I can confidently say the order matters to fully appreciate the twists and layered mysteries. Start with 'The Inheritance Games', the first book where Avery Grambs gets thrown into a billionaire's deadly game. The sequel, 'The Hawthorne Legacy', dives deeper into the family secrets and ramps up the stakes.
Then comes 'The Final Gambit', which wraps up the trilogy with explosive revelations and emotional payoffs. Reading out of order would spoil key plot points, like the true nature of the Hawthorne family's obsession with puzzles. The series is a rollercoaster of riddles, romance, and betrayal, so savor each book chronologically to experience the clues unfolding naturally.
The perfect way to think about it is as two connected series. Series A: The Inheritance Games Trilogy. Series B: The Hawthorne Brothers Duology. You must complete Series A before starting Series B. There's no overlap or alternative starting points.
From a fan's perspective, reading order is sacred. The shipping dynamics alone! The will-they-won't-they tensions that develop across the trilogy would be completely undercut if you read the later books first. You'd know who ends up with whom, or what familial secrets come out, which ruins the slow-burn romance and the shocking family revelations. For the full emotional rollercoaster, you have to experience the story as it was released.