Peregrine Hill: A Novel

by Nina de Gramont

By the New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair, a novel set in Gilded Age New York about a desperate mother and headstrong daughter navigating a world built on men’s appetites and women’s silence

At the dawn of the twentieth century, widow Isabelle Bishop still believes in love—but she knows only money can save her. After losing her husband and three of her children in a shipwreck, she has one chance to rescue what remains of her family: her daughter Mariah and her elderly mother. When Isabelle captures the attention of John Whitten, one of New York’s wealthiest men, she dares to hope that fortune might finally favor her.

But Whitten’s interest is not in Isabelle—it’s in eighteen-year-old Mariah, still reeling from a romantic but disastrous scandal. When Whitten discovers the secret mother and daughter have tried to keep buried, he uses it to his advantage, threatening to expose them unless Mariah accepts his proposal. For the sake of their survival, Isabelle makes a devil’s bargain: she will urge her daughter into a marriage she knows could destroy her.

Mariah quickly realizes her husband’s home is a gilded cage. Yet even under his watchful eye, she begins to carve out passions of her own, finding an unexpected ally in her ambitious maid, Hetty, and daring to imagine a life beyond her constricted world. Together, she and Hetty risk everything to claim a measure of power and self-determination in a world that denies them both.

From the glittering parlors of Gilded Age New York to the windswept cliffs of Rhode Island, Peregrine Hill is a novel in the tradition of Edith Wharton and the Brontë sisters, about unlikely love affairs and the impossible choices women have always been forced to make.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, New York

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 10, 2026

About the author

Nina de Gramont's latest novel, The Christie Affair, is an international and New York Times best seller, and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for February, 2022. Nina is also the author of a collection of short stories, Of Cats and Men, as well as the novels Gossip of the Starlings and The Last September. She has written several YA novels (Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, The Boy I Love, and -- under the pen name Marina Gessner -- The Distance From Me to You). Nina teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She lives with her daughter and her husband, the writer David Gessner.

Reviews

[Amy]

Do you know that feeling - when you are picking up a giveaway, an ARC for the publisher? You desperately want it to be good. You know your job is to hopefully say some things that will create buzz for the book. You do NOT want to dislike it. Its a teeny bit nerve racking. A lot is on the line for the author, publisher, and book... You dare not think about the possibilities. You carefully open the pages and begin.

Well as you can see, I needn't have worried an ounce. I absolutely LOVED it! First of all, this author wrote the Christie Affair, which I enjoyed so much, I gave it five stars and it made my top ten the year I read it. It also takes place in the Gilded Age, which is a great setting for me. I believe that is why the publisher chose me. I am a lover of historical fiction, and this just fits right in with what I read.

First of all the writing is great. There is something about the storytelling of this author that is so incredibly well done (in my opinion). The story is well drafted and the plot just grabs you. This plot had the potential to move more slowly, but it didn't. I both didn't want to put it down and savored every word. I just deeply enjoyed it.

Lastly, and this has absolutely nothing to do with the book itself, and creating "buzz" - and the buzz is so well deserved.... At Goodreads we tend to do these challenges... And I just happened to need a book that fulfilled "age gap" and that is the driving characteristic of the book. Of course because the book is so new, that it won't have enough tags to officially count. But I am in the personal place in the challenge where grabbing the tag un-officially is more important, whether it officially counts or not. But I love when you open a book and it has exactly what you are looking for. This book was a pleasure and joy to read. And I daresay I will look for the authors' other works.

[Saray]

Excited for this one!

[Corinne Carson]

It’s early 1900’s, and Isabelle Bishop has lost her husband & 3 of her children to a shipwreck. She is left with her mother & oldest daughter. Isabelle is on the hunt for a husband to take care of them. She has 63 year old millionaire John Whitten in her sights. All is well & good until he tells her that he wants her 19 year old daughter, Mariah, for his wife! Ewww..,just icky! Isabelle convinces her to marry him because otherwise, they will be destitute. Mariah is repulsed from the very beginning, and Whitten doesn’t understand why. Duh…seriously?!? To occupy her time, Mariah writes in her journal and turns her situation into stories but immediately afterwards, she burns them. Her personal maid reads some of what she writes and tells her that she needs to stop burning them and convinces her that they should try & get her stories published. She writes about how miserable a young girl is having to marry an old man. It causes quite a scandal because apparently this situation is rampant. Hetty, her maid, is ahead of her time, and is adamant that women should be afforded the same opportunities as men. She’s tired of the patriarchy keeping women at home subservient to men. I always love a story where women find their voices & aren’t afraid to shake things up.

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Joyce Cacioppo stein]

Peregrine Hill by Nina de Gramont takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century during the gilded age in New York. Isabelle Bishop has just lost her husband and 3 children in a shipping accident as a result of a storm. She is left with her one daughter Mariah and her mother, but is out of money and no where to go. She still has her social standing and is hoping that will save her.

