Monica’s Musings: The Heiress

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

“A haunted house where the ghosts hadn’t had the courtesy to die yet.”
― Rachel Hawkins, The Heiress

Summary: When Ruby 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. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune —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 in Colorado and with his wife Jules.

Ten years later, 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. 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.

My thoughts: Honestly, this book was not my cup of tea. I felt it was trying to do too much, and the different points of view made me lose interest. Showing us Ruby, Jules, and Camden’s points of view killed the flow. I got tired of going back and forth between all of them. And since I saw the reveals coming, it just made for a boring read.

We follow Ruby’s story as she writes letters to someone all about her younger life and how she came to meet the many men she marries. In between that, the book shows us the perspective of her adopted son, Camden, and his wife, Jules. The book has many twists and turns related to the family residing in the Ashby house, and soon it is clear things are not as they seem. The family has a wicked nature, and Camden and Jules are not safe staying at the Ashby House.

The ending was a meh moment that felt tossed at readers to wrap up the story, which solidified this as a two-star book for me. Overall, this was not my favorite Rachel Hawkins book, so I would suggest picking up any of her prior works instead!

What’s Ashley Reading?: Starter Villain

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

First line: I learned about the death of my uncle Jake in a deeply unexpected way, which was from the CNBC Squawk Box morning show.

Summary: Jake has just learned that his estranged billionaire uncle, Charlie, has died. Jake hadn’t seen him since he was a child but when Uncle Charlie’s assistant asks Jake to stand up at his funeral, he feels like he owes it to him. But as he learns at the funeral, his uncle had powerful enemies and now they are targeting Jake. As his uncle’s heir Jake is thrown into the world of supervillains, including volcano island lair, spy cats and minions. As Jake learns the business, he has to stay alive long enough to achieve his uncle’s vendetta against the league of supervillains.

My Thoughts: The first thing you notice about this book is the quirky cover! A cat in a suit is the reason I picked up Scalzi’s newest novel, but I stayed for the plot that reminded me of a mix between Austin Powers and Despicable Me.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It was a short, quick read filled with cutthroat villains and super intelligent spy animals. Jake has fallen into hard times but the only thing he finds comfort in is his cat. It’s easy to relate to him throughout and cheer him on as he takes over his uncle’s business. I loved his interactions with the animals around him. The dolphins were hilarious!

Even though there is not too much of a plot in the story, I would highly recommend reading this! It is filled with dark humor and spy cliches that know they are cliches. This was my first book by John Scalzi but it won’t be my last. I will finally read Redshirts, a book I have looked at for years but never picked up.

Book Review: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

First line: The magpies are back.

Summary: When Harriet Westaway receives a letter from a lawyer she is confused by its contents. It is informing her that her grandmother has died and that her presence is needed at the reading of the will. Harriet has never met her grandmother. She never even knew she had one. Maybe they got the wrong person. Nevertheless, with a loan shark hounding her for money and bills piling up she decides to see what is behind this letter. Upon arriving at Trepassen she meets the rest of her “family”. Can she deceive these people and take their money? On the other hand, is there more here than she thought?

Highlights: This is by far Ruth Ware’s best novel. It took me a while to read but not from lack of interest. I liked Harriet. She is a young girl in an impossible situation. She does the best she can to take care of herself in an uncertain world. I really enjoyed the diary entries that give the reader a peak into the past and snippets of facts pertaining to the mystery. I kept coming up with new scenarios and answers. Ware did a great job setting up each little twist and turn. In addition, I was truly a little frightened by Mrs. Warren. She was always there with some dark comment or ominous look.

I didn’t mean you—I just meant—well, look, Mrs. Warren’s always had a touch of the Mrs. Danvers about her.

Lowlights: The loan sharks were the driving force to get the story started but then the threat disappeared as the plot progressed. I understand that they were just a starting point for why Hal decided to impersonate the Westaway heir but if it was a big part of the beginning maybe it should make an appearance at the end?

FYI: Ruth Ware is also the author of The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Lying Game.