OOOO boy this one was hard to put down. Lots of characters but easy to differentiate. I loved the old money scandal, while I thought I had some things figured out, there was definitely some I didn't and that was fun! Rachel's books are always so easy to devour, I have to slow myself down to savor them. I went back and forth with audio and physical and it was so good. I especially liked the audio so I could do some house chores ;)

I’ve read a few reviews over the last month and everyone seemed to like this but didn’t think it was great, so I went into this with low expectations but was blown out of the water. The beginning started a little slow but I enjoyed both timelines (the past in epistolary). I figured out one of the twists pretty early on but I liked that everything was explained and not left ambiguous. I enjoyed this much more than The Villa.

If you enjoy a slow burn story full of suspense and multiple point of views, I urge you to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

Ruby McTavish, heir to the McTavish fortune dies and leaves everything to her adoptive son, Camden. After her death he and his wife, Jules travel back to his childhood home where they're met with opposition from his aunt and cousins.

The story is told in Ruby's, Camden's and Jules's point of views. It's full of lies, deceits and secrets at every page turn. Slow burn, but yet filled with anticipation, I couldn't wait to get to the next part. The characters were well-drawn out and I could picture all of them. There were a couple moments that I had an inkling about Jules's story and I was almost right.

The Heiress was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.

The Heiress was a fun yet intriguing mystery/thriller. By fun I mean I wasn't sitting on the edge my seat but I definitely wanted to keep turning the pages! The action was simple yet effective and it felt more like a "cozy" mystery than anything. I haven't read Rachel Hawkins before but would definitely check out her back list after reading this one! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Ruby McTavish (Callahan, Woodward, Miller, Kenmore) was North Carolina's richest and notorious woman at the time of her death. Born into a wealthy family, she was kidnapped from the family grounds as a young child, only to return months later. She also married four different times to men that ultimately died early/tragic deaths.

Following her death, she leaves everything in her will to her adopted son Camden, who does not want any of it. He hasn't even returned back to Ashby house since Ruby's death. Still living in the home are Ruby's sister and her family. However after the death of his uncle, Camden and his wife Jules decide to go back to the home to make much needed repairs to the home.

Jules is enamored by the home and the legacy that Ruby left behind. Additionally, letters are found in the home, written by Ruby about her life, her four husbands, and her kidnapping as a child. Secrets never once spoken.

This book will keep you on the edge of your toes! A psychological thriller full of twists, with multiple viewpoints. It's asks the questions, what would you do for love? How far are you willing to go for revenge?

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was by far my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins! It was super twisty and filled with suspenseful family drama. There were just so many secrets that it felt like there was reveal after reveal.

I loved Jules and Ruby! Having morally gray main characters is always something I enjoy. The letters were a wonderful touch and made the story even more intriguing.

The Heiress is a captivating and immensely entertaining family drama that I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another great book by Rachel Hawkins! Love her writing style and how you are pulled into the storyline from the opening pages. Holds your interest with so many twists and turns.

I like the mixed perspectives Rachel Hawkins does, and I did find this story interesting. It didn't necessarily grip or shock me, which I feel is a bit of a negative considering this is a thriller.

A nearly perfect gothic novel, full of family secrets, hidden identities, a contested inheritance, suspicious characters, and a gorgeous old mansion, all contained within a page-turner plot. Very fun read!

I saw it coming, but I enjoyed the ride.
I was interested in this because it’s set nearby, in the mountains of North Carolina and I’ve read everything by Rachel Hawkins.
The story is twisty, but with lots of clues/foreboding. I enjoyed the writing, but the story is a bummer. As an adoptive mom, I just couldn't enjoy the story about an unloved, unaccounted adopted kid.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free Arc!

Yes, this was a three star read, but a high three star. If I did decimal point ratings, it might be more of a 3,5. Except I don't do that, so I don't know if that's be fully accurate either. Anyway, I did really enjoy my time reading this book. I was captivated, and it was a highly addicting read. I just didn't want to stop reading because I just needed to figure out how all these pieces fit together. However, I need to say that the two really big twists/reveals I was coming from miles, and miles away. There were some smaller twists I didn't nececarily see coming, but they weren't meaningful enough for that dissapointment at those bigger reveals being so predictable to go away. That truly is why I can't give this a four star though. It just made those climax moments fall flat for me.
However, like I said I did quite enjoy my time reading this book. I especially loved the letters we got from Ruby, detailing her life. I thought those parts of the book were easily the most interesting. Ruby was an absolute icon. She wasn't a good person. She did many bad things, but I can't help but think of her as an icon (just because she's fictional, migth I add). The narrative voice in those letters was also just so incredibly compelling. We also got some media reports about Ruby, Ashby house, and everything that surrounds it. I also quite liked those parts. They weren't a big part, nor did they add any info we really desperately needed, but they did give an insight in just how infamous this family was/is. It also was a great way to break up the main narrative.
Talking about that main narrative though, that was my least favourite part. The chapters from Cam and Jules' POV weren't as interesting and the story a bit slow moving. However, I just couldn't stop reading because I needed to know how the letters fit into this, or what it was all leading to. It took some time getting into that part of the story, but once I did I was captivated. It's just sad, that almost immediately after the reveals started happening, and we already know how I feel about those. Jules as a character also gave me the ick for quite a lot of this book, and I don't think she was supposed to to this extend. I think the author intended to have her be the same as Ruby, someone who didn't always do the right thing but still an icon to some extend. However, that wasn't Jules to me. The way she just completely disregards her husbands trauma for her own profit right until she becomes a "victim" of those some people just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe, you should just be on your husband of ten years side when he says these people are vile, and this house has too many bad memories for him to ever feel comfortable living in it. But, I don't know. It didn't read very girlboss to me, like it clearly was supposed to.

