Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy of The secret wife of Aaron Burr. Inspired by a woman and events forgotten by history, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott weaves together carefully researched fact and fiction to tell the story of Mary Emmons, and the place she held in the life--and the heart--of the notorious Aaron Burr. This however is not a romantic love story, Mary, born in India, and sold into slavery, she is brought to the United States the slave of a French woman, and then sold to husband of Theodosia Prevost. where she learns about freedom amidst the beginning of the American revolution. She falls in love with Lucas Emmons, a former slave, now free who is fighting for the Patriots, and while they make a commitment to marriage, he is denied when he tries to buy Mary's freedom and is killed before trying again. Theodosia begins an affair with Aaron Burr while her husband has been away for years, and after his death marries him and this changes the life Mary forever. My personal opinion on this book; I enjoyed it; the characters of Mary and even Theodosia were strong women ; Theodosia played both sides of the fence to keep her home and family safe while having no husband to back her up -- even if I didnt like her character, that says something to me. Mary, was truly a remarkable woman; to be a child ripped from her homeland, then witness to the death those closest to her while crossing the ocean; being attack, then whipped just for defending herself. Learning to read and write by herself with minimal help. Standing up for herself and her two children, she was one remarkable woman. But I dont consider this a romance, but historical fiction.

I was drawn to this book’s cover. I thought this book was well written and well researched. It’s kinda a long book but it kept me glued to it from page one. I liked Mary and her story and couldn’t help but feel sadness at parts of her life. Now Aaron Burr might have gotten what he deserved. If you like historical fiction this one is definitely for you. Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

There are only a few books that I have given 5 stars to, and I am proud to say that this book is one of them! This history nerd LOVED this book! It was so meticulously researched and it showed throughout the whole book. This is definitely a historical fiction book, but based on historical fact. And as much as I loved reading about this time period, what I enjoyed most was how the author made you feel as you were in the story. I was totally sucked into this world, so much so that I could hear, see and feel everything that Mary felt. The anguish, the sadness, the fear, every emotion leapt off the pages and kept me up late many nights, past my bedtime. It also left me weepy, many times. Those that enjoy historical fiction will enjoy this book, I know I did.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! It is a beautifully written story about the life of Mary Emmons and her time as a slave and then a free woman. Through her eyes, we see the cruel world of slavery and its unrelenting hardships it placed on the people forced into slavery. I am so thankful Susan Halloway Scott wrote Mary Emmons' story as she was a historical figure I wasn't familiar with. I learned she was a strong woman who survived and flourished even in the most difficult circumstances. I highly recommend The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr.

Absolutely wonderful historical fiction.Real history woven with fiction to capture the reader.
I’m Indian and was thrilled to read about Mary Emmons.Not a lot of books talk about slavery in India but this book touched on it.
Loved the look into Aaron Burr as a person and not just the villain.
Lots of research went into this impressive book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an ARC

I was transfixed by The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott. This beautifully written historical novel portrays the life of slaves and their masters in the late 1700's in America. I was drawn to the true story of the relationship between Aaron Burr and his wife's slave, a courageous and intelligent woman who responded to her situation with honesty and dignity. I highly recommend this book!

I loved this book! I was hesitant to read about Aaron Burr because I am such a Hamilton fan, however, I actually really enjoyed learning about Burr. There is a lot of historical detail in the book which I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed reading about the politics of the time from the perspective of Burr and his party. Like I said, most of what I have read has been focused on Hamilton and his politics. By far my favorite part of the book was the character of Mary Emmons. Her story is absolutely fascinating. I had no idea she existed. I didn’t know that men and women from India were sold into slavery and brought to the US. And I also didn’t know that Mary married Aaron Burr and had children by Him. I read the book without really knowing anything and that added to the suspense of wondering what would happen to Mary and her relationship with Burr. I love that the title leads the reader to think the secret wife is Theodosia, but in reality, it is referring to Mary. On top of all these things that I loved about the book, the writing is fantastic! Scott has the amazing ability to bring history to life without boring the reader and I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans and anyone who just wants to read a fascinating story!

