First published 2024
Oliver Bennet wears corsets and petticoats every day, but inside he knows he's not the girl named Elizabeth that everyone sees. In 1812 London, society expects him to dance at balls, charm suitors, and marry well. Instead, Oliver sneaks out of his family's home dressed as a young gentleman to explore the city as his true self. During one of these secret excursions, he meets Darcy, the same sulky young man who was rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent ball. Away from prying eyes, Oliver discovers that Darcy is actually sweet, intelligent, and attractive. As Oliver spends more time living as himself, often with Darcy, he begins to hope that love and life as a man might be possible. But suitors grow bolder and more threatening. His mother becomes desperate to see him engaged. Oliver faces an impossible choice between safety and pretense, or risking everything for a slim chance at freedom and love as himself.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, gender-nonconforming, secret-identity
Setting: London
Period: 1812
304 pages · Hardcover · Feiwel & Friends