Delightful!! This was rich and drama filled. I felt transported and like I was physically part of the scenes and plot.

This was an OK book to me. I think it would be good for a book club, but it just didn't resonate with me. Not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into the story.

I can always count on Beatriz Williams to deliver a heartfelt women’s fiction that will keep me enthralled and take me on a roller coaster of emotions.

I have read a few of Williams previous novels and she does a remarkable job at setting the scene. Her historical markers are spot on; from events her characters are experiencing to the music or car model they are driving each addition brings the reader to that moment in time. Her characters are well written and well developed. Unfortunately, the plot itself is just tired. I feel like I have read this story a million times. Teenage lovers get pregnant and reconnect later in life. Oh and of course he's rich. Obstacles must be overcome before happy ever after. I want something new.

A compelling dual-timeline novel that intertwines the lives of two women separated by decades but connected through family secrets and personal struggles.

In 2022, Mallory Dunne is a single mother grappling with her son Sam’s need for a kidney transplant and the resurfacing of her past romance with Monk Adams. Her journey to find a donor leads her to confront long-buried secrets about her mother’s adoption and her own unresolved feelings.

Meanwhile, in 1951 Cairo, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth navigates a complex web of love and espionage. Her passionate affair with a hotel manager amidst the backdrop of political turmoil brings to light sacrifices that resonate through generations.

Meissner masterfully balances historical detail with emotional depth, creating a narrative that is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. The characters are richly developed, and the plot unfolds with a perfect blend of suspense and sentiment. This novel is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.

I highly recommend you add this to your TBR, If you enjoy stories that weave together past and present with a touch of historical intrigue.

Sometimes, novels with dual timelines frustrate me. This was honestly the case for about the first 1/3 of this book. However, it was a well used writing device that really worked well for the story in the long run. Mallory, Hannah, and the secondary characters were all well written and the storyline revolving around the revolution in Egypt and DNA gave the storyline lots of interesting secrets.

Husbands & Lovers starts out intense!! Mallory receives news that her son has eaten a very poisonous mushroom while at summer camp. He ends up needing a kidney transplant but they need to find a suitable donor which is not Mallory, the sister and theres no contact with the biological father of Sam. Mallory discovers her mother was adopted which is another lead to finding a donor and brings in the 1950s Cairo timeline.

Husbands & Lovers alternates between the two timelines.
I think I would have loved this more if this only had one timeline, the present. The timelines didnt tie together as well as they could have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a delight! All Williams books are. I haven't read one of her books in maybe half a dozen years, but was immediately brought back and reminded how great she is. For this one, I think the Cairo plotline was a little weaker than the others - and normally I am incredibly invested in the time jump narrative. But the 2008 & 2022 plotline was fantastic and as good as any other romance novel.

I started and stopped this book off and on and finally finished.
I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it.
I found the characters to be a bit miserable, but the story was captivating. It was not what I expected. It was my first book by Williams and I would likely read her again.
Without spoiling things I don’t have much to say along the lines of the plot. I wished the main character made different choices and it was difficult to read at times.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

I completely adored this book. I love this story. The way Williams blended the storylines and the timelines was incredible.
I loved Mallory and Monk and how we got to see them in the past as well as the present.
I was deeply moved by this book and I will definitely read more by this author immediately.

There is a lot going on in Beatriz Williams' Husbands & Lovers. And while each individual plotline was very interesting, I feel like there was just so much to keep track of, and the constant back-and-forth between past and present left me feeling disconnected. Like, which story is the main story?

[CAUTION: POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD]

Essentially, the novel begins with Mallory's son, Sam, getting into some health trouble and needing a new kidney. If you think the novel is going to be all about that, you're kind of wrong.

Needing a new kidney leads us to learn about Sam's biological father, Monk Adams, who is a famous musician. If only Mallory would tell Monk about Sam, then maybe Sam could be a kidney match.

But Mallory doesn't want to tell Monk because it's been 14 years, and there's something else that happened that takes the whole book to finally be revealed. And anyway, Monk is getting married to an influencer, so there's no reason to rain on that parade.

In the meantime, Mallory and her sister, Paige, discover that their mom was adopted, which leads them to travel to Ireland to find out more about their mom's birth parents.

While Mallory and Paige don't know much about where their mom came from, the reader is privy to such information through flashbacks that take us to Egypt in 1951, where a woman named Hannah and her husband are living because her husband is some hoity-toity something-or-other with the British government. Anyway, Hannah begins an affair with a hotelier, and I bet you can guess now who the birth parents are.

Phew. That's a lot, right?

