Have you ever read a novel in the historical fiction genre and thought multiple times throughout reading, "well that is just absurd. There's no way that can be true", only to discover via Google or holding out until the Epilogue that it actually did happen? The story of Aimee Crocker's life is just that kind of story. Prepare to raise your eyebrows, roll your eyes, and drop your jaw because turns out Aimee was a globetrotting, Bohemian, party girl in an era where wealthy society women were not.
The Thirteenth Husband is a historical fiction novel about the life of real-life heiress, Amy (Aimee) Crocker. Her search for love, pursuit of lust, audacious parties, interest in the mythical, glamorous settings, multiple marriages and worldwide travel is cleverly woven by author Greer Macallister. Imagining a life of wealth and privilege opening up doors for a spirited young woman who inherited her father's millions at a very young age.
I found the novel to be thrilling, sexy at times, and unexpected. I highly recommend reading it if you like historical fiction about a sassy woman living large well before her time.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author Greer Macallister for the arc copy of the novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Three things have haunted Aimee Crocker for years: the sensational stories in the tabloids, the prophecy made by a fortune teller in Spain, and the presence of a mysterious woman dressed in white. Aimee shares her experiences ranging from her mischievous days spent in a finishing school in Germany to attending dinners with Hawaiian royalty and lavish parties hosted by the Astors in Manhattan. However, behind Aimee's public notoriety lies a hidden pain.

At the age of ten, as the clock strikes midnight, Aimee encounters the Woman in White. Within minutes, tragedy strikes as her father passes away and she unexpectedly inherits a vast fortune. Yet, the Woman in White continues to haunt Aimee, appearing before every subsequent tragedy that befalls her. Despite Aimee's wealth, her extensive travels across continents, and her scandalous marital history, the motivations behind the Woman in White's presence remain enigmatic.

Embarking on an audacious journey that encompasses numerous continents, a substantial sum of money, and a string of husbands, Aimee Crocker, a real-life heiress, blazes a path of public scandal and private tragedy, showcasing a level of independence and strength rarely seen during the 1880s. Her life unfolds like an extraordinary work of fiction, filled with brilliance and radiance, as if she is being pursued by a force greater than herself.

Greer Macallister skillfully immerses us in Aimee's world, weaving a tale that will leave a lasting impression. Women who live life on their terms often encounter both criticism and animosity. Even though Aimee Crocker possessed the financial means to craft her destiny during the late 1800s and early 1900s, she remained subjected to societal judgments. Nevertheless, she possessed a resilient spirit that disregarded the opinions of others.

Crocker's extraordinary life lends itself perfectly to the realm of historical fiction. With finesse, Greer McAllister reintroduces Aimee Crockett into our collective consciousness, providing a refreshing narrative of a woman unapologetically living life on her terms.

The story itself, while undoubtedly extravagant, remains rooted in truth, with only minor alterations to dates and chronology.

Women living their lives will often attract judgment and ire, that Aimee Crocker could afford to live her life as she chose in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, cocooned in the safety of her inheritance didn’t exempt her from that judgment, but she was also in possession of a nature that didn’t care for the opinions of society. ,Crocker lived her life in such a way that made for ideal historical fiction.

I had not previously heard of Aimée Crocker and looked her up once I began reading The Thirteenth Husband. The story is well written and engaging and showcases the heiress’s life intriguingly (I googled quite often during my reading of this).

The story pulled me right, held my attention, and kept me turning the pages.



Thank you to Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this book! I was definitely mesmerised by the fictionalised version of Crocker’s life. There were some parts that were slow but it was because the plot was so impactful and I loved it. This is such a beautiful book that I will think of from time to time.

I loved this book so much that I’m not even sure where to start this review. The book is about Amy/Aimee Crocker’s life. I had never heard of this woman but what a life she led! She was somehow related to many historic events and was a spectacle all to her self.

