I generally enjoy Rachel Hawkins thrillers and I will continue to seek them out, but this one took a while to grab me. It ended up being fun and having a twist I didn't anticipate, which was delightful. Overall, this is a book that is entertaining but not especially thought-provoking, and that kind of book certainly has its purposes but is a solid three star for me.

Rachel Hawkins is such a versatile writer, all of her books have been so different but equally as complex and full of suspense. She is a master of writing flawed female main characters who you root for a happy ending for, despite their questionable actions and unreliable narration. The Heiress was no exception to that, and I really enjoyed it!

Jules and Camden are happy with it being just the two of them on their own in Colorado, scraping by but content and in love. But his past comes calling in the form of Ashby House, a once fabulous estate nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and the home of his remaining dysfunctional family. Cam is the adopted son and only heir of Ruby McTavish, who was notorious not just for her wealth but for a childhood kidnapping and being widowed four times as an adult. The more time they spend at Ashby House, the more mysteries of the past come back to haunt both of them- what happened when Ruby disappeared as a toddler, was the death of her husbands more nefarious than the official reports described, and how do Cam and Jules both factor into the mystery surrounding the house and McTavish legacy?

I loved how the story was driven forward through newspaper articles, letters, and other press clippings. It did made the drama in this book slow to build and kind of hefty and complex to twist, so I would classify this as more of a mystery than a thriller. I felt like there was a lot of detail in the past that ended up not mattering to the overall plot, but more to Ruby’s character development. It was interesting to read about the husbands, but I would have preferred more conflict in the present or backstory on Cam and Jules.

But overall, I really recommend this book. Who doesn’t love reading about rich people and their fabulous houses full of gothic-adjacent drama? It was well-written, and I got totally sucked into the story and the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

A round of applause for format, audience. The way this one is set up makes it absolutely impossible to put down. I think this is Rachel Hawkins’ best work yet, and I adored ‘The Villa!’ Thanks to @stmartinspress & @netgalley for the early look at this. It’s out Tuesday!

🌿 This book mixes up dual-pov chapters in the current day with letters, newspaper articles and emails from the past. It makes for short, concise segments that will have you ‘just one more chaptering’ your way through the whole book. I actively picked this ebook up over my physical copy of Crescent City 2!

🌿 The big lesson here: nobody is all good, or all bad, and everyone has their secrets. You’ll have to decide what you think of just about every character in this book— and it’s certainly up for debate.

🌿 I was so intrigued and invested in this book from page one. And I ended up reading it in just about a day. I couldn’t stop. There were no real jaw drop moments or huge twists that changed everything— just a steady unveiling of a story. There’s also a bit of a gothic element to it. So whether you like this one may depend on the style of thrillers you like, but it definitely worked for me. And I saw that ‘Villa’ Easter egg, @ladyhawkins!

🌿 I highly recommend this one. Especially if you’re in a mood to binge something quick, or if you’re ready to sit on the edge of your seat. Once again, it’s out Tuesday! Will you be adding this to your TBR? Also, not that anyone’s counting— but I finished this one with just a few days left in 2023, and since it actually published in 2024 I’m going to include it among my 2024 reads when I look back at the end of the year.

Thank you so much to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillian.audio for the ARC and ALC!

🟪 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 🟪
This thriller is everything you want it to be: suspenseful, engrossing, and a page turner. The story features a rich heiress named Ruby McTavish who has died and left her estate to her son Cam, who wants nothing to do with his inheritance because it comes with strings attached. Cam has stayed away from his hometown for a decade and built a new life with his wife Jules, who has a mysterious background of her own.

Cam finally decides to return to his hometown and the breathtaking Ashby House where he grew up. Certain family members remained there and are holding a grudge. The story unfolds as we hear Cam and Jules POVs, along with Ruby’s through a series of letters she wrote to an unrevealed person.

Ruby became famous as a baby when she was kidnapped for 8 months and then found. She has also made a name for herself as an adult by being a widower 4 times; her husbands all dying mysterious deaths.

