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Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone, full of darkly lovely gothic monsters

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Am obsessed with gothic books, and UNHOLY TERRORS is literally the perfect marriage of fantasy and gothic.

Monstrous, lovely, enthralling, forbidden. This hits every single gothic vibe you could want. I walked away from this book changed, because omg this prose–this prose. I want to eat it off a silver spoon. This book is so gorgeously written with such clever turns of phrase and evocative descriptions. It’s the kind of book that you want to drown in, that you will keep thinking long after you turn the last page. I also had the pleasure of blurbing UNHOLY TERRORS and am so pleased to gush further in this review!

“You would make a beautiful monster.”

The story follows Everline as she breaks her vows and ventures into the monster filled moors to find answers about her past. She is a warden of the wall, tasked with keeping monsters away, although she alone is without magic unlike the rest of the wardens. Everline is such a complex, layered character: so sharp and stabby and determined to be brutal, but then under the enchanted armour you catch a glimpse of how tender and vulnerable she truly is. She just wants to know why she doesn’t belong. Who she is. Where she’s meant to be. There’s also a fractious sister-sister relationship, as Everline and Briar end up unwillingly sharing this journey to save Everline’s best friend Lux (who is also Briar’s lover).

The memory of his bloodied kiss is like the touch of a ghost.

And I need to take a moment for Ravel, the boy who is so vicious and monstrous and spilling over with uncanny and inhuman claws and fangs–but yet is an absolute sweetheart deep down inside. The raw way he cherished Everline had me on the floor. Every time the book described Ravel, I was just [clenches fist] so enraptured. He is meant to be a mindless monster and Everline is confused why he seems so…human but yet not human. Their hatred for each other is so palpable, and the way they fall in love while still distrusting each other is addictive to read. It’s enemies-to-lovers the way I crave: claws and teeth and generational hatred and monstrous love.

I also deeply love books that deal with the complexities of families. There is so much hurt and angst here as both Everline and Ravel have complex relationships with parental figures and their siblings, and that really defines so much of their journeys.

“How often would you … need me?”
Ravel moves a step closer so there’s only the barest space between us. The heat of him radiates against my own skin like a fever. “And what if I said I needed you every night?”
“Then I would come to you every night.“

Also a moment for the ruinous descriptions, the decrepit falling apart churches, the wicked saints and barren land and bone relics. It’s the kind of world that took my breath away. The overall vibe was also giving me Gideon of the Ninth meets Jon Snow at the Wall feelings, and just kind of loved that. If you want a fantasy that feels freshly unique while also paying immaculate homage to all the best gothic tropes and aesthetics, then you definitely need this.

The other vespertine look like monsters. This one looks like a monster wearing a boy’s face.
Yet he’s a monster all the same.

Read it for:
♡ rich, evocative gothic aesthetics
♡ ruinous, mouldering descriptions that are so gorgeous
♡ so, so atmospheric
♡ monster boy with secret heart of gold
♡ fearsome girls with armour and knives
♡ saints and bones and relics and sins
♡ monsters everywhere
♡ complicated family/sibling relationships
♡ forbidden romance x enemies to lovers

Monstrous boys and girls in armour and a romance that will sink teeth into your dark heart, UNHOLY TERRORS is an absolutely phenomenal read. The vibes were immaculate.

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the copy!

And though he’s never claimed to be anything else, I still don’t know which is the truth: the monster or the boy. Perhaps it is both a borderland where one eclipses the other. Horns and bones and claws, gentle fingers and soft breath and my name spoken like a secret.

*

He’s painfully lovely in the same way as a coiled snake or a nightshade plant full of bright, deadly berries. A loveliness that will lure you close so it can poison you.

*

The choreography of our violence is marked out on the ground like a pattern to be tailored.

