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Secrets of Real Estate
Finance and Business
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Secrets of Real Estate could save you thousands of dollars! This concise, no-nonsense guide gives...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Turn of The Key in Books
Aug 16, 2019
Rowan Caine feels like her life is at a bit of a dead end when she finds the advertisement: it's for a live-in nanny, and the pay is amazing. Rowan has a background in nannying and working with children, so she submits her CV and crosses her fingers. Still, she can't believe her luck when she interviews at the gorgeous Heatherbrae House in Scotland. It's isolated, but beautiful. And then she gets the job caring for four seemingly lovely children: Rhiannon, 14; Maddie, 8; Ellie, 5; and Petra, eighteen months. But the position isn't all it cracked up to be. The children are nothing like the sweet kids they appeared when she interviewed. The entire house is a smart home, controlled by a home management app, and it seems to go haywire constantly. The parents leave nearly the moment she arrives. And it really seems like the rumors of ghosts and a haunted house that drove away the past four nannies are true. We know Rowan is writing about all of this from prison--jailed for the death of one of the children. She claims she's innocent. What really happened at Heatherbrae House?
This was a very intriguing, eerie thriller, made all the more creepy by reading it alone in a cabin in the woods with no one beside me but my dog. Perhaps choosing this read for my short getaway was a mistake? Ha, I actually liked getting a little spooked by this Gothic mystery. It was an enjoyable slow-burning read that kept me hooked.
As mentioned, the entire book is told in letter form--albeit mostly one long letter--as Rowan sits in Scottish prison, trying to convince a Mr. Wrexham to take up her case. She's innocent, she says, and here is her story. And quite a story it is. From the moment Rowan arrives at the Elincourt's beautiful home, Heatherbrae House, it seems like things go wrong--she hasn't memorized the 300-page "manual" required to watch the girls, the "smart" house is out of control, and the children are absolute terrors.
"I guess it comes down to this in the end. I am the nanny in the Elincourt case, Mr. Wrexham. And I didn't kill that child."
But the more we hear from Rowan, we learn she may not be completely guilt-free in all of this, as perhaps there is more to her story than meets the eye. It all unfurls easily in Ware's deft hands. It may take a while to get to some of the major twists and turns, but there's plenty of little bits of creepiness along the way. Rowan is sure she's being haunted, and it's quite fun to try to figure out what exactly is happening. Ghosts? The smart house gone awry? While Rowan isn't always the easiest character to root for, I still sympathized with her (I wouldn't want to be left with four combative children) and yet I found myself getting attached to the kids anyway (clearly they didn't choose to be left behind by their rich and distracted parents).
"I need you to understand why I did what I did."
Overall, this one is a fun, eerie read. I enjoyed the combination of creepy Gothic plus smart home craziness. I also couldn't always foresee what was coming up next, which I appreciated. It's engaging and surprising, despite our limited cast of characters. 4 stars.
This was a very intriguing, eerie thriller, made all the more creepy by reading it alone in a cabin in the woods with no one beside me but my dog. Perhaps choosing this read for my short getaway was a mistake? Ha, I actually liked getting a little spooked by this Gothic mystery. It was an enjoyable slow-burning read that kept me hooked.
As mentioned, the entire book is told in letter form--albeit mostly one long letter--as Rowan sits in Scottish prison, trying to convince a Mr. Wrexham to take up her case. She's innocent, she says, and here is her story. And quite a story it is. From the moment Rowan arrives at the Elincourt's beautiful home, Heatherbrae House, it seems like things go wrong--she hasn't memorized the 300-page "manual" required to watch the girls, the "smart" house is out of control, and the children are absolute terrors.
"I guess it comes down to this in the end. I am the nanny in the Elincourt case, Mr. Wrexham. And I didn't kill that child."
But the more we hear from Rowan, we learn she may not be completely guilt-free in all of this, as perhaps there is more to her story than meets the eye. It all unfurls easily in Ware's deft hands. It may take a while to get to some of the major twists and turns, but there's plenty of little bits of creepiness along the way. Rowan is sure she's being haunted, and it's quite fun to try to figure out what exactly is happening. Ghosts? The smart house gone awry? While Rowan isn't always the easiest character to root for, I still sympathized with her (I wouldn't want to be left with four combative children) and yet I found myself getting attached to the kids anyway (clearly they didn't choose to be left behind by their rich and distracted parents).
"I need you to understand why I did what I did."
