Susan Holloway Scott

"Nil tam difficile est quin quaerendo investigari possit."
"Nothing is so difficult but that it may be found out by seeking." -Terence-

This is not the usual plantation slave story. It is a story of a real and once free woman of great courage, industry, and determination who thirsts for knowledge and yearns for freedom. She survived torture, abuse, abandonment and great loss. Yet, she faced her many challenges with determination, fortitude and an element of grace. Or so we imagine through show more author Susan Holloway Scott's tremendous fictional account based on limited facts of the life of Marry Emmons - "The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr".

The amount of research which Ms. Scott must have gathered to find the few threads about Mrs. Emmons' life would have been daunting for most. Yet, in this wonderfully told tale, it is all spun together with imagined events and conversations to make the story appear brilliantly seamless. The historic events of the American Revolution provide a framework through which the stories are woven. We, the readers, greatly sense the anxiety, grief, despair and loss as well as occasional exuberance and joys of each of the characters. If this were only a fictional account, it would be an epic and satisfying story. The understanding that it is based on historic fact delivers a sense of gravitas and immense sadness regarding the people who had to endure such trials in life. Yet, in the end, there is the realization of dignity and immense hope.

Ms. Scott is a truly gifted storyteller and writer. She deftly writes in a way which draws out the compassion and empathy of the readers for the many various characters. We view the story through Mary Emmons' eyes which are keen and just, yet still hold compassion for those whom she serves. We observe Mary's herculean strength of spirit and we gladly celebrate her victories. This is a story which needed the telling and we are the richer for it.

I am grateful to author Susan Holloway Scott and publisher Kensington Books for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone. show less

Oh, how I do love a good Alex/Eliza historical romance. Buddy read this one with my mom! Yay, we both loved it! Two thumbs up! The execution was quite well done, with a good mix of history, romance between the two lovers, bits of individual character, details on the war, the economic crisis that followed, and the founding of the United States, and just really good pacing. I have such admiration for authors like Scott who can present long passages of historical fact, provide just enough show more wonderful bits of detail about hair powder, dress descriptions, passages about the terrible winter weather in New Jersey and the woes of the Continental Army not getting paid, and keep it fresh and entertaining chapter after chapter. This was masterfully done and managed to balance everything just right.

But the very best thing about this was the intense connection presented between Alex and Eliza. As we all know from history, Alexander Hamilton was a brilliant, passionate, but flawed man, and the book stayed true to that while still keeping the love story a love story. All in all, one of my favorite historical romances!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

Although the concept of the "angel in the house" refers to the Victorian ideal of a wife, the attributes recognized and lauded in such a paragon were espoused and looked for by men long before the label came into being. Isabella Bradford's Georgian set historical romance, When You Wish Upon a Duke, plays with both the idea of the proper angel in the house and the angel's counterpart in the bedroom.

Lady Charlotte Wylder is the eldest daughter of an Earl but she, her sisters, and her mother show more have lived in a remote house in Dorset since her father's early death. She has been able to grow up far from the strictures of proper society, running a bit wild and climbing trees. She vaguely remembers the deep and abiding love between her parents and on the rare occasions she thinks of her future, she hopes to find that too. When a solicitor arrives at Ransom Manor, Lady Charlotte discovers that her future has long been settled and now all she must do is to meet it. Her father and the late Duke of Marchbourne agreed to the marriage of their children when Charlotte was an infant and March, the current Duke, was all of eight. The impetuous, impulsive, but engaging Charlotte will be a Duchess, with all the propriety that entails.

The Duke of Marchebourne is a model of comportment. He is a bit of a stickler for appearance because he still suffers from the stain of his family's history. The first Duke of Marchbourne was the illegitimate son of the King and an actress. And March's father was an unrepentant and rapacious womanizer. So March does everything in his power to maintain decorum and bely not only his base origins but to not avoid behaving like his father. But even the proper March cannot wait until the officially set introduction to meet his prospective bride. Riding to intercept her carriage, he discovers his future wife high in the branches of a tree, rescuing her sister's cat, not exactly the place a future Duchess should be. March, misunderstanding the situation, climbs into the tree himself to rescue Charlotte and finds himself captivated by and definitely attracted to his future bride. From this unconventional meeting, blossoms a lusty courtship and a quick marriage. It is only after their marriage that March and Charlotte face struggles about how to behave both publically and privately with each other. And when each of them seeks advice about their difficulties, what they are told is all wrong.

Charlotte wants to behave with the decorum expected of a Duchess and a lady but privately she is unsatisfied and unhappy. March is worried that he is treating his young, eager to please wife like a lowborn whore rather than the angel in the house. And neither of them can bear to discuss their worries or desires with the other, leading to most of their misunderstandings and low level misery. The conflict between them is slight and they slide fairly easily from arranged marriage into an honest love for each other, so Bradford adds in a baddie and a not entirely necessary plot twist to create more tension between Charlotte and March.

The historical context here is wonderful and knowledgeably detailed. The internal struggle March faces seems to go on a bit long and it is hard to believe that his mentor, Brecon, was once married given the advice he offers his uncertain friend. It also does seem a tad odd that Charlotte is not comfortable talking about sex and pleasure with her husband but will approach her strict and proper Aunt Sophronia, with whom she has not previously had any relationship, to find answers. Quibbles aside, it was interesting to read a romance where the main characters not only liked each other from the start, had a sexual spark (or conflagration), but were also determined to be happy together and love each other rather than constantly sparring. show less

The author did a masterful job hear of exploring historical events through the eyes of an enslaved person using he scantest of known facts. Scott really helped me see the world through the eyes of someone who has no agency of their own but survives, and even thrives, despite her circumstances. It was also fascinating to see the life of Aaron Burr through Mary's eyes. I read the Chernow book about Hamilton and Burr is not cast in a favorable light there. He is drawn as the complex character show more he likely was here. Mary too is not without her faults and is shown to be a person of strengths and weaknesses. A very strong story that made me think. show less