Curses plague Watson Island, ghosts haunt its mansions, evil spirits live in its woods, and a frightening 'Fire Carrier' emerges at night over its waters. Barrie was born with a 'finding gift' that compels her to seek what is lost or left unsettled, and amid the Beaufort and Colesworth clans-the founding families of Watson Island, along with Barrie's forebears-Barrie learns she isn't the only one with a gift. In Boone's debut, an expansive Southern gothic tale, Barrie Watson is sent to live with her aunt Pru on Watson Island after Barrie's shut-in mother, Lula, dies and her godfather is diagnosed with terminal cancer. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Award-winning author Martina Boone creates an atmospheric, enthralling Southern gothic coming of age story full or human nature, ghosts, romance and magic perfect for fans of Beautiful Creatures, The Raven Boys, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. 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, a town full of eccentric characters, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead. With the help of Eight Beaufort, who seems to know 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 historic 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 gifts that became compulsions. Barrie Watson has been a virtual shut-in all her life, and when she moves to South Carolina, she's determined to put some mileage on her stiletto heels.

Compulsion by Martina Boone