At a party in Rhode Island, Isabelle meets and captures the attention of John Whitten, a powerful and very wealthy man. Isabelle hopes that if she can get him to marry her, all of her problems will be solved. But when John comes to call on her in New York, he meets not only her mother, but also her daughter Mariah. Whitten is not interested in Isabelle but in her 18 year old daughter Mariah. She is the one whose hand he requests. He is 60 years old but is looking for an heir to carry on his name.

Isabelle and Mariah have kept a secret. Mariah gave birth to a child out of wedlock and the baby was given away for adoption. Whitten finds out about this and threatens to reveal all if Mariah does not marry him. A deal is made that will take care of Isabelle and her mother as a result of the marriage.

They marry and Mariah is all but kept locked up in his home, not being able to go anywhere without Whitten’s man following her. She has ambitions which is not the usual for women of this time period. She becomes friends with her maid Hetty who has ambitions of her own. Together they face the challenges of breaking through this stigma.

I like the book as it gives us great insight into what it was like for women during this time. The book was an easy read and fast moving. I would definitely recommend it. Thank you Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Miss Murder]

”All over the world princesses were bought and sold, delivered like parcels to grand stone prisons.”

“I may be a Lady. But I’m still just a woman.”

This is a fantastic retelling of a story as old as time (unfortunately) - a young girl married off to an old man to secure financial security for the entire family. Even the author herself claims this is a fictional retelling of what her own relative has experienced, which I think makes it all the more intriguing.

Pros: the book moved along super fast and I enjoyed how the main conflict was resolved in the end.

Cons: what was up with Isabelle and Mariah’s baby daddy getting together and running off with each other? That seemed so random as a plot point to get them out of the picture.

[Kristina O’Brien]

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster for sending me an advanced read of Peregrine Hill by Nina de Gramont. I absolutely loved this Gilded Age story that had me hooked…not from the first page, but from the author’s note preceding the story. Knowing that the author’s family history inspired the tale of these fictional characters had me invested from the very beginning, and I was not disappointed.

Set at the turn of the twentieth century, this is the story of Mariah, a teenage girl hidden from society after birthing an illegitimate child. Soon after the birth, Mariah’s father and all of her siblings perish in a shipwreck, leaving her alone with her mother, grandmother, and diminishing funds. When Mariah’s mother sets her sights on John Whitten, one of New York City’s wealthiest men, she is shocked when the 60-something-year old chooses Mariah over her. Faced with what seemed like no choice, Mariah is forced to marry Whitten and carry his child in a home that has her under close eye with little freedom of her own, but with a found friend in her maid, Hetty. Together, Mariah and Hetty forge an unexpected path of their own, all the while Mariah’s mom creates her own path in unimaginable ways.

This is a story full of heartache, historical realities, the challenges and power of women, friendship, love, and motherhood. Set in New York and Newport, Rhode Island, it was fun to picture Mariah’s tale in some of my favorite places during the Gilded Age. The character arcs were strong, and I felt myself rooting for the good ones, and disgusted by the bad ones, while also experiencing complicated feelings about the women in this book making decisions that I think may only happen when forced into a corner.

My only - literally only - criticism of this book is the use of the term “Lake Sebago.” As a Mainer, I think I can speak for Mainers when I say we are quite particular about our state landmarks being represented correctly in literature and Sebago only goes by “Sebago Lake.”

Thank you again for sharing this beautiful novel with me!

[julianne]

Peregrine Hill is a historical novel set in 1920s New York. Isabelle Bishop is a mother whose husband and 3 children died in a shipwreck, leaving her in financial ruin. All she has left is her 19 year old daughter Mariah, who has been forced to retreat from society after having an illegitimate child she needed to hide.

Isabelle meets John Whitten, a very wealthy widower, and after seeing his interest in her, she believes he wants to marry her. However, 60 year old Mr. Whitten is really taken with Mariah, and threatens to expose the secret of her child if she doesn’t marry him.

Mariah is abused and unhappy in her marriage, and only finds solace with Hetty, a maid in Mr. Whitten’s household who eventually becomes her friend.

This was a very well-written novel with important themes about the role of women in society, and the injustices they face. The different plotlines were blended together well, creating a cohesive and captivating story that reads like a classic book. I would recommend this, especially for a book club. There are so many different things about this novel that would make it a lot of fun to discuss.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing date: 10 November 2026

[Lorie Kleiner Eckert]

This book is set in 1900, a difficult time to be a woman. A difficult time for a woman to survive without a man. So when Isabelle Bishop loses her husband and three out of four of her children in a shipwreck, she knows she needs to remarry to provide for herself, her elderly mother, and her surviving child, Mariah, age eighteen. She also knows this: Marrying for love – as she had the first time around – was not the answer to her problems. Marrying for money was. “Bills could be paid. Even better, they could disappear.”

When she catches the eye of one of New York’s wealthiest men, John Whitten, she hopes her problems are over. But a new predicament is about to come her way. Part of Whitten’s attraction to Isabelle is her family pedigree. Her father was a French aristocrat, Count de Forge. But Mariah also shares that pedigree. And Whitten wants to marry Mariah even though – at age sixty-three – he is more than three times her age.

