The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes -- Restarting October 20th 2025

[Maisha]

Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.

[Maisha]

Starting a little early because I CAN'T wait. It's been almost a year since I read book 2 (which I didn't particularly like). So, my memory is a bit fuzzy. But I'm sure I remember enough to continue. Excited to see how the series ends.

[Maisha]

I really don't get why poeple are either "team Grayson" or "team Jameson". Both of them are amazing. I'll be happy with whomever Avery chooses, as long as all of them get happy endings.

[Maisha]

Chapter 1-5 (view spoiler)[I really don't get it. Avery and Jameson are together. As far as I can tell, they aren't officially in a relationship (are they?) but they are together. Yet Avery haven't got over Grayson. Why the hell did she chose Jameson if she still had lingering feelings for Grayson?? She should be more careful and sure. Grayson seems so lost and alone. I'm feeling really bad for him. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 6-12 (view spoiler)[Grayson and Eve??? (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 30 (view spoiler)[ Avery is jealous of Eve. I understand though. She's feeling insecure. But is she jealous of how Gray treats her? The whole thing is so messed up. I love the quite moments when the Hawthorne brothers opens up and talks about their feelings. That scene where Jameson showed Avery how vulnerable he actually is inside...I'm glad they are communicating properly.

Who has kidnapped Toby? The kidnapper clearly is very clever and wicked. What does they want? Surely it's someone we know, right? What's so special about the disk? (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 1-5 [spoilers removed]"

I figured I’d start early as well then. (view spoiler)[ my assumption was that Avery feels sorry for Grayson and like she owes him something more than she liked him. I do feel like she needs to take some time to sort her feelings about everything that’s happened as well as Jameson and Grayson. Way too much has happened for her to be able to fully comprehend everything that’s happened whilst still solving puzzles. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Chapter 12
(view spoiler)[ I want to hear more about Xander’s father. It looks like Xander and Max might end up getting together. Everyone seems to be pairing up in this one. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 37 (view spoiler)[ Eve might be a good person. But isn't it too quick to accept her into the inner circle? And from what I've been seeing, Grayson has totally fallen for her. Only because she looks like Emily? Stupidity.. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

(view spoiler)[I don't believe she's a good person though. But who knows.. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 48 (view spoiler)[DON’T TRUST ANYONE. I'm sure it's about Eve. Things just got even more interesting. Can't wait to know what'll happen next. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 60 (view spoiler)[I love Xander! Gray isn't thinking clearly.  In his mind, Eve is Emily. It's sad but frustrating too. I don't trust her. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Chapter 68 (view spoiler)[ I guessed it right. Eve isn't the innocent girl she made everyone believe. I loved this chapter. Grayson's confession had me in tears. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Finished (view spoiler)[The ending was predictable to be honest. I kind of guessed that she would end up donating the money. But still those chess matches surprised me. There was actually a "Final Gambit". That was risky but brilliant move on Avery's part. I pained me to see how Toby sacrificed himself for his daughters. The love triangle was well handled. I found it genuine. All in, it was a good book. 4 stars from me. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Chapter 25
(view spoiler)[ I think I’d be sick of puzzles by now if I was a part of this family. It feels like there’s been quite a bit of filler in this one. We haven’t made a whole lot of progress yet. I’m interested to see how this ends though. I’m assuming Toby will be fine but I feel like Avery isn’t going to end up with the inheritance. (hide spoiler)]

[Maisha]

