This one had a lot of twists and turns and I honestly thought I had it figured out, but it surprised me! Would highly recommend for a fast thriller!

Rachel Hawkins does it again with another addictive thriller! Ruby McTavish's reputation precedes her, the victim of a infamous kidnapping, the heiress to a family fortune, and a widow shockingly four times, everyone knows her name. Ruby's fortune is left to her adopted son Cameron upon her death, Cameron rejects his inheritance and lives a simple life on the other side of the county with his wife Jules. Cameron returns home to Ashby House in North Carolina for the first time in a decade when his uncles dies. Seeing his estranged family who has always viewed Cameron as an outsider, willing to do anything to get their hands on Ruby's fortune. Long buried family secrets, twisted tales and painful memories haunt the halls of the estate. Jules may play the role of a supportive wife but is keeping her eye on her husband's intended fortune. The novel is told in letters from Ruby, and alternating chapters between Cameron and Jules. What happened the day young Ruby was kidnapped? How could Ruby be so unlucky to be widowed four times in her life? Rachel Hawkins is the queen of Southern thrillers, with her wonderfully descriptive settings. I loved reading Ruby's letters literally loosing myself in her story. Every time I guessed where the story was going, the story would twist in a whole new direction. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

As a young child, Ruby disappeared while on a picnic with her parents. A year later she is returned. When she grows up, she marries...four times. Each time, the husband dies of an accident. Through with men, she adopts a child, Camden. Camden, after Ruby dies, becomes the sole heir to the family estate but chooses instead to leave and go off to California. When his uncle dies, Camden returns with his wife to his highly dysfunctional family.
Opinion
I LOVED this book. From the style to the tale, there is nothing I did not like. I was completely invested in the letters Ruby wrote explaining what happened to each husband. I really wanted to know more. As more was unleashed, I was floored. This book will not end how you expect, which makes it the ultimate read.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was great! So atmospheric and twisty! My attention was grabbed immediately, and I devoured this book in one day. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a very quick read for me. I liked how the author tied in the letters written by Ruby so we were getting little bits of her story throughout, building up to the climax. The characters were so over the top, it made for a fun, ridiculous story.

I love everything Rachel Hawkins has written, oddly enough I could not get into this book before it expired. I will try to read it another time, I’m sure it was just me.

Ruby McTavish, a four-time widow, is known for being one of North Carolina's richest woman and even more famous for being the victim of kidnapping as a young child. The Heiress ruled the family estate, The Ashby house, located high the the Blue Ridge Mountains and following her death passes on her fortune to her adopted son, Camden. Wanting little to do with his inheritance, Camden moves away to Colorado to become a teacher and meet and marry his current, Jules.

Ten years later, following the passing of his Uncle, Cam and Jules are confronted again about returning to the Ashby estate to assist in the repairs and sort out issues with the finances . With hesitation, Camden and Jules return and reunite what is left of the McTavishes. As secrets are uncovered and the past is unraveled, we find out the real truth that surrounds the McTavish name, The Heiress was a interesting book with an intriguing plot. It was a slow read for me, but is worth the read if you enjoy Rachel Hawkins' books.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press, #NetGalley, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date. The plot was juicy. I flew through this book. It was just a great well rounded novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was a fun and quick read, the characters were well written and I loved the atmosphere of Ashby House. Ruby MacTavish, had more notoriety than most in her life. She went missing at the age of three and was miraculously saved and brought back home, she has had four husbands that all met untimely deaths, and has been nicknamed Mrs. Kill-more by some of the locals. Ruby was the heiress to a vast fortune and a private and remote estate named Ashby House. When Ruby passed, all of her Estate passed to her adopted son, Camden. Camden, who moved away years ago and wants nothing to do with the inheritance, most of all, the house and his “family” that reside there. His bitter old aunt Nelle, his vapid cousin Libby and her self absorbed brother, Ben, all of whom believe that Cam should not receive anything and they should be the rightful heirs.

But when Ben messages that the house needs repairs, Ben decides that it is time to go home and get things in order, his wife, Jules is thrilled, she has been dreaming about seeing Ashby House. They do not receive a warm welcome and Cam instantly regrets the move, but it is too late now and Ben was right, things do need to be fixed and repaired at the home. But are Cam and Jules putting themselves at risk staying there. We are treated to letters from Ruby MacTavish from prior to her death, that tell her story of her life and the loss of her husbands that are interspersed throughout the book. Great storyline and some great twists I did see and some I didn’t see coming. I always enjoy this author’s books.

Cameron McTavish and his wife Jules return to his family’s estate in North Carolina following the death of his adopted mother whose notorious past is well known to everyone. While Cam would rather stay at their home in Colorado, Jules is set on making Ashby House their own. As she starts looking into the family’s past she begins to wonder if Cam’s inheritance is as straight forward as it seems. This book started out a little slow for me but about half way through the pace picked up. Unfortunately this was not my favorite book by this author. I liked the gothic feel surrounding Ashby House but there were too many unlikeable characters for my taste and once the secrets started to be revealed they became even more unlikeable. I’m hoping her next one will be better.

This book actually surprised me as I liked it much more than I thought I would. I liked the cover and this was a new to me author, so thought I would give it a try. The audio was fantastic, the narrators, knocked it out of the park. All four of them were terrific.

