After not being the biggest fan of Hawkins two prior novels, I was happy to report that The Heiress was definitely a winner for me - who doesn't love family secrets and rich people behaving badly?!

I hope Hawkins future novels continue in this vein!

My expectations were pretty low going in because I haven’t really loved the previous Rachel Hawkins books I’ve read, but this one was great! The layers of secrets were great! And I loved the way this one ended. So many fun twists!

What a treat! I will read more by this author. The pacing spot on. Some backstory was revealed but just the right amount was held back. The mystery made sense and did not try to top itself with over the top twists, This was just a very enjoyable book.

#TheHeiress #NetGalley
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. But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, 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, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable. And 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 so much. Highly recommend this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving me an advance copy.

This is my second book from Rachel Hawkins - I read The Villa last year and gave it 3 stars. I was excited to give her writing another chance as I normally enjoy wealthy, domestic suspense/thrillers. I saw in another review that compared this book to Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid X Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (which I loved both books). I 100% felt that from the plot. Just like Evelyn, we are introduced to Ruby (the matriarch) who has multiple dead husbands...who we find out about from letters. Camden (Ruby's adopted son) leaves home and comes back as an adult, now to deal with the trauma (similar to Maggie from Home Before Dark). Was the plot super original, not really and I felt there was some filler added that we never got answers to, but was it still enjoyable to read - yes. There were some great plot twists and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. The biggest thing for me was following the family tree. There was some confusion for me, but I don't want to say to much and spoil it.

Rachel Hawkins, I love you so much - but this wasn't the best. I missed the grit of The Family Upstairs and The Villa.

The Heiress wasn't particularly groundbreaking or new but I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The setting was luxurious and the family was scandalous and intriguing.

At times, however, it felt a bit too much like Rachel Hawkins was taking inspiration from the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the famous green formal dress, multiple husbands, and 'wealthy woman from a poor background' narrative but the plot was different enough and I found it interesting if not phenomenal.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy domestic thriller to read on vacation. It'll hold your attention and there are no plot holes or loose ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. RACHEL HAWKINS HAS DONE IT AGAIN! This was an incredibly addictive dark domestic family thriller. Certainly an engrossing page turner!
The story is told through three main characters; Ruby, Cam and Jules.
Ruby was an incredibly wealthy member of the McTavish family who was kidnapped as a child and goes on to marry four times. Upon her death her adopted son Cam turns away from from the immense inheritance. However ten years later following the death of an uncle he and his wife Jules must return to the family mansion and address the inheritance and the maintenance of the estate.
What follows is a twisty ride with death certainly bringing out the worst in a family. Perhaps the most interesting parts of the story were the tell all letters as told through Ruby’s voice.
I would have to say that the ending was a bit of a surprise and extremely clever. All in all very captivating and addictive!

My initial thoughts when I first started this book were: Wow I am loving the format and it kind of has Evelyn Hugo vibes with a prominent female telling her story.

We get a dual POV, plus the story telling, PLUS articles about the Heiress and her family.

This one definitely kept me on my toes and had a few twists I didn’t see coming at all. There’s nothing more you can ask from a thriller really.

If you’re into secrets, deception, and females who do what they want no matter the costs, you’ll love this one.

Definitely a book I’ll be recommending to friends and family!

Rachel Hawkins’ books are kinda hit or miss for me. THE WIFE UPSTAIRS and THE VILLA were okay and i thoroughly enjoyed RECKLESS GIRLS. I am always intrigued to see what she does next.

I strongly suggest that readers go into THE HEIRESS without expecting a twisty, fast paced thriller. if you enjoy slow burn type of thrillers, you may enjoy this! The last quarter of the book definitely picks up and I appreciated the twists when they were revealed. I don’t think that this book would fall on my list of favorites from this author, but would still recommend to slow burn mystery enjoyers!

Thank you St Martin's Press for the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This story had me hooked from the very beginning. The idea to keep Ruby in the story with the letters was genius. The twists and turns were unexpected and delicious. This story is probably my favorite by Rachel Hawkins so far! It is such a unique story and keeps you wanting to keep reading. I enjoyed that we saw it from Camden and Jules perspectives as a married couple coming back to the family home.

