Slow building book with excellent ending full of several twists that leave you un able to put it down.

4.5 stars

Ruby McTavish left her entire estate to her adopted son, Cameron, much to the dismay of the rest of her family. But Cam never wanted the life he was shown at Ashby House, and returning there all these years later with his wife Jules has only reiterated how horrible the rest of the McTavish family is. Through all the scandal, rumored murders, and power that money gave them, it’s also hard to walk away.

Rachel Hawkins’ books just keep getting better for me. Her last one, The Villa, had been my favorite so far. But this one was very close to 5 stars. I figured out one of the twists before the end, but that didn’t change how much I enjoyed the book. I loved Ruby’s letters in her point of view telling about the past, while we had both Cam and Jules’ POV for current time. But that last twist in the epilogue had me wanting even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book!

I can say that I loved this one!

We get 3 points of view:

The first one is from the letters written by the deceased heiress RubyMcTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. She was the sole owner of the McTavish's fortune. She was also abducted when she was a child and returned home to Ashby House after a year of being taken. Ruby never got along with her sister Nelle who seemed to be full of envy and jealousy towards her. Ruby was also married four times and all her husbands died. Did she kill them or did she just have bad luck in love?

The second one is from Camden. Ruby's adopted son. He was bullied while growing up by his cousin Ben and hated by Nelle. As soon as Ruby passed, Camden left for California. Leaving his inheritance behind and working as a teacher he is much happier especially when he meets his future wife, Jules. Then, he is summoned to come back to Ashby House after the passing of his step-uncle.

The third comes from Jules, Camden's wife. She can't wait to move into Ashby House. She feels they deserve the estate and they need to get rid of the people who made Camden's life hell. Yet, things are never that clear once they get there.

The Heiress is an atmospheric and full-of-intrigue novel with perfect-timing twists that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. A winner for sure!

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A true trust no one kind of vibe, that married a light gothic feel with lots of family drama and secrets thrown in. The Heiress would make a really interesting screen adaptation that I would watch in a second!

In my eyes Rachel Hawkins can do no wrong. I love all the different layers of story telling with the articles and letters throughout piecing together Ruby’s life before her passing. You really got a sense of who she was secrets and all. Ashby House in the Mountains boy if that house could talk. I love it when the House is another character in the story.

Thank you st Martin’s press and netgalley for an arc.

In the shadow of North Carolina's Blue Ridge mountains, the death of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore casts a long shadow over the small town of Tavistock. As the state's wealthiest and most controversial figure, Ruby's legacy is as complex as her name. Her life, marked by a notorious kidnapping, four deceased husbands, and her reign over Tavistock from the grand Ashby House, leaves behind a tangled inheritance that falls to her adopted son, Camden.

Cam, however, has spent the last decade distancing himself from the McTavish name and its burdensome heritage. Settled into a quiet life as an English teacher in Colorado with his wife, Jules, who harbors a desire to escape her own tumultuous past, Cam is content. Yet, the death of his uncle summons him back to Ashby House, a place of elegance and beauty, but also of haunting memories and unresolved family dynamics.

I've been reading Rachel since The Wife Upstairs and this one is on that level. Smart and fun, with intertwining mysteries and enough southern details to make this southern girl smile. An ominous and engaging thriller and a fantastic read.

Ruby McTavish is a widow four times over, and rumors are that some of her husbands didn't die natural deaths. When she dies she leaves her adopted son, Cam, everything, even though they are estranged and haven't seen each other in years. She has passed over family who feel they are more entitled to the McTavish family mansion and fortune, as actual McTavish blood runs through their veins. After a long absence, Cam and his wife Jules come back to claim his inheritance, and his aunt and cousins are not happy about this development.

The story has a present-day narrative running, where we learn about Cam, Jules, and the McTavish family. But we also get the narrative of Ruby's colorful life, through letters she leaves behind. In these letters, decades-old mysteries are cleared up and answered.

There was a lot going on in The Heiress, but the characters never fully engaged with me, so for this reason I rate it a 3 star for me. Those interested in Southern Gothic family drama will find a lot to enjoy here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Rachel Hawkins, Reckless Girls and The Villa. While this book explored truly intriguing themes, I had a hard time connecting with the story. However, that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other mystery/thriller lovers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Young couple Camden & Jules finally go back to the massive estate Camden's adoptive mother left him when she passed. Jules is excited to make the stately mansion their forever home, while Camden wants to get out of there as soon as possible. What secrets are the couple keeping from each other, and who will make it out alive?

This was a wonderfully windy ride down a mystery decades in the making, set against a gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop. This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins, and I did enjoy it although the ending was slightly predictable. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

It took me much longer than anticipated to read this one, but once I did, it was so easy to get wrapped up in the different POVs. The book also benefits from some juicy surprises that I wasn’t expecting. I highly recommend this one.

4.5 stars.

From the very beginning, you can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with the McTavish family. A great story that allowed you to visualize the home, the family, and the strange happenings in your mind. HIGHLY recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins is incredible at writing twisty thrillers I devour quickly. The perfect palate cleanser. This one is more of the same—heiress Ruby kidnapped as a young child and followed by dark rumours her entire life as she flies through husbands that seem to meet very unlucky ends. When she dies her entire family fortune is left to the son she adopted and his wife that has secrets of her own. But he doesn’t want it, and can she convince him to put up with his horrible relatives and claim what he’s owed?

Told through three POV—the son, the wife and Ruby we hear about her wild life and all these pieces fall into place. This book is fun, darkly funny, and one you must sustain your disbelief for. The rich people are behaving terribly and I love it.

Enjoyable read but one that hasn’t really stuck with me much. Hawkins is a fave mystery author of mine for a reason, I love how she tells a story through so many ways and moving parts. Usually I don’t love out of left field twists, but for some reason hers always work for me🤷🏻‍♀️.

Thank you, next!

I thought some of the concepts in this book were creative, but I didn't really feel a thrilling element. It honestly felt like a mashup of TJR's Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising.

Quick take: 3 stars. House is still right - everybody lies. Rich people problems. A lot of build up for revelations that just made me say ok duh.

3 stars.

I don't seem to have much luck loving a Rachel Hawkins book though none of them have been bad they have all just kind of been ok for me. This one was no differTold in ent. It is set in North Carolina and follows a woman who disappeared as a child and that set the stage for her life. She ended up getting married and was widowed 4 times adopted Camden, who was her heir. He eventually goes home to deal with it but lots of secrets start to come out.

Told from letters revealing the past and stuff happening in the present. Overall it was an ok read and I think if you liked her other books you will like this one too.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Loved it from start to finish.

I was sucked into this book so quickly, and couldn't get enough of it. I loved how twisty and fun it was. It's a quick read, and you won't be disappointed.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins has become my favorite novel of hers so far.

This quick read brings you in on the inner-workings of a rich and dysfunctional family. You will get a glimpse into an Heiress’ life and her family.

- Missing child ☑️
- Estranged family members ☑️
- Unexplained deaths ☑️

I wouldn’t have minded a little bit more on the side characters. May have added another element of intrigue if we got more of who they were as individuals.

Thank you #NetGalley and #stmartinspress for an arc of #TheHeiress in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of Rachel Hawkins which is why I was very excited to read this book! While I did think this book was good, I thought there were also a lot of unnecessary twists. With all of these twists, I found myself getting lost at times. Again I did think this book was good, but I don’t feel like this is a book I would recommend that my friends MUST read.