The Heiress was a fun, gloomy mystery. I found the first half very slow going, but enjoyed it greatly when the pace increased and we get to the bottom of some of the secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Oooh this one is twisty and full of secrets! It grabbed me from the first page because I felt like it was describing me a little bit when talking about how we get obsessed when someone gets lost in mountains. I am always constantly checking for news when this happens around me. So I think this is my favorite Rachel Hawkins to date. The McTavishes are down right wicked! It's dual POV and also some letters and media mixed in. I enjoyed the way the reader was addressed directly. And the ending just added a bit more to think about!

This is my second Rachel Hawkins book after The Villa, and this shared some of my favorite elements - morally grey characters, multiple overlapping stories, pervasive paranoia, and a vivid setting. I found the beginning slow, verging on too slow, but the pay off was worth it. I felt physically tense during the scene in the dining room.

One of my qualms with the beginning was the overuse of ominous foreshadowing. I felt like the suspense and the strength of the characters were enough to propel the story forward without the repetition of lines like "I haven't told him my greatest secret, I hope he forgives me," etc.

At the end of the day, though, what's not to love about a story where the underlying theme is "wealthy bastards get their comeuppance"?

Another great Rachel Hawkins book! Family rivalries, murder and a creepy mansion, yes please. Entertaining and a fun read with many twists and turns. Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

I enjoyed this thriller by Rachel Hawkins, however it did not quite grip me as much as some others I have read. There really wasn’t a single likeable character (which I am okay with in a Thriller), but the characters were SO dislikable that I found it hard to care what happened on way or another. I really did not see the twists and turns coming at all, so that was definitely a plus for this book! All in all an easy thriller read but one I am not likely to be thinking about months from now. I am however excited to read more from this author!

I loved the character dynamics throughout this book! Just when I thought I had it figured out something else would happen to prove me wrong. It was a quick read and kept me interested until the very end!

Rachel Hawkins does it again, weaving a tale of family - both chosen and inherited by blood, maybe. With a mix of past, present, and news clippings, The Heiress is a quick read following multiple perspectives. You never quite know what the "whodunit" is until the very end and it is certainly a surprise.

Wow! I finished this in one sitting. The characters were surprising but definitely make you feel some things! That story line was amazing! I enjoyed the story being told from different viewpoints and in different ways. 10/10 highly recommend!

There were so many twists and turns that I did not predict in this book!!!! The toxic family dynamics, the many secrets between literally every character in the book, and the jaw-dropping plot twists made this such an entertaining read. The different POVs made the characters so dynamic. There were some moments when I did get a little lost in the plot, but overall I enjoyed this read!

Synopsis: Ruby McTavish was a very wealthy and very notorious woman. Kidnapped as a little girl and returned to her family months later, and then married and widowed four times, she made quite a name for herself in North Carolina. Upon her death ten years ago, she left everything to her adopted son, Cam. Cam chose to move across the country and ignore his fortune until the death of his uncle prompts him and his wife, Jules, to return home and face his family and all the reasons he left. What secrets lie hidden in Ashby House?

Thoughts: This was such a smart and compelling thriller told through three distinct perspectives: Cam and Jules in present day, and Ruby via letters written before her death (and can I just say I couldn’t get enough of Ruby’s sass!). All three have secrets to hide, and the reader is left unsure of who to trust as the mysteries begin to unravel. The tone was ominous throughout, with the backdrop of Ashby House the perfect level of creepy, and the fast-paced short chapters kept me turning the pages. If you’re in the mood for an escapist read that will have you getting lost in the pages, look no further!

Read this if you like:
💎 dysfunctional families
💎 multiple POVs
💎 skeletons in the closet
💎 lifestyles of the rich and famous
💎 unreliable narrators

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (she was married four times and each one of her husbands died under suspicious circumstances) dies her fortune is passed to her surviving adopted son Cameron. He doesn’t want anything to do with his inheritance but after 10 years he’s forced to face his demons. He heads back to Ashby house with his wife Jules and begins to learn the past of his adoptive mother (who is also famous for being kidnapped and returned when she was 3). He’s met with resentment from his cousins and aunt who said he’s not the true heir because he’s adopted. Everyone is hiding something. It’s a home full of secrets.

Hawkins does it again with this twisty novel that kept me guessing until the end. Lots of twists that I didn’t see coming and some did. I love a story about a dysfunctional family who is out to get one another. Add in a notorious lady who was married and widowed four times and you have yourself a heart pounding novel. I thought Ruby’s letters added a lot to the story because it gives the reader just enough to begin to piece together what was going on. This was such a fun, fast read. I recommend it. Especially if you loved her other novels.

Another excellent thriller from Rachel Hawkins. I was so excited to get this earc and I think it fits right in with her other thrillers as silly fun reads.

4 stars for The Heiress!! A suspenseful story of Ruby who has a twisted and mysterious past in a North Carolina town. Full of surprises and twists, this story kept me intrigued from the beginning! I enjoyed the author’s character development and found myself getting lost in her deep descriptions. As a fan of the other books, this one did not disappoint.

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.