This is the book we need, right now. Even though two of the three novellas are set against a backdrop of war, I came away from this book with the most incredible sense of hope!

All three stories deal with diverse characters finding love in unexpected places. The authors treat their subjects with care and dignity. I was moved to tears more than once by the insights into human character these novellas provided - a rare experience when reading any book, much less within the romance genre. I came away from Hamilton's Battalion wanting to write personal thank-you notes to the authors for the experience.

I don't read much historical romance set in the Americas, so this was a pleasant change. I would love to see more!

Overall Grade: 4.5 stars
Grade (RL): 4.5 stars, (CM): 5 stars, (AC): 3.5 stars

Alexander Hamilton is enjoying new popularity with the success of Hamilton: The Musical, currently playing on Broadway. But in this anthology from Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan and Alyssa Cole, he’s relegated to the background as he leads his forces to victory at Yorktown, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.

The premise of the anthology is simple: The war is decades past; Hamilton’s wife, Eliza, is collecting soldiers’ stories about their experiences with her husband at Yorktown. The request triggers memories and events of a very different sort, and in this delightful and uniformly good trio of romance novellas featuring marginalized central characters, we reminisce on revolutionary stories of love during and after Hamilton’s war.

Promised Land
Rose Lerner

Corporal Ezra Jacobs has secrets. For starters he’s a she, and as Rachel Mendelson, she colluded with her mother-in-law to fake her own death. For the past three years she’s been fighting in Hamilton’s battalion for America’s independence. Suppressed and oppressed by her husband’s smothering love, his mother’s displeasure, and all the rules and expectations of her jewish faith, she’s finally living a life that makes her happy. Once the war is won, she has grand plans to reveal her true identity in a memoir and tour the country giving lectures on her experience as a female, jewish soldier in the war for independence.

Ezra/Rachel’s plans hit a roadblock when she spots a familiar figure walking through the army campground - her husband, Nathan. Knowing that he sympathized with the British during their marriage, she flags him down and has him arrested as a Loyalist spy.

Nathan is shocked, thrilled - confused - to discover that Rachel, the wife he mourned deeply after her sudden death is not dead after all. To Ezra’s relief, he doesn’t reveal the truth, but Nathan has secrets of his own. Their years apart have given him new insights into the man he was and discovering Rachel is alive gives him hope; his capture gives him one last chance to know and understand the stranger who was once his wife.

Promised Land is a beautiful, slow-paced (despite the short page-count) second-chance love story featuring a couple who were strangers to each other before and after they wed, but who somehow discover themselves and their marriage against the backdrop of Revolutionary war. Ms. Lerner brilliantly paces their slow courtship as Ezra finds reasons to visit and be near Nathan, and Nathan begins to understand what drove Rachel away, who she was and who she is now. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one other significant element - the references and experiences of jewish faith sprinkled throughout. Rachel and Nathan are jewish (as are her fellow NCOs); their faith plays a major part in the evolving dynamic of their relationship - but also in the hopes and dreams of the promised land they’re all fighting for.

As the war rages, they battle to find a way forward - and forge a new relationship based on honesty, affection and freedom with each other.

The Pursuit of…
Courtney Milan

When John Hunter finds himself in a fight for his life with a British soldier, the last thing he expects is conversation about the weather, favorite books or who’s more deserving of death. When the bugle signals the end of the battle, he tells his opponent that he won’t have to kill him because he’s now a prisoner of war. His foe surprises him by asking for death anyway - he doesn’t want to be a prisoner of war or to return to England. John takes pity on the other man, shrugs off his uniform jacket and offers it as a disguise. Overwhelmed with gratitude, the soldier tells him he won’t forget the favor and that he’ll pay him back someday. John’s heard it all before... and has little faith he’ll ever see the man again.

Henry Latham is running out of time. Confused, baffled, and on the run from the British Army, Henry has a plan. Unfortunately, he only knows the first step. Find John. He knows little about the man who spared his life: his rank (from his uniform) and that he’s most likely part of the Rhode Island Regiment; he sets out to find him anyway. After bluffing his way past guards by disguising himself as a cheesemonger who needs to deliver cheese to John (yes, Henry is a bit odd and he has a vivid, hopeful imagination), he eventually makes his way to the Black Regiment - and a very surprised John. John tries to make him uncomfortable so that he’ll leave, but Henry doesn’t falter. Instead, he asks John if there’s anything he can do for him; when John confesses he’s been invalided out and plans to walk to Rhode Island - and his home - a 500-600 mile journey - Henry offers to join him.

Once John gets over his shock that Henry is, in fact, waiting for him the following morning and planning to accompany him, the journey home - both literally and metaphorically - begins. Over the next weeks the men walk and Henry talks...and talks...and talks. And they eat Death Cheese. I can’t tell you what Death Cheese is (but it’s significant), or precisely what Henry (and sometimes) John talk about. But let me assure you that this charming novella is chock full of delightful, poignant and funny conversations between a mostly surly (and amused) John and the chatty, sweet and lovable Henry. As the miles pass by the men develop an affectionate regard for each other. John challenges Henry and his beliefs and Henry shows John what it means to be valued - and necessary - to someone. Neither is troubled by their feelings for another man, or their attraction to each other, but Ms. Milan takes her time developing their romantic relationship, and in this ultra slow burn love story, both John and Henry slowly but surely become necessary to each other.

