Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC of the Heiress! WOW! This may be a top contender of the year. This had me losing sleep over - it was painful to put it down. This gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes, but with the twists and turns that make it an amazing thriller! Ruby, the heiress of the Ashby estate, had a long life - kidnapped at a young age, widowed 4 times over, and had an adoptive son. Camden wanted nothing to do with the estate so moved off and married Jules. Camden never wanted to see the Ashby house again or have any association with it, but with his uncle dying, he has been called back home. What will they find about the family once they are back? Everyone has their own secret to tell, but to what great lengths will they go to keep it a secret?

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is my fourth novel by this author and she does not disappoint! Her mystery thriller titles have a way of keeping you intrigued until the very last page of the book. Every time I thought I had the mystery figured out, the author hits you with a new surprise.

This title explores the lives of Cam and Jules as well as their history with the McTavish family and the Ashby House. If you are a fan of family drama, twisted secrets, and strong minded female characters then this is definitely the title for you! The most interesting part of the book was how the author told family secrets through letters and news articles. This is something that I truly enjoy from Ms. Hawkins.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title!

This author always comes up with such a new and intense tale that it always fascinates while it thrills me.

An ancient family, money that makes more money because of what a century old ancestor did. This group that fights, lives and dies in their ancient and beautiful mansion, Ashby Home located in the very majestic and dangerous Appalachian mountains in North Carolina seem to survive not just from the endless money but from a seething hatred amidst their family.

When Jules comes home from work one day, her husband has to let her know that he must return to his family. Not even true family. At least, in my opinion, true families are accepting and loving. After his adoptive mother, the infamous Ruby, dies and leaves him the house and the whole fortune he thought he could get away. Leave the money behind, the incessant problems. However, when he returns with his wife, there is more than just luggage to unpack. We learn Ruby's sordid tale, among others. And it's never what I expected.

This has the atmosphere and the characters that really made me feel the intensity of every part of this story. I truly enjoyed this and recommend it.

Out January 9, 2024!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Hawkins NEVER fails to impress. This might be her best work yet.

Twisty and complex without ever becoming cumbersome. Just when you think you have a grasp on the context, she throws another curveball.

Elements also reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Hawkins is always a winner for me!

⭐️: 4.5/5

When North Carolina’s richest woman, Ruby McTavish, dies, she leaves everything, including her family’s ancestral home, Ashby House, to her adoptive son, Cam, which deeply angers her younger sister and her descendants. Ten years later, Cam, now married to Jules, returns to Ashby House in the wake of his uncle’s death, only to be reminded why he left in the first place. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Cam, it becomes clear that Ruby had a plan that was more complicated than any of them could have imagined, as old secrets begin to be revealed.

This was my favorite so far of all the books by Rachel Hawkins that I’ve read. It was a relatively quick read, made even quicker by how much the secrets draw you in and keep you reading just one more chapter. There were twists upon twists, which kept the pace of the book moving so fast. I absolutely love thrillers that switch up the storytelling techniques, like this one did. In this case, it switched from dual POV narratives of Cam and Jules to letters from Ruby, to old newspaper articles detailing past events, which kept the book feeling fresh as you read it. It also had its fair share of rich people behaving badly, which is always entertaining to me. The only complaint I had was that I wish the ending would have been a bit…tighter? Overall though, like I said, this was my favorite book by the author to date, and I definitely recommend, especially if you’re a fan of her previous books.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this free eARC!!

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin s Press for allowing me to review this book. I found it rather good. A bit confused at times like I was reading separate stories but they did come together. You get the story of heiress Ruby McTavish s kidnapping and how she was recovered. Then you get how her adopted son Camden and his wife come back to inherit the McTavish estate and the family drama with it. And then we have Ruby writing letters to someone describing her multiple marriages ,husbands,and widowhood Ala Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo vibes. Lots of twists and surprises at the end.

Rich people drama, am I right?!?!

Ruby McTavish, the heiress of the McTavish fortune has recently died, leaving behind a legacy of dead husbands and her own kidnapping as a child.

The Heiress explores an unravelling story as told in parts by Ruby’s adopted son, his wife, and letters from Ruby herself. I loved the dual timeline and found Ruby’s letters to be especially fascinating.

I had a great time reading this book! Even though I guessed the ending, it didn’t affect my enjoyment and I was totally along for the ride. Rachel Hawkins does what she does best, sets up a tangled web of stories, soaked in mystery and secrets.