Ruby having so many husbands was giving me Evelyn Hugo vibes, except more sinister. Ruby was an intriguing main character that had many secrets. She didn’t want to be a person that just enjoyed her riches and extravagances, although she did plenty of that. This is definitely a thriller you do not want to pass up this year!

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
💚 Suspenseful, Mysterious Mansions
💚 Multiple POVs
💚 Sinister Evelyn Hugo Husband Vibes
💚 Untouchable, Dysfunctional Rich Families

I thought this books a little underwhelming and too short. I think it made me realize I do not like stories that are told in letters, so I am sure others will absolutely love this book more than I did. The characters would talk about certain things that made you think they would play a big role in the plot, but were never really mentioned again. I thought the storyline moved a little too quickly and would have liked it to be a little longer. That being said, the story still delivered on twists and turns I did not see coming and it was still a page turner.
Over all, I think mystery/thriller lovers will really enjoy this book!

I loved the Heiress! I loved the Southern setting, all the twists and turns, and the fast pace of the writing. It was engrossing and kept me on my toes!

Another book I absolutely devoured! I loved this book and honestly I highly recommend going into it blind like I did (but if you need to know, then swipe for the synopsis). The characters were honestly a little wacky in the best ways and the way the narrative is told in letters about the past and dramas of the present is so well executed. I think Rachel Hawkins’s books just get better and better! I don't want to give too much away, but let me say that there were so many shocks and I stayed up way too late finishing it because the second half really picks up!

I truly could not put this down. There was something addictive and compulsive about the story that kept you coming for more. Fast paced, with a slow burn bubbling beneath the surface. Once you're able to adjust to the multiple character perspectives and conversational narrative, you'll be hooked.

Rachel Hawkins, you are back in full form with The Heiress. Initially, I was a bit skeptical of how much I would enjoy The Heiress after how messy I felt The Villa was. However, my skepticism was unwarranted. The Heiress is told in present day and through letters written by Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller. Ruby's the richest woman in North Caroline and famous for her kidnapping as a child and her trail of unsuccessfully marriages as an adult. Her adoptive son, Camden wants little to do with the family fortune. He has made a life for himself and the love of his life, Jules. However, when his uncle dies and a letter arrives requesting his presence at Ashby House, Camden feels obliged to go.

Ruby, Camden, and Jules are all fascinating characters. Although on the surface Camden and Jules seem sweet as pie, lurking beneath the surface are complex protagonists with less than pretty desires, secrets, and motivations. The alternating perspectives kept me interested throughout the novel. At times, I found myself irritated by Ruby's letters, but the narration for those letters was done so well that I preferred this one as an audiobook. It made Ruby's vivacious personality leap from my headphones and sucked me into her flair for the drama.

The book twists and turns. I may have guessed what happened, but all in all, I was satisfied when I finished this novel and curious about what historical influences may pique Hawkins' interest for her next novel!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this title via NetGalley! I am such a fan or Hawkins' work and I truly cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next.

This was such a twisty book! I really enjoyed this one and the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because in the beginning I felt it was a little slow for me to get into. Once it picked it though, it was so good. I really enjoyed the letters from Ruby and all the different povs. I loved the setting in the mansion and the creepy elements. Overall I enjoyed this one and I would recommend if you enjoy thrillers.

I loved this book so much! Rachel Hawkins is the queen of twists and turns. I always try to guess the ending and I’m always wrong and that’s what I love about this author. This book is all about lies and deception. Greed over family inheritance and what some people are willing to do in order to get what they want. In this book you don’t know what’s truth until the very last page… or is that even the truth?

I have read each of Rachel Hawkin’s novels, so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on this one, and I am glad I did! This was a fun, quick read with some Southern gothic vibes and I found myself just melting into the story and escaping all the holiday chaos for a bit.

The story starts with a bit of a slow build, but once you get to the second half of the book, you’re quickly turning pages to get to the satisfying end. I enjoyed the way the novel was structured, with letters from the past revealing family secrets, and dual points of view. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot because I feel like this is better to enjoy going in blind.

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, S t. Martin’s and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book for an honest review.

