While this novel was okay, I had a hard time keeping up with what was happening. I found that I was often lost while trying to follow along. 3 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for my honest and free review.

The first third of this felt so slow that I almost considered giving up. But I am glad I persevered, because suddenly, a few twists revealed, it really hooked me and I sped through the last half in a day. I liked the multiple POVs and time jumps, which felt fairly smooth, even though there were quite a few of them, and added different perspectives - all unreliable - which I enjoy in thrillers. Recommended!

Probably my favourite of Rachel Hawkins’ works! I really enjoyed The Heiress. It felt like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but as a thriller. I love the way she exposes twists and turns in her work, and this one was delightful. I wasn’t necessarily surprised by the outcome, but it didn’t make me enjoy the book any less. A wonderful narrator, compelling plot, and characters so easy to enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous audiobook. I couldn't stop listening, and all the narrators did a superb job!
Captivating plot and very fast paced. The intrigue was constant, and I was suspicious of everyone!

"THERE’S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD.
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."

One thing that I enjoy almost as much as a mystery/thriller is rich people drama..... and this book had both!
This story is told with multiple POV's that reach into the past through the letters that Ruby left behind for her adoptive son, Camden. When arriving at Ashby House Camden and his wife, Jules, are forced to interact with family that want to get their hands on Ruby's inheritance, and the rich people drama begins. With some twists and turns - some I guessed, others I didn't see coming - and a great cast of morally grey characters, I couldn't get enough.
If you're looking for an engaging, quick read that's sure to deliver a fun reading experience - this ones for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

In “The Heiress,” by Rachel Hawkins (Macmillan Audio, 8 hours and 20 minutes), four narrators speak for the characters, with uneven results.

The plot finds young marrieds Jules and Camden moving from their simple life in Colorado back to his home in North Carolina, where he grew up wealthy and bullied by the family into which he was adopted.

The structure of “The Heiress” is chaotic, including flashbacks in the form of multiple news clippings and magazine articles about Cam’s adoptive mother, Ruby, who disappeared as a child and was later found living with another family — or was she? We also hear letters Ruby left, explaining her history with three husbands.

“The Heiress” takes too long to get to the point, but maybe you’ll call that building suspense. In any case, the plot is worth sticking with.

(Ran in print as part of a roundup of audiobooks.)

Title: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: January 9, 2024

I received a complimentary ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Ominous • Entertaining • Predictable

📖 S Y N O P S I 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.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, 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, his uncle's death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.
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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I have certainly seen all of the hype and love for Rachel Hawkins, yet I had never been inclined to pick one up for myself, until now. Why now? There was an intense discussion about her books at one of my in-person book club meetings that piqued my curiosity. Not really knowing where to start I decided to go with her most recent The Heiress.

Told in multiple POVs, this novel read like it was trying to be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo's (a book I loved) suspenseful cousin. Because of this fact nothing felt original and it was easy to predict the twists and turns. The characters were all kind of icky and engaged in questionable behaviour.

My favourite aspect of the book were the letter from Ruby. This element allowed me to get a glimpse into Ruby's mind, despite her being dead. Additionally, the audiobook narrated by a full cast of Dan Bittner, Eliza Fossn John Pirhallan and Patti Murin, added so much personality to the characters. The standout in the narration was Ruby's voice. I will say the pacing of the narration is very slow and one that will likely need to be sped up.

In my opinion, The Heiress was yet another run-of-the-mill domestic suspense that was entertaining while reading, yet nothing really shocking happens and it's not something I will remember a week or two from now. I would definitely give this author another chance and can understand why there is so much love for her books.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• isolated settings
• gothic elements
• inheritance plot lines

⚠️ CW: kidnapping, toxic relationship, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, alcohol, death, death of parent, violence, gun violence, murder, fire/fire injury, adoption, cursing, suicide, classism, mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, injury/injury detail, pregnancy

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"There should be some kind of warning when your life is about to change forever."

