When Rose Rushe’s father dies, her and her family’s life is upended. When she and her mother are accused of witchcraft, their small family must run to avoid persecution. They flee to the house of one of her father’s friends and there they try to begin anew. Rose’s mother, Katarina, wishes for Rose to marry thereby securing their future. But Rose balks at the idea, her dream is to become a court musician even as she knows they do not hire women. Against her mother’s wishes, Rose begins to sneak out at night. She meets a young Will Shakespeare and soon begins a tumultuous affair. Rose believes she has everything in hand but when Shakespeare pens a series of scandalous sonnets, she quickly finds her plans crumbling at her feet.

As something of a historical fiction fan, when I saw A Rose by Any Other Name available on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t familiar with Mary McMyne’s other works, so like some other reviewers I was going in blind.

The first thing most will notice when reading A Rose by Any Other Name is how well it’s researched. It’s quite obvious how much research McMyne did when it comes to the real people and events of the time. Not only is William Shakespeare a person that Rose encounters, but also John Dee, his wife Jane, and even Queen Elizabeth herself. A good bit of research also went into the sonnets and plays referenced in the book. For while Shakespeare did refer to a ‘dark lady’ in his sonnets, her true identity has never been established. A Rose by Any Other Name gives one possibility.

As much as I enjoyed the historical aspect of the novel, I did have problems with the main character – Rose. For all that she says she wishes to make her own way, to write her own future, she tends to just let stuff happen. For every time she does something, like finding her mother’s spell book, there are just as many times that she sits idly by. In trying to secure a future for herself, she only creates more problems and she rarely makes them right. Instead of bending the rules, she breaks them outright and then becomes distraught when there are consequences.

For it’s faults, A Rose by Any Other Name was overall enjoyable. If one is familiar with McMyne’s other works, they might enjoy this latest foray. Those who enjoy a well researched historical fiction might also enjoy it too.

An interesting and atmospheric read, but the plot didn't really work for me. I didn't connect with any of the main characters either.

Set against the glittering yet unforgiving backdrop of Elizabethan England, this queer historical fantasy imagines the life of the elusive woman who may have sparked Shakespeare’s iconic sonnets.

Rose longs for nothing more than to share her music with the royal court. She has the talent, the training—but not the right gender. Denied every opportunity because she’s a woman, she turns instead to her other skill: the stars. A gifted astrologer raised by a mother whispered to be a witch, Rose’s life takes a sharp turn when her father dies. Accusations fly, their home is destroyed, and the family is forced to flee.

They seek shelter with an old family friend, only to discover he’s passed away. His sons reluctantly offer refuge. In a desperate bid to secure her daughter's future, Rose’s mother casts a love spell on the eldest son. It backfires—badly.

Through all this, Rose clings to her friendship with a woman who means more to her than she dares admit. Refusing to accept a world that silences her, she finds freedom playing music in a brothel, disguising herself as needed. It’s there that she crosses paths with a young William Shakespeare, and their relationship quickly becomes as volatile as it is magnetic.

I was swept up by the story’s opening and loved where it landed, even if the middle dragged in places. Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable. It’s been ages since I last read Shakespeare’s sonnets—now I’m tempted to revisit them with fresh eyes.

In A Rose by Any Other Name, Mary McMyne offers a fresh take on the mysterious "Dark Lady" from Shakespeare’s sonnets, reimagining her as Rose Rushe, a young woman in 1591 England. After her father's death and accusations of witchcraft, Rose flees to London, where she faces society's expectations, discovers her magical powers, and begins a secret sapphic romance. McMyne’s writing is vivid and captivating, blending astrology, witchcraft, and forbidden love in an intriguing story. The novel focuses on character growth and keeps readers hooked.

*I received a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review*

CW’s:: some violence, language, mentions of sex, pregnancy, sexism, witchcraft, discount Philippa Gregory who in herself is a discount Walmart history writer.

My Rating: 2.75

So, I’m going to do what I did with a previous review and review it by sections.

