#gabe cole novoa

[transbookoftheday]

🏳️‍⚧️🏴‍☠️ Trans Books To Read If You Love "Our Flag Means Death" 🏴‍☠️🏳️‍⚧️

Can't get enough of Our Flag Means Death? Read some trans pirate books!

On Mar León de la Rosa's sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship. When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible - Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there's no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate - and the captain's son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption - or it could mean certain death.

(The audiobook for "The Wicked Bargain" is narrated by Vico Ortiz!)

In a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic, a desperate orphan turned pirate and a rebellious imperial lady find a connection on the high seas. Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is headed to an arranged marriage she dreads. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian. Neither expects to fall in love. Soon the unlikely pair set in motion a wild escape that will free a captured mermaid (coveted for her blood) and involve the mysterious Pirate Supreme, an opportunistic witch, double agents, and the all-encompassing Sea herself. Deftly entwining swashbuckling action and quiet magic, Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s inventive debut novel conjures a diverse cast of characters seeking mastery over their fates while searching for answers to big questions about identity, power, and love.

The Lost Boys say that Peter Pan went back to England because of Wendy Darling, but Wendy is just an old life he left behind. Neverland is his real home. So when Peter returns to it after ten years in the real world, he's surprised to find a Neverland that no longer seems to need him. The only person who truly missed Peter is Captain James Hook, who is delighted to have his old rival back. But when a new war ignites between the Lost Boys and Hook's pirates, the ensuing bloodshed becomes all too real - and Peter's rivalry with Hook starts to blur into something far more complicated, sensual, and deadly.

In the Christian Republic, homosexual people are given two choices—a camp to "fix" them, or exile to the distant islands populated by lesbians and gay men. Sixteen-year-old Jason chooses exile and expects a hardscrabble life but instead finds a thriving, supportive community. While exploring his identity as a transgender boy he also discovers adventure: kraken attacks, naval battles, a flying island built by asexual people, and a daring escape involving glow-in-the-dark paint. He also has a desperate crush on Sky, a spirited buccaneer girl, but fear keeps him from expressing his feelings. When Jason and his companions discover the Republicans are planning a war of extermination, they rally the people of the Rainbow Islands to fight back. Shy, bookish Jason will have to find his inner courage or everything and everyone he loves will be lost forever.

Book titles:

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Rainbow Islands by Devin Harnois

[lgbtqreads]

Happy (Upcoming) Trans Day of Visibility 2024!

March 31st is Trans Day of Visibility, and we’re celebrating as we do by highlighting a whole bunch of wonderful trans books! For even more recs, check out previous years’ posts.  Books to Read Now Middle Grade Magical Princess Harriet by Leiah Moser “To put it simply, Harris Baumgartner was late to school on the first day of the seventh grade because something he saw in the abandoned lot at the…

[fourthleafluck]

I was sold on this book from the moment I heard "trans Pride and Prejudice", and then it was indeed SO SWEET. Love these cuties

This 2BDC: a bookmark for Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

goodreads

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, not to mention attractive.

As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can 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 his own.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book yet and probably won't read it myself as most retellings aren't really my thing, but if you like Austen retellings this one sounds like a really interesting one!

[eldergrim]

Trans Thoughts

I so desperately need it to be known that the book "Most Ardently" by Gabe Cole Novoa has made me feel so seen and heard. Never have I thought a book could so perfectly encapsulate the emotions I feel as a TransMasc. I might also add that I am Demisexual and Homoromantic, and I very much appreciated the Gay romance in this book because I feel like whenever I look for books or stories with Trans characters the Trans character is always Transfem or attracted to/ in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender. Not to say that this isn't bad but to me personally, it's so hard to find books that I can fully relate to. Anyway, this book was an amazing read, very enlightening to the trans experience in my opinion, and just all around so beautiful. Thank you, Gabe Cole Novoa! And to everyone else, I highly recommend you go out and get this book!!

[the-final-sentence]

But it was real, and nothing and no one could take that away from him.

Gabe Cole Novoa, from Most Ardently

[ashandthorns]

Time for some pining. New collaboration announcement and tea blend coming 1.18

[ryttu3k]

""I would like to thank my inspiration!" Bas shouts over the crowd. Then Bas is inexplicably pointing at Mar, and Mar's heart leaps into their throat as the entire crew and half the taberna turns to look at them. "To the newest member of our familia, and the most beautiful boy I know, Mar León de la Rosa!" Something about that combination of words, beautiful boy, feminine and masculine, curls up comfortably in the space behind Mar's heart. It's a nice enough - and fitting enough - compliment that Mar can almost forget the pressure of dozens upon dozens of gazes on them. The crew roars with cheers, and Tito wraps Mar in a one-armed hug, squishing them close to his soft chest in a way that makes a laugh burst out of them. Here, with Bas beaming at them, and Tito grinning at them, and the crew patting their back and cheering them on, Mar finally feels it. Familia."

