Natasha Siegel's debut novel is a historical fiction featuring King Philip of France and Richard, Duke of Aquitaine. As the only son, Philip has always known that he would one day be King and is determined to get back the land that his father lost during his reign. As second-born, Richard never imagined that he would one day be the King of England. But, due to a tragedy, he has no choice but to one day take the throne. However, he is unwilling to give in to the demands of his father and give up his dukeship in order to be named heir to the throne. As such, Philip and Richard form an alliance to get what they both want. But, when politics and passions combine, will they choose love or their kingdoms?

Natasha Siegel's writing is so beautiful and poetic. Every moment of this book was so perfect - there was never a point in this story that I was skipping over fluff to get to the good part, because all of it was so integral to the plot and character development. This story discusses internal struggles, rivalry, tragedy, love for country, and so much more! I don't know how Natasha Siegel was able to so perfectly integrate all that into one story. And I loved that we got both Richard's and Philip's point of view in alternating chapters.

Thank you NetGalley, Natasha Siegel, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a digital ARC for review! I can't wait to pick up a copy when it releases on March 14, 2023.

The author tells you up front that this story is neither historically true nor realistically possible, so as long as you understand that and take it to heart, this is an enjoyable and well-written read! Richard and Philip are both complex, imperfect characters with different motivations in impossible situations. The book is a nice mix of politics, character development, and romance (nothing spicy), and it's an easy read - not always the case with historical fiction. I read the book quite quickly and with a slight sense of foreboding the whole time (not unexpected, given the 12th-century Europe setting). 4.5 stars and recommended to anyone looking for an alt-Euro-history queer romance.

I enjoyed reading this and am not sorry I did--there was some truly lovely writing and interesting characterization, and the romance was swoony enough to satisfy--but if I'd had the chance to read the opening author's note first I probably wouldn't have rushed to request so quickly, because it proved difficult for me to separate the book this turned out to be from the book I was hoping for. I was excited to read what I was hoping would be the author's LION IN WINTER Richard/Philip fanfiction--and I mean that in a good way, in the same way I might call WOLF HALL Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell fanfiction--but I think this novel would have worked better if the author had just invented two kings based on Richard and Philip and set it in a different world a la Guy Gavriel Kay's brilliant historical fantasies, rather than writing about the historical Richard and Philip. I can certainly understand why the author chose not to tell a more tragic and historically accurate story, but I was hoping for something that aspired to the grandeur, brutality, and complexity of Mantel or Dunnett (with an intense and hopefully erotically charged queer romance, because why dream small?), and that is not what this book is. Which is fine! But it also tries to have its cake and eat it where the tension between the looming influence of history, its own character choices, and the happy romantic resolution is concerned, and that's where it fell short for me.

For example: Philip's entire sense of self is built around his duty to blood, crown, and country at any cost, to the extent of giving him great lines like "I am a throne in the shape of a man", but ultimately his whole arc is a typical romance novel one about realizing he deserves personal happiness (at one point, even his pregnant wife basically tells him "anything is more important than the crown"!); he spends so much time worrying about the very realistic ways his relationship with Richard is doomed, but in the end the message of the book seems to come down to "just choose love no matter what, and all the things you were worried about can somehow be avoided"--while at the same time also constantly having both of them come up against their very in-character boundaries, where they'll just be like "no, I love you but I'd really choose to die for this other thing if it came to that." So while as a romance lover, I appreciated the hopefulness of the ending, I didn't buy it as much as I wanted to. (It's also somewhat telling that the book ends before Richard actually becomes king of England, because another reason it was difficult for me to embrace the HFN ending is that based on even an imagined alternate history, their toughest years would probably still be ahead of them... and I continue to yearn for *that* story. Especially since THE LION IN WINTER, this book's most well-known comparison title, is up there with the great divorce romances of all time. The author, to her credit, does a lot of work showing both men trying to work through their complicated family history--but again, *I* admittedly wanted "Henry and Eleanor: the Next Generation, But This Time Make It Queer", so that didn't address my fundamental complaint with SOLOMON'S CROWN.)

