Received this audiobook as an ARC. I did enjoy it and it kept me entertained. The audio was really well done with different voices for each character chapter.

Entertaining book, but nothing unique or rememberable. The audio did add an extra half star because that kept me interested. A book of awful people where I guess the slightly less awful people “won” in the end.

This book was so interesting and fun. I loved the different perspectives, the hidden surprises around every corner, from the beginning until the end. Some of the book was written in letter form, the chapters were short and engaging. I loved the way the book was written. I really enjoyed the different characters - they were dynamic and they were all hard to trust. It was dramatic and engaging from the first page - the story telling switched between the past and present and it was done seamlessly and enjoyably. I was able to predict the ending, but it did not stop me from loving this book and continuing to read. I wanted to know how it would play out in the end. I really enjoyed the ever changing dynamics of the book!

Thank you Netgalley from my advanced reader copy.

This is my fourth Rachel Hawkins' thriller and it did not disappoint! She writes such compulsively readable popcorn thrillers, perfect for getting out of a reading slump. The Heiress is a multi-perspective mystery about a wealthy, isolated North Carolina family with a complicated history. Ruby is the departed matriarch who oversaw a vast family property. Her adopted son, Cam, and his wife, Jules, return to the property ten years after her death to settle estate issues. The story focuses on Cam and Jules in the present day with letters written near the end of her life interspersed. I was so enthralled by Ruby's letters about her complicated life and many husbands. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. A fun, twisty thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Great book, combination of character study with a sprinkle of twists along the way. I liked the way it was structured with multiple POV's. Each character having pieces of the puzzle. Got a bit slow in middle but then took off again. Ruby will stay with me, there was something about this survivor that was so appealing and I love a great twist/reveal

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was my first thriller of the year and I absolutely loved every minute of it!

I read (or listened) to this one at the right time! I was looking for a quick, fun read that I would enjoy and The Heiress was everything I needed.

To say I devoured this one would be an understatement because I seriously 2.0x this baddie since I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen! (Totally normal audiobook speed…right?!?!)

Loved all the twists and turns and I didn’t even see many of them coming, but they all felt real and not overdone, so that’s a huge plus for a thriller for me.

I don’t even want to share the synopsis because there is so much going on. Just read it!

The narration cast did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the different voices for each character. So helpful in an audiobook with multiple POVs

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook version of this on NetGalley, and the use of multiple narrators in the audiobook made a book that I was worried about being confusing to listen to pretty easy to follow. I got big Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes, but Ruby (this novel's matriarch) and the story overall was shallower, which made The Heiress feel underwhelming in comparison, even though the premise was clever. While I was overall engaged in and curious about the story, I found mosts of the twists to be pretty predictable. Still, I'd probably recommend this to readers who like domestic drama and are looking for something a little different than just rampant cheating. (Side note: this was my second Rachel Hawkins book and [perhaps this is intentional, but] I have yet to like a single character, let alone be able to identify with any of them.)

My current favorite by this author! Ruby’s letters were my favorite part - I loved how they revealed just a little bit more with every letter. With four dead husbands, Ruby was quite the character and had a lot of secrets to spill!

I found Camden and Jules to be likable characters, while Camden’s family… well, who could blame him for leaving and not wanting to come back. Quite the reunion when they returned to Ashby House. There is always tension when money is involved.

A slow burn, but speeds up at the end with twists that twist!

I listened on audio - great narration with a cast narrators which made following along enjoyable and easy.

This took longer than I hoped to become interesting.
I was nearly halfway through before I felt excited to get more.
The back half of the book is amazing and I wish the first half had matched.
I loved the letters slowly revealing the bits that don't really fit together till the end.
That was my favourite part.
Most of the characters were garbage examples of people, and while I usually love some hot garbage, they were not the fun kind.
Much love to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for my ARCs.

Another messy-rich-people drama book. I think I would enjoy these more if they weren't marketed as thrillers, because they definitely are not. These are domestic dramas with a very minimal mystery aspect.
Overall this was an enjoyable read, but not one I'll be thinking about in a few days (or even hours).
The cover, though? CHEF'S KISS. The best part of Rachel Hawkins' books are the covers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Short synopsis: Ruby McTavish was the wealthiest woman in North Carolina, with quite a history. She was kidnapped while on a picnic as a young girl, and her four husbands have died strange deaths. Her large inheritance and estate is passed on to her adopted son Camden who wants nothing to do with her wealth, but his wife has other plans.

