*Blog Tour + Review* The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Book Title: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: September 7, 2021

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary

Synopsis:

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.

Order Today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Indiebound | Book Depository

Author Information

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.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

My Review

“Allow me to let you in on a Hawthorne trade secret, Heiress: There are no rules that matter more than winning.”

The Inheritance Games was one of my favorite reads last year, and I was eagerly waiting for the sequel. Of course, after loving the first book, I had high hopes for The Hawthorne Legacy. And let me tell you, the sequel did not disappoint. The Hawthorne Legacy blends intrigue, mystery, romance, and surprising twists in a plot that had my eyes glued to the page from the first line. I could not put this book down.

The stakes are even higher in The Hawthorne Legacy. The Inheritance Games left Avery and the Hawthorne brothers grappling with the clues they unveiled, revealing that the late Tobias Hawthorne still has a game that requires playing, and a motive that is yet to be revealed. In the sequel, Avery works with the Hawthorne brothers to continue to unravel the mysteries behind Tobias Hawthorne and Toby Hawthorne, someone that turns out to be a major player in her past. Seeing the clues come together and the pieces finally falling into place was so much fun.

”I’ve spent my entire life not running toward anyone. I know what’s it like to just stand there—to not be able to do anything else. I know what it’s like to lose someone.”

Avery proves once again how witty and smart she is as the heiress of the Hawthorne fortune. She knows that certain Hawthornes are still out to get her, but she also knows she can rely on the four Hawthorne brothers, especially Jameson and Grayson. But she also knows that she can really only trust herself, as she’s hesitant to let anyone in and as, well, one Hawthorne in particular only thinks of her as a game. Well, The Hawthorne Legacy further explores her past and her fears and her emotions toward two Hawthorne brothers. Avery had a lot of character growth in The Hawthorne Legacy, especially when it came to deciding what (and who) she really wanted. She continued to prove to be a reliable protagonist with a lot to lose, and yet she worked tirelessly to uncover the Hawthorne mystery and the mystery behind the one secret her mother never revealed.

“She is one of us. We protect her.”

One Hawthorne brother in particular (I won’t mention which one because huge spoiler) proves to still be my favorite. I loved this brother in The Inheritance Games and loved him even more in the sequel. Not surprising, though, I loved all the Hawthorne brothers. I enjoyed seeing Xander with more page time and playing a bigger role in this game of mystery and intrigue. Avery’s relationship with Grayson and Jameson is constantly tested; it’s a love triangle that’s unlike any other, and only one brother wins Avery’s heart in the end. And even so, I’m excited to see how the third book plays out between Avery and all the Hawthorne brothers.

How Barnes pieces everything together so flawlessly, I will never know. The mystery is so wonderfully revealed piece by piece and I was hooked on every word Barnes wrote. It seemed that every time a piece of the puzzle was discovered, another one was created, almost as if this mystery would go on and on forever. I really could not get enough of this storyline and the characters. Everything and everyone played a purpose in the overall plot and just seeing it all come together was amazing. Jennifer Lynn Barnes has truly written a masterpiece.

Overall, The Hawthorne Legacy lived up to its predecessor in so many ways and proved that not all sequels are lacking compared to the first book. I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book and I impatiently await the third book. You can bet I will be devouring The Final Gambit in one sitting.

My quick blurb: “The Hawthorne Legacy proves that not all sequels lack the ‘second book slump.’ With high stakes, palpable romance, and intense plot twists, The Hawthorne Legacy will not disappoint and is sure to be a book you devour in one sitting.”