Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
Review:
I’ve seen a lot of hype for this book over the last couple of years, and I do tend to enjoy this author, but she’s never been a favorite. Her books tend to be more plot-oriented, less character driven. And sometimes I do like that. I do love a good, suspenseful mystery. However, my favorites are always character-driven stories. That being said, I read a review that drew me back to the book, and I’m glad I finally gave in….I ate this book up!
This was definitely more a suspense-driven mystery than character developed drama. However, the mystery was just so much fun, and such a dream, I couldn’t stop reading. Who doesn’t want to inherit billions of dollars from a total stranger for no apparent reason? And who doesn’t want to all of a sudden live amongst several attractive guys who are trying to solve the same mystery? And who doesn’t want to live in a mansion filled with secret passages and riddles?
This book is part “Knives Out,” mystery, part wish fulfillment, part love triangle, part “Gossip Girl.” I found myself up to 2:30am one work night, going why am I not sleeping??? And it’s rare that a book does this for me any more. There’s nothing ground-breaking here. A lot of the characters feel familiar, like characters almost based off of ones I’ve met before. But, the story was just so much fun, and I needed a good, fun story. The game of it kind of reminded of Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library, in a good way. I can’t wait to read more riddles.
All in all, the book will keep you guessing until the end. And I’m already itching to read book 2. I’m so glad the whole series is finished, so I can just binge it at my own pace. I give this a 9/10.
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