My thoughts: I’m going to keep this somewhat vague to not ruin any of the big plot points. This family drama mixed with secrets, misdeeds, and so many twists and turns kept me engaged and questioning throughout the whole story.

We get different points of view, and alternating timelines to piece together the real story of Ruby’s life. The letters written by Ruby to an anonymous person was such a fun addition as we were able to unravel her secrets as the story progressed.

I’d definitely recommend listening to the audio for this. I’m a huge fan of full cast narration and they worked so well together telling this story.

Read if you love:
- Unlikable characters
- Wealthy families and inheritance
- Multiple POV
- Family drama mixed with mystery
- Slow burn

This book has a lot going on. It is quite the page turner. The story is told by three main characters. Each character has secrets. I could not get the book out of my head and stayed up too late. There is a long of profanity if that bothers you.

Rachel Hawkins fourth thriller is maybe my favorite from her yet, despite not being the most unique of her recent releases. This book heavily leans into the genre tropes of a thriller surrounding a rich family - suspicious death of a matriarch, a prodigal son coming home after years away from the family, squabbling over an enormous inheritance. There’s nothing new here, really. But it’s hard to make rich people acting up unfun.

Everything about this thriller feels expected, not predictable exactly, but the way the plot twists unfolded left me with a perpetual feeling of “Oh, I guess that makes sense.” The prose is as straightforward as the plot which makes this very digestible, if not memorable. That’s not to say I wasn’t entertained though - and I particularly liked that this book centered a couple with dual POV’s, as well as a third portrayed in letters.

There’s so many thrillers about couples in tumultuous relationships, and it’s usually one part of the pair being of dubious morality while the other is hiding a secret. I like that the author committed to both halves of the couple here being not great people. And they recognize this about each other on some level and still choose each other. It’s not a standard for a great relationship, but it makes for an interesting dynamic.

While this wasn’t as outlandish as Rachel Hawkins other thrillers, I think I prefer this kind of kitschy drama from her that still has consequences for its cast of morally gray characters.

Thank you to the publisher Macmillan Audio for providing an audiobook ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

The super rich, secrets, and scandals, this book has them all. The story is centered around Ruby McTavish, The Heiress. She’s not only rich but quite famous, from being kidnapped when she was a child, to surviving 4 husbands, and inheriting everything from her father. Told in alternating POVs and timelines, the story moved along fast. My favorite was Ruby’s POV, how she revealed her secrets so matter of factly when those secrets were truly shocking. Everyone had a secret or two and all their lives are intertwined. I didn’t expect the ending but it was fitting.

Performed by a multi-cast. All narrators performed their parts well. The narrator for Ruby was especially engaging and fitting for the character’s personality. Overall, the audio production was good.

Wow what a fun and engaging read! I loved all the narrators and the amount of times my mouth dropped open or went "wait, what?!" was insane. Murder, lies, mysteries, what else could you ask for? I loved learning about Ruby through her letters!


Thanks to the Rachel Hawkins, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review

Ruby McTavish is larger than life, known as the richest woman in North Carolina whose been widowed four times over. Though she's most famously known for surviving a kidnapping as a child. The glamorous, eccentric Ruby rules the town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s Blue Ridge Mountains estate. Never having children of her own, Ruby adopts Camden, intent on leaving her fortune to someone deserving. But following Ruby's death a decade prior, Camden wants nothing to do with his inheritance, Ashby House, or the rest of the McTavish clan. Instead, he settles into a simple life in Colorado, working as an school teacher, marrying Jules, a kindred spirit also escaping a messy past. When circumstances in their lives lead them back to Ashby House. Ruby's legacy is alive as ever, and Camden and Jules come face to face with the truth of the past.

Whewww what a wild ride! This twisty, propulsive gothic thriller was so much fun! I love the dual timeline and multiple perspectives, especially Ruby's via her letters. This added a historical fiction vibe, rich in the atmosphere of another time. This was incredibly smart and thoughtfully written, with every "I" dotted and "t" crossed. The mood was ominous and I couldn't read fast enough. Just brilliant!!! Rachel Hawkins' best work yet!

The highlight here for me was the full cast audiobook. I had the eARC and the audiobook, but chose audio for almost the whole thing because the fantastic team of narrators (Dan Bittner; Eliza Foss; John Pirhalla; Patti Murin) really delivered. It was like a movie in my ears. Just perfection from start to finish. Well done team!!!! 🙌🏼

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my gifted copy.

