I couldn't put this book down! Set in early 1950's Cairo and (mostly) modern day New England, Husbands & Lovers is two love stories. Hannah Ainsworth survived WWII but the heartbreak and loss she suffered made her think she would never love again. Mallory Dunne got pregnant in her early 20's and decided to raise her son on her own, but she's never gotten over her relationship with her son's father, even though he has moved on. Hannah and Mallory each rediscover love, and as their stories are revealed, we realize the two women are connected across time. I loved the richly drawn characters and their captivating stories, which Beatriz Williams expertly peels back layer-by-layer. One of my favorite reads so far this year.

Two generations of women, one bracelet, link the past to mysterious upbringing of Mallory Dunne's mother. These women upend the lives of the men they love to save the one thing they love, their children.

Let's meet the women:

Mallory Dunne - A mother to Sam who is currently on the waitlist for a new kidney. An absent father only because he’s literally unaware after a love affair one summer in college. Sam's Dad is forced to reconcile the past to accept the future of "why" Hannah ran away, and didn't tell him she was pregnant. A second-chance at love awaits Hannah and Monk after truths are revealed.

Hannah Ainsworth - In 1951, Hannah's grandmother is living a diplomatic life in Cairo with her husband. Left often alone, Hannah finds herself in the arms on the charismatic hotel manager. Longing for a child, her lover gives her a chance to be a mother. Danger lurks in Cairo so Hannah must do what is necessary to save the baby, Hannah's mother.

These two timelines collide for an epic conclusion as secrets are revealed from Hannah's mother past and her own. Fabulous story!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books

A book with dual timelines, this is the story of a family with a mysterious and previously unknown past and a story of young love interrupted. While the storyline was, overall, interesting, I found this just didn’t hold my attention. The ending wrapped things up, but I didn’t think the story seemed finished.

I really, really hate to do this. I think I’ve only ever DNF’d one other ARC, but this is definitely not the book for me and life is too short to waste reading bad novels. I have no idea how it has 5 star reviews. Outside of glorifying an affair in one storyline, in the other one, the main character is insufferable. Absolutely intolerable. She treats others so poorly. The main catalyst for me is that she is not doing everything within her power for her son. My child has a condition that there is no cure or transplant for but if there was the slightest chance I could provide that for her, I would contact ANYONE I possibly could. I would do ANYTHING I possibly could for my child. That selfishness, and there is no other word for it, leaves me unable to care at all what happens with her in this book. I want Sam to get his happy ending but Mallory does not deserve one so I’ll just stop reading now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Husbands and Lovers is a stunning, carefully plotted, novel by one of my favorite authors, Beatriz Williams. In her hands the reader is treated to fascinating historical fiction seamlessly blended with intense romance. She is a masterful storyteller and a keen observer of human behavior and emotion.
The story is told from the POVs of two main characters. Mallory is a single mother who presently lives in New England, and whose only child, Sam, is on dialysis, needing a kidney transplant. Contrastingly, Hannah is a tragic figure who lost her husband and son in WWII Hungary, and now lives in post-war Cairo, Egypt, with her cold, much older British spouse, Alistair. The stories of these courageous women unfold in three timelines, deftly interwoven by the author.
While the title of the novel is “Husbands and Lovers,” the heroines are these two women who survive loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and personal tragedies. The boys, young men, and adult men intersect with their lives in often complicated ways, but always centered on the women’s stories.
The prose is skilled and a pleasure to read, voicing the bright contemporary voices of Mallory, sister Paige, and friend Lola, as well as the tragic, desperate tone of Hannah. There is a great sense of place and atmosphere conjured, from the dunes of Winthrop Island to the fierce scenes of the riots in 1951 Cairo. Avid readers of Ms. Williams’ novels will find fun intersections of locales and characters from her other books. For example, much of this story takes place on Winthrop Island, setting of several previous novels, and some will recognize the denizens of the island—the Peabodys, Fishers, Monks, and Adams.
That said, this is absolutely readable as a standalone novel. It is a brilliant story of complicated relationships, love, loss, and heroism told with great humanity.

My great thanks to Ballantine Books, Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! This is my honest review.

