Really quick read! Kept my interest and I didn’t see the twist coming! Family drama, greed, loose morals lol

First of all, Rachel's cover artist deserves a raise. Thank GOD the content of her books is as good as the covers because the whole things comes together in a beautiful package!

I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Heiress because all of Rachel's books have been hits for me so far, and this one did not disappoint.

The McTavish family is filthy rich & filled with dirty secrets. The matriarch, Ruby, has been dead for a decade -- and is preceded by four husbands who all died under mysterious circumstances. Her adopted son, Camden, lives across the country and wants nothing to do with his multi-million dollar inheritance or any of the surviving family members.

But when his uncle dies, he finally is lured back to the house -- with his loving wife Jules in tow. As we learn more about Ruby and the rest of the family, its easy to see why Cam ran so far and never wanted to come back. But everyone in the house, including his wife, has secrets that are about to be revealed.

We learn more of Ruby's past in her own words through the inclusion of letters she wrote before her death -- and I found myself loving this complicated, conniving, brilliant woman who is very used to getting exactly what she wants. A great story that is twisty up until the very end!

Intrigue, interesting suspense,secrets all involving Ruby,Cam Jules and the rest of the family.
Good mystery romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Winner! The perfect blend of narrative and suspense. When Jules and her husband Cam return to Ashby Hall, it is to reclaim his inheritance and uncover the secrets that have surrounded him. But, in this compelling book, the secrets and twists keep coming.

The author builds slowly and incudes multiple narratives including some in the form of letters from “the heiress” explaining her own violent history. As a reader, it was hard to separate the good guys from the bad ones. Who was lying? Who was manipulated? Who was good? Who was a killer?

Oh, the reader will love this well written, stirring novel of a house, a family and death. I highly recommend it and I know it will fascinate book groups.

Thank you Netgalley for this delicious read.

Well developed characters, interesting setting. Despite many of the characters bad choices, I found them charming. Unfortunately, most of the twists were predictable, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. Maybe I even enjoyed it more because I wasn’t rushing for answers.

The Haunted Mansion in book form! Reading this felt like going on the ride at Disney World. Not that scary, great atmosphere, plenty of dead husbands.

I appreciated being in a big, old, dated mansion in need of repairs that didn't also take over the book and become the main character. House horror is fun, too, but it seemed fresher to not do that.

Like most people will, I assume, I liked the letters about the past from Ruby, the black widow, the best. The present day story was a slow build and all surprises were telegraphed well in advance. The book is about tension, not jump scares or reveals.

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish the whole thing, though, because I just didn't want to close the book and leave the ride.

this book is definitely a beach read. easy to read. interesting characters. agreeable plots twists. old story about who has the money in old families and how much effort the non monied people will use to obtain some of those funds for themselves. liked the setting. liked the names of the characters especially Cam and Jules.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a review copy. I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure if I would like it having read one previous book by Hawkins which I didn't care for. This is a story within a story and deeply layered with several great reveals that leave the reader surprised. The ending was really shocking with a unforeseen twist. Character development was great and the writing and editing good. I highly recommend this one to readers who love a great suspenese/mystery tale.

Really have enjoyed reading this! Rachel Hawkins always keeps us guessing and wraps up all the lose ends like no one else. I have liked all the ones she’s written and this was no different. I may have guessed some of the connections but still was engaging and enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. Up until I read this book The Villa was my favorite book by this author. I love this book. It has so many twists. I never saw some of them coming. The characters are perfect. The good guys are just bad enough. The bad guys are deliciously evil and unlikeable. I eagerly look forward to her next book. I will be recommending this book to all my friends.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 79 of 2023 (& read number 2 of summer break). I always enjoy @ladyhawkins’s books, and this one was no exception. I did not anticipate the twists in this book, and as always, she included some right until the last page. There are many points of view in this book, and while that never bothers me, a couple of characters almost seemed to have the same “voice.” I found myself flipping back to double check which character was narrating the chapter. Still a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. It was a hard book to put down.

