I do love a book by Beatriz Williams and this was no different. I loved the character of Mallory and seeing her arc from young college girl to adult mom was really well done. I liked the love story between her and Monk Adams. The view we had of Mallory and Paige‘s mother and grandmother, the woman that they never knew was so interesting very well done dual storylines. While I had an early digital galley I borrowed the audio from the library of this book and it was very well done

Reading a Beatriz Williams book (for me) is a bit of investment. They can suck you in or they can simmer a bit. For me, this one sat on my shelf for a bit, waiting for enough free time to really dig into it. (I think if there were any threads attached to some of her previous book worlds I would have been less reluctant to dive in, but alas, there is no Tiny, no Pepper, no Annabelle, no Gin Kelly, or Octavian, my list could go on and on.
Anyway, here we have Williams signature styling - two timelines seemingly unrelated that eventually thread together through family timelines, hidden secrets, and (almost always) questionable DNA donors.
I enjoy the immersive nature of Williams' writing, for it seems she is always sweeping us up in some exotic, historical place full of glamour and hardship. Post-WWII Egypt was an amazing historical setting and I ridiculously imagined those Indiana Jones scenes as contemporaries and slight predecessors of this visual timeline.
The contemporary heroine, Hannah, is that archetypical struggling mom whose sacrifices have dulled her shine a bit. Some may find her annoying or may relate to her and root for her/empathize with her.
Thanks so much for the ARC! A solid read that will be well received, I think.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Both storylines were compelling, but I kept feeling that I wished they were not intertwined, that I could just read one, then the other. For me, the connection between the two was a little too obscure for me to value what each brought to the narrative as a whole. Although the connection was made in the end, I found the back-and-forth distracting as I was reading, and really just wanted to stick with one story. I should note that this novel is highly rated, and I'm probably in the minority. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Wow, this one was SO GOOD. I loved every bit of it, the drama, the twists, the incredible ending. It definitely gave me ALL the feels and I highly recommend! 5 stars.

Williams has been an author I automatically pick up each time she publishes a novel. I enjoy her handling of multiple timelines, well written settings, and even the sometimes over-wrought actions of the characters. Husbands & Lovers is no different and I really enjoyed the depiction of Cairo in the 50s and the wealthy beach enclave of the early and current 2000s. I also kind of need a drawing of the bracelet that is described in the book, or a reproduction of said bracelet. Overall a lovely read.

~~~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~~~

I love Beatriz Williams' books. And this book was no different. It follows the stories of a mother and daughter- both tragic in their own right- Hannah who miraculously survives WWII as Jew only to face more heartache, and her daughter she never knew, Mallory, who is facing a tragedy of her own some 70 years later. This is such a well written book and clever plot. I was hooked almost right away. I definitely recommend Husbands & Lovers! Great book to grab for a trip to the beach or vacation.

Thank you Random House Publishing group for a copy of this book. This was a wonderfully intertwined story about family - lost and found. It took me a couple chapters to fall into the story, but once I did I needed to know how it ended.

What a wonderful, well-told story. Ms. Williams skillfully weaves two timelines into one satisfying ending. The FL in each storyline is both real, flawed and with a growth arc, and likable. I could relate to both of them even though I've never seen Egypt or had children; the emotion behind each woman rings true. I'll be recommending this to all of my friends.

I would read a grocery list if it was signed by Beatriz Williams. Each story just gets better and better and definitely an auto read author. I absolutely loved the locale and each timeline which isn’t always the case. A little late to the party with this book but another hit for me!

I started this book but it wasn’t the vibe I was looking for at the time so I shelved it and now I’m so glad I took it back out. At first I had a lot of issues with this story and at one point I was even ready to give it one star, but then everything in the end wrapped up in exactly the way I wanted it to and I was just so happy that a book actually did what I was hoping.

So I hate when someone doesn’t reveal to the father that they had a child, especially when it was someone they loved and so I was thinking to myself that the only thing that would justify this for me and not make me hate Mallory is if X happened and X did happen in the end so I kind of guessed the big reveal but it was in a good way. It’s obviously horrific and hard to read about I usually would rather not but in this case it just made it all make sense so I was happy in a weird way.

Other random things I did not like but somehow still walked away loving this book- Monk’s nickname for Mallory is Pinks and I just hated it every single time; how mean Hannah is to Beck but also as her full story is revealed I guess it makes sense; how Monk was afraid he was in the friend zone with Mallory even though he is supposed to be the gorgeous popular golden boy; and Monk is incredibly cheesy all the time.

Things I loved: the sister relationship with Mallory and Paige was so hilarious and spot on; Monk obviously even though he is cheesy he’s also the sweetest; the very unique section of history involving Egypt post WWII.

I hate when people who are supposed to be together are not, especially for such a long period of time and especially when they have a child (!!!!!!) but in the end it made so much sense and it HAD to be that way, had to be that long for these characters to have any chance together so even though it’s a storyline I should hate in the end I loved it. I mean obviously there’s something not to love but if this is the cards that were dealt then I loved how it was played.

