‘This was SOME read. Now I know what it means when people say a book was unputdownable. I just had to finish this in one sitting. It was just too good to wait until the next day… You will NOT want to miss this… Ten stars definitely!’ Netgalley reviewer, 5 starsTrusting his family was her first mistake.All Ria ever wanted was a family. Growing up alone in foster care, she imagined just how it … foster care, she imagined just how it would be. So when she fell in love with Grayson and had their daughter Shelley, she was determined to make his family love her too. She knew she’d never fit in with her glamorous sisters-in-law, or at the exclusive picture-perfect Chicago parties her mother-in-law threw, but with Grayson’s arm around her waist she tried her best to be a Parker.
Everything changed when Grayson disappeared.
Until one morning, Grayson leaves the house for work and never comes home. Left to raise Shelley alone, Ria is forced to turn to her husband’s family, to let her intimidating mother-in-law into her life, allow her to babysit Shelley, and accept her financial support. She tries to ignore the feeling that her sisters-in-law never thought she was good enough. They say they have no idea what happened to Grayson, and she tries very hard to believe them.
But Ria is about to learn that every Parker wife has secrets.
And protecting her daughter might come at a terrible price…
Utterly compelling, The Last Wife is an emotionally-charged novel about what one woman will do to survive. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Kerry Fisher and The Other Woman.
Readers love The Last Wife!
‘I was hooked from the thrilling prologue straight through to that jaw-dropping finale!… Drew me in and left me craving for more… Domestic suspense that’ll easily have you swiping your night away.’ Misty’s Corner Reviews, 5 stars
‘WOW. I cannot say enough about this book! This book was the definition of a page turner – the plot twists kept me hooked up until the very end! Goodreads reviewer
‘What an amazing book. I couldn’t put it down. Had my attention from start to finish. plenty of suspense and twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it figured out I was proven wrong.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Gripped right from the start, I couldn’t turn the pages on my kindle fast enough. Everything immediately drew me in… Taken on a wild addictive ride and what a bloody great ride it is!… Wickedly twisted, highly addictive, utterly deceptive and I absolutely loved it!’ Once Upon A Time Book Blog, 5 stars
‘Wow. Just wow. From beginning to end you had no idea where this book was going… This is a must read book… At one point you are yelling at the book because darn it tell me, the ending had me shook. I was quaking. Definitely not what I was expecting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Deliciously good! I could hardly put it down. The family dynamics in this salacious drama feel like the best reality show mixed with a soap opera… I highly recommend this book to anyone.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A fabulous read! There’s everything here – secrets, danger, deceit… keeps you hooked right until the last page… Not giving anything away, simply to say, this is definitely a must read.’ Brook Cottage Books, 5 stars
‘I just loved this book! My second of Nicola Marsh’s books and it did not disappoint. A domestic thriller that kept me guessing until the very end… Highly recommend.’ Chapter Chatter Pub, 5 stars
‘I have read this book in less than three hours. It was quick, sharp and full of unexpected twists. Fully recommended! I will definitely reach for more books of this author.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
I really enjoyed this book that basically reinforces the theory that money does not buy happiness. May Parker is the head of the the wealthy Parker family of the Chicago area where she loves to control everyone while being highly critical of all of them. Ria, her ex-daughter-in-law, is the only one who she seems to like and approve of. One day, Ria gets some strange e-mails that sets in motion a lot of mystery/drama with lots of twists and turn and a very surprise ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very interesting edge-of-your seat book in exchange for an honest review. If you are looking for a good thriller/mystery, this is it.
Five years after her husband’s disappearance, an anonymous person emails Ria Parker shocking secrets about her wealthy and seemingly perfect in-laws, the Parker family. Then, bizarre accidents start happening to the Parker women. Ria is convinced that something sinister is going on in the family and is determined to get to the bottom of it. The last wife is an entertaining and gripping thriller. Told from multiple POVs, I was immediately pulled into the lives of the dysfunctional Parker family with all their secrets, betrayal, greed, and family drama. The characters were well developed and interesting, they were not particularly likable, but I did relate to some of them, and understood why they acted the way they did. This book kept me guessing until the end and the twist did manage to surprise Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a suspenseful, slow-burn thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
A highly recommended mystery with plenty of suspense.
Ria Parker has remained close with her mother-in-law, May, for the past five years. Ever since Ria’s husband, Grayson, abandoned her and her daughter. That cannot be said for Grayson’s siblings. She finds them pretentious and hurtful. They clearly think Ria is beneath them. The only two that seem to at least like her are Shamira and Justin. The others are always frosty.
Growing up in foster homes, when Ria married Grayson, she anticipated a loving family. But they are rich and he she was poor. When Ria receives shocking emails showing the various Parker’s sins, she doesn’t know who to trust. When suspicious injuries begin to befall the family, Ria knows she must do something she vowed never to do. She needs to try to contact Grayson.
