Synopsis:

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.

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.

FBB:

“The heat that crept into the airport baggage area whenever the door opened should have told Barrie Watson that she had arrived in hell.”

Friday 56:

Barrie waited for Eight to answer, but he seemed lost in thought. How was it possible for him to have so much life inside him and go so still? As if he were taking her apart, weighing the individual pieces, memorizing them, and putting her back together.

Book Beginnings is a meme headed up by Rose City Reader.  The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.