Complicating the situation are two facts. I have already mentioned the financial problem. Despite the family’s aristocratic past, there are no family members to help the women. The family has been out of money for years, unable even to send boat fare to France. The second issue is Mariah’s reputation. She recently had a baby and placed it for adoption. This scandal and their poverty threaten all three women – they could be penniless and out on the street.

Suffice it to say Mariah marries Whitten. But she does it very much against her will and blames her mother. This causes a large rift between Mariah and Isabelle. This rift becomes a chasm thanks to the very bad, horrifically terrible (!!!) decisions on Isabelle’s part as the novel progresses. Through it all, Mariah’s relationship with her grandmother remains intact – and this turns out to be quite a blessing.

In a letter to readers at the start of the novel, the author tells the inspiration for her story. Her great-grandmother married her great-grandfather in 1908 when she was nineteen and he was fifty-seven. He was twice widowed and had four adult children. The great-grandfather was Agenor de Grammont. He traveled to Rome to meet a prospective bride, Clelia Ruspoli, who had recently been widowed. After meeting the family, however, de Grammont decided he would rather marry Clelia’s teenage daughter, Dona Maria. The Ruspolis agreed to the match. “Because that’s what people did with girls for thousands of years – gave them away, like jewels or money, traded for safety or wealth or status.”

Seeing the plight of women in this era is what the book is all about. Four main women are viewed.
Beyond Mariah and Isabelle, we have Lavinia Van Wye and her maid, Hetty.

Lavinia’s husband recently died greatly reducing her finances. Though she has an annuity from him, she no longer has a home. Her late husband’s sons from his first marriage inherited and sold that. Without a home, she needs no staff, so she gives Hetty to John Whitten’s household hoping to get her back by marrying John. Even though she is his frequent bed partner and close friend, he opts for Mariah instead. This gives Lavinia every reason to plot against Mariah.

Clearly, there are lots of women at odds here.

Thankfully, Mariah finds a friend and ally in Hetty, a woman who is trying to rise above her station. Hetty’s ability to move around in the world at large – and her connections – come in handy when Mariah starts to write “fiction” about her marriage. When Hetty finds a publisher for the stories will all hell break loose?

You will want to read the book to see.

And when you do, you will want to boo for a man named Jay all along.

***** I thank the publisher for an advance review copy of this book. It will be published November 10, 2026.

[Kelly]

Nina de Gramont’s Peregrine Hill may revolve around a marriage, but it is purely historical fiction and not a romance. Why? Loosely based on an ancestor of the author, eighteen year old Mariah is forced into a marriage by her mother Isabelle to sixty three year old John Witten.

I’m not an overly big fan of age gap romances a single generation apart when both halves are consenting, so this has a serious yick factor for me. Unfortunately for young women of the time and earlier, it was not uncommon, and perhaps even more unfortunately still happens today.

After her husband and other children drown in the Morrigan sinking, Isabelle woos Witten thinking he will ask for her hand in marriage, but when he asks for Mariah’s instead, Isabelle gives Mariah little option but to accept or they and Isabelle’s mother will be cast out on the street.

Since he gets a way to satisfy his manly urges and a healthy young pretty girl to produce heirs for him for the low price of housing three women and paying off Mariah’s ex, Witten naturally thinks this is a wonderful arrangement and he absolutely cannot understand how a beautiful young woman who wants a man her own age doesn’t feel the same way he does when she’s being locked up in a mansion and being used as a brood mare.

Mariah is naturally angry at her mother and miserable in her gilded cage, making no effort towards Witten and seeking the only escapes she can find with the help of her maid. Not making things better are Isabelle’s choices once Mariah is married off, or her maid Hetty’s former employer, a woman of the same age as Witten who was expecting a proposal from him after being stuck for decades in a Mariah-like marriage of her own.

If these young women were lucky, their geriatric husbands would be headed to the pearly gates (not that they were deserving of them) within a few years of marriage, and wills weren’t being contested by other relatives leaving them with nothing. And there were probably plenty of them that grinned and beared the heirs biding their time. But this book is a good reminder that for most of history there was a very small demographic of the population that had autonomy, authority and the financial means to live their lives as they pleased.

White women throughout much of history might have had better odds of drawing a better lot than Blacks or other minorities, but many of them suffered abuses, spousal debts, or being sold as a means of producing children, taking personal choice and their bodily autonomy away from them. Things are far from equal today, but they are a dramatic improvement upon the Gilded Age, when this book takes place.

While this book probably paints a relatively accurate portrait of the lives of many women of the time who married into fortunes, not everyone may feel comfortable reading it due to the subject matter.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer]

3.5 actual stars.

