First published 2024
Camden McTavish walked away from it all. When his adoptive mother Ruby died, she left him North Carolina's largest fortune and the grand estate of Ashby House. But Camden wanted none of it. He chose teaching English in Colorado instead, marrying Jules and building a quiet life far from the McTavish name. Ten years pass peacefully until his uncle's death forces them back to the Blue Ridge mountains. Jules sees the sprawling mansion and nine-figure inheritance Camden abandoned. She wants him to claim what Ruby intended for him. But Camden knows why he fled. Ruby survived a famous childhood kidnapping and buried four husbands under suspicious circumstances. She ruled the small town of Tavistock with an iron fist from her mountain perch. Now Jules digs into family history, uncovering twisted secrets the McTavishes have kept buried. The more she learns about Ruby's mysterious past and Camden's adoption, the more she pushes him to embrace his inheritance. Camden realizes too late that some legacies cannot be escaped and some family bonds reach beyond death itself.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, thriller, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-bonds, hidden-past
Setting: Ashby House, Blue Ridge Mountains, Colorado, North Carolina, Tavistock
Period: 10 Years Ago, Present Day
294 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: death, kidnapping