An Inheritance Games series explainer

Do you love puzzles and mysteries? If so, the Inheritance Games series is a must-read.

Following a girl named Avery who mysteriously inherits a huge fortune from a stranger, the books are fast-paced, entertaining and full of lovable characters – including a love triangle between the Hawthorne brothers, the grandsons of Avery's benefactor.

While not all of the books are in chronological order, it is best to follow a certain order to ensure that you don’t spoil any of the surprises that await in future books.

With three books at the core, and a few other stand-alone reads, get ready to set aside hours to delve into the world of Avery and the Hawthorne brothers.

Correct order to read the Inheritance Games series

The core trilogy

The core series is comprised of three books following Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne brothers: Grayson, Jameson, Xander and Nash (learn more about the characters here). This trilogy kicks off with Avery inheriting the entire fortune of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne.

Though Avery has no relation to Tobias – and has never even met the man – he bestows his entire estate upon her, jilting his grandsons. The one condition: Avery must live on the Hawthorne estate for a year. And no matter how much they might want to, all Hawthornes are prohibited from harming her . . . but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.

1.The Inheritance Games

She came from nothing.
Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future. Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why.

They had everything.
Now she must move into the mansion she's inherited. It's filled with secrets and codes, and the old man's surviving relatives - a family hell-bent on discovering why Avery got 'their' money.

Now there's only one rule: winner takes all.
Soon she is caught in a deadly game that everyone in this strange family is playing. But just how far will they go to keep their fortune?

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2. The Hawthorne Legacy

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.

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3. The Final Gambit

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.

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Spinoff books

Once you’ve finished the Inheritance Games trilogy, you’ll definitely be yearning for more. Thankfully, there are a few standalone books in the same universe to sate your appetite for all things Hawthorne-related. It’s still best to read these in a particular order:

4. The Brothers Hawthorne

Once you finish The Final Gambit, this is the logical next step. The Final Gambit ends with a one-year time jump between the last chapter and the epilogue. This book fills in that gap. Focusing on the two most controversial siblings, Grayson and Jameson, the book traverses the globe as each brother experiences a different twisted game. By now, you’ll know that the Hawthorne brothers love to win . . . but to what extent? And what will they sacrifice along the way?

FOUR BROTHERS. TWO MYSTERIES. ONE EXPLOSIVE READ.

Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson's half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem - efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.

Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can't resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London's most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.

Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson - with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather's fortune and stole their hearts - must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.

AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE HAWTHORNE THAN WINNING . . .

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5. The Grandest Game coming August 2024

At the end of The Final Gambit, which takes place after the events of The Brothers Hawthorne (remember, the one-year time gap), Avery announces a competition: the Grandest Game. With her newly inherited billions, she wants to give ordinary people like her the chance to use their wits to win fame and fortune. While there are some crossover characters, the book mainly focuses on the seven players. Some are in it for the money, some are in it for the power and others are in it for entirely different reasons. Amidst it all is Grayson, who knows all too well what it feels like to be pushed to the limit. Not everyone will play by the rules.

Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year's game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.

Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year's game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits-physically, mentally, and emotionally – it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules.

Do you have what it takes to play?

6. Games Untold coming November 2024

If you read the five other books and still can’t get enough, then Games Untold is the answer. Unlike the other books, it’s a collection. With two novellas and four short stories inside, the book offers new insight into the characters from the series. Set at different points throughout the trilogy, the book builds on some of the past mysteries and introduces some new insight into your favourite characters.

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favourite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.