"Zounds! By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter is a delightful romance full of hope and humor that flourishes against the backdrop of Elizabethan England. Complete with players, pirates, and plots, Cotter weaves an adventure that draws the reader in from the first page. Will Hughes, the anti-hero, finds more than he bargained for when he searches for the murderer of his mentor, playwright Christopher Marlowe and takes on his most dangerous role--spymaster for the Queen. In all his pretending, identity comes into question. How do you know who you are when you're pretending to be someone you're not? Thoughtful and deliberate, love and family in various forms and their ties to self-worth are at the center of this coming-of-age story filled with witty banter and forbidden love."--Krystal Marquis, New York Times bestselling authors of The Davenports

"Zounds, this is terrific! Come for the Shakespeare, stay for the heart-melting romance. It's exactly the thing I love to read for pleasure, with a plot fueled by intrigue, well-drawn characters, and a historical setting that absolutely feels alive. A delight from start to finish--highly recommended."--Jenn Bennett, critically acclaimed author of Alex, Approximately

"A well-balanced, well-researched dramedy, Cotter's quippy, heart-wrenching debut is ideal for fans of Mackenzi Lee and F.T. Lukens.

To read or not to read? There's really no question: pick this one up."--Kirkus Reviews

"Sharp-tongued Will is riveting as the earnestly melodramatic and ill-fated hero whose tumultuous and forbidden romance with James pulses beneath every scene. Cotter weaves deep research on historic events and figures such as William Shakespeare and Irish pirate queen Gráinne Ní Mháille into this leisurely and delightfully wrought tale of love and deceit."--Publishers Weekly

"A fanciful treat. [W]hat runs steadily through all the novel's eventfulness is Elias's fraught emotion: his forlorn urge to find his family and his growing passion and confidence in James's love. Cotter packs many sly literary and historical references into this playfully far-fetched queer tale, along with much romance and affection."--Horn Book Magazine

"Readers will find themselves immersed in Elizabethan life and culture due to Cotter's excellent worldbuilding and intriguing characters...[a]n enjoyable historical fiction mystery with a prominent queer romance."--School Library Journal

"Elizabethan London-- complete with Shakespeare's plays, Kit Marlowe's murder, dazzling court masques, and deadly intrigue-- comes to life in this thrilling, high stakes, beautifully written story. Part galloping, bloody mystery and part tender, queer love story, By Any Other Name is all heart and will have readers up late into the night cheering for the characters and the many twists of their fates."

--Jamie Pacton, author of The Vermilion Emporium, Lucky Girl, and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly