Thank you NetGallery and St. Martins Press for this ARC! This story revolves around the multi-generational McTavish family, the richest most influential family in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. When Ruby was kidnapped at 3 years old and returned months later, something’s just never seemed right again. I loved the different point of views in this story with all of them speaking to you! Between the 4 husbands that Ruby had that all died in an “accident “ and the family forever arguing over power and money. Rubys adopted son Camden is in the middle of all the feuding and left the entire inheritance that he wants no part of in any way shape or form. Having to come back 10 years later Camden comes back with wife Jules to help fix up the family mansion and ends up coming face to face with long ago demons. I found this hard to put down, fast paced with plenty of twists and turns to make your head spin and loved the little Easter Egg from Rachel’s book the Villa!

This took me FOREVER to read. I kept putting it down to read other things. I would go back to it and sometimes feel drawn in but othertimes just be bored. I didn't feel satisfied by the ending and it just felt slow to me. But I am definitely in the minority as most people love it. 2.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't as gripping as I was hoping for. It was a slow burn for me, but the ending made it worth it! It was a really great ending. It had a lot of twists that I wasn't expecting, and it made it worth reading until the end. Overall, it was a good story!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Rachel Hawkins has finally given me a 5 star book to devour. I wasn't even sure it was 5 stars until the very end because when I thought the twists were done twisting , she gave me one more. The reason it worked was because of how she tied the past with the present and future and didn't leave a stone unturned.

Camden and Jules have been married 10 years, and finally, he heeds the summons home to Ashby House. Cam was adopted by Mrs. Ruby McTavish, as a 3 year old, dubbed the luckiest boy in North Carolina. Except why did he run from everything at age 20? Then we get these letters, sent from Ruby to an anonymous person, confessing how her 4 previous marriages ended. All 4 of her husbands died while married to her. After Ruby, as an infant was disappeared and re appeared 8 months later. Another twist was she really Ruby, or a poor child named Dora Darnell? If you look too closely at the main characters, you will wonder who they really are. The letters provided a glimpse to the past while the current day events had enough action, especially toward the end to qualify as a thriller. I didn't quite expect the ending, but it was better than I could imagine and left a question for the reader to ponder.

4.8 rounded up to 5 stars, out Jan 9, 2024.

Camden has been trying to escape his past since he turned 18. The adopted son of the infamous heiress Ruby McTavish, he's learned that everything the McTavish family touches rots. He's happy with his life, his wife, Jules, and being as far away from North Carolina as possible.

But circumstances force him to return to the lavish estate he hates, and with it, the twisted games his family plays. Little does he know, his wife is playing games herself.

This was such a fun book. It kept me guessing the entire time, and it was very sharp and witty. There were lots of different storylines, but they all kept the thread in a really nice way. The characters were flawed but still likable, and I found myself rooting for them to do awful things (this is the mark of good writing, I think). I loved the letters from Ruby, the dual POV with Jules and Cam, and the delicious descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Heiress centers around the McTavish family old money from North Carolina. Ruby McTavish now deceased was kidnapped as a baby and miraculously found living with another family before she was returned. She went on to marry four times and all of her husbands died mysteriously. Ruby's adopted son, who became the sole heir to the entire fortune, and his wife are now coming back to the family home for the first time since her death. Of course nothing is as it seems at the estate and there are family members who doubt the real Ruby ever came back. This was more of a family mystery/domestic suspense than thriller and while entertaining I wasn't as invested in the outcome as I wanted to be. It was a quick read had short chapters and alternating POV between Camden, his wife, and old letters from Ruby herself. I would rate this 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about a twist in the last act! The Heiress is about blue blood til you die, and then giving it from the grave!

That is... if you are who you say you are...

The cast of characters are Schitt's Creek meets richest-person-in-town-but-I've-lived-here-forever-and-own-you Southern Living. The Tavistock's own the town, and own you... but they don't actually have money or spend it. They live off the idea of a trust they are trying to hack into.

Ruby, if she is who she says, has the money, and she'll die before she gives it over to anyone she is (allegedly) related to.

The biggest lesson in the book is sometimes, those with nothing to lose have everything to gain, but don't want to reach beyond their dreams. Whereas those with everything to lose will do anything to gain... and they can lose dearly.

The Heiress was absolutely incredible. Giving "7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo" vibes but MUCH darker. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I loved all the secrets and connections. Ashby house is a character in an of itself, with creepy paintings watching you at all hours. Rachel Hawkins always works for me, and this was no exception, I just LOVED this book!

Ruby McTavish, North Carolina “old money” and known in the press as Mrs. Kill-more, may be quite unlucky or she may be something else entirely. She was kidnapped as a child and later, as an adult, widowed 4x. To spite her family, she adopts a child, Cameron, and leaves her entire fortune to him before she passes. After 10 years of estrangement from his remaining family, he’s going back home and this visit might just be more than he bargained for.

I found the premise of this book intriguing. The questions prompted throughout the story had me wondering how it would end. I enjoyed speculating on how things would be explained and how it would turn out for the characters.

I have only read one other Rachel Hawkins book, The Wife Upstairs. If you enjoyed that book, you may enjoy this as well.

For me, both The Wife Upstairs and The Heiress were fun for the ride but fell flat in the end. I predicted several of the “twists” and was underwhelmed by others. I think I expected the resolution to have more of a bang than it did. So, overall its’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating for me.

Big thanks to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Rachel Hawkins for the ARC!

I loved this. The writing, the various points of view, the letters and articles interspersed between the chapters. It kept me turning the pages and just when I thought I had everything figured out or everything that could be revealed, had been, another twist came and surprised me, in the best way! This was a great read!

