A review by rusty_spurs
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

The amount of times I rolled my eyes while reading this book...

Plot
I really enjoyed the plot of the first book so I was happy to see I enjoyed this one almost as much. The story moved along quickly but I began to get tired of the plot twists because that's all that held this book together for me.

Characters
I find that the side characters are more favorable in my eyes than the main ones. Avery, the main character, irks me for a few reasons.
1. She obsessed over the guys. 
2. She's dramatic.
3. The whole book is her being selfish; going against security measures and doing the opposite of whatever is advised. She's not the strong, independent woman I think she was intended to embody - she's the annoying girl who's trying too hard to prove her independence. 

The Hawthorne brothers are easy to tell apart but Grayson and Jameson sometimes flow into one. No wonder Avery had a tough time deciding between the two. The writer has created these seemingly perfect guys but it's not one bit realistic. I wish readers were given characters that seemed human. And I know that the author points that out - the Hawthorne brothers aren't human. Yet I can't help but hate feel the disconnect with the brothers and their characters.

Relationships
Going on a rant about how much I hate the romance in this series would profit no one but me so I'll sum up my frustration with a few sentences. This books reads like it was meant for a lovesick thirteen-year-old. The guys in this are written to be attractive in everything they do. They breathe and Avery can't help but drool. The romance is so cheesy and unrealistic it kills me. I know it's YA fiction but COME ON! 

Overall, I don't hate this book but it's not something I will reread or recommend to most people. I'm planning on trying out the third book because the plot is interesting enough to keep me going though.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing

There is a lot of cheesy flirting in this book. One scene has some steamy kissing but nothing past that. There's also a lot of talk about people sleeping around.