A Rose by Any Other Name is a gorgeous Shakespearian retelling of Rose, a young woman who is determined to chart the course of her own destiny in a time where women’s choices were often made for them by powerful men. Rose is a gorgeously rendered character, and the reader resonates with the force of her desire to achieve freedom for herself, and a life she can live on her own terms. Rose’s brush with William Shakespeare, and her subsequent literary as the “dark lady” who lives on through his sonnets, is well-rendered. Highly recommended.

What an absolutely beautiful book! I’m not big on Shakespeare’s sonnets and was worried that would affect my enjoyment or understanding of this story - it didn’t! Rose is such a fascinating, complex character. I was completely drawn into her story and rooted for her. This author’s writing is just gorgeous. I loved everything about it. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read and I’ll be recommending closer to pub day!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This just wasn’t for me. I could tell 10 pages in that this wasn’t my style of book. I don’t usually enjoy historical romance but I wanted to try. I just couldn’t feel a connection to any of the characters now matter how hard I tried.

I'm something of a Shakespeare nerd and also a lover of sapphic books, so I was beyond thrilled to get an ARC of A Rose by Any Other Name -- and even more thrilled that it didn't disappoint! A Rose by Any Other Name is a fictionalized answer to the Dark Lady in Shakespeare's sonnets: who was she? How was her life tangled up with Shakespeare's? Where might her life have gone after her time with her famous lover?

McMyne's answer is both historically plausible (I loved the author's note!) and refreshingly diverse. If you like your historical fiction queer, you're going to love this book! Our future Dark Lady Rose Rushe is wrestling with big decisions at the novel's start. In a society that wants women to marry and carry on the family line, Rose desires neither marriage nor children. What she does desire is Cecily, her best friend, and a life playing her instruments for the crown. But women shouldn't love other women and they shouldn't play music for the court. When her mother gets accused of witchcraft and her family is forced to move in with her future betrothed, Rose sees her chance. Sneaking out to the local brothel to play the virginal and spending nights with Cecily (now disguised as her lady in waiting), Rose meets William Shakespeare and begins a tempestuous affair that changes both their lives.

McMyne weaves a slow-paced yet absorbing tapestry. I'm knocking off a star because Rose herself did not particularly compel me in the first third of the book, but once she meets Will, I couldn't put the book down. The writing was consistently lovely, but I really got a feel for Rose's voice as time went on. I enjoyed all the nods to Shakespeare's works, both covert and subtle. I also enjoyed how she didn't shy away from the queer subtext in Shakespeare's sonnets, but rather embraced it; I also found the historical references to the occult, horoscopes, and witchcraft to be really fascinating, though at times (the end, mainly) I did feel it overshadowed the plot a little too much for me. Still, it was a really enjoyable read!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Mary McMyne for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

DNF at 25% however I will be giving this book 4 stars. The biggest reason I am DNF’ing is because of how incredibly long the pacing feels. To see on my kindle that the first chapter will take over an hour to read is daunting, and only getting 3% done with the book after reading the first chapter even more so. The pacing is too slow for me, however, even in just the first 25% this book has incredible promise. Complex female characters, women supporting women, and supporting women’s wrongs. I think I will come back to finish this book, when I’m more mentally prepared for the pacing as the premise is very interesting.

I really struggled with this one - made myself get to 25% before I decided to DNF. The writing is a bit stilted and juvenile, and the main character comes across as insufferable instead of unique and strong-willed (which I think was the intention). “I’m not like other girls” went WAY too hard. The LGBTQ+ storyline also just appears out of nowhere - no build up, no hints, which made it seem like ticking a box vs. well thought out. The premise sounded so intriguing, wish I had enjoyed it more!

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook for the arc!
Queer Shakespeare retelling?! Sign me up! This story follows sonnets and I recommend taking a quick look at them before reading the story. It’s not needed to understand the story but does enchants the story as you can pick out little connections while reading.
Rose is such an amazing characters that brings so much passion and life. She jumps off the page and I loved that Shakespeare was an actual character in the book. That really felt unique and interesting as it differs from other Shakespeare retellings.
What really makes the story shine is the writing and atmosphere. The world is so vivid and lush with the magic and Shakespearean elements coming through extremely well. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and the ending was fabulously done.

This was a very original Gothic tale. I like how Shakespeare was spun into the story. The Elisabethen era is one of my favorite tropes. Looking forward to more from this author. Thank you netgalley!

A marriage formed under a spell provides security for Rose's family after the death of her father.

Rose Rushe dreams of becoming a court musician in London. She was encouraged to play the virginal as she approached marrying age by her father. Rose's dream crumples when her father dies from an illness. Roses mother becomes determined to secure a home for herself and son through Roses' marriage. Rose's desire to be financially independent leads her to finding employment with her mothers estranged family. She gains independence as she plays the virginal at her aunts brothel. She crosses paths with the infamous William Shakespeare and gains clients reading their birth charts and healing the inflicted. Roses work becomes questionable as she and her mother are accused of casting spells in the form of witchcraft. Mother and daughter stand trial...will it end in their freedom or death?

The inclusion of William Shakespear's sonnets is a nice mix into this story. I am a fan of magic and enjoyed its inclusion. I recommend this book.

