I love Rachel Hawkins. This one was a little harder for me to follow along with but still a great story nonetheless. Definitely recommend trying it out.

The McTavish family have owned and ruled Tavistock, NC from Ashby House for decades. When the family fortune goes to 4-time widow, Ruby, she makes sure that her sister, Nelle’s descendants don't inherit by adopting a son whom she names Camden. But when Camden is grown, he can't wait to leave Tavistock, the ruthless McTavishs and his fortune behind forever. While living in Colorado with his wife, Jules, Camden is convinced by his cousin, Ben to return to Ashby House to arrange for repairs. Jules falls in love with Ashby House and hopes that Camden will agree to stay and claim his inheritance. But family secrets, including those of Camden and Jules may prevent their happily ever after.
This story is told from three POVs, Jules', Camden’s and that of the deceased Ruby in the form of mysterious letters to an unknown recipient. I really enjoyed this style of storytelling. Ruby's letters were a very interesting way to tell her backstory. Most of the characters were easy to hate which made it difficult to determine who to suspect of wrongdoing. The twists were really unexpected and the story was overall, very entertaining.
#NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress

LOVED THIS ONE! I am such a fan of Rachel Hawkins and this book did not disappoint in any way. I couldn't stop reading this. I loved the way in which the story developed over the course of the book as well as all the characters in this. I can't wait for Rachel Hawkins next book-- sign me up!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to review an ARC of this book. I am a big fan or Hawkins’ prior books, and couldn’t wait to dive into this one! A rich and conniving family, greed, kidnapping-and twists! This book has it all and then some. I definitely recommend this one as unputdownable.

3.5 stars

This is great if you're looking for a quick and easy read. I loved that it was part narrative, part epistolary, and it did a great job with making each POV feel distinct.

I did feel that Libby's character didn't add a lot to the story, and it wasn't until about 60% in that I felt like I had to know what happens next. Also, it's billed as a "gothic thriller" but I don't feel it was atmospheric enough to be considered gothic.

Overall, I enjoyed it and was entertained!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own. I'll be posting my reviews to Instagram and my blog on the 12th.

Very quick but satisfying read! I think this will be a hit for many. A classic who-dun-it that gets straight to the point. Easily digestible, not necessarily innovative (definitely reminded me of a mystery version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo). I think this will be popular! Thank you NetGalley!

The Heiress was a good read with a decent story. Rachel Hawkins is a great writer; I understand why people flock to her books after reading this. That being said, nothing about this book really impressed me. Considering her reputation as a writer, I expected it to wow me and keep me captivatingly turning pages, and that just didn't happen.

I will say it is the perfect length for a cross-country flight. I could read the book entirely on my flights over my holiday vacation. That and the smooth writing make it a great vacation book.

An heiress with more than just one secret. An heir just wanting to escape. A family that will scheme to get what they feel they are entitled to. Rachel Hawkins nailed this book, painting a picture of a woman that you hate that you love. Told from multiple POVs and by multiple formats (traditional chapters, letters, and news articles), The Heiress keeps you on your toes and wondering how everyone's stories are truly connected. My first mystery read of 2024 certainly delivered!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s the most notorious. Ruby is the famous victim of a kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over. In the aftermath of her death, Ruby’s estate and fortune are left to her adopted son Camden. Much to everyone’s surprise Camden rejects his inheritance and attempts to live a normal life in Colorado, marrying Jules and working as a teacher. Ten years later, his uncles death pulls Cam and Jules to North Carolina and the life Cam has tried so hard to stay away from. Can and Jules soon realize an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will.

What a page turner! I was hooked from the first page. The suspense, twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Rachel Hawkins does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life. I haven’t been swallowed up by a book like this in quite some time. And now I’m looking at the cover in a new light.