Ever since Daphne DuMaurier wrote Rebecca, readers have enjoyed stories set in atmospheric mansions and their environs. That is the case here in a story that takes place in North Carolina. The mansion was the home of an extremely rich woman whose first name was Ruby.

Ruby had quite a history. When she was young, Ruby got lost in the woods and was taken by a family who had lost their own child. Her wealthy parents searched for her and eventually Ruby made it home. Were the events really as described? Readers may wonder as they turn the pages.

Ruby went on to marry four times. All of Ruby’s husbands seem to have come to bad ends. Was Ruby responsible?

Ruby adopted a child. Why did she adopt Cam? Are there any secrets here? Again, readers will wonder as they turn the pages.

Around Ruby and Cam there are many other characters. These include Ruby’s jealous sister, with whom she never got along, and her sister‘s children, among others. All have their parts to play.

For his part, Cam wanted a normal life, even though he could live the life of a very rich person. Instead, Cam isan English teacher who lives in Colorado with his wife, Jools. When Cam and Jools decide to go to North Carolina, events are set in motion.

I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and engaging. I liked how the narrative took different forms, including letters, newspaper reports, etc.

Those looking for a page turning read, look no further. The Heiress will entertain you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Camden McTavish inherits his adopted mother's fortune when she passes. But instead of staying at the famous Ashby Estate in the mountains of North Carolina and spending his inheritance, he leaves town and hasn't touched the money. Camden wants nothing to do with the McTavish legacy. After being gone for 10 years, an email from his cousin finally lures Camden back to Ashby House with his wife Jules.

The Heiress included multiple POVs that kept me interested in the story. It's definitely more of a slow burn mystery than a thriller, but did include some interesting twists and turns toward the end. I wish the whole story had moved at that pace. Overall, it was an interesting read that I'd recommend.

This was a hit for me! This plot was something. It is fairly predictable in the end, but, regardless, it was fun watching it unravel. I look forward to her next work!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

This is my first book by this author (I know, I'm surprised too), and I really enjoyed it!

This is a slow burn that picks up at the end. I flew through it though, and I guess I read it fast enough that I didn't give myself time to try to guess the twists that were at the end. It kept my interest, and I really liked the sections that were letters from Ruby so we got her backstory.

Now to find all the books I have from this author's backlist....

Well this was fun! I loved the eerie atmosphere. I read this in two settings and couldn’t put it down. It definitely gave me Evelyn Hugo and Knives out vibes. I loved reading Ruby’s perspective and the use of multimedia. It was definitely a slowburn thriller so the ending was predictable but overalla fun time.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was really surprised at how good this book was. I love a book that has such well thought out twists. They weren’t predictable (maybe one or two), but the surprises just continued to keep coming. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and every time I had to put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up. The characters were just right and the story was like an onion that had layer and layer. I couldn’t get enough and I didn’t feel like this was forced and I didn’t feel like there was any fluff that didn’t belong… it was well thought out and continued to deliver one revelation after another! Obsessed with this thriller. Will be recommending!

Page turning thriller that was both fun and gripping! I feel like the book was really well thought out and planned, it felt ingenious and intelligent.

The first half of the book I couldn’t put down, I haven’t read that quickly in a long time!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, I had from @Netgalley, but then I still waited until I could read it physically.

This suspense thriller follows a woman who is married to a man living in Colorado. He is estranged from his family, but his family trying to deal with the estate after his adopted mother passes makes him have to come home even though he wants nothing to do with the inheritance. Family secrets galore especially when the family doesn’t believe he’s entitled to any of it.

❤️Review❤️

I have loved The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls. The Villa wasn’t my favorite, which left me unsure with how I would be with The Inheritance. I’m happy to say that my enjoyment went back up. I liked how this one played out. I found the storyline to be intriguing and it was interesting to follow to see how the pieces would unfold. I was always slightly on edge unsure of where it was going. My only downside was that it was a bit slower than I would have liked. It had the fun article elements that usually help the pace, but I felt that it took me longer than a 300 page book should. Slowness added to the gothic creep factor, but I would have loved it to just a teensy bit faster paced. I love that none of her books feel repetitive. You are always getting something new from her.

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This novel takes us on a captivating journey of love, wealth, and family, but what sets it apart is the unique approach of presenting the protagonist Ruby's life through her letters. With each letter, Ruby slowly reveals her life and the lies she has told the world. And just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot takes a surprising twist. I was glued to my seat and refused to stop reading.
Overall, I highly recommend it!