Twisty gothic novel with dual point of view and narrative. All the characters have secrets, and they are slowly teased out until the last page. It really kept me reading, and was very enjoyable!

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

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book very much. Dual point of view is a favorite of mine, it makes a book such a fast read. This book kept me up so late trying to figure where all the puzzle pieces went.
So many secrets and death, very exciting.

For my trip to Israel, I packed quite a lot to read especially on my Kobo. I have hardly read but I took this book with me each day in case I wanted to pick it up. Let’s just say it was easy to put down.🤷🏻‍♀️

The Heiress, publishing January 2024, tells the story of a wealthy woman in North Carolina, her secrets and her scheming family. Upon Ruby’s death, her adopted son returns to the family mansion - to deal not only with her estate but his estranged family. Secrets that have been hidden for years will threaten everyone.😳

The alternating view points and letters were an interesting way to tell the story of this family that is just so terrible. There wasn’t a character that I liked. I found this book very slow moving - and more of a “rich people behaving badly” drama than a thriller. This one wasn’t for me but this author is a fave for so many.⭐️⭐️

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Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy to read.

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I loved this author's, The Wife Upstairs, but didn't care for Reckless Girls. I was a little nervous, but this one grabbed my attention early and pulled me deeper into the mystery with every page, every chapter.

Ruby McTavish is quite the intriguing character! That is a peek at her portrait on the gorgeous cover. She may have more skeletons in her closet than ANY other character I've read about. Her home is a fifteen-bedroom mansion called Ashby House. Some may refer to it as a "lion's den" and with good reason! 🦁 They needed a Enter At Your Own Risk sign!

Ashby House created a creepy atmosphere that really set the mood. If those walls could speak, they would have a story to tell and in a way they do. The portrait that hung at the top of the stairs gave me major chills and I almost expected it to come alive. I'd be sleeping with one eye open in that house! 👁️

Nelle reminded me of a Ms. Danvers ( the housekeeper in Rebecca, with her mean spirited stunts). Rebecca is my favorite gothic classic novel and this one had some strong vibes that I loved.

Expect rumors, whispers, secrets/scheming and a truly twisted house of unexpected happenings!

Really enjoyed this book and how the house was a character. The alternating chapters kept my interest and loved her perspective about each husband that she killed. I found the ending predictable but still satisfying.

Ruby McTavish is one of the richest women in North Carolina. She’s also notorious for the dead husbands in her past. When she dies and leaves her fortune to her adopted son, her family is not pleased.

I loved loved all the parts with Ruby and where she was writing about the past. I needed way more of that in the story. She needs her own book for sure. The current timeline just didn’t grab me as much, although there was plenty of drama and nasty characters! I liked how it all came together and was surprised by a few things.

“Family is a complicated word - more complicated for me than a lot of people, I’d guess. I’ve spent so much of my life trying to figure out what that word even means to me.”

The Heiress comes out 1/9.

Thank you for the ARC! Another twisty read by Rachel Hawkins that I enjoyed as much as “The Villa.” Excellent!

Brilliant in building suspense, Hawkins tells a story of a dysfunctional family full of lies and deceit and yet hopeful for the protagonist to overcome all of that and be victorious. I loved how she used the premise of the POV from the varying two protagonist and yet we heard from the dead, the "heiress" through her letters of which we were not sure to whom they were addressed. Who would have thought how dark Ruby truly was and what truly happened to all other four husbands? Her sister Nelle has always suspected that something wasn't' right after "Baby Ruby" returned after having been kidnapped as a toddler. There was nothing but greed and resentment and poison in that house. What would you do to have it all? What would you do to make it right when you know you've been done wrong? Heiress Ruby MacTavish has been dead ten years and Camden, her adopted son, inherited it all but walked away. Now he is being summoned back to a past that was so sinister, he had to leave. Secrets abound though as we discover from Cam, his wife Jules, and the best are from Ruby. Cam has always felt the hatred from his family and knew that he was merely a pawn by Ruby. Can he survive this or how soon can he finally be free? This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning page after page. Many thanks to #netgalley #rachelhawkins #theheiress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

“I could tell you to learn from an old lady, to not let the ‘too late’ moments surprise you, but it won’t do you any good. No one listens to old ladies.”

Ruby McTavish, who is known to be the richest person in North Carolina and notorious for surviving a kidnapping as a child, has passed away several years ago. She has left her estate and fortune to her one of her sons Camden. However, he wants nothing to do with his family or the money, and moved away to Colorado prior to Ruby’s passing. Eventually Cam and his wife Jules are forced to return to the estate, bringing up old memories and hidden family secrets.

I’ve read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and read it in one sitting, I loved it! I also recently started a Netgalley account. I was so excited when I was approved to read her newest book before the release day! Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

While this book didn’t quite compare to The Wife Upstairs, I will say it was entertaining and I read it fast! I liked that the setting in the beginning was in Golden, Colorado, an area I love. There were three different character POVs which felt confusing at first, but once I got into the story it became easier to follow. Each character was unlikeable, but that also made the book fun to read. Ruby sometimes reminded me of Evelyn Hugo, so she was probably my favorite! I recommend reading this book if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining thriller. This will be released January 9th, 2024.

Read if you enjoy:
- unlikeable characters
- multiple POVs
- different writing styles
- family drama
- twists
- quick reads

The Heiress
Rachel Hawkins
Jan. 9, 2024
St, Martins Press
* thriller /mystery
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion,
I loved this book and will gladly recommend it. This story was fast paced and kept me reading, loved the dysfunctional family and getting the different POVs from Camden, Jules, and Ruby. This book has short chapters which also drew me in. Do not miss reading this book!,
5 stars