Book Review:
MY HUSBAND'S CHILD by Alison Ragsdale
ARC
Expected Release: March 4, 2025

A fan of Ms. Ragsdale, I will always be!

I knew from the start
'MY HUSBAND'S CHILD' would have its hold on my emotions, through tears and smiles, leading me along a captivating journey, yet not without a few surprises.

With her trademark of weaving the threads of hope, and the promise of a beautifully crafted tale of secrets, love, loss, and resilience, Ms. Ragsdale once again shines in creating a story of the heart!

What resonated with me most was how this story tackled profound themes with such grace and sensitivity, bringing to light the importance of family, community, and the moments that shape us, be it small or significant.

Through their rich and tender touch, each page became a gift to this reader, and every chapter left me eagerly anticipating the next. By the time I reached the end,
I felt as though my heart would break again for the characters I was leaving behind, ones I became so fond of. A true testament to the power of storytelling in connecting us to our deepest emotions and experiences.

I thank Ms. Ragsdale for allowing me the opportunity to wholeheartedly recommend 'My Husband's Child' to anyone looking for a deeply moving and thought-provoking read.

5 Stars

#MyHusbandsChild
#AlisonRagsdale
#Bookouture
#Netgalley

Wild Sage Book Blog

This book made for a change of scenery between fantasy books. And a change it definitely was.

I loved Cora, Evie and Ross. Their blossoming relationship warming my heart even more than I thought it would. Their family from the heart was just gorgeous.

There are many lines this book took and I'm very happy with the way it all played out. I was worried there for a minute that they way I pictured it all would be ruined and tears would be rolling.

Also loved James and Cora relationship. It made me all warm a gooey.

As a vivid fan of Alison Ragsdale writing I knew this book would be fab, and saved it for just the right time after being put in a reading slump by a certain viral book.

Enjoyable read, found the story a bit slow but kept me entertained enough to keep me reading. A feel good ending. Great style of writing

Well, well, well, this is a story that tore me in two.

On the one hand, I cannot understand how some parents can leave their children behind, hoping someone will take them in and care for them, while they do what exactly?

That was my first thought when I read this book. Little by little everything is revealed and I see what the parents were doing, but they way they went about it, is utterly despicable. Maybe you were feeling very low at the time, but a parent should always think about their children's best interest no matter what.

Cora is worth her weight in gold, that's for sure, but what if she did not want to invest her time?

In the end it seems all intentions were good, but they just should have acted a lot faster and it would have done everybody a huge favour. 

I loved the story and those two little ones are just adorable. Very emotional and very beautiful. 5 stars

Thank you

This a wonderful, emotional, heartfelt story about a family.
The parents have so many secrets and their two children are caught in the middle of the drama.

One evening main character Cora, a divorced young woman finds a note with a little girl and her brother standing on the front steps to her home.
Cora knows that these two babies are her ex-husband's and his new wife, but where are they?
Did they just abandon them and why?
Can Cora truly give up her time and quiet life to care for these youngsters?

It is an incredible book that is sad, happy, suspenseful, and heartbreaking.
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Bookouture for this amazing ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

This is a beautiful and emotional story about family, and all the different ways you can be a family. The author took great care in richly developing all of the characters. I loved Cora's relationship with her former father-in-law and her bond with the children was truly heartwarming!

This is such an emotional heartwarming story! Cora hears someone at her door late at night. Not imagining who it could be she causally opens her door to find her ex-husbands kids standing there alone with a note to please take care of them. After a couple of months Cora and her father in law file for legal guardianship.
Cora grows to love them and can't imagine life without them. There has been no trace of the children's parents. What would happen if they suddenly come back for them?
This is such a wonderful heartwarming sweet story. I just love all of Alison Ragsdale's books. Alison just keeps you engaged in every page. Thank you for the ARC.

This was a touching and emotional story about family and serves as a reminder to the reader that family is not always just what you are born into, but the people around you who love you, care for and support you.

Cora's husband has left her and started his own family, and she has been putting her own life back together, mending her broken heart and rediscovering herself. One night the doorbell rings and there on the doorstep are her husband's two young children, alone in the cold with a few belongings and a note. Cora brings little Evie and her younger brother Ross inside and tries to make sense of what is going on, quickly realizing that their parents have both disappeared.

Over the next months, Cora with the help of James (her ex-husband's father), gets custody of and begins raising the two children. The bond between James and Cora strengthens and the two are committed to making sure that the kids are properly cared for. Cora raises Evie and Ross as if they are her own, forging a bond together that is so pure and strong. The children are happy and comfortable with her and quickly start referring to her as mommy.

When Holly, the children's mother, returns out of the blue and wants to reclaim the kids it sends everything spiraling. Then Fraser, Cora's ex-husband reappears and tells Cora that the children are not safe with their mother and should be with him. Cora is faced with an impossible decision while trying to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

This book explores the subjects of loss and abandonment as well as relationships, character and family. It explores sacrifice and putting the needs of the children first, doing what is in their best interest rather than satisfying one's own.

