While the story was slow moving at times, I found myself rooting for happiness for each character. in the 1600s, forbidden love was truly forbidden by society. Had these characters lived today, they would have not had the same obstacles. The Plague and the Fire of London are a backdrop of the book, and it gives a good slice of what life was like in London in the 1600s.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in London 1666 when the plague ran rampant. Cecilia loses her husband to the plague and David loses his lover as well. As their lives intertwine they learn to process their grief and move forward. While this is a romance, grief is a huge part of this story, and those struggling with it in their own lives may find this book relatable. This is a slow burn and also deals with David's struggles as a Jewish immigrant in England and as a bisexual man.
This will be a great read for those looking for an emotional journey that deals with grief and learning to rise from the ashes to fall back in love.

I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Cecilia and David made my heart hurt but in a good way. I just wish it wasn't so back and forth with 'i love you but i need to leave you.'

This is a beautiful literary love story. I adored the lush writing and historical detail, and the romance at the center was heartrending, I only wish the main male character would have embraced his bisexuality rather than all of the internalized homophobia on the page. Historically accurate? Sure. But I hoped for just a touch of nuance to his view of himself, a little acceptance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC copy of "The Phoenix Bride" by Natasha Siegel

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐

Tropes: marriage of convenience, slow burn, forbidden love

Genre: historical fiction, romance

Release date: March 12th


Falling in love is the easy part, what they don’t warn you about is having to learn how to live again when they leave. And that is exactly the predicament Cecila Thorowgood is in - learning how to live again after the tragic death of her husband Will. That is until she meets David, a doctor from Portugal and a quite curious man.

I loved everything about this book; it was more than just a romance story. It was a story of life after grief, learning how to love yourself again, and the struggles of being a part of a society that chooses to not understand the main characters, solely based on the religion they follow, or the person they fall in love with. The title The Phoenix Bride perfectly sums up the story of Cecilia and David - both had to rise out of their own personal ashes and became stronger from the darker times in their lives.


Some of my favorite quotes:

“You cannot seize happiness by feeling sorrow. They often lie in the same direction.”

“We all have empty rooms in our hearts. Better to fill them, surely, than to lock their doors, and hope they are forgotten.”

Wow, I absolutely loved and devoured this story. I am learning I love historical romance so much. This was a beautiful, poetic, melancholy, and lovely story. This is for fans of Addie Larue.

This was a beautiful story of two people and how their lives intermingle. Deals with grief, desires, and expectations in a beautiful manner.

IS there anything in England's history that is looked back upon with a smile?
Over the last decade (at least) we have been given many novels about the horrors, grief, and love stories born out of WWII. And this very well could have been a suitable setting for this novel, and it wouldn't have changed the story much. Rather, this author pulls at the reader's emotions as mental illness and a lack of understanding it, are set against post-plague England. Where there is little time to heal before a great fire sets upon the hustling citizens of London.
You will tear up at Cecilia's struggles and David's. Then you will get a glimmer of hope when their griefs collide.
A novel to remind you hope and love are possible when it was all recently lost.

The Phoenix Bride is described as a passionate tale of plague, fire, and forbidden love in seventeenth-century London, but that is merely its backdrop. As Natasha Siegel put it, this novel “is a love letter to immigrants, to faith, to London, to recovery from trauma and learning to forgive yourself.” These themes are prevalent throughout the tale of Cecilia Thorowgood, a young widow who is trapped and isolated within the London townhouse of her older sister. Cecilia is grief stricken and her sister seeks to cure her by any means necessary—and then marry her off to a convenient suitor.
A local doctor, David Mendes, is a Jew who fled Portugal to seek a new life in London so he could practice his faith openly. These two struggling souls forge a forbidden connection that threatens his safety and her marriageability.

This narrative shifts between Cecilia and David. Both are insightful and well written. His is filled with humor from the start—despite his painful past—while hers takes us from joyful, to grieving, and finally to newfound happiness. This novel is a wonderful piece of historical fiction, replete with detailed descriptions of life in London in 1666 and a host of fictional characters that range from lovable to enraging. I appreciated the love story and its trajectory, but Sam really took my heart.

gorgeous historical fiction with some really fun and interesting characters. tyssm for the arc and i found this a good choice

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Newly widowed and deep in the throws of depression, Cecelia Thorowgood has lost the will to exist. Living in her sister’s home, her melancholy has been incurable by some of London’s finest physicians– lending her family to explore alternative options. David Mendes has know heartache and loss, a Jewish immigrant he left his homeland of the sun-drenched Portugal just in time to become a physician during the Great Plague. Haunted by his past, he continues to provide care to his patients and ailing father while fighting his own struggles.

Tender and full of longing, THE PHOENIX BRIDE is for the lover in us all. Two heartbroken people, kept apart by societal standards and expectations, find solace and rekindle the joy of life with each other.

This is a beautiful love story about grief, trauma, and people living on the margins of society. Normally, I expect to slowly take in a book like this - a long, quiet read - but this one had me turning the pages much faster than expected. As much as I was taken by the MC's emotional journey together and growth, I might have been even more fascinated by the supporting characters, and I really appreciated the diverse rep in this book. I didn't see how the ending could possibly work out in a non-tragic way, but Siegal pulled off something that was managed to be satisfying, realistic, and hopeful.

The Phoenix Bride unfolds the tale of two bereaved individuals, each grappling with feelings of powerlessness and a deep need to be heard.

Set in the latter half of the 17th century England, the story opens with Cecilia recounting her her marriage to William Thorowgood and the brief joy it brought her. However, her happiness is swiftly extinguished by the plague that claims her husband, leaving her a bitter widow who harbors resentment towards her environment and, at times, even her sister Margaret.

