By Any Other Name (Review)

Information:

• Author: Erin Cotter
• Genre: Historical fiction, thriller, romance
• Page count: 464
• Year published: 2023

Read This If You Like:

• Shakespeare-era stories
• Lgbtq+ representation
• Inspiration from real-life events
• Enemies to (forbidden) lovers 
• Theatre 
• High society books
• Historical thrillers

Synopsis:

London, 1593. Will Hughes is an actor who has been down on his luck lately and is hiding even more secrets behind his roles. As the son of parents who betrayed the crown, Will’s goal is to hide his identity, and earn enough money to return to his family, which is becoming harder every minute. He manages to get a job with James Bloomsbury, a young lord of England who might have something to hide, and Will does not trust him. But then, Kit Marlowe, Will’s mentor, is murdered right in front of Will after being called to a mysterious meeting with him. Now, reluctantly joined by James, Will must try to solve the murder. But by doing so, he and James get drawn into a web of deadly secrets relating to the royal court and their enemies… and an unexpected romance is forming between Will and James. 

Review/Opinions:

Historical fiction is a genre that I either love or find underwhelming- for me, it really depends what time period it’s set in. I’m a fan of the 1500s Shakesperian era, and also European settings, which is why I was excited to read this book, which also promised a thriller aspect as well as a gay romance- two things I always look for in books. And I was so happy when this book exceeded my expectations.

The thriller and mystery aspect is really developed. It’s not exactly a murder mystery, as the book isn’t focused on finding one murder, but more centering on a plot to extract revenge, and the story slowly reveals who is part of the plot, and the protagonists try to escape their enemies. There are so many twists throughout the book (in fact, I excluded some details from the book’s official “blurb” from my summary so that if you read this book, these details will come as a larger surprise.) The book also is over 450 pages, and while it might seem lengthy for this kind of book, it also allows space for more shocking moments and a more developed plot.

Another huge part of this book is the romance aspect, which is as thought out as the mystery aspect. Will and James started off as very reluctant partners (the reason they met in the first place involves some very interesting activity), but as the novel goes on, they start to develop a really tender and loving relationship. It’s also partly a forbidden love story, as Will has a hidden past and is on the run, while James comes from a noble background, which added even more layers to their romance. I also loved how this was a gay romance set in the 1500s, but is focused less on homophobia and social expectations and instead puts their connection front and center.

This novel also beautifully developed the historical aspect. I loved how it took real-life events from the era and added fictional characters to it- the book’s main premise is on the murder of Kit Marlowe (Marlowe was a real-life playwright who is said to have influenced Shakespeare, and is known for his early death, of which the actual cause has not been discovered.) And Shakespeare also makes a cameo appearance a few times as a character- but honestly, he’s not a character you will truly support.

There’s only one thing that I didn’t like about this book- the writing style. It tries to mimic a more-old fashioned style of writing that was present during the time period, and while adding to the narration voice, it’s also hard to read through because of changes in word choice that we would normally expect in a book published in 2023. (Even the swear words are changed to ones that are from the era.) I found that when I reread this I found it easier to absorb the plot points and understand the story because I was used to the writing, but it can be hard to read through during a first readthrough of this book.

Overall, anyone who is interested in historical thrillers should check out this book. It has a shocking mystery, a beautiful queer romance, and a neatly developed historical setting.