Rachel Hawkins is one of my must read authors, and The Heiress did not disappoint! Cam is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the legendary matriarch of Ashby House in the small town of Tavistock. But Cam wants nothing to do with his family, or hsi fortune. Ten years later, Cam and his wife Jules are brought back into the fold, and Jules becomes obsessed with uncovering the various McTavish secrets. Told in Hawkins's perfected style of merging the past with the present, this book manages to tell two explosive stories in one. I thought I couldn't love Hawkins more than I did after The Villa, but I was wrong. This book is a 2024 must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I loved the setting of this story as I used to live in the Asheville area and felt like I could immediately connect. The story grabbed me from the start and did not let go until the end. I tried and was unsuccessful in figuring out where the story was going to go! I haven't stopped thinking about this story. I don't want to give any details away, but I suggest if you like fast paced mysteries to grab this book! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I liked this book!! I can picture the estate, the mansion, and there were tons of tricks and turns at every page! I even loved the weird family dynamics!

| Book Review |

Rachel Hawkins’ The Heiress brings us to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, home of the infamous MacTavish family. None so infamous as Ruby MacTavish, whose history includes a titillating story of a child kidnapped and later found. And did I mention her dead husbands? That got my attention, too. 

This story is told in the present from her son and daughter-in-laws point of view, spliced with snippets of letters from a now deceased Ruby as she shares the events of her past. Ruby’s letters were a highlight of the book for me. They were so interesting, and the way she was so matter of fact about relaying every juice detail was fascinating.

The Heiress had me in its thrall from page one. Ruby’s son, Ben, and his wife, Jules, are living a very modest lifestyle when he gets news that brings him back to his childhood stomping grounds, Ashby House. Once we’re introduced to his family, it quickly becomes clear why he left in the first place. From the beginning, Cam and Jules are obviously keeping secrets from each other. And while this often doesn’t work for me in Thrillers, it worked so well here. They were a messy couple who loved each other as they were, and I couldn’t help but like them despite my better judgment. The only criticism I have of the story is in regards to Ashby House. Building the house up until it was almost its own character could have really pushed this story over the top. The atmospheric hints were there, they just weren’t played up enough to make this book a prominent character, and I would have loved for this to be on par with other books I’ve read where the setting is such a focal point in the story. 

Parts of this book were predictable, though not enough to hinder my enjoyment. And while I was able to figure out some of the events of the story in advance, the title of the book threw me when it came to the end. It fit; it just didn’t play out the way I thought it was going to. But the ending was satisfying, and I can’t wait to read the next book Rachel Hakwins releases. If you’re a fan of the author’s previous works, especially The Wife Upstairs, I think you’ll enjoy The Heiress.

| Audiobook Review |

The Heiress was narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. This is a fantastic cast of audiobook narrators. They all did a fantastic job capturing the personalities and little hints of the characters, but I will say the highlight of the cast was the narrator for Ruby. The way she so nonchalantly conveyed the salacious details of Ruby's past was so accurate, and I loved every second of it. Having said that, I would recommend listening to any of them, or even better, all of them right here in The Heiress!

I love this book. I loved the author, the plot was gripping. This was a great 4 star read and I am obsessed

No one makes murder and high society secrets as fun as Rachel Hawkins. This book had it all. A kidnapping, multiple murders, high society family drama, toxic marriages, written confessions, EVERYTHING. I could not put it down.
No character is completely innocent, everyone is keeping secrets. I love how the book is told through multiple first person points of view, like they are talking right to the reader, explaining their side of the story. The characters also have every ounce of humor, slyness, wit and well roundedness that we have all come to love from Hawkins.
The setting of this book almost feels like a character in and of itself. A gothic mansion in the hills of the Appalachian mountains, just outside a small town, lush forests full of wild animals. The perfect setting for a murder, or two or three...
If you love reading about scandal, this book is 100% for you!

Slow building book with excellent ending full of several twists that leave you un able to put it down.

4.5 stars

Ruby McTavish left her entire estate to her adopted son, Cameron, much to the dismay of the rest of her family. But Cam never wanted the life he was shown at Ashby House, and returning there all these years later with his wife Jules has only reiterated how horrible the rest of the McTavish family is. Through all the scandal, rumored murders, and power that money gave them, it’s also hard to walk away.

Rachel Hawkins’ books just keep getting better for me. Her last one, The Villa, had been my favorite so far. But this one was very close to 5 stars. I figured out one of the twists before the end, but that didn’t change how much I enjoyed the book. I loved Ruby’s letters in her point of view telling about the past, while we had both Cam and Jules’ POV for current time. But that last twist in the epilogue had me wanting even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book!

I can say that I loved this one!

We get 3 points of view:

The first one is from the letters written by the deceased heiress RubyMcTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. She was the sole owner of the McTavish's fortune. She was also abducted when she was a child and returned home to Ashby House after a year of being taken. Ruby never got along with her sister Nelle who seemed to be full of envy and jealousy towards her. Ruby was also married four times and all her husbands died. Did she kill them or did she just have bad luck in love?