Set during the Gilded Age, Isabelle Bishop recently widowed copes with the loss of her husband and most of her children in a Christmastime shipwreck leaving her bereft and penniless. With her young daughter Mariah and elderly mother to care for Isabelle knows the only way she can survive at this point in her life is to make an advantageous match and marry a wealthy man. Enter John Whitten, one of New York's richest men, an elderly gentleman also widowed who is in search of a young wife who can finally give him the heir he desperately wants. Isabelle still young and beautiful in her 30's knows she can make this happen all she needs to do is put on the charm and she can escape the frightening prospect of poverty. When John arranges to visit her one evening Isabelle whole heartedly expecting a proposal at last is shocked when John declares it is not her he wants to marry but her beautiful daughter Mariah.
18- year old Mariah reeling from a failed romance refuses to marry the old man but when John threatens to expose a secret Mariah and her mother share unless she agrees to the marriage, Mariah is forced to become Mrs. John Whitten or be in thrown in the streets with her mother to survive. Isabelle convinces Mariah that despite the fear of marrying a withered old man it would also improve her station in life as well and give her the financial freedom she could expect to have with this union. But all is not champagne and roses for Mariah who has to endure being constantly watched and performing her wifely duties in order to produce the heir her husband desperately desires. Her days are often lonely in the big, cold mansion until a spirited maid named Hetty arrives and in her she finds a confidant and friend. I love books set in the Gilded Age and I was fascinated to learn in the author's foreword that Mariah's storyline is mirrored on the true life of her great-grandmother who at 19, married a much older, twice widowed gentleman in 1908. This made the story even more compelling to me as I wondered about her great-grandmother's life, the challenges she faced being married so young to a much older man who already had adult children. I like to imagine she had a zest for life and a charming free spirit much as Mariah did.
Thank you to author Nina de Gramont and NetGalley for a copy of this lovely read in exchange for my honest review.

[Veronica Gliatti]

I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to #NetGalley.

This is a story that takes place during the Gilded Age and will be well liked by historical fiction buffs!

The main character Mariah, she is 18 years old. After a tragic accident takes out most of the family, her mother Isabella Bishop decides to basically sell off her only daughter to a rich old man John Whitten. With this marriage, Isabella will be accompanying her young daughter as will Isabella’s mother so that all of their basic needs will now be taken care of thanks to the marriage Mariah is not wanting. With a heavy laver of guilt, she agrees. Thus, they enter the world and the main home of John Whitten and all its glamour and stuffy protocols. The story revolves around all of the central characters that live or work in the main home.

This has all the makings of being a great epic film around a strong female lead, Mariah. She is a young woman thrown into adulthood and a world full of rich snobs and the protocol she detests. As it attempts to batter her down and society wants her to fall perfectly in line, she vows to use whatever means she can to create a life that she can be more content in even if she ruffles feathers along the way!

It's excellent at showing the submissiveness that was expected of women during this period in time where women were more revered as a possession, like a household pet, then as a fully functioning human being with rights and privileges. Any attempt by males to force their will and conformity on women was met with approval.

The writing had a nice flow, making it an easier read than one might expect given the subject matter. The characterization of Mariah was very intense which was critical to the story. The book had several different story lines. but they are seamlessly interwoven.

I rated the book high because this author makes the story compelling having written it in such a way the characters come alive right off the page
#NetGalley #PeregrineHill

[Shelby Ann Noel]

Surrounded around historical rapid economic growth, industrialization, wealth and disparity are all intertwined in this great novel. From the beginning, Nina Gramont pulled me into this story was the historical real-life great-grandmother, whom against her will was married at 19 to a much older widowed gentleman. The main character mirrored the great-grandmothers rebelliousness, charismatic nature, and free spirit that embodied her.

Mariah, the MC, 18, is sold off by her mother after tragedy takes out her siblings, father, and with that their fortune. Mariah is told she will marry a 60-something year old gentleman by her mother. John Whitten with great honor, who is one of the wealthiest men in the city to change their financial outcome for her mother, grandmother, and herself. He sets his sights to gain an heir to his line and Mariah, even with a questionable past is the young, carefree, and beautiful woman that he desires. Mariah is thrown into the marriage against her will and begins to navigate a change of a life that she never wanted. She tries her best to rebel against John's wishes and her wifely obligations. Mariah does not come willingly and definitely has an attitude to fight back against the life she has been faced with. What stands out and continues to prevail through the novel is Mariah's fighting spirit, she does her best to continue to be herself, be quick witted, smart, live her passions, love her family, and still not settle for the life she is in. I appreciated the depth of Mariah's character and just how complex the life she was thrown into was. Throw in other relational dynamics, a real and authentic friend, Hetty, and watching her family (mother and grandmother) also make changes in their lives really kept me engaged.

What a journey! Thank you to Nina de Gramont, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for this ARC. For those who enjoy history, strong female MC, this one will make you think and be grateful for the life that you currently live and the sacrifices of the women that have come before you.

[Jazisunray Skillern]

“Peregrine Hill” is a captivating and richly atmospheric novel that breathes new life into the grand tradition of Gilded Age fiction. From the very first page, readers are swept into Isabelle Bishop’s world—a place of dazzling wealth, heartbreak, and impossible choices. The author masterfully intertwines historical detail with deeply personal stakes, crafting a story that is both sweeping and intimate.

Isabelle’s journey—marked by loss, sacrifice, and resilience—anchors the novel with emotional depth. Her devotion to her daughter, Mariah, and her aging mother is both poignant and deeply relatable, even as she’s forced to navigate the perilous social politics of turn-of-the-century New York. The tension escalates when John Whitten, a powerful and morally ambiguous figure, sets his sights not on Isabelle, but on Mariah, setting off a chain of events that tests the limits of love, loyalty, and survival.

