Review/Giveaway: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

      

​ From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.

 A general’s daughter…

 Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

 A founding father’s wife...

 But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

 The last surviving light of the Revolution…

 When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her…

 ebook, 672 pages

Published April 3rd 2018

by William Morrow Paperbacks

*****

Wife, Widow, and Warrior in Alexander Hamilton’s Quest for a More Perfect Union

      

Historical fiction is my favorite genre to read, especially when encountering a time period and with characters I am unfamiliar with, the hype of Hamilton on Broadway is pretty much how I am familiar with the name. Given how much I enjoyed America‘s First Daughter it was a given that I would continue reading anything by these two talented ladies. 

I follow both Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie on various social media sites and know of research trips and their dedication to Eliza Hamilton, excitement abounded when asked if I’d be part of this tour. 

My Dear Hamilton is an epic sized book coming in at almost 700 pages and the perfect size to get totally lost in. The book opens with an elderly Eliza as she begins to tell her story. It’s an amazing journey and told with courage and grace. What a life she led and for this Canadian I loved learning of the founding fathers, so many characters I was surprised to meet (but given the time period, I shouldn’t have been), Washington, Arnold, Monroe, Madison and more. Between the political strife and their marriage My Dear Hamilton is a story of love, betrayal, scandal, treason, war and so much more. It is beautifully written and clearly portrays the time and a woman who endures so much. There is very little history of Eliza documented and the authors have done a wonderful job creating her life based on Alexander’s letters and such. 

There are some serious author notes here, I mean pages and pages of them and I loved it. It’s the perfect finishing touch.    

 ✭✭✭ ORDER MY DEAR HAMILTON TODAY✭✭✭

Amazon | B&N | GooglePlay | iBooks | Kobo | Autographed Paperback

Add to Your Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     

  About Stephanie Dray: Stephanie Dray is a New York Times bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into multiple languages, illuminating women of the past so as to inspire the women of today. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital.      

Stephanie Dray Website |Newsletter | Facebook |Twitter | Dray & Kamoie Website

About Laura Kamoie: Laura Kamoieis a New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction, and the author of two nonfiction books on early American history. Until recently, she held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction under the name Laura Kaye, also a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels.
        

Laura Kamoie Website |Newsletter | Facebook |Twitter | Dray & Kamoie Website

Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie’s MY DEAR HAMILTON – Blog Tour Schedule:

April 2^nd

Book review Virginia lee – Excerpt

Books A-Brewin' – Excerpt

Brandy Paige Roberts Blogger page – Excerpt

My Girlfriends Couch – Excerpt

April 3^rd

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents – Excerpt

It's All About the Romance – Excerpt

My Book Snack – Review & Excerpt

Smexy& Fabulous – Excerpt

April 4^th

Always a happy ever after –Review & Excerpt

Ficwishes – Excerpt

Movies, Shows, & Books – Excerpt

Quirky Lady Bookworm Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Stephanie's Book Reports – Excerpt

SJAT's Books and More – Review & Interview

April 5^th

Hearts & Scribbles – Excerpt

Literature Goals – Excerpt

Reviews by Tammy and Kim (Rachel & Jay) – Review & Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

April 6^th

Books After Fifty – Excerpt

History Undressed – Review & Excerpt

Under the Covers Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

True Book Addict – Excerpt

Zili in the Sky – Excerpt

April 7^th

3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Books According to Abby – Excerpt

Evermore Books – Excerpt

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

April 8^th

BookCrushin – Interview

Liz's Reading Life – Excerpt

Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews – Excerpt

Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt

April 9^th

Book Bug Blog – Review & Excerpt

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Just One More Chapter – Review

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

April 10^th

Miss Riki – Review & Excerpt

My Fictional Escape – Review & Excerpt

Oh, for the Hook of a Book – Review & Interview

April 11^th

Bound By Books Book review – Review

Sofia Loves Books – Review & Excerpt

April 12^th

Denny S. Bryce – Review & Excerpt

Good Drunkard – Review & Excerpt

Ruth Downie – Interview

Margie's Must Reads – Excerpt

The Voluptuous Book Diva – Excerpt

April 13^th

A Bookaholic Swede – Review

Creating Herstory – Review & Interview

Historical Fiction Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Kris Waldherr Art and Words – Excerpt

April 14^th

Book Nook Nuts – Excerpt

Deluged with Books Cafe – Review & Excerpt

Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne – Review

Leigh Anderson – Review

Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Teatime and Books – Excerpt

Two Girls with Books – Review & Excerpt

Cover Reveal: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right. 

