There's so many aspects of Aimee Crocker's life that we see in this book that it definitely reads like a novel. However, I was very surprised to learn that Aimee Crocker was a real person, and while she didn't live quite as fantastically as the book lays out, she did have many of the experiences that we read about. I feel that the author fleshes out the story well.

I appreciated the historical context of the novel. We come to the story in 1880, when Aimee is about to find out who her first husband will be. I did find that the social constraints on a wealthy young woman of this time were somewhat loose, but of course, I only know about societal rules from what I've read myself. It sounds as if Aimee's mother pushed her onto Porter, Aimee's first husband, glad to no longer have this burdensome girl that was determined to flaunt all of high society's rules.

There is somewhat of a supernatural aspect to this book. What else is one to expect when Aleister Crowley is a character? While at first glance it may seem out of place in the story, I think everything else that Aimee gets involved in, it really doesn't come at that much of a surprise, and even goes to explain some facets of her earlier life.

I would recommend this book to those that would like to see those who broke free of society's rules, especially for woman. Also, if you like a good historical read about past times in other cultures around the world, I found this book fascinating for that as well.

Aimee Crocker was a real-life heiress, and she blew through the 1880’s and beyond with quite the force. At the young age of 17 she married her first husband, only to realize that was an impulsive decision that she soon regretted. Divorcing him, she continued traveling the world and then married several more times, but never quite finding the love and calm she desired.

We follow her life through her travels and her self discovery, as she blazes a trail for herself and other women to change the “norm” of just getting married and losing your identity to your husband. Shunned by many in society for her wild ways, she was unapologetically authentic, and for that you have to admire her. I had never heard of her, and honestly didn’t even realize this was based on an actual person until I read the author’s notes. I appreciated the author pointing out what was factual in the story (most of it), and what was fiction, or altered with cites/dates to better fit the plot and make the story more concise. Although I feel she frittered away millions in her parties and life styles, I do admire her for trying to always be herself, and searching to find her happiness. Overall, a good read!

I tend to gravitate toward historical fiction that has real people as the inspiration so when I saw that was indeed the case with this book I knew I had to read it. There is only one pov told in first person narrative made this feel like I was reading straight from Aimee Crocker’s journal. This starts in the late 1870s and follows her life story which was, in fact, quite different from what the norm was in those days. Her life was quite fascinating to learn about.

There was a mystical aspect woven into the story (the titanic anicdote was particularly chilling) and for most of the book I thought it worked but then at the end it felt like it took a turn into a lengthy experience and my attention waned. The last 10% definitely how I felt about the book but the authors note helped me understand the why of it all, which I really appreciated.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the arc via Netgalley

Very readable, entertaining story. Yes, I had to suspend disbelief a time or two, but overall I was enjoying this wild ride of a book. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

The Thirteenth Husband by Greer McCallister

Okay….mixed feelings and thoughts:
* Truth weirder than fiction – yes
* Mother without motherly feelings – yes
* Earthy? Yes
* Naïve? Yes, in the beginning but way too savvy later in life
* Privileged offspring with money – hedonist? More than likely
* Wrote her own autobiography – I believe, so…why read a novelized version?
* Into occult/spiritualist and anything else that came her way? Yes,,and so of the times with spiritualists abounding
* Willing to keep status/face by toeing the line? Not so much
* Did money liberate her? Yes and no
* Did she reconnect with self or her children? Not sure because I gave up on the book at 16% and read about this unusual and interesting woman online and got the gist of the book that was based on her life in this book…till I quit
* Writing and storytelling was wonderful and drew me in but…not enough to make me keep reading

Did I finish the book No
Would I read more books by this author? Yes…enjoyed two previous books by her

NOTE: The author said that she adjusted and adapted, switched things around, and probably found this woman fascinating but, as other reviewers have mentioned…why put time and effort into the life of a woman long gone and perhaps not relevant to the present? I cannot relate to Amy…though I have seen her ilk in other women of the era or even now… I did not finish this book but might revisit it in the future because It was well written and it could be ME and not the Story.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourcebooksLandmark for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

I really enjoyed this story - I thought it was a good mix of glitz and glamour while still being realistic. Would recommend to my friends!

A wonderful historical fiction read that gives you an insight into the rich and famous. Based on the real story of Aimee Crocker, I found her story very intriguing and in her own voice which made it real and forthright. The writing grabbed my attention and followed Aimee's story for the whole of her lifetime. The research to write this book would have been extensive and the author did such a great job of bringing her own spin to the story which makes it a very interesting book to read.

