The Heiress was a highly addictive book. This is one I couldn't put down. The format for this one was unique. This was written in a few POV's, including letters from the deceased heiress of Ashby House. I liked this better than Hawkins's previous book, The Wife Upstairs.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore kicks the bucket, she's not only the richest woman in North Carolina, but also the town's juiciest piece of gossip. Kidnapped as a kid and married four times, Ruby ran the show from her swanky family estate in the Blue Ridge mountains. After she bites the dust, her adopted son, Camden, inherits her massive fortune and the whole McTavish mess.

But Camden couldn't care less about the fancy house or the money. He ditches the inheritance, becomes a regular English teacher in Colorado, and ties the knot with Jules, who's running from her own past.

Ten years later, a family funeral summons Cam and Jules back to Ashby House. It's still pretty, but Cam quickly remembers why he bailed in the first place.

Jules, though, has other ideas. The more she learns about Cam's quirky family and their twisted secrets, the more she's determined to get Cam what Ruby intended for him.

But Ruby's plans were more than meets the eye. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Cam, questions about the infamous heiress resurface. Did she really get kidnapped as a kid? What's the deal with her four dead husbands? And why did she adopt Cam?

Jules and Cam find out that an inheritance isn't just what's written in a will. Family ties go beyond the grave.

This one had me turning page till the end to find out who was hiding what secrets. The characters were all a little shady and made me question them. Ashby House gave me Rebecca (Daphne du Mauier) vibes, like being at Manderly. The twists in this one were unexpected.

A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this brilliant read in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Money, money, money.....money, money, money!

I've had my issues with Rachel Hawkins. I did NOT like The Wife Upstairs. In fact, I believe, I hated it. Reckless Girls was mid, but The Villa, I quite liked. The Heiress....The Heiress, might be the best one, yet.

Camden and Jules are a couple in love. They are living in Colorado, scraping by on his teacher's salary when they are summoned by his family. See, Cam is a McTavish.

Ruby McTavish was not only one of North Carolina's most richest women but one of the most notorious. Kidnapped at the age of three, and returned a year later, Ruby was later married, widowed, married, widowed, married, widowed, married....and widowed. She adopted Cam as one last effort to establish a legacy, and one more way to stick it to her sister Nelle, and her offspring.

Now, Cam (and Jules) must contend with his cousins and his Great Aunt Nelle while they fight over the McTavish fortune. But, as with all families, not all things are simple and the house and Ruby were full of secrets.
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This is a page-turner to the nth degree. I wanted to find out Ruby's secrets the minute I read her first letter! I wanted to know about each husband and to find out about each of her marriages. This is the kind of book that I've been wanting from Rachel Hawkins.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've read enough thrillers to know a good one from an average one, and "The Heiress" is a good thriller. The storyline sucked me in from the beginning and kept my attention until the very end.

After the death of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, North Carolina's wealthiest and most notorious woman, her estate and fortune passed to her adopted son, Camden. Surprisingly, Camden has no interest in the wealth, the family estate, or the McTavish name. He opts for a simple life as an English teacher in Colorado and marries Jules, who wishes to escape her own troubled past.

A decade later, Camden and Jules receive a summons following his uncle's death, compelling them to return to Ashby House, the McTavish family's mountain estate. Despite the breathtaking views and elegant rooms, returning home reminds Camden of why he left in the first place.

Jules, however, is determined to make the McTavish family her own and unravel their dark secrets. She becomes increasingly obsessed with claiming everything Ruby intended for Camden. But as they delve deeper into Ruby's history, they unearth persistent rumors from her childhood, mysteries surrounding the deaths of her four husbands, and questions about why she adopted Camden in the first place.

Jules and Camden soon realize that their inheritance goes beyond Ruby's will and that the family bonds have a haunting and lasting power that transcends death.

As I reflect on the novel, there isn't a piece of it I didn't enjoy. It was written from three different viewpoints, and the three narrators were all enjoyable. We also get introduced to a few other characters who aren't likable at all, but they do serve a purpose. In addition to the characters, I enjoyed the novel's plot and setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this copy.
Publication date: January 9, 2024.

Thank you, St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Heiress.

Rachel Hawkins has done it again. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Give me a well-executed story of a notorious heiress with a conniving family and a huge estate to fight over any day of the week! I didn't want to put this one down. The Heiress is told from multiple POVs with dips back into the past, but it's easy to follow and not repetitive like some multiple POV novels seem to be.

Camden inherited the McTavish fortune and Ashby house when his adoptive mother, Ruby, died. With the house falling into shambles, the remaining McTavish family convinces Cam to come home and deal with the repairs of the house. His fiance, Jules, is determined to make Cam see that they should stay at the house that he owns and claim what is rightfully his. The truths that Cam uncovers at the house has the potential to ruin his and Jules' worlds.

There are so many secrets and lies in this intriguing family drama! This one will keep you on the edge of your seat .It's the story of the McTavish family of North Carolina. This wealthy family rules the small town of Tavistock. Cam is the sole heir to their huge mansion and estate in the mountains He has been summoned back to the family home when his uncle passes away. The estate is just as elegant as ever but he is reminded of why he left it years ago. His wife Jules thinks she wants to stay there but soon both of them find themselves wanting to leave as soon as possible. Every character in this book has secrets and it is very interesting to see them all come to light. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I loved it!

Really great novel from Rachel Hawkins. We are given three different viewpoints: two in present day and one in the past. This is gothic with a capital G. I was getting like V.C. Andrews vibes a bit. Tons of secrets all the way up until the ending.

From Amazon:
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

More from me:
You know me, I love me some family drama and suspense and this book delivers. I've read all of the novels that Rachel Hawkins has released since The Wife Upstairs and I must say this one is as good as The Wife Upstairs was (her other two pale in comparison to this one). I love how nothing was as it seems. I love how it speaks a bit about nature vs. nurture.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The novel will be published on January 9, 2023 and is available for pre-order right away. Check it out!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for Rachel Hawkin’s latest book coming out in January 2024, The Heiress. The world’s richest heiress dies and leaves everything to her adopted son, yet he doesn’t want it. She’s left him some letters to read and it was so slow paced, I could not get into it at all. I think I’m not the audience for this book as I see others have loved it.

The amount of times my jaw dropped reading this book. The twists and turns were awesome and not suspected. I really enjoyed the book and was not expecting how it ended but would highly recommend to my reader friends. If you enjoy sitting in the edge of your seat reading this book is for you.

Rachel Hawkins does it again! She has crafted a fun, unique, twisty and laugh-out-loud funny thriller to start off the new year. This thriller is like Evelyn Hugo meets Verity but add some of Lady Hawkins witty banter. I also love her beautiful portrayal of the Highlands area of NC, it is so accurate! I highly recommend her newest thriller, The Heiress! Thank you to NetGalley & St Martin's press for the gifted eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

This book was alright - I liked the allusions to the Vanderbilts and other American dynastic families, but I felt the plot took far too long to get going. It was not engaging and there were hardly any breadcrumbs to create tension. I didn't care for the characters and there was no actual propulsion driving the plot forward. Nothing was explained until far too late. I wouldn't say I liked Ruth's flashbacks all that much even though she was by far the best character and the best voice - it was far too obvious that she had killed her husbands from the second it was announced she had four exes.

Jules married Camden 10 years ago, and when he is summoned back to his home town in North Carolina, both spouses’ secrets threaten to unravel them.

This is my new favorite book by this author! It was twisty and psychologically thrilling. I loved the multiple POV between Jules, Camden, and Camdens deceased mother, Ruby. The letters were an excellent way to bring Ruby to life, and I couldn’t wait to read her chapters to learn more about her secrets. I also enjoyed not knowing who to “root” for, and I constantly felt myself shifting who I thought was the “bad guy”. Overall, I loved it!

