This third book in Alexis Hall’s Something Fabulous series of (faux) Regency romps is very much a love story – but not a genre romance. Rather, it celebrates platonic love – and does it incredibly well – and tells the story of two dear friends who, as the synopsis indicates, prove that a bumpy road is better than an unhappy destination.

I really liked Sir Horley Comewithers, louche man-about-town, in the other books in the series, and was pleased when I learned he’d be getting a book of his own. I didn’t, however, realise that the other protagonist would be Awful Arabella (Tarleton), whom I disliked intensely. I admit that I wasn’t at all sure I’d be able to make it through a book in which she was one of the leads but I decided to give it a try – and it seems that in the time that has elapsed between the events of this story and those of Something Fabulous and Something Spectacular, Arabella has grown up a bit. She’s still prickly, forthright and demanding, and time hasn’t softened any edges, but she’s a lot more self-aware and more focused on trying to do good things for the people she cares about. Long story short – she isn’t as totally obnoxious as she was before.

Note: This is the third book in a connected series of standalones, although I would recommend reading the other two first so as to get a better handle on the characters and their previous interactions. There are spoilers for those books in this review.

When Something Extraordinary begins, Arabella is trying to persuade her very good and extremely drunk friend, Sir Horley, that he really doesn’t have to marry the woman chosen for him by his overbearing aunt. Sir Horley, who relies on his aunt for financial support, doesn’t see that he has any other choice, but Arabella isn’t having any of his self pity, and doesn’t baulk at his attempts at rudeness. She eventually suggests that if a wealthy wife is what he needs, then he might as well marry her as anyone. She’s well aware that he’s not interested in women as sexual partners and is coming to terms with the fact that romantic love is something she has no interest in, so if Horley is going to have to get married, why not marry his best friend? Many marriages have been founded on less.

You will never desire me. I will never fall in love with you. Does that not seem a wonderfully comfortable arrangement?

Thus begins probably the most inept elopement in the history of inept elopements. After making a prompt exit from his aunt’s home (following an act that can only be described as self-defenstration on Horley’s part), he and Bella head off to the inn she’s staying at with her brother Bonny and his ducal lover, Valentine. These early scenes – especially the ones that take place at the inn – often had me giggling out loud; the quickfire dialogue and deadpan observational humour I always enjoy about Alexis Hall’s books is sharp, insightful and frequently hilarious, and it’s the best kind of farcical – silly, yes, but genuinely funny as well (rather than just being silly!).

After assuring Bonny and Valentine that this is what she wants, Bella and a still inebriated Sir Horley leave her brother and his duke to face down a very angry aunt and a solicitous (ex)fiancée, and depart for Gretna Green.

Along the way and having finally sobered up, Horley – whom Arabella has decided should use his second name, Rufus, because it suits him better – makes the mistake of voicing the thought that even if they hadn’t agreed to marry, they’d have to get married now anyway, given the length of time they’ve spent travelling alone in a closed carriage. Bella isn’t pleased about that. It’s one thing to make a marriage of convenience in order to rescue a friend from a lifetime of misery; it’s quite another to be forced into it because of society’s dictats – and, being Arabella, decides to make a point by running away (with the aid of a murderous innkeeper!). When, the next morning, Rufus has escaped from said innkeeper, he’s forlornly trudging along trying to work out what to do next when he happens upon the carriage by the side of the road, where his recalcitrant bride-to-be is waiting for him. With breakfast. Misunderstandings corrected, and in harmony once more, they recommence their journey – only to be held up at gunpoint by a rather nervous highwayman.

Something Extraordinary is a lot of fun, but there’s also a more serious story here about the importance of finding the path that suits you and, if you are so inclined, finding the right person to walk it with you. Arabella has struggled with the fact that she doesn’t want what everyone else around her seems to want – sweeping, romantic love – and she’s starting to realise that not wanting it doesn’t make her wrong – just different – and she’s set on making a life that works for her. Sir Horley – Rufus – appeared, in the previous books, to be a devil-may-care type with a wicked sense of humour and no morals, although in Something Spectactular, there were hints at a darker side to him, and in this book, we get to see some more of that. After a life of mistreatment and disappointment, he’s convinced he’s broken and insists that he’s not the man Belle thinks he is and that he’s not worth her affection and friendship. But she refuses to give up on him, and helps him to realise that he’s not worthless and that he does deserve happiness and good things in life. His character development is probably not as significant as Belle’s, but I really liked the way he accepts Belle for everything she is and just rolls with the punches without ever seeming like a doormat.

They make a good couple – they share a determination and practicality to shape their own destinies that is admirable, and their marriage brings both of them a great deal of contentment. It’s not conventional, to be sure, but it works extremely well for them, and I really appreciated the inclusion of this queerly platonic relationship story in a romance series. Because platonic love doesn’t get enough, well, love.

I enjoyed the story a lot more than I thought I would, although things started to fizzle out around three quarters of the way in and never really picked up again, which dented my overall grade a bit. And – and this may be on me because I didn’t have time to re-read the other books – I don’t remember the friendship between Rufus and Arabella being such a close one as is described in this book. The way Bella talks and thinks about it makes it sound as though they were platonic soulmates and I honestly don’t remember that at all.

None of the books in this series are historically accurate and they’re not supposed to be; instead, they belong firmly under the umbrella of ‘historical fantasy’, with their tongue-in-cheek commentary on the ridiculousness of nineteenth century social convention and characters who are making life and love work for them on their own terms. And only Alexis Hall could come up with the nineteenth century’s version of TripAdvisor!

If you’re looking for a conventional historical romance, you won’t find it here, but if you’re looking for something funny, moving, thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting, then Something Extraordinary is definitely worth a few hours of anyone’s time.

Note: There are several sex scenes in the book (m/m, f/f, and m/f), but none featuring Rufus and Belle together – which is exactly how they like it.