this book was executed sooooo well!!!! exquisite writing and a plot that really sucks the reader in. this one was sooo hard to put down!!!!!!!

Beatriz Williams is known for her historical fiction novels with titles such as "The Summer Wives" and "The Golden Hour," and "Husband's & Lover's" does not disappoint. I always enjoy the way she weaves the present with the past. One would never know that single mom, Mallory, in present day 2022, living in contemporary New England has a past that intertwines with Hannah, a Hungarian refugee from the 1950s who survived tragedy in the war and then a revolution in Cairo. But their past sorrows and heartbreak do weave a powerful story of love, loss, and betrayal. Thank you, Penguin Random House, for approving my request to read this ARC. The story was a can't put down, and it has stayed with me for a long time. I have read many books by Beatriz Williams and have attended many more of her book signings, and I enjoy listening to how she develops the narrative for such memorable stories.

Beatriz Williams writes this book full of lost families, betrayals, lost love and finding each other again. The story is wrote in duel timelines and follows the story of grandmother Hannah in Cairo Egypt. Hannah has such a tragic story. The present story follows Mallory. The present story takes place in Winthrop island. At times the dueling story is hard to follow. However in the end it makes sense why the book was wrote in separate story lines. It was a decent read and interesting though I wish it gave a little more background on Hannah’s story.

While I am not typically one who enjoys historical fiction this book marries the past and the present in such a captivating way that I wasn’t able to put it down.

The book follows the lives of 2 women, one in the past and one in the present day, whose lives appear drastically different but as the story unravels you find them to be significantly interconnected.

While each woman’s story can stand on its own, this book calls you to think about your relationship to the past and the indirect influence it has on your life.

The story also tackles some difficult and devastating topics both past and present and it is empowering to read how these women overcome their circumstances.

Thank you to Random House for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

JTH

I can honestly say that pretty much anything this author writes I usually like, and this was no exception. While it was not one of my favorite of hers, it definitely held my interest. The story is written in two different timelines – one that takes place currently on a fictional island in New England and the other that takes place in Cairo in the 1950s. I have to admit I liked the story that takes place in Cairo much more than the other one, but I think it was mainly because of the historical aspect and setting. I also liked this character, Hannah, much more than the other character, Molly. I found Molly to be annoying and self-centered. Lots of family secrets in both stories and unexpected twists. I loved how the author connected the two different stories at the end which even though I saw coming was still a nice ending to the story.
Thank you in advance to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

***Thank you to Net Galley for an Advanced Reader Copy****

This is the perfect book for summer travel/beach season. I started it on a plane flight initially and held it until another 5 hour flight a couple of weeks later because I wanted to read it uninterrupted. There’s love, there’s history, there’s intrigue and even a little drama. If you are familiar with Beatriz Williams, this may remind you of A Hundred Summers or Tiny Little Thing (which just happen to be my two favorites by her). If you are unfamiliar it’s a great gateway book into this author who keeps growing and changing with every novel she writes.

Once again Beatriz Williams comes through with a winner. The two main female characters drew me in immediately. I couldn't put the book down because I had to find out what happened to them.

Williams hits it out of the park with this historic fiction novel. A little intrigue, a little romance, mixed in with some family drama. I could not put this book down.

this is my first Beatriz Williams book and i have to say i’ve really enjoyed it. The story, the characters, how beautifully written it was, i simply couldn’t put it down. i thoroughly enjoyed that the book was written in dual pov which allowed us to explore different parts of hannah’s and mallory’s lives. i will definitely be reading more of beatriz’s books after this one.

My first Beatriz Williams book was The Secret Life of Violet Grant, which delightfully transported me to the worlds of 1960s New York City and WWI Europe. I became a fast fan of Williams' well-paced historical romps, part romance, part heartbreak. Husbands and Lovers is equally engaging, this time rotating the reader between love triangles in 2000s coastal New England and 1950s Cairo. Williams captures the reality and compromises of relationships, and the delightful suspense of new love. Regular readers will be glad to return to the community of Winthrop Island from previous novels, with an appearance by the Peabody family. This was a great weekend read. The scenes changed often enough that I didn't want to put the book down, and I went through a full range of emotions with the characters.

April 27, 2024
I had read Summer Wives a few years ago and I remember how much I enjoyed that book. It was a fantastic novel. So when I saw that Beatriz Williams had a new book upcoming I was very pleased when I received the ARC. With that being said, this book was fantastic in so many ways. It is told in two time lines. One in the present with Mallory and one in Egypt in 1950. Mallory is a single Mon who has a 10 year old son Sam who at camp eats a mushroom which puts him in renal failure and needs a kidney transplant. Hannah’s story takes place in Egypt with her married to a man she doesn’t really love but wants a child desperately. As you go along you eventually find out there is a major connection. Back to Mallory she knows who Sam’s father is but due to life and interventions they are not together. But that all changes. His father is Monk Adams who presently is a famous musician and very wealthy. I really don’t want to give away spoilers but I truly never wanted this book to end. It was truly a wonderful story from Mallory and Hannah. It also had an historical part to it from Hannah’s story about Egypt in that time period which was very interesting. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for this ARC. Again, I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed this book, hence my 5 Star review!!