A bloodstained tale of a girl torn between her vows and her heart, where falling in love may be the deepest sin of all…
Everline Blackthorn has devoted her life to the wardens—a sect of holy warriors who guard against monsters known as the vespertine.
When a series of strange omens occur, Everline disobeys orders to investigate, and uncovers a startling truth in the form of Ravel Severin: a rogue vespertine who reveals the monsters have secrets of their own.
Ravel promises the help she needs— for a price. Vespertine magic requires blood, and if Everline wants Ravel to guide across the dangerous moorland, she will have to allow him to feed from her.
It’s a sin for a warden to feed a vespertine— let alone love one— and as Everline and Ravel travel further across the moorland, she realizes the question isn’t whether she will survive the journey, but if she will return unchanged. Or if she wants to.

goodreads | blackwells | dymocks | penguin teen

published October 17, 2023

 

this summer’s secrets by emily barr (twisted and mysterious rich family saga)

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When a book is about old mansions and extravagantly rich families and their secrets…you know things are about to go down. And like, probably not legal things. 😂 I do have a soft spot for books about unhinged rich families, and I was very curious to dive into this. I read Emily Barr’s The One Memory Of Flora Banks back in in 2017 and I remember finding that fascinating, so I was curious about this latest release. This Summer’s Secrets centres around the mansion called Cliff House and the generational secrets buried there (literally). It’s a family saga as it covers three time frames (1940s, 1980s, and present day) and gives us a detailed view of the Roberts family and their complicated past and all the things they don’t want anyone to know.

In the present day, the story is mostly told by Senara, an outsider who has befriended the old, crotchety matriarch of Cliff House, Martha. Then Martha’s children and grandchildren visit because they’re worried Martha is about to write them out of the will. Senara gets sucked into the swirl of their extravagant life, latching on to a nebulous friendship with Clementine who is spoiled and bratty but sweeps everyone up with her magnetic personality. Josie, Senara’s friend also narrates, and she realises her family might be involved in some of the secrets that happened in Cliff House’s past so she’s keen to investigate. She also has far less tolerance for the privilege of the rich and her life is pretty hard as she cares for her disabled mother and is figuring out her sexuality. (Some really nice sapphic rep here too!)

There are bones in the garden and rowdy parties and the butterflies of first romance and secrets from the past that come back to haunt everyone. There are a lot of narrators and side-character names to keep track of, but if you like the wide scope of family sagas, this one might be for you! It also reads slice-of-life at times, going for a slowburn unveiling of the mysteries rather than a speedy thriller vibe. It definitely gave me We Were Liars vibes too.

With mysteries to solve, and legacies to unravel, This Summer’s Secrets makes for a compelling summer read.

Thank you to Penguin Australia for the review copy!

ONE HOT SUMMER, FIRST LOVE AND SO MANY BURIED SECRETS . . .
Senara has never been in love before. She’s not done anything exciting before. Always the sidekick . . . Until the summer that changes everything.
Cliff House is closed off for most of the year until its rich Londoner owners come down to Cornwall for the summer. This year, despite herself, Senara finds herself pulled into this world of wealth and ease, sunbathing and beautiful people. She even finds herself falling in love for the first time.
But Cliff House and its owners are hiding things. They’ve been hiding things for too long and now, despite all their efforts, their secrets are coming out . . . Secrets that involve Senara’s friends and her family in a way she could never have imagined.

goodreads | amazon | penguin aus

published June 13th, 2023

liar’s beach by katie cotugno (rich people problems mystery thriller)

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If you’re looking for a whodunnit mixed with the addictive spiral of rich people problems, this one is for you. It made me reminiscent of We Were Liars, but this one comes with an Agatha Christy retelling style bent. We follow Michael Linden on break from boarding school and eagerly accepting his rich roommate’s offer to vacation at his mansion. Linden is obsessed with the life of the wealthy and it’s all he dreams about achieving. But he also has a lot to hide, like a) he isn’t wealthy, in fact his mum cleans rich people’s houses, and b) the only reason he’s in a fancy boarding school is because of a sport scholarship and he’s just busted his foot and isn’t sure if he’ll ever play again.

Linden was an intriguing character for me, you can empathise with him and also ask yourself why he’s doing all these contortions just to fit into this world where wealthy people play games with money and life and nothing can touch them. He has a huge crush on his bestie’s sister, who is very enigmatic and plays the part of the manic pixie dream girl, always reading pretentious books and flirting just enough to reel Linden in but not confirm she likes him back. And then there’s a lot of family drama going on at his friend’s mansion that has to do with the neighbours and jail time and embezzlement. Linden was going to stay right out of that except…there’s an accident. A body is in the pool and they rescue the person, barely alive. Now there’s a mystery to solve and Linden must team up with his childhood estranged friend, Holiday, to dig deep into things he maaaaybe doesn’t want to find out.

It is definitely a mystery, but not actually a murder mystery as the person in the pool was still alive when they found them. Linden takes a bit more of a side-kick place, while Holiday does the investigating, which is reminiscent of the old mystery classics. It’s also a short read, which kept up the tension nicely.

A YA thriller with a classic mystery vibe, the insidious secrets of the rich, and an ending that begs for a sequel!

Thank you to Penguin Australia for the review copy!

A fresh new take on Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery The Mysterious Affair at Styles , with iconic detective Hercule Poirot recast as a brilliant, brash teen girl named Holiday, and narrated by her childhood friend Linden, an athlete-scholar who fits right in at his elite New England prep school—all the while hiding some secrets of his own.
Michael Linden—or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals—doesn’t belong in wealthy, storied Martha’s Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn’t call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, and everyone has something to hide—Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that—an accident—but Linden begins to wonder…
Holiday Proctor. Linden’s childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There’s nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and she’s convinced there’s a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question is…who?

goodreads | amazon | penguin aus

published May 5th, 2023

The Final Gambit #3 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Twists Within Twists!

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So I absolutely love the Inheritance Games trilogy and this finale did not disappoint.

The only grief I’m in is that it’s OVER. These books were all brilliant 😭🙌🏻 works of complicated, twisty genius. As much as I enjoyed the reading of them, I also just want to gush over the craft as well. The skill it would take to wield this plot, handle all the numerous reveals, keep all the twists in order…my jaw is on the floor. There were reveals that were set up from book one. Imagine the organisation! The tying up all the loose threads! Impeccable.

See my reviews for The Inheritance Games (#1) and The Hawthorne Legacy (#2).

So the premise of the series (if you’re new here) is that Avery is a bit of a nobody and suddenly finds herself the sole inheritor of a billionaire’s fortune. But the billionaire also happens to have 4 dashing sons and a perchance for extremely complicated riddles and games. Everything is a game. Games within games. And there are mysteries to unravel (why Avery? what’s going on? is so and so really dead? is such and such a threat or a friend?) and the plot is like a nesting doll. Once you unravel one mystery it will lead to a dozen more.

It’s also brilliant to see Avery go from a clever but relatively unambitious teen to an absolute beast of puzzles and game mastery, who manages to keep being a smart, altruistic, compassionate, and kind person even when she’s literally handed the world on a golden platter.

I also loved the Hawthorne boys, as always. (Although I have to be horrible and admit Nash is pretty useless and never does much lmao.) Grayson is having a breakdown, Jameson is being the absolute most beautiful manic pixie dream boy we could ask for, and Xander is being a pure delightful ball of sunshine. These three + Avery could crack any code, truly. I love their dynamics and how the book also explored a bit more of the cracks on the Hawthorne brothers’ facades. Their grandfather manipulated them all growing up to serve his own purposes and they more they learn about him (they learn A LOT about his past in this book too) the more they have to reconfigure their feelings for him. Avery also gets hit with some tougher, emotional reveals as well.