- The Wicked Bargain, by Gabe Cole Novoa

[belpheg0r-luna]

Why must Wickham be the most awful person in every retelling as well?! THE scum of this earth

[that-vampire-loser]

Yall I read Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa, and first of all, go read that it was so good.

My issue was a user error because I bought it and I SWEAR the description said that the other guy was trans too like I swear. Very very disappointed upon learning only one of them was trans

Anyway whatever. Great read! They’re forever t4t in my mind.

[transbookoftheday]

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This bittersweet Pride & Prejudice remix follows a trans boy yearning for the freedom to live openly, centering queerness in a well-known story of longing and subverting society’s patriarchal and cisheteronormative expectations.

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.

[lgbtqreads]

Better Know an Author: Gabe Cole Novoa

This author and I go waaaay back, so I’m thrilled to be chatting today with Gabe Cole Novoa, who’s made a serious name for himself in trans YA both historical and fantastical. He recently released two YAs back-to-back, the Remixed Classic Most Ardently and the fantasy The Diablo’s Curse, and he’s here to talk about both of those, getting The NYT Call, what comes next, and more. Welcome, Gabe! Q:…

[rolaplayor101]

The book finally came in!!

Because of the ice, it took so long for it to get to my house (it actually came in two days ago but I didn't have good lighting to take a picture lol)

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

goodreads

On Mar León-de la Rosa's 16th birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.

When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up your soul to save your father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain and there's no way their magic is any match for el Diablo. Then, Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate -- and the captain's son; and Dami, a genderfluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption -- or it could mean certain death.

Mod opinion: I haven't read it yet, but my girlfriend owns it, so I'm hoping to get around to it soon.

[wanderingavians]

Max Rambles: Most Ardently

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve GOT to talk about this book !!! I’ve decided not to frame this post as a review because I’m honestly just going to be rambling here.. anyways, let’s get to the point. There may be spoilers in this post, though I haven’t typed far enough to know yet. Seriously just typing along as I go here, folks.

This was my fourth book finished this month and out of all four I think this one and Hell Followed With Us were the two I couldn’t put down. I mean I was having to resist the urge to read this at work. Work! The brainrot is far too real. That being said, the book was fabulous. It was fairly short and incredibly enticing read. Most Ardently is a book reimagining Elizabeth Bennett as Oliver Bennett, a trans man in the Regency era. All of the social expectations of the time make for plenty of hurdles to jump, and it made for a very satisfying climax and conclusion. Hell, all of it was satisfying. I enjoyed every minute of this book and it definitely didn’t over stay its welcome. In fact, I would have easily eaten up another fifty or one hundred pages if that had been in the cards for this book. Seriously, it was that great.

Most Ardently was flavorful. The descriptions of the environments, clothes and even the sounds surrounding Oliver was just a delight to read. I could easily picture everything described. Everything was vivid. And I just love picturing the fashion and cities of that time period. The architecture! It’s all just really fascinating to me and I devoured every little description given to me like I was starving. Which, I was. I need more books that fit into this little niche of lgbtq folk in the past that I’m so ravenous about.

I felt Oliver’s emotions on such a strong level. His joy at finally being able to express himself in a way that feels natural to him is something that I can certainly relate to and it was really refreshing to read about those moments. I felt! Emotions! The happiness I felt for him at the conclusion of this novel was just so good.

Things turned out okay- amazing, even. I was so so overjoyed to read a story that involved a trans person coming out who received acceptance from both parents when everything was revealed. It was refreshing for me.

Also, real talk, I’m not as intimately familiar with the original source material as most people are. I’m officially putting the Pride and Prejudice on my TBR after finishing this one. I’m only now just getting back to reading and I’ve already got this huge pile of books to read beginning to grow. I love it though, and I’m definitely enjoying returning back to reading. Most Ardently has only served to make me more enthusiastic about continuing to read, and for that, I thank it. I’ll definitely be returning to this one sooner rather than later.

[temporal-infidelity]

Just felt like it was important for people to know that Gabe Cole Novoa (who wrote The Wicked Bargain which Vico Ortiz did the audiobook for) will be publishing a queer trans Pride and Prejudice remix next year!

Have a great day 🏳️‍⚧️