Well researched. I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed learning more about Mary Emmons. I googled to get more information about some of the people mentioned in the story.

This historical novel was very long. The chapters were very long too!

“The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr” by Susan Holloway Scott
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Kensington Books
Pub. Date: September 24, 2019

Susan Holloway Scott has written a well researched, epic tear-jerker novel that was inspired by a real-life enslaved woman, Mary Emmons. You will not find her in the many biographies of Aaron Burr. She has been forgotten by history. The author weaves together fact and fiction to tell her story and that of the American Revolution. The story is told through Emmons’ voice to highlight the cruelty and hypocrisy of the founding fathers. They fought for liberty and freedom while they owned slaves and continued to own slaves even after they won their freedom from the English.

This is not your typical slave story of life on a big plantation. We meet Mary when she is a child in India. At the age of eight, her uncle sells her to a mistress who lives in the American colonies. Her owner is unbearably cruel. Holloway Scott’s writing will make you cringe for the child. She is whipped many times and wore a collar around her neck worthy of any instrument of torture. She is then bought by the husband of Theodosia Provost of New Jersey. When Theodosia husband dies she later marries Aaron Burr. Mary is very bright and since she is brought to the American colonies on the eve of revolution she becomes politically astute by reading the newspapers. She is taught to read by a black freeman friend who will later become more to her than a friend. The love scenes between them are tender, sweet and sad as she is not a free woman. This is when she sides with the Patriots (revolutionaries) over the Loyalist (those siding with the English), because she longs for her own freedom believing their promise that if they win then all blacks will be free. The author doesn’t use the term Jim Crow since it wasn’t coined yet. Still, it is explained expertly in her story.

The reader will learn so much more about Burr then what most remember of him: the duel that killed his rival Alexander Hamilton and ended Burr’s political career. The author shows as many sides of Burr’s as she could find. This reviewer appreciated the many pages of endnotes. Burr was a very interesting man—loving, determined, unbending and most of all commanding. Holloway Scott also gives us much detail regarding the two children that he and Mary had together. The reason for this is that the author found more facts on them than she could find on their mother. Of course, the author takes liberties in Mary and Burr relationship. There’s was a complicated relationship. He was her master and she was his slave. They loved one another in a way that is hard to understand. One immediately thinks of Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with Sally Hemings, his slave mistress of forty years. The author does a good job of showing how Mary and Aaron loved one another without minimizing the imbalance of power.

If you enjoy romance in your history—maybe a tad too much for those who do not—you will enjoy “Secret Wife.” But make no mistake, you will also feel as if you were part of the American Revolution, getting more than a glimpse into the personalities of the famous men behind the Boston Tea Party. You may also chuckle at these constantly bickering men who drafted the Constitution. They can remind you of current times in the White House.

The sign of a great historical novel is the seamless interweaving of fact and fiction. Susan Holloway Scott succeeds by that count in spades in her work, "The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr". I found myself wondering several times as I read what was factual history and what was purely the author's imagination. I also love that she's taken a character that is nearly forgotten from history and filled in her background, given her a voice. It was also interesting to see Aaron Burr from a different perspective.

The beginning of this story was especially hard to read, depicting the realities of slavery in all its horror. Sensitive readers will want to be aware of that.

I really enjoyed the life of Mary Emmons, but let's talk about Aaron Burr. My loyalty to the Hamiltons especially Eliza just cannot like him. But I digress....


A sweeping historical The Secret Life of Aaron Burr takes readers from India to Saint-Domingue and finally to the Thirteen Colonies. Susan Holloway Scott unravels the little told story of a woman whose descendants had a tremendous impact on the American nation.

Scott didn't have a lot of written information about Mary, but she creates a rich novel about a very strong woman. A good candidate for a bookclub


Goodreads review published 10/09/19
Publication Date 24/09/19

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensinggton Books for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a solid 4.5 star historical fiction story about Mary Emmons, which history knows little about, and Aaron Burr, who we often do not hear or read about! I love historical fiction and I was so excited to find something that wasn't about the other common Founding Fathers that we always hear about.