The story takes us from her life as Amy at age 10 to the death as Aimee at age 78. Her extra ordinary life in the late 1800’s and 1900’s is unique and fabulous. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just say that it makes for a great read.

When I finished this book, I looked up Ms. Crocker to see which parts of the book were factual and I was amazed at how many of them were true. I now plan to read the books Ms. Crocker wrote and see if I can find more information about her because I am fascinated!

The Thirteenth Husband is a glorious part-fictionalization, part-biography about Aimee Crocker who was a trailblazer in the late 1800s. Truth be told, I just had to go full google and do some research after reading the book because, well, what a firecracker! I seem to be on a run of mid-19th century independant bobshells and I am here for it!

Aimee defines the term bohemian, and at the time, this was not the word a woman would have associated with her, but, Aimee was a very, very wealthy heiress and as such, had the money and power to stand up to soceital norms of the time, flash her snakes and pearls and go off and consult with her palm reader as to what the next day will bring.

Greer McAllister has done a brilliant job at bringing Aimee Crockett inot our consciousness again and my goodness gravy, it felt good to read about a woman that just did not give a flying fig what anyone thought. This one is defo a keeper (but certainly not what she said about her husbands, mostly)

Thank you very much to Netgalley, Sourcebooks and the fantastic Greer McAllister for this brilliant ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I liked this fictionalized version of Crocker’s life and the story was a wild ride . I enjoyed learning about the gilded age and felt the story was well told

“I am more than gold bands and paperwork.”

Ready for a wild ride? Able to suspend disbelief for a moment or two? Enjoy impulsive, reckless characters?

Come learn of the outrageous life of a Gilded Age railroad heiress, Aimee Crocker! Inspired by this socialite’s bohemian lifestyle, Greer Macallister has fleshed out her story, giving us a binge-worthy ‘biography’, a well-spun tale, of Crocker’s adventure-filled life.

The quote from Aimee Crocker at the beginning of the book sets the tone and perfectly sums up her life. The opening quotations in each chapter were a nice touch and gave readers insight into Crocker’s life, allowing us to surmise that there’s more truth to the outlandish escapades than we’d like to imagine!

Who would have ever imagined that a 19th-century woman could have such a careless attitude and disregard the societal norms so prevalent in that era?! More than that, who would have thought that she’d have so much adventure and joy?! The author's note draws readers’ attention to the fact that Crocker’s exploits in this book are only the tip of the iceberg. What a wild life.

I smiled and gasped reading about this high society woman, this Queen of Bohemia, who travelled the world challenging the norms that were curated to produce ‘fine’ women. I was sucked in reading about her rubbing shoulders with Hawaiian royalty and dining with the Astors in Manhattan. The warning given by the fortune teller about the thirteenth husband kept me turning pages to see if she’d heed the advice and the inclusion of the mystic elements (ghosts, fortune tellers, and magic) kept me on my toes. I’ll admit to pitying her as I saw her struggle to balance motherhood and marriage and being willing to ‘settle for’ when it came to marriage. I closed the book reminded that appearances can be deceiving.

I’m thankful for my well-planned, quiet life with the love of my life. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side!

As the ride comes to an end, you’ll be left questioning what constitutes a husband, a partner, or a lover…

If you loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or loved the writing style of The Arctic Fury, you’ll love this one.

I was gifted this copy by Sourcebooks and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book was very good. I enjoyed the way it was told and the big reveal at the end. I love the reoccurring theme of the woman in white. This was a great book and I look forward to seeing what others think of it

Although extremely well written, this book failed to capture my interest. It dragged on and it took me a very long time to finish because it felt like a chore. I didn’t find the main character, Amy, relatable at all. In fact, I kept trying to find reasons to like this character but failed in doing so, as she’s frankly rather annoying. Being very much a skeptic, the supernatural storyline was not to my liking at all as I’m not interested in such things. Overall, I found it very tedious.

A fictionalized version of Aimee Crocker's life, The Thirteenth Husband by Greer McAllister was a glimpse into her very "I do what I want" type of life.

