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The Last Mrs. Parrish

Review

The Last Mrs. Parrish

“All she’d wanted was the life she deserved. It didn’t occur to her that she had gotten it.”

Daphne was beautiful, yes, but she didn’t think she was anything special --- until real estate mogul Jackson Parrish took notice of her. Jackson was the most eligible bachelor in upscale Bishops Harbor. In a whirlwind romance, he began wooing Daphne with a dogged passion, and soon they were married. To everyone in this posh Connecticut town, life for the Parrishes looked like a fairy tale. They lived in a vast mansion by the water, had a lake house to escape to and a fabulous boat to play on whenever they wished. Jackson doted on his wife, lavishing her with expensive gifts, whisking her off on exotic trips and holding her close to him. They appeared to be inseparable. A few years passed, and they were graced with two lovely daughters. It seemed like things couldn’t be better for them.

"THE LAST MRS. PARRISH starts out slowly but steadily gains steam until you simply can’t put the book down. You’ve been drawn into the story so totally that you can’t wait to find out what happens next."

Don’t think that Amber Patterson hasn’t noticed that. Envy drips from every pore of the young woman, but in order to get close to Daphne --- and Jackson, her ultimate target --- she suppresses her true feelings. She has to, if her plan is going to work the way she has mapped it out. She can be patient, but even more so, she can be devious. Amber knows Daphne’s weak spot: her sister, Julie. Cystic fibrosis had taken Julie at a young age and left Daphne crushed. Now Daphne runs a foundation, Julie’s Smile, to help families financially who struggle with CF.

So Amber goes for the sympathy card, with a sad story about how she lost a sister to the disease, too. Daphne melts at this news, instantly opening her heart to Amber, who silently claims a victory at weaseling her way into the Parrish home. But Jackson is a different matter altogether. He has eyes only for Daphne. If Amber is going to have any chance of stealing him away, she’s going to need help. And, surprisingly, she gets it --- from a most unlikely source. But will Jackson take the bait? His devotion to his wife is rock solid.

THE LAST MRS. PARRISH starts out slowly but steadily gains steam until you simply can’t put the book down. You’ve been drawn into the story so totally that you can’t wait to find out what happens next. How it all unfolds gets you wondering about appearances and how deceptive they can be. What can you believe? More importantly, who can you trust? The three major characters --- Daphne, Jackson and Amber --- indulge in some cunning charades. At least one of them goes quite a bit overboard. Well, nobody’s perfect, but who would guess someone could be this creepy?

Liv Constantine is, in fact, two sisters writing together. One developed Amber Patterson, while the other developed Daphne Parrish. The result is brilliant. Each of the women is uniquely different because each had her own special creator. And because of the two authors, the suspense builds at double the speed and the twists skyrocket off the pages. Don’t miss this superb thriller debut.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers on October 20, 2017

The Last Mrs. Parrish
by Liv Constantine