Honestly, I don't know if there was any happy ending to this story that could have resonated with me enough to compare to the one in my head--and that's a me problem, and somewhat a problem with the book's copy and packaging, rather than the author's problem. This remains a highly engaging book, and one I don't regret reading. It was just a frustrating one as well, because it was good enough that I was constantly thinking "but what if the story I REALLY want to see about these characters existed and was this well written?" Fortunately growing up in fandom has gotten me used to that, though! I wish the author nothing but success with this book, and will certainly pick up her next one if the subject interests me. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC and to NetGalley for giving me a place to process my Many Feelings about it!

Thanks to NetGalley for choosing me to review an arc of this lovely book. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

“Kisses do not a kingdom make, nor live a conquest end.” I news to get this tattooed in me asap.

This book…it really challenged me in the best ways when it comes to how I see myself as a writer, what is the tone I want to set, etc and I saw this in Natasha’s work. Every line was incredibly intention and I was just in awe of the flow and story telling. While there are differences, in many ways it reminded me of The Song of Achilles and if you adored that book as much as I did then you will LOVE Solomon’s Crown. I feel like this is romance and storytelling at its finest.

The way this book was able to truly capture that yearning and longing we experiences as humans. Love that transverse spaces and place. Along with political intrigue in the mix. It was so well thought out. I wasn’t always sure about the pacing in the beginning but eventually I believe it coalesced together quite wonderfully. Saying I enjoyed this book is ab understatement. Natasha makes you care so much for Richard and Philip. You are rooting for them and you are hurting for them, carrying their pain as you read. The heaviness of the crown and all that it entails.

Natasha has a strong voice and it’s only going to get better.

I highlighted so much because Natasha is truly a writer we should be keeping an eye on. This is a fantastic debute and I just cannot say enough. I definitely will be rereading this and studying this because Natasha did something really special here and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

2 men fall in love, that's the short summary of the novel, but complicating things is that one man is currently the King of France, and the other one will eventually become the King of England. Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel, is actually historical fiction of the relationship between King Phillip of France and Richard (eventually the Lionhearted) of England. Two rivals fighting over land and power, they have a connection that pulls them together even though logic dictates that they should be enemies.

I knew nothing about this perceived relationship and found it interesting that it was explored in this novel. Well written with good characterization, Siegel made me interested in the characters even though I'm not very interested in that era of history. It made me want to research and find out more about the events of this time.

A gay historical fiction novel full of genuine love romantic and platonic? Yes and it was absolutely breathtaking.

I had high hopes for this novel and it did not disappoint. I adored Richard and Philips relationship. How it developed and how they struggled internally, it was beautiful to me. I especially loved Philip and Isabella’s relationship. Especially the way they loved each other. She excepted Philip so quickly and their conversation resonated with me to my core. And that’s what a good book does right?

Do not deprive yourself of this book. This debut novel is not one to be missed. I can’t wait to see what else Natasha brings into the world. What ever that may be, I will definitely be reading it.

"Solomon's Crown" is, undoubtedly, a lovingly written book, each word chosen with effort and care. At the same time, it is glaringly obvious that this is a debut work. Several chapters are made to cover several years of the protagonists' lives, and while you have to appreciate the ambition and inventiveness that it takes to tackle this discrepancy between story-time and discourse-time, it is not surprising that many authors, especially the greener ones, might find this feat awkward and perhaps even beyond their capacities -- at least for the time being. It is not so much that the reader is often left guessing as to how much time has passed (although that is a problem, too), but rather the jarring inconsistency of spending pages describing a single scene, and then having a single paragraph breezily cover an unspecified number of weeks/months/years, often without so much as a typographical signal such as a section break.

I certainly appreciate the author's declared intention of making this an alt-history book, utterly and delightfully unapologetic in its disregard for historical accuracy. At the same time, though, the book is so clearly divorced from history (and doesn't appear to make any critical commentary of the kind that alt-history usually does) that I wonder if it wouldn't have been more convenient, at this point, to simply invent a new medieval world and make it a fantasy. There is something freeing about rewriting history, I suppose; but that seems to hold true if, again, you rewrite that certain portion of history in such a way as to contribute to our understanding of that period, of contemporaneity, or of the relations between the two. And I'm not sure that was the point of the novel (if it was, I was incapable of evidencing that in my reading), which leads me back to the thought that maybe the fantasy genre would have served the scope better in this case.

