I basically went into this book with no background knowledge on the historical timeline it’s set in or the plot itself, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised with historical fiction mixed with a romance that felt like how people talk about the hand flex scene from Pride and Prejudice. Even when I didn’t quite know where this book was going, I was invested. From the get-go we have some very well developed and nuanced characters, and several supporting characters that get the same treatment. It’s also a dual-POV romance which just made all the tension and character development hit that much harder. It’s a study of love out of grief, and still has funny moments regardless. I’m not quite sure if I would have picked this up unprompted, but I’m definitely glad that I read it, and I’d definitely recommend it for a 17th-century historical romance between a young widow and the (bi!) Jewish doctor who helps her see the world again!

A captivating historical romance. The tale blends plague, fire, and forbidden love and is beautifully written. The characters are well developed and vivid
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Heat Factor: Mostly pining with a teeny bit of (non-explicit) hanky panky.

Character Chemistry: He’s the first person who has listened to her in ages.

Plot: “It is impossible for us to be together, so we must take advantage of this, our last meeting!” But repeat that seventeen times.

Overall: The second half dragged so much that I no longer cared about the solution to their impossible relationship quandary.

Meet Cecelia. Cecelia is a young(ish?) widow, whose first, beloved, husband died due to plague. Now, no one knows what to do with her and her grief. She sleeps all the time. She refuses to eat. She doesn’t leave her sister’s townhouse. She’s generally unpleasant to be around. None of the doctors, with their leeches and whatnot, have had much effect on her state.

Cecelia’s sister is desperate for Cecelia to get better—because she loves Cecelia, but also because she really needs her sister to marry her husband’s heir so that she’ll be taken care of if she dies childless. (This secondary reason is not immediately revealed, but it’s hinted at from quite early on.) Enter David Mendes, a doctor with different methods. Also: David is Jewish.

David, it must be stated, is also grieving, having also lost his best friend slash the man he loved to last years’ plague. So he’s sympathetic to Cecelia, and perhaps more empathetic than the previous doctors have been. Plus he uses herbs, not leeches, and even though those weird tisanes don’t taste that great, they help Cecelia keep her food down.

Once the course of treatment is established, this would be the end of their relationship, except Cecelia freaks out when she hears she is to be married and runs away and meets David by chance in the park. They spend some time together, and then, before you know it, Cecelia is sneaking out to meet David again.

Now, at the beginning of their relationship, I was all about the angst. Cecelia is a noblewoman, or at least noble enough that she’s introduced at court. Jews might be allowed in England, but there’s no way Cecelia could marry one. It might not even really be safe for them to be in public together. And if Cecelia wants to not live with her sister forever—and she doesn’t—she needs to get married. “Widows have more freedom” is all well and good as a plot device, but not if the widow has no money. Plus, David also has a prospective marriage partner. Anyways, it was very clear that they were in an impossible situation and I was very curious how they were going to make it work.

I mean, look at this delicious angst:

"“I am a Jew, Cecilia!” I cry, too loud, and she flinches. “Your heart shouldn’t beat like that for a Jew.”

"“But it does.”

"“And if I could prevent it from doing so, I would. If I could prevent my own from doing the same. …But I can’t. It does not matter whether you are betrothed, whether what you feel for me is real, how we met or how we will meet again—we can only ever be a fantasy. A brief dalliance we must forget.”

"My voice is strained and shaking. I should be calmer than I am. I owe it to her to maintain my composure; I am only upsetting her further. But I am frustrated and grieving and wanting, even now, and I cannot control myself. I want her as a river wants the ocean, as night wants the dawn, and it feels as if I will waste away for want of her if I leave her here like this. But I must leave her."

However. The second half of the story is extremely repetitive. They have multiple meetings where one or both of them declares that they will never see each other again. Then they cling to each other. Then they separate and *mope*. That delicious angst? It gets much less delicious when we’re rehashing the same information for the third, fifth, seventeenth time. While there was forward movement in the plot (the book takes place in London in 1666, which means the whole friggin’ city burns down), I didn’t particularly feel that there was a lot of forward movement in Cecelia and David’s relationship.

I do want to talk about the solution they come to, but that’s spoilery, so here’s your warning that the rest of this post contains spoilers.

