Wow...Husbands & Lovers has so many elements that I absolutely love when searching for a novel. You've got a tragedy; you've got romance; you've got history. Beatriz Williams gives us multiple POVs and a couple of different time periods. One setting includes the beachy cape of New England while the other takes us to post WW II Cairo, Egypt, and the allure of diplomats and spies.

My very favorite type of book is historical fiction mixed with modern day that presents likeable (and unlikeable) characters while a mystery is being solved, tying the two settings and sets of characters together. This book could be a playbook for that formula.

The book kicks off in 2018 where Mallory's (main character) 10 year old son, Sam, has ingested a poisonous mushroom at summer camp. Sam survives the damage, but the incident is so detrimental that he must now undergo dialysis as a regular part of his life.

Jump forward to 2022 where now Paige, Mallory's older sister, has persuaded her to pursue DNA testing to perhaps secure a positive match for a kidney transplant for Sam. Mallory has served as a single parent to Sam for all of his 14 years. She never chose for his Dad to be in the picture, and at this point, the father (who is now a celebrity) does not even know he has a son.

So much comes to light as we are transported back and forth to Egypt 1951 then to modern day costal Connecticut.

I loved both settings and the subtle nuances that threaded them together. I met characters that I loved and ones that I quickly despised - a mark of a good author.

If you love historical fiction mixed with some modern day romance and mystery, grab this one. It hit shelves on June 25th.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for this delightful ARC by Beatriz Williams. 4.5 stars

Don't judge a book by its cover; this book is not what you'd expect.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a lot of things: a historical romance set in Cairo and a contemporary romance set in New England, told in multiple POVs and shifting timelines.

Williams' writing is beautiful, and the book had me hooked right from the prologue! Williams is masterful at weaving different plot points so that all the pieces fall right into place at the end. This is, no doubt, one of the reasons that it's one of the July 2024 BOTM picks.

With that being said, if you are 1) not into historical fiction, and 2) not the biggest fan of multiple POVs or multiple timelines, then this book would not be the one for you. I did find myself getting a little overwhelmed trying to keep track of all the characters and stories happening in the different timelines, sometimes to the point where I would find myself caring less about one timeline than the other. This happened multiple times when one timeline would end on a cliff-hanger, and then the next chapter would switch back to the other timeline. I understand that this is a device to keep me invested in the story, but it sometimes got to be too frustrating.

I also felt like the romances felt a little rushed in the beginning. It just seemed like both parties just suddenly wanted each other, and then boom, they're an item. But I guess the author couldn't spend too much time building up the romances since there are a lot of different plot points to cover in the book.

A lot happens in this book, and it would be very beneficial to check all the trigger warnings before picking it up (some off the top of my head are sexual assault and war-related violence).

All in all, Williams is a great storyteller, so once you get invested in the characters, you'll want to keep reading until the end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Husbands & Lovers is available now wherever books are sold.

This is definitely one of my favorite books by Ms. Williams. I loved Mallory and her journey. I loved the background on her family. I wasn’t sure how she was going to end the book but I was happy with the ending. I loved the history about Egypt and Hannah was a force to be reckoned with.

DNF at 39%

Not enough was happening to keep me interested on either timeline. The dual POV felt very dry and I honestly didn't care AT ALL about the characters, I don't even remember their names.... just that the one lady in the current timeline was VERY selfish for keeping her son away from his father & the woman in the past timeline was boring.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

"Husbands and Lovers" centers around two women who share a family heirloom who live in different times and are going after the same thing: love. Mallory is a single mother, trying to keep her son comfortable while he is waiting for a kidney transplant and going through dialysis. Hannah is married to an important English man, but unhappy in her marriage. A second chance at romance is what these women need for them to achieve happiness.

I'm not typically gravitating toward historical fiction, but the premise of this story was something that interested me. The summary sounded much like the story "Lions of Fifth Avenue" by Fiona Davis, with interconnected characters from different eras. However, this story wasn't as strong as Davis' novel. I wasn't interested in the story until I completed 50% of the book. It seemed like there was a lack of direction at the beginning and it was hard to understand what the point of the story was.

I wanted to like this book and honestly, I liked some of it. That being said, I think it needed more to make it interesting.

