I'm already planning to read this again for summer vacation in 2024. It's beautifully written with rich characters and an enthralling story. Well done, Williams. A must read author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams, readers are transported to two distinct yet interconnected narratives set in different eras. From the mysterious streets of Cairo in 1951 to the picturesque landscapes of New England in 2022, Williams weaves a tale of heartbreak, redemption, and the complex web of human relationships. The story begins in New England, where single mother Mallory Dunne receives the dreaded phone call that her young son, Sam, has fallen gravely ill due to poisoning. Desperate to find a compatible kidney donor, Mallory delves into her own past, unearthing two deeply buried secrets. Firstly, the adoption of her mother from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and secondly, her own passionate summer romance with childhood best friend Monk Adams, who has since become a renowned singer-songwriter. Their fairytale romance was abruptly severed by a devastating betrayal, leaving scars that still haunt Mallory to this day. The narrative then shifts to 1951 Cairo, introducing Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth. Having endured unimaginable tragedy during the war, Hannah has rebuilt her life as the wife of a wealthy British diplomat. However, a chance encounter with the enigmatic manager of a spy-infested hotel ignites a passionate affair that reawakens her longing for the life she lost. As the political turmoil of the Egyptian revolution rages on, Hannah finds herself entangled in a dangerous game between two men and faces a sacrifice that will reverberate across generations. Williams masterfully intertwines these two narratives, seamlessly blending past and present, and creating a timeless and bittersweet tale. The author delves deep into the complexities of human emotions, exploring themes of privilege, class, and the female experience against the backdrop of richly depicted settings. Through her eloquent prose, Williams brings to life the vibrant streets of midcentury Cairo, with its simmering tension and air of revolution. Equally compelling is her portrayal of contemporary New England, where moneyed beaches hide secrets and desires. The characters are beautifully crafted, each with their own flaws and vulnerabilities, making them relatable and engaging. "Husbands and Lovers" is a novel that tugs at the heartstrings, evoking a rollercoaster of emotions. Williams skillfully explores the choices we make, the sacrifices we endure, and the paths we take in the pursuit of love, redemption, and self-discovery. This poignant and thought-provoking story will leave readers reflecting on the complexities of life and the power of forgiveness. In conclusion, Beatriz Williams' "Husbands and Lovers" is a masterfully written novel that transports readers through time and space, captivating them with its intertwining narratives and deeply human characters. With its exploration of moral dilemmas, societal constraints, and the enduring bonds of love, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking a beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant story.

This book Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams will be on my top reads of 2023 list! A wonderful story about two different women living in two different decades! The struggles/problems these women went through was written wonderfully!

Thank you Random House Publishers and NetGalley the ARC!!

This novel will take you around the world!

Mallory Dunne has a sick child and a mysterious past. As she searches (and waits) for a kidney donor for her son she is pushed by her sister to seek out the father of her child as well as track down any potential relatives by researching her deceased mother's life. Her sister drags her home to the cape where so much went wrong years ago.

Through flashbacks to Cairo in the 50's via a a character named Hannah and Mallory's life 15 years ago with her first love Monk, we are treated to excellent stories of women doing the absolute best they can in situations that leave few choices. Mallory,Monk and Hannah are characters you aren't soon to forget. There's some action, some adventure, espionage, romance and of course, mystery. This book has it all, grab it! #husbands&lovers #beatrizwilliams
#RandomHouse

Such a great story - or two stories intertwined. I honestly didn't know where this was going with the connection between the two, but it wrapped up beautifully. Beatriz does historical fiction so well and I loved the tie in with "today" in this story. An excellent read.

I adored this novel told on a dual timeline as two sisters search for answers about their mother. A down to earth rock star love interest ans a very interesting trip to Ireland made this novel.come to life. One of my favorites by this author. Not to be missed!

An absolutely stellar new edition to one of my favorite historical fiction authors, Beatriz Williams has truly outdone herself with "Husbands and Lovers." Fantastic witty repartee is one of the things I most enjoy about her books, and it there are some wonderful exchanges between the characters that I found myself rereading because they were so good! This book definitely is for the romance lover, because of the lovely romance and the way it tugs at your heart strings. I would say this is the perfect book to read at the beach, on vacation, at home, listen to in the car...just somehow read it! You won't be sorry. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to get my hands on a paper copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

I have so many great things to say about this book and could not put it down once I started it.

I loved the dual timeline of the book because it really brought the past and present together for me. We get to know modern-day Mallory, a single mom dealing with the aftermath of her son's accident and past Mallory, a teenager falling in love with Monk. We also follow her grandmother, Hannah, living in Egypt in the 1950's as Hannah digs into her DNA in order to help her son.

