I am ashamed to say that I had no clue who the Vanderbilts were when I picked up this book. The name had been briefly mentioned to me but I knew little of Vanderbilts' history.

I enjoy historical fiction because this genre brings life to the characters we read about in school. Therese Anne Fowler did a wonderful job creating a character from history. After reading, I sat at my laptop learning about the Vanderbilts and I give credit to the author for making this as close to historically accurate as possible. 

Personally, I would have appreciated less "open-door" romance. I skimmed over a chapter or two because I don't enjoy reading about the uhm... intimate, romantic endeavors of a couple. 

This book also gives a look at what society then was like. It is evident the author put much research into this family and society back then, as well as customs and cultural norms at the time. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this one!