Who doesn't love a story about a rich family that's full of secrets? This was a very addicting read. I loved how the book went back and forth between the present and the past. I enjoyed learning about the wealthy McTavish family and how money and rich status had ruined them all. There are some good twists and turns in this book as well which kept me wanting to read more after every chapter. The ending didn't shock me but still a very fun read.

Was a bit slow in the beginning. The last half was filled with twists and turns and I really enjoyed how the story wrapped up. I also really enjoyed the multiple POV’s and the letter’s from Ruby. Solid mystery and the first Rachel Hawkins book I’ve read. Will definitely be reading more of her books.

Huge fan of Rachel Hawkins. Definitely going on my top faves! Can’t wait to see what she does next. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

Thank you to the author Rachel Hawkins, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE HEIRESS. All views are mine.

I got away with it. That was all I cared about. It feels good to write that down, I must say. The clear, pure truth of it, no excuses, no explanations. I had gotten away with murder, and I was glad for it. p96

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love the conversational narrative voice. Experts always tell writers to strive for sounding like they're talking to a friend over coffee, but most of them don't achieve it. *This* is it.

2. Ask him about what he’s reading (the Roman history book I gave him for Christmas), ask him his thoughts on the hierarchy of fast-food chains (Burger King is overrated, Arby’s deserves more love, he can’t fuck with Taco Bell after some drunken incident in college), ask him about politics (a conversation that lasted for nearly all of Missouri), and he has plenty to say. When it comes to his family? Nothing. This scene contains excellent development of both main characters and their relationship, as well as plot development–they're driving into a Hazy present composed only of his memories. That is one unsafe situation for everyone! Such good friction, too.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. This contains a great many characters, but they don't often interact. More often, the author describes one or more characters describing yet other characters. But it's all dialogue and summary, essentially.

2. This book is hard to follow. Multiple perspectives in multiple time periods, but they're all in first person, and there's nothing stylistically to distinguish them from each other.

3. The ending is neither well-plotted or memorable.

Rating: 🏰🏰.5 /5 mountain castles
Recommend? Maybe
Finished: Sep 3 '24
Format: Digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🏚 creep houses
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
🩸 sibling rivalry
💇‍♂️ boys coming of age
🔪 murder mystery

The Heiress tells the story of Ruby McTavish and her extraordinary life, beginning as a child when she was kidnapped. The story jumps between the retelling of parts of her life, i.e. her four marriages that all ended up with her becoming a widow. She adopts a child and when she passes, he is to become the Heir to her large estate and fortune in North Carolina.

I loved the pace of this book, it kept me drawn in and I wanted to know what was next. Naturally, as the story progresses one tries to piece the mystery together, and it wasn’t until maybe 2/3 through the story that it comes together. It was intriguing and a great read, would definitely recommend.

Rating: 3.5

This was the perfect gothic 'mystery' to get me in the Fall mood. While I guessed all of the twists from the beginning, this did not dampen my enjoyment of the book. I think if you like the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but also want a bit more mystery and gothic vibes then this is a good choice. There were definitely parallels between the 2 stories and both the woman were equally interesting to follow.
I also enjoyed how this was written. It was quick paced and nothing came out of left field which I tend to hate in these types of stories. Overall, a solid read.

This gave major Evelyn Hugo vibes in my opinion, and I enjoyed it very much! I wasn’t expecting the ending, but I knew SOMETHING was coming with regards to Jules. I don’t feel like I can share too much without spoiling things, but I really did enjoy the read!

I am a fan of Rachel Hawkins and have loved her books. I this one is going to be on my favs list.
I don't like to go into all the details with the plot of the book, because I don't want to give anything away, but this story had me hooked.

Little Ruby disappeared at 3 years old in the woods (why is it always woods?) and then eight months later she was found in a different state.

So fast forward in time. Ruby has passed away. Now Ruby 's family has money. I mean like nine-figure money. .She has been married a number of times, but the only child she has is Cam who is adopted. Now that Ruby has passed, he stands to inherit a LOT of money.

