I really enjoyed [book:The Heiress|126919284] by [author:Rachel Hawkins|2261547]! It's a book that has a great mystery and two POVs that allow you to see the same story from two different viewpoints.

Camden (Cam) McTavish is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish, the richest woman in the town of Tavistock and beyond. She is also its most notorious having been returned as a child after being kidnapped, and growing up into a woman who was widowed four times (why!?). She passes her huge monetary legacy (Ashby House the family estate, money and more) to her adopted son Cam - who wants nothing to do with it.

Cam would rather eke out a living as a school teacher miles away from his family home with his lovely wife Jules.

But - a letter prompts Cam to go home with his wife (who wants him to embrace the riches he has been given). However, once home, the house and his relatives who still live there bring back a suffocating feeling, questions about Ruby's disappearance and her husbands start haunting them.

It was all so good - a fun mystery to read and wonder. I loved both POVs and the watching the mystery unfold.

It was quick fun read and the perfect mystery to escape into!

Thank you to @stmartinspress for the ARC.

Fantastic thriller! I loved it. It has all the twists and turns needed for a good read. Loved the letters and multiple POVs. Highly recommend.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy!

Obsessed with this book!!! I loved the story, the mystery, and all the twists and turns. This book kept me hooked the entire time and wanting to read more. I loved learning Ruby’s story!

Captivating, mysterious, family drama, need I say more?

Rachel Hawkins has done it again. She has created this amazing story told through the eyes of 3 different characters: Camden, Ruby’s adopted heir and most hated of the McTavish family, his wife Jules, the charismatic, beautiful wife who has ulterior motives, and the infamous Ruby McTavish. The three POVs form a puzzle that keeps you wanting to read more so you can put all the pieces together. You think you figured it out and then there’s a twist that you won’t see coming (no matter how much you think you’ll see it)

Ruby’s POV gives the reader access to the history behind her nickname of “Ruby Kill-more” especially with 4 husbands dying of suspicious circumstances. Ruby is so sarcastic and snarky that her POV is amazing to read.

Camden gives a look into the current family dynamic of the McTavish’s and how much his family hates him for being Ruby’s chosen heir.

And finally, Jules. The loving and supportive wife of Camden. Her POV allows the reader an “outside” perspective. She wasn’t raised with the family and she doesn’t know the history of the family. She doesn’t know all the nitty gritty family drama and we learn about it with her (or do we).

The McTavish family is full of secrets and we all now the truth has a way of coming out, one way or another. There’s bertryal, scandal, and mystery all combined into this amazing story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review

"A haunted house where the ghosts hadn’t had the courtesy to die yet."

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was an absolutely dazzling Southern Gothic tale! It had great prose, an exciting pace, and characters that were witty and mysterious. There was no filler. Every part felt important. The book just flew right by!

Camden and Jules are 10 years married- happily, but somewhat unfilled. This is surprising because Camden doesn't have to struggle to make ends meet. He's a McTavish, which is basically a royal family in the Southern US.

Camden always knew he'd have to go home eventually. His adoptive mom passed years ago and the family mansion is in disrepair, and since he is the rightful owner, he needs to go get it sorted and Jules wants to see the place anyway.

Jules is trying to act natural but she's ecstatic to be going to this amazing pile of bricks. It's rightfully theirs after all, and she can imagine herself as the lady of this manor. If only she could rid it of pests he calls his extended family. They've always resented him for not being blood so you can imagine how they feel about him having power over the family home.

Along the way we meet the relatives but we also hear from Ruby, the late matriarch and Cam's adoptive mother in letters. She's finally decided to lay it all bare and none of them will be the same after this visit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read, listen, and review! The narration was fantastic.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 by Rachel Hawkins
Published: January 9, 2023 by @stmartinspress
Reviewed by: Mel
Format: eARC [thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley]

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆
✽ Domestic Thriller / Mystery
✽ Mansions & Old Money
✽ Characters you love to hate
✽ Twists and turns


𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
This book was highly anticipated for me — I love all of Rachel Hawkins’ books — and it certainly did not disappoint! I can’t believe how early I got my hands on the ARC; I devoured it pretty quickly at the end of the Summer of 2023.

While it does have a bit of the same “recipe” as other thrillers, I enjoyed the setting of North Carolina — and the weaving of the characters and their stories. It was very interesting to me to have the story revolve around a “main character” (aka Ruby) who dies before the story even starts. It was incredibly entertaining to see how Hawkins retells the story through letters and — without giving away too much — the interactions between the rest of the characters.

I despised some of the characters for all of the right reasons - and enjoyed the others. While the backstory is a bit twisty-turny, it wasn’t hard to keep up with all of the connections.