Aaron wrote: "Chapter 25
[spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[Yeah, I was so sick of these never ending puzzles and games. And I was only reading about them! I don't know how I could've endured it if it was real. Toby is a good man. He was trying his best to protect Avery and Eve. He should be fine. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 37 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ it does seem a bit unhawthorne like to trust her so quickly. I feel like she’s alright and it just wants to get out of this mess and get Toby back. Grayson should definitely take a step back. I doubt Eve would want to be a part of this world when Toby’s back anyway so it can’t end well for Grayson. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Chapter 42
(view spoiler)[ I wonder why Grayson was raised to be the heir anyway. It seems a bit unfair to put that pressure on one person who isn’t even the oldest. I don’t think I’d have held it all together if I’d lost my grandfather, then everything that was supposed to be mine was given to a stranger, then a girl who looked exactly like my dead girlfriend showed up. Grayson needs to get out for longer and find someone he can actually talk to. All of them should have therapists to be fair after the way they’ve grown up. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Chapter 55
(view spoiler)[ Based on that clue about a father and 2 sons, I’m assuming the man that has taken Toby is Vincent Blake’s son. It sounds like Vincent took in Tobias and favoured him to his son and his son would’ve had a very different life if Vincent Blake’s name was on the real patent. He’d have had a whole lot more money. He probably feels like he’s owed something. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 68 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ We both got part of the story right then. It was all about Vincent Blake’s son but I wasn’t expecting a family connection. Everything is alway about family in these books. If there’s ever another one of these books, the villain is probably someone’s secret child. I’m glad Grayson came around in the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Done
(view spoiler)[ I’m pretty happy with that ending. It might not have been a big twist or anything but I like that the characters all ended up happy. I reckon Toby will be able to build a pretty good life with Eve. The chess matches were interesting. I thought the best outcome would be Avery winning twice and then Toby beating Eve but this worked out as well. I’ve enjoyed this series and this was a pretty satisfying end. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

15%

(view spoiler)[Aww, the tiny fancy party was cute.

Eve showing up like this is very suspish. And boy did Grayson nearly have a heart attack at seeing her.

I keep wondering what that little coin or trinket is. Why would Toby give it to Avery’s mom? (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 1-5 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I noticed the same thing. She is "with" Jameson but seems to be all butt hurt that Grayson won't talk to her. It seems like she still may have feelings for him. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen]

Didn’t realise I’d not updated thoughts on here. About halfway through now. The pacing of this is making me catch my breath. The game-playing seems part of a bigger picture, and I’m really hoping that they can catch a break.

[Karen]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 1-5 [spoilers removed]"

The relationship between these three is strange.

[Karen]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 30 Avery is jealous of Eve. I understand though. She's feeling insecure. But is she jealous of how Gray treats her? The whole thing is so messed up. I love the quite moments when the Hawth..."

(view spoiler)[ There's a part of me wondering if the whole disk is a huge red herring. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 48 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ My gut feeling is the lawyer...she is shifty...and her determination to get Avery to take out a trust seems suspicious in light of this comment. (hide spoiler)]

[Bayan]

I'm halfway through the second book and a few other books so i will get to this soon

[Karen]

Third quarter. (view spoiler)[ Has Blake been mentioned before now? (Other than the obtuse link with the poem) This is a somewhat unexpected diversion but I like the way this secret/game goes so far back. (hide spoiler)]

[Karen]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 68 [spoilers removed]"

I'm not quite so caught up in the Grayson thing, but I was pleased to see that I'd read eve correctly. Totally misread Ailsa, but you can't win them all!

[Karen]

Aaron wrote: "Done
[spoilers removed]"

Couldn't help but wonder if there's potential for more.

[Karen]

Finished. Review on home page.

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

45%

(view spoiler)[Jameson’s conversation with Avery was interesting. She swore that she didn’t have feelings for Grayson and that he was who she wanted. He told her to be sure because he didn’t trust himself not to play games if she wasn’t serious. That he only knew how to be bad but he wanted to be good for her. I wonder if Jameson is going to start playing games? I hope that he doesn’t hurt Avery. But I think that Grayson and Eve being a thing is messed up since she looks exactly like the girl he loved that died. It is just messed up.

Wow. Mr. Hawthorne knew about Eve. I wonder what that means. I’m going to call it now. I bet Eve is evil.

