I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t draw me in like I had hoped. This is my 2nd Rachel Hawkins book and I was not super impressed with the first one either. I wish I could get into them like others do, but I just don’t think she’s for me.
Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read The Heiress!

This highly entertaining novel keeps the surprises coming. A multi-generational family of great wealth, with a full set of unpleasant--and dangerous--members and a mansion to rival that of the Vanderbilt's nearby Biltmore estate, dominates the nearby town as well as the adopted orphan boy who, through the machinations of Ruby (the titular heiress) has inherited it all as an adult--much to the extreme displeasure of the others. Having lived on the other side of the country for ten years to escape them, he now returns with his young wife only to find the nest of vipers he grew up in is still waiting to strike. Through Ruby Kenmore's own letters, we learn about each of her many marriages and how she came to be called Mrs. Kill-more. But there are yet more surprises and deceptions waiting, right up to the end. Masterful writing makes this atmospheric novel a great pleasure to read!

Posted to Goodreads on August 17, 2023
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5775439226

Finished this one in 24 hours! I loved the way it was written between Cam and Jules’ perspectives but we also got letters from Ruby and news articles that filled in more gaps of the story. It’s always fun when you can’t figure out if you should be rooting for the main characters or what secrets they are hiding. I loved the way the story unfolded and kept me interested from start to finish. Can’t wait for it to be released so I can recommend it to my friends.

Give me all the Gothic Suspense! I liveee for books like this.

I really enjoyed this one. This gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes - but better (in my opinion, because your girl loves to solve some murders!) I loved the author's sense of humor and writing style. I loved the FMC. I loved that it was a short read and the author kept up the pace so I stayed engaged and curious. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book, and I look forward to adding more to my library.

You can get your copy of The Heiress on January 9, 2024.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

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. In the aftermath of her death, that estate―along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish―pass to her adopted son, Camden.

After The Villa, I thought Rachel had written her best suspense/thriller, but with The Heiress, I think she tops it. Characters that you love, or hate, or love to hate, or hate that you love...everyone with secrets and their own agenda. I didn't suspect the midpoint twist, or the final turn and big reveal, which made them all the more enjoyable. The way she writes about Ashby House and its residents, you believe even the seemingly outrageous could come to pass. Another enjoyable read that kept me turning the page, looking for more and more about the McTavish family. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Baby Ruby was kidnapped in the forest surrounding her sprawling mountain. Upon return, she married four times, each of her husbands dying a tragic and somewhat suspicious death. She then adopted a child and lived out her days as a somewhat God like figure of her small town. Years later, her child is summoned to return to the mansion and fortune that has been passed down to him. He brings his wife, who has her own secrets and gets reacquainted with his family, who are selfish and hateful. The mansion brings about horrible things in all who enter, what will it bring out in Cam and Jules?

This was a 3.5 ⭐️.
I did enjoy this, but the first half is very, very slow and somewhat boring. Despite being a shorter book, it feels long and I would never call this a thriller. The writing is good, there are dual perspectives with Cam and Jules, but also Ruby’s letters which offer a look into the past. All this is interwoven with letters, articles and more that give the story, and history, context. The story really picks up around the 55% mark, and then goes with a ton of unexpected twists and turns. I definitely enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first. There isn’t a lot of on the edge of your seat kind of tension, it’s more of a slow mystery than a thriller. The story is good, I enjoyed the ending and the twists.
Read this is you enjoy unlikeable and unreliable characters and a good mystery with many twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The twists throughout held my interest the entire time and I really enjoyed how they came together. I have been in a thriller reading slump lately and this was just what needed to break it!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I am speechless. Everyone has a secret. Nobody can be trusted. There are twists until the vary last page.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins did not disappoint. From the first page I was completely enthralled in the stories of Camden, Jules and Ruby. This book contained one twist after another and left me with goosebumps.

Told in multiple points of view, the reader is left questioning every character throughout the entire story. In the end, you will be left surprised in the greatest way. I highly recommend this book!

Rachel Hawkins’ writing style continues to age like fine wine. I first read RECKLESS GIRLS and it was a little juvenile, a little high stakes low reward for me. Then I read THE VILLA as an ARC last year and was pleasantly surprised at the way pop culture references were woven into the story for greater depth and meaning. Then I was approved for THE HEIRESS and my standards were raised yet again! This story had all the elements I loved from THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, along with murder, kidnapping, and hidden motives. It was dark without being heavy, a quick and satisfying thrill, and didn’t sacrifice plot pacing for the beautiful intricacies in the story and character relationships. Well, well done!!

Rachel Hawkins you did it again! There has not been a RH book I didn't love! The Heiress had me anticipating the next page before I finished the last!

Delightful popcorn of a book! I devoured this in under 24 hours - so fun, engaging, and impossible to put down. Told through alternating viewpoints of a couple with secrets, as well as through letters and news articles, the format of the book doesn’t miss either. As for the plot - well yes, it is beyond improbable but put that aside and it is so fun to untangle the web of deceit the characters have spun.

3.75⭐️ (rounded up)

I could not put this book down; I actually read it in one sitting. This is my first book by the author, and I will definitely read more in the future. There is a lot of buildup and drama in this story, which might have lowered my rating slightly. I really enjoyed the alternating povs and timelines, I think it added a lot to the story.

I definitely recommend to readers who like the drama aspect and stories about complicated families. To me, it did read a little more like a drama than a thriller which is what I was expecting. However, the last 20% did really pack a punch!

Thank you for this arc!

I have always enjoyed books by Rachel Hawkins and this was no different! Super engaging and atmospheric on page 1. I enjoyed both POVs as well as the letters from Ruby. All the twists had me turning pages to figure it out.

Absolutely amazing! I loved the letters throughout from Ruby admitting her sins and the way the story unfolded from Camden and Jules’s perspectives. The ending was (to me) great. A little predictable but I didn’t care. I loved every moment!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

I enjoyed the roller coaster ride that this book took me on! It was fast paced and mysterious! It took a couple chapters for me to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked! Ruby sort of reminded me of Evelyn Hugo too.

The book is told through multiple POVs: Cam, Jules (Cam’s wife), Ruby (through her letters). The only critique I have is that I couldn’t really connect with Cam or Jules. They felt sort of flat to me. But I throughly enjoyed this book!

This book has a great sense of place and atmosphere. It is a fun setting to be in and has an underlying threatening feel to the book where it feels like you don't know what is lurking around the corner. However, I wish the twists and reveals were more fun. The central twists of the book made the characters less interesting to follow. Perhaps the underlying premise is that money is corrupting, but it didn't coalesce as a book in the way some of Hawkins' other books have.

Could not bring myself to finish this one, the premise was promising but there was nothing gripping or interesting enough to get me to finish it. I loved her other book Reckless Girls and loved it but this one unfortunately fell very flat to me. Still two stars because I do think others would maybe enjoy it.

This book is very good! I loved the characters, and didn’t want to put it down. Love her style of writing. I’m not a huge fan of multiple point of view books in general but it didn’t seem to bother me too much in this one!!! The drama and the thrills!!! 4/5!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:
This book is very good! I loved the characters, and didn’t want to put it down. Her writing was excellent and the multiple points of view made the book outstanding ! If you love thrilling twisted family drama this book is for you! I’m not spoiling anything so you have to go read it!!

@stmartinspress
@ladyhawkins
@netgalley

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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