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From the author of The Book of Gothel comes the lush, magical story behind Shakespeare's sonnets, as told by one of his most famous subjects—the incendiary and mysterious Dark Lady.
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.
"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." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A fascinating fictional exposé [with] a touch of mysticism and an LGBTQ twist." —Booklist (starred review)
"A Rose by Any Other Name is a sensual and witchy look at Shakespeare's England, as well as a compelling and singular take on the Bard himself. Rose blazes to life, stepping from the shadows cast by Shakespeare's (in)famous Dark Lady as an exceptional heroine in her own right, one who is determined to forge a life as an independent woman by any means necessary. 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 triumph of feminist imagination. Rose Rushe is the Dark Lady we've all been waiting for, and her story of star-signs and spellbooks, betrayal and true love will enchant readers of historical fantasy. I adored it." ―Allison Epstein, author of A Tip for the Hangman
"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
This information about A Rose by Any Other Name was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mary McMyne is a novelist, poet, and former English professor who is fascinated with the stories behind stories and the portrayal of women in history, folklore, and literature. She is the author of The Book of Gothel and a poetry chapbook Wolf Skin, which won the Elgin Chapbook Award. A graduate of the New York University MFA program, she has won the William Faulkner–William Wisdom Award for a Novel-in-Progress and has received a grant from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, among other honors. She is the poetry editor for Enchanted Living.
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