This book captivated my attention from the very start. I loved learning about this family and the life they lead. It made me feel like I was there in real time. The writing was so descriptive my imagination was flowing.

This book was an oddball. Not really suspense or thriller in my opinion but more so a domestic drama? Wasn’t what I was expecting nor would I recommend it unfortunately. The ending, while it didn’t suck, I felt it was a piss poor copout of an ending. Not a memorable book so I don’t have much to say in this review besides I suggest skipping this one. I usually like Hawkin’s books well enough but this was a miss for me.

Thank you to both NetGalley & the publisher St. Martin’s Press for the ARC, I appreciate you both ☺️

Rachel Hawkins has solidified herself as one of my go-to thriller authors. I picked up this book and did not want to put it down. We are told the story through the modern day lense of Camden and his wife, Jules, and between their chapters, we get letters from the notorious Ruby, along with articles about her. All of these perspectives created a tense atmosphere. Who could you trust? Was anyone who they claimed to be? Some of the twists in this, I did guess, but some I didn't see coming at all. I loved the family drama, the development of the plot, and the mystery surrounding Ruby. This was a quick read, and it kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This was a fast paced thriller that kept on surprising me! It was apparent early on that Cam and Jules, the husband and wife headed back to his family’s North Carolina estate to sort out the family affairs with Cam’s estranged great-aunt and cousins, are both hiding something. The journey to find out exactly what was a fun one, and I loved how the chapters switched not only points of view but also between narrative, old letters, and newspaper/magazine clippings.

This was fun! Kept you on your toes. I really enjoy the different formats in which the story is told. I really liked the articles, diary entries, and the letters. This was a good mix of slow burn and suspense. I would recommend this, thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. I love this author & couldn’t put it down!
Excellent plot, well- written characters and multiple twists. Loved the ending.

Another fun, suspenseful read from Rachel Hawkins! I've read all of Rachel Hawkins' adult thrillers and this one did not disappoint my high expectations.

This book is a true thriller with so many twists and turns. I loved that it was fast-paced without sacrificing a story. I was so engaged throughout the whole reading experience.

When Ruby McTavish dies, she leaves everything to her adopted son. Camden but cares so little about the inheritance and left the family years prior. He lives a simple life and eventually gets married to Jewels

Later he reluctantly returns to the house to settle some matters and is drawn into the family’s many secrets, betrayals, and lies.

I really liked how the book was laid out in the terms of the letter that Ruby had written. I loved how they trickled them thought out the story as you learned about her secrets and death of her late husbands. There were so many great twist and turns in this one.

I loved the gothic feel of this story and the multiple view points. Ruby is a notorious heiress with 4 dead husbands. Her chapters are told through her letters which adds a historical mystery aspect to the book. She speaks directly to the reader and tells exactly what happened to all of her husbands. We also get the pov of her son Camden and his wife Jules. There are so many secrets and lies. I was all in from the start and couldn’t stop listening. This is my favorite book of Hawkins

Ruby McTavish has a very colorful past. Four times married and a child kidnap victim, Ruby grows up as the flamboyant member of the very rich McTavish family. In addition to exploring her childhood kidnapping and her marriages, Ruby adopts son Cam and leaves him her fortune-something Cam could care less about but does not sit well with the rest of the McTavish family. What really happened when Ruby disappeared? Were her husbands cursed with bad luck or did Ruby help them along to their deaths? A sordid past told in the dynamic voice of Ruby coupled with unsavory family dynamics in the present-this was one I zipped right through and couldn't put down.

this is one of my faves of rachel’s books!! she does a great job keeping you on your toes with the mysteries + hidden secrets, and I was obsessed with all the different storytelling formats like news articles, diary entries, and letters! it gives Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but with murder! I’ve gotten to meet Rachel twice at author events, and I could literally hear her reading some of these scenes in my head. :) this is a perfect mix of a slow burn + suspense + family drama with humor sprinkled throughout. the characters were well-developed, and I was on my toes the whole time wondering who was telling the truth!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is such a captivating journey. I have read all of Rachel Hawkins’ books and this is my favorite yet! I loved the writing style with the letters. I loved learning about Ruby’s history, and of course the twists and turns! This was an absolutely superb book!

This book was full of suspense and mystery! I liked this story and the twists it included! A four-star read for me!

A great thriller!

This was a solid 3 stars for the majority of the read. It felt like I guessed many things throughout (and I was right about them!) so there wasn't too much surprise or tension for me, but the story kept flowing regardless.

