Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have loved every book by Rachel Hawkins so far and this might be my favorite. I didn’t know anything about it before diving in and I loved how immediately immersive it is.

Ruby is part of a big fancy family up in the Appalachian mountains, except is she? Scandal ensues. Follow Ruby’s life through cryptic letters she’s written, news articles, and present day Camden, her adoptive son, having to return to Ashby House with his wife to take care of some loose strings.

Ruby McTavish is a complicated woman with an unconventional past who is wiser than the era of her birth allows her to be. Raised in Ashby House, the McTavish family rules the small North Carolina town simply on namesake and power alone. Told in alternating points of view and timeframes, the secrets of Ruby McTavish are revealed at the same time her adopted son, Cam, is called back to Ashby House to settle some affairs after his uncle passed.

Cam, having been left Ashby house and all of the McTavish fortunate by his late mother, walked away with no intention to ever return. His wife, Jules has a different idea, but when the past catches up to everyone what happens to Ashby house?

The book grabbed me from chapter one and kept twisting and revering in ways I found unexpected. I found the overlapping plot points and character connections fresh and added a deeper layer to the overall novel. Thrillers where I can simultaneously root for and root against the same character entertain me and The Heiress has these character options in spades.

This is my third book by Rachel Hawkins and it is my favorite by far. I was given the chance, via NetGalley, to listen to it via audiobook so I did struggle at times going back and forth between Ruby's letters and present day time. I don't think that would be an issue in print, however, but the narrator was spot on with the accents.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC to review!

4.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC copy of this amazing book!

The audio was done so well and I enjoyed the different narrators for the different characters. It really helped get into the story and feel the emotion from everyone.

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!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the audiobook!

Synopsis: An infamous heiress passes away leaving her adoptive son Camden with everything. Camden knows that the fame and fortune comes with a price so he leaves it all to live a normal life. Years later, Camden and his wife Jules, return to his childhood home. Once they arrive, they are met with Camden’s angry family who are all scheming for a piece of the inheritance.

My thoughts: Think Evelyn Hugo but make it TWISTY! I highly recommend doing the audiobook, it’s a full cast of great narrators and took the book to a whole new level for me. I really enjoyed Ruby’s narrative, and if the book had more of her POV, it probably would have been 5⭐️’s. I enjoyed all narratives but I wanted more Ruby! It’s a slow burn mystery full of dysfunctional family drama. Towards the ending, the pace and twists really picked up. I did predict a couple of twists before I got to them but it was enjoyable to watch it all play out. This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins and now they are all on my TBR if that tells you anything 😉😂 SO.GOOD.

Oh Wow another book that leaves you guessing until the end. A very wealthy family with so many secrets and back stories that it can become hard to keep them straight. Camden is called home to take care of the estate that his family lives in but that he owns. He lives a quiet life with his wife in Colorado They both travel home to see what needs to be done and the story within the story about Camden’s mother and her background. Griping tale with twists and turns that will give you whiplash. Thank you MacMillan audio and #NetGalley for my ARC.

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.

“You can put miles and mountains between you and home, but eventually, home will call you back.”

Ashby House. I just love when buildings or houses are characters in and of themselves in the stories I read. And Ashby house, huge and overpowering yet also hidden within the trees, is probably one of my favorites.

I have read many books by Rachel Hawkins but this one is her strongest (in my opinion) and my favorite to date! The McTavish family is wealthy and prominent within their community, but also oh so twisted.

This book was everything I love in a mystery/thriller with the twists being shocking but also believable. This mystery unwrapped like a present. It is told from multiple POV and in a way that had me always wanting more. It was utterly engrossing and the best of page turners!

The audiobook was AWESOME!! The narration of Ruby McTavish is *chefs kiss*. I just devoured it. I could listen to it again honestly.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly unique thriller with twists throughout that I did not see coming.  I was absolutely full of family drama, terrible people, and the best sense of having absolutely no idea what was going on.
 
Ruby McTavish is notorious, she was kidnapped from her wealthy family as a child, her return shrouded in mystery.  She was married four times and each time her husband passed in a mysterious way.  Despite her inherited fortune, she made her own money with smart investments and determination.  Following her passing, her adopted son, Camden, and his wife, Jules, return to Ruby’s estate at the behest of their estranged family and it is immediately clear that the family tension has not improved.  Everyone seems to have a motive to hurt everyone, and greed runs deep.
 
Even though I had absolutely no idea where this story was going, I could not stop because I was so engrossed in it that I NEEDED to figure out what was going on.  The current day story is beautifully interwoven with Ruby’s own history, told in her own words through letters.  When the pieces finally fell into place, my jaw hit the floor.  There were twists until the very last moment, and I didn’t see a single one coming. 
 