Once in Rhode Island, Henry’s future is still murky - he’s hidden much of his life before the war in a series of flimsy, obvious lies - and despairs of what’s to come once he returns to his family. John doesn’t ask him to stay, and Henry knows he has to leave, but it’s awful anyway! Oh, Ms. Milan. You broke my heart. Fortunately, she concludes this marvelous novella with a series of moving letters between the men, a visit and a revealing epilogue.

In this second story, Ms. Milan reminds us she’s a master of the novella. Funny, moving, sweet, tender and profound, In Pursuit of… is perhaps my favorite Milan story EVER.

That Could Be Enough
Alyssa Cole

After the tremendous first two novellas, I had high hopes for Ms. Cole’s story of two black women with very different life experiences who fall in love in post Revolutionary War New York. And though I enjoyed the story and its principal characters, the development of the romantic relationship felt forced and in this shorter format, underdeveloped. Insta-lust isn’t a favorite trope of mine - and here, two very different, marginalized women fall for each other based on little more than a glance across a hallway and then a Big Misunderstanding (why??!!) sets them apart. It’s a tantalizing and promising start, but the story doesn’t quite live up to it.

Mercy Alston lives at Hamilton Grange and works as a maid to Eliza Hamilton, transcribing the memories/anecdotes/stories she receives from those who knew and fought with Eliza’s late husband during the Revolutionary War. She was once passionate about her writing but she’s subsumed her vocation into the tedium of her day to day life. She’s spent a lifetime learning harsh lessons about love and loss, and though she admires Eliza’s efforts to preserve her husband’s legacy, she’s angry about the other woman’s willingness to forgive Hamilton’s many transgressions whilst he was alive and seeming inability to stop loving him even now.

For Mercy, heartbreak and loss are the language of love she learned from an early age, and when Andromeda Stiel shows up at Hamilton Grange - beautiful and flirtatious - Mercy reminds herself that her quiet, solitary life is enough.

Andromeda, a dressmaker with her own shop in Harlem, is intrigued by the proud, poorly dressed woman Ms. Hamilton employs as her maid and tries (and fails) to draw her out with witty stories and questions. But Mercy’s unwillingness to respond to her flirtations only makes Andromeda all the more determined to gain her attentions. Before she leaves, she manages to finagle a visit from Mercy to her shop under the guise of sharing more of her grandfather’s wartime stories. Mercy is frustrated, Andromeda is elated, and Eliza... well, she’s a willing matchmaker for her dour maid.

Mercy’s visit ends up being so much more than planned. Andromeda’s spirit and confidence are infectious - though Mercy tries hard to resist her. Andromeda refuses to be cowed by Mercy’s stubborn unwillingness to enjoy their time together or to curtail her attentions because of it. When they part, she begins to write letters to Mercy, sharing her day to day life, and eventually Mercy thaws (privately) and acknowledges the pleasure that accompanies each letter, and responds in kind.

I loved this slow unwinding of the wound oh-so tight Mercy and Andromeda’s stubborn refusal to accept - or to allow Mercy to accept - less than enough. Andromeda is relentless in her pursuit (sometimes too pushy); Mercy - who already feels a strong attraction - is helpless to resist her. Unfortunately, once Mercy and Andromeda finally act on their attraction, Ms. Cole divides them with a simple, but big, misunderstanding, which I heartily disliked and resented. Though the novella ends on a hopeful, happy note, I wish Ms. Cole had instead used more of the story to develop the growing affection between the couple.

Hamilton’s Battalion showcases some of my favorite historical novelists working at the top of their game. The Pursuit of… by Courtney Milan is worth the cover price alone. Romantic, different and wholly entertaining, this anthology easily earns its place on my top ten books of the year.

This book was amazing. I loved each of the stories so much and they all were beautifully written an each balanced the book well. For this I am going to mainly talk about Courtney Milans Pursuit Of because I genuinely cried over and not my eyes shine but full on tears.

I have never read a book by Milan befoee and this novella is my first. I am highly impressed that is her first mm romance. It is so well done and does not fall into the typical mf tropes that often get applied to mm stories written by primarily mf authors.

I fell in love with Henry as I have never identified so strongly with a character before. I viewed him as having todays equivalent of ADD but from the perspective of the 1700s. Henry's speech patterns and mannerisms spoke so much to how I talk and carry conversations how they do not follow any linear pattern. I try quite a bit to try and bring everything back to my main point and it can be extremely difficult. Just like Henry I experienced being told I was stupid that I talk to much. I painfully related to how he was treated by others and the stories that he could weave. I hold Henry dear in my heart.

I also appreciated how John's experiences were not minimized and that Henry did his best to listen and learn and not just bluff John off or wipe it away. That was truly refreshing to read. I loved how they fell in love over a 600+ mile journey and that they were able to stay together and grow old together.

I look forward to reading more books by all three authors.

Absolutely thrilling and heartwrenching anthology of stories right from the battlefield. I adore this group of authors and boy, do they weave an intriguing tale! It was really difficult to put this book down. It is one of the more serious historical romances that I have read so I will definitely recommend it on a day when you are looking forward to read some very sentimental but touching stories. Fantastic read!