Mariah’s arc is equally compelling. Her struggle to find autonomy within the confines of a marriage built on coercion is rendered with empathy and nuance. The unexpected friendship that blossoms between her and Hetty, her ambitious maid, adds another layer of richness to the story. Together, they challenge the strictures of their gilded cage, risking everything for a chance at self-determination.

The novel’s settings—glittering New York parlors and the windswept Rhode Island coast—are vividly evoked, immersing the reader in a world as beautiful as it is treacherous. Fans of Edith Wharton and the Brontë sisters will find much to love here: forbidden romances, high stakes, and the indomitable will of women refusing to be broken by circumstance.

“Peregrine Hill” is both a gripping historical drama and a moving exploration of what women have been willing to risk—and lose—in the pursuit of love and freedom. It lingers in the mind long after the final page. Highly recommended.

[Shana OkieCozyReader]

I thought the introduction to the ARC was gut-wrenching:
“My great-grandmother married my great-grandfather when she was nineteen. He was fifty-seven, twice widowed, with four adult children.

In 1908, Agenor de Gramont traveled to Rome to meet the recently widowed Clelia Ruspoli as a prospective bride. After dining with her family, he announced his preference for Dona Maria, Clelia's teenage daughter. The Ruspolis agreed to the match, and Dona Maria was shipped off to France. She hated her new husband. Hated him to a degree that's legendary in my family. In the early years of her marriage, she may have played the dutiful wife, giving birth to two sons. But before long she began to rebel in ways designed to grant herself freedom and drive Agenor mad. None of these rebellions released her from the marriage, which lasted eighteen years until his death.”

The author discusses the differences between Dona Marie and Mariah Bishop in this book - the time period was a few years later, this book takes place in NYC and Boston , and this story is drawn from poverty and to avoid a scandal, but that this is “what people did with girls for thousands of years-gave them away, like jewels or money, traded for safety or wealth or status.”

In this book, Mariah is promised to John Whitten, a man with mansions (in NYC-his Peregrine Hill and Newport, RI), and who is widowed from the loss of two wives. She is in her late teens and excited about life and love, and stuck with an old man, who cares nothing about her thoughts and employs a man to follow her.

The saddest part of this book for me was Mariah’s relationship with her mother. Her mother made several decisions, always putting her own needs above her daughter’s.

“Secrets don’t pour from a bucket, my dear, they ooze.”
P55-56

“But money could only solve the most practical problems. Not the worst ones...” p172

#simonbooks #btptravelingarc my bookclub received an arc to read and review

[Colleen Lelli]

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Peregrine Hill, Nina de Gramont’s upcoming release. As a work of historical fiction, it offers a vivid glimpse into the Gilded Age, moving between New York City and Newport. The author’s descriptive writing made it easy to picture both the grandeur of Newport’s mansions and the stark reality of New York’s tenements. Kudos to the author!

The novel opens with Isabelle Bishop facing unimaginable tragedy after losing her husband and three children in a boating accident. Left with her daughter, Mariah, and her own mother, Isabelle must find a way to survive with no financial stability. Hoping to secure her future, she sets her sights on John Whitten, a wealthy man she meets at a party. However, when John later visits Isabelle in New York and meets Mariah for the first time, his attention quickly shifts. Despite the significant age difference—he is 60 and Mariah is 18—he becomes intent on marrying her, driven by his desire for an heir after two previous childless marriages.

There is much more to the story, filled with drama and unexpected turns. As the narrative unfolds, Mariah emerges as a character worthy of deep respect, while Isabelle proves to be a significant disappointment especially given all that she has suffered and as a mother herself. This contrast highlights how deeply flawed individuals can be, and how, at times, they are even aware of their own shortcomings.
Beyond the personal drama, the novel offers meaningful insight into the treatment and limitations of women during this era, adding depth and historical context to the story.
I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Nina de Gramont for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Melinda Worfolk]

Sometimes for dinner you want a healthy salad of grains, vegetables, and protein. Sometimes you want to eat fast food. Both are very tasty. I enjoy historical fiction, and this book is like the fast food version.

Thank you to Edelweiss+, Simon & Schuster, and the author for an advance copy of Peregrine Hill in exchange for an honest review. A version of this review appears on my blog and on the Edelweiss+ site.

If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book when I first started it; my heart sank a bit as the first chapter was a bit slow, and I thought about having to slog through the book so I could review it fairly. However, it didn’t take long for me to get hooked on the fast paced plot, sympathetic main characters, and great descriptions. It was easy to visualize both the glittering Gilded Age settings of the wealthy and the dirty, crowded conditions in the tenements.

This book is filled with gossip and scandal. Yet it manages to add substance by accurately describing the terrible situations women found themselves in because they were not allowed financial (or any other kind of) independence. (CW: marital rape, killing of a dog, graphic description of childbirth). The author is excellent at creating hateable realistic male characters.

