Title: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.3 out of 5

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.

Okay, the McTavish family is horrible. All of the McTavish family, blood relatives or not. This was an engrossing read, but these people were horrible. Lots of twists and turns here, and Ruby’s POV was fascinating—and horrifying. I liked Cam and Jules, but there’s more to them than meets the eye, too. If you’re looking for a twisty thriller read, give this a try.

Rachel Hawkins is a bestselling author who lives in Alabama. The Heiress is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/11).

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this read. There’s were definitely aspects that revealed themselves early, but there were enough variables and unknowns that it stayed a page turner. Is anyone really good? Do you ever really know anyone? Or the truth?

I thought this book was a pretty solid mystery thriller but nothing exceptional. The plot twists were somewhat predictable but not entertaining nonetheless.

This book has three alternating POVs: Camden (Ruby’s adopted son and heir of the McTavish house & fortune), Jules (Camden’s wife), and letters from Ruby McTavish. I absolutely hated the narration style in Jules’ POV where she speaks directly to the reader. I already dislike it when the POV character purposely misleads or straight-up lies to the reader about key information to generate a big “plot twist.” It’s even worse when the POV character does that and then talks to the reader about how “it isn’t what it looks like” and launches into a multi-page explanation. In my opinion, it’s lazy writing and a total cop-out to actually having to explain motivations or integrate backstory into the narrative without an obvious infodump.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I finished this in one day! A beautiful estate, family secrets revealed, love and betrayal, suspense, intriguing characters, and unexpected twists. The story is told from multiple perspectives who each add a unique viewpoint. The storyline jumps from past to present and includes occasional news releases that add to the story. I read this on my kindle but I could envision it being a fantastic audiobook as well.

Bland, nothing unique or noteworthy, boring storyline and I was just disappointed in general because I was really looking forward to this one.

This book started off a bit slow for me but after I read about 50% of it, I couldn't put it down!! I loved the format of it as well. The mix of letters, articles, and the POV chapters really fleshed out the story. There's a huge plot twist in the end that I really enjoyed! I'm glad I ended the year with such a good read.

I've really been loving Rachel Hawkins (the Villa was one of my best of the year) and I adored this one!

Wow! This book blew me away! What terrible, despicable people. Talk about characters you love to hate.
Everybody had a secret. Everybody had an agenda. Most of the family was trying to stab the others in the back. Definitely not a family you want to join. Even money isn't worth putting up with these backstabbers. I devoured this book. It was hypnotic. You couldn't help but be sucked into the story of this family of vipers.

This book was just okay. The letters were exciting but the overall “drama” didn’t really ramp up until the last 15% of the book. I didn’t really find this as a book I was eager to continue reading, but I also wasn’t entirely bored by it.

4.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of this amazing book!

I absolutely loved the amount of secrets and overlapping and just everything that this story had to offer. The way the timeline was laid out and how things unfolded made this such a fun and enjoyable read!

I’ve had Rachel’s backlist on my shelf for a bit, but this is my first read of hers and it definitely did not disappoint!!

Definitely recommend this one!

I am a big fan of Rachel Hawkins. I go into her stories, knowing there are going to be so many layers and I can guess all I want, but Hawkins will always shock me somehow. That was no different for The Heiress.

The story was told through the perspective of estranged heir to the McTavish fortune, Camden and his wife Jules, as well as mysterious letters written from Ruby (Camden’s adoptive mother and “Mrs McTavish” of the McTavish fortune and home) but who are the letters to? Hawkins gave nothing away on that, as far as I’m concerned. The cleanest plot twist I’ve read in a long time!! Throughout the story, there are also clippings from newspaper and magazine articles, which was a fun addition to reading.

I think Ruby’s letters were my favorite part. I loved how she wrote so conversationally, and so matter of factly detailed her life!

Ruby made headlines as “Mrs Killmore” when several of her husbands die under mysterious circumstances. But she’s no stranger to the press. When Ruby was a baby, she was lost in the woods on a picnic. She was found living with an ex-employee nearly a year later, and then returned back to the McTavish home. Go ahead. Digest that.

When estranged heir to the McTavish fortune, Camden, and his wife return to the family house, all hell breaks loose. This family is nuts, and clearly willing to do whatever it takes to get “their share” of the family fortune. Good thing he has Jules with him, so they can be a united front against the other members of the family, who have remained in the family home.

While this started very slowly, all the details were absolutely crucial so Rachel Hawkins could serve up this twisty ending on a silver dish!

THE HEIRESS, on the outset, was feeling a little disappointingly straight-forward in the initial half of the story but in the end it ultimately did more than I expected it to. And thank goodness for that. I love when you feel genuinely surprised by reveals as opposed to seeing a big twist coming; because as much fun as the latter can be, a subtle shift can be exciting, too. And that’s what this one was.

Most of this is very Knives Out-y in the sense of a family of horrids are fighting over (duh) inheritance and the person perceived to be the interloper who received said inheritance but there’s a ton of backstory, infamy, mystery, and more, along with it all.

I don’t really have much more to say about this one. I enjoyed the distraction of it, seeing where we ended up, and it was the perfect quick palate cleanser to sneak int between fantastical and complex epics. While none of Hawkins’ adult releases have been huge successes for me, they’ve all been entertaining in their own way and this is no exception. And thus I shall continue to pick them up.

I'm a big Rachel Hawkins fan, but I have to say this wasn't my favourite of her books.

