The Brothers Hawthorne

Series Info/Source: This is the 4th (companion novel) to The Inheritance Games trilogy. I borrowed this on ebook through the library.

Thoughts: I wasn't sure if I would like another book in the Inheritance Game from Grayson and Jameson's POV. I shouldn't have worried, I ended up loving this. This book takes place some time after The Inheritance Games trilogy ends and alternates POV between Grayson and Jameson.

Grayson finds out that one of his half-sisters is in trouble and swoops in to help. When he gets there he finds out his two half-sisters are trying to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance, something Grayson can't let them do. Things end up getting very complicated as you can imagine, as Grayson tries to balance his show more new-found family with the lies he must tell.

Jameson is asked for a favor from his father that draws both him and Avery into an exclusive underground gaming club where the stakes are ridiculously high. Jameson will have to decide what he wants more, to please his father or win for himself.

I was a bit nervous about this spin-off book because I love the first three books so much. I shouldn't have worried. We bounce between Grayson's and Jameson's viewpoints flawlessly and smoothly, the story never felt fractured to me. This was completely engrossing and hard to put down as well. There is a lot at stake for both Grayson and Jameson and they need to balance the needs of the Hawthorne family with the needs of their newfound families, while staying true to themselves. This was full of amazing puzzles and wonderful twists and turns.

Avery is in the story quite a bit and I loved that we got to see some of Xander and Nash as well. The new characters introduced were as amazing as the ones already in the series, and I really enjoyed them all.

The way this ended it looks like there is another book planned in this series now.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this, it was well written, engaging, and kept me guessing. It was so much fun to spend time with our favorite characters and I adored the new characters that were introduced. This was filled with wonderful puzzles, mysteries, and twists and turns. I am excited to hear that there's going to be another book in this series! show less

Grayson and Jameson Hawthorne are both involved in adventures that include their blood relatives. Grayson's half sisters and their mother are in trouble, and he isn't about to let them lose everything even though he believes they hate him. In helping them, though, he must be careful to keep a devastating secret about their father. Jameson has been looking for another challenge, one that will occupy his mind and make him feel he is worthy of the Hawthorne name. When his father, Ian, presents him with a test that consists of a game to play, Jameson can't resist.

The Brothers Hawthorne is a bit of a departure from the original three books in the Inheritance Games series. While characters are familiar, the main conflict only includes the two show more brothers, each with a different game of his own to play. The other two Hawthorne brothers and Avery are still involved, but they are just supporting characters in this book. One problem with this story is that there are so many references to the original trilogy that all of the books need to be binged in order for those details to be fresh in the reader's mind. Also, the emotional stakes aren't high enough for the reader to be able to connect with the characters and the plot lines never intersect, which doesn't allow for Jameson and Grayson to have any conflict between the two of them. However, the two mysteries and the clues that lead to their solutions are well developed and enjoyable to read. Overall, The Brothers Hawthorne is two good mysteries that lack emotional depth. show less

i went in with lowwwww expectations, considering i this considerably later than the pub date, and saw …mixed… reviews. and tbh i honestly loved it.

grayson’s story was definitely far more interesting and had higher stakes than jameson’s. i loved how they all came together at the end, especially for grayson.

i loved graysons family so much!!!!! that whole plot line was MWAH chefs kiss. gigi was amazing— and her a grayson’s relationship was one of my favorites in this book. AND OMG acadia was amazing, even tho i’m littllleeee suspicious of anyone as nice as her but idk we’ll see in the next book.

jameson and avery were a lil dry, and kinda boring, but they honestly fit each other. i like rohan probably better than both of show more them. he was an interesting character.

andddd as always xander and nash were amazing, we love them. however i did miss libby, yet i see she doesn’t have as strong of connection to the youngest 3 boys so i can see why she wasn’t as present.

low expectations always measures up to making for a good read!! show less

Book #4 in the series. After inheriting the Hawthorne millions, Avery and Jameson Hawthorne travel the globe. But when risk and a challenge come Jameson's way, he can't resist and is plunged into a new world of mystery & puzzle-solving. Meanwhile, his brother Grayson is back in the States trying to protect the other half of his family from....who?

After enjoying the first 3 books in this series, which wrapped up quite neatly at the end of book 3, I was ready to dislike this 4th book, based both on the fact that the reviews weren't as good and it just seemed like it was an unnecessary addition to the series. I also didn't care for the fact that, after the first 3 books were written from Avery's POV, this one alternated back and forth show more between Jameson and Grayson's POVs, and it was a whole different feeling. There were some other things I didn't care for as much -- the excessive underlying italicized thoughts from the brothers interspersed throughout, as well as the two totally different storylines that were going on which really had nothing to do with each other. However, the story did grow on me as I kept reading, so I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I originally might. Was it as good as the first 3 books? No. Was it necessary? No. Was it awful? No. In the end, this was an "okay" book, but I would've been fine stopping after book #3. show less

This book entwines two separate stories and had flashbacks to the time when both Grayson and Jameson were learning from their grandfather about what their futures would be like.

Greyson Hawthorne meets his half-sisters when they are having trouble but needs to keep the fate of their father from them while still solving their problems. Greyson finds himself feeling a lot of guilt as he gets to know his sisters.

Jameson Hawthorne is also dealing with a father problem. His has asked him to infiltrate an exclusive club and win back the estate he lost at cards. He and Avery do manage to infiltrate the club and are chosen to take part in an annual game that can bring great riches or expose great secrets.

Both stories are engaging and filled show more with puzzles. Each of the young men have learning experiences that give them a different look at their lives and their futures. show less

“If you want, Mystery Girl, you can start calling me Mystery Boy." -Jameson”

-4 stars-

Why babes, why?
Come on Jennifer! The whole series was perfect before this book.
Honestly, the book kind of confused. Even from the very start it was a bit complicated and hard to understand. I wish that Jennifer Lynn Barnes would have just continued writing the books from Avery's pov, because it was quite confusing when they were written in the brother's pov.
Okay, this book wasn't all bad (though, I didn't love it). I personally feel like though the book was a bit confusing, the writing was still amazing! I loved the details and the funny jokes that Zander was always telling.
Once again, I probably would have just stopped the series at book three show more and left it there, because book four really didn't add much to the series.
Though, it was quite intresting getting to hear from the brothers perspectives. I always kind of thought Jameson was always only meh with Avery and their relationship, but I think it gave insight into just how much he actually loves her.
Overall, a bit of a bummer book, but probably worth a read if you have the time for it. I feel like the book would have made a good 3.5, or maybe as an extra.

“Some of us exist just a little too loudly for the comfort of those who would prefer we did not exist at all.” show less

This book focused more on Jameson and Grayson than I think the previous three did. It was about them trying to come to terms with themselves and family, as unlike Nash and Xander, they had never quite managed to move past their grandfather's teachings in a healthy way. I like seeing Grayson interact with his sisters, and doubly so as we got to see him be protective big brother in a more natural way. While it was nice to see Jameson come into himself, it is also interesting that I feel like he didn't actually interact with Avery that much, for all that he was thankful for her constant support of what he needed. Also, I am not sure I like where the storyline is going with Eve.