This was such a weird read for me, because on one hand, I devoured this in one sitting on the couch, by the fireplace, with a dog occasionally demanding head scritches and cuddles. I didn't even fall asleep! It was great. Good pacing, good writing, pretty good characterization of our main girl Avery.

On the other hand, were the Hawthorne boys. Oh my god, what an insufferable lot they were - and to have the romance lead into some sort of weird love triangle that didn't feel organic AT ALL just made it all so much weirder and hard to swallow. I don't even want to get started on the insertion of the mystery about some girl who died before Avery arrives and we're supposed to care about it all of a sudden? Like it's suddenly THE mystery along with the inheritance??

So. Great pacing, good hook, good story overall. I liked Avery, when she wasn't thinking of the Hawthorne boys romantically. I liked her figuring out the mystery of why she got the inheritance, I liked seeing her adjust, I liked her.

I just could not stand Jameson and Grayson Hawthorne. Xander was okay. Nash was the best, but only because he barely got any focus. I couldn't stand the "cliffhanger" moments where a character drops a bombshell on Avery, but then the book just MOVES ON to the next scene or the next day and we have to wait a few pages or chapters to figure out what the bombshell meant. It's infuriating but it also kept me going, so good job, I guess?

Part of me wants to check out book 2 because I like Avery and I hope the ending of this book means more of a Xander focus, but if it starts to look like it's going to be Jameson and Grayson making their angst the center of attention again, I'm out.