Ok, so Cecelia does get married to Lord Grey just like her sister wants. It turns out Lord Grey is also being heavily pressured to marry somebody—anybody!—to keep the line going, but is having trouble because he’s strange (he describes himself as having a head full of bees, like his thoughts are constantly buzzing around) and also because he doesn’t particularly want to get married (it is heavily implied that he’s attracted to men, though never confirmed). Anyways, he and Cecelia decide to do a convenience marriage for mutual benefit.

Now, while Cecelia and Lord Grey are negotiating their marriage deal, David is moping. Part of his moping is continuing to do his work as a doctor, and this happens:

"Time does pass, albeit slowly. The fifth day, the sixth, the seventh. On the eighth, the Myddletons call me back to their townhouse. I go, because I must, and they rain praise upon me for Master Myddleton’s improvement. There is a young woman there with them, plump and pretty, who is introduced to me as Dear Ellie by Mistress Myddleton, and who is carrying Master Myddleton’s baby. Mistress Myddleton seems exceptionally fond of her husband’s lover, cooing over her as I do a general examination of her health. When I tell her all is well, Mistress Myddleton presses a kiss to Ellie’s cheek and cries, “Marvelous!” as Ellie flushes.

"Perhaps, I think as I leave, I have misunderstood something fundamental about Christian marriage."

So I figured, “Ah, ok, we’re going to do some polyamory here, and this scene is priming the pump.” (Remember: David’s dead love was a man.) After all, the Myddletons appear in perhaps three scenes in the entire book, and are never heard from again after this interaction. Why else include this detail about entirely incidental characters? Plus David and Lord Grey have a very weird first meeting in the park, which could have easily been used as a jumping off point to attraction.

That’s not what we do. Lord Grey gets his own love interest, and the book ends with the hint that they’ll work out an arrangement with their respective side pieces. Of course, ethical non-monogamy takes all kinds of forms, and dividing David’s attraction between Cecelia and Lord Grey would have made for a very different book.

However, I was left a bit unsettled by the ending, wherein they declare their love for each other once again and decide to live without fear. Given that 1) they have just spent nine months separated while Cecelia goes to the country, 2) David has spent that entire nine months moping and being sure that Cecelia would not actually return to him, and 3) how impossible their love has been presented up to this point, I really wanted a bit more than a declaration. An epilogue would have gone a long way here in reassuring me about the logistics over the long term.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Included as a top pick in weekly March New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Cecilia is struggling after losing her husband to plague the year prior. She's stuck in her sister's home in London and despite seeing multiple doctors, she's not getting better. Cecilia's sister enlists a new doctor David Mendes, who is a Jewish foreigner, to see if his methods might help. Cecilia opens up to David and she sees there may be other options. As their relationship progresses, they also have to decide if it'll be worth the sacrifices. Overall, a compelling romance set in eventful 1666 England. Readers who like a descriptive setting will enjoy this one.

This book is such a great example of a well-rounded story; with amazing imagery, beautifully complex characters written in alternating perspectives, and a lesser common historical backdrop, this was a fantastic read. Our author does a tremendous job dealing with heavy topics of religious prejudice, racism, grief, and healing despite it all.

Cecelia and David are almost perfect foils of one another and I've always been a sucker for this trope. Though the book begins with both of our heroes grieving the loss of their great loves, Cecelia and David have processed their trauma differently and it has shaped them to their core. Cecelia's bitterness and David's guilt feel so real as we get to know them, and their unique outlooks and flaws really play off each other, which drives their healing journeys as they work together in the face of many tragedies. These characters work so well together because their reliance on one another feels genuine in a way that other authors struggle to pull off.

This story also offers in-depth perspectives of serious social issues. Cecelia is suffering from the lack of autonomy women experienced at this time and the lack of mental health resources available, while David faces antisemitism and prejudice as a foreigner fleeing to England. David's own story told so well that I felt true heartache for his experiences.

I found this to be such a touching story of love, hope, and overcoming the odds life stacks against us. I definitely recommend this read to anyone who is in need of a good laugh, an even greater cry, and a tale that leaves you a little more tenderhearted.