4.5 stars

A family with generations of wealth and generations of secrets… when heir of the McTavish fortune, Camden and his wife Jules return to the family mansion after years of radio silence, family drama and rivalries flare. The Heiress is deliciously devious and full of twists you won’t be able to predict.

This book is amazing. Firstly, I'll start with the Ruby, a very flawed character, whom holds no punches or qualms about being a terrible person,but a character I loved. This story also follows Cam and Jules a married couple who are quite flawed themselves and go back to the home of Cam after a death in the family to deal with his inheritance. This story has mystery, murder, grit, lies, and sarcasm and it kept me engaged the whole time. I loved the mixed media elements of old letters and newspaper writings to keep the story more intriguing. I was highly surprised by this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy family drama, secrets, suspense, and murder. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book, as I loved it. 5 ⭐ from me!

This book is by a much loved author. I was really looking forward to reading her latest novel but I found this one not really holding my interest. There is just too much going on. It begins with a strong story line with a kidnapping and I was eager to see where the story was going. But all the difficult family dynamics were just too much for me. When the richest woman in North Carolina dies Ruby’s adoptive son has to come home with his wife to settle family matters and then the deep family bickering comes into play. Lots of family stuff going on and it just did not hold my interest. I am sure others will love it and that it will do well. It just did not do it for me. Wealth and resulting family squabbles are not something I enjoy.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was addictive! A real page turner that I could not put down. The secrets just kept coming! I couldn't wait to unravel the mystery.

The many POV kind of threw me off a little, but overall I enjoyed the read.

There are secrets and there are the Mc Tavish secrets!!! As I unearthed one secret after another, I had goosebumps and I simply couldn’t put down the book! Rachel Hawkins has done it again and rocked another mystery, suspenseful novel. After ‘The Villa’ and ‘The Heiress’, she is definitely on my auto-buy list.
Hawkins narrates evocatively in dual timelines starting off with a missing child in the 40’s. As Ruby McTavish, the former missing child, allegedly found and returned to her family, dies as the richest woman in North Carolina and leaves her house and asserts to Camden, her adopted son. However, he refuses to accept the will at first. Later, he decides to return to his childhood house with his wife Jules. What a web we will weave my friends! Unbelievable with twists abs turn leading to an unexpected ending!
Happy reading 🫶

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARV in exchange for my honest feedback.

I loved The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins so I was very excited to read something else by her. I didn’t look at any reviews prior to reading so I didn’t know what to expect. However, the one expectation I did have was for this to be a thriller. Once I read a bit, I realized it wasn’t. It’s more of family drama. It’s a slow burn and didn’t really hold my interest until the end. I really liked the big twist. I loved that the setting was my home state and the mention of familiar cities. I also liked how the story was told from dual POVs, news articles and letters. This one wasn’t really for me but I do think it’s worth reading as others seem to love it.

I have a hard rule that never fails :: I always give a “new-to-me author” 4 books to really show me who they are as a writer . @ladyhawkins you’ve passed my 4 book rule and you’ve made it into my list of “must-read authors” !!!
I really enjoyed The Heiress - it kept me fully engaged with LOTS of questions at the end (I’ve been rethinking a few of the family dynamics that were woven into this story) . If you’re looking for a family that’s more messed up than yours , look no further ! & pick this one up when it’s available in January 2024 . Solid 4⭐️ .
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ability to enjoy this one .
Also , if you haven’t read her other books - check out The Wife Upstairs , The Villa , and Reckless Girls (they were all very good)
#rachelhawkins #theheiress #stmartinspress #netgalley #arc #goodreads #bookbinge #booktok #bookstagram #tbr #tbrpile #tbrlist

The library will purchase this. But only one copy. It was not her best work. Rachel Hawkins seems to be a hit and a miss in our area

What a wild ride! I just really enjoy Rachel Hawkins writing and the stories she tell. This one was no exception. I thought it was a story unlike any I have read and I liked the twists and turns it took! I loved the multiple timeline and povs and how everything came together!