The second one is from Camden. Ruby's adopted son. He was bullied while growing up by his cousin Ben and hated by Nelle. As soon as Ruby passed, Camden left for California. Leaving his inheritance behind and working as a teacher he is much happier especially when he meets his future wife, Jules. Then, he is summoned to come back to Ashby House after the passing of his step-uncle.

The third comes from Jules, Camden's wife. She can't wait to move into Ashby House. She feels they deserve the estate and they need to get rid of the people who made Camden's life hell. Yet, things are never that clear once they get there.

The Heiress is an atmospheric and full-of-intrigue novel with perfect-timing twists that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. A winner for sure!

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A true trust no one kind of vibe, that married a light gothic feel with lots of family drama and secrets thrown in. The Heiress would make a really interesting screen adaptation that I would watch in a second!

In my eyes Rachel Hawkins can do no wrong. I love all the different layers of story telling with the articles and letters throughout piecing together Ruby’s life before her passing. You really got a sense of who she was secrets and all. Ashby House in the Mountains boy if that house could talk. I love it when the House is another character in the story.

Thank you st Martin’s press and netgalley for an arc.

In the shadow of North Carolina's Blue Ridge mountains, the death of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore casts a long shadow over the small town of Tavistock. As the state's wealthiest and most controversial figure, Ruby's legacy is as complex as her name. Her life, marked by a notorious kidnapping, four deceased husbands, and her reign over Tavistock from the grand Ashby House, leaves behind a tangled inheritance that falls to her adopted son, Camden.

Cam, however, has spent the last decade distancing himself from the McTavish name and its burdensome heritage. Settled into a quiet life as an English teacher in Colorado with his wife, Jules, who harbors a desire to escape her own tumultuous past, Cam is content. Yet, the death of his uncle summons him back to Ashby House, a place of elegance and beauty, but also of haunting memories and unresolved family dynamics.

I've been reading Rachel since The Wife Upstairs and this one is on that level. Smart and fun, with intertwining mysteries and enough southern details to make this southern girl smile. An ominous and engaging thriller and a fantastic read.

Ruby McTavish is a widow four times over, and rumors are that some of her husbands didn't die natural deaths. When she dies she leaves her adopted son, Cam, everything, even though they are estranged and haven't seen each other in years. She has passed over family who feel they are more entitled to the McTavish family mansion and fortune, as actual McTavish blood runs through their veins. After a long absence, Cam and his wife Jules come back to claim his inheritance, and his aunt and cousins are not happy about this development.

The story has a present-day narrative running, where we learn about Cam, Jules, and the McTavish family. But we also get the narrative of Ruby's colorful life, through letters she leaves behind. In these letters, decades-old mysteries are cleared up and answered.

There was a lot going on in The Heiress, but the characters never fully engaged with me, so for this reason I rate it a 3 star for me. Those interested in Southern Gothic family drama will find a lot to enjoy here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Rachel Hawkins, Reckless Girls and The Villa. While this book explored truly intriguing themes, I had a hard time connecting with the story. However, that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other mystery/thriller lovers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Young couple Camden & Jules finally go back to the massive estate Camden's adoptive mother left him when she passed. Jules is excited to make the stately mansion their forever home, while Camden wants to get out of there as soon as possible. What secrets are the couple keeping from each other, and who will make it out alive?

This was a wonderfully windy ride down a mystery decades in the making, set against a gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop. This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins, and I did enjoy it although the ending was slightly predictable. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

It took me much longer than anticipated to read this one, but once I did, it was so easy to get wrapped up in the different POVs. The book also benefits from some juicy surprises that I wasn’t expecting. I highly recommend this one.

4.5 stars.

From the very beginning, you can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with the McTavish family. A great story that allowed you to visualize the home, the family, and the strange happenings in your mind. HIGHLY recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins is incredible at writing twisty thrillers I devour quickly. The perfect palate cleanser. This one is more of the same—heiress Ruby kidnapped as a young child and followed by dark rumours her entire life as she flies through husbands that seem to meet very unlucky ends. When she dies her entire family fortune is left to the son she adopted and his wife that has secrets of her own. But he doesn’t want it, and can she convince him to put up with his horrible relatives and claim what he’s owed?

Told through three POV—the son, the wife and Ruby we hear about her wild life and all these pieces fall into place. This book is fun, darkly funny, and one you must sustain your disbelief for. The rich people are behaving terribly and I love it.

Enjoyable read but one that hasn’t really stuck with me much. Hawkins is a fave mystery author of mine for a reason, I love how she tells a story through so many ways and moving parts. Usually I don’t love out of left field twists, but for some reason hers always work for me🤷🏻‍♀️.

Thank you, next!

I thought some of the concepts in this book were creative, but I didn't really feel a thrilling element. It honestly felt like a mashup of TJR's Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising.