Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 9th 2023 by St. Martins Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 294

Audio Book Length: 8hrs 20min

Narrator: Eliza Foss, Dan Bittner, John Pirhalla, Patti Murin

Source: Publisher & Library Audio

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins to date! Old money, a historic estate, dark secrets, a kidnapping, and four dead husbands! The story was riveting!

This twisty mystery unfolds through three POVs: Ruby “The Heiress”, Camden, Ruby’s heir to Ruby’s large fortune, and Jules, Camden’s wife. I think Ruby’s POV had to be my favorite. What happened to three-year-old Ruby when she was kidnapped? Was she that unlucky in love? Why did Camden leave, and will he now stay home and take up his position as heir to the great Ashby House? Everyone had at least one secret!

A fast-paced, glued-to-the-pages kind of read! I was eager to see how it all turned out! Of course, I was rallying for a happy ending for Cam and Jules.

I alternately read and listened to The Heiress. Dan Bitner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin’s performances were excellent! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. I recommend either format!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

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.

Audiobook Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 3rd 2023 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 288

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 57 min

Narrators: Julia Whelan, Shiromi Arserio, Kimberly M. Wetherell

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Emily and Chess, childhood friends, are spending the summer in Italy at Villa Aestas. Emily, a moderately successful cozy-mystery writer has been suffering writer’s block, going through a contentious divorce, and Chess is now a famously successful self-help guru. They’re supposed to be taking this time in Italy to reconnect, yet you can feel the underlying tension between them, each a little jealous of the other even though they’re supposed to be besties.

Emily finds out that Villa Aestas is actually the scene of the infamous murder of the musician, Pierce Sheldon, back in 1974, and begins to investigate what actually happened there. The story is scandalous with rumors of bed-hopping, drugs, and alcohol, but the two women involved, Pierce’s lover Mari and her stepsister Lara go on to become famous artists, each tight-lipped about that tragic summer. Emily uncovers secret pages written by Mari, re-awakening her passion for writing, which sparks more tension between her and Chess.

I disliked most of the characters in The Villa, but I couldn’t help but root for Emily in the present and Mari in the past. Neither one was perfect, especially by the end, but something about each of their situations had me on their side, enraged by the treatment by those close to them. Chess, Matt, Pierce and Noel all self-centered unlikable people, Pierce toping that list for me. The ending was in some ways tragic, and unsettling, but also felt a bit justified. I felt bad over the fate of one character.

It's interesting to note that Mari’s story in 1974 was inspired by the summer in 1816 Mary Shelley spent in Italy with her future husband, poet Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and her stepsister, Claire Clairemont, referenced in THIS article. One dreary night Lord Byron suggested they each come up with a ghost story which led to Mary writing Frankenstein, and John Polidori writing The Vampyre.

The Villa was full of betrayals, jealousies, and toxic relationships, but the unfolding mysteries and motivations were captivating, and the story was hard to put down.

Julia Whelan is a phenomenal narrator. She gives each character, Emily, Chess, and those in the present-day story, a unique, separate voice and it’s hard to remember you’re listening to one person perform different characters. Shiromi Arserio is a new-to-me narrator and does a fantastic job performing Mari and the 1974 cast. Kimberly M. Wetherell, also new-to-me and wonderful, did the news articles and announcements. I listened at usual 1.5x-1.75x normal speed. The audio is a definite recommend.

4 Stars

Book Description:

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

Audio Review: Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

 

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 4th 2022 by St.Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 7 hrs 43 min

Narrator: Barrie Kreinik

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Lux McAllister followed her boyfriend, Nico, to Maui in what she thought would be an adventure of a lifetime, sailing around all the little islands of the South Pacific. Only to find out when she gets there Nico’s boat has been damaged and they need to make money to save and repair it. Instead of living carefree sailing from island to island, Lux is now scrubbing hotel toilets while Nico works fixing boats and taking out charters. That’s until Nico is asked to sail two college girls, Amma and Brittany, to the island of Meroe, giving them enough money to repair their boat and begin their journey.