This narrative shifts between Cecilia and David Mendes, a Jewish physician who fled Portugal for England to freely practice his faith. In Portugal, the risks of being a surgeon – and a Jewish one at that – loom large, but England seems the safer option. David quickly becomes friends with Manuel and his family, only to mourn Manuel’s loss to the plague. Then, a letter arrives, summoning him to consult for the ailing Cecilia, whom Margaret has unsuccessfully tried to cure through numerous doctors.

During his second visit, while delivering medicine to Cecilia, Margaret informs David of Cecilia’s impending, yet unknown to her, marriage. Cecilia must recover before the autumn, or Margaret can no longer secure her husband’s support for her sister. David recalls his late friend’s advice to always do what feels right, which in his friend’s case, meant telling the truth. Yes David struggles with this, fearing the repercussions on his career from Cecilia’s family.

As a fire ravages wooden houses and bridges, altering its path with the wind and leaving many destitute, the lives of the two protagonists begin to shift with the changing circumstances.

Despite the somber backdrop, moments of humor emerge from the interactions between Cecilia, who detests nearly everything, and David, who strives to heal her bitterness.

The characters in the Phoenix Bride are richly developed. Following their period of mourning, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and hope, set against the historical context of the Jewish expulsion and their ongoing struggle to lead normal lives wherever they resettle.

This expertly narrated story is captivating and poignant, weaving together the lives of two people who dare to transcend societal norms. In an era where mingling of different religions was taboo, they uplift each other, finding a way to rise above their grief and discover a new perspective on life.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

Cecilia Thorowgood and her adored husband travel to London in 1665 to visit her sister Margaret and husband Lord Eden. But their London merriment turns tragic as soon as the couple return home. Her precious Will, husband of less than a year, is now dead of the plague. Back in the city she hates for what it has taken from her, she is living in her sister’s townhouse. Drowning in grief, Cecilia is wasting away. A desperate Margaret sends for numerous doctors to help. Trying to avoid the latest new doctor, Cecilia observes Dr. Mendes from her hiding place. She is fascinated by this foreign-looking man. David Mendes is a Jew who fled the Inquisition in Portugal to make a new life with his father, but in London he remains an outsider.

In chapters alternating between Cecilia and David, their friendship unwisely grows into love. But Lord Eden wants Cecilia married off to Sir Samuel Grey. David has enjoyed intimacies with other men, but an impulsive and starry-eyed Cecilia has upturned his life. He is tormented and torn by his desire for her while remaining devoted to his Jewish faith. Siegel writes of the struggle of Jews forced from their countries to start new lives. As David helps Cecilia out of her despondency, her life blooms. Now Margaret is no longer in control, and this creates great conflict between the sisters. My favorite character is Samuel. Flamboyant, flashy, and feminine, he doesn’t want to marry Cecilia any more than she desires to marry him. It is his kindness and friendship to Cecilia that helps her navigate her world of no options.

Siegel has created terrific characters to love and hate. Set with the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London as a backdrop, this is a delightful read infused with serious issues of Jewish displacement.

Historical Novels Review, February 2024

"A passionate tale of plague, fire, and forbidden love in seventeenth-century London from the acclaimed author of Solomon's Crown.

It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister's cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her. There is no easy cure for melancholy.

David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart. He is the only one who can see her pain; the glimmers of light she emits, even in her gloom, are enough to make him believe once more in love.

Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming - and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible."

And not to spoil anything, but history shows us that England isn't that religiously tolerant as one might hope...

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me early access to one of my most anticipated books of the year!

I have been excited for more of Siegel’s work after tearing through Solomon’s Crown last year. While I was happy to see her lovely writing style hadn’t changed, this one unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

After sitting with it, I just feel I didn’t connect with either Cecilia or David. I certainly felt for them and appreciated how the author approached each character’s grief, but I just didn’t fall for them in the way I had hoped. I think I preferred Sam Grey most of all, and he wasn’t a true main character.

I did find the pacing to be a bit off for me personally. I kept hitting lulls that made it hard to want to pick the book back up, especially with the repeated escapes that each felt so similar and repetitive.

Despite this, Siegel’s writing is truly lovely - I feel like I glide through pages when reading her work. While this story didn’t necessarily hit the way I had hoped, I know others will love it. I can’t wait to see what Siegel writes next!

Beautiful. Wonderful. Lovely.

I had liked Siegel's previous book, but I LOVED The Phoenix Bride. The characters were so fully realized it was like they truly lived and breathed, The grief that connected David and Cecilia permeated their early interactions so strongly, but the way they eventually learned to live with it and found love together again felt true to reality in that it wasn't a miracle cure, but a slow and steady hike with some occasional stumbles.

Truly can't recommend this enough to anyone who likes historical fiction.

I loved this historical romance , it was such a fast paced book, there is identity, diversity & something that could really spoke to me .

This was such a beautiful book!! I'm not typically a historical romance reader, but this was about so much more than that. Yes, the main characters' love is the central storyline, but it is about mental health, identity, belonging, and how places and people impact all of that. Even though this is set in the 17th century, I felt connected to the characters.

I loved the writing style--it fit very well with the time, and reminded me of Jane Austen with the quips and declarations from the characters. I loved Cecilia and David both so much... AND the rest of the cast of characters (Jan is a king, and the memories of Manuel made me so emotional). I respected that the author didn't shy away from the discrimination that characters would've faced at the time--it didn't feel anachronistic like some other historical romances. Queer people and Jewish people existed! And it was hard! But their stories are still worth telling authentically.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review :)

I received this from Netgalley.com.

An okay read. Set in 1600's London, Cecilia and David come to understand their past and how to live into their future.

3.25☆