I have read a few of Rachel Hawkins books and I just can't get enough of them. I thought this was an easy read and I didn't want to stop. There is a lot of twists in this book that had you saying WHAT??!! The characters can be challenging at times but you will love Jules and Cam. I felt like the story came together at the end and I really enjoyed the ride. I would HIGHLY recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

The Heiress is an interesting tale about the flamboyant life of heiress Ruby McTavish, owner of Ashby House in North Carolina. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widowed four times. When she died, she left everything to Camden, her adopted son.

Ten years after Ruby's death, Camden is contacted to return to the family home in North Carolina. Not happy about it, he and his wife Jules make the cross-country trip from Colorado. Up till now, he has not used any of his inheritance on himself. But Ashby House, where his aunt and cousins live, is in need of repair.

The story is told from Cam and Jules' points of view interspersed with letters written by Ruby. The kidnapping sets the stage for what happens for the rest of their lives. I found this story interesting but not exciting. I didn't care for the characters at all which made it hard to stay focused.

3.5 stars rounded to 3. The Heiress is a quick and easy to read thriller that is told in alternating POVs. Since I'm from NC, I really enjoyed that the majority of the story takes place in NC and enjoyed the references. The pacing of The Heiress really begins to pick up in the later half of the book and made me unable to put the book down because I had to know what was coming next. While some of the twists can be predicted, I did not see one of the twists coming because yes, there are multiple. This is a great read for someone looking for a quick thriller read that isn't very scary or heavy on gore.

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

I liked this more than both The Villa and Reckless Girls (and certainly a lot more than The Ex Hex), but less than The Wife Upstairs. It’s a fine thriller. It’s got some intrigue, some clearly nefarious characters, many layered secrets, narrators you can’t trust, the whole shebang. I particularly liked the utilization of different forms of media (articles, letters, etc.) to add to the story and build suspense.

My main issue, however, and why I found it to be just okay, is that it read very slowly for this type of story. At no point did I get that “need to know what happens next” feeling that drives a thriller. It could partly be because I figured out the main twist 15% in and then just kept waiting for me to be proven wrong, or for another big reveal. And there wasn’t one. Every additional twist was a throwaway added to the plot because readers expect multiple now, and the one big moment that could have packed some punch happened entirely “off screen” (which is something Hawkins does that drives me crazy).

So, overall, it was just alright. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I’ll probably keep picking up her books, though, to keep chasing that high from The Wife Upstairs.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC. The Heiress is out 1/9

Another great book by Rachel Hawkins! I loved the whole dark vibe of this book, especially the actual way of storytelling. Hidden secrets, different points of view, newspaper clippings, etc. I always enjoy a good suspenseful book that keeps me guessing, and this one did not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

The Heiress
By Rachel Hawkins

I love Rachel Hawkins and have read all of her novels. This one though, is my all time favourite!

This novel is a multiple point of view novel that follows Jules, her husband Camden, and the Heiress.
Camden is the adopted son of a notorious Heiress named Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmor, AKA Mrs. Killmore, as all four of her husbands died in mysterious ways. Camden is estranged from his family, but he supports them as he was the sole heir to his mother’s entire fortune.

This novel follows their return to Ashby house and the secrets that it holds within.

This novel to me, has everything!

- A powerful family that gets away with everything
- A kidnapping that has generational impact
- Family secrets abound!
- A slew of husbands who died mysteriously
- Cryptic letters where the recipient is unknown
- A family with complete immunity to any consequences due to wealth
- Inheritance desperation
- Twists upon twists upon twists!

I couldn’t put this one down and devoured it in a few sittings. I actually spent all of new year's day finishing this.
Just when I thought that all the secrets were revealed, they just kept hitting until the very end!

Thank you for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved it!

This was a great read- I loved it! . I always read Rachel Hawkins books and I think The Heiress is my favorite. I really enjoy books that have 2 timelines going and this book did that well. The way everything came together was really perfect. So good!!!

The Heiress was an interesting mystery with lots of turns at the end. I thought it was enjoyable but not my favorite. The story starts off kind of slow and doesn’t pick up until the second half of the book. I liked the ending and how things came together but wish the build up was more interesting.