The island of Meroe has a disturbing past, a shipwreck that led to starvation and rumors of cannibalism, but now is supposed to be an uninhabited paradise, secluded and beautiful. However, they find they’re not the only travelers when they pull up to the island and soon their group of four turns into six, with Jake and Eliza, an attractive couple with a beautiful boat. They spend lazy days on the beach and dinners together and it all seems to be working out until another boat shows up.

While a lot of the characters were unlikeable, I was rooting for the main heroine/narrator, Lux. She wasn’t perfect either, but there was something relatable and compelling about her. She grabbed onto an escape, depressed after caring for her sick mother and then finally losing her. Unfortunately, Lux ended up led around by a self-absorbed man-boy. While at first, they were happy and in love, putting a relationship to the test in a stressful situation, like the one they were in, reveals whether it can go the distance or not. It wasn’t hard to see the writing on the wall with Nico, or with the entire “perfect paradise” situation.

There were flashes back to the past, giving glimpses into each of the character’s history, and it was soon apparent things were not as they seemed. 

Reckless Girls turned out to be an addictive read, one I didn’t want to put down! It reminded me of a couple of my favorite movies: Dead Calm and A Perfect Getaway. I got a similar sinister vibe while reading/listening and I was on the edge of my seat wondering how everything would play out. I’ve read several of Rachel Hawkins YA books in the past, and then her foray into Adult Thrillers with The Wife Upstairs last year, which was entertaining but had a disappointing ending, IMO. I liked Reckless Girls quite a bit more.

I alternately read and listened to the story, and I’m happy I had the audio version, as well. Barrie Kreinik’s performance brought the characters to life in a way that wouldn’t have happened with just traditional reading alone. Her accents were spot on!

4 Stars

Book Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

Audio Review: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 5th 2021 by Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's Press

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 8 hrs 39 min

Narrators: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne & Lauren Fortgang 

Source: St. Martin's Press & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★½

Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Jane is a woman scraping by in life, hungry for more and not afraid to take advantage of others to get it. Being raised in the foster system, she’s had to become a bit ruthless to get by.  Jane finds a seemingly perfect way into the charmed life she longs for in Eddie Rochester.  He’s recently lost his wife, Bea, in what’s reported as a boating accident, but the circumstances are questionable at best.  Eddie seems sad and lonely, a sort of kindred spirit to Jane. With all her mercenary qualities, Jane is a lonely woman, who’s never fit in or felt wanted.

Most of the characters, like the rich housewives in Thornfield Estates and John Rivers, Jane’s foster acquaintance, are unlikeable. Even Jane isn’t especially sympathetic, especially since instead of trying to get ahead by improving herself, she uses and manipulates others. Very different from the original Jane Eyre who through hard work and a strong character became an accomplished woman, able to provide for herself. I think that, along with the “romance” were the biggest disappointments to me. But I think that’s on me because I love the original Jane Eyre so much, I have certain expectations whenever I pick up a retelling. I was rooting for Jane here and did feel sorry for her, because she was dealt a bad hand in life, but so was the original Jane. I’m not sure how I feel about how it all turned out, but I do think it was a sort-of-happy-ending, all things considered.

The Wife Upstairs is a compelling, twisty mystery/thriller that kept me turning the pages to find out how it’d all turn out.  Being a retelling some of the story is expected, but it doesn’t follow the original Jane Eyre closely at all.  What you think is happening may not be the case and I was surprised in one respect at the end. I think fans of writing like Lisa Jewel or Ruth Ware will definitely enjoy the story, it’s a mystery that keeps you guessing and on edge.  

I alternately listened and read the story.  Emily Shaffer and Lauren Fortgang fit Jane and Bea’s voices well. I’ve listened to Kirby Heyborne in the past and like the way his voice projects a “good guy” vibe. Was Eddie Rochester a “good guy”? Well, I guess you’d have to read the book to find out, lol. I listened at 1.3x.

3.5 Stars