Title:  The Thirteenth Husband
Author:  Greer Macallister       
Genre:  Historical fiction      
Rating:  4 out of 5

Based on a real woman from history, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Haunting of Hill House in this fictional tell-all narrated by the glamorous Aimee Crocker, revealing everything from her mischievous days in German finishing school to dinners with Hawaiian royalty to lavish Astor parties in Manhattan. But behind Aimee’s public notoriety, there’s private pain.

When Aimee is ten years old, as the night dips into the witching hour, the Woman in White appears to her. Minutes later, Aimee’s father is dead—and Aimee inherits a fortune. But the Woman in White never really leaves Aimee, appearing as a sinister specter before every tragedy in her life. Despite Aimee’s wealth, her cross-continental travels, and her increasingly shocking progression through husbands, Aimee is haunted by the unidentifiable Woman’s mysterious motivations. 

Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life heiress Aimee Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public scandal, private tragedy, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through her days as if she was being chased by something larger than herself. Greer Macallister brilliantly takes us into her world and spins a tale that you won't soon forget.

This was a surprisingly (to me) engrossing read, although it felt a bit slow in spots. Aimee was an interesting character for sure, well ahead of her time culturally and socially. I enjoyed her point-of-view and found her adventures interesting. While the first part of her life was explored in depth, the later part of it was glossed over and rushed through, and that made the second part of the book feel a bit lacking.

Greer Macallister lives in Boston. The Thirteenth Husband is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks/Landmark in exchange for an honest review.)

Aimee Crocker was the Kim Kardashian of her day- starting in the 1880's. She was an heiress with many husbands and even more romantic entanglements. She was constantly misrepresented in the newspapers but also didn't care what people said about her. And wow did she do some modern things! Multiple divorces, LGBTQ friends (and even a husband), traveled the world and learned about other cultures and religions, had some very spicy sex- and wrote about it, and constantly sought out the advance of mediums. She was very active and led a full life- this is an instance where the historical fiction account is so crazy that some things couldn't even be made up.

If you like The Social Graces book or The Gilded Age tv show, this book is for you. Just be warned that you'll never keep up with Aimee!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Not going to lie, I was not able to finish this one. It was very slow and I got about 2/3 through and then just gave up. Thank you for the opportunity!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story tells of a real woman Aimee Crocker who became an heiress as a young child. She is a fascinating woman who rebels against societal standards in the 1800's. She is a spirited and gutsy woman who lives her life to the fullest taking the reader on her journeys to continents, interacting with high society, through her relationships with lovers and of course many husbands. It has all that I enjoy in a book: love, scandals, as well as some added mysticism, and all the while from the perspective of a complicated character that you connect with, who you root for and who lives her life in a gutsy way that most of us wish we ourselves could do.
I enjoy greatly this author's writing. It is beautiful and poetic. I love historical fiction as it provides the reader with history, but also and most importantly to me fiction. This book and the author do this extremely well. I will continue to read any work this author shares with us. If you are a fan of historical fiction or if you just enjoy an exquisitely written and entertaining read, I highly recommend this read.
My thanks to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks/Landmark for the opportunity to read this novel.

I typically don’t read HF but this one captivated me. I wasn’t familiar with the heiress Aimee Crocker, but I admit to being intrigued with how the 1% lived especially during the 1880s so this was the perfect novel to pick up. Amy/Aimee was every bit as frivolous as the papers made her out to be: the story was like a mashup of Crazy Rich Asians (except she’s Caucasian) and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (except that she was already born rich and well, she supposedly had thirteen husbands). I shook my head numerous times at the excesses and her rebeliousness. But more than the lavish parties and jetsetting from one country to another, I was deeply interested to find out if she indeed ended up with thirteen husbands and if yes, how and why?! Towards the end, I found myself grudgingly respecting her —- she stood her ground and did not let any body or any circumstances defeat her. She was daring and fierce, a real badass, and ahead of her time when she was alive. I’m not saying she’s a role model because my golly, she had so many faults too! But atleast, she stayed true to herself until the end and for that, I laud her. I’m really glad I took a break from my thrillers and got to read this. Thank you @bookmarked for the oppotunity to enjoy this by sending me the digital ARC!

She was a woman determined to make her own choices.

This is a fictionalized account of the life of Aimée Crocker, born Amy Isabella Crocker in 1864 and who would eventually bear the last names of five husbands. At the age of ten she experienced the first of many bouts of unfavorable publicity in the press when her father dies and she inherits $10 million, unthinkable to most people of the time. Although her mother and older sister Jennie also were left a similar amount of money, only Aimée was a child at the time (and a female child at that). She grew up extraordinarily wealthy and was consequently able to do things that in those days most women could not or would net even dare to attempt, including drawing the disapproval of society as a whole. The fictionalized Aimée narrates the novel, and its premise as it bounces back and forth chronologically is that she was haunted by three things throughout her life. The first was the tabloid press, who loved to detail both her lavish lifestyle and her many eyebrow-raising exploits (many of which even had a kernel of truth to them). The second was the prophecy of a Spanish fortune teller that she should be careful about getting married as she would do so thirteen times and would be buried by her thirteenth husband. Given that she was 23 at the time and had already been married once and suffered through a very nasty and very public divorce, that type of pronouncement would seem quite a daunting proposition. The third and final thing that would haunt Aimée was an almost literal haunting, a woman in white who would appear to her (often though not always in her dreams) who seemed to regularly utter a snippet of a phrase that would augur the death of someone in her life. The reader is treated to a romp across the world, from California to Hawaii, to major cities across Europe and Asia, all while consuming untold gallons of champagne and indulging in affairs and flirtations, as Aimée learns to appreciate other cultures, falls in and out of love, and generally indulges her every whim. In the end, would she be able to triumph over the things that haunted her? Discover who or what the woman in white really was? Who would her thirteenth husband be, and what exactly would it mean that he buried her?
When I opened The Thirteenth Husband I had never heard of Aimée Crocker, although I had certainly heard about other “poor little rich girls” like Gloria Vanderbilt and Barbara Hutton. The life that this particular woman of means lived held elements of those other two ladies’ experiences, and then went beyond. Mingling with the King of the Sandwich Islands (ie, Hawaii) and occultist Aleister Crowley, regularly marrying men in their twenties even when she was. In her forties and more, narrowly missing sailing on the fatal Titanic voyage (thanks, perhaps, to a cryptic warning from the woman in white?), and running to palm readers and other mystic soothsayers the way a 21st century counterpart might visit a psychiatrist to determine courses of action throughout her life…..Aimée was quite a character. Author Greer Macallister bases the story told in these pages on many actual facts and occurrences, sometimes shifting dates or places to keep the narration contained, and it is a fascinating look at a woman who lived life on her own terms regardless of the cost to her reputation and pocketbook. Money can smooth many paths but can not hold tragedy and pain completely at bay, as Aimée would discover. With the story told. In the first person, I found that the character was not as fully developed as it might have been but her tale was an entertaining read nonetheless. Readers of Marie Benedict, Fiona Davis and Allison Pataki would likely find this an enjoyable addition to their TBR pile, as would people interested in women who live their lives using their own rule book. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark for allowing me access to an early copy of the novel, and introducing me to a woman who lived quite an amazing life.

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)