I devoured this book--partly because the setting was 1666 (mention the plague and I am all in); but also because of the treacherous sister. Cecilia and Will are deeply in love when she loses him to the plague. Her mourning is so deep that her sister brings her to London in the hopes that she and her husband can "help" her break free from her melancholy. The London of 1666 is an interesting place with some intriguing people and the book moves along quickly for me. This book should appeal to historical fiction lovers of this era. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own.

I have enjoyed this author's past works so I was excited to see another book out. This is an interesting take on a woman who has suffered great loss and then is tucked away in her sister's house to recover. The sister has other things in mind. Like marrying off her recovering sister to the wealthiest bidder. I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

*3.5 stars

This book was very interesting and was a quick read/easy to follow. This was a dual POV between Cecelia and David, our main characters.

I wish this story had pulled me in more than it did. I found it be interesting and there were so many characters that I really enjoyed - Cecelia, David, Jan, Lord Grey, etc. I appreciated that this historical fiction had queer representation, which I have not seen in most books. It brought so many characters to life and gave much more depth to the story.

Overall, this was a good read!

I had trouble getting into this book, I think perhaps it’s just not for me. It has some beautiful description and it well written

I ate this up! An English Restoration-era romance? I don't know if I've ever read one before. The dialogue was sometimes jarringly modern-sounding, but that's a minor quibble. The story was compelling and deeply emotional, and the setting was evocative. Cecilia and David were just so sweet together and easy to root for.

This was so lovely. The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel is set in London during the 1660s. We meet Cecilia, a grieving gentlewoman, who is living with her sister near St. James. Cecilia’s grief is debilitating and her sister seeks out an unconventional doctor, David Mendes, to help. (You know I love a dual POV!) David understands Cecilia. They have an immediate connection, even though it takes them a moment to recognize. But David is Jewish and a foreigner. The cards are stacked against them. They are from different worlds - the expectations from their families, friends and ‘community’ are not easily ignored.
This was romantic and the setting was perfection. I find this era fascinating. I wanted to be on the street with the flower seller and in the garden at the Eden townhouse or in the barge sailing down the Thames. (However I did not want to be in east London seeing a giant fire coming my way!).
Cecilia was a feeler. She reminded me of Marianne from sense and sensibility. I really liked her. And I worried for her. She was in an almost impossible situation and I loved how she persisted and took risks and took control of her own destiny. Her relationship with her sister was complicated and frustrating and at times mysterious. I was so happy Cecilia had her friend Sam and David had his friend Jan. There was enough tragedy around them - the MCs needed these positive friend forces in their lives. David was like Cecilia- while he was more quiet, he felt things deeply. His ability to be supportive to all those around him while also dealing with his own grief was admirable.
I was frustrated that one of the MCs took longer to work through their emotions. It felt unnecessarily extended but it also supports the idea of how hard it was to overcome the expectations of the time.
The language and writing was probably a little contemporary for the time but not enough that it was distracting. This was a romantic, unconventional novel that I highly recommend. 4.5 stars. I look forward to more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-ARC.

The Phoenix Bride is a beautifully written forbidden love story set in seventeenth-century London. It combines two of my favorite genres, historical fiction and romance. The romance is between a Jewish physician, David Mendes, and an English widow, Cecilia Thorowgood. David is hired to provide treatment to Cecilia, who suffers from grief and melancholy after her husband's death from the plague.

I enjoyed the forbidden romance between David and Cecilia and appreciated reading chapters with dual POVs. I loved the beautiful prose. My favorite aspect of the book was learning about 16th- 17th-century Jewish history and culture. One of my reading goals this year is to read more books with Jewish representation, and I am happy I've read The Phoenix Bride! I highly recommend this book to historical fiction and historical romance fans.

Stars: 2.5/5 (rounded up to 3)

Tropes and what to expect:
- Dual POV
- Slow burn romance
- forbidden romance
- queer representation
- historical fiction

Among other triggers this book does contain on page spouse death.

Overall I thought this was an interesting book. However, it didn't grab me as I had hoped it would and it took me some time to get through, despite it being quite short. The Phoenix Bride feels to me more of a focus on grief than on romance, and I had been expecting a more romantic book when I started reading. As a general historical fiction book, I do think it is quite beautiful and unique.

