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𝘼 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙.

I’ve had a bumpy road with Rachel Hawkins. I absolutely loved The Wife Upstairs and Reckless Girls was fun! However, I struggled with The Heiress just like I did with The Villa.

I’ve seen nothing but great reviews thus far on this book, so I’m completely in the minority. This wasn’t bad by any means, but I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.

The premise had me intrigued and I thought the audiobook was fantastic. I also enjoyed the alternating perspectives between Jules, Camdem, and Ruby - through letters. I loved Ruby’s letters in this, they were fun to read. I wasn’t completely captivated by the story, but it had an interesting plotline.

I was pulled into the story right away and found the beginning to be interesting, but as the story progressed I became less interested. There were a few plot holes and unanswered questions I had. The ending also didn’t leave me as surprised as other books by this author.

While I may not have enjoyed this as much as I wanted to, others have loved it so far. It was an entertaining story overall - not my favorite, but it was a decent thriller. I didn’t love the drama and twists in this, but the writing was so fun. I’ll still be reading this author for sure!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Be still my V.C. Andrews fangirl heart! Did I really gobble down The Heiress that fast? Why, yes, I did. Was it due to the excellent performances (I do love an audiobook with a cast)? Yes, in part. I especially enjoyed the artist who played Ruby. If that's not a natural Southern accent then some vocal coach somewhere deserves a big tip. Was it due to the way Rachel Hawkins used traditional narrative, letters, and newspaper articles together to tell the story? That's always fun. Was it due to the fact that I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina? That didn't hurt. Was it because we learned that The Heiress and The Villa are from the same world? I squeeled with delight when that was revealed. My very favorite thing about The Heiress, and I don't even know if Rachel Hawkins intended it to be this way or not, was how much it reminded me of the earlier V.C. Andrews works. The Dollangangers, the Casteels, the Cutlers, I saw bits of them all in The Heiress. (For the record, it is legal to marry your first cousin in North Carolina.) Now, bring on the Lifetime adaptation! I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

This was an edge of year seat novel complete with a twisted family, unreliable narrators and an idyllic setting. Told from differing viewpoints, we learn the story of the extremely wealthy McTavish family of North Carolina. The matriarch, Ruby, notorious in her own right for her supposed kidnapping at age 3 and then the 4 husbands who all mostly died under mysterious circumstances left her entire fortune and mansion to her adopted son, Camden. But he wants absolutely nothing to do with the fortune and most definitely nothing to do with the family. So out west he moves, where he meets Jules and lives a normal existence away from the family and the money for almost a decade.

But with the death of his uncle, Camden and Jules return to Ashby House and its many secrets. What follows is a novel that was impossible to put down (or to listen to in this case). Narration was top notch, particularly Ruby.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I appreciated that there were different narrarators for the different character's chapters. This story was a twisty mystery that I really enjoyed. The story was a little dark but it was also filled with dark humor, which is right up my alley. This book was good from start to finish and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a twisty mystery. It was an enjoyable story.

*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW*

I received an ARC audio book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time that I've listened to a thriller as an audio book, and I was so impressed! The use of multiple voice actors really brought the characters to life and added an additional layer to the multiple POVs and sources used to tell the story of the McTavish family. I imagine I would've enjoyed this story just as much reading it in traditional book format, but cannot recommend the audio book version enough.

This thriller follows the interweaving stories of notorious heiress Ruby McTavish, her adopted son Camden, and his wife Jules.

The richest woman in North Carolina and a four-time widow (and, many claim, murderer), Ruby McTavish was under public scrutiny from the time she miraculously survived a kidnapping in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding her family estate, Ashby House.

After Ruby's death, the estate and family wealth was left to her adopted son Camden, who chooses to leave the McTavish name and lifestyle behind in exchange for a more modest life out west alongside his wife, Jules. However, when Cam's uncle passes, the couple are pulled back to the estate and plunged headfirst into family drama.

As Cam's remaining relatives begin to scheme and vie for their own piece of the McTavish fortune, the truths behind Ruby's history and Cam's disappearance begin to come out, threatening the life he's built with Jules. But as we soon learn, Jules has been keeping her own secrets as well.

Covering themes of wealth, privilege, legacy, and morality, The Heiress is a swift-paced and entertaining thriller that questions what it truly means to be part of a family. While many of the twists weren't necessarily a surprise for me, this story was a thoroughly enjoyable journey nonetheless.

