This book was EXCEPTIONAL.

Think Evelyn Hugo meets Daisy Darker in this twisted tale of how far a family will go to claim what they believe is theirs; and what happens if you stand in their way.

The ending DID feel a bit rushed but it didn't take away any stars for me. This is probably Hawkins' best book to date and it's definitely one you won't want to miss.

Rachel Hawkins is the best at slow burn thrillers that focus on characters rather than constant action. This one had some great characters but was filled with. a lot of suspense elements that were told to us by a character or letter rather than shown to us as it happened. Ruby McTavish was the wealthiest woman in North Carolina and before her death she was famous for being a widow four times over and for a situation when she was kidnapped as a child. We meet Ruby after her death, when she talks. about her life and the deaths of her husbands by gunshot, electric shock, poisoning and drowning. Ruby has an adopted son named Camden who turned his back on the McTavish family and their mansion after Ruby's death.

Camden and his wife Jules live a simple life, he is a teacher and she plays a pioneer woman for tourists. When Camden receives a letter from one of his cousins saying the family mansion is in disrepair, Camden and Jules decide to pay it a visit; after all he is the sole heir to the family fortune. Once they arrive they are given the cold shoulder by Aunt Nelle and cousins Ben and Libby. There are twists and turns that happen after Camden and Jules arrive at the mansion, but much of the action is described as happening by one of the narrators rather than playing out to the reader. Camden and Jules are narrators of their respective chapters, alternating with Ruby's letters. I liked the storyline and the characters but would have loved the book if we had a little more action. The best parts were Ruby's letters, she was witty if evil! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Good psycho suspense set in NC current day. . Each chapter was written by either Cam, his mother Ruby, or his wife Jules. Plot was based about inheriting the family mansion and all the evil that had occurred within the family. This is not a long novel so moves quick enough.

When the infamous heiress Ruby McTavish dies, her son Camden walks away from his inheritance and anything to do with the McTavish name. He makes a life for himself in Colorado as an English teacher with his wife Jules. Ten years go by and on the death of his uncle, Camden is asked to return to Ashby House. He is hesitant to go back, but his wife convinces him saying they can leave anytime. However, once back in North Carolina, Camden finds himself right back in the middle of all of the family secrets and drama. As a child, his mother Ruby was kidnapped and later return to her family. But rumors then and now hint at the fact that maybe it wasn’t Ruby who came back, There are also questions on the tragic deaths of Ruby’s four husbands. Family members come forward with accusations in hopes of claiming the inheritance left to Camden. But is there any truth behind these allegations? And what lengths will the other McTavishs go to? This was such a great novel. Lots of twists and a huge reveal in the end!!!!

This is my third read by Rachel Hawkins and by far my favorite, I really enjoy her writing style. I Love atmospheric writing, and in my opinion , Hawkins always delivers a story that takes hold of the reader and dosen’t let go until the very last page. This book is part Thriller, part family drama . Thriller readers will enjoy its dark , mysterious tone centered around an Old estate , a disappearance, and a family that hides secrets. Told in multiple points of view, this one will have you guessing and needing to know what happens next.

Adopted as a child, Camden McTavish wants nothing to do with the inheritance left to him when his adoptive mother Ruby McTavish, passes away. But family ties bring Camden and his wife Jules back to his boyhood home, back to the remaining family members who will stop at nothing for their chance to inherit the family fortune.

This book is first and foremost a very fun time, full of interesting characters with questionable morals and lots (and lots!) of secrets.
That, to me, is always a win.
Add to that short chapters, multiple POVs and some big family drama and you've got yourself a very entertaining read.
Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of The HEIRESS.

I had been trying to find a book that caught my interest. I had tried three books and this dropped into my Kindle. I started reading it and was immediately sucked into the story. This may not be a thriller, but the twists and turns really kept my attention.Ah, the secrets we keep!

I haven't been reading many thrillers lately, but I adore the Gothic twist Rachel Hawkins gives to her novels and The Heiress did not disappoint - I'm a sucker for family secrets and dilapidated manors. The story is told in alternating viewpoints: Camden, Ruby's adopted son and heir, who wants nothing to do with the McTavish's or his inheritance; his wife Jules, who grew up poor and can't help but imagine herself mistress of the manor; and tell-all letters from Ruby. Fast-paced and plot driven, the characters were a bit on the thin side, with only Ruby having a distinguishable voice, but when the story is this good, does it matter?

A quick, suspenseful read. How much can intrigue can one family possess? The secrets run deep and alliances run shallow as the mysteries unfold in a family plagued by deceit and murder. Southern gothic at its best - complete with a house that has a life of its own.

A solid psych thriller with some fun, unexpected twists! Easy to read and hard to put down; I finished it within a day! This is my fave so far by Rachel Hawkins!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was hooked from the first page.

The book opens with a news article of a kidnapping -- that of three-year old Ruby McTavish. We then cut to present day, where we're introduced to Jules, who introduces us to her husband, Camden, Ruby McTavish's adopted son. Jules isn't our only narrator, however; in fact, one of the things I liked the most about this book was the multiple narrators. We not only hear from Jules and Camden, but also, from the dead Ruby, who recounts her own story (including how she was widowed four times over).

Thought Jules isn't our only narrator, she's unique in two ways: one, she's the only narrator who breaks the fourth wall and two, she starts dropping hints about the story that's about to follow from the very first chapter. And while Jules's persistent breaking of the fourth wall starts is somewhat endearing, her dropping of not-so-subtle hints in every chapter, about everything from her own past to some of the secrets of Ashby house, start becoming less and less subtle as the book goes on. By about halfway through the book, I had guessed most of the answers to the questions posed in the synopsis, which meant that there was very little reason to continue reading the book. If I had loved Jules, I may have felt differently about the book, but I didn't find her (or really, any of the characters) to be particularly likable.

While I may have been hooked from the first page, by the time the book ended, that feeling had all but disappeared.

What did I just read?!! The Heiress has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster! I couldn't put this down and I'll recommend it until I'm blue in the face! I think this is all I can say without giving away all the secrets. 🤫

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.

This is easily the best book I’ve read this year!! One of my favorite genres is family dynamic dramas with a thriller twist and this did not disappoint. You do not want to wait on this. I was immediately drawn in by the authors writing style and how in addition to the two different points of view there were also letters about the past and articles thrown in written about the characters to add to the story. The Heiress is about the heir to a huge fortune coming back and dealing with the repercussions of who is he. Camden and his wife, Jules are back at Ashby House after ten years and up against the remaining McTavishes who want the house and the money for themselves but deep inside the beautiful gray stone of the mansion are the deep and deadly secrets of the entire family, but like any good thriller they won’t stay secret for long. For some reason I didn’t expect twists but this book had quiet a few and they were all soo good and unexpected. It makes me want to go back and read all of Hawkins novels.

I enjoyed the drama and thrill of this but it still felt flat. The action wasn't as good as I was hoping for, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the dual POV and timelines. I think this could have used some ironing out. They being said, I did enjoy the twists and I think it still made for a decent story.

The Heiress was a very enjoyable family drama/thriller. It was well written and had great characterization. It was a quick read on a Sunday afternoon with a slow burn. The book switches between multiple points of view and timelines from Cam and his wife Julia to letters from Ruby. All characters were morally and ethically unlikable all holding terrible family secrets. Took awhile to get going but overall I enjoyed it.
3.5/5

I am a fan of Hawkins’ books but this one fell flat for me. It was pretty slow, and read as a family drama more than a thriller. There are several twists but no action- it’s just handed to you.

Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Received a complimentary copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins from St. Martin’s Press /NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

BOOK REPORT
Reading The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was a pleasant enough way to while away a few hours this afternoon. Probably would’ve enjoyed it more had I been seaside, with a frozen adult beverage in hand. And, of course, if I’d not already read umpty-leven stories like it over lo these many, many years.

So, derivative? Yeah. Whether that’s me or the story, I’m not quite sure at this point.

Not sure what it says about me that I want to be Ruby when I grow up…..

Oh, wait, yes I am.

😎

DESCRIPTION
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.

The Heiress is a Gothic suspense novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. The story follows Camden McTavish, the adopted son of the infamous Ruby McTavish, who inherits her estate after her death. Camden has no interest in the estate or the McTavish family, but he is summoned back to Ashby House after his uncle's death. There, he and his wife, Jules, begin to uncover the dark secrets that the McTavishes have been keeping for generations.

The book is full of twists and turns, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. Hawkins does a great job of creating a sense of suspense and foreboding, and the setting of Ashby House is both atmospheric and creepy. The Heiress is a must-read for fans of Gothic suspense novels, and it is sure to keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Here are some specific things that I enjoyed about the book:

- The characters were well-developed and relatable. I found myself rooting for Camden and Jules, and I was intrigued by the other members of the McTavish family.
- The plot was full of twists and turns. I never knew what was going to happen next, and I was always on the edge of my seat.
- The setting was atmospheric and creepy. I could picture Ashby House in my mind, and I felt a sense of dread whenever the characters went there.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Heiress. It is a well-written, suspenseful, and atmospheric novel that I would highly recommend to fans of Gothic suspense.

Here are some additional thoughts on the book:
- The book is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and Hawkins does a great job of capturing the beauty and isolation of the region.
- The book explores themes of family secrets, revenge, and redemption.
The book is full of foreshadowing, which helps to build suspense.
- The ending is satisfying and unexpected.

If you are looking for a good suspense novel with a Gothic twist, then I highly recommend The Heiress.

This will be the book that everyone will want to read. It’s pure entertainment from the start.

The setting is the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina where a mansion sits with killer views. It’s like the Biltmore but a tad bit smaller.

It was built in 1904 by lumber magnate Alexander McTavish. He called it, "The Highlands." In 1938, Mason McTavish renamed it the "Ashby House" in honor of his beloved wife, Anna Ashby. Life was good until 1943 when their three-year-old daughter, Ruby, disappeared. Mason offered a handsome reward and then eight months later, she miraculously was found by a private detector.

Anna gave birth to another girl, Nelle. She was four years younger. The two sisters weren’t close. Ruby was able to get her father to always favor her. After her father died, Ruby ended up with millions including the estate and other properties. However, the will allowed Nelle and her family to live there forever. They would be one happy family…not.

This is a book that is so exciting, it’s difficult to stop reading. When my eyes were tired, the last sentence of the chapter made me want to read just one more chapter. And then one more. The writing is smooth and all the pieces fit together in time with twists and turns. It was easy to keep track of a handful of characters – all with such good descriptions, I could probably draw a sketch of each one.

I can imagine good discussions from book clubs. Why are we so interested in the bad behavior of people of wealth? I’ve read a few of the author’s previous books. This is my favorite.

My thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of January 9, 2024.