This is hands down simultaneously one of the most unique and one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. This was 4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5 for the 5 star rating system).

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

I love a good family drama, or secrets, wealth, privilege, and murder — Rachel Hawkins has delivered yet again. I’ve been a fan of her writing for a while now, and she always seems to twist and turn the story in a way I wasn’t expecting.

In The Heiress, we are confronted with the aftermath of Ruby McTavish’s death. She is the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, and leaves her multi-million dollar fortune for her adopted son Cameron. You can expect that when this amount of money is involved, so too does the extended family. Cameron has never been interested in the money, but the appalling nature of his relatives keeps him hanging on to it for a while longer.

Hawkins takes us through multiple POV’s where we learn the motives behind each character and their relationships to Ruby, a little about the Heiress herself, and uncover secrets that may upheave everything. There is never a dull moment in this book. It will grip you with its twists and turns and will make you question who to trust.

It felt like a mix between The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and The Last Mrs Parish.

I quite enjoyed the characters, but I think because of the multiple POV’s, some of the characters were a little underdeveloped. Ruby and Jules characters were great! The audio narration by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin was excellent. I am a big fan of having multiple voice actors in audiobooks. It makes the story become that much more alive!

Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to listen to an early copy of the audio book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

4 stars

This is my first Rachel Hawkins book (I have more on my TBR) and have to say, I'm excited to get to the rest of them now. This was a great mystery. Untangling the knots and trying to see the forest for the trees and all was quite a fun journey to be on.

I love an unreliable narrator and Jules is such a great one. The way more and more became unraveled about her was just so much fun to witness. The mystery of all the letters from Ruby was just the perfect combination of peeling back another layer of the family along with giving the reader breadcrumbs leading us somewhere we don't know, but know we want to go. I felt sorry for Cam almost the entire book and then realized that I, too, was underestimating him. He's far more capable than anyone in his entire life (myself included) gave him credit for.

The way it all ended was just perfect for me. Loved it. This book gave me Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets Lindbergh baby meets The Changeling movie.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The Heiress, by Rachel Hawkins, is a complex, twisty thriller with many surprises and layers. It’s a family drama at it’s core with lies, secrets and stories slowly unfolding.

The McTavish family has a sordid history and they are admittedly not the most likable people. The story centers around the infamous Ruby McTavish, who is legendarily known as baby Ruby, the three year old who was kidnapped and then later returned to her family. She’s also notorious for the death of all four of her husbands. When she passes away and leaves everything in her enormous estate to her adopted son, Cam, instead of her deplorable cousins who feel they have a right to everything, Cam is resistant to stake his claim. He has horrible memories for his time at Ashby House in North Carolina and wants nothing to do with the inheritance…but his new wife does.

This story really begins once the couple returns to Ashby to settle the legal affairs. The story offers a dual point of view showcasing the modern timeframe from Cam and his wife, Jule’s perspective, and Ruby’s past history through letters. The Heiress is intriguing, dark, shocking and compulsive. If you enjoy thrillers, this well-written, and cleverly plotted novel is one you won’t want to miss!

The audio-version of this story is narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin portraying different voices and personalities of the characters. They bring the plot to life making you feel the intensity of the unfolding drama. MacMillan did a spot-on job casting this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this, and think it’s Rachel Hawkins best book! I definitely didn’t anticipate the twist. To speak to the audio- I really enjoyed the cast for this. They added extra personality to the characters

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO meets SUCCESSION; a pacey, twisty, family saga that's as full of secrets as Ashby House is of hiding places.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Rachel Hawkins for the audio ARC.

First off, the narration was incredible, Macmillan Audio continue to astound me with every one of their productions. They are always so perfectly cast, with multiple narrators masterfully changing their voices for each character, and this was no exception.

I've read a couple of Hawkins' previous books, and I think she keeps getting better and better. There were lots of fun literary devices added to HEIRESS that translated really well to audio, like the letters, Jules' more colloquial tone and the occasional use of the second person that added a real feeling of being a co-onspirator.

The tripple POVs with Camden, Jules and Ruby's letters worked really well for the overall plot as it kept the story chugging forward smoothly.

I will say I got a little lost in some of the family lineage details, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Would definitely recommend this title for anyone who wants a fast-paced thriller to get out of a reading slump.

