Author: Kate King

First Published: 22 January 2024

“I spent half my life orbiting Etta, never able to reach out and grab her. She’s the sun, and I will only ever be Icarus.”

I will start by saying that I wI will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much Kate for sending a copy my way!

He’s seduced by the darkness, but she’s always been his sun. In the elite university town of Stratford, Massachusetts, a secret society of eight wealthy and influential families use occult witchcraft to maintain their power and privilege. The entire society is dangerous, but the bitter blood feud between rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues, makes them almost as infamous as Stratford itself. Etta Capulet has always been a good girl. Roman Montague is anything but good. But despite their differences, their vicious family rivalry, and years of curses, threats, and murders, Roman has secretly loved Etta as long as he can remember. So when he hears her moaning his name through her open bedroom window, he vows to make her his… Until death do they part.

Who knew all I was missing from my life was a dark, witchy retelling of Romeo and Juliette? This story has everything I adore – a well-developed enemies-to-lovers romance with a touch of paranormal vibes and a host of incredible references to the original text. I am all kinds of obsessed with By Any Other Name. I devoured this book. Honestly, I already want to reread it.

Stratford, Massachusetts, is a town run by witches. Power is something each family converts. They use their occult magic to do everything they can to maintain their privilege. Over the years, a deadly blood feud has developed between the light witches of the Capulet family and the dark warlocks of the Montague family. Etta Capulet is your quote-on-quote “good girl”, whereas Roman Montague is the furthest thing from good. Fueled by their difference and the history of their families’ rivalry the pair have hidden their growing feelings for each other and have confused their attraction and obsession with their own rivalry. Etta and Roman are forced into arranged marriages to help their respective families gain more control of the council. Marriages that will leave them feeling trapped and stuck under their parents’ rule. Etta hopes to change her future by proposing that Roman marries her in hopes that they finally put their family feud to bed. They must find a loophole in the council’s strict traditions if Etta and Roman can ever find happiness and take control of their own lives.

Roman is the perfect essence of your gothic romance hero. He has a dark, broody vibe about him. He is rebelling against the council and refuses to use his magic after the tragic murder of his sister. I am besotted with Roman. He has this beautiful duality of being able to express himself eloquently with the help of several poignant literary references but has zero ideas of how to verbalise his feelings, especially when it comes to Etta. He has been in love with her forever but struggles to show how he feels, so does anything to antagonise her in hopes of getting her to react and talk to him, even if she is yelling. He seems fascinating that Etta lets go of her “good girl” image to snap back at him. He is also the biggest book nerd, which is just pure kryptonite to me.

Etta is the textbook definition of a people pleaser. She is doing everything she can to follow her family’s, her mother in particular, expectations in hopes that she will gain their support and love. My heart breaks for her as we quickly realise that nothing Etta does will ensure her parents will put her happiness first. I loved that she finally rebels and goes after what she wants rather than being trapped in a loveless marriage and continuing to be used as a political pawn.

Their romance goes from enemies who are attracted to each other slowly to lovers. Given their tumultuous history, it takes a while for them to let down their walls and become venerable. I loved watching how Etta finds her voice and can stand up to her parents thanks to Roman’s influence and, in turn, watching Roman soften and learn to let people in. Also, the steam here is excellent. The sexual chemistry between the two is off the charts from the get-go and I was here for it! I can happily say, despite this being a Romeo and Juliette retelling, Etta and Roman do get their HEA, but the plot had stressed at times that we were not going to make it.

This story is told in a dual timeline, which adds to the depth of Etta and Roman’s relationship. We spend most of the book in the present, where Etta and Roman are trying to find a way to get married and are exploring their romantic feelings, which they’ve suppressed for years. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to their time in high school, where we see the pivotal moments of their relationship. I adore that each flashback scene helped to flesh out their complicated relationship and highlight key moments of their families’ feud. It is clear that the curses and attacks the Capulets and Montagues have thrown at each other have caused Etta and Roman’s relationship to crash back into enemies every time they start to develop any positive feelings for the other.

The magic system is subtle. It feels like a natural extension of current paganism. The witches get their magic from pledging to a god and use runes and spells to access their magic, which gives a limitation to their power. Alongside Etta and Roman’s epic love story, we have a murder mystery plot. Women in the community are being kidnapped and found murdered, which adds to the tension. Both the Capulets and Montagues are seeking power on the council in hopes of finding the murderer. This storyline wraps up nicely. This conclusion helps Etta and Roman’s family accept their relationship. 

If you are in the mood for a dark retelling with delicious dark academia vibes, a touch of paranormal and a truly epic and dramatic love story, By Any Other Name is the book for you!