First, I would like to extend my thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins.

"The Heiress" is a riveting tale that weaves together mystery, family drama, and the allure of wealth in a gripping narrative. Set against the backdrop of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, the story unravels the life of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, who is not only the state's richest woman but also its most notorious.

Ruby's life was far from ordinary – a child kidnapping victim and a widow four times over, she commanded the small town of Tavistock from her family estate, Ashby House. However, her death triggers a series of events that draw her adopted son, Camden, back into the world he had consciously walked away from.

Camden had willingly rejected his inheritance and the associated complications. Yet, the demise of his uncle pulls him and his wife Jules back to the opulence and mystery of Ashby House.

The book skillfully explores the lingering legacy of Ruby and the questions surrounding her life. Was there any truth to the rumors about her disappearance as a child? What really happened to her four husbands, all of whom died under mysterious circumstances? As Jules and Camden delve deeper into these mysteries, they discover that an inheritance is more than just material possessions and that the bonds of family extend well beyond the grave.

Hawkins’ storytelling is engrossing, filled with suspense and intrigue. Her characters are well-drawn, and the plot is well-paced, keeping the reader hooked till the last page. I rated "The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins 4 out of 5 stars. It's a captivating read that offers an intriguing blend of mystery and familial drama, making it a perfect pick for fans of the genre. This book is a testament to Rachel Hawkins' narrative prowess and her ability to craft compelling stories.

The Heiress
By: Rachel Hawkins

Red Flags: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Language, Grief, Kidnapping

Genre:
Adult Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Summary/Review:
Hold on for the story of Ruby McTavish and the Ashby house in this fast paced, suspenseful, and unpredictable novel written by Rachel Hawkins. This plotline is addictively dark and revolves around the life of Ruby and her adopted son, Camden. From secrets of deception, to kidnapping, murder, to love and unforgettable passion, you will not be able to put this book down. I was engrossed in this novel and highly recommended it! Yes, it had lots of red flags, but still an excellent read!

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#Rachelhawkins
#netgalley #audiobooks
#stmartinspress
#theheiress
#advancedreaderreads

This is almost reminiscent of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but murderous. I’m actually really impressed! Rachel Hawkins is typically hit or miss for me but this one is exceptionally good! The only thing I would doc it for is the multiple POVs. Although, at times, it really does add to the story, it really just distracted me from Mrs. Killmore’s story (which of course, is the most interesting one!)

I received a complimentary egalley of THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley. I also received the advance listener copy thanks to Macmillan Audio!

THE HEIRESS is set in the wake of yet another death in the McTavish family. Ten years prior, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, a woman well known for her wealth and her history, passed away. Kidnapped as a child and married to four men who died, Ruby made quite the name for herself. Her family’s home is worth a lot of money and there are many who want it. The one who inherits both it and Ruby’s fortune is the one who least wants the home, her adopted son Camden.

Camden left all of that behind to settle down as an English teacher, marrying Jules, and making a quiet life for themselves. Now it is Cam’s uncle who has passed and he’s summoned back to the family home to wrap things up. Jules isn’t so sure that Cam is making the right decision to entirely cut ties with the family and their wealth. Still, it seems Ruby has plans and secrets to tell, even from death.

I had seen great reviews for this book so was excited to pick it up even though I have had a bit of a mixed history with this author’s books. I am happy to report that this one really worked well for me. We’re following multiple POVs including letters from Ruby written before her death, Jules, and Cam and there are a lot of secrets on every side. It took me a little bit to figure out the timing and who was who in the narrative, but by about 20% in I was definitely hooked!

There are a lot of messy family secrets and a lot of people who are not good people or are at least morally gray. Still, they are compelling to read about and it was a hard book to put down! I think I flew through the whole thing in about 24 hours! There aren’t solid answers to all of the questions I had in my mind (things are left intentionally vague on a few points) so beware of that if you’re the type who wants all the threads tied up in the end. Still, I found the end satisfying!

I think this would be a fantastic book for discussion because there are a lot of questions raised about who was and wasn’t right in their actions and how things went down in the end!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's a slow suspenseful burn, but once it gets going, it really gets going! Fans of Hawkins will love it.

One of my favorite things about Rachel Hawkin's books is how the end leaves you guessing everything. This one felt slow to start, but once the action started I was sucked in. I also really loved how the letters from Ruby slowly revealed more about her past.

Ruby McTavish was the victim of a childhood kidnapping and is a widow to four husbands. Yep - four. She’s passed on her family’s considerable fortune to Cam, her adopted son. Unfortunately, he wants absolutely nothing to do with the families massive estate, the Ashby House, money, or the remaining McTavishes. Cam escapes to Colorado and marries Jules. Ten years later, he and Jules head back to Ashby House, and find themselves entangled in a long history of family secrets.

The story is told from the views of Jules and Camden, with supporting letters from Ruby and clippings from news articles. Personally, I think there were too many POVs in this book. It took me a long time to really get into this book. It was slow and it wasn’t until about 75-80% of the way through that I finally felt engaged by the drama. The ending was satisfying, and I did enjoy the twists and turns that happened at the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Heiress starts off with the premise of a three year old Ruby getting lost in the woods and being returned to her very wealthy family approximately 1 year later. Fast forward to present day, Ruby has passed away and now there is family drama regarding who is the rightful heir to her estate.
The book is told from three perspectives: letters written by Ruby before her death, her adopted son and his wife.
I found the book a bit difficult to get into. It was a bit confusing in the beginning, but it came together in the end. I didn't feel like the twists were that shocking, but overall it was a good read.