I look forward to seeing what everyone else thinks on January 9th!

What a ride! This book gets off to a slow start, but when things pick up, they PICK UP! I really enjoyed reading Ruby’s letters, and learning her whole backstory. And just when I thought the story couldn’t get twistier, it did just that. The author painted such a vivid picture of Ashby House and the town of Tavistock, and the characters were easy to envision without being stereotypes. This is more of a domestic drama than a true thriller, but the reveals towards the end of the book will blow your mind. Despite reading only one other book by Rachel Hawkins, I’m fully committed to reading everything she writes from here on out. (And of course, checking out her backlist.) The perfect book to cozy up with on a cold winter night!

Another great read from @ladyhawkins !

Hooked right from the start. I needed to know all of the secrets in this family. I needed to know the connections. I needed to know the truth.

❤️ Ruby’s letters
❤️ the news articles
❤️ the writing - kept me completely hooked
❤️ Ruby’s dark humour
❤️ multiple POVs - you got to know three different characters

Publishing Date January 9th!! Pre order it now :)

his was a pretty enjoyable tale of dark family secrets taking place in a musty old Southern mansion! So much that I'm still thinking about it days later. When Ruby McTavish passes away, she's well-known for many things: being a McTavish, a wealthy family that lives in the Ashby house in North Carolina; being kidnapped as a child and then found nearly a year later; marrying four times--and losing all four husbands in strange circumstances; and adopting her son, Cameron and leaving the entire McTavish fortune to him.

We find Cam estranged from the family for nearly 10 years, but finally returning to Ashby House at the urge of his wife, Jules. THE HEIRESS is an engaging page turner, filled with shifty characters hiding secrets and tidbits and lots of weird Southern charm and horrifying terrors. It's interspersed with fascinating letters from Ruby along with articles and Internet pieces on the McTavish family. This is a great technique--interesting, informative, but surprisingly suspenseful.

I don't want to say much to give things away, but this is a quick read filled with lots of twists and turns. A few are predictable, but some are quite unexpected. The family dynamics are excellent (albeit terrifying) and I quite enjoyed all the dark goings on in Ashby House.

Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed reading this! I'm a sucker for flawed characters, and this book delivered messy, flawed characters ten-fold.

The story was told in 3 points of view, spanning the present and past and was done beautifully. This thriller by Rachel Hawkins was eerie and a definite page turner. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see if my inner ramblings about what was going on were correct.

If you want a page turning, character driven thriller, then grab this novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin's press for this ARC.

This book was just the thing I was looking for; quick, engaging, dramatic, and so much more! It follows a couple who travels back to one of their hometowns where the past, and a fortune, awaits them. As good as it may seem, a mansion and piles of money may not be a high enough price for Camden, the adopted son of a heiress, to reenter he family he so desperately ran away from 10 years earlier.

This book tackles a lot of complex topics such as complicated family dynamics, wealth, and adoption, without ever feeling like it has bite off more than it can chew. Hawkins does a superb job at winding and weaving these complex characters in and out of the timelines she presents.

This book by no means reinvents the 'modern thriller' wheel, but it stands as one of the more well executed in the genre in recent memory.

I really enjoyed 'The Heiress' and look forward to future work by Hawkins. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy and enjoyable read.

*Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital ARC.

4/5

With the death of North Carolina's richest (and most notorious) woman, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the McTavish estate falls into the hands of her adopted son Camden. However, Camden is happy to turn his back on the fortune and live a quiet life as a teacher in Colorado. 10 years later, Camden and his wife Jules are summoned back to North Carolina, to Ashby House, and to everything that being a McTavish entails. While Camden would be content to return to his regular life, as Jules learns more about his family, she becomes more eager for him to take his place as the rightful McTavish heir.

The longer that Jules and Camden spend at Ashby House, the tighter the house's grip becomes around the two of them and the more questions come to light. Just who was Ruby McTavish, what really happened to each of her dead husbands, and what other kinds of secrets are hidden in the walls of Ashby House?

Rachel Hawkins has kind of become the queen (if only in my mind) of twisty-turny modern Gothic style stories and this one is no different. It's full of mystery and each reveal seems to only dredge up more questions on behalf of the characters in the story and for the reader. There are even some easter eggs for her regular readers that are kind of fun little nods to her other books.

However, I felt that this book tried a little too hard to have SO MANY twists. At times it felt a little like the author couldn't decide what the big twist would be so she just put all of the twists that could potentially happen into the book. I also felt like some of the plot twists were things that I have seen in a number of other books that are in the genre.

