Ruby McTavish went missing in the North Carolina woods while on a picnic with her family when she was three years old. Found eight months later and returned to her parent's mansion, her life goes right back to normal, but as she grows older, she doesn't feel quite right. Her notoriety begins when her first husband is murdered on their honeymoon and when her second husband dies in a home accident. By the time her fourth husband has died, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore knows the rumors about her part in all of the deaths, but ignores them and adopts a son, Camden.
In the wake of Ruby's death, Camden is set to inherit the McTavish estate and enough money to last multiple lifetimes. Camden and his wife Jules are called back to Ashby house, the dysfunctional family history comes out and family secrets are unearthed.

Rachel Hawkins is my go-to author, and The Heiress did not disappoint. This was a fast paced read for me and I loved the plot twist, the letters from the past, and the multiple POVs.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars

Solid thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I thought I had it all figured out as one twist was alluded to right at the beginning. I think this was a foil by the

Camden and Jules live a happy and ordinary married life in Colorado. But Camden's family history is anything but ordinary. His adopted mother Ruby is the notorious heiress of Ashby. Kidnapped as a child and widowed four times as an adult, her life has been full of drama and secrets. Ever since Ruby passed, Camden has kept as far away from Ashby as possible. But when he's called back to the manor by his cousin, the past comes back to haunt everyone, including his wife Jules.

My favourite part of the book were the letters from Ruby's perspective. Her character was so interesting and I loved delving into her personality and inner thoughts. I love to read how morally grey characters become who they are and the experiences that led down a darker path.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜: So, let me begin by saying that this is my very first Rachel Hawkin’s book and I was absolutely entertained the whole time. The McTavish family is absolutely twisted and everyone is keeping secrets.

This book caught my attention immediately. Let’s start with the cover - my brain went straight to The Seven Husband’s of Evelyn Hugo (woman in a green dress), as well because of her multiple marriages. Although a resemblance to TSHOEH, this book is original and has nothing to do with the latter.

Let’s talk about everything I enjoyed about this novel:

- I loved Ruby’s letters. This book is pretty much all about her - being found after getting kidnapped as a baby, her marriages, and her secrets, which she mentions all in her letters.

- The different POVs throughout the book. I typically prefer just one POV but for this particular book I found it to be entertaining and even necessary.

- The characters. I couldn’t trust anybody. Not one soul. I felt gaslighted for the majority of the book but in the bestest way.


Although this book was fun and fast paced, the vibes weren’t fully there for me. I feel like I was left wanting more answers and more details about the past. I also felt like I knew the main characters only at a surface level.

The dual timeline was rather confusing at times as well and I had to re-read certain pages in order to grasp where I was at. Okay read but not a memorable one.

A special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC! ‘The Heiress’ will be available to everyone on January 9, 2024!

Find me on IG: coffeebreakwithrachel

Name of Book: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Pub Date: January 9, 2024
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 394

Story told from the POV of Camden, Jules, and Ruby
~Camden: an orphan boy who was adopted by Ruby
~Jules: Camden's wife.
~ Ruby Anne McTavish: - who is the main character but died at the beginning of this story so her POV is done via letters.

Ruby had me curious we know she grew up in a mansion known as the Ashby House, we also know when Ruby was only three years old she was taken from a family picnic in the woods near her home in North Carolina. Her mother and her nanny both thought the other had little Ruby however when they discover that wasn’t the case, they start an immediate search as well as called for assistance. The authorities believe Ruby was kidnapped as Ruby’s father is very wealthy.

She was found eight months later living with the Darnells in Alabama. Mr. Darnell confessed that while he was working on a construction for Mr. McTavish. One Sunday afternoon he drank too much and saw little Ruby alone. She looked so much like his own daughter Doral who recently died; that he couldn't resist scooping her up and taking her home to his wife Helen.
Helen Darnell continues to insist that she IS Dora.
When Rudy was old enough to marry she married Duke Callahan who was shot on their Paris honeymoon. Her second husband died in an electrical accident, her third husband died due to an illness and her fourth and last husband Robby Kenmore died in a boating accident which earned her the title Mrs. Kill-more!.
Story alternates chapters with their POV – they all very interesting secrets; as we read on we learn more.

