Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas
SERIES: An MM Monsters Christmas
AUTHOR: Gigi Rivers
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 275 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2025
BLURB:
Percival dies hating Leo. He is reborn wanting only him.
Leo despises Lord Percival Everflame the moment the phoenix walks into his bakery. Well … almost the moment. At first, the hearth witch baker is too busy staring at the stunning phoenix. Then Percival speaks and reveals what an arrogant prick he is.
The hatred is completely mutual. As far as Percival is concerned, Leo might be an attractive witch, but his rudeness and disrespect for his betters makes him utterly intolerable. Still, Percival keeps returning to the bakery. For the pies, of course.
Then Percival is attacked. He dies, is reborn … and forgets everything.
Leo finds him in an alley. Naked and confused, this new Percival has no memory of Leo or their previous animosity. He just knows he trusts Leo and needs to stay close to the witch. Unable to turn Percival away, Leo brings him home and is shocked at how sweet the reborn phoenix is.
While sparks fly between them, questions lurk in the shadows. What or who killed Percival? And will it turn Percival and Leo’s budding relationship to ash?
A Phoenix Reborn at Christmas is an MM cosy fantasy romance with plenty of spice. It features Christmas vibes, a family of hearth witch bakers, memory loss, riding on a phoenix, a raven familiar, and a guaranteed HEA.
Whilst this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Leo Berry is a hearth witch who works in his family’s bakery. One day as the Christmas season has started, he’s waiting on customers when a phoenix comes into the shop. He’s the most gorgeous man Leo has ever seen. Until he opens his mouth and his imperious, snobby, impatient behavior turns him off completely. Also Leo gives it right back to him 😉
Percival Everflame can’t believe how rude the man at the bakery was – making him wait, giving him incorrect change. The nerve! But his pie was so delicious! He returns the next day for more. And the day after that. The bakery is close enough to his family’s factory where he works that he continues this habit. His uncle is a bit of a tyrant but he owes him his life as his entire family was killed the final death and he alone escaped to be reborn with nothing. He’s also actually pretty good at his job.
One evening he’s leaving and an servant tells him that his carriage is delayed and so he follows the servant into an alley and that is when the trouble begins. He manages to escape the final death, but when he’s reborn he has no memory of anything – not his name, where he is, if he has family, nothing. A lo and behold, it’s Leo who finds him just before his rebirth. Leo recognizes him of course. But he doesn’t recognize how he is acting. Percival is frightened and along and naked. So Leo takes him home. And offers to help him.
Percival is drawn to Leo. He wants to be near him and Leo makes him feel much better. He helps Percival find his family – which does NOT go well. And the rest of the family volunteers to try to find out more about the phoenix world to assist him in recovering his memories. Leo and Percival are drawn to each other and they of course need to figure out what exactly happened to Percival and why.
I am SO enjoying this lovely fantasy holiday series from Gigi Rivers. This might be my favorite one yet! Here the pairing is a hearth witch and a phoenix. It’s really two phoenixes, because Percival before his death and Percival after his rebirth a few days after meeting Leo is a totally different person 😉 After meeting Percival’s uncle and learning about his past death and loss of his family, it’s pretty easy to see why Percival acted the way he did initially with Leo. Luckily Leo takes Percival in after he’s reborn despite an attempt at a final death. Ebony, the raven in this story is an absolute delight as well 🙂 And of course Percival is taken in by the Berry family who all are part of the support system. Leo’s twin and other siblings are there for them, doing their best to help them figure out what happened to Percival and why. And who tried to kill Percival??? And why is Percival so drawn to Leo after he is reborn. He’s ready to make a new life and be the person he’s meant to be. With Leo. There is a lot of love and warmth and support and Christmas cheer in this story and this world and it’s quirky beings is just a delight! Happy reading and holidays to all 😀
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