the secrets that money can buy you…

The synopsis does not do this book justice. I really felt that the book was going to be a slow one, but I am so happy that I was wrong.

Jules is marries to Camden who she knows comes from money, but has long said he wants nothing to do with his family. One day she arrives home from work to hear that Camden’s family has asked him to come back home. To the place he grew up as the only adopted son on Ruby McTavish, Ashby House. A huge mansion located near the Appalachian Mountains. This trip home reveals so much about the secrets money can buy, and how even people born into wealth will do anything to keep it. Ruby McTavish has so many secrets, in fact her whole life is built on one. But then again so is everyone else’s.

Ruby McTavish dies a rich and notorious woman in NC. Her family owns Ashby House, a remote estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains and she gained an infamous reputation for being widowed, 4 times.

Her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with Ashby House or his unlikable relatives still living there. After several years of being away from the property and estranged from the family, Cam now finds himself returning, along with his wife, Jules. Cam hopes to sort estate matters in the wake of his uncle’s death, but it seems everyone in this family, including Ruby, has something to hide — A secret or two, or ten.

I’ve read Rachel Hawkins’ last 4 books and The Heiress is her best! I enjoyed the suspense and building tension, and appreciated the story’s quick pace. I flew through this one and enjoyed the ride and its reveals.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A super creepy and suspenseful thriller.

Ruby Tavish was a very wealthy woman who was kidnapped as a little girl and then found and returned to her family and later widowed four times under suspicious circumstances. Ruby adopts a son, Cam. After Ruby’s death, Cam inherits everything but leaves town and does not want to return… until he is begged to return 10 years later by his cousin.

This book is told from several points of view and from several time periods. The plot raises your hackles and makes you wonder which narrators are reliable. I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense.

Thank you to the author, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my opinions.

The tone and pacing of The Heiress were a bit different from the author's previous works. The synopsis intrigued me. . Multiple POVs and letters peppered throughout the story were a bit difficult to work through at times, part drama. Part domestic thriller.

Wow this was so good! Super compelling; I couldn’t put it down. The story telling is excellent and I was filled with anticipation of how this would all play out, right up to the end. A great read!

Camden and his wife Jules return to the estate Camden called home up until his adoptive mother Ruby died and Camden left everything behind. Now with another death in the family Camden returns to make right the estate and money that was left him by splitting with his aunt and cousins. Money is the root of all evils could be the plot but there's definitely killing in the blood theme going on too. It was trying too hard to be twisty.

This latest novel by Rachel Hawkins sucked me in almost immediately.

Written in a mix of duel POV, letters, and newspaper clippings the story of The Heiress is weaved together. More family drama than thriller, the McTavish’s are not your normal wealthy family, they all have secrets.

Not wanting to say too much, this was definitely one of my favorite novels by Rachel Hawkins to date.

This was a book I could wait to pick up and read! It was twisty, and having each chapter told through the perspective of a different character really kept my interest. I started recommending this book to others before I even finished it. Thank you for such a dark ride NetGalley!

Ruby always felt she didn’t belong in her family so when she grew up she decided to make sure she had one of her own. She married four times but each of them died in mysterious ways thus earning her a title no one wants and making her decide to adopt a little boy, Camden, and raise him as her own. The family never accepted Cam either so when he was old enough he flew town and the infamous McTavish mansion and started out his life in his own terms. That is until Ruby died and left everything to Cam but Cam doesn’t want it, he wants to continue the simple life he lives with his wife Jules. But then he gets a letter that his uncle has died and he absolutely must come back to the family home and deal with estate issues and Jules encourages him to go back and face his past finally. But is there more to the story of why Jules wants to go back?
We’ve got three POV-Cam, Jules and then letters from Ruby that tell her story which really give the meat of the past and throw so many twists in you don’t see coming that you’ll be left with whiplash!
This book is whip smart, quick and full of family secrets. Each member of the family has a skeleton that can’t get out or it will ruin everything and they all entertwine with each other.
Expect the unexpected and be prepared to be turning pages late into the night because once you dive into this you’re not gonna want to stop{
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I was thrilled to be approved for an arc of Rachel Hawkin’s thriller, The Heiress. It wa everything I wanted it to be and more.

This thriller was so much fun. Set in the mountains of N.C. This is southern Grand Guignol at its best. Over the top, with despicable characters and a bit of camp this book came to life on audio, I could not stop listening. This is a book where all the characters are unreliable and what you think is happening can turn on a dime and I LOVED IT! Did it all make sense? Not really, but who cares when a book is so much fun. It delighted and surprised me at every turn.
Many of the characters are horrible and capable of all kinds of despicable things and it made for a great mystery. Anyone could do ANYTHING and I couldn’t wait to see what would be revealed next. That is all I’m going to say because I don’t want to give anything away. You have to experience this book. The book comes out Jan. 4 and the audio on Jan. 9. Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan for an e-arc of this novel.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was such an intriguing read. I am a full-on Rachel Hawkins fan. I enjoyed the multiple points of view, great sequencing, vivid characterizations, and scenery as well as the superior character development. The plot points were original and so engaging.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you @raincoastbooks & @stmartinspress for the gifted copy 🩷

Happy pub week to The Heiress! This was my first read of 2024 and I throughly enjoyed the book.