It was an enjoyable read, but I didn't love it as much as I loved Hawkins' other books.

My head is SPINNING. I could not turn the pages fast enough.

The Heiress tells the story of ridiculously wealthy McTavish family of North Carolina. When the heiress to the family fortune, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (yes, that’s all her), dies at age 73, she left behind a real mess. Her life was dramatic from the start, being kidnapped at age 3 and eventually rescued.

Camden McTavish, heir to his mother’s fortune wants NOTHING to do with the McTavish family, his mother’s money, her NC home, Ashby House, which has fallen into disrepair, or the leftover vulture family members who reside there, all desperate for the 9 figure inheritance.

This story had more twists and turns than a spiral staircase. It was like a dark Evelyn Hugo. I really enjoyed it all; it kept me guessing and I LOVED the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

You can discover the fate of the McTavishes on January 9, 2024!

"The Heiress" unfolds as a blend of mystery and family drama and takes readers on a journey through the family secrets. The narrative centers around the life and legacy of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, a woman whose wealth and notoriety define her, even beyond the grave.

The character development in "The Heiress" is skillfully executed, with Camden struggling to escape his notorious family and Jules determined to become one of the family. As the couple delves deeper into the family's history, the reader is drawn into the mystery surrounding Ruby's kidnapping as a child, the deaths of her four husbands, and Camden's adoption.

I enjoyed the pacing of the story - balancing suspense and revelation. Twists and turns kept me engaged as Hawkins gradually unveiled the family secrets. This book had a clever mix of mystery and family drama and plenty of psychological aspects of family ties.

“The Heiress" is a compelling read that skillfully navigates the nuances of family relationships, inheritance, and the lasting impact of the past. The author's storytelling, coupled with intriguing characters, made this novel a standout in the genre of mystery and family drama.

This was my last book of 2023 and it was a good way to close it out! I really liked the suspense in this story and how interconnected everyone in this book was. The deviousness of the main characters made this a fast read and the setting was perfect. I felt that the writing really pulled you into the environment and made you connect with the characters.

I had not looked at the blurb in a while, so I went in blind to this story and what an amazing, twisting and addictive read it was!

The blurb and various reviews mention the various characters, crimes, etc., so I won’t go into all of that here and just note how I felt about the story. It seems like every few pages, I was going in a different direction. I was just thrilled to have this puzzle to figure out and at the end, I was still surprised at some reveals. I loved the letters that Ruby wrote to an unknown person, and they were entertaining and revealed interesting and dark parts of her life.

EVERYONE has at least a secret or two. I loved the way this was written so that I didn’t figure out everything along the way. There are characters you love, dislike, hate and then see them in a different light and it changes how you feel about them.

I enjoyed the POVs from Ruby, Camden, and Jules along with moving between past and present and everything flowed without taking you out of the moment. I highly recommend this book as it was a thrill ride from the beginning to the end!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work. I look forward to reading more from Rachel Hawkins.

4.5 stars? This is my first time reading Hawkins and it did not disappoint!

Maybe it was just a case of right book right time, but this was a perfect, fast paced, secret revealing thriller.

It features a lot of unsavory characters doing unsavory things, but still manages to give you someone to root for. It doesn’t waste any effort or page time. It’s my ideal length for a thriller without feeling like there were opportunities missed to build suspense.

I don’t think this is going to be super surprising if you frequently read thrillers and mysteries? But it was one of those situations where the destination didn’t matter, you took a certain pleasure in getting there.

I guess in retrospect maybe the ending was a little rushed? But overall I found this to be a really satisfying read. Highly recommend. This was a great way to start out the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Didn't love, but didn't hate this one. While it was a decent thriller/mystery, I didn't find it super captivating. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I wasn't truly shocked by any of the twists, hence the 3 star review.

Wow! Rachel Hawkins has done it again. I say this every time, but there hasn't been a book that I haven't loved. The vibe of this book felt different than the other books that I've read by Rachel and I was here for it! I love how the book covers are all coming together! I am excited to read the next one!

I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this thought-provoking novel from Netgalley, author Rachel Hawkins, and publisher St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Heiress of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I will add Rachel Hawkins to my preferred author lists, and am pleased to recommend her to friends and family. She writes a fine tale.

I did thoroughly enjoy this introduction to the McTavish family and admired the location of Ashley House and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Early on, this story brought to my mind the nature vs. nurture question, as it will for you, as well. That question still remains in my thoughts, but I have to say Jules still caught me unaware and presented more of an answer than did the story of Ruby and her long and busy life. Altogether an intriguing read. It is one I'll want to think about and read again.