I definitely will be reading this author again.

I love historical fiction and really enjoyed a look at a different time in history. Williams wove the past and the present together so seamlessly. I couldn’t put this book down.

Beatriz Williams does it again with heartfelt duel timeline. Often times with a dual timeline, I feel pulled to one story over another, but not this one. Both stories were compelling and left me wanting more. I really enjoyed how both timelines finally came together, too.

Don’t miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest reviewing Beatriz Williams has another bestseller again

I normally don't like dual timelines but blending the past and present was a nice touch.

I truly enjoyed this one and recommend this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Beatriz Williams never disappoints. She manages to intrigue the reader by combining historical fiction with a present day love story beautifully! Single mother Mallory’s son Sam is airlifted to a hospital after eating poison mushrooms at summer camp. He will require a kidney transplant. This forces Mallory to come to terms with two secrets from her past as she tries to navigate a solution.
The second storyline takes place in 1951 and is the story of Hungarian refugee Hannah who finds herself entangled with spies and a passionate affair. How these women are connected becomes a page turner with characters that will haunt the reader. Enjoy!

Husbands and Lovers offers something for everyone - historical fiction, women’s fiction, romance, mystery, family drama, and buried secrets.

What I Loved:
✨Strong Female MCs: Mallory and Hannah are determined and resilient women, each navigating their unique challenges. Mallory's quick wit and unwavering dedication to her son, Sam, really stole my heart!
✨Dual Timeline (really 3?!): The story alternates between present-day Mallory, who seeks a kidney donor for her son Sam, and 1950s Cairo with Hannah. The third timeline retells Mallory and Monk’s love story. I found the storylines engaging and loved the rich history of Cairo, which could have been a book on its own. I really enjoyed how Williams connected the timelines.
✨Narration: Helen Laser and Caroline Hewitt did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. Their narration styles suited the book's tone perfectly, and their voices helped convey the story's emotional depth.

Other Highlights: Jewish Rep, Cobra Bracelet, DNA testing

Husbands & Lovers follows two women—Mallory in 2022 and Hannah in 1951—whose lives unfold across decades, connected by a family heirloom and devastating betrayals. As Mallory searches for a kidney donor for her son, she’s forced to revisit her past with the one who got away, while Hannah navigates a dangerous love affair in the midst of political turmoil.

I loved each couple in this story, especially Mallory and Monk. However I just wanted more from each love story, especially as each couple fell in love- I want to fall a little in love too! The character development was fantastic, and everyone felt real. Both POVs felt like two separate books in one, and I found myself wanting more from both stories individually. Also, the cover… it does not match the book at all, and that kind of thing drives me nuts.

Beatriz Williams really knows how to get you invested in messy, complicated relationships that feel totally real. The characters are so well-drawn that you understand everyone's perspective, even when they're making questionable choices. The writing pulls you in immediately, and before you know it, you're completely wrapped up in these people's lives. If you enjoy books that dig into the complications of marriage and desire with both intelligence and heart, you'll definitely want to pick this one up!

I love everything that Beatriz Williams writes and Husbands & Lovers is no different. From the dual timelines and vivid settings to the wonderfully crafted characters, she just hits the right note every single time.

Thank you to the author, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Is it important to know where you come from?

Three years ago Mallory received a life-changing call; her son, away at summer camp, had a life-threatening emergency and was rushed to the hospital. Now she is searching for a kidney donor for him as a result of that incident, hoping to give him a chance at a normal life. But there are secrets in Mallory's past that become entwined with her quest. The first involves her mother, who was adopted from an Irish orphanage in the 1950's; the other, the intense romance Mallory had with her best friend Monk, now a world-famous singer, a decade and a half earlier (one which ended abruptly and badly). The one clue to Mallory's past: an exotic cobra bracelet. Then there is Hannah, who survived the horrors of war in Europe in the 30's and 40's and has married an established older man for security, only to fall in love with another when she accompanies her husband on his posting to Cairo. Hopping back and forth between present day New England and Cairo of the 1950's, the stories of these women who endure hardships and love fiercely but find that it isn't always enough to bring happiness will intersect as their secrets are uncovered. Who you are and where you come from matters, but it isn't all that defines you.
Author Beatriz Williams brings a vivid sense of place and historical context to the novel's settings, and has created compelling characters in both Mallory and Hannah. Each woman is bound by the conventions of her time in history and her position in life; money and status can after all bring stability and comfort, but not always love. One person's choices will carry down to others later, and may require deep sacrifices. Glamorous locales, passions and heartbreak, and the journeys of the women who are the focus of the novel combine for an intriguing read. Fans of Williams' earlier novels will find this equal to its predecessors, and readers of authors like Martha Hall Kelly, Marie Benedict and Kristin Hannah should also give this a try. The pacing is inconsistent at times, and some may find the back-and-forth between time periods slightly confusing, but I found it an enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me access to a copy of this novel that combines women's fiction and romance between its covers (and what a cover it is!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for this ARC! Beatriz Williams does it again… loved the dual timelines blending the past and present!