In spite of all this, I feel no qualms whatsoever about rating the book four very well-deserved stars out of five. It's an extremely pleasant read, and the characters are very well-rounded, accurately characterized, and refreshingly not romanticized: or better, they surely are with respect to their historical counterparts (with whom, we have already established, they have little to share anyway), but the novel cleverly handles their ambiguities and contradictions for what they are, which is always welcome and remarkable in a romance. In conclusion, then, I feel that I would recommend "Solomon's Crown," to readers looking for a cute if a little grittier than usual LGTB romance, and I agree with the author's statement that history has very little to do with what the book offers its readers.

I think this is a fantastic example of historical fiction and romance! The time period chosen and setting were different than a lot of historical romances coming out lately and that really sets it apart from other stories. For readers who love political intrigue and royal romances, this is definitely something you're gonna love. The author did a fantastic job of making the romance slow and deliberate without dragging on. You could see a lot of the characters having their own motivations and how that changed over the course of the romance.
I personally don't know a ton about the actual people of the book is loosely based on but I enjoyed reading this and think it was a great debut book.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want what Richard and Philip so bad. Is it a bit intense, obsessive, and toxic? Yes. Did the yearning, desire and feelings they felt for each other break me? Maybe…

Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel is a fictional account of the relationship between real figures, King Richard of England and Philip of France. The yearning, angst, desire, foolishness, and love that the two exhibit throughout the almost four hundred pages was both delightfully entertaining and frustrating. There are ought to be highs and lows as both men are leaders of opposing forces and navigating their feelings for each other whilst also navigating the treacherous waters of politics and war.

I thoroughly enjoyed Richard to no end, even though he total devotion to Philip did unnerve me just a bit (I’m certain it was simply impacted by my views on love, so nothing against the book!) and I enjoyed Philip as well. Siegel takes time to not explore the love between the two but also what it means to carry the weight of kingship, their father’s footsteps, being responsible for others’ lives, and most importantly, loving someone who perhaps they shouldn’t. These themes plus the love affair between the two really did make this read worthwhile; I give utter props to Natasha as this is her debut.

I very much liked Solomon’s Crown, but I couldn’t help but feel the entire time while reading and even now, that there was something missing that’d make me like it more. I took some time to write this review and have yet to figure it out. I’ll most definitely do so when I grab a copy and reread this when it comes out in March 2023.

Solomon’s Crown was a good time full of 12th century queer yearning, angst, and foolishness. I ravished through the pages of this story and have no regrets. Solomon’s Crown yields a solid 4/5 from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Natasha Siegel for the ARC. And a special thanks to Random House Publishing Group as well–you were spot on when you said in your email that I’d enjoy this!

This book is astounding!!! The author has immeasurable wit and heart, her writing is moving and superb! Often do I find books with compelling characters or messages, but rarely do I find a WRITER who knows how to craft a phrase so effectively, so gut-wrenchingly, so profoundly!!! I cannot sing enough praises about this book, and I will DEFINITELY be keeping my eye on Natasha Siegel!

There are some tropes - enemies to lovers, opposites attract, love at first sight, schemers playing chess, schemers politicking in a garden, etc - but they didn't detract from the story. If anything, I wish more time was awarded to the happier moments between Richard and Phillip. The book is largely the moodiness and tragedy of them being separated by duty. The times they come together are often summarized - lovingly, respectfully, but all too briefly all the same.

I love love LOVE LOVE LOVE how positive the LGBTQA representation is! Only the most vindictive characters sneer at Richard and Phillip's relationship. Most courtiers are polite about it, Isabella is even encouraging, and Richard and Phillip never hold themselves back out of shame for their sexuality, only shame over the clash of demands between their hearts and their crowns. And Richard, Phillip, and Isabella make such a sweet, supportive, quasi-throuple! The scenes between them being affectionate or teasing or compassionate are SO wholesome and heart-warming! I love this book, and its message about daring to choose love, to choose trust and vulnerability and friendship. To keep alive moments of light even in the darkest of times.

Standing ovation! Cannot wait to own a copy of this book!!!!

Looking for a story like The Song of Achilles but less tragic? Love rivals to lovers? Read Solomon’s Crown!

