This is the story of Cam and Jules who go back to Cam's birthplace in North Carolina. He is from the richest family with a notorious adoptive mother, Ruby, who has "lost" all four of her husbands to different accidents.

Cam has never wanted to go back but Ruby's death and his cousins imploring finally bring the wedded couple back to Cam's childhood home and, as expected, things unravel, secrets emerge and things are never what they seem.

While I enjoyed reading this story, I didn't like Jules' voice or the way she spoke. I wasn't crazy about any of the characters and the revelations, when they happened, were interesting but because I just wasn't invested in the characters, I found myself not caring too much.

It was a pleasant enough read, just not one of my favorites.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

A fast pasted book that you do not want to put down. You immediately become immersed in the story.

It is is about Ruby McTavish, who at age three goes missing and is found months later in another state and is returned home. Ruby grows up in a wealthy household and lives in a mansions known as Ashby House. Ruby is married and widowed four times . She also adopted a boy she names Cameron.

Cameron ,now an adult is living in Colorado with his wife Jules and wants nothing to do with the dysfunctional McTavish family , the house or fortune he inherited at Ruby’s death.

When Cameron is asked to return by the McTavishes, he finally agrees and he and Jules travel to Ashby House, where the mystery begins.

Prior to her death, Ruby wrote a series of letters which tells the reader what happened during her life and how her husband’s died.
The story is told by these letters, Cameron and Jules.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an opportunity to read.

5 stars. Read in less than 24 hours. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns. May be my favorite book by this author. She has become an auto read. Loved The Villa too.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book really built up suspense and the second half of it played out in my mind like a movie! It was so descriptive and had enough twists to keep me guessing. The different timelines were seemless and not confusing, which is not always the case for some books.

This book truly shows that people aren’t always what they seem and how much happens behind closed doors. Highly recommend!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Camden and Jules have a happy marriage. Camden prefers to live in the present and not think about his past. When Camden can no longer ignore the past, things start occurring. I liked this book.

*ARC Review* Very fun read, better than the two other Hawkins novels I've read, although I still wasn't satisfied with the ending because it was more of the lesser bad people not getting their comeuppance. She tends to write characters that are all terrible people with very few (if any) redeeming qualities, and this was no different. Even though there was no one to root for per se, and many (but not all) the twists and turns were rather predictable, I still gobbled it up wanting to know the why and motivations behind each character's actions. The story is told via first person narration from Cam and Jules's perspective interspersed with letters written by Ruby and media articles. Well-paced and with beautiful descriptive imagery of the Appalachians, definitely recommend this for mystery fans!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoyed the other books by this author, you will not be disappointed. I enjoyed the different points of view and timeframes and also the setting of the North Carolina mountains seems like another character in a way. Very enjoyable, fast read!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Heiress, my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins, so far. All of her titles have received five-star reviews from Bayside Book Reviews, and those stars are well deserved.

Hawkins has a brilliant creative mind. Her stories are compelling, flawlessly plotted, and beautifully written. The Heiress takes readers into the minds and hearts of a dangerously dysfunctional wealthy family, and just when we think we know where the story is going, she sends a plot twist to make us rethink the path. The plot lines are intricately woven, and the characters are never exactly who they appear to be. Cunning or innocent, I enjoyed them all.

This reviewer absolutely loved this book. The Heiress is bound to make the Best Books of 2024 lists. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Hawkins delivers another hearty thriller, complicated and complex, this is a perfect book club read. Lots to unpack and discover.

I'll read anything Rachel Hawkins writes, but I truly loved this book. The premise was unique and the twists were well-spaced throughout the story, which had me up and reading well into the night. Her prose is witty and smart, with just the right amount if character development. Just when I thought I had this book figured out, it threw me a curveball in the best possible way. A must-read for sure.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Rachel Hawkins, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Rachel Hawkins will always be an author that no matter the title or synopsis, I will be reading that book. Unfortunately, with that comes reading some stories that just did not do it for me. (Reckless Girls and The Villa). BUT, I always have hope and hope won out today. The Heiress showed up and showed out! I binged this one because I just had to know what each character brought to the table and what they were really scheming. It was a good mix of twists without them being unrealistic or confusing. I would definitely consider this book to be more alike her writing in The Wife Upstairs, so definitely give it a read and remember why we all fell in love with Rachel Hawkins storytelling!

The Heiress is a fast paced family drama thriller full of murder, corruption, & revenge.

Ruby McTavish is the wealthiest woman in North Carolina. When she was young she went missing but was found a few months later. She is a four time widow with no biological children of her own. She adopts a boy she hopes to pass her inheritance to. The McTavish family does not approve & fights for what they believe is theirs.

We follow pov of Camden who is the adopted son of Ruby & his wife Jules. We also get letters from Ruby which are more of a confession of her past crimes. To be honest the characters are not likeable at all. They are selfish, entitled, & will not stop to get what they want. I loved that they were all hiding something!

I thought it was great how the book also delved into the nature vs nurture upbringing. I was also introduced to the true story of Bobby Dunbar which was really interesting.

If you enjoyed Rachel Hawkins other thrillers, I highly recommend picking The Heiress up next!

Wow I really loved this book. It has been awhile since a book captured my attention so completely, but The Heiress had me hooked with so many twists and turns.
It was addicting and kept me on the edge of my seat!

The Heiress is a twisty story that gives little ideas of what you think is going to happen to keep you reading. It's not so twisty that it's hard to follow, just enough to keep you interested and guessing. The synopsis is different from the typical tropes in this genre. It is nice to not have a lead character that is constantly letting out held breaths, dropping things that were being held, digging fingernails into palm, etc, and just generally being over dramatic. It's not so descriptive to be repeatative, just enough to let the reader fill in the details. You really hate the antagonists and I found myself chuckling with "they deserved that" moments. Another Great quick read from Hawkins. Excited for the release to read the final copy.

I enjoyed this book so very much. I enjoyed the short chapters and the different points of views. It was interesting as it all came to light of what really happen.

First and foremost I want to thank Netgalley and the publishing company for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. Thank you!

When the mysterious Ruby dies deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina; her life is once again back in the papers.

As a child Ruby was kidnapped, married and divorced four times, and became North Carolina’s richest woman.

Being the richest woman in a whole state suddenly becomes a problem because ruby’s adopted son wants nothing to do with her estate and wealth.

Will Ruby’s heir come to his senses? Will family secrets come to light?

I really enjoyed the plot twists in this story. It was perfectly written and the character development was wonderful.

Rachel Hawkins is incredible and crafting thrillers starring characters who are flawed and sneaky. This aids her in crafting clever twists you don’t see coming because everyone is flawed, everyone is a suspect.

I loved the “trapped in a mansion” setting and the horrible people who live there. The mystery of who Ruby is and what she’s done unfolds as you read about the current day plots that make as much sense. I guessed the main twist about the wrong character, but it was super satisfying in the end anyway. Another excellent thriller from Rachel Hawkins!

At first, I found the various characters confusing or difficult to remember, but it helped having the excerpts of newspaper articles scattered throughout the present chapters. It offered a new perspective into the life of the McTavishs, which was necessary in order to understand the premise of the story, in my opinion.
As the story went on, I started seeing similarities between The Heiress and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Both stories are about a rich woman that confesses things about her life she had never told anyone before. Both characters’ lives end in suicide. Although the stories have a bunch of differences, I still caught myself comparing both plots multiple times.
I absolutely loved the twist of Dora being bought as a child to replace the lost Ruby, it explained so many things about the references to secrets and Mrs.McTavish’s drinking habits.
Around the 200 pages mark, I started suspecting the letters were not addressed to Camden, but to Jules.
Although the concept is something that I had already read before (old rich woman confessing her crimes before her passing), I enjoyed reading the book. 3.5/5

What a fun read! Husbands of Eveline Hugo meets Inheritance Games meets Knives out! Super fun. Dark without being horror or thriller, more mystery and history. Really enjoyed it and the plot twists kept coming!

Solid start. Hawkins drew me in with this storyline. I was most intrigued by the storyline and characters. I was immediately interested in knowing the main characters background and how his adoptive mother’s past unleashed the course of events leading to present time.