The Last Mrs. Parrish

The Last Mrs. Parrish
Liv Constantine
Harper Collins Publishers
Paperback
ISBN:: 978-0062667588
July 2018
$ 16.99
400 pages

At some time in your past, you probably have looked at a celebrity and imagined yourself as that celebrity.  After awhile, most of us realize that no matter how hard we try, we just cannot become that person. Even with a makeover and dieting, it just will not work. You won’t become that person.

Amber Pattinson obsesses over Daphne Parrish.   She sees Daphne as perfect.  To Amber, Daphne is who she wants to become.    The beautiful, blond socialite and philanthropist exists with designer clothes including jewelry, travels extensively in their private jet and has a nanny For her two supposedly perfect daughters.   She even has a charismatically handsome husband who happens to own his real-estate company.  Of course, the family lives in their elegant homes, complete with servants and everything a woman could buy or desire.
Amber can only find one imperfection in Daphne.  Daphne’s sister passed away twenty-years ago from cystic fibrosis.   In her honor, she created a charity for those suffering from the disease.  However, she still misses her sister.

Amber has dreams.   She is is ambitious but looks plain and dowdy.   She did not come from a background of wealth.  How can she possibly enter the world of Daphne Parrish?   Could Amber ever become like Daphne.

The Last Mrs. Parrish is a novel of envy, jealousy and even revenge.   The characters are expertly developed into authentic people with flaws revealed as the story unfolds.
One of the strengths of The Last Mrs. Parrish is the daughters, Bella and Tallulah.   From afar, the daughters seem perfect, but are revealing each to become an individual with their own challenges and realizations.
As the story progresses, you find yourself categorizing the characters into good vs. bad.   Each character seems to evolve to someone you would not recognize by the end.  This slow unveiling is what makes this book so unique.

This thrilling novel alternates perspectives from Amber in the first half of the book to Daphne in the second half of the book.  The story continues to develop as a page turner with twists up to the last page.    To state that this is a fast-read is an understatement.   You don’t want to put the book down.

The author, Liv Constantine is two sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine who collaborate to become Liv.

The Last Mrs. Parrish is a thrilling, fast-paced page turner.  I look forward to the next book by the duo of Liv Constantine.

Heir of Ra

Heir of Ra
M. Sasinowski
Kingsmill Press
ISBN 978-1-7324467-1-7
ISBN 978-1-734467-0-0
$ 5.99

At the Giza Plateau during the year of 1913 in Egypt, Lord George Renley explored under The Great Sphinx enters a dark chamber with an unusual carving on a door. The legendary Hall of Records is believed to be located at this location. Is it legend or fact? Soon after, Hazim, his Arab guide, started bleeding from his nose. Lord Renley became dizzy and collapsed. The only reminder of the event was a notebook that a young Arab boy stole from the dying hands of Hazim.

Alyssa is not your typical 17-year-old girl. She spends her time working with her father, Kade, who is an archaeologist. Her education is working as one of his assistants. Currently, she is left in charge of a dig in Peru while her father is on a dream assignment in Egypt, exploring a room under The Great Sphinx and is only allowed this privilege for 24-hours. Leaving Alyssa in charge in Peru, is a great responsibility for someone so young. She feels honored, but also deprived. Why can’t she be on this once-in-a lifetime dig with her father?

Her father, Kade follows the steps of Lord George Renley in searching for The Hall of Records. Just like his predecessor, he also became ill. Nothing seems to help him, every day leads him one step closer to death. No one seems to be able to medically help him. Will he die? 

Alyssa decides to immediately travel to Egypt to be with her father. Unfortunately, that is not easy for a seventeen-year-old. Will she ever see her father alive?

Heir of Ra is fast paced adventure of life with Alyssa. She does not have the safest career choice. Since her mother died a few years ago, her attachment to her father is precious, even though she calls him by his first name, Kade.

The intended audience is young adults, especially girls; and anyone who enjoys a fast-paced story which winds up all the multiple strands of the story at the end. Heir of Ra is the first book in the Blood of Ra series featuring Alyssa.

The author, M. Sasinowski is a Polish-born American who fashioned the main character, Alyssa after his own 15-year-old daughter. According to his daughter, he also possesses a PhD in physics as well as an MD. For fun, he enjoys building computer, music jam-sessions, science debates, martial arts, Star Wars and Star Trek as well as archaeology.

Heir of Ra is a thrilling adventure for explorers of all ages.

Through the Old Trellis Arch

Through the Old Trellis Arch
Author and Illustrator: Marvin D. Vallier
ISBN: 9781521911013
Independently published
2017
$ 12.00
164 Pages

Moving to a new home is a little frightening, depressing when leaving friends behind, and a little exciting with looking forward to a new life, perhaps a better one.
Early in the 1960s, Jennie Willard, along with her dog Willie, is beginning a new life in a quiet midwestern town.  Moving from the apartment in the city to a spacious farmhouse is exciting for the family.   Her parents, Jake and Pam are delighted with the change of lifestyle and her father’s new job.
The Willard’s are thrilled with the country living. The open spaces, room to move, Willie is roaming and exploring this immense new world seems like a 1dream come true.  What is even more special, is that Jennie can now have a best friend.   The city life of the apartment wasn’t convenient for friendships.   Being eleven-years-old, Jennie always imagined a best friend.   Fortunately, on the neighboring farm, there is also another eleven-year-old girl with little brothers.  Helen seems like the perfect person to introduce the family into the community.
Predictably, the girls become the best of friends.
Jennie discovers an old, run-down farmhouse not far from her new home.    It looks uninhabited.   When Jennie and Willie decide to explore, Jennie slowly opens the gate, hanging by one hinge under the old trellis arch.   She assumes that Willie will follow her.   He refuses, even when coaxed. Jennie decides to explore by herself.  
She sees a young girl about her age named Sylvia who lives with her Grandfather.   Strangely, when Jennie leaves, the house looks abandoned again.
Jennie mentions the farmhouse to Helen.   Helen is very reluctant to go into the house, believing the rumors that it must be haunted.   Also unusual is that Helen doesn’t know Sylvia.  Why?   What is the secret of the house with the old trellis arch?
Every time Jenny opens the rusted gate under the trellis, she enters into what seems like another life, or is it?
Author and illustrator, Marvin D. Vallier is multi-talented as a graphic artist, painter, illustrator, poet as well as novelist.   Since he retired in 2009, Mr. Vallier has now the time to spend with his passion for the arts.
Through the Old Trellis Arch is a wonderful tale of the historical tale for young adults, especially girls.
The story is historical in the settings and involves possible supernatural non-frightening events.  Could it really happen?  Could it happen to you?