This is my fourth Rachel Hawkins thriller. I went back and check my reviews of other books I read. "The Villa]"is the most recent and I did like it ~ I made the comment that Ms. Hawkins seems to like ‘foul-mouthed unlikeable characters.’ - They seem to be her trademark.
Needless to say, these characters fit that description as well.
I struggled at first but hung in there and yes the secrets made it worth my while to continue.
Ended up liking this story.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 9, 2024.

The Heiress Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first Rachel Hawkins novel, and I am very impressed. I loved this twisty, fast paced book. The whole book begs the question between nature vs nurture, and I couldn’t put it down.

The story follows the point of views of Camden McTavish and his wife Jules, with occasional letters from his adoptive mother Ruby McTavish pre death. Ruby McTavish was born into a wealthy east coast family in the great Ashby house. At only three years old, she went missing during a picnic with her parents. About 8 months later she was found and returned from the people who took her. Ruby then grew up to become a big sister, the sole inheritor of the family fortune, and a reputation for being unlucky in love. All four of her husbands died tragically, gaining her the name Mrs Killmore. She swore off marriages after that, and adopted her son Camden, who she left all the family’s money and inheritance to after her death. Camden, being adopted, was unliked by the rest of the family due to him being given the family inheritance when he wasn’t even blood. So what happens when Camden and his wife return to Ashby house to sort out the inheritance he doesn’t even want anything to do with? Now throw in letters from Ruby revealing the truth of her life, and her questioning if she is truly Ruby McTavish, or if the girl returned was someone else entirely.

I loved the family drama and identity crisis that every character was going through. Everyone has secrets, and family is only as strong as the trust between the members.

Thank you to NetGally for this advanced copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

The Heiress will be released on January 9th 2024!!

I read an ARC from NetGalley and St Martins in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a solid three stars until the ending for me. I didn’t find the characters as interesting or relatable as others in books by the same author. I did like how the end revealed all the connections between the characters in the book and one I’d forgotten to pay attention to.

The Heiress
By: Rachel Hawkins

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Camden has to go back to his family home that he left 10 years in the past, when his mom, Ruby, dies. Ruby left a great fortune and estate that needs to be handled. Her life was filled with lots of misfortune including being kidnapped when she was a young girl and deaths of all four of her husbands. When Camden and his wife, Jules, return to his childhood home, the secrets begin to unravel.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book! What a whirlwind. The book is told not only from the two main characters POV but also letters, emails and news articles. I really enjoyed the different avenues of telling the story. This takes many twists and turns, some predictable and some not. Nonetheless, it was a great book that I will end up reading again

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC

This is not my first Rachel Hawkins book and I have loved every single one. I enjoyed the different POV from current time with Cam and Jules to the letters written by Ruby in the past . The twist were unexpected and made it hard to put the book down . Things did get a little confusing with so many characters involved and keeping the families straight. Still really enjoyed and recommend this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest revie

Oh my goodness! The Heiress was everything it purported to be. Cam, Jules and Ruby McTavish were the stars. The story was, when Ruby was 3 years old, she was kidnapped. And allegedly, a private investigator found her with a family in Alabama. The mother in that family swore it's a little girl was her daughter Dora. Anyway, the little girl came to live with the McTavish family in their home, the Ashby house.

Ruby grew up and married four times. And four times she lost her husband. Her first husband was shot, her second husband died in an accident in the garage, her third husband died involving an automobile, in her last husband drowned. After her last husband, she decided to adopt 3-year-old Camden.

When Cam grew up, he didn't like living in the Ashby house. He didn't like the McTavishes and decided to move away to go to college in San Bernardino, California. It was there that he met his wife Jules, short for Juliana.

When Ruby died she left her fortune to Cam, including Ashby house. 10 years later his cousin Ben sent him an email and asked him to come home because Ashby house is in dire need of repairs. Cam really doesn't want to go but Jules talks him into it.

