A little slower paced than I would have liked but still a great read.

Follow Eliza Hamilton during her years courti and marrying one of the founding fathers of our country and see it from a women’s POV. Filled with lost of historical facts and I did learn a lot about this time in early American history. Thee was even some drama I had no idea about!! Just wished it would have moved at a faster pace....

Required reading for Hamilton fans, and highly recommended for all historical fiction fans and history buffs in general!

Thanks to Kensington Books for this review copy - all opinions are my own.

Let's start out with the fact that I am a major Hamilton geek. My kids and I have the complete soundtrack to the musical memorized, and we have spent hours and hours discussing the musical itself, as well as the Revolution book and numerous other titles about Hamilton's life. When I reviewed a young adult title last winter about Alex and Eliza I actually had Chernow's biography of Hamilton open next to me to fact-check that title (and it didn't match up, by the way). All of this means that my review is either incredibly biased, OR it just means that I have a lot of background knowledge to use in my review - you choose.

Scott manages to include incredibly detailed historical narrative along with her telling of Eliza's story, beginning with the events where Eliza and Alexander meet. The romance and relationship are compelling enough on their own, but this book also serves as a primer on much of the Revolutionary War, sure to satisfy even the most stickler of history buffs. At over 400 pages, this novel is NOT a light romance story despite what the cover may convey - it is a political tome that absolutely fascinated me, especially the medical details (I'm a medical history fan - give me a book about Bellevue Hospital and I'm in heaven). Fans of Hamilton the musical will be compelled to have the soundtrack playing at all times during the reading of this book, and will then be forced to compare the differences between these two accounts of events - for readers like me, that's a dream job!

Scott wowed me with this book - she chatted with me numerous times on Instagram about Eliza while I was reading it and I can not say enough about her devotion to historical detail and this story - she is amazing! We chatted about how this book is not at all inspired by the musical and is in no way fan fiction, but the musical has definitely helped bring attention to this title. Her website provides such wonderful details about her research and additional historical background on the events and places in the book - it's a treasure trove for history-lovers and gives such a rich extended reading experience. I highly recommending checking out her blog along with this title.

If you love US history and can't get enough of Hamilton in your life, I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you are expecting a frothy romance, however, this will surely surprise you with its academic nature.

This was a glimpse into history that we don't normally read about, the love of Eliza and Alexander Hamilton. I would love to see a movie based on this book!

I absolutely loved this and it will definitely be a hit with Hamilton fans.

A fascinating look at the "Hamilton" story...this time from Eliza's point of view.

I think with many time periods, details about women and their important roles are hidden thru the years. I really liked the strong heroine we see in Elizabeth Schuyler and I hope the attention to Hamilton in these past couple years will continue to spotlight the woman that was his wife.

On the back of the popular Broadway musical, here is a tale of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, wife of American founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Eliza is the daughter of a wealthy and prominent Revolutionary War general who catches the eye of one of General Washington's spirited aide-de-camps. Alexander Hamilton is engaging and exceptionally talented, but his lack of wealth and social standing put him at a distinct disadvantage in the Revolutionary Army. Born outside a lawful marriage, Hamilton always has a chip on his shoulder and has grandiose plans to do important things for the young country. He and Eliza marry in the Schuyler's home and have a close and passionate partnership. Eliza revels in her husband's love, admiration, and ambitions, but those come at a high price for his family. Alexander is frequently gone for long periods of time, and his government paychecks are not enough to keep up with his colleagues of the landed gentry such as Jefferson, Washington, and Madison. Often on the brink of insolvency, Eliza must balance her husband's hot temper and grand ambitions against the high cost of living near the center of government. Alexander's hot headedness ultimately leads to his demise in a duel with Aaron Burr, and Eliza is left to shape his legacy alone.

I am always happy to see the women behind the founding fathers get their fair share of attention. Telling their stories is something that is long overdue. This book, however, suffers from several issues. One of them is very common in books like this. Unfortunately women did not play active roles in the events during those times, so whenever we have a book in first person by a wife, she is simply relaying the action to us. She is rarely a participant, and what we get is a kind of second hand retelling that often lacks suspense and feels more like a recitation. This book compounds that issue by also being exceptionally long. I struggled to finish it. You begin to see a pattern of Hamilton's temper causing issues, Eliza trying to patch things up, and things getting better until Hamilton gets into another hot headed disagreement. This goes on for hundreds of pages, and the result is that any plot momentum fizzles.

This was my first book from this author and I didn’t care for it. Great story, but I was such a slow story development.

They have not reckoned with me. I will make sure my husband and his achievements are not forgotten. I will see that he receives all the honor that is his due, and that he will always be remembered by the country he loved and served so well. I, Eliza Hamilton, will do that: for the best of husbands, the best of fathers, and the best of men; my Alexander.

