Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

19 reviews

vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The book revolves around the McTavish family owners of Ashby House in Taviscoth, North Carolina. Ashby House is everybody’s dream house, but its walls contain the terrible secrets of a family that will do anything for power and money.

The book focuses on the story of heiress Ruby Mctavish, best known for her famous disappearance when she was a baby and the tragic deaths of her four husbands.

The heir to Ruby’s fortune and owner of Ashby House is Ruby’s adopted son, Camden. He doesn’t want to know anything about the McTavish, the house, or the substantial fortune Ruby left him.

Camden returns to Taviscoth with his wife Jules, after 10 years of being out of the scope of the McTavish. Cam and his family do not have a good relationship. As the story progresses, we discover the intentions of the other family members who want to secure the valuable inheritance.

The book is told from Cam and Jude’s perspective. Also, Ruby’s POV is told from letters that Ruby sends to someone. There are also articles about family.

Ashby House brings back unpleasant memories for Cam. The family made it evident that he was not a true McTavish and treated him like a charity case, always considering him an outsider.

I don’t like Jules. She is too ambitious. Her goal is to keep the house at any price without caring about the feelings or wishes of her husband.

The story’s pace is slow and far from thrilling, but the mystery surrounding Ruby’s husbands and childhood is intriguing. It reminds me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

The story is far-fetched. The Mctavish’s darkest secrets come to light one by one. Ashby House brings out the worst in each member of the family. Reaching the end, we find several twists that may surprise distracted readers.

Overall, The Heiress tells a family drama of rich people. The pages of this book depict ambition, money, manipulation, domestic violence, and family drama.





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shesflippinpages's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

   When Camden McTavish is called back to his adoptive family's estate in North Carolina to sort out financial matters, his wife is eager to see his family's home and experience the wealth she never had. But all the family secrets will be laid bare, and more than one McTavish will end up dead, just like his mother, Ruby McTavish's four husbands.
   While I saw some twists coming, others surprised me. I like how the book was paced as it kept me engaged. As well as the mix of narrative POVs, letters, and articles.
   The characters weren't particularly likable, but just likable enough for you to care about them.

 Narrator(s) Rating: 5 stars
  The narrators did an excellent job, and the constant change of narrators as you went from each part kept me engaged instead of my attention wandering.

 
Extra ratings:  Fluff-NA  Heartfelt-3/5   Helpful-NA    Horror-NA   Inspiration-NA   Love aka Romance-1/5  Mystery-2/5    Predictability-1.5/5  Spice-0/5   Suspense-3/5   Tear- 1.5/5  Thrill-4/5   Humor-2/5

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helenferg's review

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adventurous mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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bookcasey's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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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jasminegalsreadinglog's review

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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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asteinke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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chronicallyplotting's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Ruby McTavish better known for her unfortunate kidnapping when she was a child… and the untimely deaths of her… four husbands; lived what some would say a hard life, aside from her family being the wealthiest one in North Carolina. Her son Cam and his wife Jules are led back to Ashby House after the Uncle’s Passing to settle some of the affairs. But as time passes more of Ruby’s and other’s secrets unfold. Secrets that even money can’t hide or heal. 

This book was absolutely amazing. The character dynamics and plot twists are so woven together perfectly that it is impossible to put this book down! I didn’t know which characters to love, hate or trust. There were so many twists and secrets that every character seemed to have that it seemed impossible to guess them all. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! 

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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

4.5


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