She wasn't afraid to be herself and didn't care what people thought of her or how she chose to live her life and I appreciate how difficult that must have been in the time period! (Heck, in today's world!)

Ms. Crocker wasn't someone I knew about before, but McAllister's writing style had me enthralled and I genuinely enjoyed this book. She wove fact with fiction in an engaging way and threw in some mysticism too.

If you like historical novels and real life enigma like women, this is a great one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for an honest opinion. All views are strictly my own.

A solid historical fiction read about a real-life heiress, Aimee Crocker in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Aimee is anything but conventional, especially for the time. She believes in love, marriage, divorce, and palm readers. To say Aimee is complicated would be a disservice, and to say The Thirteenth Husband told the entire story would be insurmountable. This Aimee Crocker lady lived one helluva life and Greer Macallister did a good job capturing the most believable parts of it.

I will say I got a bit lost toward the end when the twist came about; I knew who the thirteenth husband was, but I felt the writing got a little in the weeds of the paranormal to where I had to fight the cobwebs to figure out what was going on. That being said, I'm glad to have read this book, admire Macallister's research and story abilities, and will look to read another Macallister book in the future.

NetGalley gave me early access to this one, and I was ready for some female Great Gatsby vibes. Instead, what I got was a historical narrative intertwined with mysticism. The supernatural elements caught me off guard, and while they added an interesting twist, they never quite reached a fantastical level. The pacing was a significant drawback, the plot felt convoluted like a soap opera with numerous twists and turns, but I felt bored and tired of it. For me, the scene-setting fell flat, leaving me hoping for more depth and immersion. The lead, Amy, started strong but ended up feeling a bit one-dimensional, and her relationships lacked that spark that makes me root for the characters. I don’t think she has a single friend or real conversation on the page. Overall, it had its moments, but it didn't hit the mark for me. The mysticism was intriguing, but the pacing left me wanting more from this.

Not a Swiss cheese novel!
I loved the storyline and character development. No plot holes here!! Can’t wait to read more from this author :-)

I had such a good time reading the author’s fictional story of real-life heiress Aimee Crocker. While reading The Thirteenth Husband I also researched Aimee’s real life and looked at online photographs of her. This novel captivated me and I sincerely hope readers will discover this book and make it a bestseller.

The Thirteenth Husband is a partly fictionalized biography of socialite Aimee Crocker. It follows her scandalous and licentious life, traveling the world, marrying thirteen men, and dabbling in the mystical arts.

I had never heard of Crocker prior to reading this book and it was interesting to read about a nineteenth century woman who lived a truly bohemian life, challenging the social norms of the time. She seemed to be a woman who was unafraid of what others thought of her, and she lived life on her own terms. Her interactions with high society, strange characters, and exotic places was fascinating as was her philosophy of life. I especially enjoyed the mystical aspects that were woven throughout the story, which included ghosts, Tarot cards, fortune tellers, and magick. The beginning and ending were the best parts of the book as I thought the middle dragged a bit and wasn't as interesting.

If you would like to read a book about a real life socialite whose strange and scandalous adventures are a plenty, then I would recommend The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister.

I hadn't previously heard of the woman this novel is based on, but I was immediately sucked into the story. The writing is so relatable and I was fascinated by her life. The chronology
skips around a little bit, but it was easy enough to follow. I really enjoyed the protagonist. She's written as such a strong and enigmatic person.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Aimee Crocker is not only a strong woman, she is also an heiress and is therefore able to live her life according to her own wishes, and she does! In her time Aimee was a very scandalous women going through husbands and partners without more thought for the consequences. This is a delightful and very powerful story of a woman living on her own terms. All her life, Aimee believed in the occult, she often visited fortune tellers, palm readers and she remembers being visited by ghosts since she was 10. The story is in so many ways completely outlandish, but apart from having fudged a few dates here and there, the main events are all completely true! Great read! I absolutely recommend reading this book!