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.

4.5 Stars

The Heiress is the story of a wealthy North Carolina family who basically owns the town of Tavistock. Their story is told in two timelines. The Heiress is Ruby McTavish. Ruby is telling her story, which includes her four husbands, murderers, and family feuds, via letters to the next generation. Ruby’s early life and the fate of the McTavish family centers around her kidnapping at a young age. The kidnapping is the core of what changed the family dynamic for Ruby, her sister Nelle, and the next generation.

The second storyline is the current-day journey of Camden McTavish, Ruby’s adoptive son. Camden left North Carolina and the McTavish fortune to attend college in California. After North Carolina, Camden appears to live a quiet, unencumbered life.
Camden meets and falls in love with Jules. It is the first time that he feels genuine love and peace in his life. When his uncle, Hugh, dies, Ben begs Cam for help. Cam and Jules return to Tavistock to sort out the will and estate that Ruby left to her son.

I loved this tale of wealth and how it impacts people’s lives, not always in a good way. There are many times that I felt sorry for Cam when I learned the way his cousins treated him because he was adopted and not a “true” McTavish. More than once, I wanted to slap Ben upside the head. His sister, Libby, while more subtle, was just as bad.

The author kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story. There were so many secrets to reveal. I continually turned the page to see what was next. Why was Cam so afraid when he saw the house? What was Jules’s secret? Who was Ruby’s intended recipient of her letters, and who was reading them? The reveals and twists expose the haunting past and the future—good or bad.

This is my first Rachel Hawkins story; although I read many good reviews from reading friends, I was anxious to read one of her stories. The Heiress was an excellent place to start. It was a totally fascinating read! I can’t wait to get a few more books by Rachel Hawkins. She is a captivating author.

This was a creepy twisty interesting tale that was a quick and easy read. I've read a lot of these domestic thrillers by now, and while not many of them truly surprise me anymore, there were a few twists here that went in slightly different directions than I anticipated which made for a fun read. The characters are pretty uniformly odious - as is often the case in these stories - but are written in a way that clearly marks some as more odious than others, so while I can't say that I was actually rooting for anyone, I still found the comeuppances satisfying.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins, but it won't be my last...

Rachel Hawkins does it again! This book kept me up late at night, desperate to find out what would happen. The story is told from 3 different views: Cam, Jules and Ruby via letters. Every time the plot would twist, she would switch narrators making it impossible to quit reading for the night. This book with definitely be one of my top thrillers of the year and I'll be recommending it to everyone.

Rachel Hawkins is a master at both intricate plot development and jaw-dropping twists. Any book of hers is a guaranteed good read and her newest novel, The Heiress, is no exception.

The story, told from multiple POVs and alternating time periods, cleverly advances a tale of secrets, lies and greed. I completely enjoyed it from start to finish and recommend it completely, especially to readers who enjoy a book with a gothic vibe.

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

Oooo this was a good one!! I absolutely devoured this story about the very wealthy and powerful McTavish family. I loved the alternating perspectives of Ruby, Cam and Jules. Learning of all of the secrets this family had was so much fun. This was an excellent read!
Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy!

I'd read Rachel Hawkins book, The Wife Upstairs, a modern-day domestic suspense novel and liked her smooth, quick writing style--and I LOVE Gothic suspense and romance, so I was eager to read this new book, The Heiress.. Unfortunately, this book, marketed as a Southern Gothic, read more like a mixed up American soap opera with a lot of confused melodrama with a plot that was complicated rather than complex.

The story is told from multiple points of view, which I generally enjoy. And in the beginning, the POVs of the husband, Cam, and the wife, Jules, seemed to work for me--each was clearly keeping secrets from the other. I I found myself eager to know what those secrets were and quickly fell into the book. But then the book begins to include the POV of Cam's now deceased Aint Ruby through a series of letters that "confess" the sins of her life. These letters were folksy and written in a style that I'd have expected in a cozy mystery fare or over-wrought soap opera as opposed to a Gothic suspense.

The voice and character of Ruby didn't seem either believable or likable to me, and her character as the book wore on became a muddle that didn't really resolve in a way that made sense to me. In fact, the plot, while it had many twists, seemed odd and several characters would suddenly do things that made no sense. I think the book would have been more effective if it had employed a dual timeline structure rather than these odd confessional letters from the dead.

What I did enjoy about the book was the setting--Ashby House--a type of take-off from the Biltmore was believable as was the town where it was located, The writing moves fast. The chapters are short and punchy, and the use of language is fresher than most.

But for me, the characters were more caricatures, and their actions seemed forced as if the writer needed them to act a certain way to move the book along to the next big crisis.

While I'd read books by Hawkins again, I'd not recommend this particular book to anyone who usually reads Gothic suspense because I think the expectations that come with this a regular diet of this genre are not well met by this book. This is more a mindless, quick-read beach book for people who like melodramatic southern soaps, and I'd recommend it for any fan of the same..

Rachel Hawkins can do no wrong!!!!!
I was hooked right from the moment I started reading ! Twisty and just captivating the whole time you’re reading making it impossible to stop and put the book down !

Another winner by Rachel Hawkins! Possibly my favorite to date and definitely ranking in the top 5 books of the year. It was original, twisty, and I wasn't able to guess the whole of the plot pivot for the finale. A fun read, for sure.

Wow! That was quite a ride! I loved this book. At first, I was having trouble keeping all of the characters straight but it quickly came together and it was quite a story! Books rarely keep me up past my bedtime but this one did!