Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz by Marissa Posada

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Justification: This title was chosen because of the popularity of the Alexander Hamilton musical and it is written by a New York Times bestselling author. The musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton has been in the mainstream media and it is understandable that a novel on the romance aspect of the story would be popular as well. I am also a Hamilton fan and the chance to focus on the relationship between the couple was an opportunity that I could not let pass by. There is also the benefit that the story is related to our country's beginnings and works as a historical fiction novel as well. Overall this is a novel that can satisfy both the romance and historical fiction genres.

Evaluation: This story has examples of dialogue. The reader is able to get to know these characters better by what they say. We are able to see how the Schuyler sister see each other and how protective they are of Eliza. We are able to get a better understanding of the relationship between Eliza and her mother over their argument on which dress Eliza wears to the ball. A really good example is learning about Aunt Gertrude. It seems that Eliza's mother is not overly fond of the woman, but Aunt Gertrude looks out for Eliza in many ways. She even threatens the Governor of New Jersey with small pox for insulting Eliza's honor.

There is an example of drawing a line in the sand. The title of the book is Alex & Eliza, so obviously they would end up together. There is a part in the story where Eliza becomes engaged to another suitor at the behest of her mother. The Schuyler family seems to be in financial difficulty and Mrs. Schuyler needs her daughters to marry wealthy in order for the family to stay afloat. Eliza has just fallen in love with Alexander, when she is informed of the plans her mother and Mrs. Livingston have come up with. Eliza becomes engaged to Henry Livingston and is about to get married to the rake, when she is saved in the nick of time by Alexander. Thus Alexander and Eliza get married, as told by the title.

There are examples of figurative language. The famous British soldier John Andre makes an appearance in this story with his "rich chocolate-colored eyes." He was apparently so handsome Eliza thought she was "staring into a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds." Another example is the descriptions of John Laurens and Marquis de Lafayette. These two gentlemen were more "dashing specimen." Marquis de Lafayette had pale cheeks tinted rosy from the cold" and Laurens had a "crisp" blue jacket. All of these descriptions help to paint the picture of these historical men.

Response: This book relates to me in that I like the story of Alexander Hamilton. The musical has increased my fascination with American history. My views were not really challenged or changed by this text. I have not seen the Hamilton musical, but this story was able to fill in gaps from the songs. I really enjoyed this text as entertainment. It took me no time at all to read this book. Even knowing how the overall story would end, I still couldn't put the book down.

Conclusion: This book has examples of dialogue, drawing a line in the sand, and figurative language. This is a good book to help promote an interest in American history. I give this book four stars. I recommend this to anyone who likes romance books, and anyone having a hard time connecting to American History.

APA Citation: de la Cruz, M. (2017). Alex & Eliza: A love story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.