and her journey to discover herself and what kind of life she wants for herself. Peggy is in unrequited love with her best friend Belle when she meets the opera singer Orfeo (and promptly faints at the sound of their voice). What follows is a heartbreakingly tender love story and journey of self-discovery for all involved, interspersed with the funny, quippy dialogue Alexis Hall is known for.
Disclaimer: I'm already a big fan of this author.
CW: Orfeo is a castrato and wrestles with their own value as a person in that context. The subject might be triggering in the context of gender identity or bodily mutilation.
So I immediately fell in love with Peggy. She is just the loveliest MC and as someone who often carries the burden of responsible for many people in my life, I felt for her so much. Accompanying her through understanding what kind of life she yearns for and then ultimately finding a way to her HEA was beautiful and really gratifying.
Orfeo is also a delightful character. I didn't know anything about the horrific Castrati tradition before reading. It was a really interesting perspective on identity and gender (and really heartbreaking at times). Orfeo's patron is a real SOB and the scene of their reunion was incredibly difficult to read (honestly I was nearly crying). But I just loved how they have moments with Peggy where they are allowed to stop performing and just be themselves. They are given the space to have some autonomy and to be seen as more than a sort of beautiful artifact.
Alexis Hall always does this thing where you think you're just reading a fun regency romp and then BAM your heart is shattered into one million pieces and you just lie in bed for a few hours staring at the ceiling?
The Tarleton's are back for more shenanigans. Honestly, I think because I related so much with Peggy in this book, Belle and Bonny really bothered me at some points. I mean they are as wonderfully ridiculously as in the first installment, and Belle has a difficult arc of self-discovery which I totally emphasised with, but OH MY GOD can you maybe not kidnap someone AGAIN and make it everyone's problem AGAIN? Peggy deserved some freedom as her own person, untethered to the whims of the Tarletons, and I am SO HAPPY she got there in the end. Anyway I would die for Peggy.
Of course, Valentine and Bonny are delightful as ever. We even see some really tender moments from Valentine which added a lot to pur understanding of him as a generally asexual/demisexual character, desperately in love with one man in particular 💗.
Overall, this is another 5 star AJH read. The dialogue? Hilarious. The character development? Emotionally devastating. The side characters? Fantastic. The insane regency surnames? A gift.
I was wondering throughout this book, since we meet the Duke and Duchess of Marshalsea, if maybe regency books from the perspective of the working classes might become a thing. It's increasingly difficult to empathise with the wealthy (we live in a society) and I really enjoyed the brief discussion of classism and inequality!
Content Warnings
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Body horror
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