**1%-37%**

Initially, I don’t really feel *grabbed* by the book. I think Rose is an okay protagonist, she just isn’t that memorable right off the bat like previous characters I’ve read are. Maya from *The Stardust Grail* grabs attention immediately, Rose…not so much.

Honestly, it’s just a boring book, the magic system still feels flat, the characters don’t spark my sympathy, and it feels like a Phillippa Gregory vibe-and that’s not a compliment to start-but more boring.

I honestly think Cecely would’ve been a more interesting protagonist. Her stakes are higher, and she actually seems to have really struggled. Don’t get me wrong, Rose has issues, and she has some conflict. But the conflict for Cecely could have been far more developed.

The whole thing just reads like a journal I’d read for a history class, and not even a high-level history class either. And I’m not dogging on the book for simplistic writing, I’m just saying the writing isn’t special or whimsical or anything more than what feels like a bland internal monologue.

There’s nothing really problematic thus far, but it’s just, *meh*. I don’t want to spend time in the book, marinate in it, take my time to savor it. I just want to get through it and get it over with. I don’t usually read something fast if I like it. I take my time so it won’t end.

This is no such book, I don’t see anything to savor.

**37%-82%**

The book improved for sure, but I still felt all of the problems that I felt in the beginning. The plot was boring and dragged. I was more interested when Will and Rose’s relationship started in earnest, but I still kept thinking of Cecely.

Also, the author has a character named after her. I’m sorry, but I don’t think anyone other than Jane Austen can pull that off. It comes off as a self-insert trying to put herself into the story. I don’t mind when fanfiction authors do it, they’re honest about it.

I just cared so much more about other characters. The magic system was boring and really didn’t redeem the book that much. There were some interesting plot points, but it just didn’t bring the book back from being utterly boring and unimpressive.

Finally, we have to get to the biggest problem, again, Rose. She was selfish and flat and didn’t evolve. Her motivations felt so self-centered and she was really unlikable. And I don’t think characters have to be likable to work, though I haven’t read one of them yet, Rose’’s unlike-ability didn’t *work* for the plot. She just came off as selfish and kind of stupidly reckless. She doesn’t even pause to think her affair might get out when she’s practically doing it out in the open. I don’t support Richard by any means. I think he is just as awful. And the book also makes Shakespeare awful. Just everyone of the main characters is awful. Apart from Edmund, the child, and Cecely, the side character.

Everyone just makes me so angry and when I’m not angry, I’m bored!

**81%-100%**

The end was so anti-climactic. She got what she wanted in some ways, not in others, which on its surface is a good ending. I just didn’t *feel it*.

Not problematic, not awful, just boring.

I DNF'd at 30%. The mother peeved me so bad that I just couldn't continue. Sometimes writers can pull off characters that can peeve you off but still feel like you grudgingly have to have them. I just hated it. The way the FMC was treated just rankled me. With the historical aspect, which I understand is not my favored timeframe for books taking place, the interactions like this cinched it for me. The world and the rest of it was really good, which is why it's 2 stars and not 1.

I absolutely adored the main character, she was so fiery and fun. There is also a lot happening in this book, from the occult and witchcraft, to romance, to astrology. And it’s also set in the Elizabethan era. 5 stars!!

As an English teacher and an uncommon woman, this imagining of the Dark Lady from Shakespeare's sonnets is absolutely captivating. So many twists and turns I didn't see coming! A must read!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Love love loved it!! I love gothic witchy novels and this one offer a new depth to good ol’ Will. This was a book unlike any I’ve read thus far and I never wanted to leave the fictional world within the pages.

This book was definitely interesting. I think that the idea was good and that the writing was good. But the story did not keep me very interested. It could have just been I wasn’t in the mood for this book, but it had a hard time keeping my interest.

Having truly enjoyed McMyne's previous book, I had high hopes for this one. However, try as I might, I couldn't get into the story. I couldn't connect with the characters and had a hard time with the magic within the book. Unfortunately, this was not for me.

A Rose by Any Other Name is a historical fantasy novel set in Shakespearian England. Rose Rushe is the carefree daughter of a astrologer who is thrown into the real world when her bestie is accused of witchcraft (relatable) and her father dies unexpectedly. She ends up running into the bard himself and they become embroiled with music, poetry, love, and survival.