 We’re celebrating Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s Birthday today and you get the gift! Don’t miss the beautiful cover below and a special giveaway, and don’t forget to pre-order your copy today!

My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton (Coming 4.3.2018)

Wife, Widow, and Warrior in Alexander Hamilton’s Quest to Form a More Perfect Union 

 From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.

A general’s daughter…

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A founding father’s wife...

But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution…

When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her…

Pre-Order on Amazon | B&N |GooglePlay |iBooks | Kobo

New York Times bestselling author, Stephanie Dray is an award-winning, bestselling and two-time RITA award nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her critically acclaimed series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into eight different languages and won NJRW's Golden Leaf. As Stephanie Draven, she is a national bestselling author of genre fiction and American-set historical women's fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation's capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

Stephanie’s Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter


New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author, Laura Kaye. Her New York Times bestselling debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Laura’s Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign-Up

To celebrate Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s Birthday today, we have a surprise for you! Share the cover of MY DEAR HAMILTON and fill out the Rafflecopter below to receive an Exclusive Excerpt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter. Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

Paperback: 624 pages 

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 1, 2016)

print copy received as part of tour

 

*****

"Everyone will look to you for a model of what a virtuous daughter, wife and mother of the republic should be."

I have a great respect for authors of historical fiction.  When they take a real figure from the past and portray that individual as accurately as possible, that is no small feat.  There is so much research to bring the past to life and satisfy readers.  Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie actually read through over 18,000 letters penned by Jefferson himself.  With that kind of meticulous dedication to Patsy's life I knew this was a story I wanted to read.  Coming in at over 600 pages it isn't a fast read but rather one to savor and appreciate the descriptive writing and to get lost in her story.

There is a lot going on in this book, though it begins with Jefferson's death (1826) we are taken back to 1781 when Patsy is just a young girl.  I don't want to give too much of what takes place because maybe you are like me and know nothing of her life or even that time period.  But we follow her life in France, falling in love and than back to America.  Though there isn't much detail about her father's presidency that's fine because it is her story not his.  Even in that time period, life and society are not much different from today, full of scandal, gossip and lies Patsy (Martha Jefferson Randolph) doesn't have an easy life.  There is a lot on her plate, the mother of 11 children, a husband and his dysfunctional family as well as her own sister, she is the support for her father since the death of her mother when a young girl.  That's a hefty responsibility!

This book was penned by two authors, I am familiar with Stephanie Dray's writing, she is a favorite of mine but Laura Kamoie is new to me.  The two make a great team, the writing was smooth and flawless and rather captivating.  I was transported back to the time period and thoroughly entertained reading American's First Daughter.  Definitely a book I will recommend and can only hope these two will continue to work together.

Thank you to TLC Tours for inviting me to be part of this tour.


HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Chapters

Stephanie Dray is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her work has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for RWA’s RITA Award, and won NJRW’s Golden Leaf. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital.

Find out more about Stephanie at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.



Laura Kamoie has published two nonfiction books on early America and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction under the name Laura Kaye, the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books.

Find out more about Laura at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

click on banner for more stops on this tour.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.  This weekly gathering is hosted by Mailbox Monday.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Got some gems this week.

(click on cover to take you to Goodreads)

For review

Netgalley

What arrived in your mailbox?

Cover Reveal/Giveaway: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Tasty Book Tours is Pleased to Present...

AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER

Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Releasing March 1st, 2016

William Morrow

Historical Fiction 

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.

Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

Pre-Order Now

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LAURA CROGHAN KAMOIE is a historian specializing in colonial and revolutionary America, Virginia history, and the history of slavery. She holds a M.A. and Ph.D. in American history from The College of William and Mary and has published two historical monographs, including Irons in the Fire: The Business History of the Tayloe Family and the Virginia Gentry, 1700-1865 (University Press of Virginia, 2007). Laura is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy. In her fourteen years of college teaching, she has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses on colonial America, revolutionary America, African-American Slavery, as well as seminars on Thomas Jefferson.

As LAURA KAYE, she is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen titles in contemporary and paranormal romance. Her books have won numerous industry awards, including the EPIC eBook Award, the Golden Leaf award, the PRISM award, and the HOLT Medallion Award of Merit. She is a frequent panelist at national writing conferences and a frequent instructor of craft and social media workshops. Laura lives just outside the nation’s capital with her husband and two young daughters.

Find Laura Here

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

STEPHANIE DRAY is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for a RITA Award and won the Golden Leaf. As STEPHANIE DRAVEN, she is a national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

Find Stephanie Here

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads