
Avery learns that Hannah Rooney is her deceased mother, “Sarah,” who lived under a fake name after leaving her hometown and family. A local fisherman and a young girl, Hannah Rooney, helped nurse him back to health. Avery uncovers Hawthorne family secrets, notably that Toby/Harry was adopted and was primarily responsible for a fire on Hawthorne Island that killed three teenagers 20 years ago. The primary plotline follows Avery’s attempts to find Toby/Harry while also trying to determine why he abandoned his family’s fortune. However, Toby/Harry doesn’t want to be found and flees Avery’s attempts to locate him. At the conclusion of the first book, Avery discovers that Tobias’s son Toby, long presumed dead, is, in fact, still alive and living in Connecticut as Harry, an unhoused man with whom she used to play chess. The book picks up where its predecessor, The Inheritance Games, left off. She can only spend three nights away from the mansion during this time, or she will forfeit the inheritance.

To claim her fortune, Avery-who grew up in poverty-must live in the luxurious Hawthorne House for a year. The Hawthorne Legacy is told from the point of view of Avery Kylie Grambs, who has mysteriously inherited a billion-dollar fortune from deceased Texas billionaire Tobias Hawthorne. The edition used for this study guide is from Little Brown and Company, New York, NY, published in 2021. With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, Knives Out-like family intrigue, swoon-worthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new listeners alike.Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the author of several young adult novels, including another book in this series, The Final Gambit. 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.

As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, two of the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. 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. Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times best-selling The Inheritance Games.