If you enjoy Succession-style family politics, characters with questionable morals, and plenty of swearing in a lovely southern drawl, this book is for you.

I hadn't read anything by this author yet but was provided an advanced copy from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio. Now, I cannot wait to go back and read more by Rachel Hawkins.

This is a Mystery/Thriller but not in the sense I am used to. There are multiple timelines and POVs. The narrator of the story, The Heiress herself, is who drives the story. She is writing letters about her life, and they are astonishing. However, it seems she is not the only one with deep dark secrets. When I say it's different, I mean there is not one big mystery with this giant reveal. It is just a slow telling of the family's dark pasts.

I was totally enthralled with the story and wanted it to go on much longer. I enjoyed the ending but was still left wanting more.

Well this had more layers than an onion. I loved the multiple POVS and how well she meshed the past and present together with letters from Ruby. She peppered little secrets well and kept me waffling about what I thought was really going on. Shocking, heart breaking, some dirty banter, and a creepy old mansion to boot! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Audio: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

THE HEIRESS is Rachel Hawkins' newest—and strongest—thriller, one full of excess, twists, and some bad, bad behavior.

It's something of an annual tradition of mine. Start a new year, pick up a Rachel Hawkins thriller! You know the baddies will be bad, the stories will be saucy, and you'll never see at least one of the novel's twists coming! I loved Hawkins' thriller debut, THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, and while I was a little less enamored by RECKLESS GIRLS and THE VILLA, I am fully back with THE HEIRESS, a story that plays with naughty narration and voices from the grave to tell the story of a family decked out in diamonds, and the roads many will take to try and grab it.

I won't go too hard into the plot of THE HEIRESS, as the less said, the better. A husband brings his new wife back to his hometown to resolve family matters with regards to his late adopted mother's estate: He gets the fortune, and the rest of the family sits there bemoaning over it. But the McTavish family always gets what they want - and everyone will try and uncover secrets, play dirty, and possibly murder to get what they want.

THE HEIRESS, simply put, checks all the boxes. It's got narrators you can't believe. It's got twists so wild and so subtly laid out you'll be totally thrown off. It takes advantage of historical events (did anyone else get Lindbergh baby vibes out of this one?) and gives you a rich family to both root for and against. It takes advantage of multiple narrative styles (which really soar on the audio edition). And you'll be tearing through the story to find out what happens next. The ending is satisfying and dark. The plot is Gothic and pacy and you'll be waiting for the film adaptation to be announced. Definitely keep this one on your radar. It's delicious.

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins thriller to date. I could not put this book down!

Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a toddler and found a year later. She came from a family of wealth and privilege, and left everything to her adopted son Camden, who wants nothing to do with the McTavish's. Ten years later Cam and his wife Jules make the trip out to North Carolina to finally take over the estate, only things aren't as they seem.

There are so many secrets. Trust no one. There are three narrators, Cam, Jules and Ruby through letters. I loved finding out all the tidbits as we moved throughout the story and piecing things together from what we've learned from each individual. There were a few things I suspected, but most were surprises and I loved the wild ride.

The characters in The Heiress have questionable backgrounds and secrets locked away in musty old attics. Periodically throughout this book, the reader receives a shock that dramatically changes the storyline.
The Heiress fits into lots of categories - suspense, thriller, mystery, romance and fiction; so it should appeal to lots of readers.

I love a mystery that I have not figured out - lots of twists and turns. Just when I thought I could separate the good guys from the bad ones - there was a new twist that changed my mind. There are times in this book that the characters are all good guys and do and say just what you expect. Then there are times that the characters you have built a relationship with do something so out of character for who you think they are.

The foul language in this book did not add to the story for me.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a great job. Each one added to the story for me and made it come to life - Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, Patti Murin. I would be happy to listen to any of them do another audiobook.

Rachel has woven a great Southern Gothic novel with The Heiress. It's inhabited with interesting characters who all have their own secrets, which are slowly revealed with clever timing. Of course the most interesting is the heiress herself, whose story is mostly told through a series of letters to an undisclosed recipient. Gone missing and miraculously recovered as a child, there's always been some question as to her true identity. Married (and widowed) four times, mother of an adopted son, she reveals her truths slowly and on her own terms. The repercussions are devastating for some, satisfying for others, and keep coming all the way to the end. Told from three points of view and on multiple timelines, it's a fascinating and atmospheric read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had both the ebook and the audiobook, and I mostly listened to this one. The narrators of the audiobook were all excellent and definitely added to the story.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

“Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own”

I have been seeing this book all around and when i went to Netgalley and seen it was there i had to try my hand at getting a copy to listen to.

