Review – The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, Book 2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery/Contemporary Fiction
Length: 369 pages
Publisher:‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 7, 2021
ASIN: B08QHWRPJ8
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in The Inheritance Games series
Source: Borrowed eBook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“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, two of 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. “

Series Info/Source: This is second book in the Inheritance Games trilogy (there is a fourth companion novel being released in this series in Aug of 2023). I borrowed this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: I am continuing to really enjoy this series. At the end of the last book we found out a member of the Hawthorne family, formerly thought to be dead, was alive. This book continues to unravel the web of secrets and puzzles surrounding the Hawthrone family and delves into how Avery is tied to this family.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes has been a bit hit or miss for me. I absolutely adored her “The Naturals” series but didn’t love her “Raised by Wolves” or “The Fixer” series. I am completely in love with this series though and this book just reinforced that for me.

I love the complex characters throughout this series. All the Hawthorne brothers are very well done and I continue to enjoy Avery and her friend Max. We meet new and interesting characters in this book as well. There is a bit of a love triangle going on between Avery, Grayson, and Jameson; I am not a fan of love triangles but it works well in this story.

All of the puzzles and mysteries that our characters are forced to unravel are fun to follow and super engaging. There is a heavy element of psychology to some of these mysteries as well. This book was incredible engaging, hard to put down, and very readable.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this book was an incredibly fun and engaging read. I love the complex characters, intriguing mysteries, and fascinating puzzles. I am incredibly excited about reading the final book in the series, “The Final Gambit” to see how everything wraps up.