Rachel Hawkins doesn’t disappoint and like her other stories, she had me intrigued from the beginning. I love the twists & turns, the backstabbing, beyond wealthy family, jumping from the past to the present, and always wondering when the other shoe will drop! I love the rollercoaster of suspense she creates.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.25 stars! I’ve enjoyed Rachel Hawkins’s other books and this one was no different! The Heiress centers on Ruby McTavish, a famously kidnapped and returned child, now the richest woman in North Carolina with four deceased husbands, and what ensues after her passing. We get the story through Camden, Ruby’s adopted son and heir to her fortune, and Jules, Camden’s wife, along with media clippings and letters. This was fast-paced, twisty, dark, and very enjoyable. The narrators are unreliable and while it lacks a bit of the shock factor, it really works in this book as the reader uncovers more about the past of this rich family. I was entertained and engaged the entire time. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting an easy-to-read yet riveting family drama.

There's just something about this cast of absolutely horrible characters that kept me riveted to find out what shocking thing would be revealed next. The story is told with alternating chapters between main characters Jules and Camden and letters by the dead heiress Ruby. I loved this author's previous twisty thrillers and I was so excited to get an early copy of this one. If you love thrillers with unreliable narrators set in creepy old houses, this book is perfect for you!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ruby McTavish, an heiress, was infamous for her high profile kidnapping as young girl and then later being safely found. Amassing her father's fortune and a widow several times over, Ruby eventually adopts Camden and makes him the sole heir of her fortune. As Camden becomes an adult, he wants nothing to do with the estate and the fortune after Ruby dies and runs off to live a simple life with his wife Jules. But when his uncle dies, Camden is forced to deal with the estate, the greedy family that wants their share and the secrets that everyone is hiding.

I enjoyed this suspense/thriller, even though I guessed what was going on early on. I liked the unfolding of the story and the secrets as they were revealed. This was definitely better than the last 2 novels I read by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early digital review copy of this book. It releases in the US on 1/9/2023

If, like me, you are a fan of Rachel Hawkins, then you know exactly what to expect and <i>The Heiress</i> does not disappoint. Hawkins’ novels are twisty, smart and complex – yet simple. The time around she couldn’t have created a more unlikeable cast of crafty characters from beginning to end. The setting, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, provides a majestic background for generations of the rich and entitled McTavish family.

On the flip side, the plot is actually a quite simple and somewhat familiar with a tangle of sub-plots and shifting timeframes that are borderline confusing.

The bottom line is that the illusions and twists created by all of the smoke and mirrors turn out to be the stars of this book. The result is a fast-paced thriller that both intrigues and puzzles the reader right to the very end. And if that’s what you are looking for then put this one at the top of your list.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Wow! Wow! Friends, you'd better clear your calendar before you pick up this book, because you won't be able to put it down.

I am not going to repeat what the story is about, that has been well-done by professionals. Instead, I'm going to tell you why you should read this book.

This is an excellent read; funny, smart, filled with characters that you will love (or love to hate!), suspense, mystery and domestic drama too.

Extremely fast paced, and with more twists and turns than you can possibly prepare yourself for, this book had me laughing out loud, and then saying "What?!? Oh no!" literally within minutes.

This is an absolutely entertaining and riveting read. Pure escapism at its best!!

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press for permitting me to read a DRC of the book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given. Publication is 1/9/24.

This is the second Rachel Hawkins novel I’ve read and found that I can enjoy and appreciate 60% of it while absolutely hating the other 40% (the previous novel would be 2023’s The Villa). It’s the same story when it comes to the plot: While The Villa reminded me greatly of Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Claire Clairmont, and Dr. John Polidori and their summer at Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva, The Heiress reminds me of a twist on the Lindbergh Kidnapping of 1936. In both instances I greatly enjoyed the idea of Hawkins looking at a culturally significant event and tilting it cattywampus as if to say, “Wouldn’t that make a fantastic story if we just framed it differently?”

Part of the reason I ended up rating The Villa 3.5 was some of what led me to rate The Heiress 3.0: Predictability. So much of this book was easy to guess. It made the reading so boring I wanted to skim.

The other part I disliked so much, leading me to lower my rating: Jules. I disliked Jules so much I was on the verge of DNF-ing the book several times.

The saving grace of this book was everything else, namely the MacTavishes, including Camden. I live for rich people with more money than humanity. Camden isn’t about that, but the way he’s caught up in the mouse trap that is Ashby House and the Rube Goldberg Machine that is the legacy of Ruby MacTavish makes me want to wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep his heart golden.