The real turns of this Hawkins’ novel come at the end. While I thought I knew what the expected outcome of this book would be, what I got was much different than first assumed. The beginning of the book; however, was quite slow. I didn’t find any engaging early twists that left me dying to find out the ending. I am glad that I did stick it out though, as the last 10 percent became much more quick paced, dark, and twisty. The narration of this audiobook was spot on. The changes between points of view was done expertly and all of the different narrators brought something unique to the table. Accents were on point and Ruby’s voice, particularly, was expertly delivered.

Colleen Chi-Girl's reviewJan 06, 2024
4 BIG STARS ****
GR Bookshelves: colorado, carolinas-n-s, contemporary, audio, crime-mysteries, house-n-home, thrillers, 2024, netgalley, us-no-america

I began this interesting thriller on Jan. 2, 2024, via audiobook. It has so many twists and turns and subplots that I was kept guessing, wondering, thinking I had it figured out, only to find something new and different.

The narrators were all pros and I love a full cast that delivers: Patti Murin, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Dan Bittner. This is my 2nd novel by Rachel Hawkins novel and I will def. check the rest of her books. This novel had a group of not-so-nice-characters in a super-wealthy family that you love to hate. You know they all are schemers and have secrets they're not sharing....and that's the fun part! I enjoyed Hawkin's writing style with snarkiness, humor, suspense, and an outrageous main character, Ruby McTavish. Highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity, as well as Rachel Hawkins, and the publisher, Macmillan Audio!

Here's part of the publisher's blurb:
"Ruby McTavish is 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."

I have all of Rachel Hawkins books, but for some strange reason have only read one other one before this—I’m not sure why as I’ve loved, now both that I’ve read.

The Heiress has a great plot premise—is told in a current timeline with flashback epistolary/news articles and it works really well

The multiple parts were thoroughly fleshed out, the narrators were perfectly cast in their roles and made this a great escape.

Wow!! Where to begin with this one??

Southern charm? Kind of…the area seems beautiful, small town-y, and the neighborhood kind of close knit…

Uber wealthy? Absolutely! And the main characters know this all to well and are snobbish to boot!

Family drama and conniving as to who gets all the money! Yep! We’ve got that too!

Early childhood kidnapping? Hmmm…yes!

Multiple husbands to a wealthy widow? Yup!

The story revolves around The McTavish Family. Mainly, Ruby, who died several years ago. We hear her POV through many letters she’s written to her adopted son, Camden, who is set to inherit the entire fortune. This of course is a huge problem, as he does NOT even have the bloodline of the family! 😮
And, there are many remaining who DO have a blood connection…
Then there are other letters from Ruby that are written, but we do not know who she’s written them to…

Camden (Cam) gets called back to the family after an uncle dies and he’s needed to sort out some things. HE’s NOT GOING! He hasn’t been back since his Mom died. But, Jules (his wife), talks some sense into him and he agrees to go back. She wants to see the house, and has some plans of her own…

Once there, Jules falls in love with the place. BUT, she also gets to meet his family. One is crazier (and nastier) than the next! It seems they will stop at nothing to get whatever they want!

And so it goes…

If you are like me, you won’t really care for any of the characters.
But, you also won’t be able to stop reading!!!

It bounces back and forth between now, and when Ruby was a baby, and then a young woman…and then when she adopts Cam.
Then, through her letters we learn about each of her many husband’s …and you will feel bad for her…a little…
We watch her ‘grow up’, and we see Cam do the same. But, as he gets older, he realizes that the only way he can escape the family ( and all their money and shenanigans)is by moving away…far, far away…

This one has twist after twist after twist. You may see one or two coming, but for the most part my mouth was hanging open!!

And in the end, wow!!!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which releases on 1/9/24.

#TheHeiress by#RachelHawkins and beautifully narrated by multiple voices!

Check out all my upcoming reviews and pre-views on Goodreads, IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr or FB @ Book Reviews With Elaine Bookclub, my new venture!

Happy Reading!! 📚📖

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and I really enjoyed it! It gave me sinister Evelyn Hugo vibes. The narration for each POV were all very well done and really added to the story. My absolute favorite part was listening to Ruby’s letters. She had one hell of a life and I couldn’t get enough! I thought the twists were expertly placed and didn’t feel overwhelming. Overall I really enjoyed this one and will be checking out more by this author. (I gave this 4 stars because it took a bit for me to feel truly engaged with the story but once it picked up, I was hooked.)