There’s nothing better then finding a book you can’t put down that you will literally carry it around from room to room just get a few more words in, you stay up way too late because you can’t stop flipping the pages. This book is that. I absolutely loved the suspense of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the eARC! The Heiress was very entertaining and held my interest. There were many twists and turns which make for an excellent thriller. Some of the twists I somewhat predicted- just not fully predicted. By the end of the book, there were so many twists that I ended up being confused and wanting the turns to be done already. It seemed a little forced. I still enjoyed the plot and the characters tho! Overall would definitely recommend for those who like family thrillers! You can find my review on my bookstagram account- @bookofthemeg (published on Feb 2nd)

The Heiress centers on a rich and prestigious NC family, the McTavish's. 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. Her adopted son, Cam wants nothing to do with the estate left to him, so his uncle runs things and his family lives there. When he dies, Cam and his wife Jules head to North Carolina to deal with the estate. They are met by family that not only don't want him there, but don't think he belongs. With secrets and mysteries, the story unfolds about Ruby and her life, letting us in on secrets that have long been buried.

The story is told from 3 POVs: the matriarch, Ruby (through letters), Ruby’s son Cam, and his wife Jules. The book weaves past and present timeframes together to create a twisty and captivating story about greed, power, and wealth within a family over multiple generations. I found myself intrigued by Ruby's story and all that she experienced and got away with. We meet the family that was involved in her kidnapping, Ruby's many husbands and others. I did not like the present day McTavish family at all! With all that going on, I had to pay attention not to get confused, but I enjoyed this story. With the final twists coming at me in the last part of the book, I was left smiling as I closed the cover. This was not a thriller, but a messy family drama with lots of twists.

The best Rachel Hawkins novel since the wife upstairs. Absolutely loved it and didn’t see the twists coming! Would absolutely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This was my second Rachel Hawkins book and I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint.

The "Heiress" is a gothic mystery novel with a ton of twists and suspense. It kept me intrigued throughout the entire time and eager to find out what was going to happen next.

Solid 4 stars!

This book gave me a little bit of an Evelyn Hugo feel, which is one of my favorite books. I loved learning Ruby's secrets through the letters she had written. She is no Evelyn, but I still liked her. Although I knew something was up with one of the characters (I won't say who), I couldn't place what that was. I would have never guessed it, either. I'm not sure if that's because I was reading so quickly that I didn't pay close enough attention, or if that's how he author wanted me to feel. It's a tad bit of a reach, but it worked. (But that reveal is the reason this is 4 stars instead of 5. It seemed a bit muddled. )

This book was un-put-downable and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Ben, Libby, and Nelle were positively awful human beings with no redeeming qualities. You will love to hate them! It goes without saying that it was super fun to learn everyone's secrets, especially of the character you'd think wouldn't have any! Note that this is more of a family drama than what many would consider a typical thriller, but it was thrilling nevertheless.

The ending was a bit confusing for me to follow, but again, I don't know if that was a "me" issue because I was reading so fast to find out what happened that I glossed over some information, or if the "twist" was intended to feel like it came out of left field.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third novel I've read by Rachel Hawkins. I struggle to classify this one's genre: it is definitely not a thriller, perhaps more of a mystery tangled in with a few murders. The Heiress is a story of the rich, famous, and powerful McTavish family. None of the characters are particularly likeable nor trustworthy. This is a story about how money can give one the power to do ugly things and get away with it. This was a quick read, yet I did find it a bit dull at first and it took me some time to understand the complicated relationships between all the characters. I did eventually get into the story a bit more, but strangely, for a mystery, this one is actually kind of slow-paced.

I am a big fan of Rachel Hawkins’, so I was very excited to read her latest book “The Heiress”. I read this book over the course of a day, completely engrossed in the story. Not only was the plot original, it was well written, and had twists until the very end. This would make an excellent tv series or movie. This will likely be one of my favourite books this year.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!
4.5/5

📖My Thoughts📖


This is one of those books in which I’m not entirely sure where to start. A tale of the life of a very intriguing and merciless woman who died being known as the richest and devious woman in North Carolina, intricately laced with heaps of family drama, mystery and twists and turns like you wouldn’t believe, offering us with a storyline that will just completely consumes the reader. The story is told from multiple points of view and alternates between the past and present day, giving us a glimpse of how everything came to be. The pacing was perfect in my opinion. It didn’t drag on forever, but it also didn’t include a rushed ending either (which is something that drives me bonkers). Some of the twists were a little anticipated, but for the most part, they were well thought out and executed perfectly. I’m kind of a sucker for the whole ‘family drama’ trope, more so in the thriller/mystery genres. I have read other work by Rachel Hawkins and they never cease to amaze me. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be adding this author to my automatic buy list. If you’re into mystery/thrillers and are looking for your next adventure, scoop this up and dive right in!
Thank you Netgalley, Rachel Hawkins and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one had a lot of twists and turns and I honestly thought I had it figured out, but it surprised me! Would highly recommend for a fast thriller!