This book was full of twists! Just when I thought I'd figured out one part another secret was revealed! It's a well written story of the effect secrets can have on a family and to what lengths people will go for money. Could not put this one down!

Wow, this was the fastest I’ve read a book in a long time! What a fantastic, page turning read.

The Heiress is about the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, the heir to her fortune, and the battle for the estate.

There are three POVS: Ruby the heiress, whose comes in the form of letters to an unknown recipient, Cam, the heir, and Jules, the wife of the heir. The POVs are the present and past, covering Ruby’s four marriages.

This was a page turner and reminded me a little of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, in the retelling of her marriages. I genuinely did not see half of the twists coming and highly highly highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Surprise - this was very good!! I was entertained start to finish, it was a major page turner for me. I loved the mystery setup and three POVs. Ruby McTavish, the Heiress, introduced to us through letters written to an unknown recipient. Camden, her adopted son, a contradiction - the Golden Boy and Black Sheep of the family. Jules, Cam’s wife and biggest supporter.

This is 100% a mystery, no thriller or suspense to be found. Featuring multiple secrets and reveals, while a bit predictable, I really enjoyed it as a whole. The characters were very likable in a morally gray way, the plot a little dramatic but in a good way - if you like old money / old world / Southern US type stories, you may appreciate this book like I did!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy to review.

I truly think that Hawkins's novels are getting better each time. I loathed "The Wife Upstairs," hated the ending of "Reckless Girls," enjoyed "The Villa" and "The Heiress" is my favorite of hers. It is an easy to read and fast-paced novel. The corruption and evil that money can bring out in families. My only issue was that the ending had too many twists (I know, strange), but I felt whiplash towards the last 25% of the book. I also don't know how I feel about Ruby at the end. Well done!

The one way I can think of the describe the main characters in this very excellent book is a group of psychopaths coated in sweet southern sugar. I will leave it up to you each reader to draw their own conclusions as I am sure the author intended. The plot and characterization from start to finish are top notch. The dialogue voice frames each scene perfectly. I found myself totally immersed in the characters lives and wanting to see how they would resolve each issue. This is a story I would definitely read again. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
What if the most important person in your life is not who they say they are? What if your sole existence is to ensure others don't get what they deserve? What if your wife is not who you think she is? Cam McTavish, the adopted son of the infamous Ruby McTavish has all these questions, and more, as he makes his way back to a his childhood home, the place he never wanted to return to. His family is toxic and he's never felt as though he truly belonged. But when his wife, Jules, convinces him to finally go home, secrets about his adoptive mother and his entire life come to a head.
I have really enjoyed reading Hawkins adults novels. I love a good mystery, one that I can't necessarily figure out, even if I have ideas in the back of my mind of how it will all turn out in the end.
Cam and Jules have been married 10 years. Cam is closed off about his family. He moved from North Carolina to California to escape them. But as the sole heir of his family's fortune, Jules cannot understand why he would not want to claim what is rightfully his. I really liked the characters development in this book. We not only get Cam and Jules' points of view, but we also get Ruby's point of view through letters she wrote prior to her death which describe her life. It was interesting to watch calm Cam develop and show his true self, standing up to his toxic family. And I love how Jules speaks directly to the reader, almost as if she's writing her autobiography and hoping to get the reader to truly understand where she was coming from when she did the things she did.
It's hard to write a review of a mystery without creating spoilers. I will say the background of the story, a young girl is kidnapped and returned to her family after 8 months, is interesting. The author gives background into the Appalachians and how people go missing all the time, never to be found again, or never to even be known they were gone in the first place. It's the perfect background for the mystery that is Ruby McTavish and her life. We not only get the story that revolves around her kidnapping and who she is (or could be) but we also get the story of her life, which is filled with death that follows her.
Hawkins' writing is easy to read and fast in pace. Her story is brilliantly addictive to the point I could not put it down. I enjoyed the plot twists she threw in, though I did figure out a few of them prior to their reveal. But that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book as I wanted to keep reading to see if I was right! I loved how the author continually pulled away the layers of this estranged family to show who they truly are. The greed, they dysfunctional relationships, and the secrets all lend to a tense plot.
I will say this is my most favorite of all the mysteries Hawkins' has written thus far. The way she forms the plot is unique and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know exactly how things would turn out in the end. And, despite the secrets, and murder, and lies, I was still rooting for them to win! And she seemlessly integrates the past and the present without making it confusing.
If you enjoyed Megan Mirand's The Last to Vanish and Taylor Jenkin Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you will enjoy this twisting and turning mystery that incorporates elements of both!