As a woman who can personally relate to parts of this book, there were many times I found it pulling on my heart strings. The deep bond that developed between Cora and the children was simply beautiful and the special relationship the two young children shared with each other melted my heart. But it wasn't just these relationships. Often, I notice an author's attention to character development. In this book I felt that the author took great care in creating richly developed relationships focusing on a multitude of dynamics including immediate family, extended family, friendship, etc.

My initial rating when I finished the book was four stars, but once I took a few minutes to process it, considering all of the care that went into the development of relationships, the realistic and raw telling of the story and my own personal connections to the story line, I had to adjust to five stars.

This book is set to release on March 4th, 2025. If you enjoy a book with a little bit of mystery and suspense, family and sacrifice, that is both sweet, heartwarming, filled with rich relationships and that will tug at your heartstrings, then this book is for you!

I would like to thank Bookoutoure for the advance copy of this book for review. It was a touching and beautiful read.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

"My Husbands Child" is a heart breaking and heart warming book all in one. One evening Cora finds her exhusbands kids on her doorstep with no one else around...she takes them in only to realise that her exhusband and girlfriend have left the town with no explanations....an impossible scenario that Cora manages impeccably with a heart torn story and beautiful ending! A must read for anyone who loves drama, suspense and emotional books!

Cora opens her door one night to find her ex-husbands two young children on the doorstep with a note to ask her to look after them.
She grows to love them over the months, her ex and his wife having disappeared without trace.

This is a heart rending family drama. Beautifully written, with so much emotion.
I loved the story, and really felt so much sympathy for Cora and James, and for the children.
Reading further, I could understand why the children were left with Cora, but how cruel not to give a reason!
If you want your heart strings to be plucked and left to quiver with emotion, this touching book will definitely leave you with a tear in your eye in places.

I recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the DRC.

I read an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of this engaging read with its unusual premise. Cora is suddenly asked to care for two young children to whom she has no legal connection. They were fathered by her ex-husband, and abandoned on her doorstep one night by their birth mother. Cora does, however, feel a moral responsibility to these precious youngsters whom she grows to love. What an interesting premise for a book! The unique twist in the relationships between the adults presents an intriguing puzzle and creates a challenging situation. With whom should these children be placed for them to thrive, be safe, feel nurtured, and loved? Alison writes endearing characters who will quickly establish themselves in your heart. This book will be available in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, and in print on March 4. It is available for preorder now.

An emotional story that would have you reaching for tissues from time to time that covers abandonment in a few different ways, I was a bit confused by the title as there are two children in the story but as I got nearer the end, I think it became clear why it was titled this way. It was slow for the first half but it was building up to the reasons behind why the children were left on the doorstep . As I’ve said heartbreaking in places but there were some light hearted moments that made the book easier to read.

'Parenthood is not something you can try out, then decide it doesn't work for you. There's no return policy on little human beings.'

WOW! Make sure you have a box of tissues close by as you will need them. A raw, deep emotional story that pulled on my heartstrings from the beginning until the very end.
What a rollercoaster of a ride that had tears flowing down my face.
Heartbreaking, shattered my heart into pieces, hard to put down and a story I honestly just can't stop thinking about.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this incredible book.

When Cora's ex husbands mistresses childrenarrive on her doorstep she doesn't really know what to do.

They state that their mother says Cora will take of them and this is where the reader is set on a course of emotional and heartfelt ride.
This is the most touching read I have ever read. it really doe pull at your heart and yes I wept. It is a story superbly told and one that I am sure I will be talking about and recommending.

Oh my goodness! I have still not recovered from the emotion of this story. It's incredibly heartbreaking for the adults but especially the children involved. I have to mention a part in the book when Evie had me giggling with her but I won't mention what she said you will know what I am talking about when you read the book yourself. Other than that I think I had tears streaming from eyes for the rest of the emotionally driven plot. The author has written a compelling page turner.

My Husband’s Child by Alison Ragsdale is a story about how an ex wife decides to take care of of her husband’s children..

Cora has had her heart broken by her now ex-husband. After having an affair and running off with the mistress, her ex had 2 children with this woman he ended up marrying. Imagine Cora’s surprise when the two children show up alone on her doorstep with a note asking her to take care of them. Over time, Cora can’t help but fall in love with these innocent children and is once again in turmoil when the children’s parents show back up. Their journey to find a safe and healthy environment for the children is filled with pain, sacrifice and determination. This is a book that was both sweet and heart wrenching.

Incredibly heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Very easy to read. Emotional at times. I had to read this in one sitting as I had to find out what was going to happen.

Cora is living the quiet life after her divorce. She was broken, and is healing. One night the doorbell wrings and two children are on her doorstep. The little girl tells her “Mummy said you’d look after me”. She is standing next to her baby brother. Cora takes them in from the bitter cold. The children are her ex-husbands.
As she tries to find her ex-husband and their mother Cora ends up caring for the children and time passes. Their grandfather is not far. Weeks turn into months and they both return separately with stories that will tug at your heart and infuriate you. How could they abandon their children?
This novel will pull ever heart string you have.
4 likes