Cbr16bingo Games, Bingo Blackout
This book is the start of a YA series that promises to be fun to follow. The main characters are mostly teens, mostly very wealthy, and all involved in a strange and dangerous game that seems to have been contrived by Tobias Hawthorne. Hawthorne was a billionaire who was fond of games and inventions. He loved puzzles and riddles, and constantly challenged his grandsons to match wits with him. Tobias has died, and his two daughters and four grandsons expect to be the beneficiaries of his will, but, in an unexpected twist Tobias has left the bulk of his wealth to a girl none of them know —16 year old Avery Grambs. The kicker is that Avery has no idea who this man was or why she has been singled out, but she knows she is in danger and will have to figure out quickly who she can trust.
Avery Grambs has had a tough life, but she is smart and has goals. Her father took off a long time ago and her mother died recently. Avery’s mother instilled a love of games in her from a young age, with “I have a secret” being a game they played frequently. Now with both parents out of the picture, Avery is living with her older sister Libby. They work hard to make ends meet and are devoted to each other. Libby has an abusive boyfriend named Drake, and Avery finds herself living out of her junker car when her world is turned upside down. One of the grandsons of Tobias Hawthorne, billionaire, tells her that she has been named in the great man’s will. Avery and Libby are whisked off to the Hawthorne mansion in Texas for the reading of the will. Tobias has left the bulk of his fortune to Avery, and he has put in place a number of rules on inheritance that make it almost impossible for his daughters and grandsons to contest the will, but that doesn’t mean that Hawthorne clan won’t do their best to get Avery out of the way so they can inherit.
Tobias’ grown daughters are furious, of course. But each of his four grandsons (and Avery) receive letters from Tobias with cryptic messages. Clearly, they are meant to learn something. Avery wants to know how and why Tobias chose her. The other sons’ motivations are less clear and the four boys couldn’t be more different. The oldest, Nash, is a handsome good ol’ boy who isn’t interested in the family wealth or competing for anything. Grayson is rather the opposite; he (and his mother) expected him to be the primary beneficiary of the will. Grayson is handsome and brilliant but he is also angry ans suspicious of Avery. Jameson is the “bad boy” who drinks too much and carries a dark secret within. He is very interested in trying to figure out the message his grandfather left him and seems to want to work with Avery to figure this out, but can he be trusted? Will he use Avery and break her heart? And finally the youngest son Xander — another brilliant creator/inventor. He also seems uninterested in solving whatever puzzle their grandfather left, but he often has interesting information and helpful advice for Avery. The two end up in school together, and Xander helps Avery navigate the social scene at the exclusive private school they attend.
According to the will, Avery and all of the Hawthornes must live together in the same house for a year in order to get their inheritance. The house is a puzzle itself, with secret passages, tunnels and trick doors, some of which hold clues to the workings of Tobias’ mind. But there is danger behind every corner as well. Paparazzi camp outside the mansion, desperate for the story of Avery Grambs, the wealthiest girl in the world. All kinds of people come out of Avery’s past, either for a moment in the spotlight or to try to cash in on their link to Avery. And someone definitely wants her dead.
I enjoyed reading this story and learning more about the characters. Avery is smart, tough, funny and decent. The Hawthorne brothers are handsome but also trouble. Several female characters warn Avery that she should not get mixed up with them, that bad things happen to girls who do, but while Avery’s head understands that message, her heart does not. There is plenty of exciting action, made all the more fun because of the expensive toys that Hawthornes have (such as helicopters and a fleet of prestige cars). And while some big questions are answered at the end of the novel, new questions arise and set the stage for book 2. I will admit that I am curious enough that I might have to keep reading this series.