Having been an avid reader of Rachel Hawkins, I was thrilled to get the chance to read her upcoming book The Heiress. Not only was I intrigued throughout the book, I was impressed with the authors writing style. This is a gothic suspense thriller I would highly recommend along with her other books, The Wife Upstairs, The Villa and Reckless Girls. I really enjoyed. This book and look forward to reading many more titles by Rachel Hawkins. Thank you for this opportunity Net Galley!

5⭐️oh man this was SO GOOD! Probably in my top thriller books of the year

I finished this in one day! I ate this up. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last! This story was so well written, and I was hooked. While I did suspect the big twist about 3/4 in and was right, it did not take away from me loving this! This is what a psychological thriller should be like. Giving you enough background info about characters, but still keeping it interesting the whole time.

This gives me 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but thriller version with one messed up family.

I’ll even buy a physical copy of this when it comes out!

First of all: this cover is GORGEOUS.
This book has excellent, creepy vibes with a huge, historic house full of family secrets.
I felt, at times, it was vague for the sake of mystery and I definitely predicted the twists, but it was a well-written book. I liked the flashbacks - a mixed-media letter form is always great - and I especially enjoyed the small town setting. This book will definitely be a hit.

I found this book to be a great read. Not a true mystery but quite enough to keep you going. Good vacation or beach read. Highly entertaining!

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St Martins Press
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions contained below are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story by Rachel Hawkins. It’s fast paced and hooks you immediately, so if that’s what you like read this book!

The story is told through the viewpoints of there’s different characters.
Camden: The ‘Luckiest Boy in North Carolina’ is adopted by Ruby McTavish, head of a well known and wealthy family in North Carolina. When Ruby passes her fortune, including Ashby House, is left to Cam. Despite the windfall he wants to leave his family behind and eventually gets his wish with a new life in Colorado.
Jules: Cam’s beloved wife. Jules knows a bit about Cam’s upbringing and his assets but seems to be happy living a quiet life in Colorado. However, when Cam is called home to Ashby House, Jules is only to eager to travel to North Carolina and see the estate her husband owns.
Ruby: Through a series of letters presumably wrote just before death, Ruby tells us the secrets and truths of her life. From falling in love with four different husbands to watching them die (earning her the name Ms. Kill-More.
I particularly enjoyed the letters of Ruby, revealing a little more and growing the mystery with each passing letter.

With the presence of the greedy, entitled McTavish family what will become of Cam and Jules? And can Ruby’s insight into the past help them to navigate the family dynamics and leave Ashby House once and for all.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This is the tale of a very rich and very dysfunctional family. It is told over two time lines and from three points of view. First there is Ruby McTavish, determined and manipulative ,we hear her story through letters she wrote just before her death, Then there is her adopted son Camden who wants nothing to do with the McTavish family or their money. Finally there is Camden’s wife Jules, an orphan herself from a dirt poor past in Florida.

The twists and turns, the intertwined relationships, the money and greed, the secrets and lies, all come together to create an irresistible tale. The fast paced read took off from the first page and never slowed down. The characters are all so flawed but I often found myself on their side. You will not be able to put this one down. I will be watching for this author’s next book for sure. I would definitely recommend this one.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins weaves a mesmerizing tale of wealth, intrigue, and family secrets. Set against the backdrop of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, Hawkins skillfully unveils a suspenseful narrative that delves into the dark secrets of the McTavish family. This gothic suspense captivates with its rich storytelling and leaves readers enthralled by the complexities of family bonds that extend beyond the grave.

An heiress leaves behind her estate to her adopted son, Camden, who doesn’t want it and nothing to the family that does. This was a quick read and pieces were definitely gruesome but it was definitely interesting and loved how it was woven together. I did not see all the things coming that came to light at the end. I really loved the MMC and FMC characters Camden and Jules. I feel like this is one of my favorite thrillers that involve rich families and the tangles and secrets involved with them.

👑The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins AVAILABLE 1/9/24 👑


Rachel Hawkins novels are always an auto read for me- and this one is my FAV yet! If you liked the “Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”-then this one is for you since it had a similar vibe!

The Heiress has 3 POV’s- Ruby, the most infamous and richest woman in North Carolina, Camden- her adopted son set to inherit her fortune and mansion, and Jules- Camdens wife who is trying to figure out all the family ties and secrets.

This one was a little slow at the beginning but still had an addictive quality to it that made me keep reading. I love anything about family geology and genetics, which this has a lot of. Halfway through is when it starts getting really good and there are about 5 or 6 twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Definitely recommend it to anyone when it comes out in the new year! 4.5 out of 5✨

Nestled in the blue ridged mountains of North Carolina, the Ashby house has held tightly to dark secrets. Cam had always vowed to never go back to that property and his estranged family. But after the passing of his Uncle, he and his wife Jules travel back to the past where it unleashes the savageries of his family. Written in three perspectives, Cam, Jules and his deceased mother, the notorious Ruby MC Tavish, Rachel Hawkins weaves a page turning tale of privilege, deceit and murder. Brilliant and smart.

THIS BOOK. I love a Rachel Hawkins heroine, but man. This book. Every character is great. Every twist is fantastic (even when you see one coming, its so satisfying when the reveal happens). The setting is perfect for a story of rich, awful people. Every single thing hit perfectly. I could not put it down.

