I absolutely loved this thriller! Normally, I don't enjoy rich people drama but having the "outsider" of the family be our primary focus made the story engaging and more relatable. I also really enjoyed the POVs from our MMC (Cam) and FMC (Jules) while getting the letters from Cam's adopted mother (Ruby) and the holder of the McTavish fortune. Hearing about Ruby's four husbands in her letter confessionals was almost as entertaining as the current day plot playing out. Each chapter left you wanting more from that character's perspective while also incorporating quite a few cliff hangers and wild twists I didn't see coming. Overall, this story was really well-done and I can't wait to recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I like Rachel Hawkins books, and this is definitely my favourite so far. 10/10 recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller with excellent writing.

I can’t get enough of a gothic horror. This had the beautiful mountain settings, the gorgeous mansion and the dysfunctional family. It only starts with the lost baby Ruby McTavish. Absent mom, busy nanny and the baby disappears until one day she just reappears. That baby grows up to become Heiress Ruby Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. Each last name is a husband that mysteriously dies. Ruby leaves her vast fortune to her adopted son instead of the rest of her family who have been eagerly anticipating her death.

This was an incredibly entertaining story about family, secrets and lies. The story is told using various points of you. The main one being Ruby herself from beyond the grave and it covers many different timelines and eras which I really loved.

The mansion and the portrait are almost additional characters in this story full of twists and many many turns. We have her son, his wife, Ruby’s sister, niece and nephew. Perfect set up for the most dysfunctional family reunion. Some twists and turns you might see coming from miles away, others will definitely make you gasp.

Great quick read.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for a copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.
This might be her best book. I was hooked from early on and there were a few twists where I audibly gasped and had to re-read to make sure I heard it correctly!

The narration in the audiobook was fantastic and I highly recommend listening!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first introduction to Rachel Hawkins. Although, I was familiar with her name and other books I had yet to actually read any of her work. I feel like this was a great first novel to read from her. I was intrigued throughout the novel and was guessing where the book was going the whole time. However, I had some difficulty fully attaching to the characters. Even as fairly big plot twists were occurring I found myself just a little underwhelmed. Overall, this was an enjoyable read but not quite as thrilling as I had been hoping.

This book knocked my socks off. I started it in the early evening and finished in the same night. Tense, taut and complex, it is a compelling read. Camden McTavish knows he was adopted by wealthy heiress Ruby McTavish, but after living with his horrible relatives, he leaves the estate after Ruby dies vowing to never return and turning his back on the millions of dollars he inherited. But return he does throwing himself into the lions den again and trying to cope with the greedy relatives. But there are surprises in store of Cam and for his wife Jules. You have to read the book to find out what they are. Well worth it.

Heiress Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore has had more than her fair share of marriages, deception and familial angst. She adds to her family's dysfunction when, upon her death, she leaves her vast fortune to her adopted son Cam instead of the rest of her family who have been eagerly anticipating her death. Ain't family great?

This was an entertaining story about family, secrets and lies that has some good twists and scandal. The story is told using three POVs - the dead heiress Ruby through letters from the past, Cam and Cam's wife, Jules and the story alternates between the past and present. My favourite POV was Ruby who is a fascinating character with a unique past, a handful of dead husbands, secrets and snarky humour.

There's a gothic vibe with the old, reclusive family mansion setting, but the strength of this story is in its slow burn but well-paced storytelling, its entertainingly shady characters and a few good twists (even though I saw one of the big twists immediately).

This domestic drama/suspense story is filled with family dysfunction, deception and greed that is an entertaining, escapist kind of read - a perfect pick to be one of your first reads of 2024.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like The Heiress, but I much preferred the author’s novel, The Villa. This one just didn’t grab me. As always, I loved the author’s dialogue, descriptions, and sense of place. It was just missing something for me.

Having read and enjoyed other novels by Rachel Hawkins, I was super excited to be granted an early copy of The Heiress, and I must say, this is her best yet!

The Heiress is uniquely written, with a combination of multiple perspectives, news articles, and letters, and several of the narrators are quite unreliable. It kept me guessing, almost until the very end, with hints along the way of what will be revealed and in the end, it would be a great book for a book club, as there would be quite a bit of discussion about which of the main characters is really good or bad. The book has a gothic feel to it, and the tension was palpable from the very beginning. All-in-all, an excellent book!

The only criticism I have is that it was difficult to get the relationships straight between all the characters, and in the end, I still don't think I have them figured out. It did not interfere with my enjoyment, however, and this book will be on my best of list for the year!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. The opinions in this review are my own.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore lived a notorious life from her kidnapping at the age of three, various high profile marriages resulting in the early deaths of all her husbands and being the richest woman in all of North Carolina. She leaves everything to her adopted son Camden who wants none of it. Then Camden and his wife are called back to Ashby House. Camden just wants to tidy things up and leave. His wife Jules cannot believe he doesn't want the money or to stay at the beautiful estate. Cam has terrible memories of growing up at Ashby house. And a terrible secret that he wants to forget. Jules has some secrets of her own. This story is told through the POV's of Jules and Cam and some letters left by Ruby. I liked this book but didn't care enough about any of the characters to love it. Thank you #NetGalley for my arc.

Ruby McTavish disappeared in the woods surrounding the family’s estate in Tavistock, NC when she was 3 years old. She was found months later living with an Alabama family. The McTavishes are extremely wealthy and rule the kingdom, er, county they call home. They think they’re special and that everyone should treat them accordingly.
Camden McTavish was adopted by Ruby when he was three. When Ruby became too controlling, he left the comfort of the estate and fled west where he married and teaches high school English. He vowed never to return to NC and his horrid family.
Superb story telling. Chock full of deep, dark secrets that are revealed little by little. Ruby has written a series of letters to Cam wherein she tells all. Ruby’s secrets are pretty bad, but the rest of the bunch has their secrets too. This is one of those stories that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages late into the night. Wickedly good. 4.5 stars

I've read all of Rachel Hawkins' thrillers and I have enjoyed each one. However, this one is my favorite book of hers thus far. Lots of unpredictable secrets revealed; twists and turns that made this book unputdownable.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC.

