I could not help falling in love with this book, even though so much of it is NOT the sort of thing I normally love. I don't know how Beatriz Williams does it, it's some sort of literary sorcery. I was fortunate to receive an ARC from NetGalley a few weeks prior to publication.

One of the things I love about Williams' books (along with the great writing and fascinating stories and incredible characters) is that she sets her books in the same world, so the same people show up from book to book, and the same settings appear again and again. Hello to my old friends!! This time, we are back at Winthrop Island, in the Long Island Sound, previous setting of Summer Wives and The Beach at Summerly, where budding musician and rich boy, Monk Adams, has a summer home and he gets his friend Mallory a summer job in the 80s. Emilia Winthrop of The Beach at Summerly even makes a very brief appearance, as the grandmother of a friend of a friend.

Mallory's character feels like a departure for Williams - she is a modern, foul-mouthed woman in 2022, and when the book opens she's a frazzled mess, cursing up a storm while racing up a highway in the rain to get to her hospitalized young son, who has ingested a poisonous mushroom while at summer camp. Hannah, in 1952 Egypt, is more in line with Williams' usual characters, although the Egypt setting is new. Hannah is the type of woman to engage in a torrid affair, saying all along that it's just sex, until the last possible second when her lover is leaving the country and demands she tell him she loves him, and she cavalierly says "of course I do, you idiot."

Although I didn't particularly like Mallory and I didn't agree with most of her choices, I LOVED her story. (Yeah, I don't understand how that happened either. What did I say about literary sorcery?) And I wasn't so sure about Hannah, either, but I loved her story and mysterious Beck and the Egyptian setting. In short: I wasn't crazy about the protagonists, but I loved their stories anyway. For whatever reason, I pictured Christoph Waltz as Beck, which made things even more difficult for me, since Waltz usually plays the bad guy.

Every single adult (except the housekeeper, Grace) was involved in infidelity, in some way - either the cheating partner or the betrayed partner or the affair partner. It was ... a lot. I hate infidelity and I never see it as romantic, and usually this kills a book for me. But this time, for some reason, I still loved the book, even though I hated what they were all doing. I still wished for a happy ending for all of them. I couldn't help but love this story. It has it all: along with the poison mushrooms and torrid love affairs there are fabulous 50s parties in Cairo, fancy jewelry with a mysterious provenance, summer romance, star-crossed lovers, tragic pasts, revolution, espionage, secret royal ancestors, beach cottages, dive bars, and rock and roll.

Mild TW (because it mostly takes place off-page) for <spoiler>rape, torture, murder, genera war-related atrocities, racism, anti-Semitism, kidnapping</spoiler> and of course all the infidelity.

My thanks to Net Galley and Random House/Ballantine for this arc. The author never disappoints. I enjoyed this book very much. My only thing was it seemed like it was taking awhile and dragging how Hannah's time line story tied in with Mallory and Paige. Once the adoption was mentioned I figured it out. Loved Mallorys 2008 and 2022 story lines. Highly recommend.

I've loved all the author's previous books, so was so excited to get my hands on an ARC of Husbands & Lovers! Twisty and well researched, this book gave me insight into parts of history I haven't read much about. I enjoyed the different POVs between the past and present, and the characters were all really fleshed out and mostly enjoyable. This story was a good mix of historical fiction and easy beach read, and I absolutely devoured it. It had some good cliffhangers between chapters to keep things moving, and the plotlines came together really nicely at the end. I'd highly recommend this one, and cannot wait to see what Beatriz Williams does next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

When I am craving historical fiction, Williams is my go to! I love a dual timeline novel and this did not disappoint. I also love historical fiction that introduces me to time periods/wars I did not know about- the Cairo setting and background of the Hungarian refugee experience was excellent. So well researched as always. Five stars!

I loved the mix of historical fiction and modern fiction with a touch of drama and intrigue throughout Husbands & Lovers! Beatriz Williams does a fantastic job weaving together three different timelines in a way that they support each other and help the story build throughout it, I felt more connected to the 2008 and 2022 timelines of Mallory as she navigates love, trauma and becoming a young, single mother. 1952's Hannah was a more complicated and multi-layered character. I feel her story could have carried a full novel!