When they arrive, three people are living in the house: his cousin Ben, his cousin Libby, and his aunt Nelle. Nelle is a bitter old woman and Ben and Libby are money hungry. One night at dinner. Ben is about to make an announcement but Cam beat some to the punch. Cam announces that Ruby wasn't actually Ruby, but she's actually Dora. Cam knew this because Ruby/Dora told him. Ben believes that this announcement will mean that the money will revert back to them. Cam tells him that they can have the money in the house, that he doesn't want either one. All along Jules was hoping Cam would reclaim the house and the money. Up until then Cam had not been spending the money.

The next day, are Jules shares with Cam letters that she found in Ruby's office, letters that she assumes Ruby has written to Cam. In the letters Ruby confesses the fact that she killed her husbands.

After reading the letters, Cam tells Jules that he's leaving and he'll be back by dark. While Cam is gone, Jules goes into Ruby's office looking for more secrets. Been sneaks up on her and asks what she's looking for. In his hands he has letters that he knows she was searching for. She knows exactly what those letters are and she snatches them from him and turns her back on him. At that point he hits her upside the head with a paper weight. She grabs a fire poker and hits him killing him. At that point she sets the house on fire. Unbeknownst to her Libby is in bed sleeping. It is then that Cam returns home. Oh, and Nelle was found dead in her bed that morning. It turned out that Ben had killed her.

With everyone dead, Cam claim the money and used it for good. There were so many secrets in this book. I'd love to reveal them, but that would ruin it. All in all, this was a story that was very well written with excellent character development. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave it five stars.

This book was nothing short of amazing. If you were a fan of Evelyn Hugo, boy are you going to love Ruby McTavish.
This story is from multiple points of view, letters written by Ruby and the viewpoints of Camden and Jules, a married couple who are forced to relocate to the infamous Ashby House when Camden's adopted family, the McTavishes lose one of their own and need his help to restore the Ashby House to it's former glory.
The way this story is weaved together through stories from the past and the actions of the present is done flawlessly and in a very impressive manner.
The twists and turns in this book will keep you guessing right to the end with an ending that is almost impossible to predict.
This was a hard book to put down and one I will be recommending to everyone when it releases in January of 2024.

Honestly? I was fully prepared to give this 3 stars until the final third of the book swooped in to save the day and make this one of my favorite Rachel Hawkins reads to date. The first 2/3 of the story reads as more of a family drama than a thriller but the twists and turns that become clear toward the end? *chef’s kiss*

The Heiress is the story of Ruby McTavish, one of North Carolina’s wealthiest and most notorious women. When her son, Camden, returns to her estate to settle some family matters, the drama really starts to unfold. We begin to learn why Camden has wanted nothing to do with the rest of his family for the past 10 years and has done everything possible to distance himself from the place and people who made him. Who in their right mind is the heir to a fortune and wants absolutely nothing to do with it? I had to find out.

I will admit, the middle of the story dragged a bit for me, but it was all worth it in the end. I would probably give this more like 4.5 stars just for the ending. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed this read and look forward to its official release.

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! I only just discovered Hawkins from The Villa and fell in love with her writing instantly. When I saw she had another book coming out, I was both excited and a little nervous to give The Heiress a try. Would I enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed The Villa? Or am I setting myself up for disappointment.

I am thrilled to say that the disappointment was needless. Hawkins' writing sucked me in -- so much so, that I finished the ARC in less than a week! The Heiress had me guessing at every turn, with only one of my guesses turning out to be correct (sort of).

This isn't just a thriller, it calls into question what family means and grapples with the theme of nature vs nurture in a way Pudd'nhead Wilson could only dream of.

I have already recommended this book be purchased for our library.

This was a wild and fun ride. I was into it from page one. Once it starts you are quickly drawn into the story and there is not a word wasted. The characters are well written. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. Five stars and no complaints. I read a NetGalley copy of this book.

The Heiress - 4/5

This was such a clever and twisty book that I thoroughly enjoyed. This multifaceted mystery had me hooked from the start. Simply binge-worthy, I could not put it down!