"Husbands & Lovers" totally took me on a wild ride! I mean, we're talking about New England vibes mixed with Egyptian intrigue — how cool is that?

First off, Mallory and Hannah are like the coolest heroines ever. Yeah, sure, they make some questionable choices at first, but as you dig deeper into their stories, everything starts to make sense. And let's not forget about the settings! From the beaches of New England to the streets of Cairo, I was totally hooked on the vivid imagery.

The romance between Mallory and Monk is both enchanting and heartrending, their connection palpable even across the years. Meanwhile, Hannah's story is equally mesmerizing, filled with passion and sacrifice in equal measure. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns in both narratives, kept guessing until the very end.

The whole book is packed with family secrets and unexpected twists that had me guessing until the very end. And can we talk about how it tackles deep stuff like heartbreak, redemption, and betrayal? So. Good.

Honestly, "Husbands & Lovers" is a must-read. It's got everything — romance, mystery, drama — all wrapped up in a super addictive package. I'm definitely gonna be checking out more of Beatriz Williams's stuff after this!

Beatriz Williams never disappoints! Two women in two different eras, struggling to rebuild their lives: a WWII-scarred Hungarian ex-countess now trying to adapt to life as wife to a British diplomat, a modern-day artist molding her every day around a son with damaged kidneys and little hope of a transplant. Both women are linked by mysterious lovers and an even more mysterious family heirloom that ties 21st century New England to postwar Cairo. Sensitive, thought-provoking, romantic, and entertaining.

First, this was a book that I could not put down. Even though I had other things to do, any free moment I picked up my Kindle so I could find out what happened next. The book tells the story of two connected women over three time periods (Mallory - 2008 and 2022 and Hannah - 1951). While I really enjoyed Mallory's story, I had a hard time getting into Hannah's story. I found myself just wanting to get through Hannah's chapters just so I could get back to Mallory's story. I did enjoy how the author connected the two women - especially how a secret message was revealed later in the book. Overall, this was a quick read that I enjoyed.

Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I just stayed up wayyyy past my bedtime finishing this book! I downloaded it to my kindle almost 2 months ago and started it and the first 20% didn’t hook me but I went back to it just a few days ago and I was HOOKED. I loved Mallory’s storyline way more than Hannah’s but by the end I couldn’t stop reading either. I read the second 50% in one day. I just loved everything about Mallory, Monk, Sam, the whole modern time line makes me want to see this turned into a movie! Highly recommend this book!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the book untul the end really. It felt rushed, with alot of different important things happening. It took awhile to keep all the characters straight, especially in the Egypt times. Overall, good book and I would recommend to others!

Since I have read and enjoyed a few other books by Beatriz Williams, I was eager to read Husbands & Lovers. I was drawn to the contemporary time period that addressed a romance and a medical condition, as well as the historical period set in 1950's Egypt. I enjoyed the two POVs equally: 1) Mallory in coastal New England dealing with her medically fragile son and 2) Mallory's grandmother Hannah dealing with a loveless marriage residing in a country on the verge of turmoil.

This book contained more steamy scenes than I remember in the other Williams books I have read, but it did not detract from the strong writing. Both protagonists were fierce in their own right. The plot moved along at an even pace, and I was satisfied with the resolution. The author's note added further context. I will have to read more of this author's backlist.

I will recommend this to readers who like romantic women's fiction set in an historical period.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors, due to her gorgeous writing and the complexity of her stories and characters. She triumphs again in this masterful tale. Past and present link through dual-timeline stories that are worlds apart, in geography and tone, but every point of view compelled me to read on voraciously--while eating, brushing my teeth--anxious to unwrap the endings. And both timelines paid off with great twists. Brava Beatriz!

This was my first Beatrix Williams novel and I simply devoured it!

It is a beautifully written story that encompasses the lives of 2 women who are genetically connected, decades apart. Both are navigating the tribulations of their time, relationships, and motherhood.

The dialog in this book is very realistic, and Williams paints a beautiful picture that has me desiring to visit post-WW2 Egypt and the beaches of Cape Cod.

Just when you think there can't be another plot twist, another is given and it's almost impossible to put the book down and go on with the other tasks of life. I truly enjoyed this novel.

I adore a good split timeline book, and this was a good one. I enjoyed reading about Hannah’s experience in a part of history I am not as familiar with, in a part of the world I don’t read about often. Mallory and Monk’s relationship felt authentic. Hannah’s story was heartbreaking and she is such a model of a strong woman. The stories were interesting. I really wanted to know how everything tied up in the end.