The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins follows Camden and his wife Jules as they journey back to Ashby House in North Carolina to settle Camden’s family affairs 10 years after his adoptive mother Ruby’s death. Camden knows the secrets hidden within the walls of Ashby house, and he’s not sure if he wants Jules anywhere near it. On the outside, Ashby house is serene, regal, and secluded, but the inside holds so much more. Camden is torn between getting in and out of Ashby house as fast as possible and hiding these secrets from Jules, who may just have a secret or two of her own.


This book was fast-paced and kept my attention the entire way through. While I was able to see where the plot was going in some aspects, there were a couple twists that I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed this thriller novel and rated it 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel, which will be published on January 9, 2024!

I can't believe this is the first Rachel Hawkins book that I've read! It certainly won't be the last because I freaking loved this book! She had the eerie gothic suspenseful atmosphere perfect. The book really nailed down the three m's in these types of books: murder, money, and mystery!

Why is it that rich people always take the worst traits of humanity and bring them to completely another level? Well, this book will not answer that question but will suffice as proof to justify the hypothesis.

Jules and Cam are a regular couple who live in one of those awesome states that have views and mountains. Both of them tho have their secrets. Cam comes from an extremely rich family, for whom he's the sole heir and the time has come for him to come home and deal with some family issues As we follow them, we also learn more about Cam's caregiver, the rich heiress with a highly iridescent life. When she was done with all her 4 husbands' dead shenanigans, she decided to adopt a boy. Now she writes a letter in which she explains her motives leading to this decision.

In the story of watching characters intertwine, there is a sense of foreshadowing and following the footsteps of ancestors. The way it was written tickled my interest enough to be glued to the book for a longer time. I had my theories and some came to fruition, some didn't, and I caught myself thinking how obvious the clues were.
Overall, I enjoyed this ride. The writing flows, yet at times it felt overexplained. Some things don't have to be repeated from each point of view.

Rating 4 ★
Personal rating 3 ★
The review will be published on the day of premiere, Jan 9th.

Oh man, what a ride! This was surprisingly unputdownable. I wasn’t sure I would love this as much as I did after reading a few of the others past novels and them not being my cup of tea, but the Ashby House and all of her colorful tenants just sucked me in and held me for the ride. The story focuses on 3 main characters - Ruby, through letters, her adopted son Camden and his wife Jules. Through the three a complex story evolves from a young girls disappearance through mysterious deaths and familial drama. Fast paced the entire way. Loved it!

4.5/5 ⭐️
Whew this one was a wild ride! Just when I thought I had it figured out, I definitely did not. This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins and I can’t wait to go read her others!

“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.”

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the twists and turns and it just kept me wanting more. This story is a southern gothic thriller full of wealth, greed, and murder. The whole family tree is flawed and is full of secrets!

I enjoyed reading Ruby’s letter and I also liked the dual POV with Cam and Jules.

If you like fast-paced thrillers, full of lies, greed, and murder, check this one out January 9th!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Heiress is none other than Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the much married, richest woman in North Carolina in this novel coming out January 9. She was kidnapped as a child but was later found to have been taken by a worker on her family’s estate, Ashby House of Tavistock in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

None of the marriages last for long—husbands’ death all under suspicious circumstances--but she did adopt an orphan named Camden who is in position to inherit everything after her death, including the estate and a 9-digit fortune with nothing going to Ruby’s younger sister who has always lived on the estate with her family.

Surprise, surprise, Cam does not want the house, the money, or the family. He just wants to teach English in Colorado where he had settled with his wife Jules. After 10 years away, he reluctantly returns to North Carolina to address things that need to be taken care of within the estate.

His calculating aunt and his cousins are as unpleasant as ever as they seek a way out of Cam’s inheritance to their benefit, raising questions about whether or not the Ruby who died was really the Ruby who was kidnapped nearly 7 decades ago. A rousing conclusion will settle the estate in a way that could have never been predicted.

The Heiress is Rachel Hawkins' fourth novel for adults. An Alabama author, she also writes under the pseudonym Erin Sterling. She wrote her first novel while teaching high school English.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting November 20, 2023.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

A twisting tale told by three different characters. All who seem to have a different ending in mind.
I loved Ruby’s truth, how her letter tells her past.
Jules seems to be so sweet and loving, but what sinister secret is she holding back from Cam?
And Camden, it appears he’s being pulled back into his old life. The one he tried to run away from.
But how they all twist together, the secrets, and lies.
But are they really secrets?
Must read!!!

A must read by Hawkins! Following the death of one of the most powerful matriarchs in North Carolina, Camden McTavish, the now adult adopted son of heiress Ruby McTavish, returns to the family estate to settle things with the remaining McTavish family members. Angry and conniving, the McTavishes go to the extreme to get their hands on Camden’s inheritance, including bringing up Ruby’s childhood kidnapping that leaves lingering questions about who really is Ruby McTavish, and, more importantly, who should get her inheritance? Ruby doesn’t help the situation either, leaving behind letters containing a number of revelations about her kidnapping, multiple husbands, and their untimely deaths. Ripe with tension, this thriller set in Ashby house, a mountain estate with a personality of its own, will keep you saying “just one more chapter” until you are left mouth agape wondering why there is not more!