Beatrix William's Husbands & Lovers will make a fantastic summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 15% for one very big reason, and I cannot wrap my head around the behaviors of the main character. I am sure her behavior will be justified at some point in this story, but I just couldn't stick it out, it made me so incredibly angry. I typically don't DNF, especially when it comes to ARCs, but I just do not understand why this mother is not doing everything in her power to save her son. The first time, I can see it, maybe something horrible happened with the dad, maybe that isn't an option to try to find a solution, okay fine. But then when the SECOND thing comes around and she STILL won't try to find a solution? Unless there's a big twist where she's on the run and has a secret identity or stole her son, none of it makes sense.
Maybe if I stuck it out these questions would be answered, but it just wasn't happening for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published June 25, 2024.

This was my first book by this author and I have mixed thoughts. There are two main storylines: Mallory and her son Sam in Connecticut in 2022 and her mother in Cairo in the 1950s.

I really enjoyed Mallory’s story: the guilt she feels when Sam eats a poisonous mushroom at camp, the secrets she’s kept and her relationship with Monk. But I was bored by the back story of her mom, her adopted parents and the cobra bracelet. I would have rated it higher if it was just Mallory’s story.

Trigger warnings for renal failure, dialysis and rape.

Pretty impressed with this!

A great blend of romance and historical fiction that switches so easily back and forth from past to present. There were so many great subplots of the general story arc including teenage love, the hardships and joys of motherhood, and the stress of pregnancy during war. I love how strong the bond between sisters was written. I also found that the author's attention to details and historical facts to be very impressive and definitely gave me an increased appreciation for this story.

My only complaints are that the connection between the two leading women and their storylines seemed a bit forced and it was clear that one of them was getting more page time than the other. One of them even received two timelines instead of just one. I think this just needed a bit more cohesion to make it work better.

3.5/5⭐

Courtesy of Random House-Ballantine and Netgalley, I received the ARC of Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. This multi timeline novel details historical aspects of WWII, Cairo in 1951-52, and the adoption practices of the Irish Magdalene laundries. Contemporary events take place on a Connecticut island, connecting a romantic summer of music and art with family tensions and subsequent situations. (Not to divulge the secrets!) The well researched and interwoven threads gradually become apparent as the story progresses, and all came together in a satisfying resolution! Highly recommend!

This is one of my favorite reads so far this year. Mallory is a single mother with a son who needs a kidney transplant. The child's father does not know he exists and Mallory would like to keep it that way. Mallory and her sister also discover that their late mother was adopted. This may hold the key to getting a kidney. The story is told in three timelines. One is of Mallory's biological grandmother and why she gave up her child. Mallory has two timelines. One was the time when she got pregnant with her son and why she has not seen the father since then. The other is current time which has Mallory and her sister are looking for potential relatives who might be a match for a kidney. The story is historical fiction mixed with family drama and romance. It is a wonderful read. I would highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, @authorbeatriz, and #BallantineBooks for a copy of this excellent book.
#HusbandsandLovers

I publish my reviews on Goodreads when I read the book and on Amazon when it is published. At the end of the month it is published I post in the following Facebook Book Clubs: 52 Book Club, Between the Chapters, Reader's Coffeehouse, The Girlfriend Book Club, Tattered Page Book Club and Friends and Fiction

I could not get enough of this story. It was the perfect mix of historical fiction and modern romance. It was easy to switch back and forth from the past to the present and between characters. This story was truly special and I found myself not wanting it to end. It covers everything from teenage love, to a mother’s love for her child, to someone’s journey through pregnancy while during a time of war. Not to mention a bond between sisters and their journey finding their mother’s birth family through DNA. It was complicated and beautiful. I don’t want to give much away but honestly cannot recommend a book more!

Mallory is dealing with a health crisis with her son that leads her to question whether she should reconnect with her son's dad (who doesn't know he exists and is now a famous musician.) Hannah is married to a British diplomat in post WWII Cairo. Both women must make life changing choices and have to decide what is best for their survival. Cairo, Ireland, and summer on the East Coast all add to the flavor of this layered novel.

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite historical fiction writers and probably the one who actually got me into historical fiction long ago. Her books are always reliably full of well-drawn characters and interesting plots. They are not completely predictable (like many historical fiction books) and often have quiet tie ins to previous books. I loved that this one had a modern day setting and then two other timelines. The setting of Cairo, and later Ireland, were unique and smartly used and although it sounds complicated to keep up with the multiple timelines, it was not. This was very readable, and a perfect balance of a beach read and some historical fiction drama.

I think this is one of Williams' stronger books and definitely recalled an old favorite, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, while reading this one. If you haven't read Williams, this is a great place to start, and if you have, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

⭐️: 4.5/5

Mallory Dunne, a single mother desperate for a kidney donor to give her son a chance at a normal life, is forced to confront secrets in her own past in order to achieve the best chance at finding a match. Decades earlier, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth is living in Cairo with her British diplomat husband, trying to survive the tragedy of her past, when she finds herself drawn into a game of spies and intrigue, resulting in a sacrifice that will echo down generations.

