The Bachelor's Valet by Arden Powell

Alphonse Hollyhock is blessed with wealth, class, and more beauty than brains. Though he hasn't got a lick of wit or magic to his name, he's perfectly content living life as an airheaded bachelor with his valet-the clever, unflappable Jacobi-by his side to ensure everything runs smoothly. All he lacks, according to his mother, is a wife. Despite Alphonse's protests, he's to marry Aaliyah Kaddour: a bright, headstrong young woman who would probably be charming company if she didn't threaten everything about Alphonse's way of life. Marrying means giving up his fashionable flat, his fast car, and, worst of all, it means losing Jacobi. Perhaps most distressingly, this talk of marriage is bringing all sorts of confusing feelings to the forefront. Because rather than falling for the beautiful girl being pushed into his arms, Alphonse seems to be falling for his valet. Except a man can't fall in love with another man. Can he? Meanwhile, Aaliyah has plans of her own. She's as devious as she is pretty, but if Alphonse wants to get through this marriage business in one piece, he'll have to trust her. Her and Jacobi, and, most dangerously, his own feelings. The Bachelor's Valet is a novel in the Flos Magicae series, a collection of queer romances set in an alternate 1920s universe with magic. All the stories are standalones and can be read in any order.

Absolutely adorable. I had to run to Goodreads to post a 5-star review right after I finished the book, and boy do I wish there were way more pages. I wanted more of sweet Alphonse and Jacobi!! I love them so much and they deserved all the happiness. This story is a cozy, comfy read and I will definitely read this again any time I need a pick-me-up! So beautiful..

This is set in the same world as [b:The Botanist's Apprentice 58132756 The Botanist's Apprentice Arden Powell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621818731l/58132756.SY75.jpg 91117725] but otherwise there's no tie between the books. It's hard to pinpoint an era it's set in but there are telephones and automobiles but they also use magic to do more modern things that would now be done by machines. It's about double the length of the previous book in the series as well but felt like less happened - I just didn't care about these characters or feel the relationship made sense. There's literally no reason Jacobi would be in love with Alphonse other than the constant proximity and lack of other options. Alphonse is quite literally the “lovable idiot” and it got a little grating. I'm interested in reading more in this AU but this has been my least favourite Powell read so far.

Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 3h
Tags: fantasy, lgbt (m/m, f/f), historical
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 7/10

This was a very cute and heartwarming novella! I always go into KU books with low expectations (I'm sorry, but experience tells me that there's lots of drivel to run through on KU before you find something good), so I was happy to find that this little book was well written and entertaining.

There were a few things that lowered the rating, namely the exaggerated 1930s language (one too many “old boy” and “old thing” to make it bearable, I'm afraid) and the odd way of ending direct speeches with “what” (which, in retrospect, seemed to be a strange mannerism afforded to Alphonse specifically). I also felt a bit jarred by the inclusion of magic seemingly out of nowhere at first (and never fully explained), but towards the end it made much more sense for the plot. I just wish there would have been a proper introduction to the subject before throwing us into what seems at first glance a non-magical historical fiction.

The romances were sweet, although the Aaliyah/Jasmine pairing didn't have much ‘screen time' compared to Alphonse/Jacobi. I liked all the characters well enough, but I wish Jasmine had been present for more than just two scenes. I get that the focus was on Alphonse and his discovery of himself/his feelings, but the girls also had an interesting story.

All in all, this was a fun, quick-paced read that made my train commute much more bearable than usual. Despite my nitpicking, I still enjoyed this very much, and I'd probably reread it at some point when I'm need of a sugary dose of heartwarming goodness.