A brilliant page turner, one you’ll not be able to stop reading! A dual timeline which starts in Cairo, Egypt in 1951 and jumps to New England in 2022, follows the lives of two women Hannah and Mallory. We see the struggles and strengths of these two women. Hannah Ainsworth is married to an English diplomat living a very comfortable life in Cairo. While on the outside it appears she has every comfort awarded to the wife of a diplomat, on the inside she is holding on to many secrets and is grieving the life she left behind. When Hannah finds herself in the middle of an affair and pregnant during a dangerous time in Cairo, what will she do?
Mallory Dunne is a single mother to Sam. While away at summer camp Sam ingests a deadly mushroom, becomes seriously ill, and is airlifted to the nearest hospital. After making it through the worst of the poisoning, Sam is left on the donor list in need of a new kidney. Mallory is in a race against time to find a kidney first Sam. In the search for a donor for her son, Mallory has to face her own secrets from her past.
This piece is beautifully written and takes its readers on the journey of Hannah and Mallory from the streets of post war Cairo, to the wealthy New England shores.

At the midpoint of this book, I was ready to believe that for the protagonists of this story, there is no such thing as a good husband. Mallory and (in a dual timeline) Hannah only have bad examples of the species, and their faith in men is unquestionably dim. But as their stories develop, we become aware of the much richer stories of the men in their lives. In Beatriz William's hands, this historical novel comes alive with a profound sense of place and the people who inhabited it.

I loved this story, and recommend it to fans of historical fiction and historical romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this dual-timeline book, the chapters alternate between two women - Hannah & Mallory. Hannah's timeline begins in Cairo in 1951, where she is living with her husband. Hannah went from being a Hungarian refugee during WWII to marrying a wealthy British diplomat. Their marriage was always one of convenience rather than passion, and she is unhappy living in Cairo. She strikes up a friendship with a hotel manager that turns into a passionate affair.. As she finds herself pregnant with his child, Cairo goes up in flames with a revolution and she must make a decision no mother should ever have to make. The second timeline tells the story of Mallory. in 2022. Her ten-year-old son Sam is airlifted from summer camp due to acute poisoning from a death cap mushroom and is fighting for his life. Needing a kidney transplant, and no matches in their small family, Mallory must face the past in more ways than one. She never wanted anything to do with her son's birth father again, and has never even let him know he has a son, but now she is grappling with the fact she may not have a choice. Also, Mallory's sister Paige discovers a birth certificate of their mother's that shows she was adopted from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952 - a fact they never knew before now.

This book was so good. Both storylines were riveting. Hannah's was heartbreaking, and I was just cheering Mallory on from the sidelines. Two great female protaganists in one book - what more could you ask for? Although this is a work of fiction, and all of the characters are fictional. the uprising and fire in Cairo was real. I didn't have any knowledge about Cairo's history, so I found all of that fascinating. This book would appeal to both historical fiction buffs and fiction lovers alike, I believe. I highly recommend it!

I loved both Mallory and Hannah. Mallory is the heroine of the present and Hannah is the heroine of the past. You know they connect somehow but you don't know the whole story. Are they perfect, no, but it is fun to watch how they navigate the obstacles thrown their way. I also really enjoyed the settings of the present day story in New England and then the story of the past in Cairo. Now let's talk about the love stories, I loved Mallory and Monk. Not only when they were together but also as separate characters. They just worked but not in the conventional kind of way. Then there is Hannah and her love story that spans a few wars and you are happy for her and then the next page sad for the sacrifices she had to make. But how do they connect?? Then there is the supporting characters - you either love them or really do not like them at all. This book has love, family, sisterhood, secrets, and parenthood, and some unexpected twists and turns. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! There is a lot going on in this book. I had a hard time getting into it at first. There were too many bits and pieces from different timelines, and it would jump back and forth and to the middle and then to other times. But then it blossomed into a wonderful story with so many feelings. Life can be messy and complicated and confusing - true life! And Husbands and Lovers brought it all together. There are several storylines going on, and eventually, we see how they all interconnect. I loved the relationships and the drama! If you don't understand everything that is happening, keep reading and it will eventually make sense. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the digital ARC.

This was my first time trying out this author. I thought the premise of the story was interesting and would be a great summer read, so I wanted to give it a shot. This was told in two POVs, Mallory and Hannah with three different timelines. It jumps back and forth slowly unraveling the story of what happened and how it got to that point. In the beginning, I was interested. However, it then quickly went downhill from there. I didn't care for the characters. They were very unlikeable. I found myself not caring for anyone. I also felt the reasoning behind everyone's actions were stupid.

I reached a point where I got bored and started skimming the pages. I even myself skipping chapters to try to push through. Surprisingly, I found some parts of Mallory's timeline interesting. Usually in historical fiction, I tend to favor the past pov. That wasn't the case here. I reached 50%, but couldn't do it any longer. Sadly, I had to DNF. I no longer interested and don't care to find out what happens in the end.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this to my audience.

Really enjoyed this book. The multiple storylines were very immersive and at times made it feel like I was reading different books, but each was well developed and interesting. The historical element worked well and the modern timeline was very compelling.