There’s also a new villain on the scene. And while I personally think it doesn’t make sense that Tobias Hawthorne didn’t warn them in advance…(and in fact made it a complicated game to find out? lol) I did love how it all played out and how deeply interwoven it was with the whole trilogy. Like there was a poem mentioned in book ONE that had meaning in book THREE. Hello!! I do think the series would be best read all at once though, because you’d notice more references. I did struggle to remember a few of the characters but guess that means I can reread now.

more things to love:

  • adored the snappy, fast-paced chapters
  • rich and ostentatious descriptions that were still brief enough to always keep the pace going at a whip-cracking speed
  • seeing more of the infamous Hawthorne mansion (there is a bejewelled escape room okay)
  • uncovering more family skeletons in the closet (literally…….figuratively….)
  • high stakes, drama, angst
  • absolutely living for how dramatic ALL the Hawthorne brothers are (also adore Jameson and Grayson’s sibling dynamics because they’re awful to each other in the most elegant way and it’s so brotherly accurate)
  • just getting to live vicariously through Avery and pretend I, too, might inherit a mysterious fortune someday

A fast-paced, gloriously twisty and clever series finale that will leave you satisfied (and also itching to play chess). Avery and her Hawthorne boys wield a story that’s worth the hype and it will make your brain work work hard.

Thanks to Penguin Teen AUS for the review copy!

Title: The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Date Published: 30 August 2022
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Purchase: Book Depository, Dymocks
Add it on Goodreads
The thrilling conclusion to the global bestselling, BookTok sensation, Inheritance Games trilogy, where Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying.
Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.
To inherit billions, all Avery has to do is survive a few more weeks in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.
But as the clock ticks down to when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help-and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player. Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake – and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

Nothing More To Tell by Karen M. McManus – Most Twisty Thriller Yet!

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Karen M. McManus writes some of my favourite YA thrillers.

They just do not miss?! Ever?!? I always love how interesting the characters are, plus the mysteries are extremely twisty with so many trails to follow, it keeps my brain spinning happily. Addictive and always satisfying. Nothing More To Tell had so, so many layers and secrets — by the end I was just bursting from all the reveals. Like there were a couple of things I had a hunch about, but it’s impossible to guess all the twists. 😂 Love that for us.

You Will Find…

  • small town mystery
  • Brynn is a real Nancy Drew while Tripp is all moody, tortured and handsome
  • huge cast of diverse and well fleshed-out characters
  • cracking open a cold case and suddenly sir it is a hot case now
  • you can suspect everyone tbh
  • secrets leading to more secrets, it is the most tangled web of secrets you ever did see
  • really features the dangers of assumptions, and how deep a mess everyone made with all the conclusions they leapt to

It delivers a very contemporary vibe too, and honestly I love that about it. With thrillers, I often find characterisation takes a backseat while the plot is the focus, but this one does both. Plus the cast is huge, and that actually helps it to feel more real. Although I’m bad with names and there were a lot of people to track. 😂 But Brynn and Tripp were both equally interesting narrators, and I was easily invested in their personal lives and their reasons for cracking open this case. (Or in Tripp’s case, traumatically reliving all his bad decisions for a good cause.)

Brynn is working as an intern for a true crime TV show and asks them to look into the cold case of her murdered 8th Grade teacher, Mr. Larkin. Nothing ever felt right about that crime. Too many random aspects and unanswered questions. And Brynn always loved Mr. Larkin as a teacher so she wants justice. But one of the people who found Mr. Larkin’s body, back all those years ago, was Tripp…and he absolutely lied on that day and Brynn needs to know why.

Brynn is very go-getter and driven, and just the type of girl to hound the clues and not drop it even when it starts to get super dangerous. While Tripp is absolutely a tortured mess, and right up front you know he’s hiding stuff, but what. They had a thing when they were in middle-school before a catastrophic falling out, so there’s a bit of a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers aspect with the romance which pulled off nicely and didn’t take away from the weight of the mystery.

There were SO many moving parts to this story too. As a writer, I was kind of in awe of all the tracks and trails there were to weave together by the end. And it did come together very satisfyingly. But seriously it was like secrets underneath secrets…and more than once I was just like: BUT WHO DID WHAT AND WHY. And then answers came together masterfully  with more than one surprise at the end. And so many characters had pivotal parts to play and reveals to make. I also love how very dependent on the characters’ personalities the mystery is — like “so-and-so being that kind of person leading to them doing this“. I’m nerding out over the writer aspect, but just really admired it!