It’s SO GOOD! A delightfully prickly tale about the woman who inspired many of Shakespeare’s later work. A story of a bi woman (yay bi rep!) set in Elizabethan England with a tumultuous and unorthodox heroine with a strong voice and lots of witchy magics!

Historical books are not usually my go to. So this book was a little out of my comfort zone. However, I’m glad I step out and tried it.
It was a quick read and I loved the drama. I would highly recommend.
Thank you!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley.

This was a truly enjoyable book, much like McMyne’s debut, THE BOOK OF GOTHEL. No knowledge of Shakespeare’s work or the time period is necessary to read this but they will certainly make it more enjoyable. Having taken classes in college on witchcraft during this time period, I found this to be interesting due to very few sources (if any) existing that share perspectives of the accused. Definitely recommend this if you enjoyed her first book and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next story McMyne plans on telling.

I was so used to fast-paced books, this was a nice change, it was slow but not agonizingly slow.
I loved the historical aspect of it as well, it's what really drew me in and a definite physical buy when it comes out!

This book was exactly what I crave in historical fiction; lush writing, a firm sense of place, and a slow paced yet propulsive narrative. It’s clear how much research and care the author took with this time period - it really helped to make the story immersive. I’m always a bit hesitant about fiction that features real historical figures, but Shakespeare felt like both the figure we know and an original, genuine character, and I appreciated that the story focused on Rose and the part he played in her life. The queer rep was also nice to see and always appreciated!

A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne is a beautifully written slow paced historical fiction period piece giving a unique twist on a potential muse of Shakespeare's sonnets.

I enjoyed the astrology, witchcraft and Shakespearean references. Our main character, Rose, goes through a lot during this novel -- there's a lot of different directions this story goes in and it's tricky to determine what's the most important piece to pay attention to. However, the ending is satisfying and worth the bumpy ride.

I would recommend this book to lovers of the occult who enjoy Shakespeare pieces and are looking for an LGBTQ story to add to their TBR.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing the ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This was the first time that I’ve read a book from this author and I really enjoyed it. I’m giving it four stars because the pacing was a little too slow for me. BUT! The story was wonderful and I loved the cast of colorful characters. Shakespeare mixed with the occult?! Yes, please.

This was a really uniquely written story with a beautiful dark atmosphere and themes of witchcraft and astrology. It follows the life of Rose, a young woman in historical England trying to find her way out of a string of unfortunate situations and make a life for herself and the people she loves. She also happens to be modeled after a woman mentioned in Shakespeare’s sonnets, who appears in the book as well.

I was a little unclear about where the plot was going for a lot of the book, but I ended up enjoying how it told the story of Rose’s life. I was especially interested in the way Shakespeare was portrayed and it had me wanting to learn more. While the book does have a slow feel to it, things got more exciting at the end and I was anxious to see how things would turn out for Rose. If Shakespeare mixed with the occult appeals to you, I would recommend giving this a try!

Thank you to Redhook Books for the ARC!

A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne is such a masterpiece. The writing and storytelling in itself are beautifully done and the characters within are so well developed. Rose's emotions are so fervent that you're compelled to read more. While the pace of the book was a bit slower than I like I think that in this particular book, it worked perfectly. Rose's determination is one of the aspects that made me love her. She is very blunt but also cunning, secretive, loving, and determined to make a life outside the social norms of the time. I loved the magic and astrological aspects of the book as well and thought that it was interesting. Overall this was a very well-developed book regarding character development, magic system, world-building, and plot. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of a slower-paced historical fiction laced with romance. This is the first book I've read from Mary McMyne but I will be checking out her other book.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing the eARC!

So, when I saw and received a copy of this book, I went in with high hopes. I really enjoyed the author's first book (The book of Gothel), and Shakespeare is such a big name in the English literary/theater world, that I thought this book would be worth a shot. But, after a few pages into the story, I ended up losing interest in the story itself. So, I've decided to not finish the story at this time, and I'll perhaps come back to it at a later time. But, if anyone out there is a fan of Shakespeare, historical fiction, or Elizabethan era England, I would definitely suggest giving this book a try.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this book nearly as much as I liked Gothel. For me, Gothel was a one-and-done atmospheric and Gothic reading experience. I enjoyed it, but it definitely isn't a book I need to reread. Rose featured a protagonist I couldn't really like, and I struggled throughout the book to understand her motivation for some of her more foolhardy actions. I wanted to love this book and these characters. The writing style was gorgeous and really kept me turning the pages, and McMyne has clearly done a LOT of research into this time period. The sense of place and time were absolutely perfect. I truly felt like I had been transported to Shakespeare's England. What kept me from thoroughly enjoying this book were the characters. Rose felt incredibly self-absorbed and kept making the riskiest choices, which was very frustrating. The Bard himself was presented as an incredibly unlikeable character, selfish and vindictive and childish. I honestly was confused why Rose was attracted to him at all. Cecely was probably one of the few somewhat likable characters in this book, although at times, she rang false with her goodness and ignorance. Rose's mother never really redeemed herself, in my opinion, and Henry seemed like he would be completely insufferable in real life. If you enjoy slow-burn historical fiction with a touch of magic and morally grey characters, you may enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook for my ARC. All opinions are my own.