Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Heiress

I don’t usually go for thrillers, and I read this in one sitting. There’s plenty of darkness and tension, but it’s delightfully twisted.
For reference, I’d say it reads like Evelyn Hugo meets Mexican Gothic (but cis/het/white). Try this book if you liked Stone Cold Fox.

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noladawnreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

LOVED this book. Like, obsessed. Ruby McTavish, etc is my new favorite character. I loved the use of epistolary pieces and because I read this immersively I really got the gist of her gumption.

I was dumbfounded st the end. I usually have some idea of what is going to happen but I never expected this one.

The audiobook, with a full cast, was perfection. Fabulous narration and characterization.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book but you can be sure it won’t be my last.

Thanks to SMP and Macmillan Audio for my copies. These thoughts are my own.

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jasminegalsreadinglog's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a story of riches and family legacies. It's also a story of a convoluted family whose matriarch was notorious since she was three years old. She is dead, but she leaves behind secrets and answers as well in the form of letters. Who is she writing to, and is everyone as innocent as they seem to be?

This book is told in three voices. Camden's, Jules, and Ruby's in the form of letters. I loved Ruby's story told in the form of letters. Ruby is an intriguing, interesting, and very morally gray character. The story is interesting and gripping. However, the transitioning of the characters in almost every other chapter made reading a little difficult for me. Also, the other gripe I have is that I wanted to know more about the side plotlines that the author introduced once Camden is in Ashby House. The ending does, in some ways, make up for these.

Thank you St.Martin's Press, for this book.

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melissatrew's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

”Second-act plot twist: your heroine is actually a potential villain.”

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I would commit all of the murders in this book and then some, if it meant that I got to team up with a manipulative black-widow billionaire heiress to get revenge on her terrible family and also manage to inherit her entire estate in the process.

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Out tomorrow (1/9) - thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC to review!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Ruby McTavish is a local legend in her North Carolina hometown…both for her fortune and her tendency to marry men who die mysteriously. When Ruby dies, her adopted son is her only heir—but he wants nothing to do with her house or fortune until family events force him back to a place filled with secrets.

I absolutely LOVED this one, which is absolutely my favorite Rachel Hawkins. Imagine if you were reading Evelyn Hugo but no one was quite sure whether she’d murdered her husbands and you’ve got something a lot like this book, which I found captivating and super fun. It’s definitely heavy on moral greyness and “women’s wrongs,” which I personally love, and the ending made me gasp more than once.

This is more mystery/suspense than “thriller” in my opinion, so know going in that it’s a bit of a slow burn as things unfold…but I was genuinely hooked from the beginning, and I highly recommend this one!

CW: Death/murder; domestic abuse/physical abuse; kidnapping/missing child; mentions of suicide

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theinstabookworm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins in exchange for my review. This book releases on Tues. Jan. 9th.

THE GOOD: The best part of this story comes after the 70% mark. I did not see the twist coming and loved everything after that point.

THE BAD: I think I might stick to this author's romances under her pen name, Erin Sterling, if I decide to keep reading books by her. I found the writing in this to be pretentious, even for a book called THE HEIRESS. It was a *very* slow-burn for a book just over 300 pages. The multiple husbands trope was giving Evelyn Hugo vibes, but sinister, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

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hanlov's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars! I’ve enjoyed Rachel Hawkins’s other books and this one was no different! The Heiress centers on Ruby McTavish, a famously kidnapped and returned child, now the richest woman in North Carolina with four deceased husbands, and what ensues after her passing. We get the story through Camden, Ruby’s adopted son and heir to her fortune, and Jules, Camden’s wife, along with media clippings and letters. This was fast-paced, twisty, dark, and very enjoyable. The narrators are unreliable and while it lacks a bit of the shock factor, it really works in this book as the reader uncovers more about the past of this rich family. I was entertained and engaged the entire time. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting an easy-to-read yet riveting family drama.

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iamnita's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

As a big fan of The Wife Upstairs (top book of the year that year) and let down by Reckless Girls I was very unsure how this would go. I'd say the formula is back for sure. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down and found myself trying to figure out the relationships and the connections and the story whenever I wasn't reading it. While the layers were in some ways predictable (I've read a few thrillers in my day), I was never disappointed by them, and in fact was happy the story went the way it did. It never got into outlandish or goofy territory (the land of disbelief) which I so so so so personally appreciate. The multiple perspectives, and the multimedia throughout made this an absolute gem and an absolute banger to start my year on!

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