The Villa is fantastic! So many twists and turns make this an unforgettable thriller! Thank you for the opportunity to review this book , NetGalley!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins press for the ARC of this one! I have read many other books by Hawkins and I have to say this one overall is the most engaging I’ve read. I liked the surprising twists and turns and the multiple POVs. I have to say, the ending was definitely a surprise for me! Overall, I enjoyed the story and it makes for a fun thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved The Villa by Rachel Hawkins so I was so excited to received an ARC of The Heiress!
Heiress to one of North Carolina's largest fortunes, Ruby McTavish has lived an eventful life. Kidnapped at the age of 3 and later in life surviving 4 husbands, Ruby's life and fortune fascinates the world. When later in life she adopted an orphaned boy, she summoned the wrath of her family members, who lost the right to their inheritance.
However, her son, Camden, never fit with the wealthy and scheming McTavishes and cut ties with them as soon as he reached adulthood. Ten years later, after Ruby's death, Camden is lured back to the family manor, Ashby House, encouraged by his wife Jules who is curious about her husband's family and past. During their visit, old grudges resurface and family secrets are revealed.
The story is told through 3 different point of views: Camden, Jules, and the letters left behind by Ruby before her death.

This was such a fun read and I could not put it down. Ruby's letters were the most exciting point of view to read and reminded me of TJR's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This story was full of twists and turns, which kept me very engaged, even though I found them predictable at times. This is a very entertaining and fast paced book that I definitely recommend!

I absolutely LOVED this book. A five star read for me, which is pretty rare! I basically read this in one sitting - I was so drawn into the story and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the addition of the newspaper articles, stories, and letters throughout the novel. It adds a fun element and is a creative way to further the plot and tell the story/past from other perspectives.

I also enjoyed the connection I gained through the characters breaking the fourth wall. Hawkins did it in a fun and tasteful way that really draws you in as a reader. There was such a deep and complicated web of twists and secrets (which mirrored the twisted history and past of the McTavish family very well). When I thought the big reveal was coming up…turns out there was another one! I was able to see some of the twists coming, but overall couldn’t predict exactly how the book was going to end.

📚 Overall, this is definitely one of my top books this year. If you are a fan of thrillers, definitely add this on to your tbr list!

Imagine that you were taken from poverty to be adopted by a rich woman who had a habit of marrying men who died under questionable circumstances. Imagine how this woman's family would feel, knowing that an outsider would inherit what they considered their own birthright--and then imagine taking on those oh-so-jealous family members alone once your adoptive mother died and left you everything.

Camden has been avoiding dealing with his remaining family for the entire decade since his mother, the infamous Ruby McTavish, died and left him her fortune and the estate that sits in the town named after her family. Now, though, he's finally been convinced by his cousin and his wife Jules to come home and do what needs to be done.

Jules understands Camden's reluctance to step back into his family, but she cannot grasp why he has no interest in the power or the wealth that comes with his inheritance. She's excited to be going to Ashby House finally--and doesn't even care how rude Camden's aunt and cousins are.

Behind the scenes, though, Ruby McTavish is still at work, reaching out through letters, detailing her loves and her crimes, her hopes for her son, and her questions about her own history. Camden and Jules are keeping secrets from each other--and maybe even from themselves--as well. Will it all come to a head before Jules and Camden can straighten out the picture of neglect that Ashby House has become, or before one of his parasitic family members manages to accomplish what they have wanted done for so many years?

Rachel Hawkins' The Heiress is a true powerhouse of a book. It's got it all: letters from beyond the grave, backstabbing, kidnapping, dead husbands, and sly confessions. I've generally enjoyed Hawkins' books, but this one is her best so far.

Hands down to one of my top reads of 2023. I adore the writing style of Rachel Hawkins. I have read almost all of her books and they are all great!

But this one is the best! I loved Ruby McTavish and Camden so much. But I should say all the characters were well developed and the plot was so refreshing.

The relationship between Ruby and Andrew was so adorable. I liked how Ruby said " I hope you never have to watch the one person you love most in the world, the person who loves you just as fiercely in return, lose that love, day by day, bit by bit, a steady draining away until there's nothing left"

Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

The Heiress is the page turner I have come to expect from Rachel Hawkins. Her smartly written characters are perfect. The entitled rich kids we all love to hate and the poor, kind adopted family member. I was not prepared for the books twists and turns, but I guess money can really bring out the worst in everyone.

This was really fun and fast-paced but not as specifically appealing to me as some of her past thrillers. I was really intrigued at the beginning, and I love that we get both perspectives of the main couple. Just enough easter eggs were dropped to make the ending surprising and satisfying. I found the letters to be a relatively weak plot device.

It only took a couple of chapters for me to not trust anyone in this book. It kept me hooked and guessing the whole time. The multiple points of view made this even more interesting and the pacing was perfect. I loved every second I spent reading this!

Wow! and Wow again! This book kept me enthralled reading every single page. What a family! What a story!

The MacTavishes are quite a group. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (yes she was the bearer of that many names having been married four times!) and the matriarch of the family. She knows what she wants and gets it too! Ruby had initially been kidnapped as a young child, but is eventually found a year later and returned to her loving (?) home.

Ruby has just passed in the story and her adopted son, Camden, much to the ire of the rest of the family, is to inherit her massive fortune, and the gorgeous Ashby House, palatial home to the family.

Camden and his wife live in Colorado in a rental home, he being a teacher and she, Jules, is a care giver. Camden wants nothing to do with the family, the house, or the fortune, but is convinced to make a trip home. In this trip and when they reach Ashby House, the times of both Ruby and Camden are revealed and we fully realize why Camden wants to stay far away from this family of vipers. What a bunch of sleaze!

However, the story is one that twists and turns in the turmoil of a life that has seen death and murder. It is one that makes the reader wonder, it is nature or nurture that propels a person.

It was an addictive read and one that kept me so involved in the story that hours passed like they were minutes. If you enjoy the thriller genre, then this book is right up you lane.

Thanks so much to Rachel Hawkins who flawlessly put together all the strings of this tale, St Martin's Press, ad NetGalley for a copy of this seductive tale, due out in January of 2024.

I cannot recommend this thriller from Rachel Hawkins enough! The pacing was wonderfully quick, and the twists and turns kept me perpetually engaged. Even though there was a large cast of characters, Hawkins did a wonderful job of developing their character arcs and entangling their lives and deceptions. She successfully created doubt about each of the characters and never fully let the reader root for a specific person, which I personally found very fun and thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to many more thrillers from Hawkins in the future!

Loved this book! Never saw the twist until I read it! Loved how the story intertwined and you had just read the next page I couldn’t put it down.

This was a very entertaining book, with a few surprising twists. I enjoyed the North Carolina setting, and discovering the secrets being concealed by several of the characters. Rachel Hawkins is becoming one of those reliable authors, whose books you can count on to be good. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great read!
Money, secrets and an iconic house.
Cam the heir to the McTavish fortune is brought back home after trying to escape the darkness the house holds.
We learn the secrets of the previous heiress…. a few skeletons in the closet.
This was a quick read for me because I just couldn't put it down. Oh the twists! Some you could see coming, some your couldn’t and some didn’t go the way you thought!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I truly wanted to love this book! The cover is spectacular and the blurb truly hooked me. Due to it being advertised as a thriller, I kept expecting a shocking reveal to occur and it never did.

The book felt a little flat and all over the place at times. It was interesting enough to keep me entertained until the end in hopes of it all being wrapped into a nice bow to make it make sense.

2.5 stars for me.

This is the second book I have read from Rachel Hawkins, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will definitely be adding any of her future books to my auto-buy list from this point forward. Camden McTavish spent his life as the adopted son of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, North Carolina's wealthiest woman. When his adoptive mother dies, Camden is the sole heir to her fortune--but he wants no part of it. Camden's wife, Jules, has other ideas. Featuring multiple twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end, I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy.

They don't say the love of money is the root of all evil for nothing. The McTavishes have it all: money, notoriety, a gorgeous home. But that doesn't seem to be enough for any of them, except Cam. And he's not even related by blood. There's death, deceit, drama, and so much more within these pages.

I couldn't tell you the last time I read a book so fast. So many secrets and twists I didn't see coming. This book is wild, in the best ways. That Ruby is one sneaky broad.

Many many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an ARC of this title that I very much enjoyed. Publication Date: January 9, 2024.

I was pulled into the story from the start, however, I wasn't captivated by the story in the end. I found parts to be a bit repetitive and the story not very thrilling for the most part. I thought it to be more of a family drama. I really liked some other books by this author so I will pick up the next one, even though this one wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Heiress is an exciting, twisty thriller that will have you guessing until the end. Hawkins creates a world you can dive into, bringing to life characters you hate to love and love to hate. The dual timeline, carried out through the use of letters, is a brilliant way to pull the past into the present. This gripping story is sure to leave all readers wondering - how far would you go for a fortune?