The best book I’ve read in 2017. Three stories that are hopeful but honest and show the power of love and country.

Three evocatively enthralling love stories during the American fight for independence from skilful story-tellers.
Compelling and intense reads.
I received an eGalley arc from the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

This collection of Revolutionary War novellas tackle tales of lesser known soldiers, be they Jewish, black, female, gay, it tells of love on the battlefield and in the aftermath and of life lived in the city. It’s a curious and well told collection that’s about so much more than the current fashion for Alexander Hamilton.

PROMISED LAND by Rose Lerner makes for an interesting start. It sounds quite familiar – a woman impersonating a man in order to go to war – but that’s the only thing about Rachel that fits the traditional romantic mould. She’s fiery and determined and an excellent corporal, she also has more secrets than simply being female.

I actually didn’t like Rachel that much at first, but it had nothing to do with her deception and everything to do with Nathan. I could see why she was unhappy in her life before and why she did what she did, but her anger at him seemed excessive and likewise her change of mind came a bit too swiftly. This is not helped by the fact that Nathan is adorable and I really liked him.

I also really liked that they’re both Jewish, although in differing levels of faith. Nathan is devout, Rachel is… less so. Still it’s an integral part of both their characters and I loved how this enhanced the story.

So while this was probably my least favourite story in the collection, because of Rachel at the start, it’s still a really good, enjoyable read. Especially if you have an interest in military romances.

THE PURSUIT OF… by Courtney Milan is the sole reason I picked this book up. I love Milan’s work and this was no exception. A biracial M/M historical romance is enough of a hook for me anyway, but throw in Courtney Milan and I’m there.

And this was completely worth it. I loved this novella. John is smart, stoic and steadfast, desperate to return home and find out what’s happened to his family, while also trying not to show that he’s worried. And Henry is… beyond description. He’s the complete opposite of John in almost every way – forgetful, talkative, amusing and slightly obsessed with cheese. But I completely adored him. I loved John too, but in a different way, and the pair of them together are just wonderful.

I just loved this story, from start to finish. The romance is steady and strong, with a lot of sexual tension, the characters are excellent and the ending was everything I wanted it to be. My absolute favourite.

THAT COULD BE ENOUGH by Alyssa Cole closes out the collection in fine style, moving away from soldiers and war, and into the nineteenth century. It also happens to be a romance between two black lesbians and is another excellent read.

Despite her name, Mercy has shown herself no mercy since having her heart broken one too many times. She lives a strictly controlled, regimented life in which she allows herself to barely feel at all. There’s so much passion in her but she’s suppressed it for years in an effort never to be hurt again.

And then along comes Andromeda, who is open and free and a little bit wild, but also good hearted and delighted by challenges. I’ll admit there were times I felt she was a bit too pushy and encroached too far on Mercy’s boundaries, but she also stops when it’s pointed out and does try to do better.

I really liked the two of them together, especially as Mercy began to unwind a little. However, the conflict felt a touch overblown and things towards the end didn’t always work for me. Still, overall, I found it an enjoyable read.

Like this whole book. All three stories have something different to offer, but are impressively told. There’s plenty of love, a nice amount of humour, trials, troubles and tribulations, celebrations and cheese, plus a little bit of Hamilton, for those who need him there. In all, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Story 1: Rachel/Nathan - I didn’t care for this one much, but I believe that is because of my personal reluctance to read stories with descriptive battle scenes.
Story 2: John/Henry - this was lovely and a slow burning love story about a white British officer and a black American soldier who fall in love.
Story 3: Mercy/Andromeda- this was my favorite (and I’m partial to Alyssa Cole’s writing). A story about a servant and a dress maker that fall in love.
All these stories revolve around Alexander Hamilton (some more than others) and it was an enjoyable read about Revolutionary America and 3 love stories that stemmed from that time.

Trio of novellas set during the American War of Independence. I have a feeling that when I get around to reading the historical notes on these novellas they will turn out not to be as far-fetched as I currently suspect.

The Promised Land by Rose Lerner
Rachel left her arranged marriage, her interfering mother-in-law and her husband to join the American rebels fight the British. For three years her husband has thought she was dead and she has dressed as a man, calling herself Ezra. Full of ideals about an America where race, religion and sex do not act as a barrier she intends to write her memoirs after the war and go on tour telling people that a Jewish woman fought alongside christian men to free America. And then she sees her husband, Nathaniel, walking through the camp as bold as brass. Convinced he is a spy for the British she denounces him to her superior officers.

Nathaniel has mourned his wife for the past three years. Although it was a marriage of convenience, Rachel needed money for her mother's medical fees, Nathaniel truly loved his wife and had hoped that she might come to love him.

As the rebels beseige Yorktown can two estranged lovers be frank enough about their feelings and needs to start over, or are the scars too deep?

Rose Lerner writes unusual historical romances, often from the point of view of the working classes or people outside the mainstream such as gypsies, this is no exception. An exploration of how to reconcile religious beliefs with emotions and patriotism, of listening to yourself and to others, of what it meant to be a Jew in the 1700s in America, of what it meant to be a Jewish woman, of gender and identity.