Author Susan Holloway Scott really brought Mary Emmons to life. There was so many details and such great character development that it was impossible not to feel what Mary's character was feeling. I was so invested in the book and in Mary's outcome. It was nearly impossible to put the book down because I needed to know what would be of her next.

I also enjoyed the depiction of what life was like for women (the rich and the slaves) in America before, during, and after the war. Although this story was about a woman who was a slave for a large part of her life, it showed the strength and power that she had and the limitations that she was able to overcome. She was a survivor.
I loved Theodosa as well. She also represented the strength and influence that the wives of important, political man had. Every interaction, every friendship, every gift was a means to an end.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Susan Holloway Scott did a marvelous job bringing Mary Emmons to life.

I am feeling rather ambivalent toward The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott. I can't quite put my finger on the reason or reasons why. It has many of the ingredients that books I love have in common: historical characters and events, chances to see behind the scenes, a story that continues over many years. So why did it take me so long to read it? I usually finish a book of this length within 2 and rarely 3 days; this book was perhaps nearly a week. Often I found myself with some time I could use for reading and I chose another activity. This is a very rare of occurrence. I have wondered about this. Could it be the characters and how they were written? The subject matter? Maybe. The characters are well described, the main characters in detail while the subject is disturbing.

I found the main character's story both sad and disturbing yet there is a strength and resilience in her that must not be forgotten. I'm not sure how to address her, should I refer to her as Veeya as that is her first name and the one given her by her family, likely her grandmother who may have been the only one to love her solely for herself? Well that may not be true, Lucas loved her but he knew the woman she had become after much hardship. I believe he may have loved her if she had not experienced what she had but then, of course, she would have still been in India and they would never had met. Should I refer to her as Marie or Mary? Both "slave names"? In the book, when asked,she tells someone to call her Mary, so I will honor the characters wishes.

This book deals with many disturbing issues and does an admirable job of conveying the anguish of Mary's plight. From birth it seems that she is both wanted and unwanted. People want the results of her work but don't value her as a person, in fact, she is not seen as a person but as a commodity. This first portion of the book deals with her life pre-Aaron Burr, the second is of her life once she encounters him, the third and smallest portion is post-Aaron Burr with a very welcome section detailing actual facts of her life and those of her children and grandchildren.

I've written this section of my review several times and still don't think I've got it right... The "relationship" or "friendship", as Burr refers to it in the book, is so very complicated and conflicted. It is a difficult situation to be sure given that Mary is a slave and he is a rapist. There is no other word for it regardless how society at that time looked upon it. Even before he raped her, he wielded his power over her, from the first time they spoke when he arrived at the Prevost's home, the back garden when she brought him the cream of tartar and vinegar and he put his hand on her bottom. He continually showed her by words and deeds that he was the one with the power. I don't think it was by accident but by design and I also think that it was a commonplace occurrence during that time in history. I don't know if it was common at all for the victim to begin to have feelings for the rapist, perhaps it is a form of Stockholm Syndrome. What I do know that it may be a reason I was not in the mood to read.

Sometimes there seemed to be a modern tone to the book, perhaps that contributed also to my reluctance at times to pick up the book. It may just be my reaction or interpretation of things. Certainly as both Mary and Burr were unusual people to the times, their conversations and attitudes could be unusual as well. It seemed that there were multiple versions of Burr; the creep, the politician who was ahead of his times, the academic, the fool (as far as investments and what people would say and do regarding his secret family), the loving father, and probably more I haven't listed. All of us are many things, we just aren't famous enough to be noted in history. In contrast Mary appeared less faceted. That may be because as it is her story and her book, we see everything through her eyes and feel it through her heart. We know how she thinks and feels because she tells us, there is no filter. Our impressions of others are through her lens and we have her opinions and feelings to inform us and influence our opinions and feelings. I don't mean to imply she is less of a person or character than Burr or others but that we become Mary, we are allowed to inhabit her in a way because the author lets us in. Her writing skill is such that we the reader feel as if the things that happen to Mary are happening to us. We feel Mary's fear, her distress, etc. I don't mean to take away from Mary's experiences, too much has been taken from her. Mary's tale, her life begans with sorrow and pain, much of it continues with sadness and pain but it has a dignity and strength in it and it ends in that manner.