The one issue I had with the book was the occasional jarring anachronism. Although I enjoyed the author’s writing for the most part, occasionally I was reminded that this was being written with a modern sensibility, and the characters sometimes spoke, thought, and acted in a much more modern way than I think would be true to history.

If you like reading historical fiction about Gilded Age Manhattan and strong, independent women, you will probably like this. I devoured it quickly.

[LibraryNinja_Beritk]

Nina deGramont gives us an amazing look at the Gilded Age with Peregrine Hill. Set during the turn of the 20th century, we find the remains of a family after a terrible boating accident on the verge of collapse, where an arranged marriage is the only hope. Isabelle Bishop is a grieving widow who needs to secure a match quickly to secure the future for herself and her daughter. She finds favor in Gilded Age society with New York's richest man, John Whitten. However, John doesn't fancy Isabelle; he's starstruck by her daughter, Mariah, who has a secret scandal that would WRECK her marriage prospects. Mariah is blackmailed into marrying John and realizes he's a collector of pretty things (her) and keeps her locked up tight or has her followed by his henchman. Mariah makes friends with Hetty, her unexpected ally, who has a romance brewing all her own. Meanwhile, Isabelle becomes besotted by Mariah's ex in a May-December romance, highlighting the societal pressures and expectations that can make love complicated and evoke empathy for their difficult choices.

In the spirit of families like the Vanderbilts, the Morgans, the Carnigies, and the Rockefellers, we see all sides of the household- not just the main heiress herself. And what becomes the most sensible pairing in society rarely makes the best love match, adding layers of romantic tension and secrets that invite curiosity and anticipation.

Thank you to Nina deGramont and Simon & Schuster for letting me read an advance copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review, immersing readers in the fascinating world of Gilded Age wealth, love, and societal roles that defined the era.

#GildedAge #PeregrineHill #ninadegramont #libraryninja📚

[Michael Godwin]

Peregrine Hill is an evocative historical novel that explores family, survival, power, sacrifice, and women's struggle for self-determination against the richly drawn backdrop of Gilded Age New York. Isabelle Bishop's desperate attempt to protect the family she has left after devastating personal losses sets the story in motion, but the novel quickly develops into a much more complicated examination of the choices women are forced to make when society places their futures in the hands of powerful men.

The relationship between Isabelle and her daughter Mariah provides one of the book's most compelling tensions. Isabelle's willingness to make a painful bargain for her family's survival puts Mariah into a marriage that threatens to become a gilded prison, while Mariah's growing determination to reclaim control over her own life gives the story an emotional sense of momentum. Her unexpected friendship with Hetty adds another fascinating dimension, bringing together two women from very different social positions who nevertheless share a desire for independence and agency.

Readers drawn to historical fiction, Gilded Age stories, women's fiction, historical romance, literary family dramas, and novels reminiscent of Edith Wharton or the Brontë tradition should find Peregrine Hill especially appealing. With its combination of atmospheric settings, complicated relationships, social expectations, and determined female characters, the novel has strong potential to attract readers looking for historical fiction that is both emotionally engaging and centered on women's lives and choices.

[M.L. Sizemore]

To begin, thank you NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for providing this advance copy.

This book is complete perfection . This is historical fiction at its finest. From the moment I started, I didn’t want to put it down, honestly, it was all I could think about. I completely fell in love with Mariah. I’ll admit, I felt conflicted about her at first, but as the story unfolded, so did my appreciation for her depth & complexity, ultimately she is the most level of all the characters. And Isabelle, without giving anything away, that storyline genuinely shocked me. I did not see it coming, & it added such a powerful layer to the narrative. The novel explores themes of male dominance, the pressure for an heir, & the way youth is often valued over wisdom & partnership. These tensions create a rich, emotionally layered story that feels both authentic & thought-provoking.
Even John Whitten, with all his flaws, became someone I felt for. In fact, that’s one of the strongest elements of this book, nearly every character is deeply human, imperfect, & simply trying to navigate the circumstances they’ve been given. What surprised me most were the moments of humor, playful, light, & beautifully woven in. Overall, this is an extraordinary read & one I can absolutely see myself returning to. I was completely wrapped up in its complexity & beauty. A stunning example of what historical fiction can be. I am wanting more books like this from
this author & can’t wait to read some of her previous works.

[Jenny K (on partial break)]

I really enjoyed this wonderful piece of historical fiction.

It's impossible to provide a summary of what happens without spoilers for what happens at the beginning, but readers would enjoy this so much more with that initial shock. The author herself gives it away with an introduction about her inspiration for the story, which I felt was unfortunate; I didn't remember what the plotline was and would have appreciated going in without the note, which could just as well be at the end.

The story is about women's experiences at the turn of the century and how they had little freedom over their own lives. They were subject to a man's circumstances for good and for bad, to their cruelty or care.

It's told over mostly through the story of Mariah, a young woman, and her mother, Isabelle, both of whom are in unfortunate circumstances at the start of the story. There is also the viewpoint of Lavinia, an older widow who is left with a monthly allowance by her stepchildren and needs to live off the goodness of friends, and Hetty, Mariah's maid, who has a rich beau.

