Another great read from BW! I couldn’t put this one down. I was so interested to see how the storylines came together and really enjoyed the different time frames. Monk and Mallory’s story and Hannah’s were both intriguing. This will be a great summer read for many. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

This is definitely on my best reads of the year list. I have already told people to read this book. The story told through different times periods and different characters works so well. So well written, you connect with all of the characters. I didn’t want the book to end.

Husbands and Lovers tells is the story of two women: Hannah (told in Hungary and Egypt), who is married and unhappy, and hiding her past; and Mallory (told in the US in 2008 and 2022), a single mom who's son is on the kidney transplant list, and who's baby daddy is a famous singer and her first love. Mallory attempts to find out more information about her family to find a kidney donor. Overall, I really liked this story. I found the multiple timelines and viewpoints to be difficult at times, as Hannah tells her current story in Egypt and her previous story in Hungary, and Mallory has her two separate timelines. Because of this, I found different aspects of the stories to be more intriguing at different times. I wish we got more information on Hannah and her life, the end felt a bit abrupt (unless she gets another book????), but it also took me way longer to get into Hannah's story.
Overall: 4/5 stars!

I enjoyed how the author intertwined the multiple timelines and loved the historical fiction aspect of the story. Overall I liked this book but found one of the main characters unrelatable.
Two women that lead very different lives set in different timelines are united by a family heirloom. This is a good book for both historical fiction and romance lovers.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley, opinions are my own.
I did like the book, definitely a good beach read. There are two story lines , one is Hannah’s story in 1952. The other is Mallory and Monk’s story from their high school days to the present day. I definitely liked Mallory’s story more, I found Hannah’s story very confusing, it was hard to follow what happened in Hungary and when and how she got to Egypt and met multiple characters, some more important to the story, some less. I didn’t feel the Egyptian unrest had much to do with the story line.
I often had to reread paragraphs, and say, “wait, what” as one thought went to a completely other in one sentence. In Mallory’s and Monk’s story there were also “wait, what” instances, especially at the end when Monk ends up in the hospital. Since this was an advance, uncorrected copy, I hope some editing can fix these wait, what instances and then the novel will deserve the four stars.

Where to begin, I did not expect to not want to put this book down. I connected with Mallory right away as a mom wanting to do anything for her child, as Hannah's story progressed and evolved you felt the same pull. All of the characters were relatable and you felt as if they could be you, your family, friends, with their own story to tell. Rooting for all to be happy. I would highly recommend this book, it was the book I didn't know I needed. Thank you for the happy tears, the sad tears, truly a well written book.

As someone who regularly reads psychological thrillers, the blurb of this book intrigued me. An absolutely wonderfully written story.
I enjoyed the different eras of time for each chapter. It made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen. The characters were developed really well and I got to learn a little more about history.
Do not close the book at the end. Please read how Beatriz came up with the book and the true stories that lead her to write it.
Thank you for the ARC. Loved it.

Absolutely loved this book - I have read some others of Beatriz Williams and really liked them and was excited to be chosen to read the ARC of her new book. Did not disappoint. I loved the interwoven aspect of the 2 stories - one set in present day and one set in the mid 1900's with then throwback stories for each story line thrown in. The main characters were well developed and there was just enough of a glimpse of the side characters to make them interesting without overshadowing the main plot. Overall a great read and kept my interest as I didn't want to put it down.

Don't let the cover of this book mislead you! This novel is one of romance and mystery. Present day - mother - Mallory gets a call from the hospital that her son is gravely ill. Past - Mallory and her sister Paige are trying to find information about their grandmother who lived through WWII, When their mother passed away Mallory received a bracelet in the shape of a cobra that her mother never took off. As they learn more about the bracelet and their grandmother's past, they learn that their grandmother's story involves the Ukraine, Egypt and Ireland. The characters are very well written. Although the chapters alternate between the present and the past it is very easy to follow. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. I loved this book. This is my 6th Beatriz Williams book and I really like the writing style.

This book opens with such a great chapter - Mallory, 2019, a mom racing to the hospital where her 10-year old son lies in a coma after eating a death cap mushroom. My heart was racing in anticipation of what would happen.

The chapters then alternate between Mallory and Hannah, Cairo, Egypt 1951. Hannah meets her husband at a displaced persons camp in Vienna, she just arriving and he a governmental employee. She becomes his translator, and wife and they move to Egypt where she meets a mysterious Lucien Beck, the hotel manager. I loved learning more about the history of the Suez Canal and the British and Egyptians.

The chapters alternate between women and times - some going backward in time as well. Obviously from the title of the book you know that men will play a large role in this book and how men manipulate and can be manipulated - of the power that men (think they) have and the women who love them.

These two storylines were both so fantastic to read and I can't say that I liked one more than the other - and they you realize how they merge. Such a wonderfully written book that I absolutely loved reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beatriz Williams and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a stunning poetic melody which follows two women separated by a generation through their ups and downs of love, life and family. Written from two points of view in three non linear timelines between New England and Egypt, the women, Mallory and Hannah are fierce, brave, strong and beautiful. I was invested in the mystery of their lives and Williams kept me hooked until the end.