I have become quite a fan or Rachel Hawkins works. The Heiress is a twisty, keep you guessing, suspense novel that trasports the reader to the Ashby House. There is something unique about the way that the story is woven between timelines with just enough of a mystery thrown in to keep your attention. I highly recommend this book.

5 Freaking Stars!
This is my new number one suspense novel. This was full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. It i a dual POV which I LOVE. It was dramatic, suspenseful, intriguing, and I could not put it down. This is for sure in my top 10 now. I predict this book will have much success and cannot wait till it is released to get a copy.

Rachel Hawkins continues to impress me with her books. I enjoyed the North Carolina mountain setting and the shroud of mystery surrounding the deceased Ruby McTavish. Her string of deceased husbands raises lots of questions. I appreciated the smaller cast of characters and the ability to delve into each of them. The family North Carolina mountain estate is what dreams are made of. It was the perfect setting for this tale of wealth and inheritance, conniving family and secrets.

After the death of his infamous adopted mother, Camden became estranged from his family for 10 years, ignoring the enormous fortune she left behind for him in her will and living the simple life with his wife, Jules. When another family member dies unexpectedly, he’s called home by the remaining family to care for the house and estate that he grew up on.

Sometimes you just gotta love when an author gets straight to the point… 300 pages of concise, suspenseful entertainment right here. It’s 2am again and maybe I just have to admit that I have a sleep issue and it isn’t just the bingeability of these books, but this was another virtually single sitting read for me.

Though not the most jaw dropping mystery, I really enjoyed the characters and there were lines in the writing that I thought were quite clever as well. The different perspectives were executed well and the use of the letters and media snippets added to the story.

I thought I had things figured out but then one of the last mini reveals did catch me off guard. I was pleasantly surprised by it… I love morally gray characters and this just added a little extra sprinkle of gray to someone.

Favorite Hawkins to date

Read this book in 2 days. It was an absolute page-turner, I could not put it down.

i think this is Rachel Hawkins's best book yet. A perfect amount of twists and turns till the very end. I loved that it went from three POV and the occasional media insert, as it really rounded the book out for me!

This is a fun domestic drama about a man who stands to inherit an impressive estate, his late adoptive mother, and his siblings, who hate him. I wouldn't consider this a thriller, as it isn't really creepy or suspenseful. But there is certainly mystery, twists, and murder.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints. The most interesting is probably Ruby McTavish's, whose confessional letters we get to read. We also get perspectives from the beneficiary of the estate and his wife Jules, who knows more about his odd family than she let on.

Jules's sense of humor was helpful - I don't like when books like these, that are inherently silly, take themselves too seriously.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Hawkins did not disappoint, yet again! This was such a good and fast paced thriller! The plot twists kept coming out of no where and I could not keep up! It was so good!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you for allowing me to review this book before publication.

This book was quite the page-turner; I could not put it down. The story follows Jules and Cam as they return to Cam's familial home after the death of their estranged Uncle. Cam is the adopted son of the notorious Ruby McTavish; she left everything to him after her death. We are told in dual narrations from both Cam and Jules that after his mother's death, he left home and did not care about the inheritance,

We also start to learn more about his mother, Ruby. She was kidnapped at four years old and reunited about a year later. We get a glimpse inside Ruby's mind through a series of letters. In her letters, she reminisces on her four marriages. This portion made me think of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

There were plenty of twists and turns in this book that I did not see coming. This was an extremely well-written book by Ms. Hawkins. The characters were well-written and multidimensional, and it made you care about them.

This would be fabulous as an audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. In exchange, I'm providing a free and fair review.

This book is more of a mystery than a thriller, but it was a good read trying to figure what's going on. It kept my attention to the very end, and I still was surprised by some of the revelations. A great mystery to read if you love a good family drama!.

THE HEIRESS by @ladyhawkins is my favorite of her books thus far. Camden McTavish and his wife, Jules, are going back to his inherited estate…an estate that Camden wants nothing to do with. Camden’s adoptive mother, Ruby, held secrets her entire life and as more and more are uncovered, Cam wants nothing more than to leave the Ashby house, family, and his inheritance behind. Jules was hopeful he will claim what’s his but even she starts to have her doubts. There are plenty of twists in this one and the pacing is great. I also loved Ruby’s letters woven throughout the story. I really enjoyed the spice and sass that Jules brought to the family.

I listened to this on audio mostly but also had a digital galley to read before bed —and it went fast. I was eager to get back to it— the cast of characters were perfectly casted for the different POVs. Thanks @macmillan.audio for this ALC and to @stmartinspress for the invitation to this galley! The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins will be available 1.9.24 so add it now!
4.5 stars!

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! This thriller unfolded with expertly paced plot twists and satisfying reveals. Everytime I thought I knew what was going to happen, Hawkins pulled the rug out from under me. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone I see!

I really liked this book. I could not wait to find out all the secrets. I could not wait till I finished.