The story of the McTavish family Living in Ashby House in the town of Tavistock. high in the Blue Ridge Mountain. Everyone loved the history of the McTavish Family their lives, their love of money. Yet no one knew the dark secrets that the McTavish Family kept hidden all these years. Especially the beloved daughter Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward MIller Kenmore who had quite a few deep dark secrets of her own. Will anyone figure them out.

Ruby was the beloved daughter of Mason McTavish a wealthy man who made things happen. Ruby was abducted as a child found eight months later living with another family and finally returned to the McTavish. From there Ruby's life spirals somewhat. The many marriages to men whom she thought loved her, yet either brutalized her, wanted a trophy or wanted her money. Yet Ruby somehow still wanted something of her own. That's when she adopted a son named Camden. She then thought she would mold Camden into a true McTavish, even thought the rest of the family considered him trash.

As Camden grows up he realizes he wants nothing to do with the McTavish lifestyle or Ashby House. Hew wants to be far away from his mother and the life she wants for him. Enter Jules the women who would change Camden for the better. The women who loves him for who he is and not his bank account. Or does she. Letters between Jules and Ruby show that something is up. What could it be? Jules wanting the life every young girl wants and also wanting Camden too. How does Ruby play into this. Going back to Ashby House to clear up some family issues brings into light all the dark secrets that Ruby was hiding.

What does this mean for Camden and Jules, for Aunt Nell cousins Ben and Libby? This is a must read for anyone who loves the story of a dysfunctional family and what lengths they would go through to keep their precious money and name. I was not expecting the story to take a hard left as I was reading. I couldn't stop reading it I needed closure from this crazy family. Many of the secrets that were hidden all those years and finally surfaced I was not expecting. These characters felt so real. Their greed showing their true colors coming true made me want to know more.

Great story Ms. Hawkins her best so far. Loved everything about it. Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC. Highly recommend it to everyone.

I love Rachel Hawkins books!! The Heiress is my favorite yet! The back and forth time lines kept up the suspense and kept me guessing. Camden and Jules felt so real to me, they were great characters!! I couldn't put this book down and can't wait for Hawkins next book! Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Rachel Hawkins for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The last book I read from Rachel Hawkins was Reckless Girls, and while I thought that book was OK, this one blew my socks off. I. COULD. NOT. PUT. IT. DOWN. It's fast-paced and kept me on my toes the entire time. I loved reading about Ruby's love life, it gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes! The layering of the plot was also well done. I loved the atmosphere and the setting of Ashbhy House being creepy and wonderous at the same time. And the family? OMG these are some screwed up people, I love it. 5 Stars

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There are multiple plot twists in this family drama. I love the characters and the unapologetic story of Ruby's past.

Normally I read these kinds of thrillers-such as the many others from this author-fairly fast, like a day ir two. But this one I had to slow my roll a bit because the family history and lore is told from several points of view, including the news articles and stories.
Great story telling about the dirty secrets of having old money. And then how even if you run away, it can suck you back in.
Take a journey from a simple life in Colorado to "why is this family so messed up" IN the Carolinas???? Do you think you'll get the answers that you, Cam , and Jules want?
P.S. you know you come from Old money when your mother has six names.

"The Heiress" is giving "Knives Out" vibes as you follow Cam, an heir to a major fortune and house (that he doesn't want) and his wife Jules who are summoned back to the house for by Cam's estranged family. Once there, you see the turmoil between the families since Cam was adopted by Ruby (the heiress) and was given the fortune even though he's not a blood relative. There were some decent twists at the end of the book — but what made me really want to keep reading were Ruby's letters between the chapters with Cam and Jules. Because, of course, Cam and Jules are keeping secrets from one another — but it all ties back to these letters in a way that you might not expect. I wouldn't classify this book as a thriller, I might not even say it's a mystery, but it is a good read from Rachel Hawkins.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a Southern Gothic noir tale hat begins with Ruby, North Carolina’s wealthiest woman who was kidnapped as a child and suspiciously widowed four times all while living in a massive family estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her son Cam and his wife Jules live a normal life in Colorado where he rejects his inheritance after his mother’s death, but when his uncle dies, he and Jules return to Ashley House. Why did Ruby adopt Cam, who can you trust. Filled with unreliable narrators, this is a clever mystery with clever twists.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

This is a hard one to rate for me! At 9%, I almost gave up on it. The first 1/3 of it I struggled through, but once I got past the midway point, I was absolutely enthralled by this book and the twists! Especially the last section, I couldn’t turn the page fast enough.

Ruby McTavish is notorious in North Carolina for having gone missing when she was just a toddler. She and her family are wealthy, famous, and well known and respected in their community where they live at the Ashby House estate. We learn about Ruby’s many husbands who all died under mysterious circumstances. When Ruby dies, she leaves the entire inheritance to her adopted son, Camden, who wants nothing to do with the estate or family and the ties that come with it. Then, Cam gets word that he needs to return to the estate, and Jules wants to go.

This book alternates from the perspectives of Cam and Jules, and then there are letters from Ruby McTavish to an unknown recipient, and newspaper articles as well.

Again, I almost gave up on this book. I’m so glad I didn’t! Even after I finished, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I also can’t get over what I learned this week, that Rachel Hawkins - who you may know from The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, and The Villa - also writes under the name Erin Sterling and wrote The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse 🤯. Talk about a wide range of writing talent - I think all of her psych thrillers are all so different but then to throw in some romance too is just damn impressive! 😂

Overall I’d definitely recommend reading this book - it’s the perfect gothic suspense for fall/winter.

