Susan Mesler-Evans Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Susan Mesler-Evans is a theatre nerd, D&D enthusiast, college student, horrific procrastinator, and author that is best known for her debut novel “Most Ardently” that she published in 2019. Mesler-Evans was born and bred in Columbus though she currently lives in Florida from where she now writes her fiction. She published her debut piece of work in 2019, after years of dreaming of becoming a professional author. She had always been a voracious reader and over the years, she had read and reread Jane Austen and hence it was not surprising that she wrote a retelling of Jane Austen on her debut. When she is not writing her novels, she can be found watching comedies on Netflix, scrolling through Tumbler reading, and overanalyzing her favorite characters.

When Mesler-Evans decided to pen her debut novel as a modern retelling of “Pride and Prejudice,” she had two intentions. She wanted to make a fanfic version of all her fellow Janeites and LGBT+ fans of the original novel. She also wanted to reach readers that may not necessarily be interested in reading the classic works of fiction yet are interested in modern romance. What she came up with was a contemporary version of “Pride and Prejudice” with modern characters and settings. Miss Bennet is struggling to get through college, Mr. Darcy is a bisexual man and Longbourn lives in a terrible apartment complex rather than in a country estate. She has asserted that retelling the story was easier to do as compared to something she could have written from her imagination. The reason for this is that she just has to work out how to translate the character motive and translate plot points into contemporary society. However, she did find writing the novel fun, even if it was exhausting. Moreover, she was writing a fluffy and sweet romance between two young women without the gloom, doom, and death and it is just the thing she would have loved to read. Susan writes her characters with real insecurities, and flaws, which make them more relatable and endearing. They have intense but entertaining banter as the characters are never afraid to speak what is on their mind. Mesler-Evans also adds in some great side characters who flesh out the story and make it even more entertaining.

Susan Mesler-Evans’s novel “Most Ardently” is the story of Elisa Benitez. She is proud of who she is from her fixation with both attractive girls and attractive boys, to her acerbically ironic remarks. She does not care that anyone may not like her and does not care or listen to anyone who does. She particularly dislikes the socially awkward and snobby Darcy Fitzgerald, who comes from a very privileged background and has an attitude to boot. From the moment Darcy and Elisa meet, they cannot help but fight, which is not the best thing given that Elisa’s sister is dating Darcy’s best friend. It is soon clear that fate has conspired to bind the two together even if they hate each other with a passion. As their lives become more entwined, the dull and uneventful life Elisa had once led quickly degenerates into chaos in a story of prejudice, pride, and the quest for finding love with the most unlikely of people.