As I read the book I could feel the tension building! I even found myself holding my breath. The elements of the setting work together to set the tone. The physical makeup of the place, the weather, the history, the lore… it permeates the story. I love how important the setting is in books like Compulsion. It basically becomes like a character. Liza kept telling me that I needed to read it so I knew it’d be good. Still, I was blown away with just how much I enjoyed it. Compulsion by Martina Boone fits perfectly into these categories. Think gorgeous, haunting, lush, atmospheric. There is just something about a great Southern gothic novel that gets to me. 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. 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.

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.

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. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put some mileage on her stiletto heels. One ancient curse.Īll her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she lives with her shut-in mother. Published by Simon and Schuster on October 28th 2014 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I received this for free in exchange for an honest review.