Beautifully written and very tragic. I LOVED the author's other book, Solomon's Crown, so I had high expectations for this one which were more or less met. The characters and the plot were interesting and engaging. My one complaint is the book felt over but then the last 20% or so was the London Fire which felt like a completely different book? Still worth a read, I think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

This is a great historical romance novel. It is so cozy.

The lack of historical accuracy was unforgivable for me. Definitely in the way characters spoke and acted, but mostly in the events of the book. Most notably, the Jewish community of London (and England at large) very rarely were infected with or died of plague. It was so rare, that rumors were circulated that Jews were nefariously spreading the plague and infecting the non-Jewish community. Jewish people were lynched due to these blood libel. There was no recognition of any of this in the book. In addition, I don't understand how we are supposed to accept as a happy ending one that finds a formerly converso Jew who fled Portugal for England (which only recently permitted Jews back) so that he could practice his Jewish faith and culture freely and without hiding, now having to hide again for the love of a married woman (regardless of if her husband is okay with it).

The Phoenix Bride is a beautifully written standalone historical novel by Natasha Siegel. Released 12th March 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Dell imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

By turns haunting and poignant, it's less of a romance (though there are elements of forbidden romance, with a slow progression), than a deep examination of healing and grief, set against the great London fire and in the wake of the plague.

The prose is beautifully wrought and is definitely the best part of the book. There's a poetic, dreamlike quality, which comes through even in the most distressing parts (and there are dark and distressing elements - violence, death of a spouse, racism, rigid class systems, and lots of general death).

The overall story arc is positive and full of redemption, but there's a -lot- of melancholy and sadness along the way. Not a very "up" book.

Four stars, gorgeously written with lush and melodic prose, but darned depressing in places. It would likely make a good choice for book club study, public library acquisition, and home reading.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Natasha Siegal is wonderful at depicting emotional depths within her book and her characters. I was amazed at how well she captured such poignant and strong feelings. This was a very heavy read for me, and I admit that it took me some time to power through. It was not at all what I was expecting, but it was beautifully told.

Potential readers should be prepared and ready to deal with heavy depictions of and conversations surrounding grief, loss, and death. I was unprepared to deal with these and I admit that may have lowered my enjoyment overall for the book. However, it's important to note that the overall ending feeling does give us hope and a sense of freedom. I was surprised (and happy to see) the queer inclusion especially in a historical fiction piece. It also touches on societal norms at the time and handles religion and mental health in a fantastic way. David and Cecilia were interesting characters and each carried their own in their scenes. Cecilia's way of describing how she felt was perfection. This isn't your traditional HEA romance, but relies heavily on it's journey through grief.

Overall this book was not for me. While the writing and messages were beautifully done, I had a difficult time actually feeling for the story and getting invested. I wanted to get lost in the story, but it became hard to juggle the heavy weight of the emotions and the story. I fully accept that this is a personal response due to my own experiences.

I would recommend this one for readers who enjoy historical fiction, heavy emotion, beautiful prose, self discovery journeys, and an overall message of rebirth/restoration (just read that title again!).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book had a little bit of a slow start but once I got hooked it zipped right along. The forbidden love trope is well written here.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

This was a lovely tale of two people experiencing profound grief, but finding life and love together on the eve of the Great London Fire. Cecilia is a widow depressed with extreme grief, David is a doctor and a Jew and their unlikely friendship and love come together quickly. I loved how no one got miraculously better or was cured of their real issues, but instead worked through them or with them to come together at the end. I thought there would be more lead up to the Great Fire, which plays a role in the last part of the book, but it serves its purpose in bringing people together and drawing them apart.

Great second novel, can't wait for more!

In this interesting historical fiction novel, readers follow widow Cecilia Thorowgood in her new life as an invalid in 1666 London in her imperious sister and brother-in-law’s home. As a new doctor, David Mendes (a Portuguese Jewish immigrant), arrives for her treatment on her sister’s orders, Cecilia knows that he cannot cure her, but he finds and ignites a new spark of life in her. As she pushes her sister’s boundaries and is forced to rejoin society to marry a second time, Cecilia and David must choose between society’s expectations and their hearts, one of which will lead them towards prejudice, heartbreak, and disaster. In the days before the Great Fire of London, their connection is dangerous and doomed from the start, but whether they can salvage some happiness from the ashes of the city is up to them and their strength of will. The characters and the dual perspective aspect of this novel are wonderful, demonstrating the unique perspectives and challenges of David and Cecilia from their immediate position. Both characters are complex and dynamic, and Siegel’s prose is clear, descriptive, and detailed. She has brought 1666 London to life and has done a wonderful job highlighting the stigmas of mental illness and Jewishness during the seventeenth century.

Natasha Siegel set the bar soooo high with Solomon's Crown and yet The Phoenix Bride was incredible. I am obsessed with Siegel's lyrical romantic writing. You can feel the devastation and the love through the pages. What an incredible story of lresilience. All the stars!

The Phoenix Bride fits into the genre of historical-fiction-with-people-much-more-cool-with-sexual-and-gender-diversity-than-they-were-in-real-life (I probably need to find a shorter term). This isn't a complaint, just an observation. In fact, I enjoy many of these improbable versions of history. It's fun meeting my identity and values in a new setting.

If you're comfortable with historical-fiction-with-people-much-more-cool-with-sexual-and-gender-diversity-than-they-were-in-real-life, you'll probably be delighted by The Phoenix Bride. And maybe I'm underestimating the past. The Phoenix Bride is set during the restoration—and those weren't exactly prudish times.

