4.5⭐️

This is Rachel Hawkins' newest release and redemption in my eyes. I loved The Wife Upstairs but did not care for Reckless Girls. The Heiress was fun to read! My favorite parts were Ruby's letters and learning about her past husbands. I'll admit that I got a bit confused at the end with the Jules storyline, but by the end, it unraveled, and it made sense. In the end, it reminded me of a really good soap opera with families backstabbing each other out of greed. Everyone wants a piece of The Heiress' fortune. May the most conniving win!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins’ books are an automatic read for me. All of her books, including The Heiress, have the same intriguing tone. You keep on reading because you are always left wanting more. And like a good thriller, you don’t see the ending coming. My favorite continues to be The Villa, but The Heiress is a close second, set in a mansion in North Carolina, I could not help but picture The Biltmore. Overall a 4.5/5

I just discovered Rachel Hawkins in September, binging The Villa on a plane. Then I quickly read all her other adult books, and many of her YA books (hex hall, so fun). She also writes under pen name Erin Sterling, if you like witchy romance. So yes, I love this author, and jumped at the chance to read an ARC of the Heiress. This latest thrilleresque book did not disappoint. I say thrilleresque because I don't truly find this book to be thriller. It was a mysterious web of lies that created a compelling tale, but it wasn't particularly suspenseful, although it did leave me guessing at times.
We had three perspectives, Ruby herself, through her letters, though she has been dead ten years, plus Cam, her adopted son and heir, and Jules, his wife. Cam has a 9 figure inheritance that he chooses to live without, and Jules, though happy with her man, has her sights on reclaiming Ashby house, the sprawling estate he grew up in, for herself. The problem is the rest of the family, Ruby's sister, and her two grandchildren, who still live in the house and hate Cam and Ruby. Things are further complicated by the fact that Ruby's true identify has always been in question after she was kidnapped for 9 months as a 3 year old. This book was really well done, and included snippets from newspapers and magazines mixed in with the letters and povs of Jules and Cam. It read fast, and the only thing I was a bit disappointed in was that the characters really just told us exactly how everything played out, rather than showing it., which left me hoping for one more twist or surprise to really satisfy me. That said, I would still highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy past/present, suspicious husband deaths, and ridiculous rich people drama.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

This story sucked me in so much. I love a fast-paced read. This was it! There were three POV'S and a past and present timeline that had letters mixed in. It all flowed so well together. I loved getting all the details in the order they unfolded.

The family fortune, which of course, caused family drama, was so entertaining. The twists that just kept unraveling had me buzzing right through because they just kept coming.

Ruby was relentless, and just when I thought it was just her boy, was I surprised lol
What a tangled web this story was! Lots of juicy secrets!

Thank you MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and Rachel Hawkins for sending me this to read and listen to give my honest review. It was such a well done audiobook. Loved the narrators.

I have read and enjoyed every single book by Rachel Hawkins and this one was no different. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press, I was able to go back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook and I really liked both formats! The story is told from the perspectives of Jules and Camden, but there are also chapters that are letters written by Ruby. Sometimes multiple perspectives can be tricky to follow o while listening, but with four narrators, it was easy to keep track of what was going on.

Summary: Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore was the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child later becoming 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.

In the aftermath of Ruby’s death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house, the money or the surviving McTavishes. He rejects his inheritance, and becomes an English teacher in Colorado, 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.

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.

The Heiress felt more like a mystery/family drama than a thriller, but it was still suspenseful with lots of twists. It was fun trying to predict how the characters were connected and whether or not Camden and Jules would stay at Ashby House. I’m excited for another Rachel Hawkins book to recommend!

I have yet to read a Rachel Hawkins book that I have not thoroughly enjoyed, and this one may be my new favorite. This smart, fast-paced thriller, set in North Carolina, combines family secrets and old money into a plot that will leave the reader guessing to the very end. The main characters were complex and flawed but inherently likable. Readers will have a hard time putting this one down. Highly recommend for lovers of thrillers, complicated families and hidden secrets.

If The Seven Husbands of Rvelyn Hugo was a psychological thriller it would be The Heiress!