So I stayed for the corruption and the nastiness, but I wanted to leave because Jules was annoying and the book was predictable.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Domestic Thriller/Suspense Mystery

Ruby McTavish is an incredibly rich woman with a questionable past, including speculation over how many of her 4 late husbands she had a hand in killing. The Heiress explores the mystery behind the late Ruby through the eyes of her adopted son, Cam, and his wife, Jules. Cam has received her entire fortune, but wants nothing to do with the rest of the family. They return back to the estate after the death of another family member, and Jules attempts to find a way to stay and continue living a lavish lifestyle instead of going back to their modest income.
Can she do it? What is she hiding? What secrets does Cam have? Who was Ruby.
Rachel Hawkins did a great job in this book, weaving a mystery throughout. There were a few twists I wasn't expecting and I really enjoyed it!

Me, actually reading an ARC before its release date? Who I am? Rachel Hawkins is always a highly anticipated author for me, and I have eaten up every adult thriller she has released since The Wife Upstairs back in 2021. I got to meet her last year, and she is an author whose books I will always look forward to reading. I need to dive into her older YA books and other romances someday.

The Heiress is probably Hawkins' most eery adult thriller to date, and the tension of the slow burn build-up left me on the edge of my seat. We follow Camden and Jules - husband and wife of 10 years who apparently have their secrets but love each other very much - and letters written by the now-dead McTavish heiress, Ruby. Her house has a way of bringing out the worst in people, and when Camden, the heiress's adopted but now estranged son, and Jules go to the house, the family tensions and mysteries implode. One thing I love about Hawkins' thrillers is that she makes me question the truth and who might be reliable. This is one of my favorite elements of the genre in general - the oftentimes unreliability of the narrative - and that was certainly the case with this book. The only thing I felt that was truly missing (for me at least) was that huge moment of shock, an unexpected twist that I have been so surprised by in some of her other books. I feel as though the slow burn of The Heiress gave me time to think about what was being hinted at in certain lines of the book, so while I had a fun time from start to finish, I didn't quite feel any major shock at what ended up unfolding. Overall, however, this was an addicting book and one that I cannot wait to see in stores this month!

CW for estrangement, bullying, violence, blood, murder, death, the selling of a person, mentions of cheating.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review. The Heiress will be released on January 9th, 2024.

3.5 stars rounded up. I enjoyed this book, but if you’re expecting Hawkins’ usual quick-paced thrillers, you might be a little disappointed. This story is a bit slower-paced and reads like a historical fiction, but is full of characters with interesting personalities and dynamics. There is family drama, secrets, and letters from the past that you uncover while reading this book. While the main plot was a bit predictable, I was engaged throughout the book and will continue picking up everything Rachel Hawkins releases.

If you’re a fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I think you will enjoy this one!

Ruby McTavish is larger than life, known as the richest woman in North Carolina whose been widowed four times over. Though she's most famously known for surviving a kidnapping as a child. The glamorous, eccentric Ruby rules the town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s Blue Ridge Mountains estate. Never having children of her own, Ruby adopts Camden, intent on leaving her fortune to someone deserving. But following Ruby's death a decade prior, Camden wants nothing to do with his inheritance, Ashby House, or the rest of the McTavish clan. Instead, he settles into a simple life in Colorado, working as an school teacher, marrying Jules, a kindred spirit also escaping a messy past. When circumstances in their lives lead them back to Ashby House. Ruby's legacy is alive as ever, and Camden and Jules come face to face with the truth of the past.

Whewww what a wild ride! This twisty, propulsive gothic thriller was so much fun! I love the dual timeline and multiple perspectives, especially Ruby's via her letters. This added a historical fiction vibe, rich in the atmosphere and setting of another time. This was incredibly smart and thoughtfully written, with every "I" dotted and "t" crossed. The mood was ominous and I couldn't read fast enough. Just brilliant!!! Rachel Hawkins' best work yet!

Thank you SMP for my gifted copy.