Not my favorite of Hawkins, but still a great book discussion book. A quick read with a pace that sets the stage for what’s to come.

The Heiress is a gothic mystery set against the perfect backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. When famed and notorious (kidnap victim and 4 dead husbands) heiress Ruby McTavish dies her incredible fortune and home are passed along to her son Camden, whom she adopted later in life. After growing up in that toxic family, Cam wants very little to do with Ruby's money, home or town. He leaves North Carolina and begins a modest life teaching in Colorado, marrying Jules and settling into a life far away from the grip of the McTavish's. Nearly ten years later, Camden's uncle passes away and his family begs him to return home to help settle the estate. Jules is in awe of the views and Ashby House but soon the couple realizes the demons of the past are awake and Cam loathes the idea of staying. Jules, however, learning more and more about this twisted family and their secrets becomes determined for Cam to take everything he's entitled to and more. That is easier than it sounds as Ruby's will and reasons are as complicated as she was-and still is-beyond the grave. Rachel Hawkins weaves a a chilling story about family, money and the lengths people go to to protect what they perceive as theirs. Pick this up today and settle in for a fun ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it was definitely more than what I got. I know she is a popular author, and I've heard so many good things about her work, but this one didn't hit the mark for me (and this is the first book I've read of hers.)

The idea behind the plot made me want to read this book. Once I got started, I really had a hard time caring about the characters or what happened. I wasn't invested enough in any of the characters to really want to know what happened or why, but I trudged on.

Overall, the book was okay, but I don't know that I would specifically recommend this book to anyone. There wasn't anything that I loved about it, but I also didn't hate it. It was the epitome of "just okay" to me.

3 stars.

This book completely sucked me in and I could not put it down. I have loved many of Hawkins' books in the past and this one did not disappoint. The build up of the setting was so good and eerie, and the writing completely swept me into the world and away from the busyness of a life in university. I particularly enjoyed the various point of views and how they were interwoven and kept the pace going and the book constantly turning. I would completely recommend this to readers of all types!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins brings another story about a woman and house. This was an inventive mystery in concept but fell a little short in execution. Hawkins continues to be an auto buy author for me as I love her ability to use setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

I have enjoyed several of Rachel Hawkin's books now. I loved the cover and description of 'The Heiress' so I've been looking forward to diving in.

Ultimately I enjoyed this book, the author has a unique writing style that keeps me engaged. The pacing was ok, and I enjoyed the multiple POV and the eerie atmosphere. The mystery was somewhat predictable, which is ok because it was well pieced together. Would recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️

Family drama? A fabulous heiress recounting her darkest secrets via letter? What’s not to love? This book was really great, twisty, dramatic, funny, and a thrill to read. I loved every minute of it. I loved being able to get to know Ruby through her own words and from her family, and I enjoyed the way this was written. It somehow gave us so much information while still maintaining the mystery. Just when you think you know what’s about to happen, the author surprised you yet again.

Oh, I loved reading this book! I just love Rachel Hawkins' mysteries, and how they come together is really great! And this latest one, man, it was so great! The whole set up with an estranged family and family fortune...yeah, I loved seeing it unfold!

I really enjoyed the way that this story was told, between the present with Jules and Cam in the present, and then of Ruby's letters that she was writing, that documented her past, and her husbands, and why she killed all 4 of them. It was so great to read!

This was a story about the bad side of inherited wealth-so many of these characters do some pretty horrible things that they don't get punished for, because they have money, they have connections. And it's a pretty big part of the plot!

The mystery of what happened to Ruby's husbands, as well as her disappearance as a child, I really enjoyed how all of those pieces came together! Like the fact that Cam knew the truth about Jules the whole time. All those twists and reveals worked out so well, including that last final one! It was fantastic to read!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait for whatever is next by Rachel Hawkins!