This book is a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

Ok creepy house, multimedia format, multiple POV and dual timelines are my jam. Sometimes those things can be tricky but Rachel Hawkins blends them seamlessly. I loved the twists and turns of this one! You’ll have to check it out 1/9/24 when it comes out. I cannot recommend it enough!

This book started off really slow. I was hoping for more of a thriller. The last 25% was my favorite . It really picked up fast and had some really good twists.
It had multiple POV’s and I did favor the character Jules but the audiobook was fun to listen to with a different narrator for each character. I loved Ruby’s Evelyn Hugo vibes… and her letters 😳

I read this a few months ago. It was a good story. I enjoyed her other books more, but it’s worth a read. Great for a lazy weekend or holiday read just to pass the time.

Not sure if the book was based on a real event but it was a good read

I was looking for a quick mystery when I decided to pick this arc up. I definitely think I found that in this book as I read it in less than 24 hours.
You follow Camden, the mmc, and Jules, one of the fmc’s, as they’re called to Camden’s family’s estate after the passing of his uncle. Camden is the heir to the family fortune, but it comes with a history he wants nothing to do with. From the beginning you can tell each character has their own secrets. Then, we also have another pov from Ruby, whom I would say is another main character in this storyline, but only through her letters from the past (as she’s already dead).

I will say I did get tired of the constant family heritage / geneology that was mentioned in what seemed every single page. I get it. They’re a rich family that has history going way back. Let’s move on.

I guessed every single “plot twist” except for the very last one at the end of the epilogue. Overall this was an enjoyable story and I was intrigued from the very beginning. The mystery of how everyone connected is what kept me reading. I’m giving this a 3.75 or 4 star rating and would definitely still recommend it if you’re looking for a quick and easy mystery read.

Set in Ashby House, an estate in the mountains of North Carolina, a family's secrets begin to unfold and each is more intriguing than the next. Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a child. She is now the matriarch of the McTavish family and the sole heir to the fortune and owner of Ashby House. Not to mention, she is known locally as "Lady Killmore." She is the first point of view of the story.

We meet Camden, a boy (now man) who was adopted by Ruby McTavish. He inherits the 9-figure fortune when his adopted mother dies in her sleep. He wants nothing to do with the family or with Ashby house. He has spent his adult life trying to stay as far as away from North Carolina as he can. In doing so, he met his wife, Jules, in Colorado. Until, Camden's cousin, Ben - an egotistical and pretentious bully of a cousin (think a semi-attractive Dudley Dursley) - reaches out to Camden to come back to Ashby house to sort out family problem's after a family member's passing.

That leads to the third POV, Jules. Jules grew up impoverished and sees Cam's return home as an opportunity for them to have a better life together with more means, yearning for a better life that what she previously had before meeting Cam.

Ruby's point of view is cleverly told through letters written to an unknown receipient. She tells all of her tales and even explains about how her four husbands mysteriously died under suspicious circumstances, but her family's money silenced any further investigations.

I was skeptical when I began reading this, as I have previously read 2 other books by Hawkins. I ended up enjoying this one much more than "The Villa" or "Reckless Girls." I really enjoyed the sections that were from Ruby's point of view. It kept wanting to keep reading to see all the juicy details. 4/5 stars.

Holy moly, what a book!
Southern Gothic at its finest!
I read this in one day. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
EXCELLENT BOOK! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This book mixes together family drama, famous family members and inheritance together so well. Camden is a likeable character who has no interest in his mean family or his mom's fancy lifestyle.

If you like a good page-turning, twisty thriller, make sure this book is on your radar! Hawkins delivers a dark and sinister tale that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

The cast of unreliable characters telling the story kept me wondering and guessing what would happen next. I loved the way it was told from multiple perspectives including letters and news articles. Hawkins really nailed the pacing and has a knack for ending chapters on just the right cliff-hanger to make this book hard to put down!

This was a great read for this time of year when I just needed some brain candy and something I could fly through. Make sure to grab a copy when this one comes out next month!

I'm really not sure how to rate this one.

Would I recommend this book to thriller readers? Absolutely!
Will I always feel let down and annoyed by the ending? Absolutely!

