I really enjoyed this slow burn of a mystery. I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis and I have family that lives in North Carolina and I thought it would be a fun read.

The Heiress is about Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore who lives in the town of Tavistock, North Carolina. She is very well known in her community and is the wealthiest person in North Carolina. She has a pretty notorious background from being kidnapped as a child and then returned to her family to being a 4x widow. When Ruby finally passes she leaves her famous estate the Ashby House and her fortune to her adopted son Camden who wants nothing to do with the fortune, but his wife Jules does.

This story was told by multiple POV - Camden's, Jules and Ruby's. It was a slow burn in the beginning but once it picked up I loved it and could not wait to see what happened. I definitely got Evelyn Hugo vibes (+ mystery) which I loved. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in domestic suspense, multiple POVs, slow burn mysteries and North Carolina settings.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second Rachel Hawkins book and while it's hard to beat The Stranger Upstairs, this one was also great. The only issue I had was the historical fiction touch as the letters look back in history. That really slowed the pace down for me and even made me put the book down. That's a personal issue though as it's weirdly hard for me to dive into anything historical fiction, even if it includes family drama. Outside of that everything else was perfect. The multiple POVs, the multiple husbands. and multiple deaths were *chefs kiss*.

I have read everything so far by Hawkins and she is truly the queen of a slow burn. Like her other novels, I love the settings she chooses for her books - this particular one had a gothic, atmospheric vibe. There are lots of twists and turns but her books are always fast and enjoyable reads for me!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for a review!

Jules and Cam have been married for 10 years and have an okay life. Still deeply in love, they live a pretty quiet life and make ends meet - even though Cam is the heir to Ruby McTavish, a wealthy socialite with four dead husbands. Since Ruby’s death 10 years ago, can has sworn off his inheritance, including the huge mountain mansion Ashby House. But when Cam’s estranged relatives contact him to help sort out the house and his inheritance, Jules convinces him to go. She immediately falls in love with Ashby House, but Cam’s complicated feelings of his upbringing and Ruby’s long dead secrets threaten to upend Jules and Cam’s relationship.

This took a me a little bit of time to get into, but once it started getting into Ruby’s sinister past it picked up. I enjoyed the southern gothic feel, and while the twists weren’t insane (I guessed both in the first few chapters) I enjoyed the ride. Rachel Hawkins is one of my go-to thriller writers because the settings/plots are always fun and the MCs aren’t squeaky clean. I enjoyed the letters from Ruby sprinkled throughout and how they played into the greater story.

If you’re a fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but with a thriller/mystery twist, you might want to give this one a try!

I really loved the fact the story was told from three perspectives: Jules, Cam and Ruby but the fact that Ruby’s was told from old letters and news clippings was fantastic! The setting of being in a remote mansion in the North Carolina mountains really helped to set up the dark and gothic, old money kind of setting. The string of dead husband’s and family members passing on really helped to set up the base of this mystery. It’s full of twists and turns. Some you might see coming but some.. maybe not, all the way through to the end of the story!

I will say I feel like there were some minor plot holes but overall, I had to pick up my jaw from the floor by the end of the book lol a solid mystery that I’d definitely recommend!

This is truly a game of cat and mouse with so many plot twists. When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies she is North Carolina's richest woman, and also quite notorious. So many husband, so many deaths..
After her death her son Camden wants nothing to do with his family, the home or his inheritance, but his wife Jules insists that they return to Ashby House. So many questions arise about the family members, the deaths of the husbands, and the inheritance. There are letters from Ruby telling her story. You are not sure who you can trust and what their motives are. This is about family secrets and manipulation that will keep yo guessing and turning the page.

Rachel Hawkins is back with another page-turning thriller!

Set at a historic Blue Ridge mountain estate and cast by some very unlikable characters, THE HEIRESS contains (IMO) the best type of set-up for a dark and twisty thriller.

But while THE HEIRESS shines in it's set-up, it doesn't exactly radiate in its delivery. For me, this newest from Hawkins was enjoyable enough to finish, but "basic" enough to be forgettable.

If you're a fan of Hawkins, THE HEIRESS is right in line with her others on a scale of "page-turning-ability," however for critics of this genre, I'd leave this one behind.

There's nothing as good as the rich gone bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.

This is my second Rachel Hawkins book that I've read, and I liked this one soo much better! It was a fun, fast-paced thriller with a couple of crazy twists that I actually didn't see coming.

This book is written from three characters' point of views - Camden, his wife Jules, and his mother Ruby (the heiress herself). After Ruby's passing, her POV is told through letters she left behind explaining the details of her life and her experiences with her four husbands that gave her the nickname of Mrs. Kill-more. This whole storyline was giving me a more gruesome version of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I do think it was a bit of an over-the-top detail to the book but I did enjoy the drama of it.

Camden, her adopted son and the sole heir to her massive estate, is now called back to his childhood home, which is something he never thought he would do. I liked Camden as a character and thought the dynamic between him and the rest of his (terrible) family really helped to build the suspense of the story. The most interesting character in my opinion was Jules, his wife who hints that she has a secret of her own that leaves the reader trying to figure it out as the story progresses. While kind of far-fetched and ridiculous at parts, I thought this book was very entertaining and I flew right through it. If you love thrillers, mysteries, and jaw-dropping family dramas, I'd pick this one up!

This was a gripping mystery that had me up past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down! I loved the past and present timelines and the multiple POVs. Quite frankly, I could have read an entire book just on Ruby's letters about the past timeline, they were so engrossing. A great read with multiple twists and a satisfying ending ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Rachel Hawkins can write a fun thriller and her latest does not disappoint. I loved the letter-writing format throughout the book and the very hate-able characters. Kept me guessing until the end.