The writing style that Natasha used in The Phoenix Bride is poetic. I had a bit of trouble with it, personally. I do think this could be someone's absolute favorite style, as I am often drawn to unique writing. Unfortunately it did not quite click like I was hoping it would. It felt poetic to the point of ambiguity at times, in a way that made for a less enjoyable read. I found myself wishing that things were more clearly explained without so much flowery prose.

I liked our main characters but I did not find them very unique, more so the FMC than the MMC. Nothing about Cecilia is going to stick with me long term . However, I did like David, and I felt that he was a more well fleshed out and clear character.

Thank you to Natasha Siegel and NetGalley for my ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved England. I will try to read anything I can about England when given the opportunity. I do read books from the Victorian or Regency era, but I will read earlier if I find a book I like. The Phoenix Bride definitely fit what I liked, and seeing that it takes place before, during, and after The Great Fire (an event that I have read almost next to nothing about), my interest was caught.

The Phoenix Bride’s storyline centers on Cecilia and David, their backstories, their romance, and The Great Fire (and its aftermath). I found this a well-written, eye-opening book about life in 1666. I did have questions about the end of the book. It was vague, and I couldn’t tell if there was an HEA. But, considering how prejudiced people were, I went for not being an HEA—just an HEA for that moment.

Cecilia was a hot mess when the book started. Her mental health issues were addressed immediately, and you couldn’t help but pity her. She went into a deep depression when her husband died. But, the book didn’t dwell on Cecilia’s mental health for long. Instead, it steamed forward with her falling in love with David and her engagement to Sir Grey. In a world where women were considered property and often were regulated to the background, Cecilia refused to do so. When she wanted something (in this case, it was David), she went after it, no matter the consequences.

I liked David, and he was another one that I felt terrible about. He dealt with antisemitism daily (which would depress me). He also lost the man he loved to the plague and couldn’t talk to anyone about it (remember, being homosexual back in the 17th century could end up with jail time). He had taken over his ailing father’s practice and was busy with patients. I was surprised he agreed to go to Cecilia’s sister’s house. I was also surprised by his reaction to Cecilia. But, mostly, I was saddened by his grief and stress.

I was very interested in the medical aspect of The Phoenix Bride. I knew the basics of how doctors dealt with the plague back then (plague doctor masks filled with scented flowers), but I never knew what a doctor did on a day-to-day basis (besides bloodletting and leeches). Reading about the different herbs and flowers used to help with different afflictions was interesting. I wish the author had spent more time on that in the book.

Also, what was interesting to me in the book was how doctors treat mental illness and neurodivergent people. Bloodletting was very popular. Cecilia was also confined to a courtyard and her room, was not allowed to exercise, and didn’t visit anyone. It was a little disturbing how she was viewed and treated. Sir Grey was treated similarly (I think he had ADHD or maybe autism, but I am not sure).

I was also interested in how the homosexual community was treated back then. It seemed to me (even though it was technically illegal..the sodomy laws were enacted in 1533) that most people were accepting of the molly houses, and the police did periodic sweeps to appease the government. It seemed like people were accepting in the book. But, even with that, David and Jan (and maybe Sir Grey) had to keep their sexuality very quiet or risk being put in jail or to death.

The Great Fire of London was also incorporated into the plotline during the last half of the book. Only a few details about how it started were given, but there was speculation. I was surprised by how the upper class reacted to the fire. They were on barges watching London burn and people trying to escape. It seemed weird, but I could see why people did it. The author also detailed the aftermath of the fire from David’s POV. He escaped with his life but lost everything.

The romance between Cecilia and David did seem a little forced in spots. I know I am cynical, but I don’t believe in falling in love in only a week (or, in this case, a couple of days). But, even with it feeling forced, I did like their chemistry and how they interacted.

The end of The Phoenix Bride was good, but it was a little vague. I liked that Cecilia and David finally got back together (after being apart for a year). But I read that last chapter, and I couldn’t figure out if they were together with Sir Grey’s blessing or going behind his back. That’s why I mentioned it might be a HEA for now instead of forever.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell, NetGalley, and Natasha Siegel for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Phoenix Bride. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I don't really know my thoughts on this book. I liked it but a lot was happening. I think I needed more of a conclusion to the story. I need to know if they are actually able to live a happy life together after that. What happens to her husband? Does he get with Jan? I just need more.