I have never read any books by this author but will be checking out what other books she has written as I enjoyed and was entertained by this fantastic book.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I know I’m a little late with this review, but I’m afraid that what I thought was going to be a quiet July ended up having more books to read than I expected, so this review is a week late. However, also in my defense, I thought it wasn’t being released until August 6 (and apparently it won’t come out for another month in the US), so I thought I had time. No matter, dear, gentle reader, I finished it! Not that his was ever in question; I’ve been reading Macallister’s books since her debut, and I’ve yet to dislike any of them. In fact, I think I knew I’d found a new favorite author when I read her first book, “The Magician’s Lie.” (Okay, so she did write some fantasy books under the name G.R. Macallister which I didn’t read, but I think she forgives me for that.) But on to the review…

So, Macallister is back with another biographical novel (the first one was my favorite of hers, “Girl in Disguise” about Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton investigator), and I couldn’t be happier! Especially because I’d never heard of Aimée Crocker, and I’m betting that most people also have no clue as to who or what she was. The fact that she was enormously wealthy meant that she could do practically whatever she wanted, was a huge advantage for any woman in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. More importantly, that her riches were hers alone, and not from marrying a monied husband, was even rarer back then. Now, I usually have very little patience for reading about the “trials and tribulations” of those who can essentially buy their way out of, or into anything, but Aimée ended up being an exception to that rule. You see, although she had tons of cash, and used it quite liberally, as well as casually, the way Macallister draws her is it didn’t actually define her as a person. In fact, although I didn’t specify this above, Aimée’s story is a type of coming-of-age story, but one where the protagonist doesn’t ultimately come-of-age, at least not in the traditional sense. This is because from the way Aimée lived her life, it seems she was always searching for something that was just beyond her reach.

The thing is, because of this, Aimée was totally fascinating person. The things she did, the places she went, the people she met, were (as Macallister says in her author’s notes) stranger than fiction. There’s an old adage that says something like you can’t run away from yourself, because wherever you run to there you are. Aimée seemed to embody this, in that she did quite a bit of running away, but at the same time, with each escape, she was actually chasing her own self, if you know what I mean. Add to this the way that Macallister has Aimée speaking to someone, which felt to me like she was speaking to her readers, made me call this a fictional memoir. This didn’t exclude Macallister from including some of her usual, highly descriptive passages of the places Aimée visits and the people she meets along the way, which added to the beauty of this novel.

With all this, I guess you’re wondering about my overall thoughts about this novel. Yes, you can see five stars below, but that’s because I don’t have one for 4.75 stars. You see, there are a few sections in this book that rubbed me just a touch the wrong way. Aimée has quite a few sexual encounters throughout her life, and the descriptions of some of those came very close to my line of being explicit. No, she never actually crossed that line, but a couple of these had a “yuck” factor to them that I found distasteful. That’s just me, and I’m sure these parts won’t disturb the vast majority readers, but there you have it. I think this is why I had a slight disconnect from Aimée emotionally. However, aside from that, this was once again an excellent book, perfect for lovers of women’s, historical, biographical fiction, and there’s much to love about it, even if you’re slightly prudish like me. So, my recommendation stands with a very strong 4.75 stars out of five.

The first thing to be aware of when starting this book is that it is based on the life of a real person, child heiress Aimee Crocker. At ten years of age, in 1875, she inherited 10 million dollars. The equivalent today would be about 200 million. A colossal fortune for anyone let alone a child.

With all that money there was very little to hold her back and her adult lifestyle was bohemian and frequently outrageous especially by the standards of the day. The title is misleading as she had seven (I think but I lost count at one point) husbands and the rest were her significant lovers.

I had never heard of Aimee before and her financial circumstances were truly incredible. It was an amazing life but unfortunately presented as a book it became repetitive meeting one man after another. Just an okay read for me. Three stars.

At first I thought this was an attempt to strike the same fire as Evelyn Hugo. However, once I realized Aimee was a real person, I enjoyed the story more. But, ultimately I didn’t enjoy this enough to finish passed 50%. Too much of this seemed fiction, and I think I’d rather just read an actual biography.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book. My opinions are completely my own. I was drawn to Amy's tragic and enthralling story right away and couldn't put it down. The mystery of the white lady and the lucky next husband was captivating.

3.5 stars- The life of Aimeé Crocker seems so thrilling and captivating, realizing this story is the fictional version of this real life Heiress. Born into wealth and inheriting more money than you could imagine, especially for that time period; she was able to live the life she wanted. Making her own rules, following her hearts desires and ultimately; chasing love throughout her life.