Newly widowed Cecilia, who has been languishing, is finally provided with a doctor who understands: David Mendes. No blood-letting and leeches for him. He just listens carefully and provides herbal remedies. Minor problem—he's Jewish and the guardians of propriety in Cecilia's family are quite perturbed to see a relationship growing between Cecilia and David.

What the family wants is for Cecilia to marry her brother-in-law's nephew Sam who lives just across the street in a grand town house and is a regular figure in court events. This is where things get interesting because Sam is a very odd sort of duck: awkward as all get-out, loudly enthusiastic about all sorts of things—and very, very rich. (I admit, Sam was my favorite character in this book. I adored his natural unconventionalism and generosity of spirit.)

The novel has a number of twists which I won't go into because I don't want to spoil other readers' fun. Suffice it to say, The Phoenix Bride features all sorts of love, most of which are heart-warming in the own ways. If you want a summer read that has drama, but is clearly headed somewhere joyful, this is just the book you need.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Cecilia couldn’t believe her good luck when she married William Thorowgood, the boy she’d always loved. Unfortunately, soon after the wedding, William falls victim to the plague and dies a quick death. Following this loss, Cecilia goes into a deep depression. Her sister, Margaret, takes her in, hoping to nurse her back to health. When it appears no doctor has helped Cecilia, Margaret’s husband declares that Cecilia must take a new husband or leave by the end of summer. Desperate to save Cecilia from an uncertain future, Margaret seeks help from David Mendes, a Jewish doctor from Portugal with a reputation for fixing incurable ailments, including melancholy. Cecilia is initially taken aback by David’s unfamiliar customs, but she soon begins to appreciate his quiet manner and thoughtful care. Before long, the pair develop a genuine friendship, and David’s visits help Cecilia improve—so much so that she begins sneaking out of Margaret’s home to explore London. These outings lead to a chance meeting with David, which ignites a new relationship between them. Even as David and Cecilia’s feeling grow into love, there different backgrounds, make their love an impossibility.

The author has written an enchanting historical love story. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between David and Cecilia. It’s a book that shows what life was like in the 1666.time period.

I enjoyed this book. Cecilia and David were such an odd match but you can’t help rooting for them through the story. Margaret was a character I did not like at all.

The scene development was well laid out so that you could envision the scene laid out before you. The characters were also well developed to the point you could see each person in the scene as it was laid out.

I would recommend this book.

This was an interesting romance between a grieving widow and a Jewish doctor in London. It explores second love, moving on, and relationships in London during the Great Fire.

Reading The Phoenix Bride was an experience. I felt as if a hush fell and the book whispered out the heartaches of the characters to me, slowly and steadily. A beautifully written book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I was really excited for this book, as I thought the premise sounded fascinating. I liked the setting, and a couple of the characters, but ultimately I found Cecilia to be such an unlikable character. David was a much more well-developed character in my opinion, as we saw more of his intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Although Cecilia was grieving and that is very valid, I thought her actions were incredibly childish and immature. While David was well aware of the consequences that could come from their actions, Cecilia appeared quite selfish.

the phoenix bride: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ my favorite of this odd little collection [of recent reads]! i adored solomon’s crown, and i was so glad to be back to natasha siegel’s delicious prose. the setting is immersive and a character all its own. i enjoyed following david and cecilia’s story, and pleased with the endgame they got. plague and fire and disaster can’t keep love from blossoming here. i highly rec this for anyone looking for a more literary historical romance.

This was a beautiful story which showcased two people exploring and helping each other through grief. The imagery and setting were immersive, and I could imagine myself walking the streets of seventeenth century London. I was rooting for Cecilia and David, individually, and that they would find their happiness throughout the story. This was a captivating and enjoyable historical fiction story. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

First, thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the chance to review this book!

I enjoyed this book, however I thought it needed to be more focused. I found myself wanting more development in the story, especially in the beginning. I also found the dialogue taking me out of the novel a little bit. I just wish this was stronger than what it was. I rated it a 3.25 on storygraph!

The Phoenix Bride is a historical fiction novel set in 1666 England. After suffering the unexpected loss of her husband, Cecilia Thorowgood moves to London to live with her sister. She is strongly affected by grief and struggles to eat, socialize, and go outside. Finally, her sister enlists the help of a more alternative source. She employs David Mendez, a Jewish man who fled Portugal from persecution. He also recently experienced a significant loss and has alternative ideas of how to treat Cecilia. Through this, the two become closer.

I'm always interested in historical fiction that goes into medicine from the time period. This is also my second book by the author. I enjoyed Solomon's Crown and excited to read this one!

This book completely hooked me from the beginning. I think I read half of it in one sitting. I was just totally drawn in by the characters and setting. 1666 is such an interesting time period that I haven't seen many books cover! This book has dual POV and I think it worked really well here in establishing David and Cecilia's characters. Howeverrrrr...

David is Cecilia's doctor and later former doctor. As a psychologist, I just really cannot get behind relationships with power dynamics like that. This book tries to make it very clear that David removes himself from being her doctor and there was a (small) gap in time in between the dual relationship. I also know that professional ethics like this were definitely not as clear during the time period. But I'm a professional in this time period with a different frame of references. The efforts still wasn't enough for me and gave me the ick.

Like Solomon's Crown, this book just felt a little unfinished to me. I really enjoyed the beginning and as the book went on it just seemed to get a bit more scattered. I feel like it would have benefitted from a few more rounds of editing. I feel badly saying this as I did have a good time reading this book, but it's something I noticed in Solomon's Crown and then recognized again here. This may be a stylistic choice that but just my impression!

Despite having some reservations, I generally really liked this book and rate it a solid 4 stars. I would definitely read if you are interested in historical medicine! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC, my thoughts are my own!