4/5

For fans of: Knives Out, dark academia, love triangles, riddles, found families, family secrets

The Big Questions:

• What genre is this in? Young Adult fiction, mystery, thriller

• Are there any swoon-worthy characters? All the Hawthorne boys are tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious

• Is it spicy? Some hot kisses, but that’s it

• Is it violent or gory? Not at all

• Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you enjoyed The Inheritance Games, buy it!

Synopsis: 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.

Review: Whooooo boy the Hawthornes are one messed up family. Any sane person would have realized that the insanity of the Hawthornes and the accompanying notoriety that comes with their fortune is not worth it. I don’t think Avery is all that sane because despite revelation after revelation and attempted assassination after attempted assassination, she just keeps digging herself deeper. But that is why we live vicariously through characters. I definitely do with billions at Avery’s fingertips, two very charismatic and hot young men living in her house, and now her best friend cheering her on.

So what with the attempts at her life, the media hounding everyone she knows, her estranged father trying to get to her money, and now even more mysteries and hidden connections between her life and the Hawthornes being brought to the surface. The tension between her and the Hawthorne brothers is enough to keeping me hooked, but the layers of games and buried secrets are an added bonus. The mystery of Tobias Hawthorne II’s destructive actions before his presumed death is captivating. What would drive someone born to wealth to leave it all behind and become a recluse? I had a blast being whisked away to private chalets, going to fancy events, and spending loads of money. Definitely bumping up the final installment of the Inheritance Games to my next TBR.