The Heiress

When Cam is summoned back to his childhood home in the wake of his uncle’s death, his wife Jules can’t understand why he’s so hesitant to return to the estate and fortune his adoptive mother Ruby, the heiress to the McTavish wealth, had left him. The McTavish clan is home to something far more sinister than the beautiful mansion in the Blue Ridge mountains, however, with rumors of Ruby’s past—including four dead husbands, and an array of family members desperate to claim their piece of the pie.

Hawkins’s gothic thriller brought all of the twists you’d hope for, and then some. While very palatable and an overall fun read, there did almost get to be the feeling of there being too many twists, almost as if after the first couple, Hawkins was like “hold my drink.” That being said, I did thoroughly enjoy reading this piece.

The alternating chapters between Cam’s and Jules’s points of view, inter-spliced by letters from Ruby confessing about her past, worked really well to slowly reveal the motivations of each character and ultimately build to the major “twist” so to speak.

This is the perfect read for fans of Riley Sager’s The Only One Left.

9/10 - Really enjoyed this book! I found myself constantly wanting to pick the book back up and learn more about the main characters. There was a lot to unfold, and I really liked the story line. Highly recommend when it comes out in Jan of next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this thriller. Rachel Hawkins continues to impress me with her writing and ability to perfectly tell a story that unravels a little bit at a time. I highly recommend this to anyone looking a fast paced thriller with a great plot twist.

This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and right now it is still the same. It just didn't really work too good for me. It is not great but it is good. I liked it but was not really fond of how the "twist" went.

Oh my goodness! This book was so fun to read, especially if you love mysteries and thrillers. This book had so many twists and turns, some you were expecting but Hawkins through you off in many of the plot twists!

Ruby McTavish is the richest woman in North Carolina. She died ten years prior to where our story begins. She has left her entire estate to her adopted son Camden, who wants nothing to do with the life or the rest of the McTavish family. Forced to return, Cam and his wife Jules visit Ashby House where they must face family secrets in order to claim what is rightfully theirs.

Throughout the story, we alternate between three main points of view: Ruby's (from the past told through letters), Cam, and Jules. Ruby's past is captivating!! All three are hiding dangerous secrets from each other.

This story, the mystery of Ruby's childhood, along with the characters secrets and the way they are connected to each other kept my turning the pages. This book is hard to put down. A must read for mystery lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing an ARC for me to read in return for my honest review.

First off, thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review! I’ve read Rachel Hawkins’ latest 4 novels now and I have to say that I believe this is her strongest overall. I’d recommend this one for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
The novel alternates between first person present day and the letters of Ruby McTavish. Ruby’s story had me captivated; in fact, I could go for more Ruby and less present day. But alas, the present day chapters were equally essential for pulling the story together. The story flowed smoothly until the end where I feel like the “shock factors” got a little busy. Overall, I will be recommending this novel when it comes out in January!

I loved the spooky atmosphere and the spine tingling mystery at the heart of Rachel Hawkins’ newest novel. I had very similar feelings when I first read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. This is the perfect kind of thriller for me. Clues, puzzles, and the feeling as if time is of the essence but unsure why. I will be recommending this to all my friends.

This was an entertaining suspenseful novel. I enjoyed the gothic elements and didn’t see some of the twists coming, but it almost had too many secrets and deceits. Some families are that way though, and this is certainly the story of a complicated, complex family. Good pick if you want a mystery that isn’t scary or gruesome.

Thanks, St Martins Press, for eARC!

This one- so many secrets, so many lies! It made my head spin but it also made it very hard to put down. This is a chilling and suspenseful family drama set in the mountains of North Carolina. Quick synopsis without giving anything away - Ruby, a well known heiress who was the victim of a childhood kidnapping and was suspiciously widowed 4 times, passes her entire estate to her adopted son Camden after her death. Camden has been living in Colorado with his wife Jules, and wants nothing to do with the estate and the infamous “Ashby House,” after being rejected his whole life by his relatives who still live there. When he finally makes his way back, more secrets are revealed as everyone (including unexpected people) fight to get the upper hand and control of the estate.

I liked how this story moved through the perspectives of the three main characters, and included elements like news articles and letters. It felt like pieces of a puzzle that were fitting together. It’s definitely a complex and layered story that was fun to read. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

What a wonderful book! From start to finish I was hooked. Who wouldn't enjoy a book about an old house, an heiress and tons of secrets? But the twists....not just one. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thankful I received this advanced copy. Rachel Hawkins is always a must read for me and this one was excellent.

Is being born I to a wealthy, powerful family a blessing or a curse? What about being adopted into one? For Camden, it’s definitely the latter. Not only was he adopted into this family, but his mom, the heiress, left all of the estate to him. The rest of the family is resentful and crooked. Each of them made Camden’s life miserable, and he tried to escape them by moving far away.

And then there’s Camden’s girlfriend, Jules. She has secrets, and she knows what she wants. But what exactly are those secrets and how is she manipulating the situation to her advantage?

The story drew me in with all of the over the top wealth, twists and characters. I recommend it.

