The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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Riddles, codes and puzzles!

Three weeks after being taken away from her regular life and being named heir in billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s will, Avery is telling Jameson how she met Harry, aka Tobias Hawthorne II. Xander’s letter from his grandfather left him a clue to find his son Toby, so off they go on another riddle solving journey that’ll take them to Colorado searching for a compass and a ring and show them discoveries they might wish were left alone. After a professional hit and a bomb exploding, Avery is pretty shaken. The Hawthorne household is shaken too. It’s always an unpredictable ride when Hawthornes are involved.

Likes/dislikes: I love all of the puzzles that the characters work on and solve! I like how a mystery is always in the background of The Inheritance Games books. The characters are complex and the author has given them unique personalities.
Language: R for 37 swears, no f-words.
Mature content: PG for passionate kissing.
Violence: PG for the following: bloody cow heart with a knife stuck in it left on Avery’s bed; kidnapping; a bomb that killed two security guards.
Ethnicity: falls to white. Avery’s friend Max is Asian American.

Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer

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The most dangerous enemy…

Enola is at the graveyard and hears a chiming bell. She finally pinpoints the sound at a burial site and when it’s dug up, a young woman, Trevina is inside. Trevina doesn’t remember her name or how she ended up in the burial site. Enola takes Trevina to her helpful acquaintance Florence Nightingale to nurse her back to health and hopefully recover her memory. While Enola helps Trevina regain health and memories, she also wants to help Sherlock with his nemesis, Moriarty.

Likes/dislikes: I love how the reader is introduced to Florence Nightingale and we get a glimpse of her home. Enola is as persistent and intelligent as always. The whole Moriarty mystery is interesting and ominous.
Language: PG for 3 swears.
Mature Content: G – none.
Violence: PG for attack and kidnapping.
Ethnicity: Falls to white.

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Escape rooms all around!

Avery and three Hawthorne brothers, Nash, Jameson and Xander, create a game together with seven players. The winner gets a million dollars. The players are forced into teams as they are locked into different escape rooms, securing teammates. Gigi, Knox and Brady become a team; Savannah and Rohan are a team; Grayson, Lyra and Odette are a team. They must work together to escape their rooms and make it to the dock by dawn the next morning. Avery and the Hawthornes know how to figure out riddles and they know how to create difficult ones. Who will make it to the dock first?

Likes/dislikes: I thoroughly enjoyed the riddles that the contestants had to solve. The mysterious watcher creates suspense and an added tension! Wonderful character development.
Language: R for 47 swears, no f-words.
Mature content: PG for gentle kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Rohan has light brown skin. Knox is white. Brady has ebony skin. Lyra has golden tan skin.

The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston

Posted on by lynndellwatson

The Revenant Games #1

How far would you go to save a loved one?

Bly loves her sister Elise and appreciates how Elise does the things Bly doesn’t want to do, like helping their parents with their work. When Elise is trapped by a witch’s spell, Bly will do whatever it takes to get her sister back. The sister’s mutual and lifelong friend Emerson is willing to help. They enter the Revenant Games to win Elise back and become entangled in the witches’ and vampires’ play for power. Emerson has a witch acquaintance who he believes will help but she may have an agenda of her own. When Bly is surrounded by a group of dangerous vampires, a mysterious vampire saves her and she later learns that his name is Kerrigan, a vampire prince. Will Bly and Emerson get lost in the midst of the violent Revenant Games?

Likes/dislikes: I noticed a few typos and also an incorrect use of the word waste, should have been waist and I wondered about the editing process. I liked the journey of Bly discovering what she truly wants in life as she matures. Kerrigan is an interesting character and I enjoyed learning about his background and reasons for his actions.
Language: R for 9 swears and 6 f-words.
Mature content: PG for gentle, sweet kissing.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody fighting, beheading, bloody death.
Ethnicity: Emerson has dark brown skin. Bly has pale skin.