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

This pulled me in from the beginning! The McTavish family is full of secrets and the Ashby House is a character as much as all of the family members. I loved the switch between Cam & Jules’ narratives mixed with the news articles & Ruby’s letters. There were so many little twists throughout the story and I could not put it down! Mystery & drama all wrapped in one addictive story.

After reading Rachel Hawkins’ last novel The Villa and really enjoying it, I was super excited and thrilled by the story of The Heiress.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (quite a mouthful) dies, she’s not only the richest woman in town, but also the most notorious. In addition to being the victim of a childhood kidnapping, she’s also been married 4 times…and all those husband’s died…potentially under mysterious circumstances? Her estate has been left to her adopted son Camden. He’s not interested in the money though, or the McTavishes. Instead, he lives a simple life with his wife Jules in Colorado. Following the death of his uncle, Cam and Jules are summoned back to Ashby House, the house he’d abandoned all those years ago. The longer they’re there though, Cam is reminded of why he fled, and after meeting the surviving McTavishes, Jules feels compelled to help Cam take hold of the house and the family fortune once and for all. Legacies are complicated though, and not all may be what it seems.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I’ve read quite a few family legacy stories and I feel this’ll be at the top of that list. The three perspectives, Cam’s, Jules’ and Ruby’s letters craft a wonderful story full of twists and thrills. I felt the characters were well fleshed out the further into the novel we got. This book has many twists, many of which I didn’t see coming. Usually I have an inkling for these kinds of things, but not this time. The book has great pacing too and I flew through it.

I enjoyed this one more than The Villa and definitely want to check out more of this author’s books now.

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This will be my fourth five-star review for Rachel Hawkins. She has become a new favorite author.
More twisted family drama. I loved the character Jules, I was rooting for her the entire time.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

The Heiress is a thriller about the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, her heir, and the cutthroat battle for her estate. The family is forced to confront deep, dark family secrets to claim what is rightfully theirs. The timeline alternates from the present to the past, and kept me glued to the pages. There are many wild twists and turns, ending in quite a showdown.

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins thriller, but still not 5 stars for me. It’s hard to put my finger on it but it was still very good and enjoyable

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It had been so long since I originally requested an ebook copy of this book, that I had no memory of what the book was going to be about. So once I got the audiobook ARC, I dove in without taking another glance at the synopsis and just expected some form of a family thriller. And while that was indeed what I got, I wasn't really prepared for this story.

Cam and Jules have to go back to Ashby house aka Cam's childhood home where he was adopted by the infamous heiress, Ruby McTavish, who was hated by most of her family. Cam is a golden boy and Jules is just excited to be there... or so we think. This story goes back in time through letters from Ruby and shows us all the crazy events in her life that led to Camden inheriting her large fortune when she died back in 2013.

While a lot of this plot felt like it was a bit easy to guess, there were some twists that I wasn't expecting! One of them in particular seemed dumb to me, but I wasn't really upset by the choice. The characters are interesting, the back story of Ruby's life is pretty cool, and I could see this book playing out like a mystery/thriller movie in my head (which is the sign of a good book that I am fully invested in).

Was it groundbreaking? No. Do I think I will remember this for years again? Maybe, but probably not. However, I had a great time and think most people will like this book.

Loved this book so much! Cam’s family was super annoying but totally made the ending worth it. Couldn’t put this book down.

The McTavish family of Western North Carolina is known for their wealth and scandal. As a child, their daughter Ruby disappeared during a family picnic. The case made news headlines and the toddler was eventually found with another family in Alabama. Rumors surround Ruby as each of her husbands meet tragic ends. When Ruby dies, her fortune and secrets are passed on to her adoptive son, Camden. When the family gathers again their true identities and motives are revealed.

This book was such a page-turner! Despite the fact that each character was morally-grey, they were easy to connect with and I was invested in their outcomes. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you St.Martin's press & NetGalley for my digital copy!

If I am being honest, domestic thrillers are often a miss for me but I had a good gut feeling about this one when I requested and let me tell ya-it is been AGES since I finished a book in literally few hours, all I did was took a break to shower.I just could not put it down, the way it is written is quite compelling with two POV's and a third one that is written as letters from a dead person followed by a relevant news paper clippings. The story is captivating not just because of the twists and turns but the characters massively drive the story in a thrilling kind of way, you might see some of the twists coming and yet you won't stop/can't stop turning the pages

A powerful family, old money and a string of unexpected deaths and a lot of twisted characters.A thriller cannot get better than this, set in the Appalachians of NC(home town!! whoop whoop) the atmospheric surroundings adds an additional layer of mystery to the story. I truly enjoyed this incredibly addictive thriller and would highly recommend it, it is my first Rachel Hawkin's book and I cannot wait to read her other books.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a suspense/thriller novel. I have enjoyed all of her thrillers and this is no exception.
Jules and Camden are returning to his family's estate after the passing of his uncle. Cam is the adopted son of the former matriarch, Ruby MacTavish, and inherited the bulk of the family's estate after her passing. Cam finally returns after his cousin sends an email about the house falling into disrepair. However, we soon learn that everyone in the family is lying about something.
The story is told with chapters from Cam and Jules perspective along with letters from Ruby about her past. I loved that none of these characters were truly "innocent" and they all had their secrets.

The Heiress is a story with mystery, murder, and plenty of dark secrets. It is about a man named Camden who inherits a huge fortune after the death of his infamous wealthy and powerful mother.

There are two different storylines - one in the present surrounding the son and his inheritance, and one in the past involving his mother, Ruby...and her many husbands who all met unfortunate early deaths.

I loved how Ruby's story was told through written letters, and Camden and his wife's current story unfolds along side it. The writing felt fresh and witty and I absolutely loved this book.

I've read all Rachel Hawkins novels, and this is my new favorite of hers! It is so well written and had some hi-light worthy passages.

If you're looking for a thriller with fun twists and turns but is more smart than scary, then get this when it comes out January 9th! I will for sure be buying a physical copy for my shelves.

🎧 The audiobook has dual narrators and was perfectly done! I would recommend that route if you're a fan of audio.

**Review was a bit delayed, as Goodreads crashed while I was over halfway done. writing**

When I saw Rachel Hawkins had a new upcoming release, I was quick to add to my TBR! I’ve read and enjoyed all of her others, and some by her pen name, and this was by far my favorite.

Can you imagine being married to someone for 10 years and never meeting their family or visiting their home town? Oh, and did I mention that said mother in law is an extremely wealthy heiress who was rumored to have murdered multiple husbands, on top of being an infamous kidnap victim as a child??

Naturally, Jules was extremely curious about her husband Cam’s family and upbringing. When life events call the couple back to Cam’s hometown in the mountains of North Carolina, drama certainly ensues. What the couple discovers is surely to keep readers glued to the pages of this novel.

Dual POV, with newspaper articles and letters interspersed, creates almost a scrapbook of pieces to a puzzle that is rife with twists.

It was giving Evelyn Hugo with layers of mystery and family secrets, all set in my favorite place on earth - the mountains of western north carolina. I screamed out loud with RH even mentioned my Alma Mater, Western Carolina University.

Loved this so much! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just the book I needed right now.. it was an interesting story that was fast paced and full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed how the news articles and the “from the desk of Ruby” letters were intertwined to help tell the story. And just when you think all the twists were done, there was one more at the end. Definitely recommend this one even if maybe Rachel’s other books weren’t for you.

loved this book about family secrets and murder and a family. loved the letters to jules and they way that they are interconnected and that camden knew secrets too but didn't tell that he knew them. loved the mystery of it.

First, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I was excited when I was approved to read "The Heiress" but unfortunately it didn't work for me. The book dragggged for the first 40%, so much that when my husband asked what was happening in the book I was reading, my response was "Honestly, I have no idea". The book picked up in a few places (around 60% for a short bit then flowed quickly after 80%) but I feel like a lot of people would have already dropped off by then.

This book is classified as a "mystery thriller" but I didn't think that there was much mystery or thrills. I would probably categorize "The Heiress" as a family drama.

As a resident of North Carolina I really liked all of the mentions of North Carolina and the setting of the Ashby House.

I think "The Heiress" will satisfy lots of readers, it just didn't pan out for me. Hits bookshelves on January 9, 2024.

I have read a couple of Rachel Hawkins' novels and this was by far my favorite! The suspense kept the novel interesting and I loved the world that the novel created for me. I would recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Heiress!

Another great one by Rachel Hawkins! The plot had great twists and turns that kept me captivated. Highly recommend this book!

3.5 stars. Rachel Hawkins is back with another thriller, following the wealthy McTavish family and the mysteries and impacts of the infamous matriarch Ruby that continue a decade after her death. In between the present day chapters, Ruby wrote a series of letters confessing her secrets and explaining her life, which are followed by articles about Ruby and the McTavishes over the years. In the current timeline, her adopted son Camden and his wife Jules are pulled back to the McTavish home to face Camden's bitter family.

Hawkins does setting really well, including The Heiress' family mansion, Ashby House, a place of great wealth and family resentment, set against the mountains and forests of North Carolina. She also paints the town and the way the McTavishes literally own the town and pull the strings of everything around them. Once Cam reluctantly returns, he has to face the dysfunctional family and difficult past he's spent a decade avoiding.

Hawkins puts a lot of threads into this book, jumping from Ruby's past and confessions to the secrets and manipulations of present day. Ruby was the bigger hook for me, and the Cam and Jules story didn't pull me in the way her complicated life did. I'm also not a fan of the narration style for Cam and Jules' POV chapters, especially Jules' voice in hers, which irked me throughout. There aren't real plot events until the end, just secrets coming to light and unraveling who people were, but it did hold my attention.

I found this stronger than the author’s previous titles, though still a little more dramatic than I was hoping for - but that’s on me. This will appeal to and satisfy a hefty chunk of suspense readers.

This suspense novel felt more like a family drama, but I still liked it a lot!

I've enjoyed all of Rachel Hawkins's books, with The Villa being my favorite. The Heiress employs a dual timeline, with current events alternating with letters describing events from the past.

I thought I knew where the story was going, but there were a few surprises I didn't see coming!

Read this if you liked The Villa or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.