We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie’s AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER, a historical fiction novel is published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, and releasing March 1, 2016!
AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER is a compelling, richly researched novel by bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. Drawing from thousands of letters and original sources, the authors reveal the fascinating, untold story of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter.
Patsy was one of the most influential women in American history: not only the progeny of a founding father – and the woman who held his secrets close to her heart – but a key player in the shaping of our nation’s legacy. And her story is one seldom told, until now.
Make sure you grab your copy today!
In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.
It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.
Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
~ My Thoughts ~
~ My Thoughts ~
I don't read a lot of Historical Fiction, but a few months
ago, I tripped and fell down the rabbit hole known as Hamilton (the
musical) and haven't been able to get enough of the Revolutionary War
period since.
AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER is engrossing, emotional, and kept me turning the page well into the night. The extensive research the authors have done is evident, but blends together beautifully with fiction, creating a story that will satisfy even the most critical of historians while also appeasing readers (like me), who came for the chocolate drops and the hint of romance.
Read it.
AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER is engrossing, emotional, and kept me turning the page well into the night. The extensive research the authors have done is evident, but blends together beautifully with fiction, creating a story that will satisfy even the most critical of historians while also appeasing readers (like me), who came for the chocolate drops and the hint of romance.
Read it.
Advanced Praise for America’s First Daughter:
“America’s First Daughter brings a turbulent era to vivid life. All the conflicts and complexities of the Early Republic are mirrored in Patsy’s story. It’s breathlessly exciting and heartbreaking by turns-a personal and political page-turner.” (Donna Thorland, author of The Turncoat)
“Painstakingly researched, beautifully hewn, compulsively readable -- this enlightening literary journey takes us from Monticello to revolutionary Paris to the Jefferson White House, revealing remarkable historical details, dark family secrets, and bringing to life the colorful cast of characters who conceived of our new nation. A must read.” (Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Empress)
Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters. 
Excerpt
“And what of our future . . . ?”
I asked.
Mr. Short smiled. “If you could
give up all thoughts of the convent, our future depends upon the orders your
father is awaiting from America. Your father has asked that in his absence, I
be appointed in his place as chargé d’affaireswith commensurate salary.
If I receive such an appointment, then I can present myself to your father as a
worthy suitor. Otherwise, I’m afraid he’ll consider me a wandering wastrel
without employment.”
“He would never!”
Mr. Short chuckled mirthlessly.
“You think not? I have in my possession a letter from your father lecturing me
on the need to build my fortune. The most memorable line reads:
This is not
a world in which heaven rains down riches into any open hand.”
How churlish of Papa, but had I
not, from the youngest age, also received letters filled with his lectures?
“You mustn’t worry, Mr. Short. If my father requested your appointment, then
it’s sure to come. But until it does, how can I be sure of your intentions in asking
for my love?”
I didn’t expect him to laugh. “You’re
Jefferson’s daughter, to the bone. You want evidence. Well, give me the chance
and I’ll give you the proofs you require—both of my love and of the world you
should love too much to abandon even for God. I wouldn’t have you enter a
convent, much less love, in ignorance.”
“What do you think me ignorant
of?”
With mischief twinkling in his
eyes, he stopped, drawing me into a grove of trees. Beyond us, in the ditch, we
heard boys playing a ball game in the dim lamplight. Somehow, in the dark, Mr.
Short’s fingertips found my cheeks, and his mouth stole over mine. This first kiss
was soft and tender. As if he feared frightening me. Nevertheless, it shocked
me. It was like my heart was a loaded cannon he’d held fire to, and it
threatened to shoot out of my chest. But I wasn’t frightened and I didn’t pull
away. Instead, it seemed quite the most natural thing to kiss him back,
mimicking what he did, glorying in every soft, sweet sensation.
At the feel of my lips teasing
softly at his, he groaned and pulled back. “Oh, my heart . . ."
The sweet taste of him still on my
lips, our breaths puffing in the night air, I asked, “Have I done something
wrong?”
He held my cheeks in his hands.
“The error was all mine. I’d beg your pardon if I could bring myself to regret
it, but I never want to regret anything with you, so tonight I must content myself
with one kiss.”
Only one? I wanted to lavish a thousand
kisses on his face. Hislips, his cheeks, his ears. The desire was a sudden
hunger, a desperate plea inside me echoing like the cry of peasants for bread.
“What if I’m not yet content? Wasn’t
kissing me meant to be the proof of your intentions?”
“No, Patsy. Kissing you, then stopping before
satisfaction, is the proof of my intentions, which I hope you’ll see are
honorable and directed toward your happiness.”
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