This book was absolutely phenomenal. Rachel Hawkins books have been hit and miss for me but I absolutely loved this one. I loved all the characters, I loved learning about Ruby's past, I love learning why Camden left everything behind, and the twist at the end was great! Really really enjoyed this one and would recommend it!

Amazing as always! A definite go to writer when you want an amazing thriller to cozy up with. Love the setting and characters she gave us with this novel.

THE HEIRESS • Rachel Hawkins • Pub Date: January 9, 2024 • 3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I have found myself enjoying mysteries/thrillers less and less these days, but Rachel Hawkins is an auto-buy author for me. This book did not disappoint!

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: When Ruby McTavish dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. In the aftermath of her death, her sprawling 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 rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life in Colorado and marrying Jules. Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Unfortunately, coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place. Jules, however, has other ideas. But as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. 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.

First of all, I think it's a glowing recommendation alone to say that I read this book in two days. Considering the fact that the last book I read took me an entire month to get through, that says a lot! But if my inability to put this book down does not sway you to pick it up, Hawkins' writing definitely should. She is CLEVER. Not only do we get a twisty plot told through alternating POVS, but we also get newspaper clippings and diary entries. Everything in this plot ties together beautifully as well, so the ending was extremely satisfying.

TL;DR: Go into this book blind, and enjoy every second of it.

Every so often I come across a book where I just can’t stand any of the characters. Like every single one of them is just annoying and just not good people. You start to find yourself rooting for their downfall or demise. You wonder how much further they can stoop. And while this book is full of those types of people, I actually was rooting for the two main characters.

Without giving too much away, trust me when I say they were not 100% without fault. These two were not great people. But honestly their families were way worse.

This one has multiple POVs, a little bit of the backstory given to you chunks at a time, reads super fast and short chapters.

All in all, it was a good one!

Ok I think this is my new favorite from the author, it was twisty and clever and just such a fun time. I was sucked into this one from the start but as things progressed and the tangled web of secrets began to unravel I was super invested. This was short and super fast paced with so many smart twists, both big and small that really kept me engaged. The audio version was excellent and was narrated by Patti Murin, Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss and John Pirhalla making it such a great multicast listen by some true pros. Definitely pick this up when you want a popcorn read that feels smart and super entertaining.

✨The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins✨

Genre: Suspense
Pages: 320

📚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.

📝I had no idea where this was going! The pace was perfect for a mystery/suspense and I’m pretty sure I read this in two sittings!

There are three POVs: Camden, Jules and Ruby McTavish. I liked that Ruby’s POV was through a collection of letters. With every letter, we got one more piece of the puzzle.

This would be a perfect vacation/summer read!

💫Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my egalley💫

Love all of the books this author writes. Definitely does not disappoint. Would read everything from this author.

This will probably be the last of Hawkins' adult mystery/thrillers that I pick up. I DNF'd Reckless Girls and this one just didn't hit either. They're not bad. They're just not what I want from this type of book. I think the biggest issue is that she foreshadows with too heavy of a hand so nothing is surprising. No matter how many plot twists were thrown into this book I either said "Yep, had that figured out 20% ago" or just "that was obvious". And that really takes away from the book. When there's no fun surprises, the rest of the book seems dull and lackluster and that's pretty much what this was.

It didn't do anything offensive or negative it was just... a kind of boring time.

This is my second time reading Rachel Hawkins, I previously read Reckless Girls (which I enjoyed very much). I read The Heiress for my book club and everyone agreed it was a good story with excellent twists. Dark family secrets are my jam! I kept waiting for Ruby to jump out from behind her painting. I read this book in two days, I had a hard time putting it down. I would recommend it to fans of mystery/thrillers.

This was such a dark and twisty book, and I enjoyed it so much.

The first part of the book was more relaxed than the second part. And once the second part got started, I couldn’t put it down.

The twists were so unexpected in the best way.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

This is officially my favorite Rachel Hawkins book. The Heiress is an unpredictable and twisted gothic tale that is full of surprises. It's incredibly entertaining and shows growth in Ms. Hawkins as a writer. I was enthralled with each character's backstory and how they were deftly woven together by the end. Each character is untrustworthy, with their own agendas, giving the story more depth and mystery that keeps you racing through each page to see how it will end. Despite their dispicable ways however, I found myself wanting to see Ruby, Camden, and Jules best the rest of the McTavish family, a true sign of masterful storytelling. The Heiress is imaginative, and the setting of Ashby House is the perfect side character that adds an air of mystery to the story.
4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

After not loving Rachel Hawkins last book, The Villa, I set my expectations low for this one. But I was pleasantly surprised and couldn't get enough of this book. It is told in three prespectives: Camden- an orphan boy who had been adopted by the rich notorious Ruby McTavish but has turned away from the family fortune, Jules- Camden's wife who is intrigued by the mystery and money of her husband's past. Letters written by Ruby McTavish. The mystery of the house and estranged family members has you finding out that everyone has skeletons in the closet. A gripping novel that has you wanting to know more about The McTavish family. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins’ novel The Heiress is the story of Camden McTavish and his wife, Jules. After being gone for years, Camden returns to Ashby House, his family’s estate he inherited from his adoptive mother, Ruby. There he has to deal with other family members who do not believe that he should have inherited the estate. Camden has no desire to be there for he has events from his past that haunt him. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, suspenseful book full of secrets of the McTavish family. I look forward to reading Rachel Hawkins’ next book.

I do enjoy an unreliable narrator, and this book definitely kept throwing in some curveballs that I did NOT see coming! A solid thriller for fans of the genre.

