American Gilt - Début (Vol 1) First comes love – then comes Scandal! Based on the true story of Gilded Age débutante Sara Swan Whiting and her ill-fated marriage to socialite Oliver H.P. Belmont. Mrs. Astor’s sword cuts both ways to protect family secrets buried for over a century. But how much is truth and how much is propaganda generated by rumors and the newspapers? Newport, R.I. 1880 - American débutante Sara Swan Whiting has been trained for one purpose: to marry well into society. ‘Ethereally beautiful’ and ‘the spirit of the ball’, Sara garners many suitors. But none steal her heart, until destiny steps in and she is introduced to Oliver Belmont, the handsome son of financier August Belmont. Now with Millions of pages read on Kindle! Find out why the ‘ American Gilt Trilogy ’ is an Amazon Best Seller. “It is hard to put these books down! – Carol W. “Move Over, Alva and Caroline! This entire series was immensely enjoyable! I devoured every page. For anyone who enjoys the Gilded Age this is a must read!” – Amazon Reader Review “ Excellent!! This was the best gilded age novel I have read in such a long time. It was full of colorful details of the era and very believable characters.” – Ted M. " Such a great read! I highly recommend having all three books in this trilogy on hand, as they are hard to put down. I had to wait until Peterson released the third and last of her series, it was difficult, but I survived. I can't remember a time when I was overly excited to check the mail. " – Amazon Review FROM VERIFIED READERS Sabine C. - Reviewer Meet Sara Swan Whiting - a well-to-do débutante marrying into society. Based on the true account of the Belmont-Whiting Scandal of 1883 this novel totally transported me to a glittering age of balls and parties at the turn of the century. I could simply not put this book down. Carrie Westmoreland Kurtz rated it it wFFas amazing · FIVE STARSI love reading books that make you feel like you're sneaking a peek at someone's life. American Gilt: Debut does just that. I used to think that Historical fiction books would be boring but I have definitely changed my mind about that. My new found love for Historical fiction runs pretty deep! With this book being about a real person, well it just makes it even better. When a book can transport you to another time and place while you are reading it there's nothing better. You know you have found a great book. I really enjoyed reading about Sara Whiting. I found myself cheering her on and also wanting to yell warnings to her! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan to get the next two in the series. Thank you, J. D. Peterson for sending your book to me! I loved it! Nellie Kampmann Author and Historian - rated it it was amazing. FIVE STARS Shelves: favorite-author American Gilt is a great trilogy for anyone interested in the lives of upper crust women during the Gilded Age. J.D. Peterson brings to life the true story of Sara Swan Whiting, a debutante whose hopes and dreams of fulfilling her expected "profession" as a cherished wife do not go as planned. Debut tells about her early life as a starry eyed young woman who falls for an immature charmer. Peterson does a great job of bringing to life the world that Sara and her friends live in, with both its glittering optimism and heartbreaking pitfalls. I also liked that at the end the author shared a lot of the original documentation that she based the story on. Nancy rated it it was amazing · FIVE STARS It is in Newport, RI that Sara Swan Whittingfirst sees Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont as she is entering a party. She is a new debutante and can have most any admirer she wants but she wants Oliver from the first. He is being sent to sea with the Navy. He hates it and gets his parents to get him out of the Navy. Sara travels with her mother to Paris and sees Oliver again. It is the Gilded age and Sara must be careful of her reputation. Oliver wants to marry her but his parents are wanting him to have an occupation and be settled before thinking of marriage. His mother does not think Sara is good enough for him and put what ever roadblock his parents can think of to separate them. Read to see the whole story and what happens to these young people. NET GALLEY - Mina - This book was fun to read, I liked the characters and the story line was very good. Real world situations made it believable. At times it felt a little stiff to me. It was well worth a read if you like a little bit of mystery and crime and a lot of romance Nellie Kampmann - Author and Historian - rated it it was amazinFIVEFIVE STARS Shelves: favorite-author American Gilt is a great trilogy for anyone interested in the lives of upper crust women during the Gilded Age. J.D. Peterson brings to life the true story of Sara Swan Whiting, a debutante whose hopes and dreams of fulfilling her expected "profession" as a cherished wife do not go as planned. Debut tells about her early life as a starry eyed