Interesting read about the family of one of our founding fathers. This book was a quick read and I chose to read it because of the Hamilton name. But I couldn't put the book down because of all the family drama. You need to read this book you won't regret it. This goes to show that we all have ghosts in our closets from our family.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
While Alexander Hamilton made his name as a Founding Father, I took for granted that his descendants would have a role in public life as well. But to learn about the story of Robert and Eva, and their story involving a con and a mysterious death proves that sometimes truth truly is stranger than fiction.

3.5 stars

A true crime case before true crime was a thing, and case reporting was in its infancy. The public was immediately gripped showing society’s fascination with crime cases had been happening since the beginning. After a day of socializing and drinking a woman stabs her friend what actually happened before, during, and after is a he said, she said, they said that gets played out in court. To make things more interesting the whole thing involves the descendant of a founding father only strengthening the public’s obsession with the case and all the drama surrounding it that involved for them just the murder including validity of her marriages, and paternity and even maternity of children. Vintage true crime is one of my favorite things because the things people were allowed to say, do, and get away with always blows my mind. This was really interesting and I liked watching all the court drama, and the events that followed play out.

*a copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Hamilton is a name the world has become familiar with due to American history and a particular play of the same name. This story is not about Alexander Hamilton but one of his heirs and their scandalous life. The book capitalizes on the current Hamilton trend and focuses on one of the lesser-known members of the family.

I enjoyed the book and all of the fascinating twists and turns. It's a historical soap opera! This could easily be made into an interesting documentary or movie.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. The Scandalous Hamiltons detailed the life of Robert Ray Hamilton (the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton) who was a member of the 400 Club that included the wealthiest families in the country and Eva Steele, a grifter, who Set her sights on Ray's money. In all probability, Ray met Eva in a whorehouse. She saw dollar signs and eventually convinced him to marry her. Everything about her was a sham. She claimed to have a baby, but instead bought one off the black market. The infant died because she neglected to feed the child--something I just can't forgive her for. She bought a second baby that also died. The third baby was blond and she didn't want it so she sent it back and purchased a fourth. She claimed that she gave birth to that child and tried to pass it off as Ray's. She duped him big time, but her grand plans unraveled when she stabbed the baby's nurse. From that day on, the Hamilton name appeared almost daily in newspapers across the country detailing the scandalous story of Eva and Ray. Was she married before? Were they legally wed? Who was the child's father? Eva was convicted of attempted murder and served time in prison. Ray was in the process of divorcing her when he met his untimely demise, but not before he had written her out of his will. Of course, she contested saying she was still his wife. The story goes on with many twists and turns and rarely a dull moment. Author Bill Schaffer did a fine job researching and writing this sordid story. If you thought truth was NOT stranger than fiction, just read this book and you will definitely change your mind! I enjoyed this one immensely.

The Scandalous Hamiltons is a thoroughly enjoyable rendering of one of the most outrageous marriages of the late nineteenth century. Robert Ray Hamilton, great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, secretly marries a prostitute who claims to have given birth to his illegitimate child. If not for the many public accounts published by the newspapers during that era, one would think that Bill Shaffer has a very vivid imagination for crime stories. The trials became the national headlines for many months and even years after the end of the trials. Shaffer has written a wonderfully accurate and entertaining account of the humiliation that befell the Hamilton name through this marriage.

Based on a true story, “The Scandalous Hamiltons” reads as one long soap opera. A descendant of Alexander Hamilton, Robert Ray Hamilton is caught up in a scandal when he marries Eva, a prostitute, after she tells him he is to be a father. Later, when he tries to dissolve the marriage, Eva and Ray ensue in a violent argument that results in the arrest of Eva for the attempted murder on the wet nurse who tried to intervene. It is at this point when Ray learns that he has been scammed and that Eva is not who she is, nor is the child his. But Ray’s problems don’t end even when his wife is sent to prison as she is one determined woman after all the riches she can get. Well researched and very detailed, this story reads as a long-winded history lesson on a family that historically was known for its dramatic and passionate flair. It’s a sad story overall about greed and vice, filled with interesting take on life during the gilded age in New York City. Use of actual court documents and court accounts added an exciting element. However, it’s not a book that I would readily read nor recommend as a must-read book for others. If you love anything that is all about Hamilton, then this will foster that interest, otherwise it’s just another tabloid story that makes you shake your head at what someone will do for greed.

