Trilogy written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Published 2020-2022.
Teenager Avery Grambs is just a quick-minded high school student trying to get by. Her mother passed away and her father is out of the picture, so she lives with her half-sister, Libby. That is, until Libby's abusive boyfriend comes to live with them again, prompting Avery to live in her car. Then one day, she is summoned to the Principal's office, where an awkwardly proper Grayson Hawthorne is waiting for her. He has come to inform her that her presence is required at the reading of his late billionaire grandfather's will. Avery and her sister fly to the Hawthorne House in Texas, despite never knowing this mysterious Tobias Hawthorne.
When the will is read, we find out that of his huge fortune, Tobias Hawthorne left each of his two daughters $50,000 each, the four grandsons were given $250,000 each, and some went to the housekeepers and head of security. The rest went to Avery, contingent upon living in Hawthorne house for one year, complete with five libraries, a bowling alley, race track, hidden passages, and the whole Hawthorne family, who are obviously not at all pleased with her. She begins her life at the house and is determined to solve the puzzle of why she was left with a huge fortune from someone she has never met, while steering clear of blatant attempts on her life.
This series is a multi-faceted puzzle, full of action and mystery that completely captivates. I started reading and suddenly found myself a quarter of the way through. I think the only reason I haven't purchased these yet is that I am waiting for the third to come out so I can have the whole set.
These first two books contain mild language (replaced, similar-sounding swears), female-female romance of side characters, and mild violence.
Keep reading for an in-depth review!
(Spoilers Below)
"He left you the fortune, Avery, and all he left us is you."
I usually pride myself on being able to see the surprise twists, and these (plural) were delightfully unexpected. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the third book, The Final Gambit, this fall. Hopefully, we will learn what the disc is that Toby took from Avery, and possibly learn about Mr. Jameson and Mr. Alexander. The original mystery still exists though: Why Avery?
I tried telling my husband about these books, and this is how it went:
An adopted baby, secret identities, murder attempts, fake death, sudden kidnapping, invisible ink, secret tunnels, deadly explosions, mystery fathers, and endless money. And there's still more to come.
What else would you expect from a few rich-as-heck teenagers?
I have one complaint: I really don't care for Max's swear replacements. And anyone who knows me, knows that I can fake swear with the best of them. (Orbit gum commercials, anyone?) Some people are all-for having swears that sound similar to the actual word, but that's not me. It makes my brain hear the word that was supposed to be substituted, so is it really a replacement?
After reading, I kept trying to imagine Tobias Hawthorne running around setting all the pieces to this puzzle up. It was literally decades in the making, especially since it involves the names of all four boys! Which is a funny thought for me, but almost irrelevant to the story.
Another minor mention is that I completely knew that Mellie was involved in putting the cow heart in Avery's room because of one thing. When they asked her to clean it up, she didn't have any issue with the sight, and no complaints about getting to work. I would have probably frozen in that doorway, wide-eyed and open-mouthed for a second before holding my breath and starting to clean. I am not squeamish about much, but that would have been an abrupt and unexpected mess for most.
How about this Grayson-Avery-Jameson love triangle, though, huh? I really love Jameson and think he is charming, outgoing, fun, and caring... but there was always something in Grayson that made it seem like he cared for Avery more deeply than Jameson, and that it was leading to a more permanent affection between them. A quiet, almost awe-struck admiration, I would say. Until the plane explosion, which is I guess when it really mattered. Though it is awkward that they are in this funny age difference where they are only two years apart; she is still in high school, while Grayson has graduated and is running the family foundation during his gap year. In the end, I can't argue that she would feel more of a connection with Jameson, having spent a bunch of time with him, and his easy-going, charming ways are endearing. It just surprised me a bit. Are you team Jameson or Team Grayson?
SPOILER ALERT!! I, for one, was Team Grayson up until the third book. I didn't believe that Jameson and Avery were interested in each other for the right reasons; he was interested in her for the game, and she was interested in him because of the adrenaline rush. I thought Grayson's attraction was more heartfelt and genuine, but after the plane crash, it became blatantly apparent that Grayson would never let himself love Avery regardless of what he felt for her. The third book made it clear not only how deeply Emily's death affected Grayson but how deeply Jameson felt for Avery, and I think, in the end, Avery ended up with the right Hawthorne.
I was completely caught off…