Tag: family drama

REVIEW: The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

REVIEW: The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Grayson is drawn to Phoenix to help the younger sisters he has never met. But the line between helping them in their current circumstances and protecting them from the truth gets hard to walk. If necessary, he’d rather have them hate him in order to keep his secrets – for everyone’s sake.

Jameson’s father draws him into a challenge he can’t resist. Make his way into a secret gaming establishment and retrieve what his father lost. Jameson’s never been one to walk away from a challenge – especially if it can connect him to the family he’s never known.

Two of the four Hawthorne brothers might be running personal missions – but they are never alone. Avery, Nash, and Xander are always ready to lend a hand.

Review

This is a continuation of the Inheritance Games series – and readers really need to have have read that whole series for this to make sense. In fact, I wish I had at least re-read Final Gambit for a refresher before diving into this.

The emphasis here is on the brothers rather than Avery (although she does play a part). I have never connected with Jameson in the earlier books, so him telling half the story here really made it hard for me to get into this initially. Grayson’s story was a little easier for me to enjoy.

By the end, though, I was completely in the groove. I loved any time the four brothers were all together. (Xander is my favorite by far – I *need* a Xander-focused story!) The ending of both stories was great, and the next book is set up nicely at the very end. Fans of The Inheritance Games should absolutely pick this up to continue the story of these characters.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon

REVIEW: Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Jillian Moorewood is newly released from prison. Crashing her family of con artists’ big garden party by arriving – unannounced – in a helicopter was a stroke of genius. They were nearly apoplectic.

She had told them all they needed to go straight while she dealt with her prison sentence. But with her out of the way, they doubled down on their schemes. Now Jillian is going to wrangle this family onto the straight and narrow, no matter what it takes.

Jillian’s allies insist she have a bodyguard because the rest of the family won’t go down without a fight. And Beck the bodyguard is committed to keeping Jillian safe – and finding all the evidence they need to keep her that way. The banter and steamy interactions between them is just a bonus!

Review

This was so fun! I couldn’t read this as quickly as I wanted to – these last few weeks have been just too busy. But this was never far from my mind in the long gaps. I remembered everything in the interim while I waited to pick this back up again (something that rarely happens when I have to take a break from a story). I longed to curl up with it. Once I carved out some time, I blitzed through to the end.

This was a perfect fit for me. I loved Jillian. Her revenge fantasies – and realities – were right up my alley. I couldn’t wait for her family to get their comeuppance, but at the same time, I also didn’t hate them when they were on the scene. The author does a masterful job of walking the fine line between making the reader want to see them get theirs while also not making readers despise them. The choice to give one of them a few POV chapters really helped with this too.

I enjoyed Jillian’s personal journey as she wrestled with her responsibility for and to her family. There were some Enneagram 2-ish vibes to this part of the story that I enjoyed. I highly recommend this book – super satisfying story with great characters!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

REVIEW: Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Meg’s notebook-that-tells-her-when-to-breathe says she should be busy with wedding tasks for her brother’s big day. But she’s also gotten drawn into checking into some cold cases. Her nephew and a buddy started a true crime podcast and seem to have gotten some unwanted attention.

Meg has a few cases to check out – a cheating scandal, a missing singer, and a robbery-turned-homicide. The three cases have her chasing all around the community. Each case seems so cold she’s not sure there’s anything new to discover. But there must be something she is missing because someone wants these cases to just go away. And they’ll do anything to make that happen.

Review

What a wild ride! One of the things I love about this series is the antics of Meg’s family. And they are in rare form in this book. In fact, in telling a funny part to my husband I realized, for an outsider, this family is too ridiculous to be believed. But I love them.

The mystery was fun. Meg has three different cases to dig into. And each one initially seems like it’s too old, too cold, to make any headway. But in the end it all comes together. The ending was satisfying and enjoyable.

Series fans should pick this one up. I laughed out loud MANY times while reading. And I always enjoy time with Meg and the crew. Newcomers might find the family antics to be a bit too much without the history and context that makes them endearing. The mysteries can easily stand alone for new series readers. Hopefully you’ll find the family chaos fun enough to go back and pick up the earlier books in the series – it’s one of my favorites! Book 32, Dashing through the Snowbirds, is out now, and I plan to review that one soon.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.