Ruby McTavish is no stranger to rumors and speculation. Born into a very wealthy family in an Appalachian town in South Carolina, she was destined to be the center of attention from birth. Life events (disappearing at the age of three, reuniting with her family, and entering into four marriages that all ended tragically) led to increasing notoriety. Cam, her adopted son, left long ago to escape the resentment of Ruby's relatives, who hate that Ruby brought him into their family and left everything to him when she died. But now, Cam's family is begging him to come back to help with the upkeep of the family estate. And his wife, Jules, is all for it, because it means she'll finally get to know a new side of her husband's life.

But like most families, everyone has secrets that they've tried to keep buried for far too long. Told from the perspectives of Cam, Jules, and letters written by Ruby before her death, this family finally comes face to face with things they've been running from for a long time. With twists and turns throughout the entire story, this one was hard to put down.

The Heiress was an incredible, highly entertaining book! Fast-paced with bombshell after bombshell keeping me turning pages late into the night. I was so intrigued by Ruby McTavish. Her character was written with depth and an air of mystery. The story is told through alternating points of view from Ruby's letters (the family matriarch), Camden (Ruby's adopted son), Jules (Camden's wife), and newspaper reports and lifestyle articles about Ruby and the McTavish family. This book really had everything - a southern family so wealthy and powerful they were practically royalty, mysterious deaths, estranged family dynamic, backstabbing...I got completely drawn into the story and just had to keep reading until the last of Ruby's secrets was revealed. Definitely recommend for those who love family sagas and thrillers. The only criticism I have of this book is that, like with the author's previous books, she likes to drop F bombs every other sentence. I have no problem with profanity in books when it is necessary (helps define a character, sets the tone for a scene, triggers a laugh) but it always feels like the author just throws them in wherever and it becomes a distraction. Other than that, I loved it!

I received an early review copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was everything I needed in a thriller. I'd call it Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets I don't know what, but creepy, fun, speed-reading thriller about summarizes it. Set in Ashby House, a giant mansion out in the woods, this book is multi POV with letters from Ruby McTavish, who was a child kidnapped and recovered when she was 3. Now she's passed away, and her adopted son is returning home for the first time in a decade with his wife who has secrets of her own. I read this book SO fast and highly recommend you do, too!

The Heiress is an enjoyable read with multiple twists and turns. The story is told from the POV of Camden, Jules and confessional letters from Ruby, the heiress. Though the storyline was somewhat predictable the writing style keeps you engrossed wanting to find out how the story ends.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina lies Ashby House, the opulent estate of the late and notorious heiress Ruby McTavish. Widowed four times under most mysterious circumstances, Ruby's glittering life was hardly immune from scandal. Kidnapped by a still-unknown perpetrator as a young child and later rescued from the south, Ruby assumed center stage amongst the wealthy McTavish family and never left. As the years ticked by and husband after husband dropped dead before any children appeared, one would think that Ruby's fortune was likely to pass to a relative.

Until Ruby yet again makes headlines by adopting a young orphan boy named Camden, and makes him her sole heir to the McTavish fortune.

Flash forward decades, and "The Heiress" begins with Ruby's (timely? untimely?) death, and Camden being summoned back to Ashby House with his wife, Jules. While the backstory and setup of Rachel Hawkins' latest promised something of a mix between "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and a "Knives Out" sort of whodunit mystery, I'm sad to say that with this latest novel, I think my time reading Hawkins' work is over for good.

The surface-level, poorly-paced plot was noticeable enough in "The Heiress," but the real culprit here was how underdeveloped and almost-cartoonish the characters seemed. Jules, who maintains a POV in alternating chapters with Camden and also past-written letters from Ruby, was the insufferably kind of self-aware character whose prose was basically: "You who's reading this? Yeah, you. Listen, you might think you know what happens, but I'm here to tell you there's another side to this story, so buckle up." Consequently, her chapters--which likely were intended to have a quirky effect--were like nails on a chalkboard in the worst fashion.

Ultimately, Hawkins has been on a slow descent for me since "The Wife Upstairs," which was one of my favorite books of the year at the time. I enjoyed "Reckless Girls" enough, found "The Villa" hopelessly-convoluted, and now can unfortunately say that "The Heiress" was a superficial swing-and-miss lacking in any thrills or twists whatsoever. With so many similar titles out there today, this is one I'd recommend readers skip.

✨ARC REVIEW!✨
I want to thank @stmartinspress for allowing me to read this arc! @netgalley is new to me, and I am so grateful to have been able to read The Heiress by @ladyhawkins before it publishes on January 9th. The cover is absolutely gorgeous! I’m sure I’ll still get a physical copy. It could be a @bookofthemonth pick for January 2024….at least I’m really hoping it will be. 😁
This is definitely one you’ll want to read! As soon as I was approved for a copy, I started reading and couldn’t stop! There were so many secrets, and the way they slowly unfolded was delicious. I truly didn’t want it to end! You won’t be too surprised that I’m giving this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Read this is you like…
✌🏻dual-pov (sort of 3)
📝letters/articles in story
🏡 setting is like a character
🤫 so many secrets & lies
😶‍🌫️ mystery
☠️ many deaths/murders 😏
💰 wealthy family
🔪 backstabbing
🍎 good vs. evil & nature vs. nurture
💕meaning of love
👩‍👦complicated family relationships

#stmartinspress #netgalley #ladyhawkins #theheiress #thrillermystery #arcreview #january2024book #newreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram

I had a hard time getting into this book, I got into it around 60%. I think the first ¾ of the book was a little slow.

Things I liked vs didn't like :

Liked

1. I thought the letters were a great addition. I enjoyed reading those and finding out Ruby's dark secrets that she held from everyone.