Rachel Hawkins does it again with another addictive thriller! Ruby McTavish's reputation precedes her, the victim of a infamous kidnapping, the heiress to a family fortune, and a widow shockingly four times, everyone knows her name. Ruby's fortune is left to her adopted son Cameron upon her death, Cameron rejects his inheritance and lives a simple life on the other side of the county with his wife Jules. Cameron returns home to Ashby House in North Carolina for the first time in a decade when his uncles dies. Seeing his estranged family who has always viewed Cameron as an outsider, willing to do anything to get their hands on Ruby's fortune. Long buried family secrets, twisted tales and painful memories haunt the halls of the estate. Jules may play the role of a supportive wife but is keeping her eye on her husband's intended fortune. The novel is told in letters from Ruby, and alternating chapters between Cameron and Jules. What happened the day young Ruby was kidnapped? How could Ruby be so unlucky to be widowed four times in her life? Rachel Hawkins is the queen of Southern thrillers, with her wonderfully descriptive settings. I loved reading Ruby's letters literally loosing myself in her story. Every time I guessed where the story was going, the story would twist in a whole new direction. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this digital ARC, all opinions are my own.

As a young child, Ruby disappeared while on a picnic with her parents. A year later she is returned. When she grows up, she marries...four times. Each time, the husband dies of an accident. Through with men, she adopts a child, Camden. Camden, after Ruby dies, becomes the sole heir to the family estate but chooses instead to leave and go off to California. When his uncle dies, Camden returns with his wife to his highly dysfunctional family.
Opinion
I LOVED this book. From the style to the tale, there is nothing I did not like. I was completely invested in the letters Ruby wrote explaining what happened to each husband. I really wanted to know more. As more was unleashed, I was floored. This book will not end how you expect, which makes it the ultimate read.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was great! So atmospheric and twisty! My attention was grabbed immediately, and I devoured this book in one day. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a very quick read for me. I liked how the author tied in the letters written by Ruby so we were getting little bits of her story throughout, building up to the climax. The characters were so over the top, it made for a fun, ridiculous story.

I love everything Rachel Hawkins has written, oddly enough I could not get into this book before it expired. I will try to read it another time, I’m sure it was just me.

Ruby McTavish, a four-time widow, is known for being one of North Carolina's richest woman and even more famous for being the victim of kidnapping as a young child. The Heiress ruled the family estate, The Ashby house, located high the the Blue Ridge Mountains and following her death passes on her fortune to her adopted son, Camden. Wanting little to do with his inheritance, Camden moves away to Colorado to become a teacher and meet and marry his current, Jules.

Ten years later, following the passing of his Uncle, Cam and Jules are confronted again about returning to the Ashby estate to assist in the repairs and sort out issues with the finances . With hesitation, Camden and Jules return and reunite what is left of the McTavishes. As secrets are uncovered and the past is unraveled, we find out the real truth that surrounds the McTavish name, The Heiress was a interesting book with an intriguing plot. It was a slow read for me, but is worth the read if you enjoy Rachel Hawkins' books.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press, #NetGalley, and Rachel Hawkins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably my favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date. The plot was juicy. I flew through this book. It was just a great well rounded novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was a fun and quick read, the characters were well written and I loved the atmosphere of Ashby House. Ruby MacTavish, had more notoriety than most in her life. She went missing at the age of three and was miraculously saved and brought back home, she has had four husbands that all met untimely deaths, and has been nicknamed Mrs. Kill-more by some of the locals. Ruby was the heiress to a vast fortune and a private and remote estate named Ashby House. When Ruby passed, all of her Estate passed to her adopted son, Camden. Camden, who moved away years ago and wants nothing to do with the inheritance, most of all, the house and his “family” that reside there. His bitter old aunt Nelle, his vapid cousin Libby and her self absorbed brother, Ben, all of whom believe that Cam should not receive anything and they should be the rightful heirs.

But when Ben messages that the house needs repairs, Ben decides that it is time to go home and get things in order, his wife, Jules is thrilled, she has been dreaming about seeing Ashby House. They do not receive a warm welcome and Cam instantly regrets the move, but it is too late now and Ben was right, things do need to be fixed and repaired at the home. But are Cam and Jules putting themselves at risk staying there. We are treated to letters from Ruby MacTavish from prior to her death, that tell her story of her life and the loss of her husbands that are interspersed throughout the book. Great storyline and some great twists I did see and some I didn’t see coming. I always enjoy this author’s books.

Cameron McTavish and his wife Jules return to his family’s estate in North Carolina following the death of his adopted mother whose notorious past is well known to everyone. While Cam would rather stay at their home in Colorado, Jules is set on making Ashby House their own. As she starts looking into the family’s past she begins to wonder if Cam’s inheritance is as straight forward as it seems. This book started out a little slow for me but about half way through the pace picked up. Unfortunately this was not my favorite book by this author. I liked the gothic feel surrounding Ashby House but there were too many unlikeable characters for my taste and once the secrets started to be revealed they became even more unlikeable. I’m hoping her next one will be better.

This book actually surprised me as I liked it much more than I thought I would. I liked the cover and this was a new to me author, so thought I would give it a try. The audio was fantastic, the narrators, knocked it out of the park. All four of them were terrific.

Family dynamics or family politics as my hubby likes to call them, can be pretty messy. Maybe more so when so many secrets, family plots and selfish motives, abound. Although I thought it got a little convoluted in the last third, but by then I wanted to see how it ended.

This may win the prize for dysfunctional family, made my sometimes dysfunctional family, look much less so.