Review: The Inheritance - Jennifer Benson

Review: The Inheritance - Book #1 Happy Endings Resort Series - Jennifer Benson - February 2015

There’s something rather magical about the idea of inheriting a place you never even knew existed. Imagine opening a letter one day and discovering that somewhere out there is a whole resort with your name on it,  a bit like stumbling across a hidden bach at the beach you didn’t know your family owned. That’s the premise behind The Inheritance by Jennifer Benson, the first book in the Happy Endings Resort series.

At twenty-six, Rory London is feeling a bit lost in life. She doesn’t have much to show for herself and is pretty much alone in the world. So when she learns she has inherited Happy Endings Resort from a long-lost relative she didn’t even know existed, it feels like the universe has finally thrown her a lifeline. Suddenly she’s the owner of a resort filled with staff, secrets, and a past she never knew belonged to her.

Enter Jason Duke, the handsome twenty-eight-year-old attorney handling the estate. Jason splits his time between law and the resort, and he knows far more about Rory’s newly discovered family than he initially lets on. Of course, as with most stories involving mysterious inheritances, things are never quite as simple as they seem. When a dead body turns up on the property, Rory quickly learns that inheriting a resort also means inheriting a tangled web of family secrets.

For me, The Inheritance landed right on the borderline of what I’d call a 3Ps read. The story itself has a great concept: a young woman starting fresh, a charming yet secretive lawyer, a resort setting, and a dash of mystery. All the ingredients are there for something really engaging.

However, I did find the book felt a bit too busy for my liking. There are quite a few characters introduced, and at times it felt like everything was being packed into the story at once. Because of that, the direction of the plot wasn’t always as clear as I would have liked. Even the romantic element left me a little unsure  especially when it came to who Rory was truly meant to be with. That part felt a little jumbled and didn’t quite settle into a clear emotional thread.

That said, there is definitely potential in this series. The idea of uncovering family secrets while trying to run a resort is an intriguing one, and I can see how future books might expand on the characters and world in a more focused way. If you enjoy light mystery mixed with romance and family drama, this could still be a series worth dipping into.

Overall, The Inheritance is a story with a promising premise and plenty of drama, but for me it just needed a bit more breathing room to let the characters and plot truly shine. Sometimes, like a good Kiwi summer barbecue, less ingredients can make the flavours stand out just a little more.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3N1s7Ax