Review and Giveaway: Illusion (The Heirs of Watson Island #3) by Martina Boone

Book info:

Title:  Illusion  
Author:  Martina Boone
Series:  The Heirs of Watson Island #3  
Genre:  YA Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Published:  October 25th, 2016
Source for review:  ARC from publisher and Irish Banana Tours
My Rating:  5 stars

ABOUT ILLUSION: 
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.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Review:
I was so excited when I got picked to be on this tour because I am such a huge fan of this series.  And then, they said there were only 10 physical ARCs available, so I begged and offered my first-born child to get one of the physical ARCs in order to have a matching set of the ARCs.  The day my ARC showed up, I hadn't been notified ahead of time that I'd get one, well, let's just say there was some mega-excitement going on in my house.  I really feel like the ending of this series was very good.  In fact, I feel like the story kind of went in a direction I never saw coming.  If you haven't read the first two, you might want to stop here in case I give away any spoilers for those books.  If you're behind, you can go check out my review of book 1:  Compulsion or book 2:  Persuasion. But if you're caught up, then go ahead and read on!

The beginning of the book was sad for me as where we left off in book 2, Eight was upset with Barrie for the secret she kept from him, even though his dad had asked her to, and she'd felt that his dad, Seven, needed to be the one to tell him.  However Barrie knows that she has to figure out what all is going on with the ghosts, as well as what Obadiah really wants.  Does he really want to help with the curse?  To help with the binding?  And Barrie doesn't think she wants to lose the magic and all that comes with the binding, so is there a way to both help Obadiah break the curse and get what he wants without doing that?  I was happy when Eight was able to come around and work with Barrie.  There would always be what had happened between them, but they decide to try to use the experience to make their relationship even better.  When Eight's sister Kate decides to help out her family so that Seven can be with Pru, and Eight can be with Barrie, things go from bad to worse.  And now Eight and Barrie have to do much more research, and Seven is mad at Barrie. 

I won't talk too much more about what happens, no spoilers here.  But I will say that I loved the way it ended, and loved the surprising turn it all took.  I love Barrie and Eight together.  I love that Barrie thinks Eight smells like root beer.  That sounds heavenly to me.  And after the story is over, the author includes a very great section about all the history that inspired her story.  I love reading through the true history behind stories.  It really makes the story even better for me.  And I have to also say, I must find a Hummingbird cake to try soon!  This is the third book that I've heard about it in, and so, I'm too intrigued. 

You need to pick up this series if you haven't yet, and I hope that you enjoy it as much I did.

About the Author:

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. Her first teacher in the U.S. made fun of her for not pronouncing the "wh" sound right, so she set out to master "all the words”—she's still working on that! In the meantime she’s writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she'd love to visit.

If you like romance steeped in mystery, mayhem, Spanish moss, and a bit of magic, she hopes you'll look forward to meeting Barrie, Eight, Cassie, Pru, Seven and the other characters of Watson Island.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest    

Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
10/3: Reading Teen – Setting Inspirations
10/4: Please Feed the Bookworm – Review
10/5: Who RU Blog – Review
10/6: YA Bibliophile – Review
10/7: Adventures of a Book Junkie – Q&A

Week 2:
10/10: Mundie Moms – Review
10/11: The Cover Contessa - Review
10/12: Fiction Fare – Review
10/13: Lisa Loves Literature – Review - You are here!!!
10/14: The Irish Banana Review – Q&A

Giveaway:

• 2 Complete Sets of the Heirs of Watson Island series (US Only) 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Illusion (The Heirs of Watson Island #3) by Martina Boone

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  This week's pick is another final book in a trilogy.  One that I love so much!  It isn't out till later this year, so I've got a little while till I can get my hands on it.  I loved the first two books, Compulsion and Persuasion, and so now I need to know how it will all end.  Check out the synopsis from 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.

I love Eight, and I need him to get back with Barrie!  Have you read this series yet? What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Review: Persuasion (The Heirs of Watson Island #2) by Martina Boone

First I have to say thanks to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I am still on the lookout, however, for a physical ARC of this title to match the physical ARC I have of the first book in the series, Compulsion.  So if you know of where I might be able to find one, let me know!  Anyway, can I say that once again I loved the book!  I was sucked right back into the story as soon as I picked it up.  If you haven't read the first one yet though, I can't promise there won't be spoilers here.  So then you should stop reading here and click the link above for the review of the first first book to see if it sounds like what you'd like to read.  Now, on with the review.

When we join back into the story, Barrie is on her way home to Watson's Landing from picking up her godfather's ashes.  Eight and his father went with her.  When they get back they can see that it has kind of turned into a circus as people are just waiting in boats to see the ghosts that they've heard about.  It's become so bad that Barrie's aunt has had to close down the little tea room on the plantation to keep people out.  And when they first get out of the car, Cassie sees this guy standing there.  No one else seems to see him, and he just disappears before she can find anyone to show him to.  But there are footprints left where he was standing, so it seems proof that he isn't just a ghost.  The yunwi are scared of him, and throw things at him whenever he is around.  His name is Obadiah, and he does come back and offers Barrie a chance to be rid of the curse, her connection to the plantation.  But only if she doesn't tell anyone about it. 

Cassie is probably going to jail, but after seeing how Cassie acts at her father's funeral, Barrie decides that maybe she should get some leniency. And so in front of the judge, Barrie speaks up for Cassie.  It turns out that Cassie had told some archaeologists that they could come and dig at Colesworth Place.  Even though Barrie knows that what is buried there probably isn't gold, what she feels tells her it is more something sentimental than riches would be.  It seems there is a lodestone there that Obadiah actually wants to help get rid of the curse.  And he needs Barrie to use her power to find it.  But when they go to do the search, something happens during the spell that he seems to be doing, and all of a sudden Cassie and Barrie are seeing what looks to be the past at the Colesworth Place, at the end of the Civil War.  What they see is the ancestors being pulled out of the house by the soldiers from the North.  From this vision, or time travel, whatever it is, Barrie learns something more about what might be buried on the property. 