Many thanks to #netgalley #thescandaloushamiltons #billshaffer for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Interesting, captivating and certainly not dull history.

Robert Ray Hamilton at first sounded like one of the spoiled upper class of the Gilded Age. Then Eva enters his life and it will never be the same.

Well written, enjoyable not dry, boring history. A writer after my own heart. I can get totally wrapped up in a story - just by a suggestion such as walking by a fountain and wanting to learn it's secrets!

Generations after the founding father, Alexander Hamilton, provided gossip and news his progeny made headlines - and not in a good way. Mixed in with a deceptive and dangerous woman, the Hamilton name was dragged through the media and the proverbial muck for years. This non-fiction account of Robert Ray and Eva Hamilton started with curiosity over a New York City fountain and let to an abundance of old newspaper articles detailing the unfolding drama.

My thoughts: this book would be PHENOMENAL dramatized as a historical fiction. The world needs that, and this author has done all the dirty work with the true details of what happened. I was floored with how easy it was in those days to recreate yourself and make a new identity, as well as the laws regarding marriage. Also - you could buy a baby for $5-10??? The Gilded Age was a truly wild time and the author has done a thorough job of providing detailed accounts of the goings on regarding the Hamiltons.

At the beginning of this book there is drama, mystery, and intrigue but about halfway through after we find out all the sordid details regarding Eva the interest kind of drops off. This also reflects the population's interest in the Hamiltons at the time but I was wondering how the narrative would keep up for the remainder of the book. The ebook version told me I was about 77% of the way finished with the book when I realized the last third of the book is reference notes. Non-fiction isn't my typical genre, but this one grabbed my interest as someone obsessed with the Hamilton musical - it provided interesting information but (similar to Eva) was grasping for attention by the end.

The author passes a fountain, reads the inscription, then writes a book about the man involved. I freaking love it. These are the best authors to read when it comes to nonfiction.
For the content, so fun. I had no idea what was coming next, the guy joins a hunt club an hour north of where I live? Sure. Baby farms and drunk wet nurses? Yep. All of a sudden we're in Wyoming? Of course. I love all the interconnected stories and how involved people get.
ALSO!!! The final print has pictures! So I will for SURE be checking the final product out :)

4.5 stars!
Shaffer gives us a juicy, spicy, true-life novel on the trials and tribulations in the marriage of Eva and Robert Ray Hamilton that held my interest throughout the entire saga. Taking place during the Gilded Age, this deeply researched and well written novel tells the sordid tale of prostitute Evangeline Mann and how she trapped Ray Hamilton into marrying her by lying about being pregnant with his child.
You’ll travel across the USA with the Hamiltons as you witness Eva’s lies, temper, and deceit as she entwines Hamilton in her web even after he has passed away, fighting vigorously for his estate.
Well-written, well researched, and with unexpected surprises, Bill Shaffer has given us a very interesting and compelling read.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks Citadel for this ARC. This opinion is my own.

Information in this book was interesting and I never imagined I would be reading something about Hamilton's descendants, much less the amount of scandals they were involved in. While interesting, it wasn't attention holding for me past the halfway point. Will this book spur me to learn more about the family? Probably not. Definitely well researched.

The Scandalous Hamiltons is an interesting story delving into the lives of the wealthy Hamiltons of New York at the end of the nineteenth century. The story tells about the scandal that ensued when Ray Hamilton, descendant of Alexander Hamilton, marries Eva, a woman of questionable reputation. The story had all the sordid details of a modern day tabloid, splashed across the front page of newspapers across the country. For those interested in scandals, this certainly fits the bill!

