The Heiress

This is a book that I literally devoured in two sittings. Told with a keen eye for detail and in a writing style that will transport you, Hawkins' The Heiress is a book that will make you rethink your next family gathering and cause you to keep a keen eye on you family...because this book shows that you never really know the whole story of what motivates the people around you. I loved the way the storylines converged and showed different aspects of the moments as a reader I thought I knew.

One sentence review: This is story of twists and turns that has the best gothic feel that would make Willie Collins proud...if dysfunctional families, backstabbing and conveying relatives, and plot twists around every corner make your fingers itch to open a cover, this is a book you don't want to miss.

This was my second Rachel Hawkins book and I enjoyed it even more than the first (The Villa)! Hawkins lives up to the hype of being the queen of gothic suspense. I absolutely love the way she writes the setting. As a NC resident who loves Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains, her descriptions of Appalachia were spot on and done very well. The reference to the MMC's obsession with UNC basketball? Relevant. The plot continued to develop at a great pace. Although you kind of have an idea of where things are going, it is still done in a way where you are still turning pages to confirm your suspicions. I read this in 2 days and couldn't put it down! My only complaint is with the FMC and the first-person multiple POVs. The FMC was annoying at times and the first person narration felt too casual and kind of brought me out of that dark bubble I wanted to stay in, with her annoying chatting and social media obsession. The letters and newspaper clippings were a fun addition. I think if you are looking for an extremely thrilling thriller with tons of twists and turns you might be disappointed. I went into the Villa expecting that and was disappointed. Expect a dark, suspenseful contemporary fiction with 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes and you'll love it. Now that I know what to expect from her books, I am excited to continue to read more of her work!

Fav Rachel Hawkins, first 4 star. Liked multiple perspectives. Good audio. 

I recently watched Saltburn, so I kind of figured this one out early on. I knew who Jules was, I knew Ruby killed everyone, and I knew the rest of the McTavish family members would die. I was pleasantly surprised that Cam knew about Jules the entire time and still loved her and that she really loved him. I feel like love doesn't transcend the transgressions of a character often in the mystery genre, and I usually am glad for it, but I wanted Cam and Jules to still be in love. And I know that this was set up by the sadness of Andrew falling out of love with Ruby, but still... I was hoping that Cam's father would be Howell or that his mom was Andrew's niece or something that was another machination of Ruby's. I also wanted Jules to find out about the stunt Libby pulled and have had that murder be an actual scene. Not just accidental smoke inhalation. Lol. I don't know what that says about me, but I'm not taking it back.

I finished reading this and then forgot to ever write a review.. I think it was decent, maybe?

i ate this UP!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a slow burn mystery more so than a thriller, but still just as enjoyable as her other books.

This was a hard one to rate. I absolutely LOVED Ruby's chapters following around “Mrs. Killmore” as she met and killed her previous husbands. It was all very fascinating and very Evelyn Hugo. The alternating chapters of Jules and Camden were not nearly as good and I kept waiting for the next Ruby chapter. I found the stolen baby/alternate family plot line confusing and by the end I had no idea what was happening. if the book was all Ruby, it would be a new all time fav, but it wasn't quite there. 

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.

I just finished The heiress by Rachel Hawkins and here are my thoughts.


Camden thought he left it all behind. He turned his back on the estate, the money.... The adoptive family, all of it. He was content to teach and be with his wife Jules.

Ruby McTavish isn't a woman to be beaten, even in death. She was larger than life before she died, a victim of a kidnapping as a child and 4 dead husbands to boot but having Camden take over everything was her wish.

Camden can't put off going back to the Estate after his uncle dies. His family are not happy to see him and he would rather chew his own arm off than have to stay there a second longer than necessary.

Being home brings up unanswered questions Camden always had but some secrets are better left alone.

THIS BOOK BLEW MY MIND. I literally was turning the pages of my kindle like I was possessed. It was so good. The story balances from Camdens POV, Jules POV and letters that Ruby had written to someone while she was still alive. Ruby explains her own family secrets from her childhood and then what happened to her 4 dead husbands and each one will leave you gasping in horror! She was clever and her family couldn't even beat her in death. It was glorious! I really felt for Camden all the way through the book and even his dark secret just made me feel bad for him. Then we have Jules... She is split for me. Part of me understands and the other part has me thinking Camden needs to watch his back. His family.. All D-bags.

The manor was described in a beautiful and rich way and I felt like I was truly there. It was a fast paced, well executed masterpiece of pure perfection. All other thrillers have a lot to measure up to, this one set the bar in outer space. So many twists and the delicious family drama, made this book one heck of a book.

5 stars

@stmartinspress thank you so much for this fabulous read and to @netgalley for this gifted copy

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I loved this suspenseful novel of family secrets and drama.  It reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but with a southern gothic twist!  The narrators did a great job with the audio version, and added an extra layer of complexity to the characters. Excellent!

