Thank you to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and @macmillanaudio for the ARC and audio.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and I’m definitely gonna be reading her backlist. I got Evelyn Hugo vibes but with murder. Told from the POV of Jules, Camden, and Ruby - rich people doing bad things and I love that. The story showcases generational wealth and what one will do to get far away from it. But of course you can’t stay away from it forever… as Camden learns. All the characters have their own secrets, especially the sketchy members of Camden’s “family.” Now let’s talk Ashby House. There’s nothing like a creepy, gothic home that is its own character with secrets.

Audio 🎧 thoughts: Narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. Each narrator gave life to the character they portrayed. I spent a lot of my time listening to this on my way to work and it was a very easy listen. Highly recommend the audio!

I love that I can always count on Rachel Hawkins to take me on a wild and twisty ride with her thrillers and her latest, The Heiress, did exactly that! The Heiress is packed full of suspenseful and intriguing twists and turns, secrets and lies, as well as multiple POVs from unreliable narrators. Add to that a setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a distinctly southern Gothic vibe, and this became a book I could not put down!

Ruby was such a fascinating character and really stole the show for me. The confessional letters that were left behind after her death were truly jaw dropping at times and it was easy to see how she became so infamous in their small town. The rest of her family was quite a piece of work too. I could definitely understand why Ruby’s adopted son, Camden, wanted nothing to do with them or what he viewed as a tainted inheritance, and why he really did not want to come back even when he knew he had to.

I don’t want to say anything else for fear of spoilers but between Ruby’s letters and everything that happened once Camden finally returned to Ashby House and confronted the rest of Ruby’s family, I was absolutely riveted to this book waiting to see how all of the pieces of the puzzle that was Ruby’s life and inheritance came together.

I read the e-book while also listening to the ALC (thanks for the gifted copies @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio) and just loved the full cast narration. The way the cast captured the suspense and the drama, and the way Ruby was brought to life really made for a wonderful reading and listening experience.

If you’re looking for a twisty thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, this is the one. The Heiress is my favorite book from Rachel Hawkins so far and it’s available now!

Fans of Colleen Hoover will love this one. There are so many twists in this book that I was not expecting. It was interesting from start to finish!

I truly believe this is Hawkins's best novel yet. With some major SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO vibes, Hawkins did an incredible job and tying together the past and present in such a unique way.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Reckless Girls and for some reason, I have skipped The Villa. But omg I’m so glad I picked up The Heiress because this one was so twisty and bingeable! Literally finished it in 24 hours!

Basically this is about a missing daughter of the wealthiest family from the small town of Tavistock. She was then returned months later but was it really the actual daughter or did they swap her with another kid?

Fast forward to several years later and upon her death, we get to read her several letters regarding the four men she was married to - Evelyn Hugo vibes minus the murder😂

Ugh it’s so hard to give a synopsis for thrillers without giving anything away. But here are some things to expect from this book!

✨family drama
✨an eerie gothic-ish house
✨twisty
✨multiple POV
✨explosive, confessional letters

Add it to your TBRs!! Comes out 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝟵!

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From the same author of: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀, 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮
Time it took for me to finish the book: 24 hours

Thank you @stmartinspress for the ARC copy!! And thank you @macmillan.audio for the free audiobook!

💭 Guys, when are you planning to take down your Christmas decors? 😂
☕️ i’m in between wanting to have them for New Year’s but also wanting a clean house before the New Year 😂

Rachel Hawkins books have not been hits for me in the past, but I loved this one! There was almost an Evelyn Hugo vibe to this book. I loved the past and present story telling. The mystery was fun and all of the characters deserved a little side eye. Loved it, What a great start to 2024!

Yes yes YES!! My goal was to find thrillers that I loved in 2024 and this one delivered!
This was my second Rachel Hawkins and it was a total page-turner! It's got everything – family drama, crazy fortune, this ancient gothic mansion, lies, murder, betrayal, and enough secrets to fill a spy novel. I honestly felt like if Evelyn Hugo from "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" was telling her story in a thriller! I was so hooked that I ended up binging it in two days.

