The Inheritance Games: Chapters 41–60

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs learns that Tobias Hawthorne, a deceased billionaire she never met, left most of his fortune to her. But in order to receive the inheritance, she has to live in Hawthorne's mansion for one year and contend with his angry family members who are out to get her.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–25, Chapters 26–40, Chapters 41–60, Chapter 61–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. implication
    a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
    “A room full of cars?” I replied apologetically, and then sleep cleared from my brain enough for me to process the implications of her question. “How did you know about the car?”
  2. torrid
    characterized by intense emotion
    “Equally important,” Max continued, "are you having a torrid affair with Jameson Hawthorne and should I plan for a spring wedding?”
  3. commiserate
    feel or express sympathy or compassion
    "God bless the paparazzi, am I right? I also heard that you had a very special chat with my mother." I wasn’t sure if he was pumping me for information or commiserating.
  4. passe
    out of fashion
    There was colored writing on the windows—calculations in different handwritings, like scratch paper was just so passé.
  5. imperiously
    in a manner showing arrogant superiority
    Thea met my gaze and gestured imperiously toward the seat next to her.
  6. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    “Her story”—Xander sighed—“involves star-crossed love, fake dating, heartbreak, tragedy, twisted familial relationships, penance, and a hero for the ages.”
  7. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    The question was tentative, like she fully expected to be slapped down. I tried to wrap my mind around the fact that someone that beautiful could be tentative about anything.
  8. defer
    hold back to a later time
    I deferred college for a year to learn the ropes at the foundation.
  9. projection
    a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations
    “You’re talking to a future actuarial science major, Hawthorne. Show me your graphs.” By the time Grayson finished, my head was spinning with numbers and projections.
  10. comprehensive
    broad in scope
    “Big problems require big thinking and big interventions—”
    “Comprehensive interventions,” Grayson corrected.
  11. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
    “With empirically driven cost-benefits analyses.”
  12. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    Everyone had things they found inexplicably attractive.
  13. hedge
    an intentionally noncommittal or ambiguous statement
    “Does my sister know about this restraining order?”
    “She signed the paperwork.” That was a hedge if I’d ever heard one.
  14. retribution
    the act of taking revenge
    After she’d said a terse good-bye, which seemed to promise more retribution to come, I sat down at my computer.
  15. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    “It wasn’t so much a press conference as a very bad idea,” I admitted wryly.
  16. congenital
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
    “Emily just wanted to have fun. She had a heart condition, congenital. Her parents were ridiculously overprotective. They never let her do anything as a kid. She got a transplant when she was thirteen, and after that, she just wanted to live."
  17. canny
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
    I thought of the way she’d laughed into the camera, wild and free and a little too canny, like she’d known when that picture was taken that we’d all be looking at it later.
  18. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    The bridge was wooden, with railings and balusters that looked like they’d been painstakingly handmade.
  19. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
    “Infinity,” Jameson said, tracing his thumb over the carving.
    I tilted my head to the side and took a more pragmatic view. “Or eight.”
  20. sedate
    characterized by dignity and propriety
    “You’re looking sedate this morning,” she commented.
    I took sedate to mean moderately less rash and therefore less likely to evoke a tabloid scandal.
  21. cede
    relinquish possession or control over
    I guess they’re not quite ready to cede the family homestead to a stranger.
  22. fervently
    with strong emotion or zeal
    “I seriously doubt Thea volunteered to spend time with our family. It is possible that she fervently wishes for vultures to dine upon my entrails.”
  23. entrails
    internal organs collectively
    “I seriously doubt Thea volunteered to spend time with our family. It is possible that she fervently wishes for vultures to dine upon my entrails.”
  24. vindictive
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    “It is an actual, real requirement and not a figment of Thea’s delightfully vindictive imagination.”
  25. imbibe
    take in liquids
    “A toast,” Skye declared out of nowhere, holding up her wineglass and slurring the words enough that it was clear she’d already been imbibing.
  26. confines
    a bounded scope
    Grayson shrugged, his shoulders pulling against the confines of his suit.
  27. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    “Do you know how many trees four acres can hold, Heiress?” Jameson asked jauntily.
  28. subordinate
    an assistant subject to the authority or control of another
    Oren met his subordinate's eyes.
  29. garner
    acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions
    If that didn’t garner a response, nothing would.
  30. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “Has her sister been cleared?”
    “Libby?” I was incredulous.
  31. deterrent
    something immaterial that interferes with action or progress
    “You’ll go nowhere without me,” Oren told me, steel in his voice. “Not on the estate, not in the House. Nowhere, you understand? I was always close by. Now I get to play visible deterrent.”
  32. copious
    large in number or quantity
    When I’d heard the word armory, I’d pictured something out of a movie: copious amounts of black and Rambo-style cartridges on the walls.
  33. preemptive
    designed to prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence
    “Well, my other suggestion involves preemptively whacking the entire Hawthorne family, and I was afraid you’d take that as a euphemism.”
  34. euphemism
    an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
    “Well, my other suggestion involves preemptively whacking the entire Hawthorne family, and I was afraid you’d take that as a euphemism.”
  35. pert
    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
    Her reply was pert. “I want you to buy me Australia. You can afford it.”
  36. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “You and Jameson,” Thea continued, like she was chiding a child. “In Emily’s old room, no less. A bit uncouth, don’t you think?”
  37. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    “Are people being uncouth without me again?” Xander asked, popping up between Thea and me and breaking Thea’s hold. “How rude.”
  38. lout
    an awkward, foolish person
    “Help her, you lout.”
  39. travesty
    a distorted, debased, or absurd imitation of something
    “And what a travesty it would be,” Jameson replied, circling his brother, “if anything happened to me.”
  40. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    The tension between them was palpable.
Created on Wed Jan 12 10:06:56 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 21 14:26:04 EST 2022)

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