I absolutely adored this read!

It reminded me in a lot of ways of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but with a mystery twist and I loved that. Ruby’s character is incredibly intriguing with a very interesting personality that makes you love reading her chapters. I was enthralled with reading more of her past.

I loved the multiple POV’s and the chapters that were letters from Ruby’s past.

The only critique that kept this from being 5 stars for me was that the numerous characters that were integral to the plot coupled with how in depth the plot went was almost hard to follow, but I still loved it 🩵

Would absolutely recommend!

w: there is domestic violence and murder

This book was so enjoyable and such a quick read. It was fast paced the entire time and had me guessing until about half way through. I am typically good at guessing the ending of a book and this one wasn’t difficult for me to guess. However, this one had some extra turns I wasn’t expecting. There were moments I second guessed myself but I NEEDED to keep reading to know the ending. Such a good book, definitely picking up more of this authors books! I received this as an ARC in exchange for a review.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
So here's this Southern gothic tale about this North Carolina socialite, Ruby, who made a name for herself (not always in the best way) by getting kidnapped as a kid and later turning into a bit of an unfortunate widow with her four late husbands. She leaves her massive fortune and estate to her adoptive son, Camden. The story kicks off when Camden rolls back home with his wife, and then the crazy wealthy family drama and secrets start unfolding. It's not exactly a rollercoaster of a plot with crazy cliffhangers in every chapter, but it sure kept me going back to it. Def a more slow burn (but not too slow) Family drama thriller with a couple of twists and turns.

I love going in with as little plot details as possible. I love the way it switched multiple POVs and parts of the story were told through letters and newspaper articles. Being a Southerner myself, now living in California, I loved all those Southern vibes and quirky characters.

One of my favorite tropes is stories of rich folks and their not-so-honorable deeds and this was a good mix. I read the book and listened to the audio. The audio was a blast, with different voices for all the characters. Even the accents on the audiobooks were well done. And SHORT CHAPTERS! I can never say it enough how much I love short chapters.

This was my first dive into Rachel Hawkins’ world, and I'm definitely coming back for more.

The Heiress is my first Rachel Hawkins and it will certainly not be my last! This was a twisty and enjoyable mystery thriller and I had a great time reading it. I loved the atmosphere of The Heiress. The setting of Ashby house is very compelling and evocative, and offers strong connections to other gothic tales about looming houses and families.
One of the storytelling conventions of The Heiress uses letters which Ruby, the wealthy socialite at the heart of the story, has left detailing her past. At first, I wondered why the whole book didn’t lean into this epistolary style for its entirety, but I was rewarded by there being a clear reason for this choice as it continued. The shifts in narration support the story in very compelling ways and the way the book weaves them together was very enjoyable.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy of this book.

Another perfect book! It took me a minute to get into the book but once I was I loved the story. I am a native of NC so like I liked this aspect of it. Her books never disappoint.

Rachel Hawkins has always been a hit or a miss for me.. unfortunately this one fell under the miss category for me. It was just alright.

Despite how short this book was, it felt very long and like some things really drug out. The first half was very slow before the twists and turns started to come around 50% into the book. Some twists were good whereas others I thought were a little far fetched. I found most characters unlikeable.. and the characters that I liked at the beginning, I did not like at the end..

This is advertised as a thriller, but I felt like it was focused more on family drama than as a thriller.. Positives is that it was a very quick read!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book / audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of The Heiress. This book was truly an amazing read. This book is told through 3 POVs. First, Camden, an orphan boy who inherits the fortune from the McTavish family. Second, Jules who is Camden’s wife. Third perspective is through letters left behind by Ruby McTavish the heiress and “husband killer” who has passed away. Primarily set in the Ashby House, this book was well paced out and full of twists. I highly recommend this book if you’re a thriller or mystery lover who loves multiple POVs and twists.

A great twisty thriller! I was legitimately shocked by some of the revelations at the end. My favorite parts of thrillers are the twists, and this one did not disappoint!

I will say this book had a slow start for me, and it took me longer than normal to get through it. But once things got going, they really got going! I usually love how Rachel Hawkins writes these incredibly bingeable books that I devour in a few days - this book was a little different for me. But the twists made up for that!

The Heiress was really good but also really messed up?? Which, to be clear, is a positive review for a thriller.