Rachel Hawkins is hit or miss for me but this was definitely a hit. I knew there were secrets but the twisty suspense in this was even more than I saw coming. Camden's family was so unlikeable that you couldn't help but root for Camden. Even his wife was suspect. Poor guy! I definitely recommend this one as it was hard to put down.

Rachel Hawkins is an author that I know of. I have read her books before and was excited to jump right in to see what kind of mystery thriller was in my hands. Ashby House is the perfect setting. I love the grandeur of the house. It had a haunting feeling and I do believe that Ruby had never left. The characters were unique. They were all spoiled and rotten to each other. I could tell that they all had secrets and could not wait to see how they would come out.

The Heiress is not my favorite Rachel Hawkins book. There were parts that seemed a little flat as I read it. I wanted more suspense, more of the not knowing, and more mystery. While there was a lot of unknown in the story, the telling of the unknown did not have the feel that I expect from a Rachel Hawkins book.

The Heiress is an easy book to read. The story moved along quick enough and my attention was kept. I will recommend my family drama readers pick up a copy and check it out. I will be very interested to see how it reads for others.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book via NetGalley

Ruby McTavish became famous after being kidnapped as a child. She became even more famous after each of her husbands died under mysterious circumstances. After her death, her son Cam is called back to her estate by family members he hasn’t had any contact with since he decided to distance himself from them to live a modest life with his wife Jules. He wants nothing to do with the house or the money but soon realizes that his inheritance is much more than what’s written in his mother’s will.

This book is told from the three POV’s of Cam, Jules, and through letters written by Ruby. Although I enjoyed all them, this is my favorite of the three books I’ve read by Rachel Hawkins. I look forward to reading more in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

"Too many horrors to contemplate. Even for me, even now. Especially when there are still so many horrors to come."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy of The Heiress in exchange for an honest review. All opinions that follow are my own.

The Heiress centers around Ruby McTavish, the current matriarch of the McTavish family and is also one of the most notorious women in the country. A victim of a kidnapping when she was very small and a widow four times over, Ruby reigned over the small town of Tavistock, developed by her great-great grandfather, from the family estate called Ashby House high in the mountains of North Carolina. In the messy aftermath of her death, Camden, her adoptive son, wants nothing to do with his massive inheritance. Meanwhile, his wife Jules couldn't be more excited that they have come into the house and the money. Within the house is so many secrets that your head will spin by the end of the book.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I love multi-POV books because it gives the reader several glimpses into the storyline and Ms. Hawkins did a masterful job pulling all of her storylines and characters together at the end of the novel. There were so many different plot twists and secrets within this one famous family, that my head almost couldn't keep up with them all in the best way possible. The last probably 50-100 pages blew my mind in so many ways. Even though I thought through the whole book that there was something weird up with Jules, I never could've guessed her deeper connection to everything happening throughout the book. I absolutely loved Camden's relationship with Ruby as well as Ruby as a character. She was super interesting and also extremely creepy at the same time. I never quite knew where her freaky mind would take her.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller novel as well as the popular novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. 5/5 stars!

4.5/5 Stars

When "Lady Kill-more", Ruby McTavish dies, she is the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, and the most unlucky as a four time widower. She left Ashby House and all her money to her adoptive son Camden. This makes the rest of the McTavish family angry and resentful toward him, especially when he wants nothing to do with the money or estate. When another relative passes, Camden is called back to the estate to help with the affairs.

Rachel Hawkins adult novels are quickly becoming some of my favourite books. I just find her writing style to be so addictive and fun! I read this entire book in one sitting because I needed to know what happened in the end. I listened to this on audio, with a full cast performing the multiple POVs and I personally think it made the story so much better for me. We get chapters from Ruby in the form of letters, Camden, as well as Jules, Camden's wife. We also get scenes from the past through the letters to learn more about Ruby and how her four husbands met their end, as well as the present from Camden and Jules during their time in Ashby House to create the twists and turns unveiled while reading. Jules was definitely my favourite character, she was so sassy and she made me laugh out loud with a few of her witty comebacks. I liked how the book also included the letters from Ruby, that told the story of her four husbands. There were so many secrets and that these characters were hiding, and I loved unraveling them as the story unfolded.

I just loved the characters and this story so much - it was such a fun read!

This book was a rollercoaster ride, I really enjoyed. I never knew what to expect next. Kept me guessing with every page turn. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book is full of family drama, murder, and mystery. I would say a perfect psychological thriller! With multiple POV this story pulls you into the mysterious past of Camden and his mother, Ruby who ruled the small town of Tavistock high in the blue ridge mountains - told by Camden’s wife Jules. The story is also told by Ruby through letters to an unknown recipient exposing all of the Ashby House secrets and what really happened to Ruby after being kidnapped as a child. I would say this book is a slow burn but in the best way possible. It had me hooked and had twists and turns in all the right places!

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

Rachel Hawkins did not disappoint with her family drama/thriller the Heiress. She asks the questions what makes a family? Blood or choice? A manor house ruling over the local town, a wealthy family arguing over the inheritance, and quite a few time it’s and surprises. Five stars.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. Unfortunately I felt like the first half was super slow. I do feel like so of the twists were well done, however I would not recommend this due to the pacing.

This was pretty good. I always enjoy a generational mystery set around the old family mansion. I can't say this was one of the better ones, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The characters weren't likeable, the plot twists too obvious, and I guessed the ending really quickly. I say all that but it was still a fun read. I would say it would be appealing to young adults more than an older (more seasoned) thriller reader. ;)