I received an arc through netgalley.

The Phoenix Bride is a beautiful story of faith, and what it means to love through grief. Set in the 1600's, Cecilia is reeling from the death of her true love. Her sister hires a jewish physician to aid in the melancholy she's experiencing. Slowly, they begin to form a friendship built on trust and a mutual understanding of loss. Religious prejudice drive them apart, only to reunite as the city burns around them.

The Phoenix Bride is rich in historical facts, and forbidden love during a captivating time in Britian. Siegal's novel is a unique, haunting love story. In the authors notes, she expertly explains jewish history in England, and how for nearly 400 years they were driven from the country.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

It is 1666 and Cecilia Thorowgood is a widow, forced to reside in her sister’s London townhouse as she is poked and prodded at by doctors after her husband died during the plague. With no signs of improvement, her sister hires a new doctor, David, a Jewish man who has only recently arrived in England after fleeing Portugal.

I loved Siegel’s first novel, and I was excited for this one, but it ultimately fell a little bit flat for me. I love Siegel’s writing (her prose is so gorgeous!!) and I think she writes excellent tension, and I do like her slightly alternate histories. Post-plague, pre-Great Fire London was also an interesting spot in history to set a book, and I enjoyed the setting. Siegel does such a good job with tone, and at no point did this feel anachronistic.

The Phoenix Bride also focuses heavily on grief, loss, and religion, and I do think they were done well. Cecilia and David’s relationship was sweet, and I do love how Siegel’s worlds feel “lived in,” so to speak. Still, for some reason I didn’t connect with the characters the same way that I did with Solomon’s Crown. Their character arcs were interesting and the things Siegel wanted to explore (like social prejudice) were solid, they just didn’t take up residence in my brain like I’d been expecting them to. Despite the fact this wasn’t a homerun, I do think I’ll come back to it and hopefully feel a little different, and I definitely recommend.

Excuse me as I swoon. Bisexual physician lead and incredibly depressed "rotting" widow? SIGN ME UP

I love when novels whisk me back in time to another era, when things were so similar yet so different. The Phoenix Bride is set in 1666 in the aftermath of a plague, one that stole loved ones from both of our main characters. Cecilia Thorowgood lost her husband after a short but happy marriage; she’s been unable to move on from her grief, physically or emotionally. This is why her sister brings in a physician named David Mendes. He’s not the first doctor to see Cecilia, but he is her last hope at this point. David, too, understands grief all too well, and he takes an alternative approach to healing Cecilia.

Although there is a strong element of romance here, the novel really does start off with both characters in a bad place, perhaps more obviously so with Cecilia. The Phoenix Bride doesn’t shy away from showing grief and how that can impact a person. From Cecilia’s inability to eat to her suicidal ideation, it can be pretty dark. Emotionally, she’s chaotic and at times reckless, but it’s largely meant to cover up her intense melancholy.

Both Cecilia and David face significant limitations, if for different reasons. Cecilia is a woman in the 17th century, dependent on her married sister and on the financial stability that marrying again would provide her. David is a Jew from Portugal, facing discrimination both for his religion and for his nation of origin. And given their differences, it would be nearly impossibly for David and Cecilia to give in to their mutual attraction and develop a life together.

Many obstacles are in the way of a romantic relationship for the two. First of all, Cecilia is being pushed to marry another man, mainly to provide security to herself and to her sister. Family gets in the way, including more loss, only compounding the uphill battle they already face. But could a devastating fire in London push them together or drive them further apart?

There are many things I enjoyed about The Phoenix Bride, from its lyrical writing and historical setting to the way both main characters are shown. There is some LGBTQ representation, discussions around differing religions, and insight into 17th century medical practices. I also appreciated several of the supporting cast, especially one person I didn’t think I’d like at all. The book sometimes felt too detached or like it wasn’t moving forward the way I’d hoped, but it was still a thoughtful and interesting read.

Overall, I liked The Phoenix Bride for its characters and many themes, even if it left me wanting a bit more by the end. This is Natasha Siegel’s second novel, and I am eager to go back and read her previous book, Solomon’s Crown, which I have on my bookshelf now.