The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games, #2)
by Jennifer Lynn BarnesAlso by this author: The Inheritance Games (Inheritance Games, #1)
Published by: Penguin on September 7, 2021
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:
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.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Plots filled with lots of twists and turns and red herrings.
- Mystery with plenty of riddles to solve and clues to find.
- Super cute sibling bonds.
- Love triangle.
- Deadly secrets and potentially fatal games.
Many thanks to Penguin and TBR and Beyond Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.
After the way the first book ended, there was no way I could resist picking up this one ASAP! I went in expecting plot twists and turns, yet I was still somehow woefully unprepared for what a roller coaster ride this book was going to be!
The Hawthorne Legacy is a twisty, turny, roller coaster ride of a sequel that doubles down on the mystery and riddles, up the stakes as far as danger, and presents a side of the Hawthornes you’ve never seen.
Not gonna lie, I stayed up until 12:30 AM finishing this book, even though I knew I had to get up at 6:30 AM for work. I was exhausted and it was worth it. There was just absolutely no way I was going to be able to put the book down before I knew how it ended!
This review may contain mild spoilers for book one.
Hold on to your seats, readers, because things are about to get twisty. Plot twisty, that is!
Hawthorne House is, of course, full of riddles and mystery, and they have by no means been solved by the first book. Lucky for us, right? I was immediately sucked into the mystery of this second book. I enjoyed the riddles more and the way the secrets slowly unfolded and pieced together . . . sometimes in entirely shocking ways! There were times the plot twists completely surprised me (I didn’t even come close to guessing them!), and I definitely fell for a couple red herrings. Oops?! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, though, and I just had to know how it was going to end!
“I know what you’re doing,” I told him.
“What sledgehammers were put on God’s green earth to do,” Xander replied solemnly.
As if Avery wasn’t in enough danger in the first book, The Hawthorne Legacy doubles down on the threat.
It’s bigger and badder and better than ever! Wait . . . well, something like that. Because being rich is . . . hard? Well, in Avery’s case, we’re going to go with a solid YES on that one. There are still some people with a lot to be gained if something were to happen to Avery. Seems like more people are popping up every day with a stake in the money. And we all know what a good motivator money is, right? Also, revenge. Revenge is an incredible motivator, and the Hawthornes aren’t exactly innocent, now are they?
“The tree is poison,” I quoted softly. “Don’t you see? It poisoned S and Z and me.”
This book is absolutely filled with ridiculously adorable and heartwarming sibling bonds scenes.
Not that the boys don’t compete over every little thing still, because of course they do. They’re still the Hawthornes. There’s a lot going on in their lives right now, though, and they’re discovering things about themselves and their family that’s shaking up their world view a little. So it’s only natural that they would come together, right? These scenes were so striking simply because of how at each other’s throats they were in the last book and how utterly competitive they all are. At the end of the day, though, they’re still brother’s, and they’re still all each of them has, and family is family.
“The dark side?” I snorted.
“Would it help if I brooded?” Xander asked as we came to the door of my next class. “I can brood!”
There’s a marked change taking place in the Hawthorne ranks, and it’s such a raw, emotional thing to see so many of the characters getting deeper stories.
I mean, in a family where everything is puzzles and games and competition, it’s easy to see why they might have just a few teensy emotional problems. The first book gave us a little glimpse at the Hawthornes and all their ugliness, but this book peels back the layers a little bit so we can see the true Hawthornes. They’re not always any prettier (except I guess technically they are pretty, or so we’re told). Still, I absolutely loved the greater character development and getting to see their backstories and what exactly shape the Hawthornes. It’s maybe a little more understandable how they turned out.
I was overcome with the feeling that I shouldn’t be there, that I wasn’t supposed to see the two of them like this.
“Nothing has to matter,” Grayson replied tightly, “unless you let it.”
The dreaded love triangle from the first book persists in this book, and it’s kind of painful . . . until it isn’t?
If love triangles are your thing, you can probably just skip this part. This one’s for my people. You know who you are. The sort that really just wants to shake Avery and say, Make up your bloody mind, woman! The ones who would really rather dive into a lake of lava than deal with yet another love triangle. I see you all. I know your pain. But it’s okay.