I really enjoyed this book! Both of the perspectives (Hannah's and Mallory's) kept me hooked and guessing what would happen next. All of the characters were intriguing. Loved it! Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

Beatriz Williams never disappoints. This novel is a family drama that weaves the story of two generations and unveils secrets of family lineage and origins. Mallory and her ten-year old son, Sam, have a good life which is complicated by an accidental poisoning Sam suffered when he was seven years old. That accident resulted in kidney damage which requires dialysis for Sam until he gets a donor kidney. Mallory’s sister Paige thinks Mallory should reach out to Sam’s biological father to help with Sam’s kidney search but Mallory refuses. She has never told Sam’s father, the famous musician Monk Adams, about Sam’s existence. A secret she never intends to reveal despite the growing familial resemblance that even Sam sees. Mallory and her sister Paige have a strong but combative relationship but love each other very much. Neither of them are a match for Sam’s much needed kidney replacement. Paige invites Mallory to join her family for a summer vacation on the New England island where they grew up. This trip sets Mallory and Sam on a collision course with Monk and unveiling long held secrets from that summer over a decade ago.

When their mother passed away, she left Mallory a unique bracelet which was passed down through belonged to their grandmother. But unknown to them and their mother, she was adopted from an Irish orphanage in the 1950s. This bracelet is a link to the identity of their mysterious grandmother and they hope it may also mean they might find another path to a kidney donor. It does lead them on a trip to discover their grandmother, Hannah’s story.

Beautifully intertwined, the two storylines are so well developed, they could stand on their own. It is a novel you cannot put down.

This book is written in a dual timeline of 1951 in Cairo, Egypt where Hannah, the wife of an older British diplomat in Egypt, has an affair with a hotel manager who has saved her from a cobra attack. The other timeline is present day Connecticut where a single mom, Mallory, learns that her young son who is away at camp has eaten a poison mushroom and needs a kidney transplant to survive. We flash back to the 1980's where Mallory was also on Winthrop Island working as a nanny during her college years and meets a friend named Monk. As Mallory and her sister who is with her try to find a donor, Mallory is also trying to learn about her mother who gave her up for adoption at birth. As questions are answered and secrets are revealed, we discover the link between timelines. This book has well-developed characters, poignant stories and mysteries to keep the reader interested. It is historical and romantic yet moving and heart-breaking. This is a book to be devoured and remembered!

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and give my honest review of this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the two different time periods and how they are linked. Williams does history so well, I was fascinated with Hannah's parts of the book. The love stories in both time periods were sweet as well. I definitely want to read more from Beatriz Williams! I would recommend this to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an AR in exchange for an honest review.

OH. MY. GOD. AMAZING!!

I couldn't put this book down. Okay so, usually, I wouldn't say I like historical fiction but the combination of historical fiction and contemporary romance was *chef's kiss*. I also loved the characters, which I can find hard to do sometimes with romances (as sometimes they are cheesy but that was not the case with this book).

One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the back story of the grandmother. How her story mirrored Mallory's story was such a brilliant and compelling piece of the novel. The drive of a mother's love for their children was a compelling force that I could feel, and I am not a mother. There was only one slight problem I had that it was sometimes figuring out what time in Mallory's story I was in, but the dates in the chapter headings did help. The confusion was most likely my own fault.

A friend of mine led me to start reading the author's notes at the end of stories and I was even more surprised that this was loosely based around a news article the author read once. I LOVE THAT!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and of course, Beatriz Williams, for a copy of this amazing, beautiful story. All opinions are my own.

Well, not knowing much about the Hungarian Revolution the was so brutally put down by the Soviets. As well as the Cairo Fires. So much of the book covered this that the quick ending to this storyline seemed a little short. Specially after reading the author notes.

Now the Monk and Mallory plot was perfection. The true love that quickly developed was wonderful with of course the mishaps that are expected in a love story. The setting perfect for a summer read.

As a bonus in reading the author notes it references that two of her other books follow Monks family and Winthrop Island. Looking forward to reading the rest of her books.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this amazing Advice Reader Copy.

A beautiful gold bracelet shaped like a cobra with emerald eyes is the link between the past and present storylines of Beatriz Williams's Husband & Lovers. As the book begins in 2022, Mallory's son, Sam, has ingested a poisonous mushroom while at a summer camp and is airlifted to the nearest hospital. Mallory will do anything for Sam, but she is not with Sam's father and is raising Sam on her own. Her sister, Paige, calls with interesting news about their family which leaves the two women reeling.

In 1952, Hannah receives the bracelet after she is nearly bit by a cobra while staying in Cairo. Cairo is not stable while Hannah and her English
diplomat husband socialize with other English diplomats and their wives.. Hannah is a Hungarian WWII refugee and her past unfolds throughout the book.

