The Heiress tells the story of Ruby McTavish and her extraordinary life, beginning as a child when she was kidnapped. The story jumps between the retelling of parts of her life, i.e. her four marriages that all ended up with her becoming a widow. She adopts a child and when she passes, he is to become the Heir to her large estate and fortune in North Carolina.

I loved the pace of this book, it kept me drawn in and I wanted to know what was next. Naturally, as the story progresses one tries to piece the mystery together, and it wasn’t until maybe 2/3 through the story that it comes together. It was intriguing and a great read, would definitely recommend.

Rating: 3.5

This was the perfect gothic 'mystery' to get me in the Fall mood. While I guessed all of the twists from the beginning, this did not dampen my enjoyment of the book. I think if you like the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but also want a bit more mystery and gothic vibes then this is a good choice. There were definitely parallels between the 2 stories and both the woman were equally interesting to follow.
I also enjoyed how this was written. It was quick paced and nothing came out of left field which I tend to hate in these types of stories. Overall, a solid read.

This gave major Evelyn Hugo vibes in my opinion, and I enjoyed it very much! I wasn’t expecting the ending, but I knew SOMETHING was coming with regards to Jules. I don’t feel like I can share too much without spoiling things, but I really did enjoy the read!

I am a fan of Rachel Hawkins and have loved her books. I this one is going to be on my favs list.
I don't like to go into all the details with the plot of the book, because I don't want to give anything away, but this story had me hooked.

Little Ruby disappeared at 3 years old in the woods (why is it always woods?) and then eight months later she was found in a different state.

So fast forward in time. Ruby has passed away. Now Ruby 's family has money. I mean like nine-figure money. .She has been married a number of times, but the only child she has is Cam who is adopted. Now that Ruby has passed, he stands to inherit a LOT of money.

Ruby's story is told via letters that she wrote before she died. Its a little bit of a twisty road and at the end of the day, Cam desperately does not want to be a part of any of the money, but there are a lot of secrets in that family!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

My only regret with this thriller is not picking it up sooner! The Heiress is a thrilling story of the McTavish family and the inheritance of Ruby McTavish and her estate-the Ashby House. It is also a story about Cam and his wife, Jules, who return to Ashby House after years of staying away because he wanted nothing to do with the inheritance. I enjoyed the story as told from the present time, and then also the letters that shared Ruby's retelling of her life. I had not idea where the twists and turns were going to take me.

I liked the premise of the multiple timelines and the specific points of view from different generations, however, there were quite a few things I couldn’t get past personally,
unfortunately.

At first I was really enjoying this book. The different point of views between the characters was a lot of fun and kept me intrigued. However, towards the middle of it I started losing interest and the rest of the book just started to drag. I will say, the twists at the end were exciting and made me glad that I did finish.

This book was a bit slow and the characters weren't very interesting. I could not wait for it to be over.

I have loved reading Rachel Hawkins' works and this was no exception! The gothic backdrop added to the secrets that were uncovered through this thrilling book.

Review of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

I was so excited to get approved for this thriller on that galley. I love this authors work, and I had read such good reviews about this book. Fortunately it did live up to its hype me and I really enjoyed it from start to finish. It flowed nicely with action throughout and held my interest the entire book. I loved the present day mixed with the letters that helped explain the past. I loved the interconnection between the characters and the level of mystery. This may be my favorite by this author and it is out now.

Quick 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 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.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, 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, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And 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

I felt like this was the mystery that I knew Rachel Hawkins was capable of! Probably my favorite mystery of hers so far. There was so much to follow and keep engaged in, I could not put it down!

The story follows the mysterious Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore and her enormous fortune, as well as her adopted son Camden who wants nothing to do with his inheritance. He and his wife Jules are called back to the estate and risk being sucked back in to the mystery and intrigue of Ruby's life. There are long-buried secrets and decades-old letters to unravel them all. Just the right amount of information shared with each chapter, enough to keep the reader engaged and wanting more. Definitely recommend for an atmospheric, layered mystery with a little history and family drama mixed in.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my e-ARC, all thoughts are my own!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-book of The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for an honest review. This was enjoyable and fun! Definitely fast paced and thriller filled, I was happy to devour this book quickly because of the short chapters. This book touches upon revenge, family secrets, and is packed with domestic drama. It had suspense and I would recommend to people who are new to thrillers and mysteries.

Soooo Saltburn meets Knives Out in the best way!

I feel like Rachel Hawkins really hit her groove on this one - it’s fun, fast-paced and had plot twists galore.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

To be honest, I really struggled to get through this book. I found myself quite disinterested in the plot line and the characters and I think that was for a few reasons. The first being the chapter length. I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and I’m glad that I did, because had I been reading the physical copy of this, I really think I would’ve DNF’d it due to chapter length. Looking through the timing in the audio book, some of the chapters are 35/40/45 minutes long. That is ENTIRELY too long for one singular chapter. This book was 8 hours of an audiobook and only 17 chapters, and it could have been double that amount of chapters, if not triple. I had a big issue with that.

Second, the plot line. It was so boring and so drawn out, this literally could’ve just been a short story and I probably would’ve liked it better. Ruby’s letters were the only interesting thing going on in this book. Plus I ended up guessing the 2 twists which is unfortunate.

To be honest, Jules and Ben just weren’t that likable for me. I wasn’t invested in their storyline at all, and honestly it was a chore for me to get through this book.

After finishing this book and looking through GoodReads reviews, I can tell that I am definitely in the minority of those who didn’t vibe with this book. I have read other Rachel Hawkins books and liked 2/4 of them, so I did have decent high hopes for them (Reckless Girls was literally so bad), but this one was just a flop for me.

This was an enjoyable read. An elderly woman addresses the mysterious circumstances surrounding her life. It reminded me of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid and “The Only One Left” by Riley Sager.

I was so excited to get my approval on this book. I absolutely loved The Wife Upstairs and was doing my happy dance with the opportunity to read this before it was released. This book sucked me in! I love how fast paced it was. The multiple points of view flowed together so well. The details were given perfectly in the order of which they happened and I loved them. The family drama was so entertaining. The twist just kept coming and had my head spinning. I absolutely loved this read just like the other books I've read by this author.

This book has all the juicy drama I love. Family drama, lies, secrets, and murder.

Told from multiple POVs, this story is a deep dive into Ruby McTavish’s life and how she got her famous nickname, Mrs. Killmore.

Cam, Ruby’s adopted son, wants nothing to do with the McTavish family and their fortune. But his wife Jules has plans to reunite Cam with who he truly is.

This story was fast paced and full of drama. Hawkins knows how to write people and give them enough substance to make them feel real. This book felt like a TV drama you’d want to binge watch because it’s just so unbelievable. I read the book in one sitting and it was thoroughly enjoyed.

Rachel Hawkins can write a darned good thriller -- you know, the kind you stay up all night reading because you just really, really need to get to the end and figure things out. Phew, this one was great!

If you think someone named "Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore" has a brilliant backstory and a lot of secrets that need to be told... read on. They're in this book.

I can't tell you much without the threat of spilling my guts and telling you everything, so just know this: stay up all night reading. It was fun from start to finish!

I enjoyed this one - very atmospheric and the crazy family story was so good. Thank you for my copy!

I could not get through this book fast enough. Unputdownable. The twists were delicious and the characters were so well written