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.

Loved this thriller of a book. Thought I had it figured out several times, but the plot kept twisting and turning at a very fast pace. Highly recommend The Last Wife!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oooh this has everything I love in a book! Powerful family, secrets, lies, bitchy characters, money etc etc etc!
This is the 2nd book I have read by Nicola Marsh and it didn’t disappoint!
Read it in one sitting - and loved watching the lies and subterfuge unravel!
Pick it up, I guarantee you will read it in one sitting!

Ria is a journalist, a single mother after Grayson, her husband estranged 5 years ago and youngest daughter-in-law to a financial tycoon family in Chicago, the Parkers. Ashlin is the eldest daughter-in-law who maintains her true feelings behind a narcissistic facade as trouble brews in her marriage to Justin, the CEO of the Parkers Company. Shamira is another daughter in law who is a hippy aromatherapist and has a dark past which she fears might ruin her dreamy and blissful marriage to the middle son of Parkers, Trent. May, the matriarch to the Parker family, is what the still keeps the family together, thanks to her official invites to get-togethers once in a while.

Told from the POV of these women, the story divulges into the lives of the family members after Ria gets an email containing secrets on Ashlin, Shamira and Christine (the only daughter to the parkers), that could ruin the Parker family if it leaked. The plot moves on to her trying to find out who sent her this and a compromising picture of her husband, the day after he left home never to return, while the other women face troubling days in front of them. Amidst these, Ria has to protect her daughter at all costs.

As compelling family thriller/drama, it hits the right notch. Many twists and turns but only one stood out among them and that is exactly when I got really into this book. A couple of chapters in the beginning and the second half of the book turned out well. Each character is constructed in their own right and it is justified. Even the characters which seem immature seems realistic, so that is something that needs to be appreciated.

It isn't something that I would love to read again and again, but it works out well for a one time read. I have heard about Nicola Marsh but I haven't read any of her works. This was good, to begin with. I liked Grayson as a character, maybe it was his infectious charm but I liked his character. The final twist is something that goes unnoticed by the reader throughout the book but it lingers as a doubt. It would have been really good if it explored from Christine's POV as well. I didn't find it as gripping as I expected but it is alright. After everything is resolved, some issues needed to be addressed. That would have been good!

As I said before, it is alright for a one time read, personally. You might appreciate and love it more!

Recommended: If you are into series like Empire and Succession and looking something similar for a read, this one is for you!

This book was pretty interesting to read. I enjoyed it but it was slow at times for me. I like the premise of the book and if you think your family is nuts?? They don't come close to this one. The characters were easy to like and some were just too much. But still a good book.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like the popular television series Succession, The Last Wife centers around a aristocratic dynasty only the family's ruler here is a Chicago matriarch called May who calls all the shots. May's four children are as different as night and day and so are the family's three daughters-in-law. The main character, Ria, grew up orphaned and made a name for herself as a freelance journalist. May plays the family members like pieces in a chess game, but when the family is threatened it's impossible to tell who's behind the emails and accidents that haunt the family.
I read this book in one day as it was truly impossible to put down. The characters all rang true and the ending came as a pleasant, unexpected surprise. A sequel to The Last Wife would be interesting.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and appreciate the opportunity I had to read an advance copy.

Wow! I thought my family was crazy. Excellent thriller about an extremely wealthy family with a ruthless matriarch running the show. When Ria’s husband walked out on her 5 years ago she was heartbroken but determined to pick herself up and provide for her beloved daughter as a single mother. The only problem is her ex-husbands interfering family, whom she still has strong ties with for the sake of her daughter. When Ria receives an untraceable email containing damaging secrets about several of the women in the family, Ria must figure out who can be trusted with the information. Twisted delicious thriller about a majorly dysfunctional family and the havoc the bring on each other.

This book is more of a family drama than a thriller. It is centered around a very rich and powerful family, The Parkers.

Ria is married to a Parker, but he disappeared from her life years ago leaving her to raise their daughter alone. Ria starts receiving emails detailing secrets of the women within her family. The emails threaten to expose these secrets and Ria is determined to find out who the sender is before their reputations are ruined or worse, someone gets hurt. She will do anything to protect her daughter.

I went into this book expecting more suspense, but it reads more like a family drama with some scandals and lots of secrets. We are introduced to a lot of colorful characters and a lot of drama. The ending wasn’t shocking and a bit predictable, but I did find myself enjoying the drama that played out.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this advance reading copy.

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.

Happy publication day to this edgy family drama and thank you so much to the wonderful publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for providing me with this advanced copy to review! This book shares a birthday with my eldest daughter and it's also International day of the Girl; a celebration born of the United Nations in 2012 to acknowledge the challenges faced by girls in society, and encourage them to grow into strong, compassionate and independent women who are capable of anything they set their mind to regardless of setbacks. The main protagonist in this domestic noir embodies these qualifies as she faces the obstacles her husband and in-laws (and a mystery email sender) continue to hurl at her. She is a force to be reckoned with as she begins to unravel the threat encroaching on her family (who are wealthy and completely bonkers). I picked the twist but still found the writing style easy and enjoyable to read. It would suit those who enjoy a slow burn and multiple character POV's. My Nana likes to say "How can we expect to have peace in the world when we can't have peace in a family", and while my own family is drama free, you'll find plenty of issues waiting for you behind the cover of #thelastwife
Star Rating: 💍 💍 💍

Ria is a journalist and just as she’s finishing work, she receives an email. From the sender’s name, it brings back horrible memories of a similar email 5 years ago that ended her marriage.