I had a good enough time with this book! I enjoyed the start and then it kind of dragged for me. Rose is very much a morally gray character, which isn't usually my cup of tea and made it hard for me to be interested in her story. I think having a young Shakespeare as a character was fun and I always enjoy historical fantasy. This one leans more romance to me than historical or fantasy.

I'd say give this a try if you're a Shakespeare fan! 3.5 stars from me rounded down to 3. Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I deeply enjoyed this book.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, and knows my love of fandom and fanfiction, that transformative work is of immense interest to me. I love stories that take known quantities--people or places or events--and reimagine them, expand upon them, offer additional insight and context into something that might be a factual mystery. The extremely well-trod discussions of Shakespeare's sonnets and their subjects is always delightful to me. As a lover of fiction, I'm not so concerned with what the truth of the matter is--and honestly, I doubt we'll ever know for certain--but I love a convincingly crafted argument regardless of whether it is fictional or historical, and McMyne's take on the Dark Lady and the Fair Youth was a delight to sink my teeth into, especially where it treads the line between the two so convincingly.

Our protagonist, Rose, is a flawed woman in a way that feels honestly crafted, much more in line with the prejudicial Elizabeth Bennett than the more superficial, humble-brag flaws of many leading heroines. Her lack of self-awareness and the obstacles it places in her way feels honest and realistic, despite the trappings of magic, the supernatural, and the occult. Her relationships with every other character in the novel are all so realistic, filled with subtle differences that throw off the shackles of well-worn tropes to feel more like fully-realized characters. I especially loved:

- The balance of her latent anger at her mother, resentment always so ready to surface, and the way that it hides the longing for the maternal affection and relationship she's always felt denied.
- Her friendship with Cecely, her inability to read the meanings of their interactions until nearly too late, despite her own prowess with intuition in so many other aspects.
- Her fraught push-and-pull relationship with Will, the ebb and flow of power and surrender and the clear confusion in their roles and meaning to each other, especially foiled against the easy affection with Henry (which honestly made my heart ache with fond affection to recognize the friendly wlw/mlm solidarity).

I also very much enjoyed McMyne's presentation of witchcraft and the occult in this book. It's sometimes tough to tell what one is getting into, when reading books that center a female protagonist claiming power in a time when anyone who is not a white man is so deeply disenfranchised. It's a flip of the coin whether or not it's going to devolve into TERFy territory with transphobic proclamations touting "the divine feminine". That's not to say every novel needs to explicitly make room for trans identities, especially books set in the 16th century; but it's hard to avoid a bit of side-eye when the narrative leans a little too hard into the inherent power of the vulva. Gladly, that was not at all present here. The treatment of witchcraft and the occult, the presence of the "queen of heaven", somehow still felt strangely, wonderfully, androgynous; the emphasis was not on gender or sex as the prerequisite to receiving power, but rather the way in which individuals interact with that power, the ways in which societal constructs of entitlement and privilege lend themselves to individual experiences. Rose and her mother are not more apt conduits of magical power because they are female; rather, it is the power and entitlement felt, enjoyed, and assumed by the male characters that suggests their own lack of competency and connection. While there were no trans-coded characters, it felt as though this view of magic could very easily have held room for such individuals.

Lasty, I'm a big fan of writing that makes use of language to convey a sense of time or place; while this one was definitely a little more florid than most of what I've read recently, it felt appropriate, given the time period in which it was set and especially the semi-fictitious historical characters that appear. It gives the first-person narrator a certain degree of power; it marks her clearly as someone who could stand as equals with a man considered one of the greatest word-smiths of all time. I am sure there are some readers who would dislike the prose--I did find myself making use of the built-in dictionary for a few of the words at times!--but I felt like it was as much a part of the work as the narrative itself was. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book quite so much if it had used simpler language, and I applaud the author for leaning into it.

