I read these two books back-to-back in April this past year and oh my … I cannot stop thinking about these books. These books are PERFECT for fans of Knives Out and who grew up playing Clue, because every page turn was a different twist.

Synopsis: The Inheritance Games

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

Order on Bookshop.org or Amazon.

Synopsis: The Hawthorne Legacy

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.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like 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.

Order on Bookshop.org or Amazon.

My Review

I don’t normally like mystery or thriller books; I’m the type to pick up a romance or a YA romance, to be specific. I go straight to the romance section of the bookstore without even glancing at the thriller section. But when I saw Jennifer Lynn Barnes has another YA mystery-esque featuring elite rich boys and puzzles, I just had to pick it up. I loved her books, Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals, so much that they convinced me to pick up The Inheritance Games. It did not disappoint.

Every page turn (yes, page turn!!!!) was a different twist. I felt like I was right there with the main character, Avery, trying to solve why she was left this fortune by an old man she had never met. I was also right there with her, falling for two of the Hawthorne brothers, Jameson and Greyson, who are just so incredible. I mean, on the one hand, you have Jameson, an adventure-seeking, adrenaline junkie who loves a good challenge and mystery. Then you have Greyson, the tall, handsome, brooding man in a suit with cold eyes who is puzzled at Avery’s sudden inheritance.

Other than the hot Hawthorne brothers (can’t forget Nash and Xander!!!!), the entire book was just a page-turner. I was shocked and on the edge of my seat the entire time, it was that good. And I’m not even exaggerating. I often found myself hunched over the page, desperate to find out what was next, and some nights, I stayed up way past my bedtime. That book was seriously so good.

And what I loved about book 1, The Inheritance Games, is that we were introduced to this world and got to know each of the characters, including the Hawthorne brothers, Avery Grambs, Avery’s sister, the lawyer (I forgot her name lol), Stan (the bodyguard), and more. The second book, The Hawthorne Legacy, was still just as good but I loved book 1 because it was exciting, exhilarating, and you truly didn’t know what happened next. Book 2 had the same appeal, and introduced more characters and storylines and clues to the overall puzzle of why Avery is receiving this inheritance, but it wasn’t as exciting as book 1.

Overall, I recommend this series to everyone who was obsessed with the game, Clue. TBH, even if you weren’t (like me), I think you’d still love this book. You may find yourself in a reading slump, like me before reading this book, and if that’s you, I highly recommend picking up this book because it will get you out of that reading slump faster than you can unscramble an anagram.

Book 1 Rating: 5/5

Book 2 Rating: 4/5