2. I liked that Cam knew more than he led on. Especially when it came to Jules secrets.

Didn't care for

1. I thought the story leading up to "the twist" was lacking a little bit. I think other than the letters, there wasn't much to keep me reading. The banter in the family was typical but annoying at times.

2. I kind of hoped there would be more coming, I felt like page after page I was waiting for things to happen and nothing did.

Overall I'd give this a 3 star.

I love Rachel Hawkins' books, and this one is no exception! As someone who loves reading about family drama/relationships, I ate this one UP. I can't wait to talk about it with patrons when it comes out!

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

I loved the storytelling in this book so much. It was so easy to like Cam and Jules, to be emotionally connected with them. The parts of the book that were Ruby’s letter were a great addition.

Not my favorite Rachel Hawkins novel. I’ve consistently loved her work but this one fell kinda flat. It sounded good on paper, but the story stalled and the twists just weren’t twisty enough. Nor did I enjoy a single character making it hard to root for anyone.

Wow! Just Wow!! I couldn’t put this book down! It kept me invested from beginning to end, I HAD to know what happened!!! Such a great read, and the ending was definitely not what I expected at all! Loved it!!!!

Ruby McTavish better known for her unfortunate kidnapping when she was a child… and the untimely deaths of her… four husbands; lived what some would say a hard life, aside from her family being the wealthiest one in North Carolina. Her son Cam and his wife Jules are led back to Ashby House after the Uncle’s Passing to settle some of the affairs. But as time passes more of Ruby’s and other’s secrets unfold. Secrets that even money can’t hide or heal.

This book was absolutely amazing. The character dynamics and plot twists are so woven together perfectly that it is impossible to put this book down! I didn’t know which characters to love, hate or trust. There were so many twists and secrets that every character seemed to have that it seemed impossible to guess them all. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

WOW!! I was so addicted to this book, I never wanted to put it down and when I had to, it's all I could think about! It's littered with twists and turns and has several of my favorite tropes: Multiple POVs, dual timelines, southern gothic, old mansion, rich people problem vibes! I first read The Wife Upstairs and loved it. Then read Reckless Girls and loved it. Then The Villa, 5 stars! But this one, this one tops them all and is my new favorite!! Absolutely incredible! Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Ooh I liked this one. Told in multiple POVs, you're taken on a ride back between the past and present, and thankfully everyone isn't as dumb as I thought they might be. Which makes the twists better honestly, particularly after one reveal you get the next.

It's a fun book, paced really well, even if not all of the characters are likeable they're still fun to read about.

Though nothing at all like the Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo, I can see some of the parallels some folks might make. This def reads like a book that should be a movie.

Rachel Hawkins can do no wrong! I devour everything she writes and it just gets better and better every time. I reviewed her previous new release from earlier in 2023 (The Villa) and I’m pretty sure I said the exact same thing. But, seriously, it’s true. I’ve already read her entire backlist and I just need MORE. There are so few authors whose entire oeuvre I have enjoyed equally, but Hawkins is definitely one of them.

In particular, I loved the writing style in this one. It includes a combination of articles and letters. This just makes everything feel so much more real when you’re reading. Hawkins has such a unique voice and way of structuring her novels that is so different from many other cookie cutter thriller writers. She really knows how to immediately hook you into a story and keep you gripped to the pages for the entire experience. Her storytelling craft is impeccable.

Hawkins has a way of making you care about the characters on a deeper level, no matter what terrible things they think or do. They are raw and relatable and humanly flawed. The house itself becomes its own character, bringing the atmosphere to life. The family legacy, rich history, and turbulent friendship dynamics all play a crucial role. This is a dark, twisty story that will keep you guessing, and second-guessing, until its explosive conclusion.

I loved this book so much. I read it in like two days max because I couldn’t put it down. The cover is also perfection and gives off the perfect vibes for this story. Highly recommend! I only hate that I read it so far in advance (which, I mean, can you blame me? I couldn’t help myself after being offered an ARC) because now I have to wait over a year before getting to read something from this author again… Idk if I’m gonna make it y’all…

This is the first adult mystery by Rachel Hawkins that I’ve read (I am familiar with her YA “Hex Hall” and “Rebel Belle” series). She’s a terrific writer, and this story kept my interest throughout! I thought the shorter chapters told from alternating narrators was really effective, along with the epistolary content and newspaper clippings What a twisty, suspenseful ride and a clever whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the very end.

My gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC so that I could provide my honest thoughts.

What a dysfunctional family! Twisted characters, short chapters and a twisty plot make for a compelling read you won't be able to put down. The Heiress might be Rachel Hawkins's best novel yet! I loved how part of this book was told through newspaper articles, letters, emails, etc. It worked really well and added a lot to the story. The alternating POVs combined with the mixed media kept the pace moving quickly. Everything comes to a head in a very satisfying ending that reveals even more surprises. You won't want to miss this one when it comes out on January 9, 2024!

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

This is the first book I’ve read by Rachel. I really enjoyed the twists and turns! Cam and Jules were really interesting characters. I really liked the dual POV, it allowed us to get different perspectives, kept the story interesting! Definitely an interesting read! I would definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley, Rachel and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This was a fast-paced, page-turner. I was absorbed from the start and was often surprised by the twists throughout. The story was engaging and had me glued to the book without being distracted by anything while reading. It was very well written and entertaining. I highly recommend reading this if you love intense, suspenseful thrillers. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

Another amazing book by Rachel Hawkins! When Camden and Jules go back to his family’s home which he inherited , the reader learns that not everyone is who they seem to be. Told in a dual timeline with multiple narrators, this book kept me reading. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.