Summary
Avery is doing what she can to get by. After the death of her mother, her half sister, Libby, took her in. Their mutual father is long gone. But in a couple years, Avery will finish high school, go to college for something to pay the bills, and then she can travel to her heart’s content. They may be scraping by, but Avery is making the best of things.
Then the prissy, proper, authoritarian boy shows up at her school. He can’t be much older than Avery is, but he kicks her principal out of his own office. And he tells Avery she is required to attend the reading of his late grandfather’s will.
Tobias Hawthorne, billionaire. Avery had never even heard of him. Why would she have to be at the reading of his will? Turns out, he named her heir of almost his entire estate.
To inherit, Avery has to move into Hawthorne House with Tobias Hawthorne’s family – his mother-in-law, his two daughters, and his four grandsons. But nothing is what it appears. The house is full of secret passages, and Tobias loved challenging the boys to different games. The only question is what games were in play when Tobias named Avery in his will? And what games might his family be playing to get Avery out of the way?
Review
This was fantastic! I loved almost every moment. Avery is excellent as a protagonist. She’s bright and determined, but also down to earth and relate-able. She would fit in well with the author’s other excellent characters. The four Hawthorne boys are a delight. I wanted more time to get to know each of them. I still have questions and want to know more about all four of them.
There are several mysteries at play which swirl around Avery – whispers of another girl involved with the grandsons, Avery’s connection to Tobias, the attempts to get her out of the way, and the games and puzzles in the house and on the grounds. I loved every bit of it. I would have read hundreds of pages about the house even if they had nothing to do with the main questions of the book because it was all so fascinating.
Frankly, I was disappointed with the wrap up of one of the main questions of the book. I was expecting… MORE I guess, something bigger. I went back and re-read the climax scene and the second read gave me a better sense of satisfaction, but it still wasn’t the punch I wanted. But…
The last few pages launched several new questions – or at least pulled some of the secondary questions from this novel into the spotlight. And I am SO excited to read a sequel and find out what else Tobias Hawthorne – and Jennifer Lynn Barnes – have in store for these characters! (Some language, LGBTQ+, CW: Domestic violence/abuse, grief/loss)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥= Great! Might re-read