I think everyone is allowed one harmless conspiracy theory to obsess over. Mine is, and has been for decades, that only-technically-a-conspiracy-theory that playwright Christopher Marlowe, cut down in his prime, was actually a spy for Queen Elizabeth I. Apparently I'm not the only person still enamored of this idea—this is the backdrop for the high-stakes, high-drama By Any Other Name. While technically also a YA romance, the growing relationship between James Bloomsbury and Will Hughes quickly becomes a facet of the intrigue.

16-year-old Will Hughes (not his real name) is a young actor who specialized in playing women's roles onstage. That's "specialized," past tense, because puberty is catching up to him. That's bad news for him, as landing a man's role is much more difficult, and he's attempting to lie low and earn enough money to get back to his family. Fortunately, he's friends with Christopher Marlowe... though things go south quickly when he discovers his mentor murdered in the street.

The discoveries he makes lead him to accidentally save the life of Liz I herself—not someone he's overly enamored of, for reasons that become clear in the book. But his actions earn him a new position: spymaster to the Queen, alongside Lord James Bloomsbury. James is charming, handsome, and basically everything Will both desires and despises.

The bulk of the book is Elizabethan intrigue mixed with furtive romance. As Will and James grow closer, under the shadow of multiple arranged marriages, Marlowe's murder still looms large. Someone is trying to kill the queen. And while Will would happily see her killed, the combination of carrot and stick both promises a safe life for his family and threatens potential doom should he step out of line. But the deeper the two dig into the conspiracy at the heart of the Queen's progress and victory parties, the closer to home the danger appears to be.

By Any Other Name stood out to me immediately for its gentle-handed use of Shakespearean English in the first-person prose: enough that nothing seemed anachronistic, not so much that you need footnotes to process it. Each "act" of the book is fronted by a poem by a different notable figure of the time, showcasing the poetic talents of people beyond Shakespeare. (And yes, the Bard is a presence in the book, but not a hero-worshiped one... very much the opposite, in fact.)

From a purely historical standpoint, there are some decidedly modern moments—the merit of which depends on the reader's point of view. The take on same-sex relations leans a bit more into modernity than actual history. That said, this is written for a modern readership, with character that modern readers are meant to relate to. It's probably not the time to split hairs over what triggered the wrath of a Tudor monarch (partly because the answer is "lots of things"). There are people far more qualified to discuss this topic than I am, and I believe that this book could potentially be an excellent excuse to seek those people out and read their own research and reflections on Elizabethan society.

Overall, By Any Other Name mostly balances its historical setting with its modern lens, and the few times it doesn't are outweighed by the many times it does. The intrigue is intriguing (with proper stakes and a proper twist in the tale), the romance is just slow-burn enough to be enthralling without becoming strained, and the references are accessible without demanding a scholar-level knowledge of Elizabethan arts and culture. And, like the best plays of its period, it's never truly over when you think it is. There's always one more snag to handle, one more loose end to tie up, one more conspiracy to unravel.

By Any Other Name is now available.