"But if there is a heaven, and through some mix-up of celestial paperwork I actually got to go there, this moment is where I'd want to spend eternity. Andrew's hand on my hair, the fire before us, the snow outside, the crackle of pages turning and his soft chuckle in my ear."

ALERT THE PRESS, the notorious very wealthy Ruby McTavish has passed away in her multimillion estate known as the Ashby house at the age of 73. Leaving everything behind to her adopted son Camden. Including the estate itself along with an insane amount of money. Not born by blood is Camden really the rightful heir, and can all his newly inherited money really be the root to all the evils he's dealt with his entire upbringing? Only returning to the place he dreads the most will all the secrets of the past be revealed! Let's go home to Ashby house

WOW! THIS BOOK! JUST WOW! YOU NEED TO ADD THIS TO YOUR READING LIST IMMEDIETLY

Hawkins weaves together a brilliantly smart tale of past and present love stories mixed with a gothic atmosphere jam packed full of rich people drama. Capturing your attention from the very beginning and holding your attention until the very last sentence.

A page turning addictive plot that keeps you enraptured, and sitting at the edge of your seat begging for more, more, more. And the letter entries and news articles at the end of each chapter pulls you in even farther really bringing this story to life

With narrations that speak directly to you as a reader, and normally this can pull someone away from the story, but not here. Its done so well and really makes you feel like you are actually there.Transporting you to the different times and places as the secrets and stories of the famous, ridiculously rich Ruby McTavish unfold

And that ending! How on earth could anyone ever see that coming! Well played Hawkins, well played!!

Defenitly one to pick up but you've been warned this is one you won't want to sit back down after you start

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress @rachelhawkins and @netgalley for the advanced invitation to Ashby house! I absolutely loved this uniquely spun story

You know those times when you're reading a book and you're enjoying the characters and the journey they're on, then suddenly you realize you're 50%+ through? That was this book for me.

Told in dual POV between husband and wife, Jules and Camden, and also the bonus POVs of letters of confession written by Camden's adoptive mother, the heiress Ruby McTavish and historical newspaper/magazine articles written about Ruby and her family throughout her life, this was a fun story.

When Ruby was 3-years-old, she was on a picnic with her parents and nanny in the mountains behind Ashby House, their family estate, and went missing. What happens next is a year-long search for the missing toddler, eventually discovering her living with a family in Arkansas. This sets forth a future of uncertainty for Ruby, always wondering, at some level, if she truly is the real Ruby McTavish...or an imposter.

In present time, Camden and his wife Jules return to Ashby House to face his family once more. When Ruby died ten years prior, she left everything - including Ashby House - to Camden and nothing to her sister, nephew, and nephews children. Obviously there is resentment here because Camden isn't even a real McTavish.

But coming home is something Camden has dreaded and avoided. He worked hard to escape that house and those people and that life he was adopted into.

This book is so full of secrets and ulterior motives. It also asks the question, how much of who we are is nature vs nurture?

I will absolutely be checking out Rachel Hawkins' other title and keeping her on my radar for the future. :)

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is a captivating novel that follows the story of a young woman named Cora Cash who is thrust into the world of New York high society during the Gilded Age. As the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Cora is expected to marry well and uphold her family's social status. However, when she falls in love with a man from a lower social class, she must choose between following her heart and fulfilling her family's expectations. With its rich historical detail, compelling characters, and themes of love, ambition, and independence, "The Heiress" is a captivating read that transports readers to a bygone era of opulence and intrigue

Having previously read two of Rachel Hawkins books, The Villa (a hit), and Reckless Girls (a miss), I was very curious to see where The Heiress would land.

Unfortunately, this landed closer to the miss category for me. The beginning starts with a lot of information and a lot of characters thrown at out. Once I got into it, I started to really enjoy the middle. While there were some interesting twists, they felt lackluster and thrown in all at once near the end. This is one of the first books I've had to look up what all happened in the end, as I was so confused by everything happening.

Had potential, and some may enjoy, but it's not for me.

2.75/5

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for granting me a digital copy of the book in exchange for my thoughts!
The Heiress follows orphan-turned-millionaire Camden and his wife Jules as they navigate the family’s fortune and returning to the Ashby House to settle unfinished business.
I loved this book, I read it as an audiobook as well and let me say, the lady that read Ruby’s parts made the book! It was perfect.
The only thing I would say about the book is that I don’t like that Camden and Jules still kept secrets from each other even at the end.
If you’re wanting a thriller that is different and not so “cookie-cutter”, I would pick this one up!:)

I read a YA title by this author a few years ago that I really enjoyed, but this was my first experience with her adult books. It definitely won’t be my last.

Adopted son Cam inherits his mother’s nine-figure family fortune. After her death, he wants nothing more than to get away from the rest of his toxic family – and he wants nothing to do with the money. Years later, he’s called back to Ashby House, where he grew up, and travels there with his wife. Let the games begin.

With the exception of Cam, the McTavish family is made up of greedy, privileged, scum of the earth people. No wonder Cam wanted to leave. Because of his mother’s will, his aunt and two cousins are permitted to live in Ashby House, but it and all the money belong to Cam. The rest of the family are determined to take it from the “hillbilly trash” who was never really a McTavish. And Cam’s mother? Besides the four dead husbands she left in her wake, there’s more to her story than you expect.

This family is full of nasty secrets – plenty of them. Before the end of the novel, they all come pouring out as the characters claw their way to riches without any regard to collateral damage. In spite of all these loathsome people, I couldn’t put down the book. The Heiress is a quick, captivating novel I’d recommend to readers who enjoy complex family dynamics, karma, and unexpected twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.