I’m so excited to be taking part in the blog tour for Martina Boone’s Illusion, the final book in the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy. This week is for Compulsion – book one in the series. I’ve been meaning to read Compulsion forever and I was so glad that I finally had an excuse to pick it up, because once I did, I couldn’t put it down!
Title: COMPULSION
Author: Martina Boone
Release Date: October 28th, 2014
Pages: 433
Publisher: Simon Pulse
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Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
Three plantations. Two wishes. One ancient curse.
All her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her aunt’s South Carolina plantation instead—a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave the others magical gifts that became compulsions.
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Stuck with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see, Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who knows what Barrie wants before she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family’s twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous cousin who isn’t what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.
Our Review:
From the very first page, Barrie’s story sucked me in. I immediately fell in love with the characters. Barrie has had a tough life and yet, when she’s set to Watson Island, she immediately jumps into life helping her Aunt Pru manage the land and falling apart plantation. She’s new to the world of magic (she has a gift of finding lost things), family tensions, and curses, and that’s a lot to have thrown at you at once. The dynamic between the three families (the Heirs of Watson Island) is intense and high-stakes, while still somehow managing to be Southern and nice (enough) to each other. The drama and connections between the three families is unavoidable and Barrie is in a very unique situation by being descended from TWO of the families.
Barrie finds herself caught between what she believes is right, the pressures being placed on her by others, and the questions that just keep increasing in regards to the magic that surrounds her. Does she help her cousin Cassie when everyone warns her not to? Does she get involved with the Fire Keeper against her Aunt’s wishes or follow her gut instincts? There’s a lot going on but it’s just at the right level so it’s not overwhelming.
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Of course, there’s a love interest for Barrie, and that’s the swoon-worthy Eight. His magical gift is knowing what others want and while it annoys the heck out of Barrie, it adds for extra amusement in their relationship. Martina has a knack for aggravating the tension between the two of them while still keeping it clear that they want to be together – and that’s an intense desire.
The setting, the characters, the intrigue, and the magic all combine for an incredibly captivating story. Boone keeps you on your toes the entire time, so it’s a good thing Persuasion is already out so I can jump right in. I’m so glad I finally picked up Compulsion, and I definitely recommend it for a good fall read.
Rating: 9/10
About the Rest of the Trilogy:
Title: PERSUASION
Author: Martina Boone
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Pages: 464
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Goodreads
Beautiful Creatures meets The Raven Boys in the spellbinding second novel in the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy that “skillfully blends rich magic and folklore with adventure, sweeping romance, and hidden treasure” (Publishers Weekly, on Compulsion).
Grieving the death of her godfather and haunted by her cousin Cassie’s betrayal, Barrie returns from a trip to San Francisco to find the Watson plantation under siege. Ghost-hunters hope to glimpse the ancient spirit who sets the river on fire each night, and reporters chase rumors of a stolen shipment of Civil War gold that may be hidden at Colesworth Place. The chaos turns dangerous as Cassie hires a team of archeologists to excavate beneath the mansion ruins. Because more is buried there than treasure.
A stranger filled with magic arrives at Watson’s Landing claiming that the key to the Watson and Beaufort gifts—and the Colesworth curse—also lies beneath the mansion. With a mix of threats and promises, the man convinces Barrie and Cassie to cast a spell there at midnight. But what he conjures may have deadly consequences.
While Barrie struggles to make sense of the escalating peril and her growing and forbidden feelings for Eight Beaufort, it’s impossible to know whom to trust and what to fight for—Eight or herself. Millions of dollars and the fate of the founding families is at stake. Now Barrie must choose between what she feels deep in her heart and what will keep Watson’s Landing safe in this stunning addition to a series filled with “decadent settings, mysterious magic, and family histories rife with debauchery” (Kirkus Reviews, on Compulsion).
Author: Martina Boone
Pub. Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 480
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
Barrie must rescue her beloved and her family from evil spirits in the masterful conclusion to the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy.
Caged by secrets all around her and haunted by mistakes that have estranged her from Eight Beaufort, Barrie Watson is desperate to break the curse that puts her family in danger—without breaking the beautiful magic that protects Watson’s Landing. To do that, she must heal the rifts that have split the families of the island apart for three hundred years, unravel the mystery of the Fire Carrier and the spirits he guards, and take control of forces so deadly and awe-inspiring they threaten to overwhelm her.
With the spirits that cursed Watson Island centuries ago awake and more dangerous than ever, she finds an unlikely ally in the haunting and enigmatic Obadiah, whose motivations and power she still can’t read—or trust. His help comes at a price, however, plunging Barrie into a deadly maze of magic and wonder, mystery and intrigue that leads through history to places she never imagined she could go.
Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. She fell in love with words and never stopped delighting in them. She’s the author of SIBA Book Award nominated Compulsion, book one in the romantic Southern Gothic trilogy, the Heirs of Watson Island, which was an Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Bookstores Alliance, a Kansas State Reading Circle selection, a Goodreads Best Book of the Month and YA Best Book of the Month, and an RT Magazine Best of 2014 Editor’s Pick. The second book in the trilogy, Persuasion, will be published in October 2015.
She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers site, the CompulsionForReading.com book drive campaign for underfunded schools and libraries, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site devoted to the discovery and celebration of young adult literature and encouraging literacy through YA series. She is also a founder and permanent mentor at 1st5PagesWritingWorkshop.com, helping to shepherd aspiring writers into the publication process and help them find the right starting point for their novels in progress, Locally in her home state of Virginia, she is on the board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, helping to promote literacy and adult education initiatives.
She lives with her husband, children, and a lopsided cat, she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.
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Giveaway Details:
2 winners will receive hardcover sets of COMPULSION, PERSUASION, & ILLUSION, US Only.
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Week One:
10/17/2016- Just Commonly– Review-Compulsion
10/18/2016- Kayl’s Krazy Obsession– Guest Post
10/19/2016- Always Me– Review-Compulsion
10/20/2016- YA Book Madness– Guest Post
10/21/2016- The Young Folks– Review-Compulsion
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