This email has compromising pictures and information about her in-laws….the fabulously wealthy and powerful Parker family. Who would want this information out in the open? And Why?

What follows is a soap opera of money, secrets, lies, murder and corporate dodgy dealings.

This is so entertaining, well written and twisty with likeable and equally unlikeable characters. So, it’s time to suspend reality and enjoy the sheer escapism of The Last Wife….brilliant.

Thank you to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

i wanted to love this book. The cover and the description pulled me in but the plot fell short for me. I disliked everyone and just couldn’t feel anything towards Rita.
I’m sorry and I wish the author much success.

This is a great psychological thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages.
Ria married Grayson and they had a daughter together, however five years ago he left her, with little explanation.
His family are very wealthy and have ensured Ria and Shelley don’t want for anything, but Ria also likes to keep her independence.
The other women in the Parker family all rely on the money they receive from May Parker and are shocked when they learn, it’s going to be cut back.
Ria is sent some information about members of the family and faces a dilemma regarding what to do about it.
There’s no love lost with most of the family, but can she really confront them with what she knows?
I really liked Ria’s character and didn’t envy the position she was placed in.
This is a gripping thriller and I loved the nail biting ending.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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.

I found this book to be a little slow in the beginning, only really building once I was halfway through. I love the way it was told from the different perspectives of the women in the family and it felt like the women were the key to the family. I have to say I did guess what the big reveal would be, but I did enjoy it regardless. 3 stars from me as I would have liked it to have got going a bit quicker.

I freaking loved this book!!!!!! Seriously I am obsessed. Anything to do with this kind of setting and characters is right up my alley. Nicola Marsh did a fantastic job at keeping you interested and also wanting to read more. I wasn't sure at first what was going to happen and the ending was fantastic...

I was down with severe dizziness and ill-health and this book anchored me. I needed a book which would take me away from the pain of it all. And Nicola Marsh did it with this family suspense. Her words took me to the world of rich and powerful Parkers, away from mine and gave me a wonderful read.

The story was more like the TV series Dallas which I used to like years ago. I loved the vibe the book gave of impending danger. It was nostalgic and quite mysterious. Someone was targeting the Parker family, and it was upto the journalist daughter-in-law to get to the truth.

I loved the dynamics of the family members, the hatred and animosity and the power games kept me completely entertained. I didn't have to concentrate too hard. There were not many complexities in the plotline. It delivered what it set out to do.

The chapters were short and snappy, exactly what I needed to keep turning pages. I honestly didn't know when the book was nearing the end. Like any suspense, the ending was a shocker. Didn't expect it at all.

For me, this book was what I needed to make my mind heal. I loved it.

This book was great! It was full of mystery and intrigue!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you @Netgalley and @Bookouture for the ARC of the last wife. This is my second book by Nicola Marsh and I really, really enjoyed this one. Its about a wife who's husband disappears and she is forced to bring his judgemental family into her life but do they have anything to do with his disappearance? A very twisty good time.

Meet the wealthy Parker family from Chicago whose name is synonymous with prestige, money and power. There's May, the matriarch, now a widow after Percival's death. She still firmly holds the reins (and the purse strings) at the family's financial company, Parker Partnership. The eldest son, Justin, is 45 and married to Ashlin and has 2 daughters. He works directly with May. Christine is May's only daughter and she lives in New York for a reason. Trent is not involved in working for the family business and he sporadically teaches guitar and supports his wife, Shamira who has an aromatherapy shop - the family refers to them as "the hippies." The youngest son, Grayson, who once worked IT at the company abandoned Ria and their 5-year-old daughter and they've not seen or heard from him in years. Ria is meant to be an investigative journalist, but other than on the first page, she never actually goes to work or does any reporting. A collection of very different personalities. A very, but not unusual, dysfunctional family.

The story is told from the viewpoints of the Parker wives -- May, Ashlin, Shamira and Ria -- in alternating chapters. This gives the reader the opportunity to see how messed up each of the women is and how much they think of themselves. They all make excuses, rationalize their behavior, angst and dither while saying and doing stupid things. All claim to be intelligent and independent and strong. None of them is likeable. It is obvious that the reader is supposed to root for Ria from the outset. Everyone still invites her to family functions even though some don't like her but they feel bad that Grayson ran off and they want her and the daughter to feel the family connection. This is domestic drama full of all the bickering, secrets and lies that you might expect.

Ria is at work submitting an article she's written when the email comes in. It targets the Parker women and supposedly shows them in incriminating, compromising situations though the content of this email is not shared until revealed (dribbled out) in subsequent chapters. In any event, it alarms Ria and she's concerned about the safety and reputation of the family so she contacts a guy she knows to help her track the source of the email. No luck. So of course she has to find her ex, an expert hacker IT man, to return home to protect them all. Meanwhile, the women are experiencing some accidents that make them feel vulnerable. May is making big changes to the family purse strings and starts reining in their rampant spending as she prepares to sell the company and makes sure they know that she wants no scandals to surface.

On the story goes with more drama until it reaches the final reveal and it will come as no surprise to the reader. Since the characters were all basically not women I'd want to know or hang out with, I didn't really care what happened to any of them but I really was disappointed in the ending. You know, sometimes I do root for the "bad guy" or an unexpected twisty conclusion and I hate the goody goody perfect heroines. This read like a soap opera and it was entertaining to believe, for awhile, that the super rich have their own problems!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.