I liked this, I liked the romance, that neither Rachel nor Nathaniel was entirely right or wrong, that they made as many mistakes as each other, that the emotions felt 'real'. But I didn't feel emotionally engaged, this was more historical than romance.

Three stars.

The Pursuit Of ... by Courtney Milan
An unlikely romance between a rich, white British officer and a poor black free man fighting for the American army. After saving the life of Henry Latham, a loquacious British officer, John Hunter is surprised when Henry hunts him out to offer his thanks, even more surprised when Henry agrees to accompany him on his 500 mile trek across America to reunite with his sister and her husband.

As the two men walk across America Henry waxes lyrically about anything and everything, particularly cheese, and somehow the two men fall in love.

This is funny and touching and engaging, a wonderful romance about hope and idealism. I thought that John was unbelievably well-spoken and educated for a poor black man of that time, but it's not an era I'm familiar with and it was a riveting read.

Four stars.

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
I haven't really started this one - review to come

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Not Throwing Away My Shot: Review of “Hamilton’s Batallion” by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole
I love history. Now, that has not always been the case, but for the last half of my life, I have been History’s Bitch. I listen to history based podcasts like Nerds on History (please come back soon) and The History Chicks and look forward to documentaries on The History Channel. I find all of these things to be the epitomy of fun, which would definitely come as a complete surprise to most of my history teachers from back in the day. What is the one thing that has taught me more about history than anything else? Romance novels. 
Yes, you read that right. Romance novels are a rich source of history. It is because of The Pink Carnation novels by Lauren Willig that I understood the subtle dig at George III about “going mad” in “You’ll Be Back,” something that my mother, who also loves history, did not get when she heard the song. These authors seriously do their homework when sitting down to write. If you follow them on social media (as I do), you’d learn that they read through actual primary sources to find out how people behaved, what they ate, and what society was like during the time periods their characters populate. Historical accuracy is the name of the game and the women who write historical romances do it right. Knowing the work of two of these authors, when I sat down to read Hamilton’s Battalion, I knew I was in for a treat.


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From the Publisher:
Love in the time of Hamilton…
On October 14, 1781, Alexander Hamilton led a daring assault on Yorktown’s defenses and won a decisive victory in America’s fight for independence. Decades later, when Eliza Hamilton collected his soldiers’ stories, she discovered that while the war was won at Yorktown, the battle for love took place on many fronts…
PROMISED LAND by Rose Lerner
Donning men’s clothing, Rachel left her life behind to fight the British as Corporal Ezra Jacobs — but life catches up with a vengeance when she arrests an old love as a Loyalist spy.
At first she thinks Nathan Mendelson hasn’t changed one bit: he’s annoying, he talks too much, he sticks his handsome nose where it doesn’t belong, and he’s self-righteously indignant just because Rachel might have faked her own death a little. She’ll be lucky if he doesn’t spill her secret to the entire Continental Army.
Then Nathan shares a secret of his own, one that changes everything…
THE PURSUIT OF… by Courtney Milan
What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually.
They attempted to kill each other the first time they met.They’re liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they’re inexplicably sharing.They are not falling in love with each other.They are not falling in love with each other.They are… Oh, no.
THAT COULD BE ENOUGH by Alyssa Cole
Mercy Stiel knows the best thing to do with pesky feelings like “love” and “hope”: avoid them at all cost. Serving as a maid to Eliza Hamilton, and an assistant in the woman’s stubborn desire to preserve her late husband’s legacy, has driven that point home for Mercy — as have her own previous heartbreaks.
When Andromeda Broadnax shows up at Hamilton Grange for an interview in her grandfather’s stead, Mercy’s resolution to live a quiet, pain-free life is tested by the beautiful, flirtatious, and entirely overwhelming dressmaker.
Andromeda has staid Mercy reconsidering her world view, but neither is prepared for love — or for what happens when it’s not enough.


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The Promised Land by Rose Lerner


Ms. Lerner was the only one of the three authors that I had never heard of before picking up this anthology, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this particular novella, especially considering the cross-dressing aspect of it. I know this is something of a mainstay of the romance genre, but I haven’t actually encountered it before, so I didn’t know what to make of the fact that the main character was successfully pretending to be a man. It takes a lot to get me to try something as cliched as the cross-dressing trope. To my surprise, I enjoyed this immensely.
The relationship between Rachel and Nathan was a lot of fun (even without Rachel pretending to be a man). I loved watching them try to figure each other out after not seeing each other for five years. These were people who knew each other completely, or at least they thought they did, and now they’re having to reevaluate what they knew. Ms. Lerner did an outstanding job of making you understand their confusion over their current situation and what brought them there.
What I liked the most about this installment was learning Rachel’s reasons for wanting to fight in the Revolution. In school, we’re taught one thing — the British government was tyrannous and the American colonists wanted their freedom. No one ever talks about why individual people wanted to fight. Sure, some of them did it because of the collective anger over The Stamp Act, but not everyone did. I found particular significance in Rachel’s reasons as a Jewish woman fighting to start a brand new country. Not growing up Jewish and learning the standard, white Christian history, I was unaware of the fact that Jewish people were not in fact citizens of any country in the world until the United States gave citizenship to them. I knew that anti-semitism was rampant for much of history (and sadly is seeing a resurgance thanks to a certain orange asshole currently taking up residence in the White House), but it had never occured to me that members of the Jewish faith could not become citizens unless they converted to The Church of England. It makes me wonder how many people decided to join the Continental Army in the hopes of finally having a country that would accept them.
5 Stars
The Pursuit of… by Courtney Milan