This is a mystery that will pull you in several directions at the same time. Just when you think you have figured out who the threat is, a new bit of evidence sends you spinning.
It is well written, with strong characters. You may not like most of them but you have to admit they may be a victim, the perpetrator, or both. The book is full of events that you thought you saw coming, then a surprise twist is thrown at you.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review.
Lots of books claim to be page-turning thrillers with unbelievable twists. Some live up to the hype, and some don’t. In The Last Wife, all of the characters had secrets of some kind. The author did a fantastic job of keeping me off-balance and wondering which secret was affecting which character. In fact, there were layers upon layers of lies that unraveled throughout the story. There were a couple of writing issues that seemed jarring to me, but overall I thought it was a well-done thriller with an original (and unexpected) twist. Yes, this one did live up to the hype. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a complimentary digital ARC of this book.
First, I want to thank Nicola Marsh, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
Nicola Marsh is back again with another must read book! I instantly became a fan of hers after reading The Scandal. I thought that book was amazing until she exceeded my expectations with this book! This book had more drama than a soap opera! It was packed with so many stories involved with lots of secrets! Secrets that if got out could ruin a lot of relationships! This book was so juicy and one you want to gossip to a friend about after.
Kudos to the graphic designer who designed the cover as it is gorges! Nicola’s covers are always spot on to her books!
Nicola is an incredible storyteller with so many different stories within the main story. Each of them just sucked you more into the story!
The Last Wife is full of lies, infidelity, teenage alcoholism, lots of secrets, blackmail, etc.
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Ria gets into bed with her daughter Shelly and reads. I love that mother and daughter bonding time. This book has a lot to do with family.
I love when an author thinks outside the box for their names of the characters. Nicola picked some that I loved! Ria, Trent, Ashlin, Grayson, etc.
I thought it was extremely interesting how she came up with the idea of this novel. She was at a birthday party with kids playing. One of the parents had a very unique occupation as hacker/penetration tester. She had conversations about that subject. It made her wonder. She is fascinated how mismatched people who are forced to socialize in the name of family.
Nicola would love to thank Kim Nash and Noelle Holton who are PR whizzes at Bookouture. Your passion for books are unanswering and it makes eternally grateful that she has you to champion my books too.
I enjoyed this thriller where Ria married into the Parker family, where she was happy with her husband Grayson & their daughter. However his family never warmed up to her & didn’t really like her. When Grayson leaves & doesn’t return back home Ria is forced to accept help from Grayson’s mom & sisters. This story is told from mainly Ria’s point of view but also the other Parker wives as well.
This was an interesting story, that follows several different women in a family as their world as they know it is threatened by an unknown source. Ria receives some rather damming emails with pictures of her sister in laws and secrets they have been hiding. Unsure of what to do she keeps it to herself, hoping her investigate skills will come to use. Things however do not go as she hopes as someone is targeting them all, one by one and she has no idea what to do. So she looks for the one person who might be able to help, the ex husband who abandoned her and her daughter five years earlier. Intense, emotional and a twist you might not see coming. A satisfying read I would recommend if you enjoy an emotional and thrilling read with a twist you will definitely enjoy.
Family drama, manipulation, secrets, threats and lies. “The Last Wife”has it all.
And there is plenty of it. No scandal must ever touch this rich family, but a threat is looming and no one knows from where. An engrossing read and twisted end.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an AdVanced Reader Copy. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Nicola Marsh for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow what a thrilling fast paced read. I loved the way the chapters were separated by each of the characters, most of which weren’t very likable but interesting none the less.
I totally didn’t see the ending coming!
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Smooth writing makes for enjoyable reading! Nicola Marsh can spin a domestic drama like few others. This one involves members of a very wealthy family in Chicago and their spouses and children. Within every family lie secrets and dysfunction, however the Parker family may take the cake. Very good read all the way though and I was thoroughly entertained!
The Last Wife has it all: family, loyalty deceit and so many secrets !!
My head is spinning from all the twists and turns; the last one I did not see coming at all!
What a family unit the Parkers are! Who can you believe in that family ? Someone is more than manipulating , we know May the matriarch falls under that category as she controls the family money and company.
The family dynamics are fascinating and somehow so relatable.
Loved this book !
Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for another great read The Last Wife!!!
The Last Wife is the first book I’ve read by Nicola Marsh and at this point I’m not sure if I’d try another.
I enjoyed the alternating chapters because it served to help the reader know all of the wives, but sadly, all that did was show me that there were no characters in this book that I liked. I don’t have to be madly in love with characters, but I do appreciate having one or more that has some redeeming qualities that will make me like them. Usually if I’m not caring about anyone, I will DNF the book, but I hung in there with this one.
I often felt like I was reading a script of a soap opera and I’m left not knowing who to recommend this book to. You might enjoy this if you enjoy family sagas, soap opera type stories and stories about the rich and privileged.
I received an ARC at my request and thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for an opportunity to read this book. My thoughts in the review are my own.