I loved the setting (though it didn’t give me gothic vibes AT ALL, I just love that part of NC and big, old houses), the varying POVs, and the overall plot but the ending felt both predictable and convenient, and the very, very ending felt like a straight rip off of Verity (a thriller I did NOT enjoy - an unreliable narrator is pregnant and living happily ever after at the beach). But it’s hard to say much more about the end of a #thriller without giving too much away.

One goal of mine for 2024 is to lean in to #mysteries and lean out of #thrillers as I frequently feel let down by their endings, no matter how much I enjoy the beginnings.

Is it just me?? I really do think most #thrillerreaders will enjoy it and that I’m the problem, it’s me 😆

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 after 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 and marries Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back to 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. 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.

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've read all of Rachel Hawkin's books and this one has been by far my favorite! I was hooked from the start! It's like the 7 Wives of Evelyn Hugo meet Knives Out. The story gets revealed like a puzzle and more and more pieces get revealed until you see the whole story. The McTavish family is truly a testament to what people with. money and power can get away with. Their thought processes are truly next-level. I enjoyed that we got the point of view of Camden, Jules, and Ruby. I thought it brought a lot of depth to the story. Also, I saw none of the twists coming which is a home run for any mystery reader!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 1/9!

I was instantly hooked on this book. There were crazy twists within the first three chapters which I feel like doesn’t happen normally in a thriller book. You usually have to wait a bit. The Heiress is told from a few perspectives, Camden’s, Jules, Ruby and news articles. Ruby’s POV tells her story starting from the very beginning through letters that she wrote before her death in 2013, that she has written to Camden.

Ruby was my favorite character. I loved her wit and sassy personality that shown in her letters that she wrote. She was truly a fun character who kept me on my toes. I also enjoyed hearing both Jules and Campbell's characters, their vague thoughts had me trying to figure out the ending throughout the whole book. In the end, some twists I guessed and others were a refreshing shock.

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet. It was face paced and every chapter left you wanting to go on to the next one. She did such an amazing job with piecing this story together. The flashbacks through Ruby’s letters, news articles and also pieces of the present connected all of the dots. The epilogue was the perfect ending to a wild ride.

I will be posting on my blog and on my Instagram on Pub date!
4.5

Wow- this is for sure Rachel Hawkins’ best yet! It is addictive, smart, and full of twists. Told from three very different POVs: Cam (the adoptive heir of a fortune), Jules (the wife of Cam), and Ruby (the once kidnapped heiress)- The Heiress delves into the complexity of families, how money can turn a person, and just how damaging secrets can be.

This is easily a one sitting read and one that I know will be talked about greatly when it comes out in January 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This is at its heart a book about family. Cam is living his life away from his family's problems. He is married and he and his wife are living a happy life out on their own. Then an email comes in to him and it drags him back to his family home. This is the story of how he and his wife negotiate this and how they survive the problems of family.

🎧🔲 THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins and read by a great cast of narrators is a fantastic #ThrillerThursday choice!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This is a dark suspense that had me absolutely in its grip! I have read and enjoyed all of Hawkins books, but this one may be my favorite! Having a cast narrate this multiple perspective and format story made this a fabulous audio, bringing it to life! Having the digital ARC was nice to verify those changes!

Ruby was the oldest child of a lumber magnate and when she was 3, was the victim of a kidnapping that gave her lifelong notoriety, added to by the four husbands she outlived. Camden is the boy she adopted, raised and to whom she left her fortune, much to the disdain of her sister and her sister's family. Jules is Camden's wife, excited at the prospect of inheriting the amazing Ashby House in the Blue Ridge Mountains, despite Camden's clear discomfort of this place. When Camden and Jules arrive at Ashby to figure out what to do with the house after Ruby's death, all the fine facades begin to crumble and not everyone survives this crucible.

I loved the way this story was laid out! The news articles, emails, & letters interspersed throughout Camden and Jules' perspectives allowed for the tidbits of truth to permeate the rising tension. This build-up took most of the book, but it never felt like a "slow" burn! It ended with some twists that felt a bit forecasted (not wholly guessed), but certainly didn't take away from my utter enjoyment of this darkly fun tale!

I want to thank @macmillan.audio & @stmartinspress for the @netgalley access to this twisted suspense and letting me share my thoughts! This will be a hit when it comes out on January 8th, so mark your calendars or just pre-order this one!