I didn’t know what to expect when I started Solomon’s Crown. I hoped to at least like the book by debut author Natasha Siegel, but boy, oh boy, this story is far more than likable. I loved it, even adored it! I knew this novel would at least be a four-star read when I started reading. And after closing my ereader, it didn’t surprise me that I pushed the five-star button so easily. Natasha immediately pulled me into the story of King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France, and I was in awe of her writing, which is incredibly lush and poetic.

As Natasha says in her author’s note, this book is not historically accurate. Philip and Richard aren’t intended to reflect the real-life Philip and Richard, except for their positions and family ties. Instead, Natasha wrote a story about wars and two men fighting themselves. A story about politics back then. A story about betrayal. A story about love. And even though those two men fought battles within themselves, they also acknowledged their feelings for each other. While I sobbed uncontrollably while reading Achilles’ and Patroclus’ story, Philip and Richard put a constant smile on my face.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for sending me the eARC of Solomon’s Crown! You were so right when you said in your email that I’d probably enjoy this novel. I will always cherish those two men, their kingdoms, and even their terrible wars, and I can’t wait for what Natasha Siegel will write next!

I was given a free advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing of King Richard I and King Phillip II when I started this book, beyond mentions of King Richard the Lionhearted from Robin Hood, and certainly had no idea of the "rumors" surrounding them. But when the author stated at the beginning that she changed some of the history, I was a little leery that things would be forced or unrealistic. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. The story felt very real and organic, and the characters were very believable and sympathetic. The author did a good job of setting up the characters and making their motivations, drives, and beliefs understood, even the "villain." I felt for both Richard and Philip more and more as the book went on, and my heart broke and cheered for them as events unfolded. My one criticism is that, while I know that time passed that we didn't see, they seemed to fall from lust to love rather suddenly. This didn't impact my enjoyment of the book, but it was a little jarring. Overall, I liked this book and look forward to more work form this author.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!

This book had the audacity to compare itself to Song Of Achilles, and then actually lived up to it.

Solomon’s Crown is a romance, first and foremost. A beautifully written one that made me squeal at its ups and cry and its downs. However, if romance is not enough to interest you (as is usually the case for me), the heavy historical and political intrigue elements are handled just as beautifully, and woven in seamlessly throughout the plot. Expect achingly tender kissing scenes interrupted with high-stakes discussion of political decisions that could change the fate of Europe. The main characters are torn apart and brought together again and again; leaders of a world that seems determined to keep them enemies. Yet, despite everything, they defy what should be and choose to love each other instead, despite the multitude of hardships that come with such a choice.

It’s so easy to root for this romance, and the characters behind it. Richard was incredibly interesting, but I have to say that Philip was my favorite. While Richard will readily sacrifice his political ambitions for the people he loves (or things that represent the people he loves), Philip is the other way around. He’s calculating, ambitious, and more than a little bit cold. His character development is beautiful, but he never quite loses those core qualities, and I for one LOVE that. The female characters were also some of my favorites. Isabella, Philip’s wife, and especially Eleanor of Aquitaine were written with so much care and complexity and love. I adored every scene with them and loved how they played off the main characters.

The prose is also outstanding. I often have little patience for poetry in my novels, as 9 times out of 10 it only serves to interrupt the flow and take me out of the story. However, Natasha Siegel does an outstanding job of writing in a way in which the poetic lines fit perfectly within her outstanding prose. This book is written like one long, beautiful love letter, and its words absolutely enchanted me.

The only reason I docked half a star was purely personal preference. Siegel mentions in the author’s note that her initial vision of the story was a tragic one, closer to the actual events of history. As a medieval history nerd with a love for tragedy, I probably would have preferred that story. However, this book was written to be and advertised as a romance, and did a beautiful job at that. Everything the author intended to do, she succeeded at and more.

Overall, Solomon’s Crown is an immensely impressive debut, and one that will stay with me a long time after reading it. I am incredibly excited to see what else the author has in store, as she has clearly demonstrated mastery of her craft in this incredible novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for this eARC. This is not my normal type of book but it sounded interesting to me and I am glad I read it! I loved the alternative history of this book! It's well written prose! A good story with passion, rivalry, loyalty, and love! And so very queer! It was really fun to read a book between two Kings whose kingdoms were against each other! Natasha Siegel wrote a beautiful story that should be read by all!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers/author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I read the description for this book and had to read it. I don’t know anything about the figures this book is about but if there is a forbidden historical love story, I’m always there.

