This book was extremely addictive and unputdownable/ couldn`t stop listening to this audiobook. The voice actors were amazing and the voice actor for Ruby Mc Tavisish was superb! I will be highly recommending this book to anyone and everyone I meet who loves books. This storyline was fast-paced and the changing POVs helped maintain the intrigue and the voice actors helped with the pacing as well.

This story is about Ruby McTavish, a wealthy little girl who got lost in the woods near her home in North Carolina at three years old. Ruby was supposedly found eight months later in another state and returned home. Ruby writes letters before her death at an elderly age, and through these letters, we see what transpired during her years growing up and her four marriages. These were my favourite parts of the book.

Ruby adopted a son named Camden, who she set up to inherit all of the McTavish fortune. Camden wants nothing to do with the family money and he has stayed away from his cold and unkind family members for years. However, he gets notified by his cousin that he should come to Ashby House after the passing of his uncle, and Camden’s wife Jules thinks it would be a great idea to visit. — from the POV of Camdon and Jules we learn about the family members who are still alive and their blood thurst for the family fortune.


Gripping, intriguing and highly addictive — you will need to know what happens next in this family drama — and learn the life backstory of Ruby who inherited a family fortune —
and learn their family secrets.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for this ARC, This is my honest review.

Excellent for a book club! This immensely engaging mystery book by Rachel Hawkins delves into subjects like nature vs nurture, what makes a person family, the effects of immense wealth and the effects of desiring wealth.
This books opens with the story of a child’s disappearance on the grounds of her prominent family’s estate. The child, Ruby, is found. Yet, some doubt (and even insist!) that this is not the child that went missing, but another child. This past (and the doubts) shape Ruby and her relationships with her family in profound ways.
The story is told primarily by Ruby, her son, and her daughter-in-law. All three of them have secrets from each other and other members of the family. It was fascinating to see which secrets would be revealed and which would stay hidden.
The audio book uses four different narrators and they all do a fabulous job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this suspenseful novel of family secrets and drama. It reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but with a southern gothic twist! The narrators did a great job with the audio version, and added an extra layer of complexity to the characters. Excellent!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

⟡The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins⟡
★★★★★ 5/5 stars!
Pub Date: Jan 9, 2024

Ending out 2023 with a 5★ read is all I could’ve hoped for! The book exceeded all my expectations & jumped up to one of my favorite books of the year.

⟡ synopsis
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 toddler & a widow 4 times over. In the aftermath of her death, her estate (along with a 9-figure fortune & complicated legacy) will pass to her adopted son, Camden.
10 years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but another McTavish family death brings him & his new wife back to the family estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ashby House, the secrets there won’t stay buried.

⟡ my thoughts
This one read like a southern gothic thriller version of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & I ate 👏🏼 it👏🏼up👏🏼 This is absolutely one I’ll be getting a copy of for my trophy self.

I loved how the narrators broke the fourth wall, speaking directly to the reader. It felt like sitting with a friend while they spill the juicy family drama.

The multiple POVs, plus letters & news articles scattered throughout the book made for such a compelling read. This web of generational secrets was so fun to try to untangle.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of both the ebook & audiobook, so I got to enjoy the full immersive reading experience which I highly recommend trying. The full cast of narrators added so much depth to the story.

⟡ Read this if you like :
Evelyn Hugo but make it a thriller
dysfunctional family drama
morally grey characters
secluded mountain setting
nature vs nurture
Letters and news clippings
Neatly wrapped up endings

You definitely need to add The Heiress to your 2024 TBR. Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, Netgalley, St. Martins Press, & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read & listen to this ARC!

This is my favourite Rachel Hawkins books so far. In this one the spooky vibes come more from dark characters than the environment, although there is also an old mansion named Ashby House high in the Blue Ridge Mountains involved. There were several places in the story where I thought I knew what was going on but... I most certainly did not! I loved the ending and all the twists and turns along the way, there were so many it was almost difficult to keep track.

The Heiress is Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, four times a widow, who dies as North Carolina’s richest woman. Her adopted son Camden shows little interest in his inheritance but returns to the tiny town of Tavistock with his wife Jules after his uncle dies 10 years later to decide what to do with Ashby House.

The audiobook format was unique and amazing: it alternated between letters, news articles and present day first person point of view, all told by a full cast with Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhall and Patti Murin. I hope all of them and Rachel Hawkins will continue to tell me spooky stories for years to come!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Narrators: Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, Patti Murin
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub date: 1/9

Perfect for fans of The Only One Left, this book had me hooked from start to finish and has quickly become my favorite of Hawkins to date.
The book starts with the death of North Carolina's wealthiest and most notorious woman, Ruby McTavish. Her adopted son, Camden, resisted the lure of the family’s estate, opting for a normal life far away. But when he inherits the fortune and the McTavish legacy, duty and curiosity have him and his wife, Jules, returning to face the life he’s been hiding from.

