Quick read, couldn't put it down. The story is told through the point of view of Camden, Ruby McTavish's sole heir, her adopted son. Camden has spent his entire adult life running away from Tavistock, NC, and running from the evils that lurk behind the walls of his childhood home. Escaping the ghosts of his past, he's landed in Colorado with his wife of ten-years, Jules.

We meet Jules as his wife however, she is more connected to the whole story, we just have to be patient to figure out how. In Colorado, Jules is over her quiet, unassuming life. Her job frustrates her. She doesn't have many friends, some co-workers who have become friends but, for the most part, it is just her and Cam. When Cam's past is dredged up and they need to make a trek across the country to North Carolina, Jules has more invested in this trip than we think. Jules has her eyes set on fortune and riches far beyond anything she. has ever seen in her life.

This story may give some context to the age-old adage that, money doesn't buy happiness but, it can buy you all the things that could lead to your happiness, right? Both Cam and Jules set out across the country to find out of everything that glitters at Ashby House, is really gold.

I look forward to reading more from Rachel Hawkins.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

This was an engaging, mysterious book with a great sense of atmosphere - I love when a setting is almost its own character, like the house is in this book (and in the author's previous book, The Wife Upstairs). This is not a twisty turny book - at no point was I totally shocked, but I was hooked. It's a slow, creeping kind of intrigue that kept me reading.

Ruby McTavish went missing in the woods when she was 3 years old. She was found 8 months later in another state and returned home. Ruby grows up on the family’s huge estate called Ashby House. She is married four different times, with each husband dying under mysterious circumstances. Ruby adopted a son named Camden, who has moved away and is married to Jules. They have been married for ten years and live quietly in Colorado where Camden teaches high school English. Camden wants nothing to do with his dysfunctional family or the wealth they have. When his cousin reaches out to him and urges him to come to Ashby House, Camden and Jules decide to go. Camden has inherited the estate and fortune from Ruby, so he is the one responsible for its upkeep. Jules is eager to see the estate and meet the people that live there. We also find out about Ruby’s life, through letters she has written to someone over the years. We find out the true details of each of her marriages. The book is written from different points of view - Jules, Camden and Ruby. I found the story intriguing and the interactions between the characters quite interesting. The book moves along quickly, especially with the use of the short chapters. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for a quick, pleasurable read. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think Rachel Hawkins has mastered the uneasy. Things always turn weird quickly, but her main characters are always ready to plunge ahead with an ambitious (but wary) attitude. The Heiress is no different. The main characters are the recently deceased Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (4 husbands), her adopted son Camden, and his wife Jules. Ruby’s inclusion in this story is mostly through the letters she’s written that are shared throughout the book. She explains her life and her wishes for Camden’s life. However, Cam is insistent that he wants nothing to do with her nine-figure fortune or the multi-generational mansion she’s left to him. Conversely, Jules is ready to accept the lavish gift and enjoy every minute of it. After successfully convincing Cam to return home and iron out the details with his extended McTavish family, the couple packs up their car and heads to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As with most extended families, there’s tension from the beginning. Ruby’s sister was completely ignored in the will, along with her son and grandchildren, and she’s ready to fight for what she wants. Cam is immediately forced into the middle, trying to balance the pleas coming from all sides. As the story progresses, everyone starts getting a little more on edge, a little more indignant, a little more … desperate.
Hawkins expertly showed each character’s frustrations and wants. As I read, I could feel the tensions rising and rising as I got closer to the conclusion. Everything was perfectly primed for the twisted ending, and I gasped at every reveal. After finishing the book, I literally had to sit for a moment and collect myself, which is all I want out of a mystery! Add in the creepy mansion in the mountains, a confusing family tree, and an old-fashioned kidnapping, and it’s got everything you need for a fun (if slightly insane) story. If you’re looking for a book you’ll be thinking about all week, pick this one up! For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Heiress" is my first Rachel Hawkins read and I found it enjoyable. It is a gothic mystery with themes of affluence, family, and deception. Recommended for fans of Hawkins as well as readers who love gothic thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! This is the second book I’ve read by Rachel Hawkins and it did not disappoint.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book - it kept me guessing with all of the twists and turns! Once I got to a certain point in the book, I could not put it down. The dual POV, bouncing back and forth between current day and flashbacks into the past through Ruby and her letters, was very entertaining. An incredibly thrilling read!

I devoured this book. The twists and turns, I couldn't put it down. This gave me a book hangover as well, I had a hard time starting a new thriller after finishing this. I really enjoy Rachel Hawkins books.

I am going to be thinking about this one for a while! I was so entranced by the different narrators that this one flew by. I particularly enjoyed the confessions from Ruby compared with the modern day exploration of the estate. This one definitely kept me guessing and I didn't see the twists coming.

A juicy familial soap opera, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Heiress. Having read Rachel Hawkins' previous novel, The Villa (which I did like, just that it was nowhere near the thrill it was being advertised as), I had my expectation set low, ready for another slow-burn drama, with the lightest dash of mystery. To my delight, while the core elements remained the same, they were dialed in perfectly this time around, with the right amount of gothic atmosphere, larger-than-life moments, and snarky humor. The way the plot unfold was its strongest strength: multiple POVs and epistolary format really kept the experience fresh, even if most of its reveals were not overly surprising on their own—I was here for the journey, not necessarily the outcome.

While I cannot fully vouch for this comparison (since I've not read any novels from this author), but The Heiress has the feel of what I expect from a V. C. Andrews story (themes of family secret, old family money, grooming, etc.). As an easy pick-me-up that's a little formulaic, but well executed, The Heiress hits the spot.

I really enjoyed this novel. I did not see the twists coming and I was heavily invested in the characters and the relationships between them.

A common trend with Hawkins’ books seems to be an upsell of the gothic genre but none of her books have satisfied those requirements for me as a reader. Delving into this book, I expected a suspenseful thriller but it was slow moving and lacking intrigue for most of the novel.
Hawkins’ writing always keeps me engaged, but I never feel fully satisfied at the end. Maybe it’s not gothic enough for me or maybe I am expecting something else based on the blurbs that never seem to match up. Either way, the book really picked up towards the end - though it may have wrapped up a little tightly.

I was not wowed by this book. There is a tangled web of lies and manipulation, but it was neither thrilling nor particularly mysterious to watch the web unwind. There weren’t any twists or shocking reveals. Everyone is a terrible person and they did terrible things to each other to preserve themselves. I don’t particularly care for books that use letters to reveal important details, and this book used both letters and newspaper articles as a crutch to tell the meat of the story. I’d recommend skipping this one.

Camden McTavish hasn't been home in over a decade. There are simply too many ghosts roaming the halls of Ashby House, not to mention a hateful aunt and two leechy cousins who see Camden as a thief and outsider. When Cam's wife talks him into going home, things get super weird. And then they get even weirder.

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and it will not be my last. There were so many compelling things in this book. First, Baby Ruby, lost in the woods and recovered from a family in Alabama almost a year later. But... really? Next, Ruby has written letters, sprinkled throughout the book, chronicling her marriages that are alike in only one way: they were all super messed up. Then, there's the vicious, spiteful aunt and her two affluenza-infected devil spawn grandchildren. Everyone has made mistakes, committed misdeeds, everyone harbors secrets. This young couple has dropped their entire lives to move halfway across the country and... bury the hatchet? The prize everyone is fighting over is a massive fortune and those who have it don't want it, those who want it can't have it. The tension in this book penetrates every aspect of the story and it's tight enough to snap at any moment. And just when you think you've got things figured out there's a twist. The twists are so tiny and yet so significant. You won't be able to pull yourself away.

I love suspense/thrillers and I used to love gothic romances, this book is a bit of a combination of the two genres, certainly more suspense than romance but more than a little gothic. If you enjoy that type of novel this is definitely a great one to check out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Rachel Hawkins has really come into her own. This book is her best one yet!

When Jules' husband gets a letter from his family that he is needed at home, she is ready to pack up her small abode in Colorado and move to the Appalachian mountains. Where she finds an uninviting family and a large estate that belongs to her husband.

This story goes between a wealthy heiress starting in the 1950's and present day Jules. The heiress has four dead husbands but is she to blame? And Jules seems a little too eager to pick up and move, are they both innocent or do they have something to hide?

If you like unreliable narrators, parallel timelines and twisty plots then this is the one for you!

Another twisty novel from Rachel Hawkins. The one thing I also expect, is the unexpected and Hawkins delivers again with "The Heiress." A story of money and family, and everything between. The best part, the secrets unfold until the very last page.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t draw me in like I had hoped. This is my 2nd Rachel Hawkins book and I was not super impressed with the first one either. I wish I could get into them like others do, but I just don’t think she’s for me.
Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read The Heiress!

This highly entertaining novel keeps the surprises coming. A multi-generational family of great wealth, with a full set of unpleasant--and dangerous--members and a mansion to rival that of the Vanderbilt's nearby Biltmore estate, dominates the nearby town as well as the adopted orphan boy who, through the machinations of Ruby (the titular heiress) has inherited it all as an adult--much to the extreme displeasure of the others. Having lived on the other side of the country for ten years to escape them, he now returns with his young wife only to find the nest of vipers he grew up in is still waiting to strike. Through Ruby Kenmore's own letters, we learn about each of her many marriages and how she came to be called Mrs. Kill-more. But there are yet more surprises and deceptions waiting, right up to the end. Masterful writing makes this atmospheric novel a great pleasure to read!

Posted to Goodreads on August 17, 2023
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5775439226

Finished this one in 24 hours! I loved the way it was written between Cam and Jules’ perspectives but we also got letters from Ruby and news articles that filled in more gaps of the story. It’s always fun when you can’t figure out if you should be rooting for the main characters or what secrets they are hiding. I loved the way the story unfolded and kept me interested from start to finish. Can’t wait for it to be released so I can recommend it to my friends.

Give me all the Gothic Suspense! I liveee for books like this.

I really enjoyed this one. This gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes - but better (in my opinion, because your girl loves to solve some murders!) I loved the author's sense of humor and writing style. I loved the FMC. I loved that it was a short read and the author kept up the pace so I stayed engaged and curious. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book, and I look forward to adding more to my library.

You can get your copy of The Heiress on January 9, 2024.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

QUICK SYNOPSIS:
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. In the aftermath of her death, that estate―along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish―pass to her adopted son, Camden.

After The Villa, I thought Rachel had written her best suspense/thriller, but with The Heiress, I think she tops it. Characters that you love, or hate, or love to hate, or hate that you love...everyone with secrets and their own agenda. I didn't suspect the midpoint twist, or the final turn and big reveal, which made them all the more enjoyable. The way she writes about Ashby House and its residents, you believe even the seemingly outrageous could come to pass. Another enjoyable read that kept me turning the page, looking for more and more about the McTavish family. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.