Such a wonderful written account of historical fiction. In the words of Eliza Hamilton, the wife of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers, she shares her story of how she met and ultimately loved her husband thru many tribulations. This gives history a different take from a woman that stood by her husband and her country. You never really think about the men and women who started this great country and the sacrifices they made. You hear of it but to read of it, it gives understanding of what true sacrifices where given and the passion that was shared.

You also read that much as not changed in the political forum. The ruin of reputations and the power plays and what serving your country really entails.

Ms. Scott is a talented writer in that she gives emotion to a part of history that it would do well for all to remember where hence we came from. There is connection to the characters and to the birth of a great nation. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank You to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

I really enjoyed this! It was well researched, well written and enjoyable to read. It suffers from the downfall of having gaps in the novels timeline, which feels like the author tried to stick too close to history. While I really like historical fiction to be historically accurate, this novel could have done with filling in some of those gaps where we don’t know much about Eliza. That being said, I do love the detail that Scott puts into this novel, from the clothes to the language to the housing and childcare routines. This is well worth a read for any historical fiction fans, or even any Hamilton fans in general.

Like most people, I got sucked into the Hamilton hype and have listened to the soundtrack countless times and was lucky enough to see the show in Chicago. Between that and history classes back in the day, I didn't think there was much more that needed to be discussed. This book proved that theory wrong! As the title suggests, this novel is from Eliza Schyuler/Hamilton's (Hamilton's wife) point of view, ranging from the night she met the young colonel to after his sudden death. The cover suggests this is a romance, but it's so much more than that. It's well-researched and provides extensive insight to the time period.

My only minor qualm is that some major, pivotal moments felt rushed and weren't given enough attention. Besides that, I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend it to any historical fiction buffs.

“I, Eliza Hamilton” is a beautifully written historical romance about one of our favorite families. While it is fiction, the historical aspects are well-done and thoroughly researched. It felt as though you were right there with them as history happened. While it’s listed as an adult novel, if you have an advanced middle school history buff they will enjoy it. Highly recommended!

After such modern retellings of the Schuyler/Hamilton families such as Hamilton the Musical and Alex & Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz, the tone of this felt dated. I wanted to like this, but that really distracted me from getting into the story. I put this one down.

I so badly wanted to love this book but it just didn't do it for me. I was expecting to get to know Eliza Hamilton in this story: her life before, during and after her marriage to Alexander Hamilton but that's not what this story was really about. This was a more a story Alexander through Eliza's eyes and it got boring after a while to see her gush over Alexander non-stop for the whole book. I did learn a lot about Alexander from the story but I don't think I really knew Eliza. It was all completely focused on Alexander and I think the story made Eliza into a lovesick puppy. Also, Eliza lived for 50 years after his death and there was nothing about that part of her life. I feel bad for not loving the story but it really didn't work for me. 2 stars.

I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott tells the story of the woman who stood by Alexander Hamilton, in her own words. Eliza is just a young girl when she first meets Alexander Hamilton at her parent’s home. She finds him intriguing and it is fascinating to see history through her eyes, as imagined by the author. This author is a master at establishing a historical setting. This book was well written and I highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I am so into Historical Romance this year and so the reason why I requested this from Netgalley. At first I was hesitant for I was worried it'll get boring since it's like an autobiography. But this is fiction and so I went reading. Oh my God, it didn't disappoint me.
First of all, I must mention that I'm not THAT familiar with Alexander Hamilton. I know who he is but my knowledge isn't enough to know what to expect in this book. I am not an American and definitely not a fan of history. I only read historical if its Romance.
But then I was curious on how a story of a well-known personality in the history of America would go if it's told by his wife. And so even with the worries that this might get boring because it's like an autobiography, I went on reading.

Told from the point of view of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, this  is a very believable and engaging story of a man and a woman who fell in love and became the best allies to each other. Simply captivating. Their meeting was cute, common in a romance novels. And from that first meeting their connection although apart seemed strong enough to pull them together again. I laughed, smiled and giggled, sighed dreamily in their romance.

My heart goes to this couple as they face everything together even before they get married. Their loyalty to each other is something you want to find in a Romance that stays with you long after you finish reading it.
Alexander's loyalty to his country and Eliza's support to him is something you want to see in a novel with a strong plot making this novel a real treasure. But the best part, for me, was when Alex became an important figure, it showed the best of the characters, especially Eliza.

Anyway, all characters and the way they were creatively portrayed was just amazing. Might be a fiction but somehow convinced me to research the people mentioned all throughout the novels. That's how influential this novel can be. The way the story narrated was engaging, really not a dull moment passed as I read this. It's like listening to a new friend as she tells you the story of her life before you met her. And that's how brilliant using Eliza's point of view is.

So to sum it all, I'm amazed how this novel influenced me and engaged me in a fictionalised part of history of a country I haven't even been. Definitely not the last read from this author.

