I always look forward to Rachel Hawkins’ books and this one was no exception. The story goes back and forth from present day to the past when little Ruby went missing from her family’s estate. Thankfully, she was found and returned to her family, and now the family is dealing with the estate as dark secrets come to light. This is a fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed so much! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you to netgalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I think The Heiress may have been my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet! This story is about a wealthy heiress named Ruby Mctavish who was lost as a child and then “found” months later and returned to her family. As an adult, Ruby was married 4 times over and after that, eventually adopted a son named Cam, who would become the heir to her fortune when she passes.

Then enter our two other main characters Cam and Jules who head back to the Mctavish mansion when another family member passed away, to take care of some family business. That’s when things really start to get wild and the family secrets unfold.

This was a quick enjoyable read for me. As we learned the truth about Ruby’s husbands through her letters I was getting “7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo” vibes, which is a favorite of mine and I throughly enjoyed the ending. -official publication is set for Jan 2024

Cam and Jules live a quiet life in Colorado on a teachers salary. However, Camden McTavish is a secret. Over a decade before, after his adoptive mother, Ruby, dies leaving him heir to the McTavish fortune, he turns his back on all of it, the money, family, and the monstrous family mansion. Now he is drawn back only to find the family is still bitter and toxic and the house in disrepair. Secrets are spilled and discovered. Who will be left standing? The story starts a little slow, but as webs are woven, the reader is the fly getting wound up in the deceit of this family’s story.

The Heiress is a story full of wicked family secrets. Greed, murder, and lies. The way Rachel weaved the story together so seamlessly was genius. Perfection to the very last page! Thank you so much, St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. It is safe to say I enjoyed every minute.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my third book I’ve read by Rachel and it’s probably my favorite! The book is told in a dual POV and I loved the unreliable narrators. There were so many twists and turns and I couldn’t get enough of the secrets, lies and family drama! The letters mixed in throughout the book added to the mystery of the story and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next. Well done!

Is the McTavish estate worth killing over?

Ruby McTavish's life has never been easy. At three years old, she was kidnapped by the Darnells, being returned to her family less than a year later. Her life was full of love and losses when she became a widow four times over. Was everything as it seemed? Or was there something behind her nickname of Mrs. Kill-more?

Camden, the sole heir of the estate Ruby's adopted child, caused havoc with the McTavish family since he was not blood-related. However, Camden wanted nothing to do with all that was left to him. He found happiness as an English teacher at a boy's school in Colorado living alongside his wife Jules. However, his plan of not returning to the McTavish estate changes when he receives an email from his cousin after the death of his uncle.

Jules is eager for the trip to finally get to know Camden's family although she didn't know what she was in for or, did she? Once they reach the McTavish estate, known as the Ashby House, the truth comes to light when everyone has a secret or motive they are trying to keep.

I loved this book from the start! This is a solid 4 star rating! Outside of a few instances of predictability it was captivating all the way to the last page. I enjoyed the style it was written; from the character perspectives of Camden and Jules mixed with letters from Ruby of her past.

If you are in search for a fast-paced family psychological thriller and suspense, this book is for you!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

this was my first Rachel Hawkins and it was good but it dragged a lot for me. I think it was marketed as a thriller but felt more like a family drama to me which wasn't what I expected.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. all thoughts are my own.

The Heiress is an example of a low-stakes gothic that packs a big punch. It is compulsively readable. Rachel Hawkins is the queen of modern contemporary-themed Gothics. Short, strange, and often fast-paced, this author can take you on a whirlwind journey in under 300 pages; her latest is no different.

The book follows three different POVs, a married couple (Cam and Jules) and Cam's wealthy adopted mother, Ruby, as she tells her life story in a long letter. In the present day, Cam and Jules navigate the treacherous world of the ultra-rich, as Cam's family will do anything to prevent him from inheriting his mother's fortune. Think Evelyn Hugo meets Knives Out.

The twists and turns that connect Ruby and the couple's lives are nothing short of the over-dramatic and bizarre flair that any passionate fan of the gothic has come to expect from them, but casual readers may find themselves scoffing at the soap opera nature of The Heiress. If you like juicy drama, spiteful rich people, and twists stacked on twists, this very short and strange little story is for you.

An incredible thriller and it’s totally worth being called a page-turner. The characters are fantastic and when the author goes into detail about scenes it’s the perfect amount.

Always a fan of Rachel Hawkins, however, this was my least favorite of all her books. While it wasn't a bad book, I just felt like there was a little too much that seemed far-fetched. Also, none of the characters were very likable.

