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A review by carlyoc
Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The characters are more of caricatures than realistic human beings and the hsitoricak setting isnt quite believable given the very modern tone, but once you get into it, this story is silly in a delightful and entertaining way.
Valentine, Duke of Malvern, is a stuffy and proper young man determined to do what is expected of him in society, even if it means marrying the childhood friend he has no true feelings for.
Arabella Tarleton is an overdramatic woman who reacts like a gothic novel heroine to Valentine's lackluster proposal by promptly fleeing into the night with her gender fluid friend Peggy.
Her equally overdramatic twin brother Bonaventure "Bonny" Tarleton ropes Valentine into chasing her down and apologizing before she can catch a ship to America.
During the chase, Bonny shows Valentine that there can be more to life than the narrow future laid out for him and they fall in love.
Always on the lookout for demisexual representation, I got some vibes from Valentine who says he had never truly experienced attraction before Bonny, although that may be largely because he didn't realize attraction to men was an option and suppressed or didn't recognize any such previous feelings. But it is only once he gets to know Bonny on an emotional level that he finds he has feelings for him whether he would like them or not.
Valentine, Duke of Malvern, is a stuffy and proper young man determined to do what is expected of him in society, even if it means marrying the childhood friend he has no true feelings for.
Arabella Tarleton is an overdramatic woman who reacts like a gothic novel heroine to Valentine's lackluster proposal by promptly fleeing into the night with her gender fluid friend Peggy.
Her equally overdramatic twin brother Bonaventure "Bonny" Tarleton ropes Valentine into chasing her down and apologizing before she can catch a ship to America.
During the chase, Bonny shows Valentine that there can be more to life than the narrow future laid out for him and they fall in love.
Always on the lookout for demisexual representation, I got some vibes from Valentine who says he had never truly experienced attraction before Bonny, although that may be largely because he didn't realize attraction to men was an option and suppressed or didn't recognize any such previous feelings. But it is only once he gets to know Bonny on an emotional level that he finds he has feelings for him whether he would like them or not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Gun violence