“I had gotten away with murder, and I was glad for it.”

I loved how much this book reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid but with way more secrets and death. It was also a fast paced book, one min i started the book and then next i was about 20% in within an hour. I absolutely loved listening to Ruby tell her story and explaining to my husband about the ways she um……. her husbands 👀

I had a bit of a feeling i knew what the ending was going to entale sorta i mean i still questioned things and thought it was going to end differently but in the end i did manage to figure out it before hand which is always okay as the way i see things if i at some point am trying to figure it out without guessing right away then the book has done it’s job.

Beautifully written! I was hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed so much all the twists and turns of this book. I am thankful for the advanced copy of this book! Definitely recommend.

I was totally thrown off by the twist in this book. I was not expecting the events to unfold the way they did, which makes this a winner in my book. This is my second favorite Hawkins book behind Reckless Girls.



I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Smart, addictive, and lots of intrigue. Great narrator. Couldn't stop listening till the very end. Another great story by Rachel Hawkins.

This was a fun read. A suspenseful inheritance drama that's set in North Carolina. It features a 3-year-old girl who was kidnapped, four dead husbands, and lots of family secrets. This book sucked me in. So good! The audiobook was outstanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Ruby is what you might call a black widow - married and widowed four times she has earned some suspicious glances and unsavory nicknames. However, she's also a McTavish, of the North Carolina McTavishes, and that comes with a level of opulence that means the occasional scandal can be, well, overlooked. When you combine all this with the fact that she's also the one and only Baby Ruby, stolen from her family and rescued from a poor Alabama family nearly a year later, one might say that she has lived through enough tragedy for anyone to turn a blind eye if something tragic but questionable happens around poor Ruby anymore.

The Heiress is the story of Ruby, her adopted son Camden, the McTavish family home (Ashby House), and the level of wealth that seems to blend boredom and insanity in its family members. As Camden tries to find his place amongst the McTavish family as its heir, but not a McTavish by blood, family secrets pour from the walls of Ashby like blood from a wound. And frankly, it seems like that's how Ruby would have liked it.

The audiobook was well-performed, with 3 voice artists handling the 3 POVs of Ruby, Jules, and Camden. Thank you to NG, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a little slower paced than I expected going in, but overall still fun nonetheless. I love me some rich people drama and this one really delivered on that front. Highly recommend for lovers of Evelyn Hugo but wanted just a little more murder, this one is for you. You're welcome.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Rachel Hawkins for my early review copy!

I don’t even know where to start with this review. This book was absolutely amazing! As I was reading it, I felt I couldn’t keep the story to myself. I had to tell anyone who would listen the crazy things that were happening in this book. This is a 10/10 must read, I have thoughts and need to discuss them with someone else who understands.
The story has two timelines: the scandalous story of Ruby McTavish of the McTavish high society family and the story of Ruby’s adopted son, Camden, and how he does everything in his power to reject the McTavish family, including the power and wealth that comes with it.
Ruby’s life, lived in the Ashby House, the family’s estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains was not an easy one. She was famous at a young age because she was kidnapped during a family outing and found months later with a family in the South. Her name never was far from the front page or without scandal as she grew up, married and became a widow four times over. But now she is gone, and left the infamous Ashby House and a nine figure fortune to her adopted son, Camden.
Camden left Ashby House as soon as he was old enough. He wanted nothing to do with the McTavish family, their wealth or the scandal that followed them. He is now an English teacher, living paycheck to paycheck but happy with his wife Jules. That is until he is summoned to return to Ashby House to take care of the house and the family he left behind. While Cam wants to return home as soon as possible, Jules has other ideas and pictures her life with the wealth and status that Cam left behind.
Will the family welcome them back with open arms or will the secrets and scandal of the past haunt them? Is there any truth to the rumors surrounding Ruby’s disappearance as a child? What really happened to her four husbands? And why did she adopt Camden in the first place?

The Heiress was told in with multiple POVs and multiple timelines. This was organized BEAUTIFULLY—Rachel Hawkins tied this all together perfectly! I loved following along with the story via audio and thoroughly enjoyed there being a full cast of narrators. Each of the narrators voices were easy to understand and they were different enough to where I was able to differentiate who was speaking.

The twists in this book were undeniable—my jaw dropped quite a few times. Whew--That final twist!