Beatriz Williams has been an auto-buy author for me for a while now, and her historical fiction books are one of the main reasons why I got back into reading a few years back. There’s something about how she makes her main characters so intriguing that makes you really care about the stories being told about them. She also has made a little interconnected universe of characters in her books, which I love when authors do. Unfortunately, since I’ve read most of her books a while back, I feel as though I may have missed a few connections in this one, which to be honest just makes me want to re-read some of them, since I loved them that much. I will say that The Beach at Summerly, her last book, was a bit of a flop for me, so I was nervous going into this one, worried that it’d be the same, but this one holds up to the standard that I expect from a book by Williams. It was multiple timeline, multiple POV, with the timelines feeding off one another and interweaving so you were drawn in to the same mysteries and intrigues that the characters in the book were. I love the way that she writes women in history as strong and independent women to make use of the resources that they are give in life to make up for the barriers that stand in their ways. One of the hallmarks of a good historical fiction book that utilizes multiple timelines is when I’m sad to leave one timeline behind for another, but by the end of the new chapter, you’re sad to leave that timeline for the other again, which kept happening to me in this book! I recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction who like a little romance with their history!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this free eARC for my honest review!!

I ate this book up. I loved the idea of 1950s Cairo & glam mixed with a modern day sleepy New England island. There is something about having the perfect setting for a book that hooks me. This book is multiple POVs but feels very cohesive throughout. I was not left unsatisfied and everything tied together well. There’s so many cliffhangers that keep you pushing through but she never leaves you guessing for too long. Incredibly well written, highly recommend and will be adding more of her books to my TBR.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

This book was so good I couldn't put it down!!! Husbands & Lovers is a dual time line story and it is woven together beautifully. Mallory and her son Sam are told in the present in New England and in the past we follow Hannah in Cairo in the early 1950's. Both stories drew me in and I loved all the strong women. I am so sad that I finished the book and the characters will stay with me for quite a while. Definitely a wonderful story and honestly one I wish wouldn't have ended. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book of dual timelines - WWII-era Egypt and modern-day Cape Cod - mixed with romance, discovering more about your family, and just general drama. A perfect beach read with a bit of substance and a lot going on to keep your mind busy and entertained.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were deep and likeable, and the story was very engaging. I loved the historical tie ins too, as the author often has.

"Love is not a bargain . . ."

Have you ever been absolutely smitten by a novel before?! I was SMITTEN! I thought about this book when I wasn't reading and couldn't wait to pick it back up.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a MUST READ. Following several storylines from 1951-52, 2008 and 2022, this book centers around Hannah and Mallory, and a cobra bracelet that connects them both. Hannah Ainsworth is married to a British Diplomat with a desk job in Cairo, Egypt due to his health. After a near death experience with a cobra, where she is saved by hotel manager Lucien Beck - a love affair begins. When she realizes she is pregnant, Hannah has a choice to make about her future.

Fast-forward to 2022, Mallory is living with her son, Sam, that has kidney failure after eating a bad mushroom at camp. His father, a famous musician, doesn't know he exists until a meeting on Winthrop Island, where the uncanny resemblance and timeline leave Monk with no doubt that he is his child. So why the secrets? Why did Mallory never tell Monk that he was a father? And where does Hannah and Lucien come into play with all of this?

I was so invested in this historical fiction meets romance novel! While I loved every part, I really looked forward to the sections that involved Monk - I fell in love with Monk and Mallory! What a real-age book about all the different ups and downs with love, marriage, commitment, affairs, and divorce. I think Paige, Mallory's sister, was my favorite character!

This was my first book by Williams but it will NOT be my last. I will quickly find another one of her novels and I'm sure I will devour it just as much I did this one. I will highly be recommending this author and this novel - it was captivating, alluring, engaging and thought-provoking. I also feel like I learned some about Egypt and the middle east after the war. This was an easy 5 stars! This book comes out on June 25, 2024 - go preorder it NOW!

Thank you NetGalley for this spectacular arc - by far one of the best books I have read this year!

"Life's supposed to be hard. You have to fight for what you love."

This was such an interesting story. It covered a large span of time, which each chapter focused on. I wasn't sure how it would all come together in the end, but the author weaved the story just so.

I will admit, I got confused at times, trying to remember who everyone was as the chapters jumped through time. I did figure it out, though, and very much enjoyed the overall story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.