Whoa. Mr. Hawthorne did some shady things to get all that money. I wonder what the knowledge of all the bad things that he did will affect the Hawthornes. Grayson doesn’t seem to be taking to too well. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 6-12 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, that seems like a bad thing. I mean, she looks just like the dead girl that he loved. It's just messed up. I don't think that he is separating them. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 30 Avery is jealous of Eve. I understand though. She's feeling insecure. But is she jealous of how Gray treats her? The whole thing is so messed up. I love the quite moments when the Hawth..."

(view spoiler)[I liked the scene with Jameson and Avery too. He definitely expressed how he felt but his words also sounded like a threat. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aaron wrote: "Chapter 12
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I'm curious about Xander's father too. Especially if he was on Mr. Hawthorne's big bad list. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

66%

(view spoiler)[Grayson’s breakdown was so sad.

William Blake. Okay, so what if Toby’s biological dad was William Blake. And that is why he had the seal? Rebecca’s mom said that Toby’s dad just left. It’s all so suspish! (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Finished!

(view spoiler)[OMG, I was right. William Blake is Toby’s bio father. So he is Eve’s grandfather. And Vincent Blake is her great grandfather. But where is William? Did he die? I didn’t get that part.

I knew Eve was evil. Good riddance.

I love how Avery outsmarted that old man. It’s so sad that Toby has to stay there though.

I had a feeling that Avery would give away most of the money in the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maisha wrote: "Chapter 37 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, he was totally enamored with her because she looked like Emily. I am glad that he came to his senses and put the past behind him. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Maisha wrote: "Finished [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I had a feeling that she would give away the money too. And I was also surprised by the chess games. But it made sense. It really is sad about Toby though. I wonder if the author will write a spin-off and maybe we will find out what happens to him? (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aaron wrote: "Chapter 42
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I have to agree. Grayson has been through so much. And the therapist comment is perfect because really they need it. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aaron wrote: "Done
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I feel the same. I thought that the ending was pretty satisfying. I expected Avery to give the money away. It just made sense. I wasn't expecting the chess matches at the end but I liked it. I just wish that Toby wouldn't have been left with Blake. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Finished!

(view spoiler)[ William Blake definitely died and was buried at Hawthorne house. The part that I didn’t understand was why Vincent was only trying to collect his son’s body now. Surely he’d known it was there for a long time. I know he had a pact with Tobias to leave each other alone but this was his son’s body. (hide spoiler)]

[Vanessa Gayle ⚔️]

Aaron wrote: "♛Vanessa♛ wrote: "Finished!

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I had the same thought. It mentioned that Tobias kept Vincent at bay but as you said it was his son. What could Tobias really do to stop him from trying to get his son's body? I guess we'll never know but it's still brain-racking. (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting August 17th 2023. Happy Reading ☺

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[Helen 2.0]

I read this all in one go today. It was a lot like the other two books to me (view spoiler)[which is to say, underwhelming.

All the mysteries seem pretty shallow, and I did not see the point of the love triangle at all. The endless repetition of certain lines (like the "glass ballerina" thing) drove me up the wall.

However I do think because of the fast pace and the shallowness of the plot these are really easy to consume quickly. And I do like all the Hawthorne brothers as characters, even though the idea that billionaire heirs in our society would grow up to be anything but entitled and evil takes a LOT of suspension of disbelief haha (hide spoiler)]

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting November 20th 2023. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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[Haley]

just finished this book!! I enjoyed it

thoughts on ending of book (view spoiler)[ I wasn't the BIGGEST fan of the love triangle, but it did add to the question of "who is Avery going to end up with?" Overall I was happy with the ending, but I don't know why I was expecting it to end differently in a way?? I'm not sure how, but I think it was because I put off reading this book for a year after the 2nd one so I wasn't as invested. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Im so glad to hear you enjoyed this. Ive fallen behind with the series but am going to hopefully finish off book 2 in the next day or 2 before diving into this one.

[Dannii]

Just finishing off book two and then diving into this one today. The previous two books were rereads but this is my first time reading this one :)