It felt like the pacing was a bit too slow, and it took me a while to really get into the story. While I enjoyed the chapters cutting from Camden, Jules, and Ruby's letters--it was an interesting and fun way to splice up the narrative--they sometimes ended too frequently on cliffhangers or alluded to bigger secrets that were obviously meant to keep us turning the pages. Clearly I recognize this as a smart tactic by authors for thrillers, but I found it a bit frustrating here due to the overall pacing and writing style.

I will say I loved Ruby's letters, especially when we begin to learn more about her husbands--that was a wild ride, and I so immensely enjoyed those sections of the novel. However, I really didn't care much for any of the other characters; Nelle, Libby, and Ben especially felt quite one-dimensional and like caricatures of rich, privileged people. Additionally, the final twists in the last 10-15% of the novel left me rolling my eyes; it all felt a bit too convoluted and then too perfectly convenient.

Altogether a disappointing read, but I will look forward to Hawkins' next novel.

This wasn't what I expected, but not in a bad way. I thought it would be a faster paced mystery but it read more like a slow southern family saga/mystery. Which I love those, so like I said, not what I expected but I still enjoyed it! I thought this very atmospheric as far as the location was, in the NC mountains, but I wanted more spookiness from the house. I don't feel like the house lived up to my expectations in this one. Solid mystery, will recommend to my friends/family and can't wait to read her next one!

Ruby "Killmore" has passed away. The heiress to one of North Carolina's largest estates, she became famous for being kidnapped as a child and having four husbands who all passed away. Now her adopted son, who shirked the family fortune, and his wife, who's never known money, are returning to the estate. 
This is my third Rachel Hawkins thriller (I've read all but Reckless Girls) and this is by far my least favorite. It does the same epistolary format and morally grey women as her past thrillers, but it doesn't execute on them very well. Like her previous books, this is split into a "now" timeline and a past timeline in letters. But the "now" is split into Cam and Jules, which makes it so there wasn't enough development of either character or the modern-day plot. Ruby's letters were way too straightforward and didn't hold any surprises. They also take up the majority of the book, which takes a book that's marketed as a thriller and turns it into a dry, short historical fiction. There were hints at a Knives Out like plot with the family, but that was not focused on. Jules is also advertised as the main character but isn't the POV character enough for that to actually be true. The plot twists were very predictable between the set up of the book and the author's previous books. I liked the literary reference that likely inspired Jules, but I saw that coming. I didn't have a problem getting through this book, in fact I read over half of it in a sitting, but this just felt poorly constructed and without any tension or characterization like her others do.

Overall, I'll still be picking up from this author in the future, but this was far and away her weakest. If you want to be thrilled, this one won't scratch that itch.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advance copy.
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This was a fun book to wrap up my 2023 reading. A popcorn thriller full of surprises, Rachel Hawkins fans will love this one. I also loved the little Easter egg from The Villa, which is my favorite from this author. Pick this one up if you are looking for a page turner with multiple POVs and several twists along the way.

I love a good mystery with a touch of family drama, and Rachel Hawkins completely nailed it! Picture this – rich heiress with a twisted past, a haunted mansion, and family secrets that just won't stay buried. I was hooked from the start. The mix of past and present, newspaper clippings, letters, and multiple points of view added this extra layer of suspense that I couldn't get enough of. And let me tell you, the secrets unveiled at the end? Totally unexpected. It's like family, royalty, and a thrilling mystery had a wild party, and this book is the masterpiece that came out of it. If you're into small towns, grand estates, and family backstabbing, “The Heiress” is a must-read.

What's that? I'm rating a Rachel Hawkins book 5 stars after I STILL complain about Reckless Girls? Yes. Yes, i am. I had this as an ARC on kindle AND an ALC. So I went back and forth between both formats because I didn't want to stop.

The narrators on the audio are fantastic. I love when each character has a separate narrator. It makes it so much easier. And the one for Ruby? 🤌🤌🤌 in fact, Ruby was my absolute favorite character in the book. I'm wildly obsessed with her.

I saw most of the twists coming, but not in a bad way. Almost in a "okay good" way. Like, I would have been mad if I didn't guess it right. Lol

Anyways, this was a quick and fun read. I adored it.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore was a legend in her own time. She was a legend after her time, too. From a wealthy family, getting kidnapped at the age of three and found months later, the scandal of it all, that was just the beginning. Four times a widow, her notoriety just grew. Most of the time she was installed in Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains and from there she welded her power over the town of Tavistock and the family members left out of her father's will.

Ruby was not well liked.

When she died ten years ago, she left everything to her adopted son Camden. But Camden wants nothing to do with Ruby's money or Ashby House. He's paid for its upkeep and for his adopted family (who hates him) to live there. Camden is more than happy to live on his
salary in Colorado where he teaches school and enjoys a small rented home with his wife Jules.

But Jules wants more. As much as she loves Camden, she also wants him to embrace his wealth and Ashby House. Now events have conspired to bring Camden back to Ashby House, the people that hate him, and the memories he wanted to never remember again.

Throughout the book we get to read letters written by Ruby. She doesn't even pretend to be a good person or to have good intentions. Her family still living in Ashby House don't pretend to have good intentions either. Camden is the person I liked the most and Jules really does seem to care about him but...does greed trump love?

I figured out so much of what was going on before it was revealed but I still enjoyed the story. So much scheming, such devious people. Maybe being wealthy and living in a mansion isn't all it's cut out to be.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC

Wow, this book is so entertaining! I really enjoyed it, chuck full of twists and turns I didn't see coming right up to the very end. Secrets, lies, money and murder, what more could you want? Start off your 2024 with this rollercoaster of a book, pub date Jan 9th.