A mystery with a bit of angst and murder as two teens cut open the old wound of the past and find nothing is as it seems. Everyone is lying. Everyone has a secret. Totally addictive!

Also as I’m a total McManus fan apparently 😂 you can catch my reviews for One Of Us Is Next, The Cousins, Two Can Keep A Secret, and You’ll Be The Death Of Me.

Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review copy!

Title: Nothing More To Tell
Author: Karen M. McManus
Date Published: 30 August 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Aus
Purchase: Book Depository, Dymocks
Add it on Goodreads
Someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they’re back – or maybe they never left. . .
Five years ago, Brynn quit Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favourite teacher. The case was never solved, but Brynn’s sure that the three kids who found Mr. Larkin’s body on school grounds know more than they’re telling.
Brynn’s ex-best friend Tripp was one of them. Thanks to Tripp’s testimony none of them were found guilty of the murder and now, five years later, the trio are at the top of the school’s social ladder.
When Brynn gets the internship of a lifetime working on a new true-crime show, she decides to investigate what really happened that day in the woods for herself. But the further she dives into the past, the more secrets she uncovers-about Saint Ambrose School, about Mr. Larkin, and even about her ex-best friend.

You’ll Be The Death of Me by Karen M. McManus – Three Teens Having The Worst Day Ever

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It’s time for a new McManus thriller!!

I really enjoy this author’s thrillers, my favourites being Two Can Keep a Secret and The Cousins. So I’m always keen to get my hands on the latest one. I totally devoured this in a day  😌👌🏻 and I really enjoyed the chaos element to this. The three main characters manage to make a huge mess, confess their worse secrets, and stumble into a drug ring ALL because they decided to skip school for one day. Stay in school, kids.

The story is about Ivy, Cal and Mateo, who used to be friends but drifted apart as highschool progressed. They decide to replicate this One Great Day where they skipped in 8th grade and never got caught — and skip again now, as seniors. Ivy is avoiding facing the guy who one class president instead of her. Cal is desperate for friends again. And Mateo wants to forget all his problems at home with his cousin doing sketchy things and his mum suffering from severe chronic pain. So what could go wrong, right? WELL GLAD YOU ASKED–

Basically, they stumble upon the murder of one of their classmates and it’s a huge case of: here in the wrong place, wrong time. Someone tips the police off that a “blonde woman” was there (Ivy is blonde too) and so she’s sort of “wanted”.  While Cal and Mateo make the dumbass decision to flee the scene crime, etc etc. It just goes so wrong, so fast.

Okay so all of the characters were kind of…awful. I don’t mind this in thrillers, because the plot is more what I’m interested in. But as they unwrap their layers of foolery, you kind of go 💀👌🏻 gee, kids, ever make a good decision ever. Mateo was truly my favourite because he’s really just trying to help his family. 🥺 Cal annoyed me because he has great dads and a nice life and YET THE THINGS HE DOES. Ivy is the straight A uptight student, and totally ruled by her insecurities. A realistic character, honestly, if so self-involved. (Also her brother, Daniel? Dislike.)

The mystery element relied on them making a LOT of mistakes. This isn’t a Nancy Drew trio, let’s just say 😂 They find answers by accident or from sheer blundering into them. There’s lots of double-crossing each other and evasion too, so it makes for a page-turner. I was disappointed by the end though — the villains got sorted out in mere chapters and were so incompetent it was hard to be scared of them. So while it’s not a thriller here to be hardcore or spooky or worried for the main characters’ lives, it IS one that’s twisty and captivating and leans into the real life everyday issues teens face too. Plus murder on the side.

Overall, a totally fast-paced and twisty thriller that I rocketed through! Engaging writing and train-wreck characters you can’t look away from — definitely fun.

Thanks to Penguin Australia for the ARC!

