The Temptress Four Review -- Kiwibox.com

The Temptress Four

By Gaby Triana

HarperTeen

Four out of Five Kiwis

"Yo, Kill, All, Fee!" Sounds like an ancient Mayan sha-woman chant or something. But it's actually a group of four tight-knit chicas-- Yoli, Killian, Alma and Fiona. Before they get a tarot reading from the creepy Madame Fortuna (or as Alma would say, Fartuna), they had to say their "mantra," complete with hands piled in the middle of the circle of friends. Sounds cheesy, but that's what best friends do. And most of the time, the cheesiest moments are the most memorable.

The girls have just graduated from high school and are about to embark upon a week long Caribbean cruise on The Temptress. Fiona suggested the reading as a way to suppress thoughts that the girls would split ways after the trip, but the reading garnered even worse news.

"One of you will not come home..."

Gaby Triana, author of Backstage Pass and Cubanita, wonderfully weaved a story of four teenaged girls facing life-altering decisions into an excellent page-tuner, great for summer reading. The descriptions of beaches, beautiful sunsets, cute boys and bountiful cruise ship dinners had me on Priceline.com checking out the cruise deals by the end of the book.

One of the qualities I found engaging in The Temptress Four was the dialogue. It was lively, yet still natural. This may also be because I found so many similarities between the voice of the main character, Fiona, and my own. But she's so relatable, that I believe many other readers could as well. And if you don't, there are three more characters that cover all the bases.

There's Killian, the uber-hot one who gets all the guys; Alma, the dark one with a wicked sense of humor and an uncanny ability to know all; and last but not least, there's Yoli, the supposedly "good girl," who ends up surprising everyone. Even though the characters reminded me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants lassies, it didn't make the book any less interesting to read.

Hotlanta Book Review -- Kiwibox.com

Hotlanta

By Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller

Point Publishers

Four out of Five Kiwis

Mirror Louis Vuitton bags, Chanel ballet flats and Saab convertibles. The Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren, live the fabulous life of an upper crust family in Atlanta’s Buckhead. Life couldn’t seem to be any better. But the girls’ lives take a turn in the opposite direction once family skeletons start sneaking out of the closet. Authors Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller weave a suspenseful whodunit story of Dior and deceit in Hotlanta.

Sydney dreams of the socialite life with her “perfect” boyfriend, Marcus, and attending an Ivy League school. Her days are filled with heading the Homecoming Benefit Gala committee, volunteering and her man. But suddenly, Marcus is acting strange. When she finds something that questions Marcus’ faithfulness, Sydney doesn’t know what to think.

Lauren, co-captain of the dance team and most sought after girl in school, has aspirations of being a music video model. But if her mother and step-father found out she went down to the rough West End to audition for the new Thug Heaven video, they would totally kill her. They would then put her another six feet into the ground if they knew she had a boyfriend, Jermaine, down there as well. Its getting hard for her to keep up the lies.

If all that drama isn’t enough, when the girls’ biological father gets out of prison, they start to see that their step-father, Altimus, isn’t really who he seems to be. Because the girls are so different, they don’t always see eye to eye, but these circumstances are showing them they just might have to put the differences aside to get through.

It’s the Gossip Girl of the south.

When reading this book, you might find yourself saying aloud, “Oh, no he didn’t!” So, be forewarned because it gets that juicy. It’s hard not to get sucked into the world Millner and Miller have created. At times, you’re sympathetic for Sydney and other times you want to give Lauren a good shake. All in all, it was a good read. And although this was the first teen novel for the co-authors, I can not wait for the second book of this three-part series, If You Only Knew, coming out in October.

RelateMag.com -- Beauty

Makeup Tips

Have A Pink Spring

By Jan Lee

Think pink this spring, girls. The classic girly color has been featured everywhere, in every shade as the color of the upcoming season. We’ve compiled our hit-list for pink products this spring. You don’t need to wear the pink products all at the same time and don’t be afraid to experiment with different shades of pink on your beautiful palette.

To keep your lips moisturized and soft, try Realbeauty Inside and Out Flavor Blast Lip Balm in Very Berry available at Bath and Body Works. For shine and color, apply Shiny-licious lip gloss over the balm in any of these pinkalicious flavors: Berry-Bella, Strawberry Tart, or Lolly- Pink. Shiny-licious gives you fabulous shine, plus flavor. Also, using lip balm under lip gloss or color reduces stickiness and keeps your lips moisturized longer.

For your cheeks, brush on Jane Iredale PurePressed Blush. Use Whisper, a deep pink, for darker skin and Cotton Candy, a light rose, for fairer skin. These two pink shimmer shades will add the right kind of shine to your face. Jane Iredale makes mineral cosmetics, which are great for your skin because they won’t clog your pores, plus they have built in SPF and they’re water resistant.

For nails that will stop traffic, try a hot pink like L'Oreal Paris Bijou Nail Color in B. Dynamic. This new, super-shiny nail color works best with a base and top coat.

If you are one-stop shopping kind-of-girl, head to your nearest Benefit counter and ask for the Hopelessly Devoted to Pink! Palette. The palette includes three cute eye shadows and three luscious lip creams in different shades of pink that you can mix-n-match to make many different looks.

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Hair Dos

Your Hair’s Newest Friend: the Headband

By Jan Lee

Tired of your current hairdo, but don’t want to go for a drastic cut? Accessorizing can be a perfect solution. And why not start with the hot hair accessory for the spring - The headband! They come in tons of different styles and colors. But here are the five hottest styles now. And if you’re on a budget try turning some of these into a DIY.

The Skinny Headband
The skinny headband gives you and your hairdo a clean, sophisticated look. Wear it with your hair out or pulled back in a bun or ponytail.

The Two-banded Headband
You can pull this look off in two ways: you can double up on the skinny headband, wearing two at one time, or look for double banded headbands in stores. If plastic headbands give you a headache by the end of the day, use elastic headbands for a trendy athletic look.

The Fabric Headband
You can definitely find these cute headbands at your local beauty or accessories store! You can get this look with just a scarf by folding it to the desired width and then tying it with a knot at the base of your skull. If you need more structure to keep the scarf from falling off, wrap it around a think headband to keep it in place.

The Retro Headband
Take a step back in time and rock a thick plastic headband reminiscent of the 60s in a bright, primary color. If you are daring, go for a bold pattern and wear with free-flowing, textured hair.

The Chain Headband
Either a plain chain or a chain on fabric headband will turn “plain Jane” into a rock star. If you are feeling crafty, affix an old necklace onto a strip of fabric or an old headband; just make sure to use glue that will dry clear


Published: RelateMag.com, March 2007

Girls' Life -- Beauty