Since little is known about Mary Emmons Burr, the author has created a fascinating story rich in history. The life of Mary and her thoughts are so realistic that it seems to be an autobiography. I loved the author's note with the additional information about Mary's children and grandchildren. Recommended!

I will admit the only thing I knew about Aaron Burr is the duel with Alexander Hamilton. I learned a lot about the man and his women; his wife, Theodosia and her maid, Mary Emmons. After the death of Theodosia, Burr has an affair with Mary. Mary has a front row seat to the making of our country to the Revolutionary War. I love Mary and how strong she was while trying to gain her freedom. I am actually about to read this book again to see if I missed anything.

Finally... a story NOT about Hamilton! I found Aaron Burr to be just as nasty and scandalous as Hamilton, but at least he hasn’t been fawned over with musicals and novels galore. Scott writes his character well- a vile and selfish ass who felt entitled to everything, even his wife’s slave, Mary. Regardless, I liked Mary’s character and enjoyed the story.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

The Secret Life of AAron Burr fills you in on a little known woman in Colonial history. Mary Emmons was sold into slavery at the age of 8 in her native India. As she grows up, the story shares the abuses and injustices done to slaves in the early days of our country, By the time Mary Emmons meets Aaron Burr, he is a soldier, fighting for America. Mary shares her story with Aaron Burr with us from her first meeting with him, his marriage to her widowed mistress, his life in the law, politics and government of a new country as well as her story of their relationship and the freedom she and her children were given when Burr's wife died. The author, Susan Holloway Scott, lets you know this is a work of fiction based on the facts she found about the second wife of the infamous man in our country's history. The story kept me engrossed and I enjoyed learning more about the man who is most well known for his duel resulting in A;Alexander Hamilton's death as well as his forays into the politics and early government of our country. This book is well worth the read and I think you will enjoy it for the story as well as the history of the early days in our country.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read and review this book.

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott is a fantastic historical fiction read that creates a story surrounding a stunning woman that history knows very little about. Mary Burr (as I will call her for simplifying the review) was an enigma. The author did a fabulous job honoring this strong, resilient, intelligent, and preserving woman. Mary was flawed and imperfect, while also honest to a fault. I think that is why I enjoyed this novel so much, is that the author was impressive in weaving her personality into what was known into a woman that any one of us could identify with.
There were so many things that I did not know about this time period, nor about some of the historical characters surrounding Aaron Burr(as well as Burr himself), and while this was mainly fiction and about Mary, the reader will learn a large amount of our nations history as well. I have already read a large amount concerning the abomination of slavery and slave trade, but it needs to be kept to the forefront of our thoughts so that we can never gloss over or forget what some of our fellow humans went through at the demands of others. It is important to remember to try to place a face and person with these names and never forget their lives, hopes, and resilience.
This is a great read, but definitely hard subject matter to go through, yet necessary for us all.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

This review is submitted to my GR account immediately and will be posted to my Amazon, Bookbub, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It wasn't for me. I felt it was dry. The author's extensive research was impressive, though. I was particularly impressed after reading the author's note at the end that explained much came from her imagination because so little is known about the eponymous secret wife. The details were impressive and the author clearly researched the time period exhaustively to create such a detailed story about an enigmatic person. But, I felt the story bogged down in the details, honestly. That's simply my preference in what I do feel is a well-done book. Would I recommend it to another reader? Yes and no. Yes, this book is an impressive effort with wonderful research and detail. No, I didn't find the flow to be that thrilling.