Even though it's labeled as a thriller, I'd say it's not your typical heart-racing, twisty-turny kind. Though I did want to know what was going to happen, I didnt find the "twists" to be very shocking. Think less wild rollercoaster and more like diving into the mysteries of this mega-rich and powerful family.

Now, the characters were honestly what drove the story!!!!, especially Ruby. Jules, though, kept me on edge throughout the story, had me invested in her story.

If you're into a wild ride full of rich family legacies, grab this book. It might not be a nail-biter, but it's one heck of a mystery that'll keep you up wanting to know what is next!!

I think my head is still spinning from all the twist The Heiress took. The last quarter of the book, seemed to be one right after another. It definitely made it harder to have the whole plot figured out which I appreciate. I liked how crafty Ruby was with everything, working to right a wrong, in a strange way, but she tried nonetheless. The whole cast of characters was fairly messed up, it was hard to decided who was worse off.

I adore books that have news articles, letters, magazine clippings in between chapters to give background info. So I was thrilled when this book started with that! I love the different point of few that these articles can give to the reader.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 Stars
Happy pub date to Rachel Hawkins and The Heiress! Thank you to @ladyhawkins, St. Martin’s Press ( @stmartinspress ) and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read and listen to the book 📖 for an honest review!

🎧 The narrators🎙️for the audiobook are Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. 🎧

This is by far my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins to date! 🤗 Bravo!👏 🎉

The setting was fantastic for so many reasons. The book is set in the mountains 🏔️ of western North Carolina. A serene and secluded setting. The secluded house and town really helped intensify the creepy aspects portrayed throughout. Full disclosure, I may be partial to the setting because I am originally from North Carolina and I lived in a mountain town named Boone for a couple of years.

Characters in the book find themselves craving the balance between power, wealth and entitlement with true love, family, independence, and loyalty.

The definition of family is explored throughout including but not limited to: birth family, adopted family, found family, and forced family. Lack of trust and deceit run rampant between all connections and family units. The power of persuasion and influence by the defined matriarch (Ruby McTavish) is present in different degrees.

There are so many twists and turns in the book starting with Ruby’s kidnapping as a child and ending with her heir as supreme matriarch of her family (and most wealthy woman in North Carolina). The ending leaves the reader wondering if money can buy you (or your way out) of everything.

I devoured this book in ONE day! I was so invested in knowing more with each revelation. If you are an audiobook junkie, the narrators were amazing! Multiple voices really helped keep the details and timeline clear and organized.

This was a great way to kick off the New (reading 📚) Year!

Another GREAT book from Rachel Hawkins. I have read and loved everything from this author! Southern gothic vibe with many dark and deep family secrets.

The story is told in the past and present of the McTavish family, mainly Ruby and Cam with some storyline of Jules, Cam's wife.. Ruby McTavish, the heiress and richest woman in North Carolina, was kidnapped as a child. As she grow older, she marries a few men and each of them die, which makes her infamous around town, everyone believing she had something to do with their deaths. Presently, Ruby has passed away and she leaves everything to Cam, her adopted son but he does not want the money like the rest of the family, he just wants his freedom and to live happily with his wife, Jules. However, he gets forced into returning to the Ashby House where it all began.

I loved how Ruby's parts of the story were told in the perspective of her reading letters she had written and holy moly did she reveal some juicy secrets! Hands down the top book of this year so far for me!!

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun ride! I was hooked from the beginning and did not want to put this one down. Such an enjoyable audiobook with just the right amount of turns, surprises, and suspense to keep me intrigued and guessing to the end. Fair amount of language in this book, but other than that, a very enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook.

This novel was complex and a little hard to follow between all the characters. I found it hard to stay interested in. Not one of my favorites by Hawkins.

