In the Box: March 2016 Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss

March's Fresh Fiction box was a pretty good one, with as many mysteries as romances.  Once again, it contained three prints: The CEO's Unexpected Child by Andrea Laurence, Town in a Cinnamon Toast by B. B. Haywood, and Secrets in the Stones by Tessa Harris. This month, it was back up to 3 ebooks: Dolce by Rachel Blaufeld, Indigo Sky by Gail Ingis, and Bubblegum Blonde by Anna Snow.  I really love that there were 3 mysteries, plus Indigo Sky just looks a good read.

Swag, once again, was almost non-existent this month with a Do Not Disturb sign and (yay!) mini gummy bears! If you are interested in Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss, it is $25 a month (you can skip months) for at least one paperback and 2-6 ebooks, along with swag. 

Stacking the Shelves:2/21-2/27

For review (on Bookloons):

I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan

First Reads from Goodreads: 

Flawless by Heather Graham 

Bought from Humble Bundle:

Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny

Roger Zelazny's The Dawn of Amber by John Gregory Betancourt

Wild Cards Deuces Down by George R. R. Martin, ed.

The Deceivers by Alfred Bester

Dragonworld by Byron Preiss & Michael Reaves

The Last Defender of Camelot by Roger Zelazny

Robert Visions by Isaac Asimov

Roger Zelazny's Chaos and Amber by John Gregory Betancourt

Roger Zelazny's To Rule in Amber by John Gregory Betancourt

Wild Cards Death Draws Five by George R. R. Martin, ed

The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester

Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny

The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth by Roger Zelazny

Redemolished by Alfred Bester

Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime 2 by Arthur C. Clarke & Paul Preuss

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov

Roger Zelazny's Shadows of Amber by John Gregory Betancourt

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime 1 by Arthur C. Clarke & Paul Preuss

Who Fears Death

Title: Who Fears Death
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Publisher: DAW

ISBN: 9780756407285

Why Read?: Book Club

Thoughts: Totally unlike anything I have ever read, fantasy or post-apocalyptic.  Very interesting and philosophical, but some parts are rather slow.

Rating: 3 stars

Stacking the Shelves: 2/14-2/20

For review (here on on Bookloons):

Color of Deception by Ruth J. Hartman

Color of Darkness by Ruth J. Hartman

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

Won:

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

First Reads from Goodreads: 

The Jaded Kiwi by Nick Spill

Private Citizens by Tony Tulathimutte

Baggage by S. G. Redling

Swapped for on My Subscription Addiction:

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Title: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Author: Cory Doctorow
Publisher: Recorded Books

ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This a great example of cyberpunk and a rather fun story.  The recording of this, though, is not very good.  It is read by the author, which is fine aside from lack of distinction between characters, but it sounds like a live recording - there is paper rustling, flubbed lines, and general rushing through passages, plus some parts are loud and others are soft.

Rating: 3 stars

Suee and the Shadow Part 1

Title: Suee and the Shadow Part 1
Author: Ginger Ly, Molly, and Kay Lee
Publisher: Bhive

ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: Ly's story and Molly's art combine to create a fun and creepy tale of a girl whose not-so-nice shadow comes to life.  The cliffhanger at the end will make you eager to jump into Part 2.

Rating: 4 stars

In the Box: January 2016 Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack

Just as last month's Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack was early, the January one was late (which they did email about it).  The subscription is $44.99 a month and you can choose the Big Kid option (for those without kids - like me), or the Family option.  Their site does not have referral links set up yet, nor can you log into your account yet, but they do have a referral program, so if you do decide after reading my review to try it, I would very much appreciate if you told them you heard about it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.

For December, the main game was Patchistory (a $60.00 value) from Stuntkite.  I have never heard of Stuntkite and their catalog is really small, but this looks like a lot of fun, especially for my husband who is a history buff.  It looks like if you order from the publisher's site, you will also get 6 extra promo tiles.

Both smaller games were card based.  First, we have The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Deck Building Game (a $40.00 value) from Cryptozoic Entertainment.  Cryptozoic makes awesome licensed games, so this should be a good one.  We also have Royal Flushter (a $5.99 value) from Patch (which has recently become Play Monster).  The name change is probably why I cannot find the game on the publisher's website - they are probably shifting products.

No collectibles, but I did get an activity this month - a Silver Engraving Kit, Wolf Moon (a $5.49 value) from Royal & Langnickel.  This looks kinda fun, but I don't think I have the artistic talent.  I'll still try it, though.  This month's Awesome Pack swag was a cute postcard.

This month was a total hit for me with Awesome Pack, and one of the highest value ones yet.  It came in at an $111.48 value, and I paid $44.95, which included shipping. If you would like to subscribe, once again, I ask that you say you heard it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.  (Please note: as games and collectibles can vary in price based on demand, I tried to take the price from the manufacturers site whenever possible.)

In the Box: Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss Limited Edition Valentine Sweet Surprise

Fresh Fiction offered a grab bag for Valentine's Day, so I had to jump on it.  The options were "Sweet Romance", "Steamy Romance", or "Getting Lucky" (which was totally random).  I, of course, chose the random option.  There was a disclaimer that says some books were featured in the boxes, so I knew I might get a duplicate.  I really did not expect to get two duplicated.  Luckily the third book, the highest value one, was new to me.  I received Fortune's Secret Heir by Allison Leigh, An Amish Noel by Patricia Davids, and With This Ring? by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, and Melissa Jagears.

Stacking the Shelves: 2/7-2/13

First Reads from Goodreads: 

Death on Alder by Beth Everett

Swapped for on My Subscription Addiction:

The One & Only by Emily Giffin

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Sheltering His Desire

Title: Sheltering His Desire
Author: Allyson Lindt
Publisher: Smashwords

ISBN: 9781310937095

Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: So many pieces about this was either wrong or unbelievable - the jumping into bed immediately, the abuse hatemail, the timeline of the shelter (and another timeline I will not disclose for spoilers) - that I just could not get into it at all.

Rating: 1 star

Rules of Prey

Title: Rules of Prey
Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Recorded Books

ISBN: 9781419363634

Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This is a gritty and action-packed police procedural that really keeps you on the edge of your seat.  It is also very dated, but that kinda adds to the fun.

Rating: 4 stars

In the Box: February 2016 Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss

As usually half of the Fresh Fiction box is made up of romances, I was actually surprised that February's box was not more so.  Once again, it contained three prints: Colton's Surprise Heir by Addison Fox, The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton, and Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen. This month, there were only 2 ebooks: Lucky Penny by Ellie Ashe and Dying Light by Kory M. Schrum.  While there were only 2 ebooks, both look totally awesome, and I love that The Hole in the Middle is women's fiction rather than straight romance.

Swag, once again, was almost non-existent this month with a magnet and conversational hearts (ick), but the box has a handwritten Valentine's message on it.  If you are interested in Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss, it is $25 a month (you can skip months) for at least one paperback and 2-6 ebooks, along with swag.