The Heiress is a story told from three perspectives. First is Camden McTavish, Cam for short. He was adopted by Ruby McTavish, an heiress with a sordid history of four mysteriously dead husbands and a very wealthy and toxic family. He was bullied by the rest of his family members because he wasn't really "one of them," so after Ruby dies, he escapes and doesn't look back until he's returning to Ashby House, his childhood home, for the first time in 10 years. Second is Jules, his wife. And third is Ruby herself, told through a series of letters she wrote in the months before her death. All three of these perspectives have a lot of foreshadowing and a lot of "well, you'll see" or "I couldn't tell him/her/them."

The Heiress has all the makings of a book about a whole bunch of terrible people being terrible, which I don't enjoy reading. And the rest of the McTavish clan are definitely bad people: Cam's cousins Ben and Libby who were willfully ignorant at best and abusive at worst when they were growing up, and Nelle, Ruby's sister, who constantly reminds Cam that he isn't one of them. But somehow, Cam and Jules are both better people and also likable. One thing that I really liked throughout the story is how much they love each other. They're both keeping secrets from each other, but they tell you it's for a good reason, or to protect the other one, which, I more or less believe. Even after [no spoilers but all the crazy bonkers stuff that happens in the last few chapters], they still love each other.

There were a lot of twists in the last 20% of the book. Some of them I expected, and others made me literally gasp out loud. I don't need my mysteries to be unsolvable as the reader, but I also like there to be some unexpected twists. And some of the twists are... kind of messed up. Like, I felt like I needed a crime board and a family tree and some red string.

This is also a pretty quick read -- there aren't so many chapters, and the interspersed letters and news articles also make it go by quickly. If you're looking for a screwy family, haunted-ish gothic house, murdery mystery thriller, I'd pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Heiress in exchange for my honest review.

The Heiress may be one of my favorite Rachel Hawkins books yet.
The foreshadowing, the secrets, the lies, family, mystery and the twists that keep coming is what makes this book so special.

Right from the beginning we get a little piece of something a bit twisted. A little out of left field and I wasn't sure where it was going to go from there. But that's what made the story so special. Trying to put the pieces together. The letters and newspaper clippings kept me coming back and totally enamored with Ruby, who self admittedly was a murderer that was never caught.

Camden McTavish must return to a home that he wants nothing to do with after a death. The home and the family are toxic. He is bringing back his wife Jules who seems quite excited by the chance to see where Camden grew up. Is it the money or is she truly fascinated with how Camden is tied to the McTavish family?

I really enjoyed how we got the present from Jules and Camden's POV and then we got a piece of the past by reading Ruby's letters. As those letters build up to who Ruby truly was, we also got to see how the whole family was connected in one way or another. The story had that dark sinister feel, but it also was quite genius the way the secrets played into the lives of each family member.
Although it took me a hot minute to be fully engrossed in the story, I was immediately drawn to Ruby and the life she lived. I wasn't sure how all the pieces were going to fit together in the end, but it all worked out.

The Heiress is a book that is filled with secrets and has that gothic vibe that surrounds the house and the characters that inhabit it. If you like a little history and sinister actions with your stories, check this one out.

This was fairly entertaining but I felt confused for a lot of the book. It felt a little too twisty. But overall I enjoyed it.

This seemed like more of a family drama than a thriller, but the plot still had some satisfying twists and turns. The characters are rather flat, so I never felt really invested in what was happening with them, though. 3 stars. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy!

This was a highly addictive read full of unexpected twists and turns! The book alternates between three main points of view. Ruby McTavish, whose four husbands mysteriously died, Camden, who rejects the family's money and tries to move away for a different life, and his wife, Jules. Each of these characters have their own motivations and secrets that they would rather keep to themselves, which we learn more about as the story unfolds.

The story really picks up when Jules and Camden arrive at Ashby House, the family home, after Camden's uncle dies. This is a family that is incredibly dysfunctional and conniving!

I enjoyed this book more than The Villa, and both books share a rich and immersive setting that has you keep reading more to learn what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

The Heiress is a thriller that follows the legacy of Ruby, a woman who was lost in the Blue Ridge Mountains when she was three years old. Found a year later, her family moves on from the tragedy and life returns to normal. Throughout Ruby's life, she was married four different times, each husband having died mysteriously. Left her family's wealth and without children from any of her husbands, Ruby adopts Camden as her only son. Years later when Ruby dies, Camden is left the family's wealth much to the dismay of Ruby's sister. Told from the point of view of Camden, his wife Jules, and letters from Ruby that reveal the story of her life and untimely deaths of her husbands.

