What a lovely, heartwarming story this is!
Cora is such a genuinely lovely and likeable character that this made her story very easy to read.
I have sailed through this book and loved every page of it and would definitely recommend it.

This was a great book. I cried so much that I thought I might get dehydrated. It was so sad, yet so beautifully written.

This was a fast read. I finished it in just a few hours.

Cora Campbell lives in a small village in Scotland. After a sad early childhood, then being left by her husband for another woman, Cora has carved out a peaceful, quiet existence. Her peace is shattered one night, however, when she opens the front door to find two children standing there, three-year-old Erie and 18-month-old Ross. These are the children of Fraser, her ex-husband, and Holly, his new wife. A note left with the children asks Cora to please take care of them.

The book was enjoyable, if a little predictable. Cora begins to love the children and accepts legal guardianship.

Then, their parents return.

I remember many of my writing teachers exhorting us to “show, not tell”. This book has a lot of telling. Pages and pages of history, of backstory, of explanations on what Cora is feeling and why. Although the book reads quickly, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of action or even much tension. For example, Cora takes in the children and then…boom…you turn the page and it’s 8 months later. No scenes of everyone trying to adjust to the new normal. No trying to find where the parents went.

It’s not a horrible book. Reading it was soothing. But, I didn’t experience the incredible emotion and heartbreak that the subtitle promised, and because of that, it gets 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

When Cora opens her door one evening, the last thing she expected to see was her ex husband’s two young children standing there with a note asking her to look after them.

As weeks turn into months, Cora grows attached to the children, as they also have to her. With her ex father-in-law’s help, the two of them do all they can for the children.

When their mother finally turns up and demands her children back, Cora knows she has to do the right thing by the children, no matter how hard that is.

With Cora feeling that there is more to Holly than meets the eye, she is determined to get to the bottom of just what has gone on.

I found this story quite hard to start with, how could anyone just up and leave their young children?

As the story progressed, I could feel the love between Cora and the children, and willed everything to go okay.

I liked most of the characters in the story, they were down to earth and supportive to Cora.

It is a dark tale with some difficult subjects that were sensitively handled.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if your ex-husband's children- aged 3 and 1.5-turned up on your doorstep? Well, Cora took them in and cared for them, all the while wondering about James and Holly. And then Holly appears and Cora slowly starts to allow her time with the kids. Until....James appears. This is a twisty family drama that's more than a little implausible in spots but which kept me reading. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Family secrets and lies about.

My Husband’s Child is a beautiful, heart-stirring novel. Cora’s story is a roller coaster of emotions, after her ex-husband’s two children are left on her doorstep. The feelings are raw, complicated, and genuine, as lives are turned upside down, leading to a beautiful story of the love and devotion of one woman and the children left in her care. This is not always an easy story, with its share of upheaval and hard choices; but it is a story that will fill your heart with love and hope and healing. I received an advance reader copy of this novel.

Wow... this book had me on a wild ride with my emotions! The story was raw, deep, and thought provoking dealing with children and their parents.

I really really enjoyed this I read it in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down
It had everything I loved in a good thriller and so much more.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions I was crying one minute heartbroken I think this will live rent free in my mind for years to come.

I have been through an emotional wringer… a tearjerker! I was completely absorbed from the first page… My heart was in my throat

Cora has been rebuilding her life since her husband cheated on her. He has since remarried and has young children. And Cora has done her best. Until the night she opens her door to find her ex-husband’s two children abandoned on her door step.

Cora takes them in and loves them like her own when her ex-husband and new wife come back to claim the kids.

Okay, first the title of the book is a bit misleading as it is her ex-husband and there were two children.

I did enjoy the book, but it was truly a very very slow burn.

Another raw and deeply emotional read from this author. This was a heartbreaking read which takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and provides engaging characters and a storyline that I was invested in from the start.

The over arching theme of this story is that family can be made up of anyone that you choose it to be and that your family doesn’t have to be the one you are born into but made up of those who are there to support you no matter what.

I enjoyed this story. Such an emotional book on how parents can leave children . Well written. 3.5 stars overall.

This is an emotional roller coaster ride. Cora answers her door one night to find her ex-husband's children, with a note, please take care of them. Cora brings them in, and her ex-father-in-law gets custody of them, with Cora taking care of them. The children are 3 and one and a half. She takes care of them, and they bond, and the children call her Mommy. Ten months later, their mother reappears and wants them back. Cora says she has to earn the privilege of seeing the children. They start with a visit, and Cora notices, she treats her daughter, much better than she does her son, which makes Cora wonder what is going on. Their mother hires a law firm so she can get custody, and her ex-husband comes back. Oh, the things we learn, when he comes back, will keep you reading, Alison Ragsdale takes us through their journey, through the secrets, the uncertainty, and brings us to the outcome. I wasn't planning on reading the whole book today, but that is what I did. I just had to know.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

As always, another great book from Alison Ragsdale. This is a very heartwarming story, which is Alison's signature style of writing. I love how her characters are built so well, almost like you are reading about an old friend. I also love that she describes the places so well that you can picture them while reading. I'm convinced you can never go wrong with a book by Alison. She is definitely on my must-read immediately list.

A very emotional read, thought provoking and beautifully written with good characters that were described well

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I thoroughly enjoyed and can thoroughly recommend.

I really liked this book! Wow! It made me cry, smile laugh. Even through it was a sad book. Impossible to put down….read it . You will not be disappointed….Highly recommend…..

A really enjoyable read that took me on an emotional roller coaster. I couldn't put it down I had to know what happened

Really enjoyed this book! How you can leave kids is beyond me. However it gave the way for a lovely emotional story!

Cora is living a quiet life after her divorce when her doorbell rings and there are two children standing there. They are her ex-husband's and both he and his wife have disappeared. For 10 months they are a family building a life with Cora and James, her exes' father. Suddenly, Holly, the children's mother reappears followed by the dad. Custody becomes a battle. Kids aren't returnable and this is a major storyline. How do you leave your babies and then think you can just come back. This book pulls at your heartstrings. Loving children is hard and the very best privilege. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Cora’s ex husband leaves his two children at her house. His wife has also taken off. Cora starts raising these kids with help from her ex’s dad. When they both come back for their kids, Cora doesn’t know what to do. Why did they leave the kids? Who should get them?