The story looks at Ashby House, its occupants, and a series of interconnected storylines over the course of a few decades. Ruby McTavish (also known as Lady Killmore) is infamous for three reasons: she was kidnapped and eventually returned home as a young child, all of her husbands tragically died while still married to her, and she is the wealthiest woman in all of North Carolina. After she dies, she bequeaths Ashby House to her adopted son, Cam, though he wants nothing to do with her or the house. He leaves for 10 years, never wishing to return. After his uncle’s death, his adopted cousin reaches out, desperate for him to return. So he and his wife, Jules, pack up and hastily make their way east. When Jules and Cam arrive, they begin to unravel the deeply rooted lies and half truths that haunt Ashby House’s halls and uncover mysteries the occupants wish would remain hidden.

I really enjoyed “The Wife Upstairs” and “The Villa,” so when I heard about this book, I was ecstatic. I really appreciated the multiple points of views throughout, and loved how they each advanced the various storylines. The ending tied up both the past and the present very neatly. I just wish I got more background from Camden. Overall, it was an entertaining and fun read!

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

I loved the Heiress! This book was about Camden and his family with lots of secrets and his love Jules. It walked through the story of their family and their love built on lies. I liked the back and forth of the chapters and this book really sucked me in. The twists and turns at the end were really good! This is one of my favorite books by this author. Also a beautiful cover

What a story! This was such a quick read with so much fun from multIple POVs from unreliable narrators. Could not put it down and loved all of the twists and turns!

If you enjoy family drama, you will love this. Camden and his wife Jules live a pretty drama free life until Camden has to return to his childhood home where we meet his extra af cousins and aunt. Camden inherited a sizable fortune from his mother, and the rest of the family is salty about it because all they got was to live in a gorgeous house. The author did a great job writing pretentious jerks and the tension between family members was clear.

If you love dual timelines, you will probably enjoy this. Camden was adopted by Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore and part of the story is told in letters written by her. If the name isn’t enough to know she comes with drama, her fame started as a child when she was abducted from her family home…and her adult life was just as dramatic considering she was married four times to husbands that all died. The other time line is the present with Camden and Jules as they navigate returning to Camden’s childhood home to deal with family business.

If you love multiple perspectives, this book has them too. Not only do we hear from Ruby, but we also get perspectives from Camden and Jules. Through the various lenses we learn about lies on top of lies. Again, the family drama is evident in all perspectives. My favorite perspective was probably Ruby’s.

Overall, I had a great time while reading. I loved the pacing of the book. I was never bored. There were many twists, some that I saw coming, and others that I didn’t. I enjoyed each and every one of them.

So I blew through The Villa (I’ll review it in a wrap up for sure) so naturally when I was notified I could read this book thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress I was stoked.

I loved the format going between Jules and Camden. Jules who is dating Camden the adopted son of Ruby McTavish a wealthy and notorious heiress of Ashby House. Their POV chapters are split by newspaper articles about Ruby as well as letters from Ruby herself. This adds a layered and puzzle quality that was entrancing and I was trying to sort it out until the very end.

The pacing is exquisite. The chapters are accessible and keep you turning the page to find out more. Her descriptions of Ashby House, the wealth, and the characters who preside in it are just as luxurious as the title suggests.

I don’t read enough thrillers but I’ll definitely be reading through Paula’s backlog while I anxiously await what is next. Also for those who loved The Villa be on the hunt for an Easter egg!

Highly recommend. Set your calendars and TBR for it’s pub date January 9th, 2024!

If you love the Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo but also love murder stories, then this is the book for you and it’ll keep surprising you until the last page.

I am a fan of Hawkins and was excited to read The Heiress. I was not let down as this book is full of secrets, twists and turns and characters I found fascinating.

A family that is torn and cruel to each other. A couple whose love is strong enough to survive even the darkest of secrets. And a grande dame to rival all others.The setting is gorgeous and I could feel the air and see the beauty even as I felt the simmer of the fire that burns throughout this book.

I read this book in two days - it would have been one if work hadn't interfered lol.