Rachel Hawkins has an ability to write unlikable characters you can't help but NEED to know about. Always leaves you wanting just a bit more, to wrap up every mystery. The Heiress is no different. Seeing "behind the curtain" of the obscenely wealthy and what that wealth can really do to people. So many secrets it was almost hard to keep up, but a good read overall.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Though I did figure out some of it, there was surprising turns too. It's a story about greed and evil. The things people do and say to justify the wrong they commit. It does show that people can be complex creatures, not all bad or all good. Rachel Hawkins as a way of telling a story. This one will keep you enthralled from the first page.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

“The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins is another captivating read from this author. Camden McTavish, feeling disconnected from the rest of the McTavish family, decides to leave North Carolina and start anew. However, circumstances bring him and his wife, Jules, back to Ashby House after the death of his mother, Ruby, to settle the estate with the rest of the McTavish family.

The narrative primarily unfolds through the perspectives of Camden and Jules, supplemented by letters resembling diary entries from Ruby, adding depth to the mystery. The story is compelling, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking a good mystery/thriller. Each character in the story harbors secrets, and just when you think there can’t be another secret, another one is revealed.

I want to express my gratitude to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this opportunity to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

The Heiress is clearly a 5 ⭐️ book ! In my opinion this is Rachel Hawkin’s best book to date. I enjoyed The Villa and Reckless girls but The Heiress was a step above because it was filled with surprises and twists from start to finish.

I was intrigued with the mystery and lore about Ruby McTavish, the Heiress. This Heiress’s trail of dead husbands and her nickname “Mrs. Kill-more” makes her a very provocative character that you’ve just got to learn more about. Ruby’s story is told through her letters, interspersed between POV chapters from Camden, Ruby’s son and Jules, his wife.

With SO much bad blood among the McTavish family and the infamous Ashby House, Camden left without a look back and stayed away for 10 years. Why? What happened to make him leave and stay away and what has brought Camden back to Ashby House now? So many secrets are revealed with each chapter, making this a truly hard to put down story.

Overall The Heiress was a very entertaining read. There were many surprises and twists along the way, that I did not see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I look forward to seeing what Rachel Hawkins brings us next.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins tells the story of the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, Ruby McTavish. Ruby has a string of dead husbands and she is the subject of many rumors. After Ruby passes away, her adopted son, Camden is the recipient of her large fortune, but strangely wants nothing to do with her money or the McTavish family. Camden marries a woman named Jules and lives a low-key normal life until he is pulled back into his family after the death of his uncle.

The Heiress is a tangled web of family secrets told through multiple viewpoints and letters. Even though I took a break reading this book about halfway through, I was easily able to immerse myself again in the story and the unique plot line. Hawkins once again takes readers into a twisted family drama full of suspense. I have really enjoyed Hawkins’ writing over the past few years and I look forward to her next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

3 Stars
The Heiress written by Rachel Hawkins
Camden is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish and he inherited millions after her death. But he's living across the country with his wife, Jules and wants nothing to do with the McTavishes and the money. After a decade of no communication, he returns to North Carolina and the secrets starts to unfold.

This is a southern gothic story set in Ashby House, the isolated family estate in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountain nestled outside of a small town. Told in alternative POVs between Ruby, Camden and his wife Jules. Ruby's life is the center of the story, she was kidnapped at age 2, widowed 4 times and extremely wealthy.

I thought it was a good story but I didn't feel much suspense throughout the book. I felt it was just being told to me without me really getting to guess. I liked the idea of the letters that Ruby wrote but it was kind of anticlimactic and even with the twists in the plot, the delivery lacked excitement. The ending was a bit over the top.

Overall, it was interesting. I wasn't bored but felt it could have more. I also did not like two of the main characters, Ruby and Jules. I thought they were annoying, immature and childish. I rather have a villain I can truly hate or at least admire.

When they say ‘money is the root of all evil,’ they mean it. When a complicated inheritance is left for a beyond wealthy family, true feelings come out and sometimes that results in the loss of a family member.