I really enjoyed this book! It was well written, well paced, and held my attention the entire time. I would recommend this book to lovers of thrillers and rich people drama.

A turn pager for sure. The story was interesting from page 1 to then end, an ending I did not see coming.

I wanted to love this book, but I found myself pretty bored throughout.

I think the premise is cool, I love an unreliable narrator - but I kept wanting more. At no point was I really excited to pick this book back up.
you to St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

This is an author that I always enjoy reading so when this became available on Net Galley I had to get it. This was an interesting tale and that had me on the edge from the very beginning. Ruby had so many secrets as well as all the other people in the "family". Is Ruby blood or bought? Is she a murderess or unlucky wife. If she's not blood then what effect would that have on the will and family fortune. I loved and disliked most of the players in this twisted tale and still loved the story.

Rachel Hawkins has proven to be a reliable author of suspenseful stories. As with all of her other books I’ve read, “The Heiress” had me continuously reaching for it wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

I would gladly post a more thorough public review if St. Martin’s Press would publicly denounce the racist acts of their employee and share how they intend to support their employees and readers who have been impacted by this. Unfortunately, the response that was received from St. Martin’s Press was incredibly disappointing and so at this time I will not be reviewing further.

I do wish St. Martin’s Press would listen to its readers and reviewers and understand that they can take a stance without giving any personal details of the employee in question, as we all do love the books that St. Martin’s puts out and are eager to get back to reviewing.

This book was excellently written, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed enough to read almost entirely in one sitting.

From the beginning, we are met with Camden and Jules, a couple married for a decade now and still renting a small house in Colorado. We learn that Camden was an orphan and was the adopted son of none other than the famed Ruby McTavish, heiress of the great Ashby House, and one of the wealthiest women in North Caroline, whom is also known rather widely as 'Mrs. Kill-More' because of the deaths of each of her four husbands throughout the years. Camden became the adopted son and project of Ruby, as she wanted to ensure that her fortunes were left to someone other than her sister and her children. She takes Camden in, teaching him ways to be successful and survive, all while he was bullied and suffered the torment from his cousins, Ben and Libby, and their grandmother, also his aunt Nelle, all of whom never considered him to be 'one of them' Camden grows up resenting the fortune, and goes to college in California to get as far away from North Carolina and Ashby House as he can. Cam meets Jules, and they move to Colorado where they currently live. He's avoided Ashby House for a decade when he makes the return with Jules, after the death of Aunt Nelle's only son, in order to assist with some issues with the house and disrepairs that need addressing. Little do we know, there are ulterior motives in the minds of several characters throughout the story.

Ruby, whom was kidnapped at the age of 3, and was found several months later, grows into a fearless and brilliant young woman, learning quickly how to expand the wealth of her father, and earning the spot of sole heir when he passes away, leaving her sister with nothing. Ruby lives her life, marrying four times, widowed four times, and throughout the story, we get a sneak peak of her life through letters that she wrote before sending to an unknown recipient. We learn many of the skeletons in Ruby's closet throughout the story, with each letter leaving you ready for more.

We also follow along with the viewpoint of Jules throughout the story, and get a glimpse into her thoughts and feelings. Jules is eager to go to Ashby House, finally, and shares tidbits of her lifelong obsession with those who reside there, with secret social media accounts and countless hours of google searching mentioned over the years. Jules is supportive of Camden, however, her desire to make their home at Ashby House goes against every fiber of desire to stay far away for Camden.

Rachel Hawkins has brought together a tale so perfectly written that will have you excited to turn to the next page. As my first Rachel Hawkins read, I am thoroughly excited to continue with her other stories with hopes of similar writing and ideas. Many thanks to NetGalley, as well as St. Martin's Press and the author for the opportunity to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Heiress is a winner! So many twists and turns- right up to the last page. Cam and Jules are the sweetest couple that you can’t help rooting for in their crazy life. Ruby and Nelle were beyond insane. Yet I still kind of loved Ruby. Not only could I not put this book down, I am thinking about reading it again soon!