After not loving Rachel Hawkins last book, The Villa, I set my expectations low for this one. But I was pleasantly surprised and couldn't get enough of this book. It is told in three prespectives: Camden- an orphan boy who had been adopted by the rich notorious Ruby McTavish but has turned away from the family fortune, Jules- Camden's wife who is intrigued by the mystery and money of her husband's past. Letters written by Ruby McTavish. The mystery of the house and estranged family members has you finding out that everyone has skeletons in the closet. A gripping novel that has you wanting to know more about The McTavish family. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Rachel Hawkins’ novel The Heiress is the story of Camden McTavish and his wife, Jules. After being gone for years, Camden returns to Ashby House, his family’s estate he inherited from his adoptive mother, Ruby. There he has to deal with other family members who do not believe that he should have inherited the estate. Camden has no desire to be there for he has events from his past that haunt him. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, suspenseful book full of secrets of the McTavish family. I look forward to reading Rachel Hawkins’ next book.

I do enjoy an unreliable narrator, and this book definitely kept throwing in some curveballs that I did NOT see coming! A solid thriller for fans of the genre.

"But if there is a heaven, and through some mix-up of celestial paperwork I actually got to go there, this moment is where I'd want to spend eternity. Andrew's hand on my hair, the fire before us, the snow outside, the crackle of pages turning and his soft chuckle in my ear."

ALERT THE PRESS, the notorious very wealthy Ruby McTavish has passed away in her multimillion estate known as the Ashby house at the age of 73. Leaving everything behind to her adopted son Camden. Including the estate itself along with an insane amount of money. Not born by blood is Camden really the rightful heir, and can all his newly inherited money really be the root to all the evils he's dealt with his entire upbringing? Only returning to the place he dreads the most will all the secrets of the past be revealed! Let's go home to Ashby house

WOW! THIS BOOK! JUST WOW! YOU NEED TO ADD THIS TO YOUR READING LIST IMMEDIETLY

Hawkins weaves together a brilliantly smart tale of past and present love stories mixed with a gothic atmosphere jam packed full of rich people drama. Capturing your attention from the very beginning and holding your attention until the very last sentence.

A page turning addictive plot that keeps you enraptured, and sitting at the edge of your seat begging for more, more, more. And the letter entries and news articles at the end of each chapter pulls you in even farther really bringing this story to life

With narrations that speak directly to you as a reader, and normally this can pull someone away from the story, but not here. Its done so well and really makes you feel like you are actually there.Transporting you to the different times and places as the secrets and stories of the famous, ridiculously rich Ruby McTavish unfold

And that ending! How on earth could anyone ever see that coming! Well played Hawkins, well played!!

Defenitly one to pick up but you've been warned this is one you won't want to sit back down after you start

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress @rachelhawkins and @netgalley for the advanced invitation to Ashby house! I absolutely loved this uniquely spun story

You know those times when you're reading a book and you're enjoying the characters and the journey they're on, then suddenly you realize you're 50%+ through? That was this book for me.

Told in dual POV between husband and wife, Jules and Camden, and also the bonus POVs of letters of confession written by Camden's adoptive mother, the heiress Ruby McTavish and historical newspaper/magazine articles written about Ruby and her family throughout her life, this was a fun story.

When Ruby was 3-years-old, she was on a picnic with her parents and nanny in the mountains behind Ashby House, their family estate, and went missing. What happens next is a year-long search for the missing toddler, eventually discovering her living with a family in Arkansas. This sets forth a future of uncertainty for Ruby, always wondering, at some level, if she truly is the real Ruby McTavish...or an imposter.

In present time, Camden and his wife Jules return to Ashby House to face his family once more. When Ruby died ten years prior, she left everything - including Ashby House - to Camden and nothing to her sister, nephew, and nephews children. Obviously there is resentment here because Camden isn't even a real McTavish.

But coming home is something Camden has dreaded and avoided. He worked hard to escape that house and those people and that life he was adopted into.

This book is so full of secrets and ulterior motives. It also asks the question, how much of who we are is nature vs nurture?

I will absolutely be checking out Rachel Hawkins' other title and keeping her on my radar for the future. :)

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is a captivating novel that follows the story of a young woman named Cora Cash who is thrust into the world of New York high society during the Gilded Age. As the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Cora is expected to marry well and uphold her family's social status. However, when she falls in love with a man from a lower social class, she must choose between following her heart and fulfilling her family's expectations. With its rich historical detail, compelling characters, and themes of love, ambition, and independence, "The Heiress" is a captivating read that transports readers to a bygone era of opulence and intrigue

Having previously read two of Rachel Hawkins books, The Villa (a hit), and Reckless Girls (a miss), I was very curious to see where The Heiress would land.

Unfortunately, this landed closer to the miss category for me. The beginning starts with a lot of information and a lot of characters thrown at out. Once I got into it, I started to really enjoy the middle. While there were some interesting twists, they felt lackluster and thrown in all at once near the end. This is one of the first books I've had to look up what all happened in the end, as I was so confused by everything happening.

Had potential, and some may enjoy, but it's not for me.

2.75/5

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for granting me a digital copy of the book in exchange for my thoughts!
The Heiress follows orphan-turned-millionaire Camden and his wife Jules as they navigate the family’s fortune and returning to the Ashby House to settle unfinished business.
I loved this book, I read it as an audiobook as well and let me say, the lady that read Ruby’s parts made the book! It was perfect.
The only thing I would say about the book is that I don’t like that Camden and Jules still kept secrets from each other even at the end.
If you’re wanting a thriller that is different and not so “cookie-cutter”, I would pick this one up!:)

I read a YA title by this author a few years ago that I really enjoyed, but this was my first experience with her adult books. It definitely won’t be my last.