All of this is going on at the same time that Seven tells Barrie she must convince Eight to go away to college. That he needs his time away, because once Seven dies, Eight will be stuck there the way Seven is.  And while Barrie knows it is best, it is hard to convince Eight that she wants something, that really deep down, she doesn't want. 

Meanwhile back at Watson's Landing they are preparing to open a restaurant where people will eat there by invitation only, to try to cut down on all the people coming in and causing problems.  Her aunt decides they need horses again, and follows through on that.  Barrie learns to love her home, where she cannot be too far from without being in pain, headaches really, until she gets back.

So much happened in this book!  I know I can't possibly give a really good overview without giving too much away.  And the ending, I just about cried, and I can't believe that is where it ended!  I don't know that I can wait another year for the next book, and oh how I hope it's not any longer than that!  Another great read, definitely give it a try if you get the chance!

Waiting on Wednesday - Persuasion (The Heirs of Watson Island #2) by Martina Boone

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  I was so excited earlier this month when they released the cover for this one. I immediately went and added this to the next open WOW spot on my calendar.  I got an ARC of the first book, Compulsion, at BEA last summer, and loved it.  Here is the blurb, and the pretty, pretty cover for the sequel from Goodreads:

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 besieged by reporters and ghost-hunters. Some are hoping to see the ancient spirit who sets the river on fire each night, while others are chasing rumors of a stolen shipment of Civil War gold that may be hidden at Colesworth Place. Chaos descends as Cassie hires a team of archeologists to excavate beneath the mansion ruins. But more is buried there than treasure.

A mysterious, magical man appears at Watson’s Landing, claiming the key to the Watson and Beaufort gifts and the Colesworth curse also lies beneath the mansion. With a mix of threats and promises, he engages Barrie and Cassie in a midnight visit, but the spell he conjurs has potentially deadly consequences.

While Barrie and dreamy Eight Beaufort struggle to make sense of the escalating danger and their growing feelings for each other, Barrie has to figure out not only whom to trust, but which gift is more reliable—Eight’s or her own. With millions of dollars and the fate of the founding families at stake, she must choose between what she feels deep in her heart and what will keep her loved ones safe.

I'm so excited to read on in this world.  I love Eight, he's such a good book boyfriend!!  So, what book are you eagerly awaiting this week? 

Review: Compulsion by Martina Boone

This is one of the awesome ARCs I got at BEA this past summer, and I also got to meet the author, I'll share that picture at the end!  I have to say this was another story I really enjoyed. And honestly, it was a different story than most of them these days.  While some might say there was a bit of "insta-love,"  I think it was definitely explained in a way that totally made it NOT "insta-love."  I"m very ready for the story to go on, but as it says at the end of the ARC, I'll have to wait till next Fall. 

The main character is Barrie Watson.  And she is about to find out that her family is one of three families part of some ancient legacies/curses.  Her mother has just passed away, and her godfather, Mark, has found out that he is also dying of cancer.  So Barrie is moving back to live with an aunt she's never met, that she never even knew she had, so that Mark can go live in a home to be taken care of.  Things get weird right away.  Her aunt never shows up to pick her up from the airport. So Barrie takes a cab.  She gets to this mansion, old and kind of run-down, and sees her aunt sitting on the front step.  It seems her aunt sat down and lost all track of time.  It seems her aunt might be a bit on the weird side.  But the house seems to be as well.  Then two members of one of the other two families stop by, and they go by Seven and Eight.  Eight is Barrie's age, and of course very handsome.  He seems to know all the right things to say.  And it seems there may be something between Seven and Barri's aunt Pru. Barrie also finds out that the third family is the one that her father was from, and she has cousins.  So of course, after growing up with her mother and leading a very sheltered life of no family, she is now adamant about meeting them.  Eight agrees to take her, but everyone warns her that it won't be a good thing.   You see the third family's legacy is more of a curse.  In fact the whole town looks down on their family.  But at first, her cousin Cassie just seems like someone Barrie is so glad to have for a friend. 

She will soon find out that Cassie wants something from her.  She wants to use Barrie's family legacy.  They are able to find lost things.  In fact when Barrie walks into a room she immediately will be drawn to things that have been lost, jewelry, letters, you name it.  Cassie wants Barrie to find the treasure that her ancestors supposedly buried on their beach.  You see all three of the families' ancestors were pirates, or privateers if you want to be nicer about it.  There is a legend about the Native Americans in the town that Barrie will see come to life every night.  While she has the legacy of finding things, and Cassie's family is cursed, Eight's family has a legacy as well.  These legacies have become things they really feel the have to give into.  Or compulsions.  It gets so bad that when Barrie tries to leave the house she gets headaches.  And while Cassie seems to be nice even though she wants something from Barrie, her father, Barrie's uncle, Wyatt, wants something as well.  And he is a drunk, violent man, as well as a drug runner. 

There are many things in the house pulling at Barrie to find them, as well as in the forest that her aunt has forbid her to go into.  Barrie will find things that will clear up old mysteries in her family, some good, some bad, some dangerous.  And she will fall in love, while also losing people she loves. 

Such a good story!  Even after I finished reading it, there would be times when my mind would kind of go back and think about the story, and want to know more, as well as even telling other people about it and comparing it to other stories.  Definitely a great read, and like I said, I can't wait to read the next one!  While it didn't end on a cliffhanger, there is definitely more for us to know with this story. 

Me and Martina Boone