Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the arc.

4.5 stars. This was a very interesting read, about two women dealing with challenges seventy years apart. Hannah Ainsworth is married to a British diplomat, who is posted in 1952 Cairo, Egypt, just before the revolution that overthrew the last king of Egypt. Hannah meets, and falls in love, with an Egyptian national, Lucien Beck, who brings out her spirit and passion, traits she's buried deep since her experience during WWII. Their affair exposes them to the undercurrents preceding the revolution.

The second woman is Mallory Dunne, a single mother of thirteen year old Sam in 2022 Connecticut. Sam survived a deadly mushroom poisoning three years prior, and is desperately awaiting a kidney donor. Mallory is also dealing with reuniting with her boyfriend from fourteen years ago, and trying to get information about her grandmother's adoption from an Irish convent approximately seventy years ago.

I loved reading about Egypt prior to its 1952 revolution. Williams creates the tension experienced by the protagonists through their dialogue and interactions. In between these scenes, Williams' approach to describing Hannah's backstory, in Hungary during WWII, is harrowing and touching. My initial opinion of Hannah as being a bored diplomat's wife was definitely incorrect as the book evolved.

I also loved reading about Mallory's possible re-kindling of her long ago romance, but it had me on edge, because there are several secrets that are waiting to be exposed, and when the final secret is exposed, wow. I really felt for Mallory's character. And, Monk Adams, Mallory's old boyfriend, is such a sweet character. Williams had me wishing hard for their second chance at love.

I really enjoyed this book, my first from Beatriz Williams. I can't wait to read another of her stories.

Normally I love books that have both past and present POV however the story line from the present was way better on this one than the past. I wished it was all present day.

I have enjoyed other books by Beatriz Williams and thought this one sounded good. I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I expected to be drawn to the historical part of the story more than the modern section. Husbands & Lovers is the story of two women. Mallory is a single mother raising her son. She takes a summer trip with her sister and two things happen - she finds out her mother was adopted and runs into her son's father, who happens to be a famous singer. From there the story breaks into three parts. We have Monk and Mallory's story in 2012, Mallory's story in the present, and the story of her grandmother Hannah. Hannah was living in Cairo with her diplomat husband in the 1950's. All three stories were interesting and the way Beatriz Williams wove through them was masterful.

This book was definitely out of my wheelhouse, but oh, how I enjoyed it! I loved the dual timelines and multi POV. There was just enough drama to keep me interested and the twists kept coming right up to the last chapter. Such a fun summer read!

BOOK REVIEW

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Omg this is one of the best books I have read in a while!! I have been really leaning into my historical fiction era and this was the perfect mix of romance and historical fiction. Told in alternating timelines, we follow Hannah and Mallory, two women who are separated by decades and continents who come together around a mysterious family heirloom. The characters were so wholesome and likable. Highly recommend this one!! Thank you @netgalley for this book, which is out now!

This book is told in several storylines from the years 1951-52, 2008 and 2022., and the story focuses on the characters of Hannah and Mallory.

Mallory is a single parent who has a ten year old son Sam who is critically ill and needs a kidney transplant. The book begins with Mallory driving to the hospital to see Sam but she really doesn’t know how bad Sam’s health is.

The other focus is on Hannah who is a Hungarian refugee married to a British diplomat. Hannah’s story focuses on the past. In 1951, Hannah and her husband are living in Cairo while he serves his diplomatic role. It is at this time, Hannah develops a romantic relationship with Lucien Beck who is a hotel manager at the hotel where she is staying.

There is a reason these two storylines merge. There is a family heirloom left to Mallory by her mother. Once they are tied together, the main highlight is the sacrifices both characters made for love.

This book captivated me and left me wanting more. It is a book that I highly recommend.

Beatriz Williams is an auto-buy author for me and this book does not disappoint. Her books are beautifully written and her stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Told in two different timelines both full of mystery and heartbreak and twists and turns. I could not stop reading this book!!!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the chance to read and review this amazing book!!!

Two women in two different eras, struggling to rebuild their lives: a WWII-scarred Hungarian ex-countess now trying to adapt to life as wife to a British diplomat, a modern-day artist molding her every day around a son with damaged kidneys. It was thoroughly captivating, this novel had me totally enthralled!

Williams masterfully crafts scenes that range from thrilling to shocking, with characters you can't help but both love and despise.

Honestly, "Husbands & Lovers" is a must-read. It's got everything — romance, mystery, drama — all wrapped up in a super addictive package. I'm definitely gonna be checking out more of Beatriz Williams's stuff after this!

This was a family drama spanning several generations. Told in two timelines - excellent story of love, loss, family, and forgiveness.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc of this book Husbands & lovers. Wow! What a great story. Dual timeline read of the present day Mallory (Pinks) as her love would call her and her sister Paige and their ancestors. How their mother came to be adopted thank to the help of ancestry DNA and a lot of great research. Mallorys story is one of hardship and love. She raises her son by herself for 13 years and his need for a new kidney pushes her sister into setting up a reunion. After many many things happen they eventually find their way to each other: i could not put this book down. I have read 90 books this year and this one is easily my favorite. Well done! Five stars.

Beatriz Williams will always be one of my auto-buy, must-read authors. With every new release, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, and I want to binge it, but I also want to make it last. The true dilemma of a reader…

Every new book is also my favorite. In Husbands & Lovers, as much as I wanted to savor it, there came a point that I just had to know. This one has it all…mystery, romance, heirloom jewelry with a twist. In short, I loved it, and I’m hoping to see these characters again.

Husbands & Lovers was my first read by Beatriz Williams, a gift from the publisher for an honest review.