Along the way, there were many deaths and heartaches to follow her while on this wild life she was living. Aimeé is on a journey to find herself, accept herself and to figure out who her thirteenth husband could be.

I enjoy the mystery of this story, to find out eventually who Aimeé is speaking to and finding out who the "you" really was. The ending was written beautifully. At times the story was a bit hard to follow, since the time frame goes over the whole of her life. So some themes and events went by fast and others longer. Overall I recommend this story and it was enjoyable to learn about the life of Aimeé Crocker.

⌛️Title: The Thirteenth Husband
Author: Greer Macallister ⌛️

The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister is a story of a real-life person who defied the rules of society and lived a life that she chose.

Amiee Crocker, a real-life heiress, defied the term ideal woman in a manner that was not only outrageous and unbelievable but shocking during the nineteenth century. In the time of Astors and Vanderbilt, Aimee Crocker was a woman who was independent as well as someone with a mind of her.

I didn't know much about Aimee Crocker before reading this book. She definitely is a fascinating character, and I wonder if she really was that frivolous. Of course, having that kind of money might have opened many roads for her. I did enjoy the book, and I am still wondering if this person really did everything that she said. A fascinating character for sure.

I love a good fierce female character. When I first seen this cover and title I thought, wow really 13 husbands….ok!?

But that is not the case and there is so much more to our leading lady than we think. I would really like to see this book because a lifetime movie. (Just saying)

The Thirteenth Husband is based off a real woman in the late 1800s, early 1900s. I found the narrator to be alright, nothing to write home about. The story overall is very interesting- I love that it's based off reality! If historical fiction is your thing, you should give this book a try! Aimee is such an interesting woman who wanted love and obviously had a hard time with it.

I loved that the novel was based on a real person.
Aimee certainly lived in her own terms and thwarted most social conventions of her day.
She definitely thumbed her nose at social constraints.
It’s always refreshing to read about women who loved outside of the lines drawn for them!

Aimee Crocker’s father died when she was just a young girl. He left her millions of dollars for her inheritance. As Aimee grows up, she proceeds to keep the reporters busy with her extravagance and her many husbands.

I say this quite frequently, I love a book which has me researching. And believe me, I looked this lady up right from the get go. She was eccentric, extremely rich and never let anything get in her way. I mean, she got divorced in the late 1800s, almost completely unheard of for women. She partied with kings, visited mediums, and even married into Russian nobility.

She is a fascinating character, however, this story is a bit monotonous and long. I also felt the ending is a bit rushed. But I am so glad I read it. Aimee Crocker was indeed a unique person and I am I learned about her.

The narrator, Suzanne Toren, is just ok. This is going to sound weird, but, I could hear her smacking between sentences. It is more prevalent in the first half of the book, or maybe, I just got used to it.

Need a good historical fiction based on a real, eccentric person…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

While I have loved this author's previous works, I did not enjoy this one. Aimee was not a character that I wanted to spend an entire book with. I like historical fiction with women that I can truly root for, and someone who marries and divorces and crosses boundaries, isn't someone I'm interested in learning more about. I'm sad it didn't work for me, but I see it's getting love, and I will direct readers to those that loved this one.

The Thirteenth Husband, a historical fiction novel based on the real life of heiress Aimee Crocker, is a book I was sure I'd love. I love biographies, historical fiction, and stories about women who are/were strong, independent and ahead of their times in so many ways. Aimee Crocker's story (set in the 1880's forward) certainly meets all of those criteria. And there is no doubt that Aimee had a full and interesting life spent doing what she wanted to do and not letting the standards of the day hold her back in any sense. Yet, I didn't love it. I'm as surprised to say that as you may be to read it because I'm definitely going against the opinions of most of the reviews I've seen for this novel.

My interest was captured at the start yet waned more and more as the book progressed. In time it began to seem tedious, yet another relationship gone bad, just change the name and circumstances surrounding the inevitable collapse.

PLEASE read several reviews for this or any book and decide for yourself if it's something you might enjoy spending your time on. This was a miss for me, but that's but one opinion.

My thanks to Landmark for permitting me to access a digital review copy via NetGalley. Publication of their paperback edition is 8/6/24. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Wowsa. This is based on the life of Aimee Crocker, a woman where the reality is bigger than fiction. I was not familiar with her before reading this entertaining novel and it sent me off to look for more information. A life of immense privilege and a desire to be loved led her to marry so many rimes and so unhappily in most cases. She was ahead of her time and her position in small ways (tattoos!). And yet, with all of it, you like me might feel a bit sorry for her (yes, it's hard). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.