Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Book #2 in The Inheritance Games series, this one picks up pretty much where the first one left off. Avery has has managed to win over most of the Hawthorne clan and together with the brothers, has solved a lot of riddles and learned a lot of secrets left by her grandfather Tobias Hawthorne. But there are still more puzzles to solve, danger to avoid, and secrets to uncover. Plus a little bit of a questionable love triangle.

I have the advantage of having access to this series of books all at once, so I'm reading them back-to-back and while that makes remembering the plot much easier, it's hard to separate each when I go to write a review. I need to start writing my reviews before immediately starting the next book in the series. :) Anyway. I was a little worried that this 2nd book may not live up to my expectations and suffer from 2nd book syndrome, but it did not disappoint. Along with all the puzzles and secrets to solve, there were a lot of plot twists in this one, many of which I did not see coming. Again, this was a fast read but super fun, even if you have to suspend disbelief a little bit. I can sort of make a guess as to where book #3 will go, and I hope it doesn't lose too much steam. They can't all be great, right?… (altro)

I will say, it has been a little while since I read the Inheritance Games, so prior to reading this book, I needed to go back and read a synopsis of the first. As I was going through that, the information from the first book started to flood back in. My memory of the first book was that I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything overly memorable that wouldn't leave me for months.

I found the second book of this series to be even more enjoyable than the first! The story seems to pick right back up where the first one left off and did a great job of following the path to Harry. Barnes also did a great job of continuing to add additional twists and turns that I didn't know that I needed. I'm looking at you Hannah! The ride that this story took me on I found more entertaining, even if it seemed as though there were less puzzles (large scale though).

Tobias Hawthorne clearly had a lot of free time on his hands to set all of these puzzles out for people to follow, but he did so in such a fun way.

This book also started bringing the love triangle into greater focus, and soon moved the triangle to a straight line. That I am excited for. The story did not end on such a cliffhanger that I feel like I need to rush out to grab the 3rd book, but it did make it in such a way that I am excited to see where this new twist will go. I will be picking up the next book, just unsure when that will be.

Great book for anyone who likes puzzles! Not really a thriller style, but I like to think of it as the game Clue in book form. All in all, I would recommend it for a fun, easy read!… (altro)

After the death of her mother, Avery is just trying to get by. Her goal is to finish high school, earn a scholarship, and move on with her life. In the meantime, she's living either in her car or with her half sister, whose boyfriend is less than ideal. Her life is completely upended when, out of nowhere, she learns that she is the primary benefactor of Tobias Hawthorne, a billionaire from Texas, a man she's never met. In order to receive her fortune, however, she must live for a year in the Hawthorne mansion, surrounded by his family, who is understandably bitter to find out that their expected inheritance has been left to Avery, a virtual unknown. Once in the mansion, Avery discovers a home full of secrets, secret passageways, puzzles, and riddles, along with the four Hawthorne grandsons. Each grandson is handsome and beguiling, but which can she trust, if any of them?

Though written for a YA audience, this was a fun one, and the first in a series. It reminded me of a scaled-down, younger version of some of the Robert Langdon books by Dan Brown. With short chapters, this one was easy to race through, and I did, and have already begun book two. I've seen rumor of this being made into a TV series, and I think it would make a great one, but it seems to have stalled, so not sure if that will happen or not. But above all, a fun read for any age.… (altro)