Boys Before Friends Episode One

Boys Before Friends Episode One

Summary: Zoey is accepted into Ellison University, a college for the super rich, as a scholarship student. There she encounters the F4, a group of guys who use their power and money to intimidate other students.

Number of Episodes: 16

Stars: Joseph Almani, Trenton L. Culkin, Claude Racine(for episode one)

Language: English

Additional Info: Loosely based on Hana Yori Dango. It's available on Viki.com, Youtube, and the official website.

The Heirs

The Heirs

Wikipedia Summary: "The Heirs" depicts the friendships, rivalries and love lives of young, rich heirs led by Kim Tan and a girl named Cha Eun-Sang. Unlike the others, Cha Eun-Sang is considered ordinary and comes from a poor background.

Number of Episodes: 20

Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Shin-Hye, Kim Woo-Bin

Language: Korean

Additional Info: It's also called 'The Inheritors.' It's available on Dramafever and on Hulu.

Split Season One - Episodes 1-15

Split

Summary: The series is about a 15-year-old girl named Ella Rozen, who begins high school along with her best friend, Omer Teneh. Green high school is managed by Amnon Green, a cold and stone-hearted person, who is secretly the head of "The Order of Blood" - An order which was founded 1000 years ago, and its purpose is to cleanse the world of vampires.

Number of Episodes: 45

Stars: Amit Farkash, Yon Tumarkin, Yedidya Vital

Language: Hebrew

Additional Info: Split, also called Hatsuya, is a half-hour Israeli teen series that ran for 3 seasons from 2009-2012.

My Favorite Book Things #2

I'm going to stick to the horror thing... but I'm going to go much younger this time.

I never really got into Goosebumps. When they were published in 1992, I was more into Christopher Pike, LJ Smith and similarly middle-grade level books. However, I did like Phantom Valley books by Lynn Beach. Lynn Beach is a pseudonym for Kathryn Lance, an author, ghostwriter and editor.

Phantom Valley consisted of 9 books published between 1991 and 1993. They were similar in length to Goosebumps- about 130 pages. Each book involves a different student at Chilleen Academy and the creepy supernatural things that happen to them.

The Naturals Review

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

4 out of 5 stars
Buy on Amazon | Buy on Kindle

America's Next Top Model Cycle 20 - The Finale

The finale of America's Next Top Model Cycle 20 was on Friday.

To be honest, I wasn't all that excited to watch it. There has always been talk of the show being rigged and, over the years, there have been cycles that felt rigged- either for the winner or just to keep up the drama. This was one of those seasons.

The final three found out last week that one of them would be eliminated before the fashion show. As I predicted, Cory was the eliminated contestant... despite the fact that his picture was infinitely better than Marvin's. Of course, he still had to walk in the show with the other two as part of the fashion video. The other contestants and Laura James, the cycle 19 winner, also walked in the show.

The video was kind of cheesy. Jourdan has the love of a good man, Marvin, but is lured into the dark and abusive underbelly of modeling by Cory. She becomes famous but miserable and wants to break free, but Cory has such a hold on her. She has to choose between good and evil- Marvin and Cory. The story ends there on the video and picks back up on the runway where Jourdan obviously picks good over evil.

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My Favorite Book Things #1

I miss the Horror genre.

It was a time when evil was evil and not just lacking the love of some girl. Vampires were bad and no one wanted to have sex with them. There were creepy dolls and scary creatures. And, while it still exists in a few major authors, it's not as prevalent as it was in the 90s when my teen self discovered it.

So, I thought I'd share my favorite horror author: D. A. Fowler, also with books under Debra Fowler. It's actually kind of hard to find any information on the internet about her, including how many books she actually wrote. I've come up with at least 7, though. I have 5 so far.

America's Next Top Model Cycle 20- A Rant and Week Before the End Prediction

This is the worst cycle in the history of ANTM.

There. I said it... and I bet most would agree with me.

It's not because guys were included, though that doesn't make a lot of sense considering how different male and female modeling are. The combination of incredibly unlikeable judges, the same stupid rating system used in cycle 19, and the gimmicky photo shoots that didn't even pretend to be about fashion all contributed to just how bad this cycle is.

The "living photo" aspect of the pictures made each shot, even ones that otherwise looked like they might have been in a magazine, look tacky and cheap. The photo shoots themselves were not even attempting to be high fashion- something that ANTM always seemed to try for before.

The judges are the worst. They traded likeable, relatively fair people like the Jays and Nigel for the awful Kelly Cutrone and Rob Evans. And with the judging system as it is now, it allowed Kelly and Rob to be completely biased with their scores. Kelly, at least once, gave a low score just because the girl talked back to her and completely disregarded the photo. Rob had a hate on for Cory the whole season for no reason I could see aside from the fact that he's androgynous and gave his scores that reflected that. The social media voting is stupid. I'd much rather the fan participation be limited to the finale like Australia's Next Top Model (a much better show, BTW) does.

Another thing I noticed in this cycle was more time devoted to the drama in the house. While it has always been there, at least half of each episode had nothing to do with modeling. There was much less focus on catwalk and go-sees.

Anyway... on to the final 3.

The Trouble With Goodbye Review

The Trouble With Goodbye by Sarra Cannon

One night can change everything…

Two years ago, Leigh Anne Davis shocked everyone in tiny Fairhope, Georgia when she broke up with her wealthy boyfriend to attend an Ivy League university a thousand miles away. At school, she finds a happiness and independence she’s never known.

Until one terrifying night takes it all away from her.

With no place else to go, Leigh Anne heads home to reclaim her old life. A life she worked so hard to escape. On the outside, she seems like the same girl everyone has always known. But deep inside, she’s hiding a terrible secret.

That’s when she meets Knox Warner, a troubled newcomer to Fairhope. His eyes have the same haunted look she sees every day in the mirror, and when she’s near him, the rest of the world fades away. But being with Knox would mean disappointing everyone all over again. If she wants to save what’s left of her old life, she has no choice but to say goodbye to him forever.

Only, the trouble with goodbye is that sometimes it’s about courage and sometimes it’s about fear. And sometimes you’re too broken to know the difference until it’s too late.

3 out of 5 stars

The Trouble With Goodbye is the first book in the Fairhope series.

Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure Season One

Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure

Netflix Summary: This sequel to "H2O: Just Add Water" follows a boy named Zac who turns into a merman after falling into a magical pool. Zac's new powers could spell trouble for the three young mermaids who guard Mako Island.

Number of Episodes: 26 

Stars:  Lucy Fry, Ivy Latimer, Amy Ruffle, Chai Rumruen

Additional Info: In the US, Mako Mermaids in a Netflix exclusive


By accident, I caught an episode block of the original H2O: Just Add Water on Nickelodeon. I've never really been much of a mermaid fan, but I enjoyed it and eventually watched all three seasons on Netflix. When Mako Mermaids showed up, my husband kindly added it to the queue for me.

Feudlings Review

Feudlings by Wendy Knight

Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.

3.5 out of 5 

Feudlings is the first book in the Fate on Fire series. 

Time Thief Review

Time Thief by Katie MacAlister

Peter Faa is a member of the Watch tracking down a murderer, and unfortunately, all clues seem to point toward his own estranged family of Travellers. Any of his cousins could be guilty, but which one? They’re all experts in the art of stealing time...

After surviving a lightning strike, Kiya Mortenson is determined to get just one thing in her life right. And if that means taking a job as nanny to five pugs on a campsite in the Oregon wilderness, then so be it. It doesn’t hurt that the job comes with some spectacular male eye candy, including her new boss’s gorgeous grandson. If only she didn’t keep having this strange sense of deja vu...

When Peter discovers his own family is stealing time from Kiya, all bets are off. While she may drive him crazy at times, it’s clear that it’s not just lightning that’s creating some serious sparks between them. And he’s not going to let secrets, lies, or a devious murderer keep Kiya from where she belongs: at his side.

3.5 out of 5 

Time Thief is the first book in the Time Thief series. 

Pretty Girl-13 Review

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

4 out of 5 

The Candidates Review

The Candidates by Inara Scott

Dancia Lewis has a secret problem: whenever she sees someone threaten a person she cares about, it's a disaster." "Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does all she can to avoid getting close to anyone, hoping to suppress her powers and stay under the radar. But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a scholarship, she accepts. After all, it's a school for diplomats' kids and prodigies, not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. Or is it?  

3 out of 5 stars

The Candidates is the first book in the Delcroix Academy series.

Death and the Girl Next Door Review

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?   

3 out of 5 stars

Death and the Girl Next Door is the first book in the Darklight series.

Second Grave on the Left Review

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

 Take it from Charley Davidson, part-time P.I. and full-time Grim Reaper. The deceased find her very sparkly. Demons find her irresistible. And one entity in particular wants to seduce her in every way possible…

When Charley and Cookie, her best friend slash receptionist, have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally.) has left his corporeal body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty.

Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Can she keep those she loves out of harm’s way? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel her as she does?

4.5 out of 5 stars 

Second Grave on the Left is the second book in the Charley Davidson series. The review for book 1 is here.

The Secret Garden Movie Adaptations- My Favorites

I just read that there is a new movie adaptation of The Secret Garden in the works. The Secret Garden is one of my all time favorite children's books... and I love watching movie adaptations of it. I have 4 movie adaptations of The Secret Garden and, in honor of a new one, I thought I'd rate them today. Keep in mind that I like all of them, so even the one at the bottom of the list is still awesome. If anyone knows of any other non-animated ones I can buy, let me know.

First Grave on the Right Review

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones 

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

4 out of 5 stars

First Grave on the Right is the first book in the Charley Davidson series.

Covet Review

Covet by J.R. Ward

Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about—his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he’s good with that — until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart—and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

3 out of 5 stars

Covet is the first book in the Fallen Angels series. 
 

Fated Review

Fated by Alyson Noel

 Until now, he's existed only in her dreams -
but fate is about to bring them together.

I shove through the crowd, knocking into girls and bouncing off boys, until one in particular catches me, steadies me.
I feel so secure, so at home in his arms.
I melt against his chest-lift my gaze to meet his. Gasping when I stare into a pair of icy blue eyes banded by brilliant flecks of gold that shine like kaleidoscopes, reflecting my image thousands of times.
The boy from my dream.
The one who died in my arms.

Did Not Finish

Fated is the first book in the Soul Seekers series.