I have enjoyed all Rachel Hawkins books, and this one was no exception. Cam is the adopted son of a notorious black widow heiress. She leaves all her estate to Camden upon her death, setting him at odds with the rest of her family. Cam doesn't want anything to do with the family or the inheritance, but when his uncle dies in an accident, he and his wife gets sucked back in to the family drama, and through twists and turns we learn much more about all the characters.
One thing that I love about Rachel Hawkins books are that even though they are always full of secrets and revelations, her characters are always at the forefront of the story, and their development are what drives the story ahead.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this excellent ARC.

This is my favorite Rachel Hawkins yet! And the audiobook is 👌 It’s performed by a full cast, and is told through multiple POV including past newspaper articles and letters.

I always love a multiple POV book when it comes to mysteries. My favorite POV was Ruby MacTavish. She was such an interesting character. She also gave Evelyn Hugo vibes with her many husbands and us learning her story through stories of her life told through letters to an unnamed recipient.

The additional POVs are Ruby’s adopted son Camden and his wife Jules. Everyone had secrets and they are slowly revealed and the whole picture is brought together by the end.

I could not stop listening! I was obsessed with figuring out all the secrets!

Highly recommend checking this one out, even if you didn’t love Hawkins past books and especially if you did. I hope BOTM picks this one up in January because I will 100% be adding it to my box if they do!

Pull up a chair, because Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is ready to spill the tea.

Told in a mixed media format featuring multiple points-of-view, letters, and snippets of newspaper articles, The Heiress introduces readers to the dysfunctional McTavish family of North Carolina, whose sprawling mansion sits high in the Appalachian Mountains. When the McTavish matriarch, Ruby, dies, she leaves her entire family fortune to her adopted son, Cam. But Cam wants nothing to do with his nine-figure inheritance -- until he and his wife, Jules, are summoned back to Ashby House a decade after Ruby's death.

The first thing you should know about The Heiress is that it isn't a thriller. Don't get me wrong, there are some great twists, but they're pretty easy to spot if you're paying attention. What The Heiress is, instead, is a juicy family drama -- a deliciously devious soap opera in book form, full of twisted secrets and lies and duplicity. Rachel Hawkins clearly knows how fun it is to read about morally gray characters doing underhanded things to each other, because that's exactly what she's blessed her readers with in her latest novel.

The Heiress hooked me immediately and didn't let go until the last page. It's expertly-plotted and offers a juicy voyeuristic glimpse into the rotten core of a wealthy family, with all its explosive secrets and toxic lies. It's unapologetically dramatic and provocative, and the characters are well-crafted and fascinating. My enjoyment of this book was only increased by the audio production, which is expertly-read by a full cast who really embraced the drama of it all.

In my experience, Rachel Hawkins' books have just gotten better and better, and I think The Heiress is her best novel yet. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

A special 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 to @macmillanaudio & @netgalley for the ALC. 𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 has reminded me just how much I do love audiobooks! I’ve been on a audiobook binge ever since.

💭: It has been a 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚑 goal of mine to read something from author Rachel Hawkins for awhile now. It is said by some that this is her best work to date, but I won’t let that deter me from reading any of her previous works.

💭:

I can’t really say a whole lot without giving away spoilers. This book was read from multiple POVs and this was done well.

Along with the multiple POVs, secrets were revealed in letters that made this slow burn mystery one I couldn’t stop listening to. The scandal & secrets behind the letters written by Ruby McTavish were revealed throughout and showed her cunning to the very end.

❥ ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖:

- Dysfunctional family (involving a large inheritance)
- Mystery & Murder w/ Plot Twists
- Multiple POVs done well
- Morally Grey Characters

❥ 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕:

- The gothic atmosphere of Ashby House
- The money bringing out the worst in some people - adding to the family drama! 🍿
- Plot driven but the characters were not lacking in development

3.5 stars

The Seven Wives of Evelyn Hugo, but make it more mysterious.

This was a fairly fast-paced read split across three POV. The multiple narrators of the audiobook did a great job keeping straight who was speaking and captivating their audience.

The layered fashion in which Rachel Hawkins uncovers the mysteries and twists is quite clever, as each piece of information does not quite uncover everything.

If you like mysteries, old money, untrustworthy characters, this is something you need to add to your reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

Hawkins - I am a HUGE fan!
Jules and Cam return to his childhood home and the family he walked away from. As an adopted member of the massively wealthy family, Cam started his own life.
Jules has a hidden agenda - in love with the house, the lore of the family.
And of course Ruby.
Loved the narrative! The narrator had me searching for things to do to extend my listening.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! Just when I thought I had it all figured out the plot took several twists and turns and I was left with my jaw on the floor. I have always loved Rachel Hawkins’ writing and character development and I may have to consider The Heiress my favorite book she has written so far. The setting and the characters are intriguing and authentic. 5 stars!