I have really enjoyed the direction Hawkins has taken with her thrillers since the publication of ‘The Wife Upstairs’ in 2021 and think ‘The Heiress’ may be her best one yet. Fans of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ should be quick to pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book starts out deceptively mild with Jules and Cam’s low key life in Colorado. The story quickly builds in intensity as the reader learns about Cam’s inheritance and the couple returns to his family’s estate to deal with his bitter relatives who are living in the ancestral home that was left to him by his adopted mother. With several plot twists and a web of mystery and deceit, I was hooked from the beginning and read it in a day.

The pacing is perfect and although the larger plot points were resolved, the reader is left grappling with the secrets revealed and left unaddressed.

Big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

“The Heiress” is a thought provoking thriller about generational wealth and morality. The novel follows Camden and Jules as they return to his estate Ashby House, in North Carolina to deal with his inheritance and adopted family. Interspersed are letters from Camden’s adoptive mother Ruby who left him Ashby house. I loved the tension building and intrigue throughout this novel. Ruby’s letters were definitely my favorite to read, but I enjoyed Jules and Camden’s perspectives as well. If you’ve liked Rachel Hawkins previous books or are a thriller reader, pick up “The Heiress” when it’s released on January 9th!

WOW!! What did I just read?! Fantastic book! This is about an heiress who adopts a son. She passed away and her fortune is left to him. He decides to tuck it away and live a normal life. Until his family draws him back to the family mansion. So many twists and turns in this book. The only downside was the number of F bombs in the book. Well written with great character development. Good insight in this book about families and adoption. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for an ARC of this book.

A genre mash of a mystery thriller and a drama with a side plate of f*%k up family.

Honestly don’t want to give a lot away because the chapters go fast as they unravel the mystery surrounding the Heiress of Ashby house.

A woman with multiple husbands dead and a son that wants to walk away from it all.

It’s wildly fun to read and at the same time you’re just glad you’re not part of their group.

I’ve struggled with the last two by this author but dang this one was VERY good! 4.5 ⭐️

Loved everything about this book! The setting seemed like a character itself. The house and town were very well written. The characters were flawed and deep. Even the unlikable ones were fun. The book was written from different perspectives and though letters and some news articles. I especially liked the letters and found them creative in what the character was up to. The MC had a wicked sense of humor in them too. The mystery was interesting and there were some surprising happenings in the book. I love how this author keeps the reader guessing and not wanting to put the book down. This is the 4th book I've read by this author and this one might be my favorite along with The Wife Upstairs. A highly recommended read!

Secrets. Lies. And Murder. What more could you ask for in a book. I absolutely loved this fast paced book! So many twist and turns!! It had me guessing till the very end.

The book started a bit slow for me at first, but I devoured the second half! It was chalked full of fun twists and turns, and my jaw was on the floor by the end.
There were a few plot holes that I wish were tied up a bit more, but overall I enjoyed this book

I loved this book! I like the way that parts of the story is told through letters and magazine/newspaper articles. The tidbits of information are perfectly doled out to keep you reading and guessing. All of the characters are hiding secrets and darkness and I found myself cheering on characters who had done some pretty awful stuff. This was my first book by Hawkins and I look forward to reading more by her.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy for review.

Teetering between 3.5-4 stars, so rounding up to 4! This is a quick read and if you are a fan of the author's previous books, I don't think you'll be disappointed in this one either. I felt like the writing style was different from her other books or maybe it was just how the book was set up. I don't know, but I didn't find that a bad thing at all!

With The Heiress, we follow along with three main characters: Camden, Jules, and Ruby McTavish. This book is packed full of secrets and as you continue to read you realize everyone has them.

This book is more of mystery/ family drama type thriller. It was a decent read and I did enjoy it, but it didn't quite keep my full attention or shock me with any of the plot twists. In fact, I had predicted one of the major ones early on. My favorite part was the sections involving Ruby's letters depicting her life and her many husbands' and their untimely deaths. I really liked her character and thought those sections were very entertaining.

All in all, I think this book would make a good beach or vacation read. It is quick and not too complicated to where you wouldn't have any issue following along. This book releases 1/9, but there are rumors it could be a Book of The Month option for December, so I wanted to read it quickly before they announce to see if it would be a good choice and currently I think it would be!

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rache Hawkins for this digital ARC. Another great thrilling mystery from Rachel Hawkins...

Cam has been running from his past by living in Colorado. He rejected his inheritance from his mother Ruby, and settles in to life as a teacher and husband to Jules. But 10 years later, when his uncle dies, he is brought back to Ashby House to face his family past. Secrets will unfold about Ruby... and Cam and Jules will be unable to pull away this time to hide.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
It’s a captivating mystery but I wouldn’t really say it was a thriller.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Intriguing mysteries
Multiple POVs
Dysfunctional family drama
Page turners
Creepy atmosphere
Rumors and secrets
Unique plot
Isolated mansions
Greed and secrets galore

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The letters placed throughout
Short chapters
NC setting

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Wasn’t really suspenseful
I still had a few unanswered questions at the end

A clever and compelling mystery from Rachel Hawkins. While I guessed some of the twists and turns in the story,
I still enjoyed the story developing. This mystery is about what happens when an adopted son returns to the family estate with his wife following the death of his adopted mother and what ensues with the remaining family members. Told through 3 points of view, this page turned makes for a quick read. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.