Release Date: January 2024
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.
What an interesting and
unique story!
The Heiress is the story of a
wealthy North Carolina family who basically owns the town of Tavistock. Their
story is told in two timelines. The Heiress is Ruby McTavish. Ruby is telling
her story, which includes her four husbands, murderers, and family feuds, via
letters to the next generation. Ruby’s early life and the fate of the McTavish
family centers around her kidnapping at a young age. The kidnapping is the core
of what changed the family dynamic for Ruby, her sister Nelle, and the next
generation.
The
second storyline is the current-day journey of Camden McTavish, Ruby’s adoptive
son. Camden left North Carolina and the McTavish fortune to attend college in
California. After North Carolina, Camden appears to live a quiet, unencumbered
life.
Camden
meets and falls in love with Jules. It is the first time that he feels genuine
love and peace in his life. When his uncle, Hugh, dies, Ben begs Cam for help.
Cam and Jules return to Tavistock to sort out the will and estate that Ruby
left to her son.
I
loved this tale of wealth and how it impacts people’s lives, not always in a
good way. There are many times that I felt sorry for Cam when I learned the way
his cousins treated him because he was adopted and not a “true” McTavish. More
than once, I wanted to slap Ben upside the head. His sister, Libby, while more
subtle, was just as bad.
The
author kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story. There were so many
secrets to reveal. I continually turned the page to see what was next. Why was
Cam so afraid when he saw the house? What was Jules’s secret? Who was Ruby’s
intended recipient of her letters, and who was reading them? The reveals and
twists expose the haunting past and the future—good or bad.
This
is my first Rachel Hawkins story; although I read many good reviews from
reading friends, I was anxious to read one of her stories. The Heiress was an
excellent place to start. It was a totally fascinating read! I can’t wait to
get a few more books by Rachel Hawkins. She is a captivating author.
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