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!