A historical gothic story full of witchcraft, charm, and the occult, with big William Shakespeare influences. It’s set in England and we follow Rose who is suddenly accused of witchcraft after her father passes away. Her and her friend flee to London and joins up with the occult, and well, Shakespeare gets involved! This is definitely going to be for a specific reader and that specific reader is probably going to love this. It didn't quite hit for me personally but I know that's only because I'm not big on this era.

DNF at 39%

Sadly, this book just wasn’t for me. I picked it up book several times, read a few pages, and then set it back down. The story wasn’t keeping my attention nor do I particularly care to find out what happens to Rose and her family. I kept trying since I hoped it would get better, but if I haven’t been able to push through the story in over two months then it isn’t going to happen.

Extremely slow, tedious start and a main character I just never really cared about. The world was fun and interesting, once Rose left home, but as other reviewers point out a lot happens around and to the main character, even though she’s supposed to be feisty and intelligent.

I appreciate the level of detailed research that went into this, and as I mentioned I found the world far more interesting than Rose’s journey.

Note: I feel pretty strongly about this book and there are some details that are spoilery, especially towards the end of my review. Approach with caution.

I was really looking forward to this book when I first requested it. A strong, independent fMC in a time where expected to be the opposite, a free spirit that wouldn’t be held back by conventions. Witchcraft, poetry, music, the court… There was so much I was excited for.

Sadly though, I struggled my way through most of the book. The first third was the hardest for me because it felt like the book wasn’t really going anywhere. I wasn’t enjoying the voice and I had a hard time emphasizing with the MC. And that didn’t really change much throughout the book.

I really disliked most of the characters, especially the MC. She just seemed to make one ridiculous decision after another. I was anticipating a cunning narrator that I could really root for but she just seemed impulsive and short-sighted instead. I prefer characters that follow their dreams but also show intelligence and caring for those around her. People that know me know that I love a heroine that is confident in herself and adds a little spice to the story, but she just seemed irresponsible in those encounters, especially for someone that knows and exploits the risks of pregnancies out of wedlock.

The setting itself seemed really interesting and I liked the risks and challenges that meeting Will Shakespeare added to the story if you ignore the irresponsibility of it all. It added more emotional depth that I was craving, though most of that was glossed over for much of the book for all the characters. I caught a glimpse of it here and there for the various relationships but really would’ve liked more since there was so much opportunity for that.

I wasn’t sure through much of the book whether magic was actually something real in it. There were a lot of repetitive hints that suggested it but it took a long time until it was really confirmed. I loved that part. I’m a big fan of witchcraft, astrology, and the like in books and enjoyed that added tension because of it. My favorite part was the climax of the book, in part because of the magic, but also because the pace was suddenly much more engaging and everything that had happened finally converged. It was very exciting.

But then the happy ending where everything turned out to be exactly what she always wanted, despite all the ridiculous decisions made throughout the book, put a damper on my excitement. I guess I just disliked her too much by then to accept that everything should turn out so rosily.

Despite all the gripes I have with this book, there was something about it that made me unable to put it down and DNF. Something kept compelling me to finish it and I do have to say that I admire the research the author did for this book. You could tell how excited she was about this topic from her Author’s Note and I like the conclusions she drew from the vague aspects of Shakespeare’s life. They did add good details to her story, even if the book overall wasn’t quite for me.

I was a huge fan of McMyne's debut novel, and went into this one with pretty high hopes, which were met, mostly. A tale of two women, stifled by their lives, find freedom and excess in renaissance england, meeting and mingling with the likes of the Bard himself. but is all that glitters gold? I found myself drifting away from this book frequently for one reason or another, which could totally be a me thing and not the book, but I wasn't as gripped as I was with the Author's previous book

A Rose By Any Other Name by Mary McMyne is a historical fantasy romance with decent atmosphere and a very plucky heroine. It's not my usual genre, but I found myself enjoying it.

2.5 Stars!

I love a good retelling and I was intrigued by an interpretation of Shakespeare's sonnets instead of his plays. This one just fell flat for me. Very well researched and the ambience of the Tudor era was well represented in this book. The characters and their motivations just did not do it for me at all. Rose made these grand schemes to follow her dreams, but it really felt like was a passive character in her own story. Did not like that.