This was so good! It’s fast-paced, and I found myself eagerly flipping the pages to unravel the secrets of Ruby's past. This family is ruthless, and the multi-POV helped to explain the dysfunctional McTavish dynamic.
I loved the use of letters and articles throughout the story to give us glimpses into Ruby’s life. The exploration of family bonds and the dark secrets lurking within Ashby House made for a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Full of suspense, family drama, and a touch of romance, Hawkins skillfully crafted a narrative that kept me guessing until the very end. I listened to this on audio, and the narrators did a fantastic job feeding into the tension and bringing all the characters to life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy and Macmillan Audio for my complimentary ALC. You can pick this one up on 1/9.

I DNF'd The Wife Upstairs, so I wasn't sure what to expect with The Heiress. Wow, what a set of twists and turns! I loved that there were no truly good nor bad characters in the novel and everyone had secrets that drove them to do things--some of those things being unspeakable. While some of the twists were somewhat expected, there were a good number that I didn't see coming and made me lean in more to find out what was going to happen next.

WOW! Finally. FINALLY a family drama that gets 5 stars! This was a blast to read/listen too. The format made the plot even more enthralling. The letters and the news articles along with the dual POVs was the perfect set up to tell the story of the McTavish family. Secrets, murder, lies and betrayal flooded the pages and I was hooked. I went back and forth between eBook & audio. The audio was delivered perfectly with a full cast. I could not stop thinking of Ruby reminding me of Evelyn Hugo....except with murder. Strong FMC and MMC. Family members you love to hate and so many twists I was simply bamboozled. This was a great thriller to end the year with.

This is definitely Hawkins best book yet! I found it fascinating to wait and see how everything ultimately played out. The audio was fabulous with a full cast and really contributed well to my overall enjoyment!

This is my favorite yet by Rachel Hawkins! The story drew me right in and I lived the different formats of different POV storytelling, letters and newspaper articles. I loved to hate the McTavish family. They were all so unlikeable. The mystery and suspense helped me to finish this in 24 hours! I’d highly recommend this awesome mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this book.

Ruby McTavish has lived a life of luxury but also a life filled with scandal and pain. She was kidnapped and returned as a child. Later her life she became notorious for the mysterious deaths of her four husbands. When Ruby passes away she leaves her estate to her adopted son, Camden. Desperate to escape his adopted family and their drama, Camden heads west and settles into a normal life. He now resides in Colorado, married to Jules who is also trying to avoid her own disastrous past. Jules and Camden are drawn back to North Carolina and the family he has been so desperate to avoid.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are all interesting and flawed to certain degrees. There are so many twists and turns in this story. I loved the multiple POVs and time periods. I highly recommend the audio version of this book. The narrators did an incredible job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

TBR TBR TBR! You won’t regret it! This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and not wanting it to end. So many twist and turns just when you think you got it figured out. It’s a very fast pace moving book that’ just made my top 5 of the year!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook.

I loved The Heiress. Rachel Hawkins writes smart, complex stories filled with unique characters. The Heiress is unputdownable. The plot unfolds in a way that takes you back and forward in a clear and clever manner. You come to realize that the actions of the past are very much affecting the outcomes of the present. The setting is vivid and brings the story to life.

The multi cast narration was entertaining and well delivered.

The Heiress


While mostly set in NC there were references of the gorgeous Colorado Rockies (where I live) to the “dreaded inland empire” of Southern California (where i attended a university), that had me connecting to the story right from the start. The three perspectives were all interesting and the methodical approach to revealing the truths kept me captivated.

A solid suspense from Hawkins and multiple narrators who delivered the exact amount of tension and emotion that was needed!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do I have many of Rachel Hawkins’ books on my shelf? Yep. Have I read any of them yet? Nope. Did I see this ARC, was instantly drawn to it because of the synopsis & opted to take my dive into her books with her newest one? Yup, I sure did! 🤪 But let’s be real, I’m truly so glad I did! 🙌🏼

The Heiress follows the late Ruby McTavish et. al. - because she has been known by many last names due to her various marriages & the various deaths of her husbands). Ruby is not only the richest woman in North Carolina, but she is also the most notorious- as detailed in the book’s synopsis. The death of an uncle death leads to a series of events that call Ruby’s adopted son, Cam, back to the family home - that he had intentionally been staying away from & rejecting his inheritance of, for over 10 years. Begrudgingly he returns with his wife Jules to the family home, Ashby House, where lies, twists & secrets abound.

This book is told in multiple POV - alternating between Ruby’s letters, newspaper articles, Cam & Jules perspectives. From the start, the story appears to have vague details, making it more ominous and intriguing, in my opinion! It kept me reading, wanting to know what was meant by certain comments, quips or statements, as well as drawing out critical points of information - which kept me hooked! In my opinion, there is a present theme of unreliable narration - but I’ll let you be the judge at who that actually is, when you read the book!

