Thanks to NetGalley, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a greatly written, clever, twisty novel revolving around secrets, money, greed, murder, & most of all family. What is it that makes family, well, family? I don’t want to give anything away so all I’m going to say is read this book!!! Hands down my favorite book of Rachel’s so far. 5 stars from me.

Pub date: Jan 9, 2024 (my birthday 😉)

Welcome to the world of the rich an powerful McTavish family, where drama, secrets and murder await.

Ruby McTavish has passed away, leaving her fortune and estate - Ashby House, to her adoptive son, Camden. After 10 years, Camden wants nothing to do with the McTavishes, but he’s forced to go back after Ruby’s passing.

Jules, Camden’s wife, is anxious to know more about Camden’s past. So Camden, hesitant to go back, takes her to Ashby House. Jules claims she didn’t know much about Camden’s past. But did she really not know?

The story’s told in dual POV - Camden’s and Jules’. Along some confession letters by Ruby. Fast pace and super entertaining. Suspense will keep you turning pages until you figure it all out!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rachel Hawkins has done it again. In the supremely dark and un-put-downable novel, we are begrudgingly taken to the mountains of North Carolina when Cam returns to his family home bringing Jules, his wife, along with him.

Cam has loathed his family and they, him. After his adopted mother, Ruby, dies, he cuts ties, doesn’t touch his rather large inheritance, and takes off to the other side of the country. But his cousin Ben has reached out ten years after Ruby’s death with a plea to come back home and help fix the house that’s fallen into disrepair. Still residing in Ashby, the stately home Can abandoned, are Nelle, Ruby’s younger sister, and her grandchildren - Ben and Libby. All freeloaders and the absolutely definition of white, wealthy privilege. While Cam has previously been able to ignore and delete all communication from his family members, this email from Ben sticks.

The story is told in present day alternating views - from Cam and Jules, letters from Ruby the year of her death, and various news articles about the McTavish family (specifically Ruby). I loved this concept as it kept my mind seeking connections between what we’d read in present day to what was being shown to us from the past.

The twists and turns in this book, while somewhat predictable, were a delight! The story as a whole is one I’ve never read before and I enjoyed imagining Ashby house and the land surrounding.

Great read! This book kept me on my toes and kept me guessing! I love Rachel Hawkins and I think this new book is one of her best ones yet. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ve read everything by Rachel Hawkins & this might be my favorite!

Throughout the book, you truly don’t know who is good and who is bad- impossible to put down!

Somehow she made 3 POVs manageable- I truly loved this one!

I loved this! I devoured the story within a few days, indicating it was a great read. I enjoyed the premise and the multiple POVs that build up to the plot twists and the ending.

It was like a puzzle trying to figure out who each character was and what they did.

I enjoyed The Villa, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read the advanced reader's copy of this book. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for honest review.

4.5 to 5 stars

A great suspense book with SO many twists. The story centers around Ruby McTavish who is kidnapped as a small child from an esteemed, wealthy family. As the story unfolds you learn of all the dark secrets of Ruby's life including her adopted son, Camden. Is a large inheritance always as good as it seems? This book kept me engrossed from the beginning with several twists I didn't see coming.

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars on this, but I’m rounding up. Man, I was guessing through this whole book. Even the last little secrets we get at the very end had my jaw hanging. This was eerie, a little crazy, and really great.

I’d say if I have any critiques, it’s just that it started kind of slow for me. About 45% of the way in, I was finally really hooked though.

I enjoyed this quite a lot. It kept my interest, kept me guessing, and was well-written. I didn't take it too seriously, and was more interested in the modern day chapters than the ones from the past. Clearly the writer is well-skilled and plots a good story.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book will keep you on your toes. Rachel Hawkins has done it again. The family secrets run deep and there are a lot of them. You will not expect the twists and turns the characters go through in this book. Cam and his wife return to his childhood home only to find out not a lot has changed,…or has it?