I thought it was hard to go back and forth so much, and honestly, the Hannah storyline was interesting, but I didn't feel like it added much. Perhaps if the book had simply been about Mallory and her sister doing the Ancestry.com thing, then maybe I wouldn't have felt like Hannah didn't belong. There were some interesting parallels between Hannah's story and Mallory's story, so there could be some good book discussion there if you read this with a book club.

But overall, I liked the Mallory/Monk storyline the best. There was enough with just the two of them - and a few other minor plot points - to carry the book along. Despite all the odds, I found myself rooting for the two of them the whole time. (And I thought the thing with Serge Peabody was a little out of left field. Like, she just starts making out with him after meeting him once? Ohhhhkaaaaaay.)

Husbands & Lovers is published by Ballantine Books and is available to purchase now. I received an e-ARC in exchange for this review.

Beatriz Williams is one of the best historical fiction authors
she is the master of dual-timeline stories. The book is told from present-day New England to Cairo in the 1950s.
New England in the year 2022, We meet Mallory, a single mother trying to raise her young son Sam who has eaten a poisonous mushroom at summer camp and is now in need of a new kidney. Mallory and her sister Paige are not suitable donors. Their estranged father is not an option she wants to consider. And of course, she has no intention of asking the father of her child, the famous songwriter Monk Adams, whom she hasn’t seen since 2008 due to tragic events that separated them. Unfortunately, Monk is about to marry a famous influencer, so there’s no way she can face him, even for the sake of their child he never met. When their paths cross they must face the past they both have avoided.
1950’s in Cairo we meet Hannah. She is unhappily married to a powerful diplomat. She is a Hungarian refugee and she is still suffering from the tragedies she endured during the war When Hannah is bitten by a snake and saved by the charismatic hotel manager Lucien Beck. This encounter changes her life forever, a passionate forbidden relationship puts Hannah between two men and forces her to make a decision between two different life paths.
This was a beautifully written story that deserves five stars!

Loved this and found it to be a wonderful surprise. I loved the unusual historical setting paired with the urgency and love story in the present day.

Husbands & Lovers is a dual storyline going between 1951 and 2022. I found that I really enjoyed the 2022 story line while struggling with the alternate timeline in Cairo. Filled with family secrets and drama Husbands & Lovers is full of characters and plots and at times I slogged through, but overall I enjoyed the book.

I already want to read this one again!

Husbands and Lovers is such a fascinating novel as it traverses two timelines (Historic Cairo and Modern Day New England) and explores the lives of women separated by years and continents, connected through a unique family heirloom. Beatriz seamlessly wove the stories together even though they felt SO different.

One woman is fighting for her son's life and striking out with options, even with modern day medicine, while the other woman just wants to become a mom in the midst of unrest during the Egyptian revolution.

Beatriz beautifully captivated my imagination and transported me through time and place. She effortlessly drove my emotions to be SO invested in the lives and outcomes of the characters. If you are reading, do NOT skip ahead to the end, just know that the final line made me say out loud "Oh . . . my gosh!" Such beautiful closure!

A written masterpiece!

Beatriz Williams is becoming a go-to author for me. The writing is immersive and tells stories of people I wouldn't necessarily gravitate toward and this was no different. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and rich storytelling of the women in this story which was a bit different from other books I've read by this author.

I really enjoyed this one! Its a mix of a romance novel and a historical fiction book. The chapters are dual POV between present day Mallory in New England and Hannah in Cairo Egypt many years ago. At first I thought the egypt setting was really random and didnt make sense but the author tied the story line along so beautifully! You get the story line of Mallory's search for her son a new kidney, being reunited with her college romance who is now a famous celebrity, and trying to find herself again after being a single mom for 13 years. You also get Hannah's story line of being in love, having and losing children, getting into an arranged marriage with a wealthy man of power, and falling in love with someone else who is not her husband all while being in the political turmoil of Egypt. I honestly loved each character and their storyline. (especially Mallory and her ex lover (: ) I really enjoyed and have already recommended to multiple people!

Thank you to the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for a review. Book was released on 6/25/24!

Beatriz Williams writes a solid story every time. I also enjoy her books but did find this one to be a bit predictable.

dazzling and intricate novel that skillfully intertwines romance and intrigue with lush historical detail. Williams’ compelling storytelling and richly developed characters make for a captivating read that keeps you eagerly turning the pages. It’s a sophisticated and enjoyable tale that resonates with both depth and charm.

Told in multiple timelines, Husbands & Lovers is the story of Mallory Duane, in 2022 New England, and Hannah Ainsworth, in 1951 Cairo. Their stories are very different but similar; an all-consuming love and search for what was lost. Beatriz Williams truly excels at historical fiction, drawing the reader into the exact world and timeline. The characters are flawed women, but those who seem to want the best for themselves and those who love them. The descriptions of Cairo and the New England beaches are perfection and made me want to travel immediately.