With the popular Broadway musical, Hamilton, kind of taking over the world, it’s not surprising that a lot of us are fascinated in learning more about the man himself and his family. This book has proven that ‘behind every great man is a woman’. I should preface this by saying that with as much attention as we give the Founding Fathers, we should give equal attention to the Founding Mothers. Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Eliza Hamilton…there are countless others, but they seldom get their chance to stand in the spotlight. Hamilton was kind of largely forgotten, but thanks to Ron Chernow and Lin-Manuel Miranda, he’s been thrust into the spotlight and given the attention he deserved.

I love Colonial America and I have since I was a child. I have many a happy memory at Colonial Williamsburg (though, I was a brat about it sometimes.). It’s definitely a step back in time. There’s no cell phones, no air conditioning, none of the modern conveniences that we take advantage of. I was given the same feeling as I was reading this book; that I was going back in time. I lost track of time and spent quite a few hours lost. I was thrown straight into revolutionary America and into the Hamilton’s life. The attention to detail was nothing short of brilliant.

I really love the first person narrative; it’s sometimes hard to forget that historical figures were real people and they appear one dimensional. Reading the story from Eliza’s POV adds a brand new dimension to everyone and to the story. From her joy to her sorrow, you can really feel it. I really got a feel for who Eliza really was and I feel all the better for knowing. She was a strong, intelligent woman; a true match for Alexander. Eliza was a traditional wife and mother, but she was also a woman who had an identity separate from those two things.

Once Alexander was gone, instead of sitting idly, she continued a life of service where she helped orphans, she also fought to tell Alexander’s story, to preserve his memory. She was an active woman all the way to her death at the age of 97. Considering that some people didn’t live long back then and even by today’s standards, she lived a long fascinating life.

In Ms. Scott’s capable hands, we see who lived, who died and who tells the story. (I couldn’t ‘throw away my shot’ at quoting the show! 😉 )

Although handsome and ambitious Alexander Hamilton was a ladies’ man, he wanted to marry a woman with character and wisdom as well as looks. When he met charming Elizabeth Schuyler, he knew that he’d found her. They were a perfect match. She would be a courageous wife to the rising star of the developing nation through all the traumas of war, betrayals, scandal and illness. At one stage, she even showed great bravery when her parent’s home was under attack. ‘Betsy’ would also often have to look after the children while he spent long periods away.
Unfortunately, Hamilton’s brilliance caused jealousy and he also had a few flaws in his character which didn’t help his political career so he unfortunately made several enemies. Elizabeth was also warned by her sister Angelica that Hamilton still had an eye for the ladies…She certainly had a lot to cope with but her life was never dull!
I had recently read a biography of the young Hamilton when I started this book so I expected much from it, and I am happy to write that I loved it. Susan Hollaway Scott creates memorable characters in her portrayals of Elizabeth and Alexander. She does this great love story justice and the book is captivating until the end. This is definitely a keeper, and I will definitely buy the paperback version!

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an homest review.

“Love is not easy with a man chosen by Fate for greatness . . .”

As the daughter of a respected general, Elizabeth Schuyler is accustomed to socializing with dignitaries and soldiers. But no visitor to her parents’ home has affected her so strongly as Alexander Hamilton, a charismatic, ambitious aide to George Washington. They marry quickly, and despite the tumult of the American Revolution, Eliza is confident in her brilliant husband and in her role as his helpmate. But it is in the aftermath of war, as Hamilton becomes one of the country’s most important figures, that she truly comes into her own.

In the new capital, Eliza becomes an adored member of society, respected for her fierce devotion to Hamilton as well as her grace. Behind closed doors, she astutely manages their expanding household, and assists her husband with his political writings. Yet some challenges are impossible to prepare for. Through public scandal, betrayal, personal heartbreak, and tragedy, she is tested again and again. In the end, it will be Eliza’s indomitable strength that makes her not only Hamilton’s most crucial ally in life, but his most loyal advocate after his death, determined to preserve his legacy while pursuing her own extraordinary path through the nation they helped shape together.

Review:

Wonderfully written story that seamlessly blends history with fiction!

I really could not put down this story, I was so engrossed in the lives of the Eliza and Alexander and those around them. A very detailed and you can tell researched story that brings these people to life. I, like many know certain facts about the lives of these people, but it was very basic. I know some of this story and events are creative license I think given what is known they made it seem completely plausible for the fictitious to have happened. This story is told from Eliza's POV from Eliza's and Alexander's first meeting until after his passing. As we read their love story the reader is drawn into what happened in the lives of these two. I loved reading this through Eliza's POV, it gives a more rounded view of the couple and them as individuals. I have not read this Author before and thought she did an excellent job of making the characters come to life. Reading this story I ran the gamut of emotions; sad, hopeful, happy, tense, it is truly a well-rounded story.
Excellent, engrossing story!

5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

As someone is just learning about A. Ham. I felt like this book was very very informative and entertains at the same time.