Family dynamics or family politics as my hubby likes to call them, can be pretty messy. Maybe more so when so many secrets, family plots and selfish motives, abound. Although I thought it got a little convoluted in the last third, but by then I wanted to see how it ended.

This may win the prize for dysfunctional family, made my sometimes dysfunctional family, look much less so.

I loved this story. The author kept me engaged and wanting to read more of the story to see what would happen next. Loved it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook.

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.

After Ruby’s death, her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with Ashby house or the family fortune. Camden then gets summoned to Ashby House by the remaining family still living there.

Told in multiple between Camden and his wife, Jules, as well as letters Ruby wrote before she died, we learn about the events that led to Ruby becoming a widow 4 times over and her struggle with her own identity and we learn about Camden’s struggle growing up at Ashby House and the secret that Jules is keeping.

A slow burn but magnificent story-telling once I got a few chapters in I was hooked. Clever little twist at the end.

I loved this book. It was not what I had expected. It is about a North Carolina family that is different to say the least! The interrelationships of the family is intriguing. When the Matriarch of the family dies, we are amazed by the wonderful character of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. She was not typical by any stretch of the imagination and her antics are what makes this wonderful story.

Rachel Hawkins never fails to paint a vivid picture in every book she writes. This particular multi-POV book follows the life of a North Carolina heiress named Ruby McTavish and her family. Mystery has surrounded Ruby since she was a young child, having gone missing and later returning. We then journey through her story of four different husbands in adulthood. A good portion of the story involves her estranged adopted son and his wife returning to Ruby’s home to deal with entitled family members. Not everyone is who they pretend to be, of course.
This book contains several twists that kept me guessing the whole time. It starts slow but was a quick, great read overall!

3.75 stars

Ten years after his adoptive mother died, and Camden inherited the entire family fortune, he and his wife Jules return to his family’s estate. He has been summoned back after wanting nothing to do with the money, estate or with his family. We learn of his family’s secrets and of his mother, Ruby’s infamous life as a four time widow and a victim of kidnapping as a child. As Jules and Camden spend time at the estate we uncover secrets from the past and the present with many twists and turns.

This domestic suspense/mystery was a good read but maybe not as thrilling or suspenseful as I hoped. I enjoyed the story and thought the pace picked up a lot in the second half. I was a little bored in the first half. Although there were some good twists and turns, I guessed the main twist pretty early in the book. I would also say the characters are all morally questionable and flawed, but that does lead to some interesting plot points. All in all it was a fun, good read!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always enjoyed Rachel Hawkin’s books and know a lot of fellow readers who really enjoyed The Heiress. While I think there were a couple of interesting twists at the end, I didn’t like and didn’t care about any of the characters in the book. They weren’t likable and I didn’t root for any of them.
If you enjoy Rachel Hawkins’ previous popcorn thriller I think you’ll enjoy this one though.

Thank you so much @StMartinsPress for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 09 January 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Ruby is one of the wealthiest people in North Carolina & when she died 10 years ago she left her estate & fortune to her adopted son (Camden). He wants nothing to do with his remaining family or inheritance so flee's to California to start a new life. However, he reluctantly returns when he find our the mansion he inherited is falling into disrepair.

WHAT I LIKED:
- wealthy people behaving badly vibes
- Ruby's story as it slowly unfolds through letters to an unknown recipient
- a bunch of unlikeable characters with their own agendas
- following both a past + present timeline

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- slow paced (more of a character driven story than plot)
- an abundance of swearing throughout

Rachel Hawkins is becoming an auto-buy for me! I love these fast, wildly outlandish but fun thrillers! This one didn’t disappoint. I loved the mix of narrators - although the letters from Ruby held me more captivated than the others. I think I audibly gasped a few times while reading as Ruby reveals her sordid history.

I also got 'Evelyn Hugo' vibes from Ruby's character, which is one of my favorite books, and can't help but believe that Rachel Hawkins was inspired by that runaway bestseller as well.

I also loved how everything came together perfectly in the end! Very well done, and two huge thumbs up.

Woo wee! The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was a wild ride, and I had so much fun while reading it!

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore - you've probably heard of her. She's notorious not just for being the heiress of the 9 figure McTavish empire, or for being kidnapped from a family picnic when she was 3, but for being married - and widowed - 4 times. So when she leaves the entire McTavish fortune to her adopted son, Camden, upon her death, it's just another piece to her notoriety. But Cam shocks everyone, leaving Ashby House and Tavistock, NC behind, choosing instead to become a teacher. Ten years later, Cam and his wife, Jules, are called back to Ashby House in the wake of his uncle's death. While Cam wants to leave more than ever, Jules is charmed by the house and, in light of how twisted the family is, she is determined for Cam to keep everything Ruby wanted him to have. But Ruby was great at keeping secrets, and Cam and Jules start to realize that the McTavish inheritance may be more than just the fortune.

The Heiress is written in 3 perspectives - Cam and Jules in 2023, as well as letters from Ruby in 2013, just before she died. Switching between the perspectives kept me completely engaged and needing to know what happened next. I will say that, for the first part of the book, I found Ruby's letters the most compelling and couldn't wait to get back to them. But a little over halfway through, I found myself completely enthralled by all 3 perspectives.

It's hard to talk about books like The Heiress without giving too much away, and I definitely don't want to do that, because guessing what was coming was half the fun. But if you love intense family dramas, morally grey characters, and compelling multi-perspective books, this is a great read for you!

Many thanks to St Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.