Synopsis:
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.

Content: major swearing (f words), murder, domestic assault/abuse, lies, family abuse, manipulation
Read if you enjoy:
Twists
Suspense
Murder mysteries
Old Money stories

A distant heir to his adoptive mother is called home by “family” he would rather not associate with. Encouraged by his wife, Camden reluctantly travels back to his old home to confront those from his past that don’t think the money is rightfully his. This story is about how far people will go to get what they want. In the end, money changes everything.

This was such a good time! I loved how we got letters from Ruby in between chapters! The twists and turns the McTavish family had together and at the Ashby House were insane! Definitely can't wait to pick up a finished copy! Rachel Hawkins has made her way on to my top thriller authors list and I'm not mad about it!

WOW. Rachel outdid herself on this book. I loved the different pov, the letters it flashed to giving us more information but not everything, leaving us getting up till the end. It was very well written keeping me engaged and wanting to just plow through it to the end. Than wrapping the ending up with a pretty twisted little bow! Highly recommend this book. 5 stars from me and can’t wait to tell my book club and friends to grab their copy and read it!

Twisty and dark. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. There’s nothing like a death to bring out the worst in a family, especially when there's tons of money involved.

I loved the alternating narrative between Cam and his wife, Jules, who have very different agendas when it comes to Cam's inheritance and Ashby House. Interspersed throughout are letters from Ruby written just prior to her death and news articles about her kidnapping that rocked the nation when she was just three-years-old.

Each character has something to hide and as the story progresses, their web of secrets and lies starts to unravel. This was really a very fun book and once I got really into it, I didn't want to put it down!

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this brilliant read in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I enjoyed this thriller. It kept me engaged throughout but I did find it easy to guess the plot throughout the book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

4.5⭐️ rounded up…I’m picky about my thrillers but really enjoyed this one. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book, although I’ve already enjoyed her writing as Erin Sterling (The Ex Hex & The Kiss Curse). It definitely won’t be my last!

No one involved with the McTavishes can escape the effects of their massive fortune…greed, fear, and desperation have led nearly every member of the family to embrace their morally grey impulses - or worse. Narrated in turn by adopted heir Camden, his bubbly outsider wife Jules, and (from the grave!) - the matriarch herself, Ruby McTavish, in the form of dark, snarky confessional letters - this one kept me mesmerized right up to the satisfying ending. EVERYONE in this story was keeping deeply buried secrets…I could kind of foresee what was coming, but watching this twisted family story unfold literally kept me up reading till 3am.

As a North Carolinian myself, it didn’t hurt that I’ve personally known old-money folks with dark pasts and a ruthless streak…it just made the setting and vivid cast of characters that much more compelling.

When it’s all said and done, you could argue - who was the titular heiress after all??

Thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St Martin’s, & Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

3/5 stars

I found this to be a very interesting read. I was expecting a more cynical thriller and while this was not that, it was still a good gothic mystery. Even though I only rate this book 3 starts (maybe 3.5), I enjoy her writing style so much that I couldn't put it down and I easily finished this in a day.

This is definitely a smart page-turner! Lots of complicated relationships and a foreboding gothic-like setting keep tensions high---and everyone seems to have a secret. I love mysteries, but have trouble finding ones I really enjoy. This is one of those rare gems! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

RATING: 4.5 STARS
PAGE COUNT: 294

Thank you, NetGalley for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love Rachel Hawkins and the characters that she creates. If you haven't read Reckless Girls or The Villa then please do so!

First of all, the cover is beautiful and eye-catching. The Heiress is the perfect book for you if you enjoy multiple povs, family drama, greed, and past/present timelines. I did half audiobook and half physical copy. The audiobook now available on Spotify has the perfect narrators for each character. The book is also now available on Kindle Unlimited. It is the perfect quick read (I wish I saved it to read by the pool).

I enjoyed this book, but it did not give me that 5-star feeling. The twist did not shock me as much as I was hoping. I still highly recommend this quick read. Still is a 4.5 stars read!!