This is my 3rd Rachel Hawkins book and although not my favorite, it definitely kept me guessing. A third of the way into the book I realized what Ruby's 'big secret' was and waited to find out the reveal. It's a very unique plot and would make an excellent movie with some editing and perhaps more likeable characters. It's the story of famous North Carolina heiress, Ruby McTavish and her questionable ancestors. Ruby is a self made woman with some assistance from her father. Her 4 husbands all die mysterious deaths, and after her death, her son Camden inherits it all, the bulk of which is the town of Tavistock and the ancestral home of Ashby House, which is in serious disrepair. This novel has serious Rebecca vibes, as Ashby house reminded me quite a bit of Manderley, especially toward the end. Cam has disowned his family and lives in CO, vowing never to return. However, his wife Jules, wants to see where he grew up when he receives a letter from his brother informing him of his uncle's' death.
Once they get to Ashby house, old memories surface, secret letters are found, and everyone is not who they seem. Who will survive the family reunion? Ruby was the most interesting character to me. What made her do what she did? Why was her relationship with Cam strained? Did she have anything to do with her husbands' mysterious deaths? All this will be revealed in time dear reader, and you have to just go along for the ride.

Wow! This was fantastic! I love the story that Rachel Hawkins weaves with this one. I was intrigued from the first page. I liked that everyone had a secret to hide.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Ruby McTavish, the most wealthy woman in North Carolina, and infamous for being a former kidnapped child, passes away and leaves her fortune to her adopted son, Cam. However, Cam wants nothing to do with the fortune or the rest of the McTavish family.

However, Cam's wife, Jules has other plans and persuades Cam to return to his family home.

Told through multiple perspectives, with lots of twists and turns, Hawkins does not disappoint.

Somewhat reminiscent of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, with a thriller twist. An enjoyable read.

4.5/5

I love the two perspectives of Jules and Camden, the letters from Ruby, and the different newspaper articles. The twists never stopped coming. I didn’t want to put it down!!!!

Highly recommend!!!!!

Absolute win by Rachel Hawkins! I look forward to every one of her books! She weaves these tales that make me not want to put them down at night. I have to wait until the weekend to read because I know they're hard to put down. This one takes place in North Carolina and reminded me of old Southern family drama intrigue (I'm from Mississippi originally so well aware of this!). Loved it!

The Heiress is a different structure of novel from what one is used to reading from Rachel Hawkins. The chapters are told from the perspectives of Camden and Jules McTavish and at times they are speaking to the reader and at times they are simply living through the story. Between these chapters, the reader experiences letters, newspaper articles, and other forms of correspondence that provide insight into the heiress herself, Ruby McTavish.

There are a number of mysteries woven into this book starting from the disappearance & reappearance of Baby Ruby, continuing with the abhorrence that Cam has for his home, and continuing with the reader wondering who Ruby was writing those letters to.

I was a bit turned off by the structure and pace of the novel at first and struggled to get hooked. However, once Ruby's backstory started to get a bit more interesting, things seemed to tie together a bit more. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a light mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I have never read a Rachel Hawkins book that I didn't love and "The Heiress" was no exception. I was immersed right at the beginning with the current story line with Cam and his wife, as well as the letters from the past from his mother retelling the story. I really enjoyed how the story was easy to follow even with multiple points of view and multiple time jumps. It really kept me guessing and I was not expecting the ending. Overall, a great book!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Once again Rachel Hawkins knocks it out of the park. This is a story full of twists and a fun play on the typical inheritance story.
Definitely read this in one setting 👌🏻

Camden McTavish had finally gotten free. He had found a wonderful wife and a comfortable life far away from North Carolina and the horrors that hid in his family estate there. When a family death brings him and his wife, Jules, back to the doorstep of McTavish house, they quickly find that memories are not the only things lurking in the shadows.

This book was incredible! I read this as an eARC from Netgalley and could not stop reading! There are plot twists upon twists all throughout this read that keep you on your toes until the very end. This story is told in flashbacks through letters and current time drama. Hawkins makes you question what you would do if you were in certain situations that the characters face. You would like to think you’d take the high road.. but could you really make the harder choice when it comes down to it? Absolutely loved this book! Definitely recommending it to friends!

4.5⭐️