Monthly Archives: March 2024

Mar25

The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger

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I have a Little Free Library at my office and sometimes books are left there by others that intrigue me. This was one of those. I pulled it out to read it before putting it back to let someone else enjoy it.

The book has two protagonists who we follow through most of the story. Annabel, the banker’s wife of the title, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland and Marina, a journalist, who lives in New York City.

Before moving to Geneva two years prior, Annabel was an artist and gallery owner. Her husband worked as a lawyer but was offered a job working for a private bank, with a large salary bump, in Switzerland. They chose to move there for two years to earn enough money to buy a house near the sea back home in the United States. Annabel was lonely and isolated in Geneva as her husband worked many hours. She isn’t happy with their life there.

Marina was engaged to a man whose father was preparing to announce his candidacy for president. She worked as a journalist for a fluff publication, but wanted to be a hard hitting reporter. She planned to stop working as soon as she married in order to be a supportive wife to a CEO since her husband to be would be taking over the family business from his father.

Both protagonists’ lives changed during the course of the story. Annabel’s when her husband’s plane went down in the Alps. Marina’s when her mentor was murdered.

The parallel story lines run through the book with each woman’s life escalating into danger and each woman under pressure. Both not knowing exactly who to trust and who to be wary of. The story is fast paced and edge of the seat in many of the chapters.

I enjoyed the book and pretty much read it all in one afternoon. I hadn’t read this author before and I’m sure I’ll be seeking out other of her books. If you like suspense and fast-moving drama, this one is for you.

Mar3

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams- Review

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I first became aware of Beatriz Williams when I read a book she wrote with Lauren Willig and Karen White. Since Lauren Willig has been a must-buy author for me since The Pink Carnation, I learned to love Beatriz and Karen as well once I was exposed to the other two ladies and their work.

When I saw this book offered on NetGalley, I decided I needed to check it out. Thank you to them and Random House Ballentine Books for the chance to read this and leave a review.

This is a great story set mostly on an island full of fancy houses and rich folks. There’s a dual timeline with a heroine from the past and one from the present.  The modern day heroine is a single mother whose son eats a mushroom on a dare and becomes dependent on dialysis to continue to live due to kidney damage.

The heroine of the past is a Hungarian lady who lived a brutal life during WWII and ended up as a translator for an older British man who she married. They move to Egypt during the Suez Canal crisis in the 1950s. The marriage isn’t a happy one, but she is content to stay in it as she went through a lot in her past, some of it horrific.

The dual timeline continues through most of the book and both stories were intriguing. Both heroines are likable and worth cheering on.

The modern day heroine was invited by a school mate to be the nanny one summer for his step siblings. His father hired her and she spent the summer taking care of the children and falling in love. The classmate became a rock star who is now engaged to be married. The heroine and he haven’t seen each other in many years.

Both stories were highly engrossing and enjoyable. I don’t want to say more in order to avoid spoilers. But I will say this one should definitely be read and savored. For the love stories as well as the mysteries and the Egyptian history of the Suez Canal crisis. There is a lot to love about this book.

A very enjoyable read.