I am a big fan any book that features historical fiction from the 1920s forward, books featuring strong women characters who can stand on their own, and second coming of age stories. This beautifully written novel wove together all three of these narratives into a captivating story spanning three timelines.

Through Hannah's point of view, we are in 1950's Cairo, Egypt during the unrest between the UK, Soviets, Israel, and Egypt following Hannah's journey to find herself as she heals from great loss. She has married a diplomat and taken a hotel keeper as a lover. The details of the tension of these times are vividly intense, the descriptions of Cairo are picturesque, and Hannah's repeated heartbreak is palpable.

Mallory provides us two points in time - 2008 and 2022.
In 2008, Mallory is a nanny on an island in New England, working for a wealthy family for the summer before heading off to RISD. She falls for a guy and gets mixed up in a lot of family drama.
After the death of Mallory's mother, Mallory and her sister, begin to learn their Grandmother is not who they thought she was. Mallory is balancing the health care needs of her son while helping her sister uncover the mystery of who exactly are their Grandparents building to an arc between Hannah and Mallory full of strong women, complicated family dynamics, the journey to find oneself, heartbreak, and love.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys strong women, recent historical fiction, and a well written story that balances both character development and local descriptions - think Kristen Hannah and Kate Morton.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced digital copy.

This is going to a be a top read of 2024 for me. Told through alternating timelines, we get to see how an heirloom bracelet helps a young woman answer questions about her own family, while at the same time working to ensure her own son will receive a much-needed kidney by opening up about his own parentage.

I could not put this one down. Amazing!

This was my first Beatriz Williams novel, but it definitely won't be my last. Husbands & Lovers is a book aptly about two women, Mallory and Hannah. The book has three timelines, Mallory in 2008 and 2022 and Hannah in 1952. Mallory has a lover, Monk Adams and in 2008 she has plans to run away with him. But something makes her run alone instead. In 2022, they reunited and Monk discovers they have a son and he needs a kidney. Hannah is a hungarian woman, she's actually had multiple husbands and a lover. But she lived in the world during a time of war. While she lost her first husband and their three children, she married again but found a lover to give her a child. Unfortunately, neither Hannah or her lover got to know that child, whom was Mallory's mother.

This book is full of twists, full of love, and full of heartbreak and pain. It was beautiful. I highly recommend and I normally do not enjoy multiple timeline novels.

I have adored Beatriz William's books since I first picked up The Golden Hour. I love the way she intertwines real stories/people and how a lot of her fictional world is connected. Husband's and Lovers is a lot more risqué and explicit than her others but I thought she did a fantastic job of combining historical fiction with a modern-day love story. There were essentially 3 timelines considering that one of them often had flashbacks and it was a little confusing at first. But I slowly got the hang of the rhythm of the book and I was equally invested in each of the stories. The ending was sweet without being over the top. If you love historical fiction with a modern-day connection, you'll enjoy Husbands and Lovers.

Thank you Netgalley & Ballantine Books for the ARC of Husbands & Lovers! It honestly took me a while to get into this one, but I am so happy that I stuck with it! I think Husbands & Lovers is going to be a super popular summer bingeable read. I loved the 2 different timelines, how they started out seemingly completely unrelated and eventually wove their way together. I admittedly felt more engaged in Mallory's timeline as well as the love story between her and Monk, but Hannah's timeline held its weight too. Well done!

The prologue of this book hits like a truck.

It was unexpected; guess I should have read a bit more ahead of time.

Remember the beginning of Up? You know, the sweet kids' movie? With the beginning that makes an adult sob like a broken child?

The prologue of this book hits like that. Like all the air has been sucked from the room. I needed a moment to collect myself (and stop the tears) before moving on.

I love Mallory and Paige. Their banter is possibly the best part of this book.
"It's better than denial."
"Who's in denial?"
"It ain't just a river in Egypt, right?"

And there it is, the other half of the story - Egypt - and layers of family secrets. So many layers. (More tears, obviously.)

Gorgeously written, with depth and feeling.

4.5 stars

I’ll be reading more of her books stat!

▪️ historical fiction
▪️ dual story lines
▪️ college love turned rock star
▪️ second chance romance

And so much more! Just read this one, you won’t be disappointed.

Beatriz Williams never fails to pull the reader right into a story, no matter the time period, no matter the locale, and I love her for it!

Two women in two different times periods are trying to rebuild their lives. One single mother is doing her best to raise her thirteen-year-old son in the era of influencers. Her boy desperately needs a new kidney after one choice mistake and is on dialysis multiple times a week while waiting for a donor. The other is a woman traumatized by her wartime experience looking for a new future with her British diplomat husband in Cairo. Though he isn’t the man of her dreams, he is safe and that’s all she can hope for at this point.

These two women are linked by a mysterious family heirloom that brings up more questions than answers, and even more painful memories. Their relationships with their “husbands and lovers” have defined their paths in life and shaped their personalities for better or worse. Both women are both emotionally fragile because of their trauma, but wear their bravery like armor to the world—protecting themselves from further pain.

This hybrid historical fiction/women’s fiction book was very hard to put down, and as someone who usually likes the “past” timeline in dual timeline novels, I actually enjoyed both very much. The alternating chapters jumping between characters and timelines makes it incredibly challenging to say, “just one more chapter”.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballatine Books, and of course the author Beatriz Williams for the advanced copy of the book. Husbands & Lovers is out now—get it packed in that beach bag! All opinions are my own.

straight fiction isn't what i usually read, especially when you add historical elements, so this was just okay. well written though and gorgeous cover. i honestly think if i read this physically i would've liked it better.