I adored this book! It was so incredibly well written and a poignant story about love, forgiveness and second chances.

I don’t usually read historical fiction, but I’m so glad 🙂 read this book. The dual timelines added a lot to the story and I was so invested in the characters. Highly recommend!

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a poignant and intricately woven tale that spans decades and continents, exploring themes of love, loss, and redemption. In New England, single mother Mallory Dunne grapples with her son Sam's life-threatening illness, which forces her to confront painful secrets from her past, including her tumultuous romance with the renowned singer-songwriter Monk Adams and her mother’s troubled history tied to an Irish orphanage. Meanwhile, in 1951 Cairo, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth navigates her own heartbreaking choices amidst political unrest and personal betrayal. Williams's richly drawn characters and evocative settings create a captivating narrative that resonates with readers. This novel will appeal to those who appreciate stories that delve into the complexities of human relationships and the sacrifices made for love, all while providing a sweeping historical backdrop and emotional depth that linger long after the final page.

This is absolutely five stars! Multiple timelines, fascinating history, young love, old love, parenting, sisters, beautiful and exotic locations - this one has it all. I don’t know how Beatriz Williams managed to weave together this gorgeous story but I am so grateful she did. I just loved it!

Liked it, but also struggled with this.
I can't buy into a son being ill, the mom knowing there's a chance dad can help, but REFUSING to contact him. So selfish!!!

Beatriz Williams just never disappoints. “Husbands & Lovers” is an exquisite story chronicling the heartbreak, love, sadness & hurt that span human emotions.

Set in both the 1950s & 2020s, you will find yourself transported not only between the time periods, but between two female narrators connected across time & continents.

With a mix of romance & mystery, “Husbands & Lovers” is the perfect novel to curl up with by the fire or enjoy while relaxing beachside.

What a wonderful story that took us from 1950s Cairo to today Cape Cod with connections. Hannah married an older man but had a past from him that she kept secret. She shared that secret and many other things with Lucien. Flash forward to Mallory, Monk, Paige and Sam. Mallory and Monk met in school and were good friends with a connection. Mallory and Paige are sisters who find after their mother died that their mother was adopted. Sam is Mallory’s son who went away to summer camp and ate a poisonious mushroom by accident and is now in kidney failure. And there is this ruby and diamond cobra bracelet left to Mallory by her mom that ties into the past. Loved loved loved this story!

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a great summer read with great character development and plot points. Loved it! Auto-buy author

I don’t say this often, but this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I loved the two timelines as well as the timelines within them; they were easy to follow and developed the entire breadth of the story well. Her obvious research contributed greatly to the integrity of the book.. Both storylines captured my interest, and the many cliffhangers at the end of the chapters kept me reading—I finished this book in record time. The writing flows well, and the character development is superb. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Well developed, well-nourished characters that you truly connect with. I enjoyed the book from start to finish. It is a dual timeline that was easy to follow. It was quite an enjoyable read. Thanks to a NetGalley and Ballantine for the free egalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I ultimately DNF this book. I enjoyed the synopsis, but I wasn't able to get into the story. I will try again though, I feel like I just picked it up at the wrong time- the worst part of being a mood reader.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into this book and I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s part historical fiction and part contemporary fiction with a great romance thrown in.
It’s 2022 and Mallory Dunne is a single Mom to 13 year old Sam. Sam needs a new kidney and Mallory has exhausted her search. She knows there’s one more person she can ask, Sam’s dad, but she hasn’t seen or spoken to him in 14 years and isn’t sure how easy reaching out now will. In another storyline it’s 1951 and Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth is with her diplomat husband in Egypt. She has an affair with the hotel manager and when things in Cairo get dangerous she has to decide which man she will go with.
While Hannah’s story helps with Mallory’s I found those parts to be unnecessarily. I actually think this would have been a fabulous book with just Mallory’s story. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the Jewish representation in Hannah’s line and I found my heart breaking at the parts of the forming of Israel, what with everything going on there today. I had to laugh sadly at the line “Arabs only unite in their hatred of Israel” because 70 years later that is still so true.
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Williams’ books.
Thank you to. NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. Husbands and Lovers hit the shelves on June 25th.

A literal masterpiece. This book got me out of my book slump and has me so eager to find another 5 star read. Husband and Lovers follows two characters from a historical and modern timeline, but the modern timeline also splits between her younger self and present self. The way the author is able to tell us three different storylines without this ever being confusing is such a testament to their talent.

The plots were amazing and unlike anything I've ever read before. The reclamation of lost loves in completely different contexts! >>> I adored Mallory's story just a little more than Hannah's. I'm not really a historical girlie, but even so I enjoyed those sections of the book. Just when I thought I had all the details. we learn about what Mallory has went through and everything changes.

I could not put this down and highly contemplated coming to work late just to be able to finish it! Finished it on my lunchbreak, so all was well! Cannot recommend this book enough.

I don't really think the cover art matches this story, though I know authors don't get much say in that.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This takes places in New England in 2022 and Cairo in 1951. You will experience heartbreak and redemption and find characters struggling with issues of class, and privilege. Secrets are confronted and ties are made. Well written with characters you want to know more about.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a multigerational tale that seamlessly blends romance, intrigue, and family drama, spanning from the streets of revolution-era Cairo in the 1950's to the upscale world of modern New England. It is a novel of two women - Mallory Dunne and Hannah Ainsworth - connected across time by love, loss, and past betrayals.

Mallory is a single mother whose life revolves around her critically ill son, Sam. As she seeks a kidney donor to save her child, Mallory must also grapple with the painful truths from her won past. Mallory had an intense romance with a singer-songwriter who captured her heart in her youth. She is also is looking into the truth of her mother's adoption from a notorious Irish orphanage. Mallory's narrative is raw and urgent, colored by the desperation o fa mother fighting for her child's future while revisiting the ghosts of her past love.

Hannah's story takes us back to 1951, when as a Hungarian refugee, she has rebuilt her life through marriage to a British diplomat in Cairo. Yet her carefully constructed world is thrown into turmoil when she embarks on an affair with a mysterious hotel manager, igniting passion and danger in equal measure. The book captures the tension in post-war Egypt, filled with espionage and political unrest and interweaves it with Hannah's personal tragedy and eventual sacrifice.

The heat and intensity of 1950's Cairo, with its political tensions, contrasts with the privileged atmosphere of present-day New England. The book explores themes of love, betrayal, motherhood, and consequences of choices made in moments of passion. Husbands and Lovers is a novel about second chances and hope that redemption can be found. This book is for fans of historical fiction and family sagas. This is a memorable book that I hope you enjoy reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Husbands and Lovers. #NetGalley #BeatrizWilliams #HusbandsAndLovers

Husbands & Lovers is an intriguing book which tells the stories of two women from different periods of time, both ironically dealing with similar issues. The book's appeal is as the two stories begin to intertwine, the reader starts to understand the connections these two women have as well as the pain and suffering they have both been through which wonderfully creates two sadly beautiful stories in one.

Mallory Dunne is a single parent. Her son's name is Sam. She has never, ever revealed who is his father. The year is 2022 and Mallory and Sam experience every parent's nightmare. Something happens to Sam. It's very bad.

Meanwhile, Hannah Ainsworth is in Cairo. The year 1955. Married to a wealthy man she dislikes, but having been born in Hungary and fled there, has no choice but to continue in the marriage. She meets and falls in love with the worker of the hotel they are staying, named Lucien. He's very secretive but impossibly charming. He changes her life forever.

Mallory, who is barely making ends meet, decides to go on vactation with her sister Paige where they had spent many happy years. Never having told anybody who the father of Sam was, is shocked that he is actually there as well. He is a superstar musician now, and is there planning his wedding.

Hannah wants nothing more than to have a child, something she tells her lover Lucien. Before she fled Hungary, she had the perfect life and lost it all. When she gets pregnant, she tells her husband it is his. He doesn't believe her and banishes her just as the city of Cairo is being burned down. Somehow Hannah must find her way out.

Mallory sees instantly that Monk knows he is Sam's father and now must begin to make very difficult choices. Does he let him into Sam's life? Does she answer his questions as to why she left so suddenly when they were so in love?

But the most wonderful mystery which is encompassed by both stories is a bracelet which was passed down from who? and left for Mallory's mother and after she died was given to Mallory. But why Mallory? Her mother was closer to her sister. What does this bracelet have to do with their family?

As all the moving parts come together in Husbands & Lovers it will tell the wondrous story of hidden love, loss and privilege and so many secrets. Some of them lurk in the dark corners hoping to never be revealed while some look innocent but are more than one person care bear. The stories in the book are both spellbinding, and you will be amazed at the connections which these women and the men they have chosen to fall in love with.

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #BeatrizWilliams #Husbands&Lovers for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams in exchange for a honest review.This is a wonderful piece of historical and contemporary fiction.I have read many of Ms Williams’ ’ books and this one does not disappoint.Full of drama and a long kept secret, this is the story of Mallory a young woman with a son who requires dialysis because of a poisoning incident who returns to the summer town of her child’s father Monk Adams in search of a kidney to save her son.She is keeping a long held secret that threatens to be exposed.This book also tells the story of Hannah , a young Hungarian woman who has experienced unimaginable tragedy during the war and is rebuilding her life with her titled husband in Egyptian 1952 when war breaks out.She has been having an illicit affair with a hotel concierge and the result will once again blow her world apart.Read the book to see how these women and their lives are entwined .A real un-put-downanble book.

I devoured this book on our summer vacation! The characters are engaging and the dual timeline was not too distracting…. I truly kept turning the pages needing to find what happened next. I found this to be another great book by Beatriz Williams that I would recommend to all my friends. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

5 stars. As a disclaimer, I rarely give 5 stars to any book but this blew me out of the water. Captivating with the multiple storylines, this kept me on the edge of my seat desperately needing to know more. My mouth dropped open with the last sentence. Incredibly well done and i can't wait to recommend this to everyone i know.

I read/listened to Husbands & Lovers while on vacation and really enjoyed it! Beatriz Williams is always an auto read for me and this is one of my new favorites of hers. I really loved Mallory's story-line but it was fun to see how her story and Hannah's in the 1950's connected. I heartily recommend Husband & Lovers and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 25 June 2024

Beatriz Williams has done it again has done a splendid job of taking the reader through time--and place to tell a story. There are three stories (two of which can immediately tied together), but the third seems out of left field. I kept looking for the connection, even though it took awhile, that made the discovery even more exciting. The relationship between Mallory and her sister Paige was so real and satisfying and Mallory's relationship with her son would warm any mother's heart. My only complaint (and it is very tiny one), is with all the stories swirling around the Paige and her husband storyline could maybe have been left out? The three timelines, to me, seemed realistic (actually four is you count Hannah's early life), especially the story in Egypt, which might be unfamiliar to most readers. For a little bit of humor I enjoyed Paige and Mallory's trip to Ireland to visit a convent, even though there was sadness the Mother Superior made me smile. I can't wait for the next novel from Ms. Williams.