If the mysterious Dark Lady in Shakespeare’s sonnets were given a voice, what secrets do you think she would tell? In A Rose by Any Other Name, Mary McMyne unravels one of literature’s most compelling mysteries—and spins a scandalous tale of women and witches in Elizabethan England.
My name has only been whispered, heretofore…
England, 1591. Rose Rushe’s passion for life runs deep—she loves mead and music, meddles with astrology, and laughs at her mother’s warnings to guard her reputation. When Rose’s father dies and a noble accuses her and her dear friend Cecely of witchcraft, they flee to the household of respected alchemists in London. But as their bond deepens, their sanctuary begins to feel more like a cage. To escape, they turn to the occult, secretly casting charms and selling astrological advice in the hopes of building a life together. This thriving underground business leads Rose to fair young noble Henry and playwright Will Shakespeare, and so begins a brief, tempestuous, and powerful romance—one filled with secret longings and deep betrayals.
In this world of dazzling masques and decadent feasts, where the stars decide futures, Rose will write her own fate instead.
For fans of Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and Maggie O’Farell’s Hamnet.
A Publisher’s Weekly Editor’s Pick
Praise for A Rose by Any Other Name
★ “A delightfully impish heroine… a tempestuous erotic connection… a captivating imagining of the life of the Dark Lady, the illusive inspiration for Shakespeare’s later sonnets… This is an impressive feat.” — Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
★ “A fascinating fictional exposé [with] a touch of mysticism and an LGBTQ twist.” —Booklist (starred review)
“A triumph of feminist imagination.”—Allison Epstein, author of Fagin the Thief and A Tip for the Hangman
“A fantastical reimagining of Shakespeare… I’m a lifelong Shakespeare nerd, so McMyne’s historical fantasy reimagining of the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets immediately appealed. Add in a lush, magical setting and a tender queer romance at the story’s heart, and what’s not to love?” —Phoebe Cramer, SFF, horror, and romance reviews editor at Publisher’s Weekly (Editor’s Pick)
“Thoughtful historical fiction with a touch of witchcraft… Shakespeare himself stars as a major character and is as much a delight and disaster as I hoped he would be.” —British Fantasy Society
“Brings to life Shakespeare’s sonnets through astrology, magic, the occult, and heated desires.” —Library Journal
“A haunting, queer historical fantasy… This complex, well-researched novel grapples with LGBTQ+ and women’s agency while giving a new slant to William Shakespeare’s life.” — Margaret Kingsbury in IGN 10 Must-Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Releasing this July
“The must-read romantic historical fantasy of the summer.” —Constance Sayers, author of A Witch in Time
“In A Rose by Any Other Name, the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets takes center stage. Rose Rushe is a woman of audacious passion, who laughs in the face of Elizabethan correctness. She is an artist, a lover, a witch, and she is all those things without shame or apology, shattering conventions in the same way she breaks hearts. This book is an alchemical combination of meticulous research and immersive storytelling. Mary McMyne takes up the Bard’s quill and gives us a historical romantasy that will have you on the edge of your reading chair from the prologue to the very last scene.” —Lauren J. A. Bear, author of Medusa’s Sisters
“A sensual and witchy look at Shakespeare’s England, as well as a compelling and singular take on the Bard himself… Mary McMyne has crafted a masterful tale full of magic, poetry, and intrigue that will keep readers turning the pages into the dark of the night.” —Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel
“A bold and inventive tale about a woman ahead of her time in an Elizabethan England you can practically see and touch. Timely, feminist, and wonderfully original.” —Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar
“A dark and captivating Elizabethan fantasy… The original world that McMyne has created shines. Her descriptions of magic are rich with heavy, cloying scents and skin-tingling sensations. Her streets feel full of possibility and danger. And Rose and her imperfect, wild compatriots seem to spring from the page. A captivating blend of forensic literary analysis and dark magic, A Rose by Any Other Name is a fascinating exploration into the world of ‘what if.’”—BookPage
Praise for The Book of Gothel
“A sprawling epic, full of magic, love and heartbreak.”—Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“A luscious origin story.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Mary McMyne is a magician.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked