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

When Cam McTavish returns to his family home in North Carolina, he brings along his wife, Jules, who has never met his family or seen the family home. The home turns out to be Ashby House, the multi-storied mansion built by Cam's ancestor. The home sits on a mountain top near the small town of Tavistock, NC. Cam agreed to return after his many years of absence in order to assist with repairs and to help straighten family issues. Though Cam knows his family members well, he is not prepared for all that ensues. No one has changed. Murder is still part of the family. Layer after layer unfolds. Surprise after suprise occurs until the very end. Rachel Hawkins knows how to tell a story and this one is especially twisty and hard to put down. My thanks to the author and St. Martin's Press for the ARC I received in exchange for my opinion. I recommend this one, to be be published 2/9/24.

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first book of the authors and I definitely want to check out her other books.

The story alternates from the perspective of Camden (a 30 year old living in Colorado who is the adopted son of a wealthy woman named Ruby), his wife Jules (one who is desperate for her and her husband to be more financially stable, and to get to know a part of her husband that she has never known- his family), and tell all letters/newspaper clippings from Ruby McTavesh herself (a woman married four times and all of her husbands have passed who herself experienced a traumatic experience as a child when she goes missing from her wealthy home and is found with another family claiming that they are her family). This story is full of family drama, "who can I trust?", "what happened to her husbands?" trying to decipher what actually happened vs what you are being told, and the story of how money can impact relationships. I loved the different surprises that unfolded throughout the book and the author does a great job of describing each character in a way that makes you feel as though you know them well. Would recommend if you like family drama with some good twists!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Available January 9, 2024

I read this book in a day, it was captivating and kept me engaged. The twists and turns were very unexpected and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve read other books by this author, but this one was effortless. I had lived in North Carolina years ago and it helped me feel more connected to the book. I would/will definitely recommend.

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins book! It’s full of twists, intrigue and family drama. The story is told in three points of view - Ruby, Camden and Jules.

Ruby is an heiress and multimillionaire who owns Ashby House. She adopted Camden as a child and showered him with money and gifts. But Camden didn’t fit in with the family, at least that’s what he was constantly told by his cousins, because they wanted the inheritance. So Camden left that toxic environment and vowed never to return. Jules is Camden’s wife and she has a few secrets of her own. Of course, she wouldn’t mind being an heiress herself, but that will take some doing.

Interspersing chapters consist of letters from Ruby, to an unknown recipient, spilling secrets to her past life. These letters are the best part of the story, in my opinion.

This story is about family greed and the lengths people will go for a piece of that pie. It’s complicated and it’s heavy, but oh so good! You can pick up your copy on January 29, 2024.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this 5-star book.

Another amazing Rachel Hawkins novel! I loved the gothic vibes and the spooky feel of this book. I was hooked from the beginning and had a hard time putting the book down. I really enjoy reading different perspectives and working to put the pieces of the puzzle together along with the characters and this book delivered on that! Can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

Fans of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo AND suspense novels will fall quickly for The Heiress. Rachel Hawkins as a master at letting you think you know the story, but you don’t. Till the end, this was an engaging story that kept me guessing.

I have enjoyed other books by this author so I was excited to get this book early. It did not disappoint! I think this will be a hit!

3.75/5⭐️’s

This book is one of the few out there that was a continuously interesting and was put together SO WELL. The first 60% was a bit slow for me, I cared so little for the present story and more for Ruby’s. But oh my god when that family got together the letters and the current situation blended so seamlessly, I’m genuinely and pleasantly surprised. It was twisty without going overboard and I enjoy this so so much!!

The Heiress is a dark, twisted thriller full of secrets and lies . Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore was an heiress whose life was surrounded by rumors from not being the true Tavistock heir to tales of being a black widow. Ten years after her death, her adopted son Camden is pressured to return home to Ashby house to deal with his family and his inheritance after his uncle’s passing. Vicious relatives and family drama drive a secret leaden tale where greed rules and family means something besides blood. Full of suspense and surprises, the story passes quickly in a jaw dropping tale of altering points of view that leave a lasting impression. This book is a stay up too late reading, page turning delight from an author who should be on every must read shelf. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

In the aftermath of the infamous Ruby McTavish’s death, her estate, fortune, and complicated family legacy, goes to her adopted son Camden, who wants nothing to do with it—or the surviving McTavishes.

Though of course family duty, and more deaths, draws him back in. And this time his eager wife is along for the ride.

Decent pacing with one twist that did surprise me. Reminds me of “Seven Husbands,” just not committed enough to the darkness of the plot to stay exciting. Even some of the characters don’t seem as committed to carrying out their schemes.