I can not get over how well this book was written. The prose and language was just perfect. There were so many lines I fell in love with. I read a review that said they had gone in expecting a tragedy and were happy and I am the exact same way. I expected this to end in blood or in hatred and the last chapter literally almost had me in (happy) tears.

This story focuses on Richard the Lionheart and Phillip II. It kind of reminded me of The Song of Achilles were it started from their childhood and teenage years until they finally meet each other. Phillip is the King of France and Richard is to be King of England after a tragedy. They are supposed to be sworn enemies, yet somehow love is able to bloom between them. Richard was so down bad for Phillip I felt so bad. I desperately wanted them to be together forever. There were some parts I wanted to hit everybody upside the head and tell them that they were being dummies and then there were parts that were so adorable I had to hold in my squeals


The suspense in this book was also killing me! There is a lot of war and battles that I didn’t fully understand. There was also a surprise death near the end that caught me off guard and I was like WAIT. A lot of the terminology I had to look up because I had never heard of it before. That did not take away from the book, however. I like learning as I read something new. If you are a fan of queer historical retellings or just historical fiction in general, I highly recommend it.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A new twist on romance and characters who are lovely.

I love alternate historical stories and was eager to dive into a period I know little about— twelfth century Europe and the chafing between England and France and, in more ways then one, the tension between Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus.

Natasha Siegel tells a story that is both heart wrenchingly poignant and achingly romantic. I adore how she wrote the story as both a war between countries and a war between selves. Both men struggle with the balance between monarchy and personal romance, each of them working through the murky path of loyalty to one’s kingdom and love for the other. I love how it wasn’t a simple black and white, and the shades of grey made their relationship strikingly realistic.

Solomon’s Crown will appeal to readers who enjoy political intrigue mixed in with their romance, as it has both in equal measures. Both Richard and Philip are fleshed out, dynamic characters with clear motivations and wants. As much as I enjoyed forming my own picture of them in each of their POVs, I loved seeing how they viewed each other. Where Philip often saw himself as conniving, tied to his throne in a way that made him weak, Richard saw someone loyal and meticulously exacting— qualities he quickly grew to love in the other man. The same went for Philip’s view of Richard. Though he came across brash and quick to pick a fight, Philip admired his candour and guileless nature. Their stories reminded me just how much I love dual POVs!

This is a story that will appeal to readers who enjoy a bit of alt-history, a truly exorbitant amount of pining, and plenty of political intrigue. If you liked A Taste of Gold & Iron, The Scottish Boy or the Captive Prince trilogy, this will certainly by up your alley. A stunning debut that lingered with me long after I finished. I can’t wait to read whatever Siegel writes next!

At the beginning of the book the author makes sure readers understand the story is historically inaccurate but is merely her re-imagining of history. I was immediately caught up in her re-imagined world. The characters, both primary and secondary were believable and well-drawn. The pacing was perfect. There was enough interest and intrigue to keep me reading. Now I am curious to read the real history of Richard the Lionhearted and King Philip of France to see if I can also see how this reimagined relationship might have been plausible Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The publisher of this book is marketing it as romance, but it's definitely more historical fiction. Set in 12th century France and surrounding kingdoms, real-life medieval kings Philip of France and Richard the Lionheart meet as young men and fall in love. It's not a spoiler to say that they get an HFN, not an HEA, given that well-known historical events pull them apart.

As a romance, I found Philip and Richard to both be very reserved. Even though they narrate the book in alternating first-person chapters, they're both so restrained in their love affair that it was hard to feel what they were supposedly feeling.

But as historical fiction, it was very interesting reading. I learned a lot about medieval geopolitics and the shifting borders of France and England. The author included a note that she has taken liberties with some events, so it's obviously not meant to be read as nonfiction, but it still makes for interesting reading. The romance between the two kings may be true to history, although scholars have debated for centuries about it.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

If you're looking for a quick read that's also a historical romance, look no further! I personally found myself wanting a little more depth from the narrative, and more time spent building the romance, but I have really specific expectations when it comes to enemies-to-lovers. This book really didn't hit that spot for me, as they never really felt like enemies, but it ended up being a sweet alternative history where the queer couple gets a happy ending, which I enjoyed. The book also doesn't get bogged down with too much detail as can sometimes happen with historicals--it was a surprisingly quick read!