Fabulous! I simply loved this book. The story was original and interesting as told from different characters perspectives. Lots of twists…some that I guessed and others which were a surprise. Highly recommend this book!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. Pub Date: January 9, 2024. Rating: 4 stars. I really enjoyed the author's novel titled The Wife Upstairs, so I was excited to gain access to this novel and it was fabulous! With mystery, intrigue, family secrets, adoption, old money and an old family estate at the helm of this story, I really enjoyed the dual timelines/storytelling of the heiress, her adopted son and his wife. This was fast paced and kept me engaged throughout the entire story. I read this book in one day and honestly really loved it. I can't wait to read more of this author's books! Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #theheiress

Wow. Wow. Wow. I loved this one. The plot. The mystery. Dual POV. I really enjoyed the new articles and letters that really brought the story out even more for me. It definitely kept me on my toes and I did not see some of the twists coming. I also love a book with short chapters. It is an easy read and I never wanted to stop turning the pages. It was honestly so good. If you love a story with secrets, deception, and strong female characters this one is for you!

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

This was a slow burn for me. I enjoyed it very much but it felt a little consistent and predictable in terms of Rachel Hawkins other books. I loved the letters and the intro had me hooked but the latter half of the book is where I fell off. It just felt like it took longer to get where we were headed in the story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress was another enjoyable mystery by Rachel Hawkins with some fun twists and turns. The format was interesting - told from multiple points of view in addition to letters and newspaper articles.

The characters were the highlight of the story. The setting was written in a way that made the setting feel like it's own separate character. The plot ended up being slightly underwhelming but I think it's because I went into this thinking it's a psychological thriller. It's more of a family drama/mystery. I will always pick up Rachel Hawkins' books though. Wonderful storytelling.

I want to begin by stating I’ve loved Rachel Hawkins other books and genuinely wanted to love this as well!

This book was harder to get into for me than her past works, there felt like a lot going on and too many hands in the pot to build the story. I did lose interest and found myself forcing through to get 3/4s through the story. I liked the idea of the letters from Camdens adopted mother, I felt like I was going to uncover something any moment but that might have built things up for me too much in my head.

I enjoyed my time reading this book but it wasn’t my favorite.

The Heiress is about Camden, the heir to a fortune that he wants no part of, left to him by his adoptive mother, Ruby. When a family member reaches out and asks him to come home, he finally returns with his wife Jules by his side. While Camden hopes to make it a quick trip, Jules is determined to stay and finally enjoy all that has been left to her husband. What they don’t know is that they’ve both been keeping secrets from each other and that as usual with Ruby, all is not as it seems.

This was another great read by Rachel Hawkins! All of her thrillers have a way of drawing you right in and making it hard to put down. The Heiress was no exception! This was told through multiple points of view and from the present and past. I loved the letters written by Ruby and seeing how the events from the past unfolded. I also loved the twist at the end when it was revealed who the letters were being written to.

I’ve got one of Rachel Hawkins backlist books to read and I’m off to read it now!

Jules really wants to go to her husband Camden’s childhood home. She thinks it sounds wonderful. But Camden grew up there and knows its history. The story reveals Camden’s mother’s secrets. As the days go by, the other dark secrets are revealed. This was a twisted and suspenseful book with characters hiding dark secrets.

Flew through this one in two car rides!

This may be my new favorite Rachel Hawkins. The family secrets and the ending were perfect.

This was just okay for me. There were suspenseful parts with some mystery - but overall it didn’t “wow” me. I will nearly always read a Rachel Hawkins book when I come across them, and that hasn’t changed, but this didn’t really stand out. Both main characters have kept massive secrets from each other, both are caustic to one another, but they both kind of deserve each other too. The unfolding family drama was relatively annoying, but the back story of Cam’s mom, Ruby, was my favorite part.
This is a quick an easy read that could work for traveling or a short trip when you need to grab something.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Disappointingly predictable, but I did binge the whole audiobook in one night after a pretty bad reading slump.