Beatriz Williams is a master storyteller weaving the past and present storylines, both with interesting plots. I sometimes do not like a dual storyline because only one of the storylines is always more interesting. Husbands & Lovers drew me in and I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read the ARC of Husbands & Lovers.

“Husbands & Lovers” by Beatriz Williams is a truly enjoyable novel that takes place in three eras: Egypt in 1951 and New England in 2008 and 2022. Reading this book is a bit like peeling an onion, because every layer that gets pulled away brings you to another layer. Mallory Dunne is a single mother, raising Sam, who because of a tragic accident, needs kidney dialysis until a donor kidney can be found. The boy’s father, the famous rock star Monk Adams, doesn’t even know he has a child. All he knows is that Mallory left him when they were deeply in love and never contacted him again. By chance, they meet up and Monk immediately knows that Sam is his son. Meanwhile, Mallory and her sister Paige learn that their mother had been adopted from an Irish orphanage in the 1950s—something their mother had never known when she was alive. The two sisters dig into their mother’s background and discover a side of themselves they never imagined existed.

This is a wonderful book about family secrets and enduring love. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. This is the first book by Beatriz Williams that I’ve read, but it certainly will not be the last. My opinion is my own.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ℍ𝕦𝕤𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤 & 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤
𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘇 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝘀
Fiction
368 pages
Pub Date: June 25, 2024

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
Mallory finds herself looking to the past when her son eats a poisonous mushroom and needs a kidney transplant.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
Husbands & Lovers has multiple timelines. Each chapter is titled to keep each timeline clear. It runs from 2022 in New England to 1951 in Cairo.

I was drawn into this story immediately by Beatriz William’s well thought out and emotionally gripping look into this family’s life.

Although I wasn’t looking for a big revelation towards the end, I got one. There is a secret that reveals itself, making the story even more raw.

The characters are so “human” with flaws and secrets. They make mistakes, and some own up to them. They love deeply and suffer, sometimes unimaginable hurt.

I was all in with this book. It is so natural that it seemed as though I was part of the story. I find Beatriz William’s way with words to be spellbinding.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

The title and cover really sucked me in! This story goes back and forth between Egypt in the 1950s and contemporary New England. A multigenerational saga that includes love, loss, hearbreak, etc. this book was excellent! I could not put it down! The ways the characters connected were wonderful, and I loved learning about more and more connections throughout the book. The finale was perfect!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Beatriz Williams. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Two women, separated by decades and continents, discover second chances at love as well as their own strength. Mallory is a single mom to Sam, who suffers kidney failure after eating a deadly mushroom at summer camp. We go back a little bit in time to see how Mallory and Monk meet when they are younger. Then we go back even further to meet Hannah in Egypt during and after WWII.

This is one of those books that cause me to get so involved in one storyline, only to get even more involved when it switches. In the past, Hannah fled Hungary and met her diplomat husband, but it wasn't a marriage made of love. In Egypt, she meets Lucien who saves her from a potentially-fatal snake bite. The resemblances to Mallory's story are similar, and a bracelet ties the storylines together. I got more invested in Mallory and Monk's relationship, but this book highlights what both women did to protect those they loved. It's atmospheric, full of family secrets and betrayals, and love. Highly recommended!

This book gave so much more than I was anticipating. It’s a tale of love stories and heartbreak spanning decades and historical eras. Mallory and Hannah are excellent protagonists who each have relatable qualities. Everything in this book felt possible which made it even better.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced copy.

Another entertaining story from Beatriz Williams! I loved Mallory and Hannah, as well as the incredible settings. I was hooked with each page and enjoyed the multiple timelines. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

Williams, has a tent for weaving past into present while creating strong connections to all characters throughout her novels. This one does not disappoint. She is able to create dramatic situations that lead to fully culminate the ending to the book with a full circle moment by each character.

I am speechless. The journey I was just on was breathtaking. The stories and how they were intertwined were beautiful, and I wanted more.

Husbands and Lovers is a wonderful historical fiction novel that carries you through the past, earlier past and present. It had me in tears wanting to know how it could possibly end. I fell in love with each storyline, with each character. It was an excellent adventure, and I'm so grateful I took it.

I highly recommend for anyone who loves a beautiful love story of family, hope and survival.

Thank you NetGalley and Beatrice Williams for allowing me the opportunity to read the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.