All of these women deal with heartbreaking life circumstances, mostly related to the men in their lives, in different ways, with Mariah a sort of angel figure.

I also appreciated the light Jewish rep.

It's the type of book that could easily have been depressing, but it's beautiful and hopeful. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Nina de Gramont for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

[Jennifer Kania]

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy.

The story centers around young Mariah Bishop whose father and siblings are lost in a ship disaster at the turn of the twentieth century. Because her father had left the once wealthy family financially insecure, Mariah’s mother decides to give her daughter’s hand to an elderly millionaire to secure her own future – blindsiding Mariah.
The characters are plentiful with each having a unique history and vivid hopes and dreams for their futures. But the women (who range in age from naïve to astute) continually find they are commodities of the men they are attached to (and even in the orbit of) and that surviving on their own terms is a laughable concept to society.
Despite this novel being set over a hundred years ago, many situations remain the same – falling in love, falling in hate, dealing with the aftermath of death, living with the adage “do what I say and not what I do,” and even seeking out spiritual guidance to cling to hope that one day things will be just fine in the end.
There are even characters the reader will love to hate. Mariah’s mother, Isabelle, is a compelling character in that the reader sympathizes with her yet, ultimately, forges ahead and continues to do the unforgivable, leaving Mariah to deal with the aftermath.
This novel will satisfy any fan of historical fiction - featuring strong-willed women, forbidden love, heartbreak, and ultimately survival.

[Natalie]

Peregrine Hill
By Nina de Gramont

The story takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is a time when men still ruled and women were only there for their pleasure – to provide both sex and heirs. Beautiful young women were basically sold off to old men in a marriage market that financially benefitted the girl's family.

The Bishop family had fallen on hard times when Isabelle's husband and all but one of her children died in a storm at sea. Now Isabelle, her mother (Granny), and her daughter Mariah are in danger of losing their social status as they run out of funds. But Isabelle has met an extremely wealthy older man, Jon Whitten, and she expects that he may be contemplating marriage. And he is! But he wants the young Mariah as his bride! In exchange he will cover up Mariah's out-of-wedlock child and support all the Bishop women.

Against her will, Mariah becomes his bride. She is appalled that her mother would do this to her and she is miserably unhappy as she goes to live at Peregrine Hill. Her only saving grace is her maid Hetty who becomes her friend and staunch supporter.

This is a sad story, because it is, in fact, the story of many women in that day and age. They were living in luxury, but with no rights or protections. They were their husbands' chattel.

This is a well-researched and well written book, well worth the read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Jodi Harrison]

I loved Peregrine Hill even more than The Christie Affair.

Nina de Gramont has written a captivating historical novel filled with family secrets, impossible choices, resilience, and hope. Set during the Gilded Age, the story follows Mariah Bishop, a young woman forced into a marriage not for love, but for survival. What unfolds is far more than a marriage story. It's a story about power, friendship, determination, and finding a voice in a world that offers women very few choices.

What stayed with me long after I finished was the author's note.

Nina shares that the spark for this novel came from her own family history. Her great-grandmother married at nineteen; her great-grandfather was fifty-seven, twice widowed, and already had four adult children. The novel is not based on their lives, but it grew out of Nina's reflections on how often poverty, circumstances, and social expectations dictated women's futures.

That history gives the book an added layer of emotional depth. It also raises questions that feel surprisingly relevant today about power, opportunity, and the choices women are allowed to make.

The story itself delivers plenty of twists, memorable characters, and atmospheric settings, but it was the humanity at its core that made this a five-star read for me.

I also had the pleasure of hosting Nina de Gramont at the Fort Myers Literary Society in 2025, making this novel even more special to read. Thank you to NetGalley for the pre-read.

[Rae Franco-Rowe]

The time era is the Gilded age. Mariah is a young woman of 18 years old. The family that is left is, her Mother and Grandmother. The rest of the family passed away in shipwreck,her Father and three siblings. Her mother wants to marry a wealthy man, by the name of John Whitten. He is much older than she is. Although, his interest is not in her, but her daughter. So Mariah is encourged to say "yes" to the proposal to marry the older John Whitten. You see he wants an heir to his name. John Whitten finds out of a scandel that Mariah was involved in, so he threatens to tell all if she does not marry him.

So they are married, she moves into his home in New York whick is not far from Rhode Island. She finds he has many servants in his home. One young woman is assigned to be Mariah's maid, her name is Hetty. They grow to become good friends and keep secrets together. But imagine living in a house where you are always being watch. Her husband assigns a man to watch her every move when she leaves the house.

The reason I wanted to read this book is my love for historical fiction and historical romance. I want to thank Simon & Schuster for inviting me to read this novel prior to publishing and to Net Galley as well. To learn of more history and reading of the life of characters in another time.

[Hannah Bristol]

Addictive. Dramatic. Compelling.

Nina de Gramont delivered on all the things I hope for in a book. There were so many characters that were exquisitely written, and their storylines and perspectives were woven together seamlessly.

Mariah Bishop is a young woman who begrudgingly enters into a marriage with a wealthy older man, John Whitten. By doing this she can help herself, mother, and grandmother live a more comfortable life after the loss of the rest of their family.