The audio narration was done very well, providing voices to the various characters, classic southern accents (which added to the mystery that this storyline detailed) & portrayal of the characters in a detailed way - which is always helpful with audiobooks! I’m thankful for the opportunity to swap between reading the eARC and listening to the ALC!

An amazing 5⭐️ read and perhaps my favorite thriller of 2023!! I really enjoyed the structure of this book, having not only a dual POV (married couple Jules and Camden) but also letters from the matriarch of the McTavish family, Ruby, as well as news articles. I'll be honest, toxic rich families are not new in thrillers and although I was nervous this plot would easily follow the same set up as many others, it did not! It was unique and the story telling had me anxious to keep reading. All our main POV's had secrets (both good and bad) and yet despite them, I personally really loved them as characters.

I would definitely recommend picking up this book when it releases! In some ways it gave me the vibes of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (which is a book I absolutely loved) but with more of a thriller aspect to it. This is one of those books that I can definitely see myself wanting to reread soon (and I typically don't say that about thrillers).

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me an audiobook arc of this book for an honest opinion!

My thanks to NetGalley and for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

“The truth is not a finite thing.” That could be the overall theme of this novel by veteran mystery/thriller writer Rachel Hawkins, as any number of her characters observe through its winding storyline. The cast is large, drawing from the extensive McTavish family, the veritable royalty of tiny Tavistock in North Carolina. The McTavishes and their various kin far and wide—but mostly close by, in their town and environs—are wealthy, powerful, and greedy. Even the vastness of their empire is not sufficient to satisfy them, as the bitter in-fighting of several generations, the main narrative, reveals.

The tale is told through three life stories, the longest and most important being that of the matriarch, Ruby McTavis, beautiful, ruthless, married and quickly widowed four times in forty years, never for longer than a year. She reveals her secrets in a series of frank, affectionate, though often coy letters that bring into question how reliable she is. She seems entirely trustworthy, then drops hints that raise suspicion about her role in her many family tragedies, some of which, as it turns out, she orchestrated herself while always appearing the blameless victim.

Much the same can be said of the other two narrators. Camden McTavish is her 30-something adopted son; Julie ‘Jules’ Brewster is his wife. Like Ruby, they are not who or what anyone thinks they are. Also like Ruby, each of them knows more about the family secrets than they let on. They profess themselves to be ordinary people whose occasional lapses in judgment lead to moral lapses. They use this “human fallibility” argument consistently, even, where Ruby is concerned, to justify heinous choices. They resort to rationalizations about how love made them do it, how loyalty forced their hand. But then it turns out they knew all along their true identities and each others. Each professes their loyalty and love to explain their lapses in goodness and what makes them, despite bad behaviour, at least better than the bad guys. And while the “bad guys” get their comeuppance, were they really more reprehensible than the forces of good, one of whom is a bona fide psychopath, or just not as clever or as lucky?

My chief criticism is that this “thriller” is not that thrilling. The mystery is well-crafted, though some of the relevations, especially at the end, are really implausible. But the pace is draggy. Much of what each character tells is repeated in each telling at far too great a length. None of the three is without their own appeal, but their constant whining about how they—already privileged—deserve so much more because they had, at various times, been victimized themselves pretty much kills my occasional compassion. The epilogue is especially hard to take as yet another self-justification. Ironically, despite all they go through, all three seem stuck in childish self-absorption.

It’s a good book that would be excellent if a lot of that were excised.

“The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is an engaging blend of mystery and romance. Told through the eyes of three main characters Ruby, Camden, and Jules, they skillfully weave a tale of secrets, wealth, and death. Lots of death. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is filled with twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Hawkins' writing style, especially for Ruby, was both charming and suspenseful, making this novel a delightful and thrilling read for fans of historical fiction with a touch of romance and a delicate push of death.

#netgalley #review #RachelHawkins #thriller #honestreview #goodreads #fiction #amazon #theheiress #NetGalley #booklover #bookstagram #miabooknook

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc

This book was very interesting, i went into it mostly blind and just enjoyed the ups and downs of all the characters. I found all the character dynamics very interesting and fun to learn about and all the family drama had me hooked. Overall a very easy and quick paced listen, definitely enjoyed it.

Camden and Jules live a modest, quiet life in Colorado even though Cam is the heir to a fortune and sprawling home called the Ashby House in North Carolina. He had written off his family and vowed to never return until the patriarch of the family dies and he’s needed to return to sort out the home and money.
Once he returns, secrets and the past of his adoptive mother are unlocked and NOTHING is as it seems.

Rachel had me guessing until the very end! This is one of my favorite books of hers. So well done! Loved the mixed media and story line. Thank you so much for the advance copy!