“This house is as twisted as the people who live in it.”

Ooooh, hello, my new favorite Rachel Hawkins book! Old southern money, a gothic mansion that is riddled with secrets, murder, family drama… what more could you want in a twisty domestic thriller?

We follow three POV’s ;

Camden - The heir to the McTavish fortune. Adopted by Ruby, the beloved heiress of Ashby House.

Jules - Camden’s wife of ten years, may or may not have some crazy secrets or her own.

Ruby - McTavish royalty, bad bitch. Her POV comes in the form of previously written letters, and she is by far one of my favorite characters ever written in a thriller novel. I just want to have tea with her and gossip.

I couldn’t stop reading this, I needed to know what was going to happen next. It’s so rare that I stay up until 5am to finish a book, but here I am. All of the twists within this messed up, greedy, insane family had me hooked from the very beginning. Ashby House was the perfect setting, and Ruby’s interjecting letters made it feel that much more alive. A new favorite of mine. I’ll be thinking about Ruby for a long time. All I have to say is, “GOOD FOR HER!!!!!”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is marketed as a thriller, but I think domestic drama is more suitable. The storyline is engaging and entertaining even though all the characters are unlikable. The ending two twists were good. I think these books would be for people who want a thriller but can’t pallet them.

I’ve been trying to get my hands on The Villa and The Reckless Girls by this author but I never got around to them until this novel, I decided to read it this morning with breakfast in my bed with my door shut from the world.
Can I say I was HOOKED! Only breaks were to get water or bathroom breaks. I read this in almost three hours! I was slowly starting to lose interest in suspense past couple years because most suspense novels haven’t been really interesting with twists, plots and so forth. However, Rachel Hawkins really knows her stuff. She’s showing the ability to be the Queen of the suspense. She really crafted The Heiress and executed really well with different twists, plots, and so forth. I love how she used newsletter’s articles, letters and different POVs. I love the beginning, the middle, and the ending! The ending….WOW! Thumbs up.
I’m going to grab those two novels I mentioned above and start reading them. I hope they’re as good as this one. I’ll be looking out for her upcoming novels.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this entertaining eARC! As usual, my review is purely my own and not influenced by anyone.

Hawkins has such an enticing way of telling stories and I love the way that this one unfolded. I love a good family drama but often feel like they are usually a hit or miss. This was a hit!

I had ideas playing in my head and though at times I was partially right, there was still more to uncover. Although most of the characters were assholes (some because of who they were and others because of who they had been forced to be), I really thought they were well developed and realistic.

So excited to share in the hype for this one.

The Heiress started really slow for me but towards the end it started to pick up. I was really excited to read this book because the premise of it sounded so good but I found myself bored until about 70% in. I really did love the end of this book with all the twists and turns so it’s definitely worth it to stick through until the end. I also really liked how the author incorporated the letters Ruby wrote and news articles into the book. Overall, I did enjoy The heiress for the most part, especially towards the end.

You can never go wrong with a Rachel Hawkins book! I think I enjoyed this one the most out of the other 3 I’ve read!

Thanks to netgalley for this book. This book was by far, my favourite Rachel Hawkins book! You’re constantly trying to untie all the knots tied up in the Mctavish family secrets. It begs the question, just how far is someone willing to go to hide their secrets. Baby Ruby goes missing and is later found on a farm, claims of her being stolen by a farmer is the starting point to her famous existence. Next up are accusations of murdering not one, but all her husbands. The book bounces between present day when Rubys adopted son, Camden comes home and letters written by ruby herself to “darling”, as well as interviews with various characters. From the beginning to the very end, the book will keep you wondering what is going on at Ashby House!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advanced reader copy of Rachel Hawkins’ newest novel, The Heiress.

The McTavish family is one of the richest families in North Carolina, and for generations has occupied an estate almost as famous as the Biltmore, not to mention also owning half of the town. But when the elder sister Ruby passes away and leaves the entire family fortune to her adoptive son, Cameron, the rest of the family is out to get a piece of their own.

A decade after Ruby’s passing, Cameron reluctantly travels across country with his wife, Jules, to take care of some issues with the house. Though Cam has wanted no part of the family fortune, Jules is ecstatic about finally getting to see the estate he grew up in, and hopefully convince Cam to finally claim it as his own.

Told from the point of view of Cameron, Jules, and Ruby —-via letters she had written—- we find out more about the terrible family dynamics and what really happened all those years ago.

I found The Heiress to have similar vibes to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but with a bit more family drama and mystery.

Solid 4/5 stars. Pub date 1/9/24.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. I enjoyed this book, but it took me a long time to get engaged in it and finish it. I didn’t enjoy Jules’ chapters at all (though she grew on me at the end) and the different styles and tenses and narrative styles took me out of the book a little. Rubys letters were by far the most engaging. Though the overall narrative voices were shallow and a lot of the side characters were very one-dimensional. The mystery was very predictable, there wasn’t a lot of tension till later, and I feel like by the first few chapters it was pretty obvious how it was going to play out. Overall I still thought this book was enjoyable and would probably recommend it with a few caveats.