Hetty is a maid who dreams of becoming an editor one day.

Isabelle is Mariah's mother, and she will do anything to make sure her family doesn't fall from grace.

The exemplary writing allows the reader to get to intimately know each of these characters. While sometimes the characters might make a questionable choice, you can't help but keep rooting for them to make their dreams come true. I was drawn into the story from the first page and couldn't stop. With each passing chapter, the story made you want to keep going. I will be recommending this book to everyone, especially lovers of low spice romance and historical fiction.

Thank you to Nina de Gramont, Simon and Schuster Books, and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Ania]

Set in the early 1900s, the story follows Isabelle Bishop, who loses her husband and three of her children in a devastating shipwreck. Left to care for her mother and oldest daughter, Mariah, Isabelle desperately searches for a wealthy husband who can provide financial security for their family.

Isabelle sets her sights on 63-year-old millionaire John Whitten, but things take an unsettling turn when he announces that he wants 19-year-old Mariah as his wife instead. Although Mariah is repulsed by the idea, Isabelle convinces her to marry him because the alternative could mean financial ruin.

To cope with her miserable situation, Mariah secretly writes stories inspired by her experiences, only to burn them afterward. When her forward-thinking maid, Hetty, discovers her writing, she encourages Mariah to stop destroying her work and pursue publication. Mariah’s stories expose the harsh reality of young women being forced into marriages with much older men, sparking controversy and shining a light on an issue that was far more common than people wanted to admit.

With themes of women's rights, independence, and finding your voice, this is the kind of story I always enjoy, especially when women refuse to stay silent and aren't afraid to shake things up.

[Maureen Timerman]

This read begins in the glittering golden age of the early 1900's in NYC. We meet a family that has been devastated by loss, not only of money but most of their family.
Isabelle Bishop has lost her husband and three of her four children, they were traveling by boat from NY to ME and were lost in a storm. Financially, she and her daughter Mariah, and her Mother need to do something, and she decides to set her cap for a very wealthy man.
This shows the best well plans can and do go astray. Young Mariah becomes his choice, did feel sorry for the girl, and he holds her secret against them, so we go to the wedding.
I loved what Mariah does after the wedding, but was scary what happens, being followed everywhere, and even sadder when she really rebels.
The author did a great job of weaving this story, and the pages flew, I needed answers and yes they do come! This is a time when women have very little rights, and could be put away. I did love the spunk Mariah showed, and what she did!
I received this book through Ededwise+ and the Publisher Simon & Schuster, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Amy]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: In the early 1900's the Bishop family was marked by tragedy. Isabelle's husband and three of her children died in a ship sinking. She, her mother, and her eldest, Mariah, are left. When Mariah ends up in a scandalous situation and money dwindles, Isabelle realizes she must remarry, and remarry up at that.
Ultra wealthy John Whitten needs a new wife, and an heir. Isabelle is willing, but he wants Mariah. This starts a series of events that move forward, snowball, and have far reaching ramifications.
Mariah and Hetty, her maid, conspire to write stories. Stories about older men and young wives. Stories about unhappy people. Hetty has co tact's in publishing. These two young women dream of a life where they are in charge of their destinies. How can they get what they want, what they deserve, in a life where women have no rights and very few choices?
Great look into this part of history. Mariah was fascinating and strong. Hetty was smart and determined. Isabelle was desperate and scared. They all had to make choices that were difficult but necessary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance digital copy to review. These opinions are my own.

[Becky]

An engaging story told in the "gilded age". Mostly in NYC & some in Newport RI.

Young widow, Isabelle & her daughter Mariah & Isabelle's mom are on the verge of being totally broke. Tragic story of how her husband & other children have died. In order to maintain a life style of some small importance, Isabelle searches for a wealthy husband. She is still of child bearing age & feels she could attract a widower who would still like to have an heir. Surprisingly, he is interested in her 18 year old daughter. He knows the daughter has had an episode in her recent past that would make her less attractive to a younger man. A deal is made between the mom & 63 year old John Whitten. To say the least, Mariah wants none of this but she also knows they don't have many options. She is disgusted by this man & turns against her mom.

Many parts of this story would be spoilers so I won't share more.

The part the stood out to me & angered me the most was how disposable women were & the ways to get them removed from society...sickening.

Was a solid read. And thank you Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Pitcher-hoffman]

This is a well-written Gilded Age novel, which takes place in New York City and Newport. Both settings are brought to life by the author- the Upper East Side and the tenements of NYC, and the gorgeous mansions of Newport. The story of Isabelle and Mariah is a sad one - they are the only ones left of their family, and with Mariah's reputation tarnished and no money left, they turn to an old, wealthy man to save them. There is a twist, though; he doesn't want the mother, he wants the daughter. So Mariah gets stuck married to him. As the story continues, we see Mariah turn to her writing for comfort and escape, and ultimately, a small livelihood. We also see her sad and lonely, turning to the staff and her grandmother for comfort. After the birth of her son, she and her mother have a temporary truce, which her mother betrays - but I will leave that out so you read this engaging novel on your own. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.