Well written and engaging thriller . Cam returns home and confronts his past. We slowly learn about what had driven away and a whole lot of family secrets are revealed

I absolutely devoured this book!
Camden travels back to his hometown, with his wife Jules, in order to settle his adopted mothers will. When they arrive Jules realizes how twisted the family living in the Ashby home are as lies start unraveling.
This story is told from multiple POV, Camden, Jules, and Ruby through letter she wrote before her death. In each POV we learn secrets and see how it impacts others. I love Rachel Hawkins writing in this way.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Publishing for an eARC of this book.

“𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛.“

Okay friends, this book consumed me. I have loved each and every one of the other books I’ve read written by Rachel Hawkins but I absolutely devoured this one in just short of 24 hours! A modern, twisty, Southern Gothic featuring fiercely strong females and a house full of secrets? Say less.

“𝙰 𝚑𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚗‘𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝.“

This epistolary novel is quick, clever, and keeps you guessing until the very end. Full of lies and brimming with truth, this story is one that will have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished. Ruby, Cam, Jules, & the the rest of the McTavish family all have a part to play and they play it so well!

“𝙸‘𝚖 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝙰𝚜𝚑𝚋𝚢 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎, 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛‘𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜.“

Thanks so much to the team at St. Martin’s Press for the eGalley! This fantastic read is available January 9th. Grab it when you can!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins won't be published until January of 2024 but if you enjoy family thrillers with a Gothic twist, I suggest preordering or putting it on your TBR. Camden is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the notorious black widow of Ashby House. He inherited her entire estate but wanted none of it. The family was evil in his mind, and he wanted nothing to do with them. After the death of his uncle, he is summoned back to the house and brings his wife Jules with him. Secrets are exposed and some unexpected twists lead to the stunning conclusion. This was very well plotted, and the setting was perfect. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an early read in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Rachel Hawkins' books — and was so excited to get an advanced copy of The Heiress — which makes this review very hard to write. I've always found her books to be fast-paced, original and full of twists. The Heiress missed the mark almost across the board.

The plot moves incredibly slow and nothing really happens. Everything centers around Cam returning to his childhood home, but he doesn't even arrive until about 30% of the way through the story. And it's not until the 70% mark that things really pick up. Most of the action is contained in old letters, which kind of hand the readers the entire story, rather than making them earn it. It's a shame because the structure of the book is so great — there's so much that could have been done with it to make it it suspenseful and surprising.

This is my third book I have read by the author and probably my favorite. This one was full of layers, suspense, and I couldn’t put it down. I am so happy to be able to have read it early.

Cam and Jules live an ordinary, and happy life on Colorado. They have been together for a decade after meeting at a college bar. But Cam is the sole heir to an old family fortune in the Appalachian mountains in North Carolina. He turned his back on the fortune and his family after the death of his adopted mother Ruby. He wanted nothing to do with his cruel, and money hungry family. But after the death of his uncle and pleading of his family, he returns to his childhood home. What secrets lie with in the walls? What is his family’s true intentions?

What I enjoyed:
- the pacing! I couldn’t put this one down and finished it in less than 24 hours. This was a real page turner. I wanted to know the truth of everything.
- We get dual POVs from Cam and Jules. As well as flashbacks by Ruby in the form of letters. This kept me interested in going to continue to find out everything
- There were so many layers, and mysteries to unravel.
- I figured out one twist but did not expect the final one!

As always I am a big fan of this authors books. I love their writing style, and the final twists. This book did not disappoint and I can’t wait to preorder it. I will forever read future work by this author! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!