Recent Reads: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exhange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins 

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date:  January 9, 2024

 

Format: Ebook from publisher / Audiobook borrowed from library


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s 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.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Review: 

I received this book and sadly it took far too long for it to make its way onto my TBR list. Rachel Hawkins sets a brilliant stage for mystery, intrigue, secrets, and lies with this family. 

Rudy is shrouded in mystery throughout this book, she was kidnapped when she was young and eventually returned. She has been married four times, but sadly all of the have passed away in some pretty freak accidents. Finally, instead of leaving her wealth to her sister, she decided to adopt a little boy and he, Camden, was left with a fortune when she finally passed away. 

There was so much going on in this book, partially  about Rudy and her like through letters, it also follows Camden and Jules. Camden inherited all this money but just lets the rest of the McTavish's use it and still live in the mansion while he pretends that this horrible family that never accepted him don't exist. 

There was so much going on throughout this mystery. Between Cam and Jules, and all the other family members and then Ruby and her story. I loved Ruby's letters they were so good. Ruby was strong, sadly for all the wrong reasons, but she was also determined and independent and often sarcastic and unreliable.

Jules is also a POV, she is telling her story as she hopes for Cam to settle here. She yearns for the life they could have with this money. Cam feels scandalized by this family most of the time, they are rude, mean and so unaccepting, but he holds the cards to them having anything and staying in the house. Sadly, he just lets them live because he is far nicer than all of them. 

This was a crazy, exciting, read and it kept my head spinning the whole time. If you like mysteries, secrets, lies and a dose of murder, this could be a great read for you.