Is Ruby really Ruby?
When I started reading, I wasn’t so gung ho, but I kept turning the pages. Boy oh boy am I glad, learning about the upstanding, murderous, baby stealing, back stabbing McTavish family pulled me in.
Is everyone really who they say they are?
In many ways this book made me think of the VC Andrews series of children in the attic, the secrets and lies can be hard to keep up with.
Money is the root of a lot of evils, but there’s much, much more. Big houses have lots of room for a lot of secrets and lies. Is there an honest character in this story?
All of these questions have answers, and out of the ashes you’ll find yourself fully satisfied.

I absolutely adored this book! I was immediately engaged with the characters and the story is well thought out. I noticed that when i had to put the book down i would think about it during the day waiting to get back to it after work. Thats pretty rare! I 100% recommend this book and author!Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Absolutely amazing and one of the best books I've read this year!

Rachel Hawkins is one of the best mystery/thriller authors. She knows how to captivate you from the very start and throw in twists that you never see coming (even the ones you can guess still throw you for a loop). Just do yourself a favor and read this as soon as possible, don't let this one sit on your tbr pile for long.

Twisty, exciting, and unpredictable! I loved every minute of this book and had no idea what was going to happen next.

This is the story of a man returning to his ancestral home for the first time since the death of his mother. His backstabbing, greedy, horrible family still lives there and don't exactly welcome him with open arms. He's there to settle the estate and brings his wife along with him, her first time meeting his family or seeing the home. The family has an unusual history as well as a lot of dark secrets.

This is the 2nd Rachel Hawkins book I've read and I've loved them both. I'm definitely putting her on my auto-buy list.

I was lucky enough to read this book as an ARC. From page one it sucked me right in! The plot and characters were so unique. Rachel's writing style keeps you so intrigued with the storyline, and is always leaving you wanting more. I would highly recommend this book to other readers!

This author writes great quick-read, popcorn-domestic-intrigue type stuff. I’ve generally liked them all… and really loved this one.

It’s about a rich family and their secrets, I guess, but I don’t know… I loved how it was written. Like, the dialog seemed natural, I liked the way some of the characters spoke right to the reader… The connection between the couple was great and their relationship felt real. I don’t know, those are weird things to notice, but I liked them a lot.

It’s not like it’s a super shocking, twisted book, but it’s great. And fun. I read it over the course of a few sittings, so it clearly had me hooked and interested.

Plus I got to read it early thanks to NetGalley. So that’s pretty cool too.

Ohhh such a refreshing book to get me out of a slump! I couldn’t out this book down! Would recommend- my favorite by the author to date.

Twisty tale… creepy old house vibes … generational wealth … Told through 3 viewpoints …

Camden - the “luckiest boy” has a VERY annoying and whinny vibe for most of the book. He eventually sounds less whinny once the plot begins to twist together.

Jules - the supporting wife with a clear alternative motive

Ruby - the infamous heiress… letters from her were the highlights for me. I couldn’t wait to get to the next letter and find out more each time that one finished.

Thank you to @netgalley and st martins press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll start off by saying, I did enjoy this book! I have not had much luck with this author in the past, but this one was great!

It started off slow in my opinion but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down! I loved the story and there were many great twists. Love, betrayal, secrets, money and heartbreak sums up this book! I loved the multiple POVs…Camden and Jules, as well as Ruby McTavish. With these multiple POVs, it was hard to know the difference in the year in the beginning but once it got going, it was fine.

Definitely recommend reading this book!

Publication date: January 9, 2024

I devoured this book in one sitting - the constant twists and turns made me want to keep reading faster! There was such a unique storyline, with each character developing more and more mysterious traits as the novel progressed. I liked the mix of present and the past through Ruby's letters as this helped to further develop the plot and characters.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

2024 is going to be a good year because Rachel Hawkins has done it again. Indeed, I think this is her best novel yet! The Heiress is set in a small town in North Carolina called Tavistock that is essentially run by the snotty and very rich McTavish family. Hawkins takes us on a dark journey filled with passion, intrigue, adventure, love and of course, good old fashioned murder with some Gothic vibes and a creepy mansion thrown into the mix. I was glued to this book from page one and read it faster than you could say "The McTavish Family of Tavistock."

In addition to the excellent storyline, Hawkins writing is also brilliant. Essentially, there are 4 character narratives that we meet: Camden (the prodigal son) and Jules (his wife), both written in the first person narrative, Ruby (the heir of the fortune and head of the McTavish estate) written through letters and then snippets from news sources such as magazines and newspapers. These different narratives was riveting and kept the mystery flowing for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the author, Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This title is scheduled to be released on January 9, 2024.