✨Review✨

The Heiress is a wickedly fun gothic tale that drags you deep into messed-up family drama that can only come with generational wealth.

You have a cast full of unreliable characters and secrets galore. While I was most invested in what took place at Ashby House (I love anything creepy that happens at a house that has its own name), I appreciated the background info from the beginning of the book as the story entered its final act.

I thought the combination of the present day drama with Ruby’s confessional letters added dimensions to the plot and revved up the mystery. And Ruby! Now that’s a woman I’d love to have a drink with 🍸

Because I’m super nosy, I wanted to know more about the nanny and Libby. What was with the gate drama between Libby and Cam? I need a Libby life story, stat. I also have my own theories about what happened to the missing hikers …

The Heiress is perfect for lovers of gothic suspense, psychological twists, and family drama. It would also make a fabulous mini series, @netflixca ;)

I would like to extend my gratitude to my partners, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, and the author, for this gifted ecopy. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

1. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 - Cam’s family is definitely prone to excessive displays of their wealth and status in the town of Tavistock. It’s no wonder that the citizens are happy to see Cam back home.

2. 𝐃𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 - There isn’t one main character who doesn’t show some sense of deception throughout the course of the story. However, a few have some more devious deeds that are revealed.

3. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐨? - You will find yourself sleuthing your way through the story to attempt to uncover just who some of them actually are. And there are a couple of whoppers!

4. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐅𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝? - Some stories just leave the reader questioning their potential to enact what could be viewed as immoral and would definitely be unlawful. After finishing, I came to the conclusion that, alas, I do have that capability.

5. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐄𝐥𝐬𝐞 - A true sense of love really can overcome obstacles if one allows for an open mind and the capacity for forgiveness. Yet, as proven here, some things are over and above these possibilities.

This was one of the author’s best books, but I still didn’t love it. I really enjoyed Ruby’s letters and wish there was more of her POV in the book - she was by far the most interesting character.

I couldn't figure out this one for the life of me. Paula Hawkins does it again - what a great thriller story that had my attention until the very end!

Adopted as a young child, Camden was thrust into a complicated family with generational wealth. Now that his mother and uncle are gone, he decides to return, with his wife's prompting, to settle the estate that he has been left. Jules is a fantastic character, both likable and supportive of her husband, with a mysterious motive brewing under the surface.

I am a big fan of the different forms of media used to propel the story forward and provide context - emails, letters, articles, etc. This book is paced perfectly. I was intrigued from the very beginning and eager to keep turning the pages.

The letters written by Ruby about her life and her marriages reminds me quite a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which is a huge compliment. It's salacious and snarky and showcases Ruby and her slightly unhinged personality brilliantly.

This was a compelling, enjoyable reading experience, and it has made a deep impression on me.

Residing in Colorado, Cam is a teacher and his wife Jules is a historical actress. It’s no secret that Cam is estranged from his uber wealthy family in NC, but Jules doesn’t know why. When Cam receives news that there’s been a death in the family and he is needed to handle some family business, Jules is excited that she will finally get to meet his family. Reluctantly, Cam agrees to return to his family’s NC mansion in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It doesn’t take long before Cam realizes he’s made a mistake returning to Ashby house. Nothing has changed since he left years ago. Everyone wants a slice of the fortune; all but Cam and he’s the one in control of the money. His family members will go to extreme measures to get what they think is rightfully theirs. We learn about the life of Ruby McTavish, Cam’s adoptive mother and heiress, through a series of letters. Within the letters are clues to the kidnapping of young Ruby as well as the deaths of her four husbands and many other family secrets!

Oh my goodness! This is a captivating tale packed with intrigue and revelations and pure greed! I loved every bit of it from the setting to the storyline! The characters are so vividly portrayed and I loved the family tension as the story unfolded. This is my favorite book by Rachel yet! There are many twists and surprises that weave together brilliantly! I couldn’t get enough of this mysterious plot!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Rachel Hawkins novels are always ones that I look forward too. I appreciated the cast of narrators in this one, as I love multiple POVs. The best of all were the letters from Ruby - they painted the best picture.

This one for me required a bit more stretching of my imagination/reality then I was ready to give and so while not my favorite, still a good read.

I loved the story but found parts to be confusing so I need to read some more. Great mystery and I loved all the timelines.

“𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩.”

I was absolutely floored by this book. I had no idea what to expect and at first I was a little confused, but once I got about 30% in I was HOOKED. 😳

This book was well-written, with sneaky suspenseful characters, who while they were a bit despicable, you kind of loved them for it. It is in no way a Robin Hood book, but it gave me that kind of vibe somehow. What our main characters do in the end is just wildly hypocritical, but also I’m good with it. Don’t judge me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ruby McTavish was always in the news. First because at only 3 years old she was stolen from the mountains of her Tennessee estate, only to be returned months later as if nothing had happened. As she grows older, Ruby continues to be newsworthy as not one, not two, but four of her husbands all perish in oddly accidental ways. Lastly, Ruby is in the news for adopting, raising, and bequeathing everything to her son Camden upon her death.

Now Camden wants nothing to do with the Ashby house he grew up in, the inheritance, or the rest of his family. It isn’t until his cousin’s insistence that he, along with the help of his wife Jules, finally returns home. But so many family members have secrets at Ashby, especially in a family this wealthy…