Adopted son Cam inherits his mother’s nine-figure family fortune. After her death, he wants nothing more than to get away from the rest of his toxic family – and he wants nothing to do with the money. Years later, he’s called back to Ashby House, where he grew up, and travels there with his wife. Let the games begin.

With the exception of Cam, the McTavish family is made up of greedy, privileged, scum of the earth people. No wonder Cam wanted to leave. Because of his mother’s will, his aunt and two cousins are permitted to live in Ashby House, but it and all the money belong to Cam. The rest of the family are determined to take it from the “hillbilly trash” who was never really a McTavish. And Cam’s mother? Besides the four dead husbands she left in her wake, there’s more to her story than you expect.

This family is full of nasty secrets – plenty of them. Before the end of the novel, they all come pouring out as the characters claw their way to riches without any regard to collateral damage. In spite of all these loathsome people, I couldn’t put down the book. The Heiress is a quick, captivating novel I’d recommend to readers who enjoy complex family dynamics, karma, and unexpected twists.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a copy through NetGalley but chose to listen to the audiobook as it features multiple narrators to go along with the different points of view.

I wasn't real sure about this at first but it very quickly sucked me in and kept me in its grasp through countless twists and turns. Twists, surprises, secrets revealed right up through the very end.

You might think you know which characters to empathize with, but beware -- you may not really know any of them until it's all over. Just as I like it!

Anytime large inheritances are involved, there are going to be family conflicts. Here the conflicts are unique and pretty ingenious. The revelations about the true character of those deceased and all their deceit and plotting will make your head spin, in a good way.

This was a fine thriller. Fast paced, I finished this quickly but overall it was predicable and just okay plot wise.

There were inclusions that I did enjoy; the mix of pov and letter. The main couple was interesting to follow.

But overall, this was a fine but feather forgettable thriller for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a DNF for me. Family secrets and famous rich families are not normally my favorite. I found the style strange.

A wealthy, eccentric heiress, a reluctant heir, and a family harboring dark secrets...this one was honestly just so fun and twisty! This one has a compelling mystery at its center with really intriguing characters. I wouldn't read this if you want a ton of depth, but if you want a juicy beach read, give this one a shot!

I really enjoyed this book! There were definitely twists that I didn't see coming. My jaw was on the floor when we found out about the MCs grandmother and her niece! Rachel was able to set the scene for her readers and you could visualize the entire book. I loved the family drama and small town vibes. There is just something about a woman with persistence! Highly recommend this if you're a Rachel Hawkins fan! She definitely writes top tier thrillers! Thank you SMP for the e-arc!

If you've ever wondered what it was like to date a nice guy who was a secret multi-millionaire, this is the book for you. Turns out, it's not quite as much of a dream come true as you'd expect when he comes with a wacky and infamous family. Rachel Hawkins shines at her usual excellent characterization and suspense building, although this book is more of a slow burn than some of her others. A worthy read with a fun ending.

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is another delightful addition to her collection of books. As a fan of her work, I found this novel to be a true treat. The storytelling is engaging, and Hawkins once again delivers an enjoyable reading experience. A special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and appreciate this book.

I loved this book! It was creepy in places but not scary. It had some shades of Knives Out without quite as much of the whodunnit-ness. Just lots of rich people intrigue, surprise twists and interesting characters.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book took twists and turns I never saw coming, which is pretty par for the course when it comes to Rachel Hawkins!

The way she manages to craft a mystery that ultimately pieces together so beautifully by the end still astounds me.

When it comes to details, I don’t even know where to start with this one. There were so many intricate details woven together to create the overall story, and I have no desire to spoil the journey for you. What I can say is that I was thinking this book would maybe only be a 3 star read for me throughout, but once I saw how everything came together and read through the ending? There was no doubt in my mind it was a 5 star read. That said, you have to give it a chance. You have to hang on for the slow-burn that it is and remember the details as they are leaked to you throughout, because they’ll all be important in the end.

I will leave you with this, though: Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is both caring and conniving, manipulative and mysterious, and while you might predict some of what’s going on behind the scenes, I don’t think you’ll figure it all out on your own.

I should start by saying I'm not the biggest thriller fan and I often find that the thrillers I enjoy aren't the ones other people usually rave about for whatever reason. While I don't think The Heiress is going to be the most memorable book for me, I did really enjoy the reading experience and it held my attention more than many thrillers do.

Camden McTavish is heading back to his family home in North Carolina. He is the adopted son of an extremely wealthy woman, Ruby McTavish, who passed away years ago and left him her family estate and fortune. However, we learn that the relationships with his other family members are fraught. After all, he is Ruby's adopted son and has inherited everything and his mother's sister and her grandchildren (who are his age since his mother adopted him later in her life) and incredibly angry. They still live at the family's home, Ashby House, while he now lives in California wanting nothing to do with the family or the money he was left. He married Jules, and they live pretty normal lives, working hard at their jobs and certainly not living a life of wealth. But she's certainly a bit curious about Ashby House and really wants Cam to reconnect with his family at least a little bit. So, they head to Ashby House together.

Oh, I should also mention that in the mist of this, we get the chance to read letters from Ruby sharing information about each of her four deceased husbands.

This is a fast-moving, easy read that I finished in less than two days. I appreciated the little twists and overall, really enjoyed my experience reading this one!

I've really enjoyed Rachel's other books (especially Reckless Girls), but this was such a SLOOOOOOOOOW burn. Almost too slow. There were many times I wanted to DNF, but I trudged through. Maybe the audiobook would've been a better fit for me. I did enjoy Ruby's letters and getting her POV on her marriages. I wasn't surprised by the "twists", but I still liked the last 20% of the book!