Like Sand through the Hour Glass these are....in this instance its the family in The Heiress.

Talk about Drama, mystery, the craziness but most of all the twists and yet I loved every bit of this story.

A fast paced story with beautiful imagery of the Appalachians, i definitely recommend this for family dramas and mystery fans!

Thanks Netgalley and publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

For fans of Reckless Girls and The Villa…Murder, lies and family secrets- another twisty Hawkins thriller! A fabulously wealthy heiress Ruby adopts a boy and leaves him everything-the rest of the family is outraged. But Cam leaves the twisted hateful family, not wanting anything and intending to never go back. His only family now is his wife Jules- his soulmate and his everything. When his cousin Ben writes him to come home, Cam and Jules show up but the family hasn’t changed. Lies, twists and intrigue -discovering the truth might just kill them. I couldn’t read this fast enough and never guessed the ending! Thank you NetGalley for my advance digital copy!

“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.”
I love every Rachel Hawkins book, I think they’re so mysterious and fun. They always make for an engaging quick read. While I like all the POVs from this book it did leave me feeling like there wasn’t a whole lot of character development. I didnt feel all that connected to Jules and Cam like I normally like in my main characters, however because it is only a 300 page book I do feel like it was done very well and edited to perfection. Is it a book I will be thinking about a week from now? Probably not. But I don’t think a great book needs to be, it was fast paced, had great dialogue and good humor so I’ll give it a 4.5/5
This book comes out in early 2024. Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

The Heiress is one of those books where you think you know what you're getting, but you have absolutely no idea. The first few times I picked up this book I didn't have much time to sit down and really get into it. Once I made it about 1/4 of the way through, I started making time for this by willfully ignoring household chores just to read a few more chapters. That turned into staying up well past my bedtime to the point of blurry eyes.

As readers, we are set up with a bit of a mystery. Camden has no desire to visit his childhood home, but after the passing of a relative, he receives contact from his cousin encouraging him to come home. With a little nudge from his wife Jules, he agrees to return to the family estate.

This was skillfully written, and I would be quite surprised if you are able to figure out exactly how this ends before you finish the book.

Love everything by Rachel Hawkins and the heiress didn't disappoint. Really good! Loved the plot and characters, highly recommend for a good summer thriller read! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I could not put this book down! From the very beginning, I was drawn in. I needed to keep reading to find out what was really going on. Ruby had me fooled! Loved the twists and that the author kept me guessing. I would highly recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this copy, which I had the pleasure of reading.

When I first read the name of the main character, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller, I was hooked and never disappointed . Ruby was known to be the wealthiest woman in North Carolina and, upon her death, her survivors emerged, some willingly and some not so willingly.
Hawkins is a gifted storyteller. I especially enjoyed her writing through the characters' various points of view. The zigzagging of their stories were so imaginative. The darkness and distrust that permeated these pages kept me reading with no stopping. Thrilling read!

Ruby Mc Tavish is "not only North Carolina's richest woman, she's also its most notorious." She was kidnapped from her rich family as a child but returned to her family about 10-12 months later. She was married 4 times and all the marriages ended in the death(s) of her four husbands. This earned her the title of "Mrs. Killmore." Was Ruby a murderer? She has only one child, her adopted son, Camden. who is set to inherit all of Ruby's fortune, but he doesn't seem to want anything to do with the riches he is set to inherit when she dies. Why would a lucky boy plucked from obscurity NOT want to become rich by the way of his adopted mother?
Camden lives a normal life with his lovely wife. He's an English teacher he and his wife, Jules, live a regular life in Colorado when Ruby passes and Camden's family urges him to come home and sort out her estate. Cam wants to ignore his adopted family but Jules has other plans...
The story unfolds from the POV's of Jules, Camden and Ruby (in the form of juicy tell all letters to Cam!) and I oved the way Hawkins revealed through these letters. It's an entertaining novel, for a light family drama. 3.5 stars. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another fascinating book by Rachel Hawkins! Mystery, greed, deceit, and lots of twists you don’t see coming. Even though I shouldn’t like Cam and Jules I really do.

I am obsessed with this author, so naturally I needed to get this ARC from Netgalley and luckily I was chosen to review it!
I waited to read it, knowing I would be hooked immediately. It was even better than I expected. I loved the setting and the characters.
I love the part where Jules is mentioning all the little things that make up a life, things like the barista at the coffee shop knowing your order, your friends, and knowing the best time to shop. It like the author "gets it." People forget all these things.
Ruby was delightful and twisty. They're all very twisty really. They're complex, like Ashby House.

Absolutely gorgeous. Write more! I will be waiting eagerly.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins involves mysteries and family drama with a group of disagreeable relatives within a dsyfunctional family. After a slow start the action picks up about a third of the way in. A Somewhat convoluted story with multiple narratives and timelines. An interesting and unique read. In the epilogue with Jules narrating most of the loose ends are woven together.