I actually was kind of really happy with the turn the love triangle takes in this book. It definitely played a part in the plot in a big way that I didn’t expect. In a very character-driven, character development way that left me rather satisfied with how it turned out. So I actually have no complaints about the love triangle in this book! Shocking, I know.
“Don’t bleed on that,” Grayson ordered.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Jameson retorted. “What are your thoughts on vomiting in that vase?”
“You’re an idiot,” Grayson replied.
“You’re all idiots,” I corrected.
Xander. I have nothing more to say except for that. He made this entire book for me.
I know the first book focused a lot on Grayson and Jameson, and this book does, too, really. I mean, they’re kind of the big two for Avery, so that makes sense. Xander definitely has a larger presence in this book, though, and it’s hard not to take notice. He’s got such a big personality, and he’s quickly become my favorite. Unlike the others, there really isn’t much of a reason not to love Xander (though I fear that may be coming, because that’s generally how it goes with my favorites). Getting to spend more time with him and know him a bit more in this book was such a highlight for me.
“Hates is a strong word,” Xander hedged. “Thea just loves us in a somewhat negative and occasionally vitriolic way.”
About Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has been, in turn, a competitive cheerleader, a volleyball player, a dancer, a debutante, a primate cognition researcher, a teen model, a comic book geek, and a lemur aficionado. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, finished her first full book (which she now refers to as a “practice book” and which none of you will ever see) when she was still in high school, and then wrote Golden the summer after her freshman year in college, when she was nineteen.
Jen graduated high school in 2002, and from Yale University with a degree in cognitive science (the study of the brain and thought) in May of 2006. She’ll be spending the 2006-2007 school year abroad, doing autism research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
You can find the full tour schedule here.
September 6th
Rania’s Rambling Reads – Review & Mood Board
Ace Reader – Review
Books Over Everything – Review
Devouring Books – Review & Favourite Quotes
September 7th
Nine Bookish Lives – Review
The Reading Raccoon – Review
The Ink Slinger – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Hawthorne Legacy & Mood Board
Shelf Love – Review
September 8th
Emelie’s Books – Review & Mood Board
thisbellereadstoo – Review & Favourite Quotes
Rajiv’s Reviews – Review
The Blind Scribe – Review & Mood Board
September 9th
Stuck in Fiction – Promo Post
AndOnSheReads – Review
The Lady With Books – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Hawthorne Legacy
September 10th
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promo Post
The Bookwyrm’s Den – Review
MissBookishRebel – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Hawthorne Legacy
I Dream in Books – Review & Journal Spread
September 11th
Book Lover’s Book Reviews – Review
Jen Jen Reviews – Review
Magical Reads – Review
Kait Plus Books – Review, Favourite Quotes & Mood Board
September 12th
The Book Dutchesses – Review
A Court of Coffee and Books – Review & Favourite Quotes
The Fictional Journal – Top 5 Reasons to Read The Hawthorne Legacy & Mood Board
Adventurous Bookworm – Review & Favourite Quotes
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I need to get it in gear and read Inheritance Games, especially as Hawthorne Legacy is coming.
You definitely doooo! Oh my gosh, the plot twists! It’s a series that’ll keep you guessing, that’s for sure.
I really loved this one! It was such a fun read and I loved all the puzzles. I was on the tour as well and was really glad to see how many of us really enjoyed it!
Amanda — Devouring Books recently posted…The Girl from Forever by Yolanda McCarthy – Blog Tour – Guest Post & Giveaway!
I’m glad to see so many people enjoying it, too! I actually liked this one better than the first one. 😀 I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for the next book now!
I cant believe I haven’t started this series yet. I have only read one book by Barnes but loved it😁
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Over-Booked [145] – A Book Haul Post
You definitely need to read this series, Tammy! I think t’s maybe a little more on the romance side than you normally read? But the plot twists are just *chef’s kiss*
I can’t wait to read this one – my audiobook hold can’t come in sooner! 😀
I hope you were able to read it! You’ll have to let me know how the audiobook is. Seems like it’d be a good one to listen to.