This was no where near as good as the first book. It was good, but the plot didn't keep me engaged and wanting to learn more. I found myself getting bored. I really wanted to like this, but it just didn't do it for me the way the first book did.
I kept reading just because I like Eight a lot.
Barrie just irritated me during this one. I feel like I was wanting to yell at her everything she did or said something stupid.
The new characters like Berg and Obidiah didn't make a lasting impression on me. They could have been both more interesting.
Obidiah was creepy, but he could have been more fun to read about. I found myself annoyed, not in the way I usually am with the villians, but so annoyed that I wanted to skip parts he was in. I never even figured out what happened to him in the end. And I didn't care enough to try to find out.
The first book was amazing.
This one, not so much. ( )

It was odd reading this one, by the time I got 3/4 the way done I started thinking about the story and how little had actually happened plot wise. This installment was a real slow burn, I liked Ms. Boone's writing, and it did flow along, and I'll definitely read the next one, because (well, she ended on a cliffhanger, and dang you know how I LOVE those- yes, that was laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm) I do genuinely like those characters and want to see what happens to them. ( )

Excellent second installment of the Heirs of Watson Island series. The complexity of Bear's character continues to deepen and drive the story line as well as her involvement with Eight as her love interest. The second volume picks right up where the first volume ends. Hate having to wait until the fall of 2016 for the next volume in this series! ( )

I finally talked myself into finishing this book because I figured since nothing happened in over 200 pages, surely something was going to happen soon. Wrong!! This story is over 400 pages long and about 300 of it is fluff! The author just restates the same things over and over again a hundred different ways. Finally, at about page 398, the main characters actually "start" to do something besides arguing but I'm thinking in the back of my head there isn't enough pages left now for them to actually "do" it! Sure enough, right when the plot finally kicks off the book ends with a nice little note to "Stay tuned for Illusion, the next book in the Heirs of Watson Island series, coming Fall 2016." Yeah sure, right, like I'm really going to jump to add that one to my TBR. Needless to say, I was not happy with this second book at all. It was a complete let down. I like the characters and the premise of the series had a lot of potential but it's not worth wading through hundreds of pages of filler just to get a paragraph of action so they can drag the series out. I'm definitely not wasting any more time on this one. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Gorgeous sequel filled with action packed adventure, a lush setting and an unforgettable romance! This is a series you do not want to miss!

Opening Sentence: The last miles of the journey stretched eternally, and Watson’s Landing pulled more and more on Barrie’s finding gift.

The Review:

Barrie Watson has a unique gift where she has the ability to find anything that is lost. She was born with the gift and eventually she figures out that it’s a family trait that has been passed down for generations! After losing her mother and beloved godfather Barrie leaves the only home she has ever known to live with an aunt she has never met! With its mysterious magic and interesting history Barrie has never felt like she belonged anywhere until arriving at Watson Island. It turns out that she’s not the only person to have a special gift. The Beaufort’s across the river have the ability to sense what people want and the Coleworth’s next door have been cursed with bad luck. There is a lot going on at Watson Plantation but Barrie can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else!

But Barrie’s not the only person to find Watson Plantation fascinating. There are some ghost-hunters that have been snooping around trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious fire catcher that lights the river on fire each night. Then a group of archaeologists show up to look into the rumor of buried treasure at the Colesworth Place. Finally, a mysterious magical man appears and claims to know how to break the curse that has plagued the Colesworth’s for all these years. But in order to break the curse he will need Barrie’s help finding something that has been lost for centuries!

Barrie is a wonderful and interesting protagonist. She is smart, witty, and a very independent girl that is easy to admire. She’s also a sweet girl and always tries to see the best in everyone. Sometimes her willingness to always help others gets her into trouble, but her kindness is one of her best qualities. The one thing that I didn’t particularly love about Barrie was how insecure she is about her relationships with other people in her life. I get that growing up she didn’t really have many examples of good relationships, so it has been hard for her to make strong connections with others because she can’t open up easily. She has so many fears of being hurt, so she tends to push people away. The only reason this bugged me was because I felt it caused a lot of unnecessary drama in the story. But overall, I loved Barrie and I really enjoyed being inside her head.

I fell madly in love with Eight in Compulsion and it was no surprise to me that I fell even more in love with him in Persuasion! Not only is he ridiculously good looking, he is also sweet, charming, and just overall amazing. He has an abundance of patience when it comes to Barrie and he seriously treats her so good. But he also has his own set of insecurities that make him imperfect but relatable. He has dyslexia, which has caused him to struggle academically but he hasn’t let that stop him from fulfilling his dreams of going to college and making something of himself away from the Beaufort family. I really admire and respect Eight and he has become one of my favorite book boys! (Just read the excerpt below and you will see one of the many reasons why I love him so much!)

In Compulsion you get to experience the start of the relationship between Eight and Barrie. That beginning of a relationship is always fun and exciting because everything is so fresh and full of promise. But sometimes after the newness wears off relationships can become dull and boring. Unfortunately, this not only happens in real life, but I find that my interest in book couples will wane at times once they have been together for a while. I’m so happy to say that this wasn’t the case with Eight and Barrie. I fell even more in love with them as a couple in Persuasion. They went from having a timid new beginning of something that could be great to an epic romance that is the forever kind. I loved watching them fall in love and create everlasting memories. But their relationship isn’t all peaches and roses. They both have insecurities they have to work through and of course there are things/people that threaten to tear them apart. But through their struggles they become better people and they grow closer together. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in the final book!!!

Persuasion is filled with action-packed adventure, a lush setting and an unforgettable romance! Surprisingly in my opinion it was actually better then the first book in the series. I really enjoyed Compulsion but I loved Persuasion. The plot had some great twists and it easily kept my interest until the very last page. There was never a dull moment and I honestly didn’t want it to end. Speaking of endings this one had a pretty terrible cliffhanger, which is frustrating because now I have to wait an entire year to read the next book! But if you can’t tell by my raving review, I am really looking forward to reading Illusion in 2016! If you are looking for a great paranormal story filled with adventure, humor, and amazing characters you should definitely check out this series!

Notable Scene:

“Even if I got to USC and I date every girl in Southern California,” he said, “I’m not going to find another girl like you. Not in a year, or ten, or even a hundred years. I’m not stupid enough to let that go without a fight, so whatever assurances you need, I’ll figure out how to give them to you.” He tossed her one of his careless smiles. “I’ve been out with enough girls to know what I want. I know. You and me together? We’re not the same plain vanilla let’s-date-while-we’re-in-high-school, let’s-go-to-prom, let’s-promise-we’ll-talk-in-college relationship. We’re more like those fireworks on the Fourth of July that keep exploding with new bursts every time they’re done. Before we know it, we’ll be in rocking chairs side by side on the porch, holding hands and watching a houseful of great grandchildren chasing blue ghost fireflies on the lawn.”

FTC Advisory: Simon Teen provided me with a copy of Persuasion. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )