Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.
Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.
With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.
Title : The Hawthorne Legacy
Author : Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series : The Inheritance Games (book two)
Page Count : 380
Genre : YA contemporary / mystery
Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date : September 7, 2021
Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★ ★
Hollis' 3 star review
I wouldn't quite call this the eleventh hour but I'm surely cutting it close with these last two series on my Series To Finish list. Thank goodness this one is a contemporary YA which will at least be a breeze to blitz through -- even if it did necessitate a reread of book one. I didn't trust my memory to recall all the red herrings, the twists, the character dynamics, that would be necessary to know in order to push on. And I had a good time with that first book; exactly the same feels and criticisms that I had back in 2020. As for this one? Wellll.
Let's just get it out of the way. I'm really disappointed with the direction of the romance. I really thought we were headed down a different path (and maybe we still might! there are still many books to go and some still to be released, apparently -- so much for thinking this was wrapped, whoops) and I was really only grudgingly on board for that because for me I don't tend to enjoy Barnes' romantic plots as much as her mystery ones. Which is why I like, and appreciate, that she doesn't always include them. But alas.
As for the mystery, well, things get m e s s y. In book one we learn that Avery, a little nobody, has inherited a billionaire's fortune despite a veritable buffet of heirs; including but not limited to four grandsons roughly around her age. Book one saw them trying to unravel the clues that had been left for them to figure out if it would reveal who Avery was to the family or why they had been disinherited. Many theories were proposed based on the clues, many discounted, but the book ended on a big twist. And this one picks up right where that left off.
There are so many threads being unspooled that it's a veritable serial killer wall of connections and misdirections, many things potentially being true, whilst also not remotely applicable, and yeah it was a lot. This definitely veered a little into the Too Much category and naturally we are suspending a hell of a lot of disbelief. But it still mostly managed to be fun. It seems a little (a lot) outrageous that it feels like almost nothing has consequences for anyone, which is very sus, but see aforementioned suspension of disbelief hours. They are very open.
I hope that in some ways book three, which may wrap this main mystery arc before we veer into other plots, sorta brings things back down to earth. I would like to see this grounded in a bit more reality; especially if I can't get my way with the romance. But I guess there's just one way to find out.. onwards!
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