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Avery Grambs will stop at nothing to find the man who might hold the answers to all her questions — including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire forture to her, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own family.
Avery knows she’s not a Hawthorne by blood. There’s a DNA test to prove it. As the mystery grows and the cues pile up, though, she begins to realize she may have a deeper connection to the family than she first imagined.
As Avery struggles to sort out her heart and pick up the shattered pieces of her life, she realizes more is at stake than her new fortune or simply uncovering the truth. Threats lurk around every corner, and someone will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture.
The Hawthorne Legacy kicks off where the first book left off, and while I found it not as good as The Inheritance Games, it was still a fun read. I’ve come to really enjoy Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ writing and her fast-paced mysteries (such as The Naturals). She has a way of portraying her characters’ humanity through their emotions, and the same is true for this book. There is a strong emotional effect that the hunt for answers brings these characters. Avery still struggles with PTSD after her experiences in the first book. While inheriting a fortune sounds like a dream come true, the life of the rich is not all glitz and glam. The phoniness that comes with such a life also affects Avery.
In the end, this young adult book with romance and mystery is full of twists upon twists. One twist I didn’t see coming — since this series was originally advertised as a duology — was a third book. Fortunately, the reader isn’t left with as much of a cliffhanger as in The Inheritance Games, and I definitely look forward to reading The Final Gambit when it releases.
Rated: Moderate, for around 25 uses of mild language, 11 uses of moderate language and a handful of uses of the name of Deity in vain. Like in the first book, Avery’s best friend uses substitute bad words (though it’s clear what she’s not saying), and it happens so frequently that it’s a large reason for the moderate rating. Violence includes death threats and attempted murder. A bloody cow’s heart is left in Avery’s bedroom, which unsettles her quite a bit. Characters play a game of strip bowling, which is interrupted before it can go too far. Reference is made to a group of troubled young men who partied and slept across a European summer trip. Characters kiss, including two girls who are found making out. References are made to an affair. Abandonment of a father who cares little for his child also strongly effects a character. Underaged characters drink.
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