Review: Most Ardently

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Gabe Cole Novoa's been hyping up this book for a while, and it's a pretty sharp departure from his past work because it's the first non-speculative fiction book he's published. No sci-fi, no fantasy, and by his own admission, no magic...but definitely he's still got his usual gifts of unexpectedly twisty romance well in hand as he contributes to Feiwel & Friends's lineup of Remixed Classics. This gender-bending take on Pride & Prejudice gives us Oliver Bennet, a gay transmasculine protagonist struggling to live authentically in Regency England while all manner of suitors court him and his sisters. Including, of course, Darcy, who is gay as well in the modern sense.

Novoa's author's note at the end of this book talks about how the Regency had more of a thriving gay scene, even if it was pretty well underground, though nowhere near as much as the Victorian era and its repression of all sexualities. That said, Novoa doesn't paint this setting as an LGBTQ+ paradise either - Oliver and Darcy, as well as Charlotte and her lady love Lu (an original character) all have to stay closeted as far as wider society is concerned, and threats of outing are pretty common a tactic among the book's villains.

While this book is definitely not my usual cup of tea - I think I may have read the original Pride & Prejudice some time ago, but I had to look up a lot of details again to compare to this book - and it's not a happily ever after for everyone who deserves it the most, Novoa still shines brightest when it comes to the love story, as well as the constant twists of who's trying to court whom, and props to him for transforming Austen's comedy of manners and errors into some serious narrative tension. Hopefully soon I'll be able to read Novoa's next, even more eagerly awaited new book, going back to his new universe of Caribbean pirate fantasy with The Diablo's Curse.

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