Thank you to the author, publisher, St Martins, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore has died. With the amount of last names alone, you know there’s a story there! And oh my, what a story it is.
Ruby may have been the richest woman in North Carolina but she was also the most talked about.
Kidnapped as a child and spending 8 long months with another family before mysteriously being returned to her home, Ashby House. Her younger sister despises her and there is talk that she isn’t who she claims to be.

We cut to ten years later. Ruby’s adopted son, Cam, has fled his Ashby House obligations and married Jules. He teaches school and they live a small but happy life.

Until Cam gets word his uncle has passed and the estate is in a shambles. He needs to come home and deal with the mess he left.

And while it is an amazing place, there were good reasons Cam left. And they are all still sitting in that pile of rock waiting on Cam to turn over the money.

They really were just despicable people. All of them had secrets and reading this was like a scavenger hunt~ And I liked it. A lot.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press, January 09, 2024

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

I devoured this book! The setting was really compelling; it almost reminded me of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo". As far as thrillers go, it was a milder story, but that really appealed to me because I'm not big on gore and violence.

The characters were interesting and had some secrets that provided fun twists. This is one of my favorite of Hawkins' books. Thank you again for the ARC!

This is my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book!

The Heiress tells the story of the infamous Ruby McTavish, as well as the current day story of her adopted son, Camden and his wife, Jules.

Rubys story kept me reading and intrigued to find out more.

I would’ve loved this book more if I hadn’t had the expectation of it being a thriller. It was moreso just juicy family drama which I loved. The twists were good too!

4 out of 5. Rachel Hawkins is back in top form in this one. The twists in this book I did not fully see coming, and I love that. Also, all the characters are so flawed; it’s wonderfully refreshing. There is no good or bad guy, just regular people making crappy decisions throughout. Additionally, this is another great estate in the Carolinas, serving as a character in the book, and it is making me want to go on a road trip to explore these houses. Maybe I need to organize a book club outing around it.

Color me surprise because I actually enjoyed this book!
Truth be told, I wasn’t into Rachel Hawkins’ previous novel, The Wife Upstairs, but I found The Heiress to be much better in every aspect — the plot, the characters, the suspense, the ending, etc.
Although, personally, I’m still not quite used to Hawkins’ writing style, it didn’t take away the entertainment and the enjoyment of the book.

I think Rachel Hawkins is one of my "must-read" authors now. After "The Villa" I thought no way would any book come relatively close for me - but The Heiress kept me entertained and kept me guessing the whole time.

The book is written through multiple view-points - Camden, Jules and Ruby's letters. I love how Hawkins writes and builds her characters throughout the book.

There is so many twists and turns in the book to keep you guessing throughout the whole thing. Even the Epilogue had some surprising revelations.

If you are looking for a sucks-you-right-in book, then this is for you!

First, THANK YOU to NetGalley for this advanced copy of Rachel Hawkins' most recent masterpiece! Twists, turns, shocks, surprises! It was by far my favorite of her books by far! Without giving away too much I will say this:

It gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes but on a darker scale! Love all the different husbands and hearing how they met their end.
Enjoyed the twisted brain of a girl/woman who never felt quite like she was who she was told she was and how her brain justified all her actions.
Ruby was very cleverly written, her reaches know bounds; gotta love a strong female character born into an error where men ran the world!
Loved her letters and loved the unexpected revelation that came with those in the end!
The revenge theme was strong and the way the pieces all fell was very satisfying!

Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!!!

*Thank you to Net Galley! I received an advanced copy of this book from them.

I knew I'd seen the author's name (Rachel Hawkins) around a lot recently, but I wasn't sure if I had read anything by her or not. Well, GOODNESS ME, I am thrilled I read this one. "The Heiress" takes you on twist and turn after twist and turn through the tale of Ruby McTavish, her family, and their storied family home, Ashby House. The novel gives you small-town crime, family drama, romance, money, secrets, and so much more. I love the way the author seamlessly flips between characters, as well as letters from those who have passed away. It all blends together into a perfect narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I read the whole book in one weekend while camping, partially because it was the perfect vacation read and partially because I couldn't put it down!

A fun thriller with surprises and dark family secrets at the center. Camden McTavish has inherited a fortune and an estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC from his adoptive mother, Ruby McTavish. Ruby became famous at a young age when she disappeared from a picnic with her wealthy family and was returned eight months later (or was she?), and then infamous as an oft-widowed heiress (why did those husbands keep dying?). Now Camden is back in the family home with hostile relatives and his own wife, Jules - and everyone has something to hide. Camden's cousins and Ruby's sister want Ashby House and the McTavish fortune for themselves, but Jules isn't ready to give up so easily. Twists and turns abound until the last page.