When I finished reading The Pursuit of…, I tweeted out that I need to come up with a new rating system because this novella deserves a higher rating than 5 stars out of 5. I spent an entire night reading this and would do it again in a heartbeat. I loved the fact that a novella successfully depicted a slow burn romance between two characters who had not met prior to the start of the story. I have mad respect (do people still say this?) for Ms. Milan’s ability to do this because it is not easy. Establishing characters and a relationship that ends in a satisfying manner in under 200 pages takes skill, and not everyone has that skill. What especially struck me was that not only did she manage this, but she managed it with characters that were not inclined to trust each other — a white, Bristish military officer and a former slave fighting in the Continental Army.
As with The Promised Land, The Pursuit of… also taught me things that I never would have learned in a traditional classroom. For instance, I did not know that the Rhode Island Regiment allowed slaves their freedom if they fought. No one ever thinks about the role of slaves in the Revolution. There we were fighting for the idea that “all men are created equal” while at the same time the very person who wrote that line owned people. What hypocrites our founding fathers were. While this was not news to me, having spent enough time in American history classes in both high school and college, but it really hit me when reading the passages from John’s point of view. The conversation between him and Henry regarding the Declaration of Independence gave me goosebumps. More books should do this.
All the Stars (okay for simplicity’s sake, 5 Stars)
That Would Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
I wish I could say that I liked this as much as the other two novellas, but I can’t. I had a hard time connecting with either of the heroines and frankly, I thought that Andromeda was a bit of a creepy stalker. She was obviously the man in this relationship and the alpha characteristics that I hate in male characters, I liked even less in her. For what it is worth, I did enjoy the depiction of a successful woman of color in the Early 19th Century, but what was supposed to come off as confidence in herself felt more like cockiness than anything else. If she were a man, people would probably call what she had swagger, a term that for me equals arrogance.
Mercy was less of an issue for me, so I liked her more than Andromeda, but not much. If Andromeda was full of cocky arrogance, Mercy was the total opposite. Because of things that happened to her in the past, she had zero confidence in herself, especially when it came to dealing with emotions. She was burned really badly be someone she trusted and so she didn’t think she was capable of dealing with romantic love. This kind of backstory would have been handled better had it been given its own, full-length novel. Unfortunately, given the limitations of a novella, Mercy’s issues were wrapped up far too quickly.
That Would Be Enough was not all bad, though. I loved the interactions between Mercy and the Hamilton family (Eliza and her daughter Angelica — not to be confused with her sister, Angelica). If there is one thing I hope, it is that Eliza Hamilton was as accepting as she was depicted here. Based on what we learn at the end of Hamilton, we know that she was an abolitionist, but expecting someone born around the time of The Seven Years War (1756–1763) to accept a romantic and sexual relationship between two women might be a bit much, no matter how progressive she was.
3 Stars


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I don’t remember the last time I read an anthology that I loved as much as i did Hamilton’s Battalion. For the most part, anthologies tend to have one good novella and two or three meh novellas, all of which I’ll have forgotten almost immediately. I finished this book more than a week ago and even not being totally impressed by That Would Be Enough, I haven’t forgotten a single thing about it. If these three authors decided to write a new anthology every year, I would gladly throw my money at them.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

What a cute and great book with three amazing stories! I haven’t read a historical romance anthology before and I was not disappointed. Also I haven’t read anything from these authors before but I know all my friends LOVE them and I can totally now see why. It won’t be the last time I read something from Rose, Courtney or Alyssa.

Although I haven’t seen the Hamilton show or read/seen much of it, I was still completely fascinated with everything Rose, Courtney, and Alyssa wrote. Also I have a weakness for historical romances, so even though I don’t know much about Hamilton, I still enjoyed this anthology A LOT. I loved how under-represented (Black people, Jewish people, LGBTQIA+ people) groups got a voice instead of being ignored, like they have been throughout history mostly.

The first story (Promised Land) is by Rose Lerner, which focuses on the Jewish Rachel who faked her own death to escape her husband, Nathan, (who is also Jewish) to join the army and go to war. I loved this story. Although I must admit it was a little hard for me to get into in the beginning because I get easily confused… but once I understood what was going on, I LOVED IT. Rachel and Nathan’s relationship was something I really adored. Rose did a great job on portraying a second chance romance.

The second story (The Pursuit of…) is by Courtney Milan, which focuses on two men, John and Henry, who were fighting on different sides in the war (one on the American side and one on the British side). After the war, John returns to his family and Henry goes with him because John spared his life during the war. This m/m story was so cute and I was grinning a lot throughout the story. I won’t ever forget John and Henry. Thank you Courtney for this cute story.