I devoured this book so fast! It's a compelling gothic that revels in tropes while feeling fun and fresh. The audio narrators did a wonderful job of capturing the characters and pacing for the right mood and tension, especially the reader for Ruby. I loved the connections Rachel Hawkins created and that she wrote a story that captured the mood and suspense of the gothics I love. 5 stars!

Started off with promise, but I lost interest and was confused by the plot. It’s a slow read and not really what I expected. I have enjoyed other books by this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this audiobook.

The Mactavishes are rich and very influential. Ruby was kidnapped as a child and returned to her loving parents. As she grows up, she’s met with mysterious tragedies when married. Is she cursed? She adopts a son to carry on her legacy. But he turns his back on the family. Until one day he’s called home. What awaits him?


I LOVED this book. I just wanted to ignore all responsibilities and read it. The authors were great. I would have loved a bit more past information. Maybe a novella can be written? And I’d also love a follow up about another part of the story.

THE HEIRESS
Rachel Hawkins, Author Mystery/Thriller

It has been 10 years since Camden has been home to see his family. Now it is only to settle his mother’s estate. With his wife, Cam makes the trip to his childhood home. Only to find out shocking things about the past.

Rachel Hawkins does not disappoint her fans with her newest book. With enough twist’s and turns to give you whiplash and a shocking ending, you will not be disappointed. I give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my complimentary eARC and to MacMillan audio for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Heiress was a great listen! It is a very paced thriller with no time to be bored. That family was unbelievable. So entitled, so out of touch. But that’s what made it such a great story ! Rachel Hawkins is becoming one of my favorite thriller mystery writers.

So many twists and turns. I had an inkling about how it was all going to work out. But I was still surprised at the end. My favorite chapters were Ruby’s. Such a fascinating life she lived.

All the narrators did a fantastic job with their characters. So many POV’s but each character had their own narrator. It was easy to follow.

I have read most of Rachel Hawkins newest books and by far my favorite is her newest one The Heiress. It is her typical mystery/thriller, but why try something different when you do so well with what you are doing. Her imagination seems fit for thrilling story telling.

North Carolina's notorious rich woman Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, her adopted son Camden inherits her fortune and house, but Camden wants neither. Instead he leaves North Carolina, moves to Colorado, gets married and becomes a teacher.

Fast forward ten years and Camden is back at the McTavish mansion, Ashby House with wife Jules in tow, because his uncle dies. The family drama begins to play out as Jules learns more and more about the McTavish family and the secrets they have hidden for years. They certainly have a few.

The story is easy to read and moves fast. It is highly entertaining, especially if like me, you love a good monied family gone bad type story. The family provides plenty of entertainment with their secrets and back stabbing. There are plenty of morally gray characters in this family.

The Heiress is a great story. The writing is clever, the atmosphere is intense and the ending twists and turns multiple times keeping you turning those pages.

If you haven't already, pick up the Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

This was a super fast paced, highly entertaining family saga with loads of murder, tons of secrets, and an immense amount of drama. The characters are unlikeable, however a select few, had some redeeming qualities. This book is the definitive of eat the rich…or rather let the rich eat the rich!

Camden wants nothing to do with his adopted family. Their wealth is tremendous but so are the secrets and the pure evilness. When he left, he never returned. Good riddance! That is until the death of his uncle. Now Camden and his wife, Jules are back. And it is just as he imagined it would be, except only worse.

This is a book I want to think about a minute before I post my review. But it is also a book I want to share with everyone so you can go BUY IT NOW and we can discuss it!

I was so engulfed in all the secrets, family drama and mystery surrounding this estate. I listened to this book in almost one day. Camden is someone who broke my heart and yet…then there is his wife Jules. GEEZ! I still don’t know what I think about her. As a reader, you pick up on quite a few things where she is concerned. And it all comes together as one big twist at the end! And no one can forget about Ruby! And that is all I am going to say about her!

This cast of narrators, Dan Bittner; Eliza Foss; John Pirhalla; Patti Murin, is amazing! Fabulous job with this crazy family! Greed is a powerful thing!

Need a wonderful family drama with massive secrets….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.