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader audio copy of this book. This book is a twisted tale of a wealthy lady who has a great background story and her death and subsequent will and the passing of her things to her heir (her adopted son). The telling of the story thru the two points of view is incredibly addictive. This is a book that cannon be put down. The only downfall was some of the characters were not fully developed and I didn't care for them, so thus, didn't care what happened to them. 4 stars

This book is very clearly targetted toward people who enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It's a similar writing style and, honestly, a similar plot. I think that's what this book felt like to me - The Seven Husbands. I loved that book, and this kind of felt like a generic copy of it. The story is different enough that I'm not saying it's the same story or anything like that, but inspiration was clearly taken.

No matter what, it's still a good book.

The Heiress was a great read by Rachel Hawkins. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies and is North Carolina’s richest woman as well as the most notorious. She was the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child from her families estate in the Blue Ridge mountains. Ruby has been widowed four times and ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Asby House, her family's estate. After she died, her estate and fortune was passed to her adopted son, Camden. Everyone was surprised to find out that Cam wanted nothing to do with any of it. He rejects his inheritance and wants to go back to his normal life with his wife Jules. Ten years later, Cam is summoned to the Ashby House after his uncle's death. He quickly remembers why he left in the before. Jules has other plans, she is determined for her husband to claim everything Ruby left for him. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

This was just okay. There were certainly some twists and turns along the way I hadn’t guessed at and I’m not someone who needs characters to all be likeable, but I need to at least find redeeming qualities or be more entertained by them.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! While nothing that happens or is revealed was outright shocking, there were still plenty of twists and turns to keep me engaged and wanting to know more. I like the interspersed letters that gave us a glimpse into Ruby's mind and actions. While none of these characters should have been likeable considering some of their actions, I did find myself rooting for Cam & Jules at the end.

Fast paced and great twists. I did not see a few of them coming. Have come to really enjoy this author. While this one was not my favorite, it was pretty high up there. I loved Ruby's letters (and her narrator in and die was fantastic!). Cam was annoying in his whole ungrateful attitude. Even in the end, I don't get why he didn't want the money to at the very least do something great with it even anonymously. That just seems so stupid. Alas, definitely entertaining, solid read.

My Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for the audiobook of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Heiress? It's a seriously creepy tale about secrets and lies within a wealthy family from the Appalachian mountains. It's all about the black sheep of the family who returns home with a plain-Jane new partner. I was hooked from the get-go.

The characters, Jules and Cam, are a fascinating pair because they're the ones who can unravel the truth about the McTavish family, despite their crazy rich and enigmatic vibe. Then there's Ruby, who's intriguing because she writes letters revealing the family's past and her personal life. Even though Ruby, Cam, and Jules seem like your everyday folks, they've got one massive issue - they're all pretty self-centered. It's kind of cool to see how this flaw affects their lives.

The narrators who tell the story? They nail it. They helped me visualize the McTavish house and all the spine-chilling events that occur within it.

Sure, I guessed a major secret in the story before it was revealed, but I still enjoyed how it twisted the ending. The ending was a win because it tied up the story's loose ends but still left me pondering over some unsolved mysteries. The Heiress is hands down one of the most thought-provoking scary stories I've ever read. It really got me thinking - are people born a certain way or do they turn out that way because of their upbringing?

Fantastic story about what people will do for money. Great narrators , well written plot, and great characters.

| 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!

This was great! I enjoyed it from start to finish on audio. The plot, characters and narrators were all fantastic.

This book was so good! Great plot, creepy characters, spooky atmosphere. Really fun to read. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Another great read from Hawkins! I have already told many friends about this novel. Fascinating characters and a thrilling story comes with this novel. It will not disappoint!

I read this author before and she never disappoints me.I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. The structure with alternating chapters about Jules and Camden is great with Ruby’s letters woven in between so easy to follow and the plot is brilliant. Loved the twist at the end!