Overall, this one is a fun, eerie read. I enjoyed the combination of creepy Gothic plus smart home craziness. I also couldn't always foresee what was coming up next, which I appreciated. It's engaging and surprising, despite our limited cast of characters. 4 stars.
Weather Now for iPad
Weather and Travel
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Enjoy the fantastic application at your device with amazing display and feel the magic at your...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Back in 1999 I fondly remember covering “Deep Blue Sea”. The press screening was a pleasant surprise as the film presented a fresh take on the shark on the loose genre and gave what was one of the more enjoyable films in the genre since “Jaws 2”.
I had always wondered why the film had never generated a sequel and talk of a direct to DVD follow up a few years later never materialized.
Now in 2018, we finally get the long-awaited follow up as “Deep Blue Seas 2” has arrived as a direct to DVD from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.
I eagerly awaited the arrival of my review copy as not only do I enjoy Shark movies, but my son is very big on the study of sharks and his insights always add a new dimension to me as he can tell me things like the difference between the species being portrayed, number of offspring they have, and their behavior.
The story centers on Dr. Misty Calhoun (Danielle Savre), who is tasked to give her professional opinions to a facility headed by billionaire Carl Durant (Michael Beach). At an underwater lab in South Africa, Dr. Calhoun arrives with a team and learns that the group is experimenting on Bull Sharks with a method that will increase brain abilities in humans.
Naturally things do not go as planned and before long, there are several very angry and genetically enhanced sharks on the loose with the humans desperately trying to find a way to escape and survive.
The story and characters are not overly complex but the goal is clearly to get the cast into the path of the CGI sharks as soon as possible and letting the carnage begin.
I had expected visuals on par with the SYFY films due to the direct to video nature of the film but what we were given was much better than expected.
The CGI effects are quite good and the cinema photography of the film is quite good as there are many really impressive shots in the film of the aquatic setting.
The film is hampered by the thin plot and characters and a lack of star power but it is worth a watch and is certainly better quality than many of the other creature on the loose films out there.
http://sknr.net/2018/05/07/deep-blue-sea-2/
I had always wondered why the film had never generated a sequel and talk of a direct to DVD follow up a few years later never materialized.
Now in 2018, we finally get the long-awaited follow up as “Deep Blue Seas 2” has arrived as a direct to DVD from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.
I eagerly awaited the arrival of my review copy as not only do I enjoy Shark movies, but my son is very big on the study of sharks and his insights always add a new dimension to me as he can tell me things like the difference between the species being portrayed, number of offspring they have, and their behavior.
The story centers on Dr. Misty Calhoun (Danielle Savre), who is tasked to give her professional opinions to a facility headed by billionaire Carl Durant (Michael Beach). At an underwater lab in South Africa, Dr. Calhoun arrives with a team and learns that the group is experimenting on Bull Sharks with a method that will increase brain abilities in humans.
Naturally things do not go as planned and before long, there are several very angry and genetically enhanced sharks on the loose with the humans desperately trying to find a way to escape and survive.
The story and characters are not overly complex but the goal is clearly to get the cast into the path of the CGI sharks as soon as possible and letting the carnage begin.
I had expected visuals on par with the SYFY films due to the direct to video nature of the film but what we were given was much better than expected.
The CGI effects are quite good and the cinema photography of the film is quite good as there are many really impressive shots in the film of the aquatic setting.
The film is hampered by the thin plot and characters and a lack of star power but it is worth a watch and is certainly better quality than many of the other creature on the loose films out there.
http://sknr.net/2018/05/07/deep-blue-sea-2/
Tiny Epic Defenders
6.5
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Tabletop Game
After the Great War (Tiny Epic Kingdoms), many of the factions, shattered and defeated, looked for...
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated The Hideaway (Lavender Shores #5) in Books
Dec 15, 2017
Loving this series
When Micah Bryant was 9 years old, his future was pulled into his family. It takes Connor Clark a long time to realise that Micah was always The One, will only ever be The One. They just need to tell the family. And avoid Connor's past.
Loving this series, I really am, despite the fact its first person multi point of view ? or maybe even BECAUSE it's written that way, regardless, loving this series.
You don't need to have read the other four books, although they are all 4 and 5 star reads, they can all be read as stand alones, but it would give you a better understanding of the Founding Families of Lavender Shores, and the strong bond they have. It will give you a better understanding of just WHY Connor is so reluctant to become official with Micah.