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

Thanks to Libro.fm and the publisher for the alc!

Very satisfying suspense. I wasn't really surprised at any of the big reveals, but I did appreciate how it all wrapped up. Great audio production with multiple narrators that really keep the story moving.

Another fast & fun read from Rachel Hawkins. I was sucked in quickly and couldn't put this one down. I love a good story with a whodunnit and mysterious deaths. Throw in a dark and sordid house history and it's even better.

This one releases on January 9, 2024 so mark those calendars and snag this gem as fast as you can. Perfect for fans of family drama who also love twists, turns and mysterious happenings.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you love a good mystery thriller like Gone Girl, you will no doubt love this book. It's full of mystery. family drama, greed, a small town held captive by a wealthy family and more.

Ruby McTavish, a wealthy heiress dies and leaves everything to her adopted son Camden, but he has managed to separate himself from the family and really doesn't want it. His wife Jules convinces him to make the trip home with her and see what he can do to help his family.

Once they arrive she realizes that Cam was right; everyone resents him and no one really wants him around.

This novel has lots of great twists and turns, but I gave it 3 1/2 stars because I didn't think any of the characters were likeable and I found the beginning of the story dragged a little for me. That being said, however, if you are coming for the intrigue, it has plenty of that!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an arc!

The Heiress is the story of The McTavishes, specifically Camden & Ruby McTavish. Ruby is the McTavish matriarch who is known in the area for having been kidnapped as a child and miraculously returning back home. That wasn't all though as all of her husbands passed away to various accidents and incidents. Camden has not been back to the estate in 10 years - and is called to come home. Camden has to unravel his own history with Ashby House as well as the motivations of her relatives who so desperately want every penny of of the McTavish estate.

We are able to learn about Ruby through letters and learn about Camden and Jules through their point of views. Hawkins did an excellent job of writing a book I didn't want to put down. It was such a good time trying to figure out what would happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
5 stars! Such a fun time! I loved reading it and devoured it in a day!

What happens when you throw character types that could have been taken from a Samantha Downing novel into a Kate Morton-esque story? This book! Subtle dark humour, in a slow and calm story all about dramatic family secrets and the good - or maybe bad - they leave in their wake!

This book is told through the two main POVs of Jules and Cam, in the present day. But the reader also gets to experience the events of the past through letters, with some emails and newspaper articles also sprinkled in.

I adored the writing style in all the different parts, but it stood out especially in the letters written by the book's titular heiress. Ruby McTavish might not be a “good” person, but she's an amazing and most definitely memorable character! I also immediately fell in love with Jules and Cam's relationship and was so intrigued (and worried!) to find out what secrets they might be keeping from each other. Shipping couples in thrillers is exhausting!

Overall, I had the absolute best time with this and was completely invested in the story from the first chapter! But, if you need your thrillers to be fast, full of action, with plenty of twists and turns throughout all of it and featuring protagonists that are actively searching for the truth, then this might not be the book for you! There are plenty of reveals, but this is a slower book, which is at times comparable to the type of dual timeline narrative often found in Historical Fiction.

This might be my favorite book by Rachel Hawkins so far! The Heiress is about Ruby McTavish, infamous heiress of Ashby House. Kidnapped when she was three years old and then found and returned to her family, Ruby grew up and went on to marry four times and become a widow four times. Now her adopted son Camden is back home to take care of the fortune and house that Ruby left him. But what secrets are Ashby House and the McTavish clan hiding?

I loved the concept of The Heiress and thought it played out well. The plot was interesting and seemed like something new and fresh compared to all the mysteries and thrillers out there. Ruby was a fascinating character and seeing her side of things from letters she wrote made the story all the more unique. I tend to read books faster and get into them easier when you can get to know the characters, and this was no exception. I had NO idea how the story would end up, but was definitely curious to find out what happened to Camden, his wife Jules, and the crazy McTavish family. Definitely check this one out if you're interested in stories about interesting family relationships!

Rachel Hawkins is a must read author for me, so it was an easy choice when her new mystery, The Heiress, became available as an ARC. In her newest novel, Cam and Jules return to Cam's family's estate in the North Carolina mountains to confront his family and demons from his past. I finished this book in less than 24 hours, the pacing was good and it kept me interested throughout. There was some foreshadowing of twists throughout the book, and I'm still undecided if I like how they advanced the plot or not. This was definitely a plot driven book, which you'd expect from a mystery, so the characters weren't deep. However, I would have liked a bit more to make me care about them more. This isn't necessarily a criticism of the author, as it's common in mystery/thrillers.

Overall, this was an excellent addition (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) to Rachel Hawkins' bibliography, and I highly recommend it to fans of the mystery/thriller genre. Thank you to Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book.