A masterly crafted thriller that really exemplifies money is the root of all evil.

Thanks Netgalley and Rachel Hawkins for the ability to read this advanced reader copy!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 9, 2024
When Ruby McTavish was a child, she disappeared while on a family outing, only to reappear out of the blue months later. Now, Ruby is the richest woman in North Carolina, who has been married (and widowed) four times. When she passes, all of her worldly possessions go to her adopted son, Camden, who has spent the last few years of his life avoiding everything the McTavish’s stand for. Due to a stipulation in the will, Cam and his new wife, Jules, must return to the McTavish estate, Ashby House, where old secrets will be revealed, about Ruby, about Cam and about Jules herself.
Rachel Hawkins’ fourth standalone novel, “The Heiress”, is a domestic thriller full of twists and turns. Jules and Cam are the narrators, although letters from Ruby to an unknown recipient (whose identity is revealed at the end of the story) are scattered throughout the novel as well, so Ruby can tell her tale from beyond the grave. Cam is a likable character, Jules less so (and in fact, my opinion of her continues to crumble as the story progresses) but together they somehow work. The secrets of Cam’s adoption, the childhood disappearance of Ruby, and all of the intrigue that comes with having a palatial estate and billions of dollars kept me turning the pages.
As is typical with families of extreme wealth, there are a lot of complicated familial relationships, and the McTavish’s are no different. There are aunts, cousins, spouses (four husbands in Ruby’s case) and the complicated family dynamic of Cam and his adoptive family, which is a lot to keep track of. I definitely had to pay attention to try and connect the dots throughout this plot, but, as always, Hawkins is worth the effort.
I have read all of Hawkins’ stand-alone novels and she shows no signs of slowing down. The twists and turns kept me guessing and I was instantly pulled into a world so far from my own I couldn’t help but fall in love with “The Heiress”!

This book is a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind. Ruby McTavish is the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child. She ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family's estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money. He settles into a normal life as an English teacher and marries Jules, a woman eager to escape her past. Was there any truth to the rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to the four husbands who all died under mysterious circumstances? Why did she adopt Cam in the first place? The characters speak right to the reader to tell their story until the very end we are putting the story together. The ending is great as we realize what happened. If you like stories that are unique then you will love this book. Looking forward to my next Rachael Hawkins read.

Rachel Hawkins has done it again! The Heiress was an incredible read, full of twists that left me shocked until the very last page and kept me thinking about them into the night.
I have loved all of Rachel’s books, so I was so excited to see that the Heiress was her latest book to come out.
You will not be disappointed! I highly recommend the Heiress and it is another one to add to my list of favourites!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins #ninetyninthbookof2023 #arc

CW: death, murder, suicide, domestic violence, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, aliases and fake identities

Heiress Ruby McTavish was the victim of a child kidnapping and a widow of four dead husbands. Now that she’s dead, her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with his inheritance and extended family, and successfully ignores them for years. But when his uncle dies, he’s forced to head home to deal with the aftermath.

I can easily say that this is my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book. I was eagerly anticipating it since I’ve greatly enjoyed all of her previous books, and this one surpassed the rest. Everyone had a secret, and boy, is this family nuts. What a soap opera! I absolutely loved it.

I enjoyed the epistolary sections of Ruby’s letters, along with the various news and magazine articles that added to the family lore. The book was dark, fast paced, and suspenseful, and it doled out the twists at perfect intervals. I didn’t anticipate a lot of what was revealed at the end.

As always, the covers to Hawkins’ books are perfection. I love the wallpaper pattern on this one.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy. (Pub date 1/9/24)

#theheiress #inlovewiththecover

I really wanted to love this one. It seemed to have it all there. It was atmospheric, it was weird at times, there was suspense, there was a murder and a mystery, yet somehow at the end, it did not feel like it was ticking all the right boxes for me. While it is definitely very well written, the story is skillfully told and the characters are great, for some unknown to me reason I was expecting more from it. By no means, at no point did the book fall flat for me, it was good, really good. I think it was me, not the book. I was the problem with my weird high expectations.

"There should be some kind of warning when your life is about to change forever."

When Ruby McTavish, the heiress to a massive fortune, dies, she leaves it all to her adopted son Cam. But Ruby's infamous wealth comes with strings attached, ones that Cam would do anything to escape. Cam abandons the fortune, but a summons ten years later brings him and his wife, Jules, right back into the mystery and lies of the McTavish family.

I loved this book! Told in the alternating perspectives of Ruby, Cam, and Jules, this book hooks you very early on. There's so many mysteries--did Ruby really kill her husbands, and if so why? What's the deal with Ashby house? Why did Cam come back? What's up with Jules?--and I just love the way they all unraveled. My only real complaint is that Cam and Jules really blended together, to the point that it was difficult to tell whose perspective I was in.

I haven’t been a huge fan of Rachel in the past but this book changed my opinion of her writing.
I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, I picked this book up this morning and was unable to put it down.

It gives Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes. I loved the letters from Ruby, the 2 point of views from Jules and Camden. Everyone in that house was holding secrets.

So many murders, secrets, gossip, hate, jealousy. It didn’t have too many twists but it wasn’t even needed in my opinion. The ending was great and tied everything together.

I will continue to read more Rachel Hawkins’s books because of this one!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest opinion!