Book Review: Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games series)

by The Book Pup on March 25, 2026

Blurb for the book (on Goodreads):

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes:

That Night in Prague (novella)

The Same Backward as Forward (novella)

The Cowboy and the Goth

Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn't)

One Hawthorne Night*

What Happens in the Treehouse*

$3CR3T $@NT@

Pain at the Right Gun

Summary:

Games Untold is a collection of novellas that dives deeper into the Hawthorne brothers' lives. 

From dangerous games to personal revelations, these mini stories expand the world of The Inheritance Games and give devoted fans more time with their favorite characters.

Perfect for readers who can't get enough of the Hawthorne brothers and want more content from this world.

Review

Games Untold is a mixed bag for me, but overall, I really enjoyed getting more Hawthorne content! 📚✨

Let me start with what I LOVED: the mini stories! 💕 These shorter tales featuring the different brothers were so much fun. They're funny, entertaining, and give us great insights into each brother's personality and backstory. Getting to connect with and understand the Hawthorne brothers more deeply was exactly what I wanted from this collection. 🎭

What really made these stories special is how they fill in gaps that were mentioned in the original trilogy but never explored in detail. 💡 You know those moments that were referenced but we never got to see? This collection provides that context and depth! It fills in blanks, answers questions we didn't even know we had, and gives us those missing puzzle pieces that make the overall story richer.

Another thing I really liked is that each brother got their own story (more or less)! 🎯 Whether you're Team Grayson, Team Jameson, Team Nash, or Team Xander, there's content here for you. The variety keeps things fresh, and it's nice seeing the different dynamics and perspectives rather than focusing on just one or two brothers.

The humor throughout the mini stories is on point! 😄 The author captures that signature Hawthorne wit and the playful, competitive energy between the brothers. These stories feel true to the characters we know and love, and they add nice layers to their personalities.

However, "That Night in Prague" was... not great for me. 😕

At the beginning of that story, it only focused on Avery and Jameson's game with just glimpses of what happened after Jameson came back. And honestly? It was pretty boring. 📖 I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it just dragged. For a story that's supposed to be about a high-stakes game in Prague, it felt surprisingly low-energy.

The second section of "That Night in Prague" was confusing. I didn't really understand why some events happened the way they did (Not going into specifics to avoid spoilers!). The logic or motivation behind certain plot points felt unclear, and I finished that section still scratching my head about what exactly went down and why it mattered 🤔.

Beyond the confusion, I also questioned some character choices throughout "That Night in Prague." 🤨 Decisions that characters made didn't always align with what we know about them, or felt forced for the sake of the plot. It broke the immersion when characters acted in ways that seemed out of character or illogical given their established personalities and values.

The contrast between the engaging mini stories and the lackluster Prague story is pretty stark. When Games Untold focuses on giving us character moments and distinct brother content, it excels. When it tries to do a longer, more plot-heavy story, it stumbles. ⚖️

I wish the entire collection had been structured like the mini stories—short, focused, character-driven tales that give us glimpses into different moments in the brothers' lives. Those worked so well! The Prague story felt like it was trying to do too much and ended up not doing any of it particularly well.

Despite my issues with "That Night in Prague," the mini stories are strong enough that I still enjoyed this collection overall. If you're a fan of The Inheritance Games series and want more Hawthorne brother content, this is worth picking up—just know that not all stories are created equal. 💫

4/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾🐾

You can find the book on Goodreads here!

Who I think this book is for: Die-hard Inheritance Games fans who need ALL the Hawthorne content, readers who want to understand the brothers better, and anyone who enjoys character-focused mini stories over longer plots.

Reading order note: You should definitely read the main Inheritance Games series first! This is supplementary content that works best when you already know and love these characters.

Cheers, and happy reading!

The Book Pup

P.S. Can we get more mini story collections like this? 💕✨

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