The last story (That Could Be Enough) is by Alyssa Cole, which focuses on Mercy, who is Eliza Hamilton’s assistant, and Andromeda, who is a dressmaker who comes to share a story to Eliza Hamilton. This f/f story with black women was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I even think this was my favorite of all of the stories – and I loved the other two a lot too. The connection Mercy and Andromeda had was the cutest and I really feel like they were the perfect match for each other.

You love Hamilton? Read this book. You love historical romances? Read this book. You love these authors? Read this book. You love books? READ THIS BOOK. It’s beautiful.

I found these romance novellas very satisfying as romances, and loved the collection as a whole. Each of the stories was very high quality, which is rare in my experience of novella collections, though not surprising given the tremendous talents involved. I really appreciated that this collection was cross orientation; it was amazing to read these stories as connected to each other.

I read this on the strength of the authors, not for the concept in particular. I haven't seen Hamilton, read the books or listened to the music, so I can't speak to how satisfying this might be to Hamilton fans.

Promised Land by Rose Lerner (m/f; heroine is crossdressing for the bulk of the story)

I really enjoyed this; it was my first book by this author, who I have been wanting to read for some time. I fell very hard for both the main characters, who were drawn incredibly deeply and beautifully. The romance arc was complex and lovely, and it was so deeply Jewish in a way that just made me so happy as a Jewish reader. I liked that the MCs had very different relationships to Judaism, and complex Jewish identities. I liked the hero's arc especially, the way he came to realize how he had been moving from privilege and selfishness and hadn't seen his wife as clearly as he thought he had. This novella didn't fall into most of the common cissexist tropes that often occur with crossdressing stories, which I was glad for. It made it safer for me, as a trans reader. With one notable exception: Promised Land does have a potential peril of a gender reveal scene, with discussion of looking at genitalia. It's handled fairly well, and there is no naked reveal moment. I do wish that it had not gone this route, which seemed mainly to point out misogyny and to raise the stakes. (And perhaps because it's an expected element of a crossdressing story.) I'd really love it if there were crossdressing stories that did not include these scenes at all.

In Pursuit Of... by Courtney Milan (m/m)

This lovely. I enjoyed it a lot. All the hallmarks of my favorite Courtney Milan romances: amazing sparky beginning, great chemistry, deeply nuanced characterization, wonderful dialogue and language, a conflict that seems almost impossible to resolve, and a very satisfying romance arc. The first half of this novella was totally the best thing about a truly terrible day. I read Henry as having ADHD, and appreciated this characterization, which felt complex and like so much of it was about coming to self acceptance and unpacking the ableist messages he'd been raised with. I love how cheese plays into this story, the way that it shifted into an epistolary romance, how the white MC isn't let off the hook for his complicity with white supremacy, the way the story held the complexity of John's feelings about the U.S., and his relationship with his family. It doesn't handwave things away or try to make them simple or easy, which I really appreciated, especially given the timing of this book and the current state of the U.S.

That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole

I loved this story so much; it was my personal favorite in the collection, and one of my favorite f/f books, period. I fell really hard for Mercy, who tried so hard to protect herself from pain, had such intense emotional armor. I loved watching her slowly build trust and connection and let herself feel. It was gorgeous to witness, and I really felt that Andromeda was such a good match for her. I was rooting for them so much as a couple. I really enjoyed the way letters were woven into the story; I love epistolary romances, and this one was so satisfying. I liked Andromeda very much, and loved the way she thought through design in the story, that aspect of her characterization was wonderful. This was a beautiful romance to close the book on; I liked the way it wove in the other two stories.

Overall, this collection was wonderful, and I am so glad I read it. I know it was the first m/m for Milan, and the first f/f for Cole, and I hope they continue to write in those subgenres. The collection as a whole felt very connected and was extremely strong. I loved how each of the stories centered marginalized characters in a historical period that often is portrayed as extremely white, heterosexual and gentile. This collection of historical romances does that in a way that's deeply political and timely, raising questions about freedom and white supremacy that are very relevant today. It also offers incredibly satisfying romances that are intensely compelling and hit me right in the feels. It balances these things beautifully, and that is no small feat.

Trigger Warnings:

Promised Land
Descriptions of battle, MCs lives in peril, imprisonment, references to marriage that began with elements of coercion, misogyny, threats of a gender reveal via nakedness.

In Pursuit Of...
Descriptions of battle, MCs lives in peril, injury in battle, threats of racist violence, internalized and external ableism, racism, white MC unlearning white supremacy, descriptions of enslavement, queer hatred, descriptions of child physical and psychological abuse, family members in peril.

That Could Be Enough
Queer hatred, dissociation, misogyny.

When I first heard about this book, I was so excited to read it, mainly because it contained stories written by Alyssa Cole, Rose Lerner and Courtney Milan. Also, as a child, I became an admirer of Alexander Hamilton, mostly because, to my juvenile, pre-teen mind, he figured as the cutest founding father and Oh, yeah! he participated in a most dashingly dangerous duel. But I have not seen Hamilton the musical.

Anyway, then the book showed up on Netgalley and I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC. I’m still pretty thrilled about that.

These three novellas are linked to each other through Alexander Hamilton. They also all took place around the same time and place in American history. Essentially the characters in this book were all with Hamilton at, or related to someone who was at, the siege of Yorktown. Years later, his widow Elizabeth Hamilton is collecting and documenting their memories of Alexander.