It hits shelves January 9, so get your library request or preorder in, or just mark your calendars! I think this is going to be on a lot of people’s lists for 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Last year I was lucky enough to also preview an early copy of her book, the villa. This time it was the heiress. I devoured this book. She is such an engaging writer who makes it so hard to put a book down. The twists left me guessing and wanting more. I have read many books by this author and have only been pleased. Check this one out when it’s released on January 9, 2024.

I am in love with Rachel Hawkins books!! The Heiress is probably the best yet. I adored the back and forth time lines as we explore Ruby’s upbringing, and all those husbands(!), and the wreckage her death left in its wake. I love a good historical fiction and this has the best of both worlds as we explore the world that was and contrast it with the world in front of us. Camden and Jules were such great characters and felt so real to me. Not a single punch was pulled and every twist left me reeling. I finished this in one day because I had to know how it ended.

I’ll admit it, although she wasn’t perfect. I love Ruby 😂

The ending confused me trying to connect everyone, but overall I really enjoyed this! I always love rich people behaving badly. The short chapters, changes in POV, inclusion of the articles, etc made it fun!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

The Heiress intensely sucked me into the story within just a few chapters, much like last year’s The Villa by the same author.

The characters were so captivating and the slowly unravelling mystery was compelling.

I enjoy the writing style, and the historical side of the story told through Ruby was stunning. Although, things seemed to get messy with the current timeline. I think it could have done with being a little longer for clarity’s sake. Especially the “big reveal” concerning Ruby’s death seemed a little far fetched and unclear.

Libby and Ben came across as one-note. As did Cam and Jules if I’m being honest but they at least had secrets to uncover.

The mid-points were the highest and my suspension of disbelief was wearing out toward the end. Something just started falling flat after the death of Ruby’s third husband.

But I enjoyed my read and flew through it. Can’t wait for the next mystery/thriller from Rachel Hawkins.

This book was so good. I definitely recommend. Perfect blend of past and present without being too overwhelming. Verryyy witty in the best way. Such a down to earth writing style, I love it and the story was chefs kiss

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy ebook of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

I really enjoyed Hawkins' "The Wife Upstairs" that I blindly read "Wreckless Girls" without reading the synopsis. I honestly didn't enjoy the author's second book. When I saw "The Heiress", it gave me "Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" vibes. I didn't want to ruin Seven Husbands as I have not read it yet, but I went ahead and read the Heiress anyways.

Ruby McTavish, once a kidnapped toddler, now has died leaving behind a massive fortune. She also leaves behind letters detailing how each one of her four husbands tragically died. Her only adopted child, had cut ties with Ruby several years prior and wants nothing to do with the family fortune. However, distant family members still residing in the McTavish house wants a piece of the fortune that they are not entitled to.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. The book was very bland and very predictable. Typical family drama fighting over an estate that was left behind. Unfortunately, I will have to think twice about reading another one of Rachel Hawkin's books.

Thank you NetGallery and St. Martins Press for this ARC! This story revolves around the multi-generational McTavish family, the richest most influential family in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. When Ruby was kidnapped at 3 years old and returned months later, something’s just never seemed right again. I loved the different point of views in this story with all of them speaking to you! Between the 4 husbands that Ruby had that all died in an “accident “ and the family forever arguing over power and money. Rubys adopted son Camden is in the middle of all the feuding and left the entire inheritance that he wants no part of in any way shape or form. Having to come back 10 years later Camden comes back with wife Jules to help fix up the family mansion and ends up coming face to face with long ago demons. I found this hard to put down, fast paced with plenty of twists and turns to make your head spin and loved the little Easter Egg from Rachel’s book the Villa!

This took me FOREVER to read. I kept putting it down to read other things. I would go back to it and sometimes feel drawn in but othertimes just be bored. I didn't feel satisfied by the ending and it just felt slow to me. But I am definitely in the minority as most people love it. 2.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't as gripping as I was hoping for. It was a slow burn for me, but the ending made it worth it! It was a really great ending. It had a lot of twists that I wasn't expecting, and it made it worth reading until the end. Overall, it was a good story!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Rachel Hawkins has finally given me a 5 star book to devour. I wasn't even sure it was 5 stars until the very end because when I thought the twists were done twisting , she gave me one more. The reason it worked was because of how she tied the past with the present and future and didn't leave a stone unturned.

Camden and Jules have been married 10 years, and finally, he heeds the summons home to Ashby House. Cam was adopted by Mrs. Ruby McTavish, as a 3 year old, dubbed the luckiest boy in North Carolina. Except why did he run from everything at age 20? Then we get these letters, sent from Ruby to an anonymous person, confessing how her 4 previous marriages ended. All 4 of her husbands died while married to her. After Ruby, as an infant was disappeared and re appeared 8 months later. Another twist was she really Ruby, or a poor child named Dora Darnell? If you look too closely at the main characters, you will wonder who they really are. The letters provided a glimpse to the past while the current day events had enough action, especially toward the end to qualify as a thriller. I didn't quite expect the ending, but it was better than I could imagine and left a question for the reader to ponder.

4.8 rounded up to 5 stars, out Jan 9, 2024.

Camden has been trying to escape his past since he turned 18. The adopted son of the infamous heiress Ruby McTavish, he's learned that everything the McTavish family touches rots. He's happy with his life, his wife, Jules, and being as far away from North Carolina as possible.

But circumstances force him to return to the lavish estate he hates, and with it, the twisted games his family plays. Little does he know, his wife is playing games herself.

This was such a fun book. It kept me guessing the entire time, and it was very sharp and witty. There were lots of different storylines, but they all kept the thread in a really nice way. The characters were flawed but still likable, and I found myself rooting for them to do awful things (this is the mark of good writing, I think). I loved the letters from Ruby, the dual POV with Jules and Cam, and the delicious descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains.