Book of the Month: Alex and Eliza

Alex and Eliza

by Melissa de la Cruz

Blurb: Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.

1777. Albany, New York.

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.

Cover Review: Beautiful. It's simply designed, but obviously inspired by the Hamilton logo. The cover actually looks like it's made of brocade, which I thought was a great touch. So overall, gorgeous.

My Thoughts

First, allow me to say that I was over the moon when I heard about this book. I love Hamilton, so a Hamilton inspired book sounded amazing. I'm not normally a romance reader, but this book was an exception.

Me when I found out about this book

One thing you should know before I go on. This is not a retelling of Hamilton, the musical. It is an imagined story about Alex and Eliza's love story. I noticed lots of people on Goodreads were disappointed by this, so I thought I'd mention that now. Also, warning, this post will probably be full of Hamilton references.

Plot: The story timeline is a few years long, but most of the story takes place at the ball where the first meet, and the winter of 1779-1780. I thought it moved along nicely. The romance evolved beautifully and everything was just great.

One of my favorite things, however, was how clean it was. There was minimal cursing, since they didn't do that as much back then. Also, even though Alex and Eliza marry at the end, we don't get a sex scene. Eliza has a lewd suitor who forces himself on her, but Alex shows up before anything can happen. It was pretty clean overall.

Characters: I loved every character in this book (except Eliza's nasty suitor, but you're not supposed to like him). The banter between the main characters was witty and their personalities great. I especially liked that Eliza wasn't helpless, but a strong, independent woman. Her sisters, Angelica and Peggy, were also great.

World: I think Melissa did a good job writing in the time period of the story. I felt like I had stepped back in time to the Revolution. Her prose was also beautiful. She got to use words we don't get to any more, which helps to take you into the time period.

Other: This was just a great piece of historical fiction. I loved it. If you're anything like me, you'll want to listen to Hamilton while or after reading this book. To sum it up, I was quite satisfied with this book. You'll be back to read this one again and again. I read through it non-stop. Melissa didn't throw away her shot with this one. (Okay, I'll stop with the Hamilton references now. Probably.)

My Rating:

Let's talk! Have you read Alex and Eliza? What did you think? Tell me in the comments.