This Lifetime TV Pilot is based on the popular book series of the same name by Melissa de la Cruz. In the books the three Beauchamp women—Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid—live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret—they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there’s Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it’s time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

Main characters:
Julia Ormond as Joanna Beauchamp
Rachel Boston as Ingrid Beauchamp
Jenna Dewan as Freya Beauchamp
Patrick Heusinger as Dash Gardiner
Daniel Di Tomasso as Killian Gardiner
Nicholas Gonzalez as Matt Torcoletti

Recurring and guest stars:
Madchen Amick as Wendy
Glenne Headly as Penelope
Tom Lenk as Hudson Rafferty

Tom Lenk has snagged a recurring role on Lifetime’s Witches of East End pilot. He will playing Hudson Rafferty, Ingrid’s fellow librarian and gay best friend who helps her cast a fertility spell on one of their pals.

SBLC News: From Deadline

Julia Ormond is set to star in the hour-long Lifetime pilot Witches of East End. Based on Melissa de la Cruz’s best-selling novel, Witches of East End centers on the adventures of Joanna Beauchamp (Ormond) and her two adult daughters. Joanna is a sexy, warm, artistic, tough, ethereal beauty who has been concealing a shocking secret from her daughters — namely, that they are witches born and bred. Having put her magical past and powers on hold, Joanna is now living a quiet life as a small town art teacher, but in the face of a grave and immediate danger, it seems the only way out is for the trio to rediscover their skills. Maggie Friedman, who shepherded ABC’s witch-themed Eastwick, wrote and will executive produce Witches of East End with Erwin Stoff for Fox 21 and 3 Arts.

Review:

Chasing Magic

By: Stacia Kane

Published by: Del Rey

Published on: June 26, 2012

Reviewed by: Maria G.

Publisher’s Blurb:

A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

My review:

Let me start by saying that I have not followed this series and this is my foray into this world.

So, the story begins with Chess and Terrible happily in love. Chess seems to have issues trusting Terrible’s love for her and in all honesty he may be too good for her. I’m not sure how she was prior to this book, but there were times where I just wanted to throttle her. Mind you, Terrible has his dark moments, but he seems to overcome them and in those moments… as a reader you just have to fall for him. Chess’ self-loathing and drug use is a bit overwhelming. It seems like she is a character that is hell bent on suffering, this may be the reason why she has Lex who is the character that tries to kill Terrible?

Overall, this was an okay book, but I do not think I will continue with the series. I know, I know, Chess makes some breakthroughs, but is that enough? Mind you, I have been told that the book that preceded this one, Sacrificial Magic, was amazing. But, if the next book heads down the path that I think it will than why put myself through that?

My suggestion to you is to buy the first 4 books in the series and check this book out at your local library.

P.S. If the author reads this, I think you need to spin off Terrible and kudos to you for creating a new language.

Lifetime has ordered the drama pilot for Witches of East End for 2013, this was announced yesterday by Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks. Maggie Friedman wrote and will executive produce Witches of East End, which will be produced by Fox 21. Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment will also executive produce.

A little background on the book series:

Witches of East End centers on the adventures of a mother and her two adult daughters — both of whom unknowingly are their family’s next generation of witches — who lead seemingly quiet, uneventful modern day lives in Long Island’s secluded seaside town of North Hampton. When one of the daughters becomes engaged to a young, wealthy newcomer, a series of events forces her mother to admit to her daughters they are, in fact, powerful and immortal witches.

The second book in the series: Serpent’s Kiss was released on June 12th.

Publisher’s blurb: Joanna and her daughters, bookish Ingrid and wild-child Freya, are just settling into the newfound peace that has been cast over their small, off-the map town of North Hampton. With the centuries-old restriction against practicing magic lifted, casting spells, mixing potions, and curing troubled souls has never felt so good for the three witches. That is, until everything gets turned upside down–from Joanna’s organized kitchen to Ingrid’s previously nonexistent love life to Freya’s once unshakeable faith in her sexy soul mate, Killian Gardiner.

When Freya’s twin brother, Freddie, suddenly returns, escaped from Limbo and professing innocence on a long-ago crime, Freya should be ecstatic. The golden boy can do no wrong. Or can he? Freddie blames no other than her fiancÉ Killian for his downfall, and enlists Freya’s help to prove it. Now Freya doesn’t know who to believe or trust.

And for the first time in–well, forever, really–Ingrid is also busy in love. Matt Noble, the handsome and charming police detective, has won her heart. But can romance work between a virgin witch and a mortal who doesn’t believe in magic? Things get even more complicated when it appears Ingrid is harboring the prime suspects in Matt’s police investigation.

To add to the chaos, a dead spirit is attempting to make contact with Joanna–but does it mean to bring harm or help? Joanna asks her sort-of ex-husband Norman to help figure it out, only to accidentally invite him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a dapper gentleman she’s recently begun dating.

As the witches pull together to discover the serpent within their midst and the culprit behind Freddie’s imprisonment, everything is thrown into peril. Will the discovery come too late to save those they love most?

Serpent’s Kiss

By: Melissa de la Cruz

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Blurb: After the tumultuous events of “The Witches of East End,” the Beauchamp family is ready for a rest from the magical drama, but Freya’s twin brother Fryr reappears with an axe to grind and some shocking news: Freya’s fiancé, Killian Gardiner, was the schemer behind Fryr’s disappearance. And that’s not the only thing going BUMP in the night: Ingrid’s ordinary-guy boyfriend is getting mixed up with the wrong magical creatures, and a mysterious ghost is haunting family matriarch Joanna. Clearly, it’s time for the Beauchamps to bust out their witchy skills once more….

Are you going to pre-order it?

~M.