Unboxing and Review: Fresh Fiction Box (April 2020)
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This is month four of my six month experiment for the Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss book subscription service. If you are interested in what I’ve thought of my previous boxes, you can check those reviews out here.
No matter what I’ve thought of the contents, I can’t deny the excitement I feel at receiving my surprise book mail. 🙂
What did I get in my box this month? 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
The first book in the box was the eBook, Vengeance by Anna Alexander (Paranormal Romance, House of Rosenorn). Here is the back cover blurb:
“What do you get when you cross a whip-welding, mask-wearing vigilante and a set of uber-wealthy telepathic twins, with a serial killer out for vengeance? The end of the world. Well, the end of the world as they know it. After surviving a plane crash that left them with telepathic powers that bounds them together as one emotional collective, twins Ethan and Ronan Daniels have struggled with how to fit into their new reality. Especially Ethan, who relies on his brother to keep the voices in his head from driving him insane. A brief stint with the crime-fighting group the Evolutioneers gave them hope that there was a place for them. And when a cry in the night for help brings them face to face with a mask-wearing woman dispensing her own version of justice, they find appearances can be deceptive, and they are eager to learn more about the avenging angel who is able to block her thoughts to them. By day Jameson Alinari runs a women’s shelter. By night she makes personal visits to those who have committed crimes against women. Having a pair of handsome twins bust in during a “teaching moment” was a complication she did not need. But when one of her former targets is murdered in a grisly fashion, she is now reliant on the hot twins to prove her innocence. What she never expected was the chemistry that ignited with not one but both of the Daniels. Her future was on the line. She didn’t have time indulge in night-time fantasies. Or did she? As the body count rises, Jameson fights for independence in a relationship that feels too, too perfect, as Ethan and Ronan fight to prove what seems so wrong can be oh so right.”
In the unboxing video, I dismissed the second book as advertising, but it was actually a full eBook; Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan (Romantic Thriller, Sourcebooks Casablanca). Here is the back cover blurb:
“Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes…even if it destroys her.
When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews’ life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything. The clock is ticking.”
The third book in the box was Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum (Historical Romance, Entangled:Amara). Here is the back cover blurb:
“Cain Sinclair has a plan. In order to finally bring peace to his clan, he will wed the young female chief of their greatest enemy. Only problem: capturing her and forcing her back to Sinclair castle doesn’t exactly make her want to say yes. Ella Sutherland may be clever, passionate, and shockingly beautiful, but what she isn’t is willing.
Every attempt Cain makes to woo her seems to backfire on him. A gift? The kitten practically claws his eyes out. A competitive game of chess? Even when he wins, he loses. It seems the only time the two ever see eye to eye is when they’re heating up Cain’s bed. Still, the only thing Ella truly wants is the one thing he cannot offer her: freedom.
But when Cain discovers she’s been harboring a secret―one that could threaten both clans’ very existence―he’ll have to decide between peace for the Sinclairs or the woman who’s captured his heart.”
The fourth book in the box was an ARC of The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy (Romantic Fantasy, St. Martin’s Paperbacks). Here is the back cover blurb:
“Queen Euthalia has reigned over her island kingdom of Calanthe with determination, grace, and her magical, undying orchid ring. After she defied an empire to wed Conrí, the former Crown Prince of Oriel―a man of disgraced origins with vengeance in his heart―Lia expected the wizard’s prophecy to come true: Claim the hand that wears the ring and the empire falls. But Lia’s dangerous bid to save her realm doesn’t lead to immediate victory. Instead, destiny hurls her and Conrí towards a future neither could predict…
Con has never healed after the death of his family and destruction of his kingdom―he’s been carefully plotting his revenge against his greatest enemy, Emperor Anure, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When Lia’s spies gather intelligence suggesting that Anure is planning an attack against Calanthe, Con faces an agonizing choice: Can he sacrifice Lia and all she holds dear to destroy the empire? Or does his true loyalty exist in the arms of his beguiling, passionate wife―’til death do they part?”
The fifth book in the box was The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson (Contemporary Romance, Revell). Here is the back cover blurb:
“Home is the place to heal, right? At least, that’s what Dillon Michaels is hoping as she leaves her disappointing career and nonstarter love life behind to help her grieving and aging grandfather on his small Oregon farm. The only problem? Her eccentric mother beat her there and has taken over Dillon’s old room. After a few nights sleeping on a sagging sofa, Dillon is ready to give up, until she receives an unlikely gift–her grandfather’s run-down vintage camp trailer, which she quickly resolves to restore with the help of Jordan Atwood, the handsome owner of the local hardware store.
But just when things are finally beginning to run smoothly, Dillon’s noncommittal ex-boyfriend shows up with roses . . . and a ring.”
The sixth book in the box was an ARC of Gone With the Rogue by Amelia Grey (Regency Romance, St. Martin’s Paperbacks). Here is the back cover blurb:
“The sinking of the Salty Dove took her husband’s life―but it didn’t drown Julia Fairbright’s courage to endure. She creates a proper life for herself and her young son. But now, the ton’s most notorious rogue is back, and how he makes Julia feel is anything but proper. She can’t deny the desires he awakens in her, even though she knows that the handsome devil will surely break her heart.
Garrett Stockton owns a successful shipping company and is rumored to have a woman on every continent and half-a-dozen in England. The truth, however, is that Garrett has but one mistress: the wide open sea. That is, until he meets Julia, whose spirit of independence matches his own. What begins as a flirtatious battle of wits turns far more passionate than either of them could have imagined. Suddenly, Garrett’s only desire is to sail into the sunset with Julia as his wife and young Chatwyn his son. But she won’t take his hand―how can he convince her that his love is real and his heart is hers?”
Here is the whole box: one mass market paperback, one trade paperback, two ARC paperbacks, two eBooks and a treat.
Check out the unboxing video on YouTube!
Review
What I liked:
- The box is packaged well for the books. I have not received any damaged books which is great.
- I got a book in one of my favorite genres (contemporary romance) and from one of my favorite publishers (Revell).
- There were four books not including the ARCs which is a good amount for the price.
What I didn’t like:
- Again, both of the eBooks were not good for me. While I might have given them a chance, I read excerpts from both of them on Amazon and they are not clean reads. 🙁
- Two ARCs in this box. Those are freebies to me. For some people those might be considered a bonus, but not for me. I only read them for reviewing purposes and that is rare. I wouldn’t buy an ARC copy of any book online or in the store.
- I wish that I could at least choose a genre with this service.
Overall Opinion
This box was a mixed one for me. I definitely won’t read the Ebooks since I discovered from their excerpts that they are not clean reads. I also will not be reading the ARCs because I have too many finalized books on my shelves to give my attention to. However, I am excited to have gotten an inspirational contemporary romance that I will definitely be reading.
The cost of this service is $25.95/month including shipping. If you add up the retail prices of the four that I received (not including the ARCs), it is $30.96 and that doesn’t include shipping or tax that I would pay if I bought them outright.
I am giving this box subscription a six month trial period so I’ve got two more months to go. And I will be donating those books that weren’t for me to my local library.
-Loraine Nunley
Unboxing and review of the @FreshFiction subscription box for April 2020 #FreshFictionbox #SubscriptionBox Share on X