I enjoyed every bit of this book and was sad to say goodbye to these characters when it was over.

The way the two timelines come together is beautiful and so well written! I would have loved to have read more about these two women and tragic love lives.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This author’s books have been hit or miss for me. This one, I enjoyed! Coming next summer. Until then I enjoyed The Summer Wives and Along the Infinite Sea.

This was one of my top reads this year! An amazing novel set in two different time periods. The first story follows Mallory, who is a single mom, whose son is ill and in need of a kidney transplant. The other story follows Hannah who is in Egypt during the 1950s while stuck in a loveless marriage during a tumultuous time in Egypt's history. Both women are strong but have huge obstacles to overcome including whether to follow their heart or not.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I find myself still thinking about it. I really hope that there might be a follow up book as I don't want to stop reading about these characters. There was so much to love in this book. The settings, one in New England and the other in Egypt were fascinating to read about and transported me from one continent to the next. As well as what they both went through and how they were able to over come so much. I also loved the way the book was written. As soon as I finished a chapter I wanted to read more. This is a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more by Beatriz Williams.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC. I am so grateful as this was a fantastic read!

4.5, rounded up. This is my first time reading Beatriz Williams and I can already say, she may well be on her way to joining the ranks of Kristin Hannah and Taylor Jenkins Reid (for me).
Husbands & Lovers weaves together generations of women, following multiple threads within the lives of Mallory (both as a teenager and as an adult) and her grandmother, Hannah, to create a sort of familial epic. It's the perfect marriage of history and romance, with Williams giving just the right amount of detail while managing to never stray too far into the weeds, nor into becoming too sentimental. I kept finding myself alternating between wishing I could stay in Mallory's storyline longer, but then feeling similarly when I was in Hannah's story. The only fault I could give it is that I did find myself occasionally confused in Hannah's timeline, as the story jumps between her relationship with her husband and Lucien Beck, as well as a prior lover. I'm not sure the prior lover was necessary, as it made things just a bit too complicated, given all of the other threads that were being woven simultaneously. But at the same time, it did add a depth to Hannah that I enjoyed as a reader.
I would definitely recommend this book and hope it finds success in the market upon its release.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of Beatrix Williams. It was also nice to be back on Winthrop Island. Mallory Dunne is a single mom with a 10-year-old son. Her sister, Paige, is a take charge kind of girl. So, when tragedy strikes, she jumps right in to support her sister and rallied the troops. The sisterly dynamic is all over the place but the way they support each other is amazing. Mallory’s lover from the past re-appears and meets his son. The bonding between father and son is touching. Mallory and Monk must navigate their new relationship. Then a scandal hits Paige and her husband which throws everything into a world of chaos. Meanwhile, the sisters have found out their mother was adopted. The dual timeline brings the past and present together. All in all, this was a great read and I’m grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC copy.

Thank you for an advance copy of this book by one of my favorite authors! This is a cross generational/timeline story of Mallory, her sister Paige and their discoveries about their Mom/Grandma after a family tragedy. But it's also the story of Mallory's current love situation with her son's father from the past/present. I liked how the past/present stories intertwined. I loved the female characters the most..Mallory, Hannah. The beautiful East Coast/beach side setting was also enchanting. I really enjoyed this drama!

What a great return to Winthrop Island and the world of Beatriz Williams! Husbands & Lovers is a stand-alone novel, but like many of Beatriz Williams novels there are references characters from other books set on Winthrop Island. Also similar to previous novels, the past and present storylines weave together an irresistible plot and you can't predict what's coming next.

The book starts in present day with Mallory Dunne, a single mother whose son Sam is away at sleepaway camp. In 1951, Hannah Ainsworth follows her husband on assignment to Egypt which is reeling with political unrest and turmoil. Finally, in 2008, we see Mallory again -- this time working as a nanny to the Adams family on Winthrop Island. Her relationship with Monk Adams grows, and we learn that by the later Mallory chapters Monk is a huge rockstar. The characters are incredibly well fleshed-out, and I loved seeing Mallory and Monk grow as the book progressed.

While it seems there is a lot going on, Beatriz Williams seamlessly brings these stories together. There's espionage, love affairs, post-WWII intrigue, and more. I really enjoyed having parts of Hannah's story flashback to Hungary during the war -- so much of historical fiction set in WWII is focused on Western Europe and the UK, and I enjoyed learning more about the dual threats of the Red Army and Nazis that Hungary faced.

