Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ second book in The Inheritance Games trilogy, The Hawthorne Legacy, once again stars Avery Kylie Grambs, a teenager who inherits the deceased Tobias Hawthorne’s entire fortune. As Avery and Tobias’ four grandsons embark on yet another one of the billionaire’s games, they are left with more questions than answers. The new game forces past secrets to resurface, and leaves its players with the mystery of what really happened to their dead uncle, Toby. Through romance, betrayal, adventure, and mystery, The Hawthorne Legacy gives Avery the answer to the question she’s been wondering all along–why is she the heiress of Tobias Hawthorne?
Overall, I thought this book was entertaining, and very fast-paced (the chapters are extremely short). I did think at times, the puzzles that were solved felt too unorthodox, but everything tied together nicely at the end. As this is a sequel, there was no “world-building,” so everything was familiar from the first book in this trilogy. The romance subplot in this novel was also done very well. While the book felt a little slow in the first half, it quickly picked up and made me all the more excited for the third book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to read an enticing mystery, with nothing very vulgar or graphic.