Monday, November 30, 2015

Death by Scones

Title: Death by Scones
Author: Elizabeth Ashby & Jennifer Fischetto
Publisher: Gemma Halliday
ISBN: 9781940371764
Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: Although there is a flaw with the premise of the murder, this is a thoroughly delightful cozy from beginning to end.  Riley is a great character with realistic issues and a great fashion sense, and that just added to the fun.

Rating: 4 stars

Thursday, November 26, 2015

In the Box: Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss Limited Edition Quarterly Box - Christmas

Fresh Fiction decided to do limited edition quarterly boxes on top of their monthly subscription.  Although I am not the biggest fan of Christmas romances, there were two items that had me jumping on this box. 

The announcement said it would contain four print books and an ebook (one for me, one for a friend) of an exclusive short story collection from Gemma Halliday Publishing.  Fresh Fiction has got me addicted to the cozies from GHP, so I had to have this.  The Holiday Mystery Short Story Bundle contains nine stories, all of which I am totally excited to read.  As far as the four print books go, it ended up being five paperbacks and a hardcover:  Unwrapped by Katie Lane, A Ranger for the Holidays by Allie Pleiter, An Amish Noel by Patricia Davids, Snowbound at Christmas by Debbie Mason, Angels in the Snow by Rexanne Becnel, and A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers.

The other item that made me want the box was the Baby Vixen, who is just so adorable!  Author swag was a magnet from  Tricia Skinner (the only non-Christmas item) and a poster calendar from Chanta Rand.  The box also included a snowman Pez dispenser and some hot cocoa.

This quarterly box from Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss ended up being a lot of fun.  It did cost $35 plus shipping, but the retail value of the print books alone, most of which have just been released, comes to $50.94, so that a good deal!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Eigengrau

Title: Eigengrau
Author: Dawn Pearson
Publisher: Booktrope
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: These poems are easy to read and understand, some even with humor, like the ones featuring Bootsy.

Rating: 3 stars

Divided We Fall

Title: Divided We fall
Author: Trent Reedy
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: The biggest part of what made this YA dystopian so compelling was how plausible it was.  While I did not agree with all of Danny's decisions and am normally not a fan of military fiction, this really made me see the story from all sides.

Rating: 5 stars

Saturday, November 21, 2015

The Amazing Mr. Howard

Title: The Amazing Mr. Howard
Author: Kenneth W. Harmon
Publisher: JournalStone
ISBN: 9781942712138
Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: This is a deep and twisted vampire/serial killer story.  The problem I had was how destable the lead dectective was, which made it neigh on impossible to root for him.  I was rather indifferent towards Mr. Howard himself.

Rating: 3 stars

Stacking the Shelves: 11/15-11/21

First Reads from Goodreads:
Cat's Maw by Brooke Burgess
Numero Zero by Umberto Eco
Spell Breaker by Joni Parker

Swapped for on My Subscription Addiction:
The Complete Dracula by Bram Stoker, Leah Moore, John Reppion, & Colton Worley

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Stacking the Shelves: 11/8-11/14

First Reads from Goodreads:
The House by Christina Lauren
Intentions by Pamela Johnson

Swapped for on My Subscription Addiction:
The Coins of Zakynthos by David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf, Marc Gaffen, Kyle McVey, & Jose Malaga