While the Schuyler Sister series might be my favorite of all her novels, this comes in a close second! I think it's the strongest of her most recent work, and I really enjoyed the complex plot. I read it all in one sitting as I had to know how it ended!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book! I'm so glad I get to continue to read one of my favorite authors.

Husband’s and Lovers was my first introduction to Beatriz Williams, and I will certainly be back for more! 4.5 ⭐️

This dual timeline is set on the fictional Winthrop Island in 2022 and in Cairo, Egypt in the 1950s. While both Mallory and Hannah’s stories were absolutely lovely and heartbreaking, I found myself more invested in Mallory’s chronicle. Hannah’s life absolutely devastated me and I noticed I sometimes rushed through her chapters to get back to Mallory and Monk. The overall flow of the book made it hard to put down, as nearly every chapter ended in a big reveal or cliff hanger. Sometimes the timeline took extra brain power to follow, especially within chapters, but I felt exceptionally connected to and invested in Mallory and Hannah thanks to their many flashbacks.

In other news, Monk Adams is my new book boyfriend and I doubt few will ever compare! A favorite quote:

“It hurts, Pink. Like a pain in my chest, like it's too much to hold. Like I'm going to lose you.” 🥹

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of this book! I will be highly recommending this book come June 2024!

The voice is strong, the premise is interesting, and it reads well. I stopped after chapter 2 (5%) but probably a solid three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Gosh, I loved Husbands & Lovers! It was hard to put this book down. I have read a handful of Beatriz Williams novels and enjoyed them all - although I think this might be my favorite. It's a love story at heart, but also a fascinating look at a slice of history (Egypt immediately following WWII) and paternity incidents.

2022: Mallory is a single mom. Her son, Sam, eats a death cap mushroom while at sleep-away camp and ends up with kidney disease. Sam's dad is 'out of the picture' and it takes us a while to learn exactly why.

2008: Mallory falls in love with Sam's father in a whirlwind summer romance. I'll leave it there because it takes almost the entire book to find out why that romance ended.

1951-1952: Hannah Ainsworth is a Hungarian refugee. She married a wealthy British diplomat after World War II ended and has found herself stationed in Egypt, living a bourgeois expat lifestyle.

We follow the love affairs of both Mallory and Hannah, traveling back and forth between 2022, 2008 and 1951. The story is a slow burn, each chapter is long, going deep into the plot at hand. I was deeply invested in the individual stories, feeling like the end of each chapter was a cliffhanger that left me eager to know what happened next. It takes time to know how they're all connected. My only complaint about this novel was, in fact, how long it took to get to the next section. Books like this sometimes make me want to read each story in its entirety, rather than swapping from story to story. I imagine, since this was an ARC, that some of this might improve with the final edits, helping to move things along a little more quickly.

I love a smart romance, with history and strong, likable characters. I felt this one in my heart and spirit. I also love a special piece of statement jewelry; this book features one I wish I could see in person! Highly recommended, I will definitely be telling friends about this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite description:
"A woman sat pin-straight on the fraying bench seat, wearing a pink linen blouse and pearls, rusty blond hair, inquisitive blue eyes, cheekbones on loan from a carpenter."

Husbands and Lovers is a novel about second chances. There are two story lines -Hannah, who lives in Cairo in the early 50s, and Mallory, a single-mom in New England, whose story goes back and forth between 2008 and current day. Both women are connected by a bracelet, and their stories come together towards the end of the book.

I loved Mallory and Monk’s story and found both characters very likable. I was captivated by their relationship, their devotion for each other, their chemistry, and was curious till the end about what had drawn them apart. That said, I also found Hannah’s story mesmerizing, and I was glad her backstory was different from what I was expecting.

As with all of Beatriz William’s books, the descriptions are rich and the characters are strong. I got transported to Winthrop Island and Cairo, and I really enjoyed the plot, which kept me engaged from beginning to end, and up until late at night. This may be my new favorite book by Beatriz Williams.

Thank you to Random House Publishing -Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you for this ARC! What a treat to read. Definitely one of my favorite reads in November. The end of each chapter and the movement among story lines of Mallory as a young adult, Mallory as an adult and Sam’s mom, Hannah before/during the war and Egypt Hannah kept me enthralled in this story and it was very difficult to put down.

I adored Mallory and Monk’s love story and the search to find out about Mallory and Paige’s family history. The devastating heartbreak that Hannah experienced. Sam’s journey to health.

It’s difficult to put into words. So glad I got the chance to read this one. Can’t wait to check out more from Beatriz Williams.