I just finished reading *Husbands and Lovers* by Beatriz Williams, and I know it's a book that will stay with me. I couldn't put it down and even found myself dreaming about the story. The book is told across three timelines: first, Hannah's story in Cairo, Egypt, 1950; second, Mallory and Monk on Winthrop Island in 2008; and third, Mallory and Monk again on Winthrop Island in 2022. Each timeline is its own captivating story that had me completely absorbed.

Hannah's story is heartbreaking. The unimaginable hardships she endured during the war, all while longing for a simple life with her husband and children, were deeply moving. Her resilience and determination to keep going and fighting were inspiring.

The 2008 story of Mallory and Monk is a perfect summer romance set against the backdrop of a beach, with Monk as an aspiring musician. It was everything a summer romance should be. Then in 2022, we see Mallory and Monk all grown up, dealing with the issues that separated them back in 2008.

I loved everything about this book!

I am not a huge historical fiction reader, so when I heard Beatriz Williams was releasing a novel with a contemporary timeline, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This story was so unique and the way it unfolded kept me captivated with each page - in both the past and present timelines.

What a ride! This dual timeline and multiple points of view were handled masterfully by Williams. It all flowed and intertwined well with characters past and present. From tumultuous Egypt in the 1950s to modern day New England, these strong females were not perfect, but fought for their children and for themselves. Mistakes are made, some lessons are learned and obstacles overcome. This was truly a page-turner for me. Her Last Flight has been on my TBR and I'll be getting to it quickly after this enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Wow. This books is absolutely captivating. Single mother, Mallory's son has a freak accident leading to him needing a kidney. This brings Mallory face to pace with her past and diving deep into her heritage. With three totally captivating interwoven timelines we see Egypt in the Cold War Era, snooty New England in 2008 and the same place in 2022.

While in Egypt we see a clandestine love story, spies and cold war in a whole new context, back in New England we see young love and where that can go after time has passed and question if class differences really even matter. I totally did not expect much from this book since I don't always love reading multiple timelines and honestly 3 times switching off was a little hard to get into at first. BUT I really loved it. My only qualm is that I wanted MORE. I could have read so much more of the spy storyline and Hannah's life--totally going to have to look up more about the spies in Egypt at that time! I already have several folks in mind to recommend this gem of a book to. I know what my mom is getting for Christmas.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. This book is an interesting story intertwined with love and using DNA to find out information. The story has some interesting twists.

This book is SWOON central. It's told between two different storylines and generations: Mallory and her sister Paige in 2022, summering on a New England beach, and in Cairo 1950s. I'll be honest and say that the Cairo parts didn't hold me as much as the present-day part did, but I can see how learning about spies and subterfuge in Hungary and Egypt might be very interesting. It certainly moves the book's plot along. What I really loved about the book is the relationship between Mallory and Monk. They knew each other in high school, and fell in love in college, but then were torn apart. Mallory has Monk's child, and never tells him about it, but then their kid needs a kidney donor, and she ends up on the same beach as Monk after disappearing from his life fourteen years earlier. I love what a good guy Monk is--Beatriz Williams writes charismatic and charming men like no one else. I was completely invested in this couple from page 1 (which is why I found the twist that tore them apart incredibly hard to swallow...you'll see). If you want a summer read (lots of beach and rich people) and a great, over the decades, love story (there are at least three in this book), this is the book for you.

I've read 8 of Beatriz Williams' books, so I was excited to dig into this one. Of all of her books, this one was my favorite. It begins with a mother getting a call that her ten year old son ate a wild mushroom on a dare, and I was hooked. I found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading and hurrying to get back to them. The story goes between early 1950s Cairo and modern day New England, with flashbacks within each era to explain how the two women the book focuses on arrived at the places they're at and the struggles they're experiencing. As with all of Williams' books, I learned about a time and place I wasn't familiar with- in this case, post-WWII Egypt. Hannah is working to recover from the terrible traumas she endured during the war, and Mallory is raising her medically-challenged son and dealing with her feelings for his father, who doesn't know he exists. I was invested in both women's stories and couldn't wait to see how their stories would resolve. I highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy-

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams illustrates how secrets influence actions. Single mom Mallory’s son suffers kidney damage from ingesting a poisonous mushroom at camp and she looks back at her relationship with her childhood best friend Monk, who’s now a famous singer.. The novel moves to 1951 Cairo and a tryst between Hannah, a Hungarian refugee, and an enigmatic hotel manager. Tied together by a distinctive bracelet, the two tales blend intrigue, romance, and maternal love. This page-turner is a captivating beach read.