We are celebrating the release of Most Ardently,  a Pride and Prejudice remix like you've never seen! We hope you can join us for what will be a fascinating and fun evening.

About the book:
London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world?and the vast majority of his family and friends?think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.

But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.

As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man to be possible. But suitors are growing bolder?and even threatening?and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.

About the author:
Gabe Cole Novoa (he/him) is a Latinx transmasculine author who writes speculative fiction featuring marginalized characters grappling with identity. Now leveled up with an MFA in Writing for Children, when he isn't answering emails at his day job, or buried under his two cats, you’ll likely find him knitting or crocheting something cute.

Gabe is the author of The Wicked Bargain, Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Retelling (out January 16, 2024), The Diablo's Curse (out February 20, 2024), and the Beyond the Red trilogy, written under a former pseudonym. You can find him across a variety of social media sites at @thegabecole.

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Presented in collaboration with the Ashland Public Library and other area libraries.