Robert Ray Hamilton, grandson of Alexander Hamilton and heir to a fortune and family name caused quite a stir in his time. His story is part of the gilded age and the fascination with scandals and sex stories. Hamilton's is one of the most outrageous of the time. Hamilton found himself in a situation with a woman whose favors he paid for. She claimed to be pregnant with his child. Hamilton married the young woman and craziness follows, all documented by a press with no boundaries and and a readership hungry for stories of madness and mayhem in the lives of the rich and famous. The book documents the story with newspaper clippings from the day and transcripts of actual court trials. The young Robert Hamilton's disgrace lasted long after his own life was over and the documents show lot of lies, smoke and mirrors, and tragedy. This book touches on everything from the baby trades of the day, common law marriage, and the thirst for fortune. The story is indeed scandalous, well documented, sad, amusing at times, and tragic. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheScandalousHamiltons for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Eva “Kreel,” “Mann,” “Steel,” and eventually Hamilton was a con artist from the beginning. Her name changed with the day and when she had an opportunity to get her hooks into a descendent of one of the founding fathers Robert Ray Hamilton she did! She first bought a baby from a baby farm but because she didn’t feed it the baby died and so she sent her servant girl off to get another but this one had black air and there was no way Ray would believe that was the same baby so she sent her back out to get another. This one had blonde hair and would suffice this would be her embrace “baby“ they hired a wet nurse after she convinced him to marry her the only problem is the wet nurse was also a raging alcoholic just like Eva and they would argue daily and this arguing is what causes Eva to find her self in the New York jail. Hamilton immediately filed divorce papers and eventually Eva would answer This complaint with her own. The newspapers had a headache with the ongoing events from their divorce to Eva‘s trial for stabbing her wet nurse this is what newspapers of the day lived for a famous name involved in scandal and all what a scandal it was the trial would make public all the dirty little secrets and all the secrets they had. This book was so good I love books like this I love the historical True Crime and especially a good scandal in this encompassed all of that. This was such a great book I thought the author did a wonderful job plotting the narrative and I found it hard to put the book down and will probably read this book again in the future. There are certain books that are so good you go back to them and this is definitely one of them. I received this book from net Gally and a publisher and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

A fascinating look at the gossip of the Gilded Age - the story of Ray Hamilton and Eva is fascinating and comical to follow. Following them from courtship to marriage to the tabloids as their marriage, divorce, and everything in between is splashed upon the pages - a truly remarkable look into the lives of the elite and poor in the Gilded age.

What a page turner of a book. With a family situation that would make Jerry Springer pause to take notice, this is the story of Alexander Hamilton's grandson who married a woman of dubious morals who tricked him into marriage. The woman in question was a truly violent and horrible person, which gave newspapers of the day a hotbed of scandal to report about. The whole situation is almost unbelievable, but the records remain.

The author has gone to a lot of effort researching this case and even those who aren't fans of nonfiction would find this book hard to put down. The tabloid nature of relationship proves that people haven't changed in what gossip we're interested in hearing about. If you love a little historical titillation, you need to read this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Citadel Press for the ARC copy.

the grandson of Alexander Hamilton marries a woman with a questionable background who claims to be pregnant, a trail follows, this is a true story. really enjoyed it.

I've seldom seen a more aptly named book than "The Scandalous Hamiltons". Bill Shaffer's book was written in such a way to be enjoyable and informative without sacrificing accuracy for the sake of an engaging story.

Having literally no previous knowledge of this sordid tale, I was shocked, SHOCKED that this wasn't the plot of a daytime soap opera but the unfortunate life of a descendant of one of our founding fathers. In fact, my reading was often interrupted by my own exclamations of, "Oh my GOSH!" and hurriedly recounting what I read with whoever was nearby, making sure to share it in the appalled hushed tones its story required.

I highly recommend this to...literally anyone with a pulse and a curious mind with a penchant for scandal.

The Scandalous Hamiltons was a a well researched, entertaining read! This book would be great for history buffs! This story is so wild, it is hard to believe it actually happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportuinty to read and review this ARC.