This was a fast paced story about the lives of the rich and protected of Ashby house in Tavistock North Carolina. The story starts in a boring rental in California with hard working and worn down Jules and Camden. Jules comes home from work one day to find her husband upset because his family has contacted him and wants him to come home to face his responsibilities. Jules encourages him to go home to his rich family estate that he owns and controls and is very eager to convince him to stay there and begin living a life of comfort, but she doesn’t realize what going back home might cost them all. This book was filled with so many delicious twists, turns, and surprises that kept me turning the pages faster and faster. The story is told from Camden, and Jules perspectives, as well as his late mother Ruby McTavish, through letters she left behind. This was a very interesting read, a look at what goes on in rich families, how they are protected, and what people can become when they grow bored from having no responsibilities or consequences for their actions. This was my first book by this author but now I want to go get all their previous books! I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

ARC REVIEW

The Heiress
BY Rachel Hawkins

Publishing date: 1/9/24

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was super excited to read this one because the good reads ratings were over 4 stars! But this one fell into the "leanna disagrees with the masses" category. Was it bad? No not at all! But TO ME it was predictable.  I was able to put the clues together which meant I wasn't shocked when things were revealed.

3 stars for me means, it was okay but you might love it! Don't let me deter you from reading, we all have different palettes!

PS ...it has decently short chapters! 👍

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc! Always appreciative!

Loved this book. Also worth noting.. that cover! Beautiful. I was totally engrossed in this book and could not put it down. Recommended to anyone who wants a twisty thriller.

The Heiress

Rachel Hawkins

This book was different. I’ve read other books by this same author that I enjoyed but this one fell a bit flat.

It was interesting but nothing outstanding. The amount of unnecessary deaths didn’t seem to fit. I did enjoy the relationship between Cam and Jules. However, how the hell dis they get a happy ending?

It was ok, just not my personal fav.

Thank you Netgally for allowing me to review this book prior to the publish date.

✭ ✭ / 5


#bookish #bookstagram #booktok #booksarelife #readersofinstagram #readmore#goodreadschallenge #goodreads #rachelhawkins #theheiress

⭐️Book Review⭐️ The Heiress

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Release Date: January 2024
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Summary: Ruby McTavish comes from a wealthy family and is the heiress to the family estate and fortune. She’s well know by her own right having been married 4 times and experiencing all 4 husbands dying while under her watch. Coincidence or something more sinister?

10 years after her own death, her son, Cam and his wife Jules, return to the family home to face his unloving relatives who believe Cam should not have inherited the family fortune. What will it take to reverse the will that leaves Cam everything and win back what the family feels should be theirs by birthrights?

My Thoughts: This was fantastic! The characterization, plot twists, and the suspense all made this one a great read! A bit of a slow burn but it worked so well. With several narrators, including part of the story delivered epistolary, we gained insight into the ugly past that ultimately shaped the characters’ futures. The vivid and wild descriptions of the house and property brought the place to life, almost as if Ashby House was a character and I loved that.

Containing themes of dark family secrets, inheritance, and murder this one packs a punch.

I think this is my favourite from this author!

If you enjoy a book with lots of family history, secrets, and several conniving characters, this one is for you!

Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#theheiress
#rachelhawkins
#thriller
#bookreview

My God, I cannot wait for this to hit shelves so I can publicly scream about it on all my socials. My favorite book by Rachel yet!

This was definitely a page turner. I am never disappointed in the author's books. And I love an ending that continued to unravel itself. Good winter vibes!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

This story is about the McTavishes, a rich family who lives in the Ashby House high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Ruby McTavish has had a checkered past from being lost in the woods when she was a child to being mysteriously widowed to four men. She passes away and leaves the family's house and money to her son Camden McTavish. However, Camden wants nothing to do with the McTavishes or the inheritance. He moves far away and lives in an apartment with his wife making low wages. Ten years later, Camden's uncle passes away and he is summoned back to the house. He reluctantly goes back and takes his wife with him to sort things out.

The POVs of the story are Camden and his wife, Jules. In between the Camden and Jules chapters you get multimedia of news reports, magazine articles, and letters from Ruby explaining her notorious past. The McTavishes minus Camden are all awful greedy people who care about nothing but their own personal agendas to obtain the house and the money. And although Ruby was a dark character, I still rooted for her at times. People who just read general fiction or are getting into thrillers should start with Rachel Hawkins books. She's great at storytelling and character-building before the ending blows everything apart.

One thing I noticed while reading was the idea of an older woman writing about her husbands. Mix that in with the glimpse of the woman in the green dress on the book cover and the description of Ruby wearing the green dress gave me full Evelyn Hugo vibes. I'm not sure if this story was inspired by Evelyn Hugo but it feels like a small piece of it was. So if you like Evelyn Hugo and thrillers, this story could be for you! That aside, the story overall was a good one and I enjoyed the journey with the reveals along the way.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Gothic romances have a few things in common that readers expect and return to the genre again and again to find. Rachel Hawkins understands this, and delivers in full with The Heiress. A happy couple, haunted by the past that they’ve run all the way to the Colorado Mountains to escape, a family mystery that sent them back, and a gorgeous southern manor filled with dysfunctional family. A perfect kind of mystery you won’t want to put down. Delighted to recommend this to my mystery and gothic loving friends. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. The book releases on January 9, 2024. Happy New Year reading!