Release Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Intermix
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Olivia Mayfield’s thrilling and sexy novel about seductive money, deadly secrets, and fatal attractions—available in one complete edition!
Maggie Willings knew that returning home for her estranged grandfather’s funeral would not be easy, but she never expected the reading of his will to be the most difficult part. It turns out her grandfather named four people beneficiaries to his vast estate—Maggie, her brother Robert, her ex-boyfriend Andrew, and her grandfather’s far-too-young girlfriend Bethany. But only one of them will win his millions: whoever finds out the truth about what happened to Maggie’s younger sister Cassandra, who vanished over eight years ago.
As her grandfather’s strange challenge pits Maggie against those nearest to her, she’s reluctant to drag up painful memories of her sister and distracted by a lingering attraction to Andrew. But as she delves deeper into her sister’s mysterious vanishing, she begins to discover that each of the contestants has dangerous secrets to hide—and with ten million dollars on the line, no one, not even those she loves most, can be trusted.
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| 2.5 Cauldrons |
I don't recommend reading THE INHERITANCE by Olivia Mayfield as a serial because it's not episodic enough. No gripping mini-cliffhangers at the end of each part that will compel you to grab the next one and keep on reading. The only way to stay motivated to read this novel is if you either have all 6 parts or you get the omnibus.
To be fair, THE INHERITANCE isn't good but it's not bad either. It's lukewarm at best and as I am not a fan of lukewarm reads, this tanked for me. This promised to be a sexy and suspenseful read and it is on paper but the execution is lacking. First off, I find the premise curious, we have a rich grandaddy setting up this investigation contest between his grandkids, a friend, and his young lover, to solve the mystery of his other granddaughter, Cassandra's, disappearance that happened many years back. It's odd because it doesn't seem logical but for the sake of Drama, I want to see how this would unfold.
As the story moved forward, it was quite easy to figure out who the perpetrator is so the excitement of solving the mystery is already gone before I even reached 50%. So I then focused on the intrigue between the MC, Maggie, and her ex-BFF, Bethany, who became her grandfather's lover. That didn't pan out either because there wasn't a lot of confrontations between Maggie and Bethany and in the end, these two made up thanks to Bethany's sob story. With that tanking, I was banking on the romance instead. It said sexy right so PLEASE! LET THE ROMANCE BE FANTASTIC! Le sigh... it wasn't that good either because it felt forced and it's like OMayfair added sex for the sake of sex. I found myself skipping this part after the first dry hook up. I did like the second chance in love that went on between Maggie and Andrew but it was too perfectly placed and saccharine sweet for it to be convincing. There's too much that happened between them that can't be resolved over a few overnights, heart to heart talks, and Chinese takeout!
Then there's the resolution, half of it is good while the other half isn't. As I've already figured out who the culprit is, and trust me, I suck at murder mysteries so the fact that I solved it early on is very telling. Anyway, I wasn't surprised when the players in Cassandra's disappearance were revealed. What I found heartbreaking was the what, why, and how of it. It's cold, careless, and sad, Cassandra was cast off like trash and in that moment I felt Maggie's grief. After all that wrapped up, the result of who won THE INHERITANCE was revealed. Meh! It's too neat, tight, and nice that I didn't buy it because the conclusion doesn't mesh well with the premise of the story: you have a murder, intrigue, greed, deception and you end your story with mush?
Sigh.
The serials are all out, the omnibus goes live on July 15, 2014
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Omnibus links
Sadly, I think I'll pass on this one. Thank you for the honest review. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, it's so hard for me not to recommend a book that I've featured :(
DeleteThis does sound like a possibly great story, but it seems it didn't really go where it could have, after reading your review. Boo. Hot covers though, it is a hooking presentation.
ReplyDeleteYeah, totally digging the slinky dress and the staircase pose. You're right though, it didn't pan out too well for me :(
DeleteOuch. This sounds like a huge mess. I might have just read it for the second chance romance bit but as someone who loves her mysteries, I'd be pissed if I found out the culprit even before I hit the 50% mark. It's even more annoying that all of the other aspects failed to pay off so nothing about this book is particularly appealing. Eh.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you didn't enjoy this more, Braine :(
Fabulous review!
Rashika @ The Social Potato
I appreciate your sympathies, Rashika :)
DeleteI really dislike serials, so I definitely would have grabbed all 6 parts before starting this one. However, after reading your review I don't think I'm going to bother with it. A mushy ending after a story packed with intrigue? You're right, it just doesn't fit. Have a fab weekend, Braine!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know how much you love packed reads so I'm sure you and I would be on the same page here.
DeleteHappy weekend too!
well if it's not really good or really bad I'm not sure it's interesting to try. You know my problem with serial so I think I'll pass.
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking this out at least!
DeleteA luke warm read is definitely not the thing you get you out of a slump. I am sorry this one wasn't just a bit more to make it really stand out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sympathies :/
DeleteYeah, I do not do serials
ReplyDeleteIn this case, I won't convince you to try it
DeleteSerials have not worked for me and many authors I know have not liked how their sales turned out with serials. If you are going to do a serial you need those cliffhangers or exciting endings to keep readers reading. Sorry this one was meh!
ReplyDeleteSo true! You need to motivate your readers to keep on getting 'em
DeleteYikes! Sorry it was meh. It does have a certain fascination even if not very realistic with the mystery, but if its easy to solve then...not so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI wanted them to kill of each other over the inheritance. Sadly that didn't happen. I'm so bloodthirsty I know LOL
DeleteSorry that you didn't like this. I do like the covers for them however. Serials for me are either hit or miss. The mystery should always be somewhat believable. Another good review, SW.
ReplyDeleteGrace
Thanks, Grace!
DeleteBummer, the covers are gorgeous. I have an issue with serials in general and really think only Mira Grant and Suzanne Johnson now how to do them properly.
ReplyDeleteOoh I know SJohnson! I will rummage thru her book list, look for that serial you're referring to.
DeleteI've always steered clear of serials until lately, Braine. I'm sorry this one was such a mess. It did seem promising. May I recommend CD Reiss' or Ella James' serials?!? ;) They're both the reason I'm in love with serials.
ReplyDeleteYou're the second person who recommended CD Reiss, will most def check that out!
DeleteOh I remember seeing this one a while back and wishlisting it since I don't do serials. Definitely doesn't sound like the one for me. That's so disappointing it didn't really work out on so many fronts.
ReplyDeleteI think this one was getting mixed reviews...some like it, some didn't. It's always bad when you can figure out stuff early in a mystery. It's not much of one then. Love your (dis) like it title ;)
ReplyDelete