Ruby's story is told via letters that she wrote before she died. Its a little bit of a twisty road and at the end of the day, Cam desperately does not want to be a part of any of the money, but there are a lot of secrets in that family!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

My only regret with this thriller is not picking it up sooner! The Heiress is a thrilling story of the McTavish family and the inheritance of Ruby McTavish and her estate-the Ashby House. It is also a story about Cam and his wife, Jules, who return to Ashby House after years of staying away because he wanted nothing to do with the inheritance. I enjoyed the story as told from the present time, and then also the letters that shared Ruby's retelling of her life. I had not idea where the twists and turns were going to take me.

I liked the premise of the multiple timelines and the specific points of view from different generations, however, there were quite a few things I couldn’t get past personally,
unfortunately.

At first I was really enjoying this book. The different point of views between the characters was a lot of fun and kept me intrigued. However, towards the middle of it I started losing interest and the rest of the book just started to drag. I will say, the twists at the end were exciting and made me glad that I did finish.

This book was a bit slow and the characters weren't very interesting. I could not wait for it to be over.

I have loved reading Rachel Hawkins' works and this was no exception! The gothic backdrop added to the secrets that were uncovered through this thrilling book.

Review of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

I was so excited to get approved for this thriller on that galley. I love this authors work, and I had read such good reviews about this book. Fortunately it did live up to its hype me and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. It flowed nicely with action throughout and held my interest the entire book. I loved the present day mixed with the letters that helped explain the past. I loved the interconnection between the characters and the level of mystery. This may be my favorite by this author and it is out now.

Quick synopsis:

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money―and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave

I felt like this was the mystery that I knew Rachel Hawkins was capable of! Probably my favorite mystery of hers so far. There was so much to follow and keep engaged in, I could not put it down!

The story follows the mysterious Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore and her enormous fortune, as well as her adopted son Camden who wants nothing to do with his inheritance. He and his wife Jules are called back to the estate and risk being sucked back in to the mystery and intrigue of Ruby's life. There are long-buried secrets and decades-old letters to unravel them all. Just the right amount of information shared with each chapter, enough to keep the reader engaged and wanting more. Definitely recommend for an atmospheric, layered mystery with a little history and family drama mixed in.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my e-ARC, all thoughts are my own!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-book of The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for an honest review. This was enjoyable and fun! Definitely fast paced and thriller filled, I was happy to devour this book quickly because of the short chapters. This book touches upon revenge, family secrets, and is packed with domestic drama. It had suspense and I would recommend to people who are new to thrillers and mysteries.

Soooo Saltburn meets Knives Out in the best way!

I feel like Rachel Hawkins really hit her groove on this one - it’s fun, fast-paced and had plot twists galore.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

To be honest, I really struggled to get through this book. I found myself quite disinterested in the plot line and the characters and I think that was for a few reasons. The first being the chapter length. I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and I’m glad that I did, because had I been reading the physical copy of this, I really think I would’ve DNF’d it due to chapter length. Looking through the timing in the audio book, some of the chapters are 35/40/45 minutes long. That is ENTIRELY too long for one singular chapter. This book was 8 hours of an audiobook and only 17 chapters, and it could have been double that amount of chapters, if not triple. I had a big issue with that.

Second, the plot line. It was so boring and so drawn out, this literally could’ve just been a short story and I probably would’ve liked it better. Ruby’s letters were the only interesting thing going on in this book. Plus I ended up guessing the 2 twists which is unfortunate.

To be honest, Jules and Ben just weren’t that likable for me. I wasn’t invested in their storyline at all, and honestly it was a chore for me to get through this book.

After finishing this book and looking through GoodReads reviews, I can tell that I am definitely in the minority of those who didn’t vibe with this book. I have read other Rachel Hawkins books and liked 2/4 of them, so I did have decent high hopes for them (Reckless Girls was literally so bad), but this one was just a flop for me.

This was an enjoyable read. An elderly woman addresses the mysterious circumstances surrounding her life. It reminded me of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid and “The Only One Left” by Riley Sager.

I was so excited to get my approval on this book. I absolutely loved The Wife Upstairs and was doing my happy dance with the opportunity to read this before it was released. This book sucked me in! I love how fast paced it was. The multiple points of view flowed together so well. The details were given perfectly in the order of which they happened and I loved them. The family drama was so entertaining. The twist just kept coming and had my head spinning. I absolutely loved this read just like the other books I've read by this author.