The first story was <i> Promised Land</i> by Rose Lerner, featuring what is just about my favorite trope, a woman disguising herself as a man in order to achieve a job or position that would otherwise be denied to her as a woman. Rachel has strong ideas about her destiny, and the possible future of the nation that she is fighting to help establish. She’s hiding her womanly womaness, and serving bravely and effectively as a corporal in the continental army. During the war. In combat. On the front lines. Constantly avoiding any and all situations that may expose her gender. Things are pretty complicated for Rachel.

Enter Nathan, her former love, who she remembers as being loyal to the crown, and immediately denounces as a spy. Nathan remembers Rachel quite vividly, and also remembers that she 'died' several years earlier. They are both Jewish, but with different levels of adherence to the tenets and rules of the religion. There are all types of lusty feelings flying about. Things get even more complicated.

<spoiler> I loved that it was a second chance love story, showing how they both had developed into more complex people. I liked that they had several differences to work out. There was so much conflict between the hero and heroine. They had to to overcome different political loyalties, her faking her death, the disparity in their religious devotion, strong physical attraction to each other, yearning to have children, wanting to be full citizens of the new republic, AND dealing with his mother. And all this while being in the middle of a war.

Her insistence on calling him out as a spy showed the depth of faith to the cause, or perhaps an inability to resist reconnecting with him, although if it were only that, she would have waylaid him secretly. But she was willing to give up her secret of in order to protect the army.
</spoiler>

Beautiful and evocative. I loved Rachel and Nathan, and their story, and read right through to the conclusion. <spoiler>The flash-forward passages in the narrative showed bits of their life a great many years after the war, which was quite reassuring given the grave tone of the writing.</spoiler>

<i>In Pursuit of…</i> by Courtney Milan was the second story, and began at Yorktown, with a surreal cute meet, the best that I have read in years. It then turns into a journey story, as John must return home to his family after the war and Henry decides to travel with him, in part as repayment for John sparing his life.

I found this story to be the lightest and most humorous, which is odd considering it is a m/m, inter-racial love story set about 250 years ago, when ‘all men created equal’ clearly did not mean that all men were created equal. <spoiler> I was nervous for their safety during the encounter with the two yokels. It is sad how John expects the worst of people because that has been the only way he has experienced people to be. </spoiler> And yet still, the story was often pretty hilarious.

The balance between serious, taciturn John and ridiculous, garrulous Henry was entertaining. I liked this couple the best, especially the slow emergence of their feelings. I was really invested in their story, hoping that they would have a wonderful future together. <spoiler>The extended ending sequence was just what I needed. I needed to know that they would be fine and have a happy future together. I really needed that. </spoiler>

<i>That Could Be Enough</i> by Alyssa Cole
At the end of John and Henry’s story, we meet Mercy Alston. She works as a scribe for Elizabeth Hamilton. Her duties seem to cross over into the companion zone for Elizabeth and one of her daughters, Angelica. Mercy is very tightly-wound and sensitive, with an extremely artistic side that she meticulously hides. There are reasons.

Rather different than the hilarious meet cute of John and Henry, this one is replete with golden light and fireworks. Andromeda Stiel makes her entrance, gloriously and unexpectedly. Mercy’s (and our) first impression of her is of a magnificent force of nature. Andromeda makes an instant impact, all beauty, strength, assurance, and interest. It is safe to say that by this point I am already in love with Andromeda. Mercy takes a little longer to work through her feelings.

Andromeda is a dressmaker with a successful business, and is well-respected in the community, and by everyone she knows. She knows what she wants and works towards it. Mercy thinks a lot. About everything. She has issues communicating, which makes getting close to her difficult.

I liked the two very strong, very different women, but felt that the misunderstanding at the end could have been resolved with some plain speaking. That would absolutely NOT be in Mercy’s nature, though. Mercy needs to work on her verbal communication skills. <spoiler> She does get there in the end, after a few false starts, and really is quite endearing. </spoiler>

In short, loved the story, loved Andromeda, and am wishing for a graphic novel version on account of the description of the dresses and settings.

While the three novellas had distinctly different characters and conflicts, there was a strong feeling of hope, and faith in the country’s potential. Though there were challenges and inequality, and a few contemptibly despicable men, these characters lived and loved valiantly.

All three novellas had great characters, great meetings / introductions, and the couples just felt right for each other. <spoiler> Each story had one believable, detailed love scene, that enhanced the story, and did not distract from the emotional bonding. </spoiler>

It feels like the authors took strength and inspiration from each other to make the novellas better and more cohesive. The length was perfect - not too short. I felt satisfied with how each concluded. Each author’s afterword was fascinating, and I appreciated the references that were cited there. The attention to historical detail and the research was outstanding, and did not overwhelm the storytelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Highly recommended.

"Hamilton's Battalions" is a trio of romance novellas that pay homage to the spirit of "Hamilton: the musical." Diversity and inclusiveness are celebrated in each of the three romances. Some will appreciate the collection for its openness to same-sex romance and to characters that challenge traditional gender roles (one of the heroines has disguised herself as a man to fight with the Colonial Army).