It's no secret that I love Beatriz Williams as an author, and in fact I've devoured every book she's published since I first read Summer Wives, so to say I was overjoyed to get the ARC of Husbands & Lovers is putting it lightly, so certainly be mindful of that bias on my part. Ha!
In Husbands & Lovers we have a dual timeline story about Mallory Dunne in New England 2022, a single mom, caring for her chronically ill son after a dangerous encounter with a poisoned mushroom, and Hannah Ainsworth in Cairo Egypt 1951, the wife of a British diplomat, living a life of secrets after surviving WWII in Hungary. How their storylines intertwine and intersect takes us through the bulk of the book.
As with her previous books, this book is clearly well researched and well written, and my primary (and only) complaint really, is that I would have liked so much more from Hannah's timeline and the tragedy she survives to be more detailed and elaborated upon in the book. All that said, I found this book almost immediately engrossing and quickly became invested in both women's stories. I very much enjoyed that the book was mostly set on Winthrop Island, a setting that will be familiar to Beatriz's faithful readers of previous books. This is absolutely a nice entry for summer reading, while also still feeling substantial and thought provoking. I've decided to round up from 4.5 stars for this one.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the summer!! And it was everything that I could have asked for and more. It was so good I was Entangled into the story and I could not put it down. I was so engrossed and involved in this book. I loved every word of this book!!!! Perfect Beach or Pool read! 5 stars!!
I just reviewed Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. #HusbandsLovers #NetGalley
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Really enjoyed this book! There were a lot of storylines to keep track of but I enjoyed each of them. Mallory and Monk (a famous singer) figuring out their relationship 13 years after the summer they fell in love..and how to parent Sam once Monk knew of his existence. Hannah in 1952 in Cairo and how she navigated the husband she doesn't love and the Israeli spy she does...plus the secrets of her past that we slowly learn.

I liked each of the stories and liked how Williams wove them together. I wish there had been a little bit more detail toward the end to wrap thing sup and combine the storylines a little more fully.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Husbands & Lovers had me hooked from the first chapter I could not wait to get back to it and see how things would work out for Mallory and Hannah. I love a good historical fiction story especially one about a time I'm not super familiar with. I enjoyed the dual pov between the two women and learning their stories and how they were connected. This book was so well written and I look forward to reading more from Beatriz Williams. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sam needs a new kidney. Mallory's son (the father IS NOT in the picture) ate a poisonous mushroom at camp and lost kidney function, so he is now on dialysis three times a week. Everyone has been tested for a good match for him, but they have all failed, and their family is very small-basically Mallory and her sister Paige. Paige tries to get Mallory to tell Monk Adams, superstar singer and guitarist, that his now 13-year-old son needs his help, but Mallory won't reveal this secret of Sam's birth to him. They were good friends who became lovers after Mallory played nanny to Monk's father's children, the summer of their junior year in college, but that train has left the station. So as a last resort, Paige takes a DNA test to see if she can find any cousins who could genetically match Sam.
Hannah Ainsworth, a Hungarian refugee, is the wife of an English diplomat stationed in 1950s Egypt. She tries to be a good wife and fit in with the English ex-pat community but is usually a bored observer. The assistant manager of the hotel, a noted Lothario to his English clientele, falls for Hannah and they conduct an extremely erotic affair-she wants a child and he wants information.
The connection between the stories is a cuff bracelet in the shape of a cobra that Paige and Mallory's mother never removed from her arm and left to Mallory in her will.
As with any well-written alternating story, the author stops each narrative with a cliffhanger and starts the other character's tale. Both stories are so compelling that it takes a few seconds to catch up when she moves from the past to the present and back again, but she never disappoints. This is a great summer read....it is rich in history while also never cheating the audience by stinting on romance. Best read on a small island near Cape Cod.

This book had multiple stories with different timelines going on which was a lot. The themes of love, fidelity and forgiveness were the focal points of the stories. There were some very predictable parts of the story and stereotypes of wealthy families. I like how the story wrapped up nicely in the end.


Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this eArc for my honest review.

This is one of the best written books I have read in a long time. The storyline of these women, Mallory & Hannah, and how they overlap even though their lives span generations was so good. The love interests of both of these women, also so good. The deep internal trauma that both of these women have because of men was so real.

The beginning was slow and it took me a second to understand the three timelines. There were a couple smaller detailed things that also took me out of the story.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book and I will be recommending to friends upon its release!

In a dual timeline story, Beatriz Williams has written an haunting beautiful tale of two women in love who go through a great deal of pain looking for their happy endings, which are surprisingly connected.

From Egypt and then Ireland the story goes to an island off the Connecticut shore. From an older married woman who has a baby after an affair and gives it up for adoption during wartime it continues to a young woman who gets pregnant in her late teens and doesn’t tell her boyfriend, but brings the baby boy up alone for 13 years until the father finds out during present day.

You’ll be mesmerized by this incredible story of loss and love that brings people together like only Beatriz Williams can.


It’s a tale that will keep you reading from page one until the very end to find out exactly how it turns out.

I love a good intergenerational story - and this one was unique by sharing timelines for 2 lead female characters, Mallory and Hannah. It was a bit hard going back and forth because Mallory had two timelines running simultaneously. There were also a lot of narratives running in the story - paternity, young love, major medical diagnosis, single parenting, divorce, affairs, adoption, spies… I wanted more on almost each narrative because it wasn’t described enough (especially the spy part!). Overall, a heartwarming story that had me hooked, just felt like it could have expanded more and the ending was quite abrupt.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.