Title: You’ll Be the Death of Me
Author: Karen M. McManus
Date Published: 30th November, 2021
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Genre: YA Thriller
Purchase: Book Depository, Blackwells
Add it on Goodreads
Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Now all they have in common is Carlton High and the beginning of a very bad day.
Type A Ivy lost a student council election to the class clown, and now she has to face the school, humiliated. Heartthrob Mateo is burned out–he’s been working two jobs since his family’s business failed. And outsider Cal just got stood up…. again.
So when Cal pulls into campus late for class and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They’ll ditch and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Except they’ve barely left the parking lot before they run out of things to say…
Until they spot another Carlton High student skipping school–and follow him to the scene of his own murder. In one chance move, their day turns from dull to deadly. And it’s about to get worse. It turns out Ivy, Mateo, and Cal still have some things in common. They all have a connection to the dead kid. And they’re all hiding something.
Now they’re all wondering–could it be that their chance reconnection wasn’t by chance after all?

The Hawthorne Legacy (#2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Billionaire Angst & Puzzles in a Brilliant Sequel!

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I’m such a fan of The Inheritance Games series and SO glad it got a sequel.

Excuse me while I settle down with this book and a hot chocolate for some pleasurable wish-fulfilment (referring to inheriting an eccentric billionaire’s fortune fyi — not the murder attempts Avery goes through….pass on those). But I am here for TIPS 🙌🏻 10/10 would like a fortune too.

The sequel kicks off directly where book 1 left off. You can catch my review of The Inheritance Games here! I didn’t have time for a reread, but I lowkey wish I had because there are a LOT of characters. It does a bit of a recap, but I was struggling to remember some of the minor characters. (The Laughlin family tree left me fuzzy, but that’s on me.) We launch instantly into the new puzzles and twists: with Avery and Jameson making a bet on who can solve the mystery first. Is Toby Hawthorne still alive.

I really don’t want to spoil anything but just know that there are a LOT OF TWISTS. There are twists that double back on themselves just to leave you pleasantly spinning. A lot of it is about family trees and the past too, so we get to unpack the mystery behind Toby’s “death” and start chewing through more clues on WHY Avery was chosen to inherit the Hawthorne fortune (also why Tobias disinherited all his kids too). The whole book is so thoroughly unpredictable too. I love that. I love how I never knew what would happen next, which twists would toss me off the next proverbial cliff, or who would even be telling the truth.

“Allow me to let you in on a Hawthorne trade secret, Heiress: There are no rules that matter more than winning.”

Avery really does NOT rest or catch a break through all of her powering through the clues and unravelling mysteries. Which like I get, but also (a) girl is not enjoying her fortune very much, and (b) I want to know how Mr Hawthorne even had time to amass his billions because all he seemed to do was leave clues and puzzles within clues and puzzles for his kids/grandkids to solve 20 years later. There is a lot of rich people angst here, but pfft, it was fun.

Also the characters continue to be my favourite!! I love Avery. I love how she’s still an overwhelmed, rough-around-the-edges teen who gets annoyed at rich people protocols and literally has no idea how to enjoy being famous. She is very reserved still, very unwilling to want things in case they’re snatched away. Also I lowkey love her relationship to her lawyers/surveillance team 🥺 I know it’s just their job, but Alisa and Oren are the best and care for her so much.

And those stupid Hawthorne boys 😪👌🏻 I love them. Greyson, the composed cool calm and collected young mister business man. Jameson, the absolute charming suave little shit who is all about puzzles and games and being enigmatic while a little bit tortured. Xander, who is just cheerful and fun and isn’t into his older brothers’ dramas and always inventing some robot contraption. Jameson is my favourite, I will not lie. I just love his devil-may-care attitude until he realises that he does, in fact, care quite a lot. Also Greyson/Jameson are drama queens with their brotherly challenges to each other and I love them but they’re also idiots 😂 (Also I realise Nash is the fourth Hawthorne brother, but let’s agree he’s useless.)

Games, twisted secrets, ridiculous wealth, and shocking revelations — this is such a deliciously enjoyable mystery series and so unputdownable. I need more.

Thanks to Penguin Australia for the review copy! It’s out Sept 14th, 2021.

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions – including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.
As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture – by any means necessary.
With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Booktopia | Penguin AUS