What brought it up to 4 stars and what I completely loved is Camden knew all about what Jules was lying about the entire time and he still loved her and wanted to be with her! It's funny because I don't think Cam and Jules are really that twisted? Compared to Ruby and the rest of the family, their crimes are much more believable and forgivable (not that I condone the murder of anyone in reality). I'm also really happy that Camden and Jules stayed together in the end and neither of them killed the other - IMO that is very played out in thrillers where family drama is heavily featured.

I definitely recommend this one! It's a shorter book that will fly by and still entertain.

Rachel Hawkins is one of my must read authors, and The Heiress did not disappoint! Cam is the adopted son of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the legendary matriarch of Ashby House in the small town of Tavistock. But Cam wants nothing to do with his family, or hsi fortune. Ten years later, Cam and his wife Jules are brought back into the fold, and Jules becomes obsessed with uncovering the various McTavish secrets. Told in Hawkins's perfected style of merging the past with the present, this book manages to tell two explosive stories in one. I thought I couldn't love Hawkins more than I did after The Villa, but I was wrong. This book is a 2024 must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I loved the setting of this story as I used to live in the Asheville area and felt like I could immediately connect. The story grabbed me from the start and did not let go until the end. I tried and was unsuccessful in figuring out where the story was going to go! I haven't stopped thinking about this story. I don't want to give any details away, but I suggest if you like fast paced mysteries to grab this book! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I liked this book!! I can picture the estate, the mansion, and there were tons of tricks and turns at every page! I even loved the weird family dynamics!

| Book Review |

Rachel Hawkins’ The Heiress brings us to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, home of the infamous MacTavish family. None so infamous as Ruby MacTavish, whose history includes a titillating story of a child kidnapped and later found. And did I mention her dead husbands? That got my attention, too. 

This story is told in the present from her son and daughter-in-laws point of view, spliced with snippets of letters from a now deceased Ruby as she shares the events of her past. Ruby’s letters were a highlight of the book for me. They were so interesting, and the way she was so matter of fact about relaying every juice detail was fascinating.

The Heiress had me in its thrall from page one. Ruby’s son, Ben, and his wife, Jules, are living a very modest lifestyle when he gets news that brings him back to his childhood stomping grounds, Ashby House. Once we’re introduced to his family, it quickly becomes clear why he left in the first place. From the beginning, Cam and Jules are obviously keeping secrets from each other. And while this often doesn’t work for me in Thrillers, it worked so well here. They were a messy couple who loved each other as they were, and I couldn’t help but like them despite my better judgment. The only criticism I have of the story is in regards to Ashby House. Building the house up until it was almost its own character could have really pushed this story over the top. The atmospheric hints were there, they just weren’t played up enough to make this book a prominent character, and I would have loved for this to be on par with other books I’ve read where the setting is such a focal point in the story. 

Parts of this book were predictable, though not enough to hinder my enjoyment. And while I was able to figure out some of the events of the story in advance, the title of the book threw me when it came to the end. It fit; it just didn’t play out the way I thought it was going to. But the ending was satisfying, and I can’t wait to read the next book Rachel Hakwins releases. If you’re a fan of the author’s previous works, especially The Wife Upstairs, I think you’ll enjoy The Heiress.

| Audiobook Review |

The Heiress was narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. This is a fantastic cast of audiobook narrators. They all did a fantastic job capturing the personalities and little hints of the characters, but I will say the highlight of the cast was the narrator for Ruby. The way she so nonchalantly conveyed the salacious details of Ruby's past was so accurate, and I loved every second of it. Having said that, I would recommend listening to any of them, or even better, all of them right here in The Heiress!

I love this book. I loved the author, the plot was gripping. This was a great 4 star read and I am obsessed

No one makes murder and high society secrets as fun as Rachel Hawkins. This book had it all. A kidnapping, multiple murders, high society family drama, toxic marriages, written confessions, EVERYTHING. I could not put it down.
No character is completely innocent, everyone is keeping secrets. I love how the book is told through multiple first person points of view, like they are talking right to the reader, explaining their side of the story. The characters also have every ounce of humor, slyness, wit and well roundedness that we have all come to love from Hawkins.
The setting of this book almost feels like a character in and of itself. A gothic mansion in the hills of the Appalachian mountains, just outside a small town, lush forests full of wild animals. The perfect setting for a murder, or two or three...
If you love reading about scandal, this book is 100% for you!