Member Reviews

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!

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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!

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

Quick take: 3 stars. House is still right - everybody lies. Rich people problems. A lot of build up for revelations that just made me say ok duh.

Was this review helpful?

3 stars.

I don't seem to have much luck loving a Rachel Hawkins book though none of them have been bad they have all just kind of been ok for me. This one was no differTold in ent. It is set in North Carolina and follows a woman who disappeared as a child and that set the stage for her life. She ended up getting married and was widowed 4 times adopted Camden, who was her heir. He eventually goes home to deal with it but lots of secrets start to come out.

Told from letters revealing the past and stuff happening in the present. Overall it was an ok read and I think if you liked her other books you will like this one too.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

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.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Loved it from start to finish.

Was this review helpful?

I was sucked into this book so quickly, and couldn't get enough of it. I loved how twisty and fun it was. It's a quick read, and you won't be disappointed.

Was this review helpful?

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins has become my favorite novel of hers so far.

This quick read brings you in on the inner-workings of a rich and dysfunctional family. You will get a glimpse into an Heiress’ life and her family.

- Missing child ☑️
- Estranged family members ☑️
- Unexplained deaths ☑️

I wouldn’t have minded a little bit more on the side characters. May have added another element of intrigue if we got more of who they were as individuals.

Thank you #NetGalley and #stmartinspress for an arc of #TheHeiress in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins which is why I was very excited to read this book! While I did think this book was good, I thought there were also a lot of unnecessary twists. With all of these twists, I found myself getting lost at times. Again I did think this book was good, but I don’t feel like this is a book I would recommend that my friends MUST read.

Was this review helpful?

I went into this book with mixed feelings after loving The Wife Upstairs until the ending. And sadly I just don’t think Rachel Hawkins is the writer for me. I ended up annoyed with the family drama and just didn’t care.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the way this book was written from so many perspectives. This book has twists and turns, family drama, secrets, trauma, love, and triumph, what more could someone want in a book from this genre.

I cared what happened to Cam and Jewels, and while some of the things that happen to them is predictable, other things are slowly revealed to the reader. I wanted to keep "turning the page" to know what would happen next, and I was thrilled that what I wanted to happen was the end result!
Also, it is hard to talk about this one without giving away spoilers.
Fans of family drama, mystery, and hea will like this work by Rachel Hawkins.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I was quickly wrapped up in this mystery. The gothic feel of the old mansion, the family secrets, and most especially in the letters! The Heiress was a wholly satisfying story..

Was this review helpful?

I adored The Villa, so I was going to read the next Rachel Hawkins book. When I read the description, my brain melted. This book is A LOT. There are so many characters and SO MUCH plot. And it WORKS. I loved every minute of this audiobook and WILD RIDE. the twists kept coming. I'm determined to be a Hawkins completist.

Was this review helpful?

Her stories are always entertaining even if I am not a huge lover in the end. Not all stories are meant to be deeply serious and boring and im.thankful.for that. Just like I'm thankful that entertaining stories like these exist

Was this review helpful?

4.5 ⭐️
I still trying to process this story! I read this author before and never disappoint me, but with this one she really caught me completely. The ending was chefs kiss.

Days after finishing this story I am still wondering about what I read. Who are really the good guys or the bad guys? How much do the truths we discover define us? What to do with the secrets and lies we discover? Definitely all those questions keep me remembering this story, especially because of the outcome. How well the author put it all together and I couldn't be happier with that ending.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely love the previous books by Rachel Hawkins and this was not an exception. It was a twisty and fun read that I enjoyed!

Was this review helpful?

An exciting and twisted story! Love Rachel Hawkins and her crazy stories! Full of twists and turns, this story was dark, tense, and kept me engaged the whole time.

Was this review helpful?

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins was the first thriller I ever read and really got me into reading. That being said, I have found her books to be hit or miss after that. But somehow I continue to go back and read them all. I am happy to say that The Heiress was a hit.

The Heiress has mystery, family drama, family secrets all involved. And is written beautifully. It isn’t your normal fast paced-heart pounding thriller. But I still finished it quickly. I guessed one part but there were so many secrets that I was shocked. I will recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?