I enjoyed this one, not as much as book4, The Shipwreck, but it's still a very good read. I think more could have been made of the Moses' (Connor's nephew) return home story line, because let's face it, the Clark family are not the nicest bunch of folks, and I would like to have known how Connor ended up with Moses in his custody in the first place, that was not really explained.
But I am enjoying that there is no real break ups in these books, there is no real violence to deal with. They really are just great reads, books to fall into and forget about the world for a few hours.
Seth though, he needs a story! The poor guy is hard done by here, and I want to see him happy!
A great, well written, well delivered story.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Loving this series, I really am, despite the fact its first person multi point of view ? or maybe even BECAUSE it's written that way, regardless, loving this series.
You don't need to have read the other four books, although they are all 4 and 5 star reads, they can all be read as stand alones, but it would give you a better understanding of the Founding Families of Lavender Shores, and the strong bond they have. It will give you a better understanding of just WHY Connor is so reluctant to become official with Micah.
I enjoyed this one, not as much as book4, The Shipwreck, but it's still a very good read. I think more could have been made of the Moses' (Connor's nephew) return home story line, because let's face it, the Clark family are not the nicest bunch of folks, and I would like to have known how Connor ended up with Moses in his custody in the first place, that was not really explained.
But I am enjoying that there is no real break ups in these books, there is no real violence to deal with. They really are just great reads, books to fall into and forget about the world for a few hours.
Seth though, he needs a story! The poor guy is hard done by here, and I want to see him happy!
A great, well written, well delivered story.
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated It's Different Now by Dax in Music
Jun 18, 2019
Dax is a 24-year-old Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist from Ottawa, Canada. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his “Did It First” single.
“Where I’m from they never did it, I did it first. Rap game wasn’t sh*t, I gave it birth. I told them ni^^as I would make ‘cause I wasn’t stopping. They was laughing now I’m laughing ‘cause I know they watching.” – lyrics
‘Did It First’ tells an introspective tale which is told from Dax’s point of view.
Apparently, he used to tell an unbeliever (a fake local rapper) and other haters that he would fulfill his rap dreams. But they laughed at him because they couldn’t visualize his vision, which expanded way beyond Kansas.
Now Dax is a successful rap artist, and the same people who didn’t believe in his dreams are saying that he got lucky, a guppy who hit the lottery.
Also, Dax admitted that he is a prophet because he told his haters that he would make it big in the rap game and he did.
“When I left home, I left with the mindset that I’m not coming back until I bring something back. You know sometimes you gotta give the people something to believe in. Go get it. I didn’t expect nobody to believe in my dream because it wasn’t theirs in the first place. That’s what I did.” – Dax
‘Did It First’ is featured on Dax’s debut EP, entitled, “It’s Different Now”.
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline and spirited rap vocals. Also, the song possesses lush instrumentation flavored with hip-hop and trap elements.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/dax-did-it-first/
“Where I’m from they never did it, I did it first. Rap game wasn’t sh*t, I gave it birth. I told them ni^^as I would make ‘cause I wasn’t stopping. They was laughing now I’m laughing ‘cause I know they watching.” – lyrics
‘Did It First’ tells an introspective tale which is told from Dax’s point of view.
Apparently, he used to tell an unbeliever (a fake local rapper) and other haters that he would fulfill his rap dreams. But they laughed at him because they couldn’t visualize his vision, which expanded way beyond Kansas.
Now Dax is a successful rap artist, and the same people who didn’t believe in his dreams are saying that he got lucky, a guppy who hit the lottery.
Also, Dax admitted that he is a prophet because he told his haters that he would make it big in the rap game and he did.
“When I left home, I left with the mindset that I’m not coming back until I bring something back. You know sometimes you gotta give the people something to believe in. Go get it. I didn’t expect nobody to believe in my dream because it wasn’t theirs in the first place. That’s what I did.” – Dax
‘Did It First’ is featured on Dax’s debut EP, entitled, “It’s Different Now”.
The likable tune contains a relatable storyline and spirited rap vocals. Also, the song possesses lush instrumentation flavored with hip-hop and trap elements.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/dax-did-it-first/
BabyDiary - Record Your Baby's Activity
Utilities and Stickers
App
BabyDiary lets you easily record your baby's activities. It enables you to keep track of their day,...
Even the Odds: Sensible Risk-Taking in Business, Investing, and Life
Book
In Even the Odds, Karen Firestone explains how risk assessment plays a prominent role in all aspects...
Car Safety Wars: One Hundred Years of Technology, Politics, and Death
Book
Car Safety Wars is a gripping history of the hundred-year struggle to improve the safety of American...