Others, however, will have problems with the lack of fidelity to historical reality. The problem is that while characters challenge strongly held ideas about gender and sexuality, the genre of romance demands a happy ending, and that happy resolution comes far too quickly and easily to be believable in the context of the American Revolution. While a full-length novel may have provided more room for the development and resolution of complexities, a novella is much more restricted.

For those willing to suspend disbelief and imagine an American past in which tolerance is easily won, the book may satisfy. For those who are more aware of the actual prejudices that worked against happy endings, these novellas may appear far-fetched and glib in their treatment of diversity in America.

4.5 stars. This is a really fantastic, delightful, and sexy collection of novellas. I especially love how inclusive the stories are (a Jewish woman who faked her death to fight as a man unexpectedly meets her ex-husband again, an inter-racial road trip romance between a black revolutionary solider and a white British deserter, and a black poet working as a housemaid who falls in love with a black female entrepreneur). The novellas centre on the Revolutionary War, with the framing of Eliza Hamilton collecting unheard stories from people who knew Alexander Hamilton. While the resolution of the romances is sometimes abrupt (a common issue in novellas), overall these are engrossing, satisfying, and thoroughly romantic novellas that will keep you warm to your toes.

A trio of Revolutionary War novellas by three romance superstars featuring diverse characters? You better believe I almost broke my computer with my enthusiastic request to netgalley. I was not disappointed. I loved historical romance but I was ready for a break from regency England. A change of scenery is refreshing, the change in perspective makes it a million times better.

The three novellas are very different from each other and I will admit I liked one less than the other two but I still liked it well enough. It just had the misfortune to have to stand next to much stronger stories.

I really recommend this book to every romance reader and I hope that it does so well that it spawns a slew of similar books about diverse American stories.

This is an original concept for an anthology: Alexander Hamilton's wife, Eliza, collects the stories of the men who served under her husband at the Battle of Yorktown, and spin those stories into romances. All of these stories are unconventional.

In Promised Land by Rose Lerner, a young Jewish wife flees her husband to fight as a man in the Revolutionary War. After years living as Ezra, her husband stumbles into her camp a prisoner and a spy. They slowly find their way to a relationship that is more genuine than the marriage she abandoned. They story is sincere, but a little ahistorical. Jews in New York during Colonial times were much more likely to be Ladino speaking Ashkenazi, rather than the Yiddish-speaking Poles in the story. Still, The complex connection Rachel and Nathan build is genuine.

The protagonists in The Pursuit of... by Courtney Milan start the story off in hand-to-hand combat. They spend a great deal of the story at odds, as British deserter Henry insists on accompanying former slave John on a trek to find John's family. When their relationship turns romantic, it's clear to both of them that it' can't be permanent. How they come together, and eventually make a life together, in a wholly original story with a solid emotional core.

The last story in the book, That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole, focuses not on Hamilton's troops, but on the servant who helps Eliza Hamilton record their stories. Mercy has been burned by previous relationships with women, but is struck by Andromeda Stiel, who comes to tell her grandfather's story of his time serving under Hamilton. Andromeda pursues Mercy deftly and forthrightly. It is a pleasure to watch her work, and to watch Mercy gradually yield to Andromeda's attentions.

These stories all hang together as a group, with characters in one story also appearing in another, in a way that does not feel forced. Each story has its own tone and tenor. There is a sense that these are just three of many more narratives that could be drawn from this source.

This was magnificent. All three romances have clear voices and a wonderful romance. I was laughing on the train reading this, and holding back tears as well. You don't need to know anything about Hamilton, or care about the musical to love the historical romances crafted in these pages. They stand on their own as triumphant voices from people who don't often get happy romance stories in this time period.

While anything by Milan is an instant purchase and read by me, and I had just learned how delightful Cole's writing is, I'm pleased to also find a new author in Lerner.

Hamilton's Battalion is a collection of three romances that take place during Hamilton's time. It would take me too long to recap but if you're a fan of swoony romances that feature compelling characters and Hamilton, I highly recommend this collection.

While the authors in this collection were all new-to-me, I utterly adored the stories and the writing and I can't wait to pick up some of their backlist titles. The romances were all wonderful and I definitely teared up at some points. I was so invested in all of the characters and I loved seeing the small ways the stories all connected.

Overall, Hamilton's Battalion was an utterly wonderful diverse collection of 3 short novellas that were all super swoony and definitely well-written. I highly recommend it!

Positive things first: 3 authors that are famous for their social commitment have found a clever way to surf the Hamilton wave and create a common frame to deliver 3 well written historical romances filled with interesting issues about feminism, role of minorities in the forging of the USA as a nation, same-sex relationships, racial issues, etc. so if you like your chick lit to be something more than just a few hours escapism, this is your read. Plus the Hamilton/Turn touch, however very light, does not hurt.

The down side of this very challenging endeavour is that it sometimes sounds more like a political pamphlet than a romance anthology, with the overlapping of multiple issues (e.g. Judaism AND feminism, racial issues AND same-sex relationships) being a bit overwhelming for such short stories, however well structured. Furthermore, readers with more traditional tastes may not wish to buy a book where two thirds of the pages they pay for are dedicated to same-sex romances, which represent 2 out of the 3 stories in the collection. At least the present blurb is honest in that respect and everyone can make their informed choice.