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This is my second month with the Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss book subscription service. If you are interested in what I thought of my first box, here is that review.

I have to admit that I love the surprise element of getting this box. It is like getting a present and anticipating what that present is when it is unwrapped.

And it’s books!

So what did I receive? I am going to share the contents with you here. My review is not for the books I received because I haven’t read them yet, but instead will be for the content and subscription experience.

Unboxing

Another bright pink box. That pop of color in the mailbox gave me a lift in my spirits. A book present? Yay!

The extra treats that I received with the books were a postcard about Fresh Fiction and their relevant information, a bag of Tumeric-Ginger tea, and two Biscotti cookies. While the Fresh Fiction website states that there would be 1 – 3 eBooks and 3 – 5 print books in each box, I did not get any links or information for an eBook.

The first book in the box was Spaceside by Michael Mammay from Harper Voyager (Science Fiction). Here is the back cover blurb:

“Following his mission on Cappa, Colonel Carl Butler returns to a mixed reception. To some he is a do-or-die war hero. To the other half of the galaxy he’s a pariah. Forced into retirement, he has resettled on Talca Four where he’s now Deputy VP of Corporate Security, protecting a high-tech military company on the corporate battlefield—at least, that’s what the job description says. Really, he’s just there to impress clients and investors. It’s all relatively low risk—until he’s entrusted with new orders. A breach of a competitor’s computer network has Butler’s superiors feeling every bit as vulnerable. They need Butler to find who did it, how, and why no one’s taken credit for the ingenious attack.

As accustomed as Butler is to the reality of wargames—virtual and otherwise—this one screams something louder than a simple hack. Because no sooner does he start digging when his first contact is murdered, the death somehow kept secret from the media. As a prime suspect, he can’t shake the sensation he’s being watched…or finally succumbing to the stress of his past. Paranoid delusion or dangerous reality, Butler might be onto something much deeper than anyone imagined. But that’s where Butler thrives.

If he hasn’t signed his own death warrant.”

The second book in the box was The Arrangement by Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer, and Kristin Vayden from Kensington (Historical Romance Anthology). Here is the back cover blurb:

“MISCHIEF AND THE MARQUESS by Sylvia Day

Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley are completely ill-suited to one another. But they will have to prove it in order to end their mothers’ insistence that they should marry. Yet the more they attempt to demonstrate how wrong their union would be, the more surprisingly, irresistibly right things feel . . .

THE DUKE’S TREASURE by Minerva Spencer

Plain, prickly Josephine Loman has loved Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, since the first time she saw him. But the most beautiful man she’s ever met had eyes only for Jo’s erstwhile friend, who betrayed Beau’s trust by marrying his brother. Beau hasn’t been home in years, but when his brother dies in an accident, he must marry to save the impoverished dukedom. And Jo is the overlooked heiress who will turn his world upside down . . .

THE INCONVENIENT COUNTESS by Kristin Vayden

As the eldest in a poverty-stricken family of daughters, Miss Diana Katherine Lambson’s only option is a marriage of convenience. Her only prospect is a rogue with a miserable reputation. Her only true desire: freedom. And that is exactly what Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, is willing to offer, in return for the respectability their union will give him. He will even provide Diana with a contract. But does she dare entrust her future to a scoundrel? Does she dare not to?”

The third book in the box was The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren from Revell (Contemporary Romance). Here is the back cover blurb:

“Haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong, former pararescue jumper Orion Starr has no desire to join Hamilton Jones’s elite rescue team. But he also can’t shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Jenny Calhoun’s yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from her guilt. The former CIA profiler and psychiatrist green-lighted an operation against the Taliban that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she’ll be forced to trust her life to the most dangerous of heroes–the man she nearly killed.

Orion and Jenny will have to put their wounds behind them to save their friends…and their hearts.”

Here is the whole box. Three brand new books and treats.

Check out the unboxing video on YouTube!

Review

What I liked:

• I continue to enjoy the bright color of this box which lets me know right away that a special present has arrived.
• The box was packed well and none of the books were damaged.
• One of the books was inspirational romance (my favorite genre) and by an author that I love.
• There was no glitter on the tissue paper to get all over the books. I know that would be a negative for some people, but not for me.

What I didn’t like:

• One of the books was a science fiction which is a genre that I do not read. I wish that I could at least pick the genre of books to be sent to me.
• This is not really that important to me, but the cookies that I received in this box and the first one were completely crumbled when I opened their packages. I buy the boxes for the books, not the treats, but I’d rather not have those at all since I couldn’t even enjoy them.
• There was no eBook included as the website advertised. Here is what should be inside.

Overall Opinion

I liked this box. I will not read the science fiction book so that was a loss to me, but the offset was that I got an inspirational romance that was on my wish list. I’m not sure about the third book but it is a genre that I like so I’m looking forward to giving a few new authors a try.

The cost of this service is $25.95/month including shipping. If you add up the retail prices of the three that I received, it is $39.93 and that doesn’t include shipping or tax that I would pay if I bought them outright. I consider that a good deal even if I took out the sci-fi book. 🙂

I will continue the subscription for now.

-Loraine Nunley