Bellamy and the Brute Book Review

Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels

Published: March 13th 2017 by Clean Teen Publishing

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

When Bellamy McGuire is offered a summer job babysitting for the wealthy Baldwin family, she’s reluctant to accept. After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin’s eldest son, Tate. The former football star and Golden Boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness that has caused deformity…turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she’s told that if she takes the job she must promise to never, ever visit the 3rd floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth being hidden there.

Tate’s condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family’s financial history that don’t add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…

As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head, in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?

This month I’ve been reading mainly retellings, and this one so far is probably my favorite of the month. There have been a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings lately, especially thanks to Disney’s live adaption that was released this past March. I like that Michaels put her own spin to the original and made it very fresh.

This is set during modern day society in a little town in Georgia (very Riverdaleesque). Bellamy is a high school student just trying to survive since everyone thinks her father is crazy and makes fun of her for it. To help out with finances around the house, Bellamy takes a summer job as a nanny for the Baldwin family. (Remember that movie with Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer? Beastly? Kinda got that vibe a little bit) Once she starts working there is really when the plot starts to take shape and move along. As much as I enjoyed the book, it almost seemed as if it was on a rotating checklist. For a few chapters we will focus on the relationship between Bellamy and Tate. Then we will rotate to the ghosts haunting the house. Then we will go back to Bellamy and Tate for awhile. Then back to the mystery. You get the idea. Overall though Michaels tied everything up very neatly and all the different checklists merged into one for the climax. The ending kind of dragged a little bit for me after everything was resolved, but the author sets it up for the next book. Thankfully, the author didn’t leave us on a cliffhanger it’s more of a Nancy Drew type of situation where each book will be it’s own mystery for our MC’s to unravel.

Overall, I really enjoyed how Michaels interwove the original story with her own. She gave us just the right amount of elements from the original that we love and gave her own spin to make a fresh new story. Also, I liked how Bellamy is a person of color and not just your stereotypical white girl with blonde hair main character with parental issues. I also liked how then the author incorporated an inter-racial relationship. As I am part of one myself, it made the story a bit more relatable (minus the ghost seeing part).

Cinderella.com Book Review

Cinderella.com by River Laurent

Published: April 22nd 2017 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (first published April 20th 2017)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Once upon a…hot cowboy
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Loan sharks are circling, I’ve got my dad’s hospital bills to pay, and my landlord is about to kick me out onto the street.
It’s all doom and gloom until my best friend, Jesse, tells me that she’s found me a job impersonating the famous hotel heiress, Tamara Honeywell.
I get to live on a ranch in Montana for a month and take care of all my money worries. The only snag is I’ll have to have my lips injected, and act like a spoilt, demanding, selfish brat. but, what the hell? Collagen is temporary, and I can act like the world’s most bitchy heiress for a month.

Until I see the jaw-droppingly handsome cowboy who comes to collect me. All flashing eyes, sun drenched skin, steely muscles…and spitting venom. Oops, he can’t stand talentless celebrities. Absolutely hates them. Damn, he looks like he wants to put me over his knee and spank me.

This is going to be interesting!

In Montana it’s not just the sky that’s big. So saddle up for the hottest cowboy that ever walked the pages of a book.
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This is a standalone with HEA and no cheating. ADULT content over 18

I received this book during one of LitCube’s live sale a few months back. After reading Lady of Sherwood, I didn’t have any expectations going into this book since the last one was an epic fail (to me). I actually ended up liking this story,  although I should have read the description to know that it had adult content. For most of the book I kept thinking this is a YA book? This can’t be a YA book, it has too much adult content to be a YA book. Well, it definitely isn’t a YA book and very much so a contemporary romance (but I imagine not as romancey as those books with the half naked sweaty guys with better hair than me). I thought LitCube was a middle-grade to YA subscription box, but I guess I am wrong about that. This is the first adult book I have ever received from them, and looking at the contents in the box (and the cover) I wouldn’t have expected that.

Anyway, on to the real review. Our Cinderella in this story is Cass who is a bit down on her luck and struggling to make ends meet. From the description (that I just read), you would think that Cass reads and understands guys body language very well. But, this is not the case, every time Lars (our prince) was upset or looked angry she would always ask why he hated her. So as our main character/princess Cass was ok, she wasn’t very re-memorable to me at least. My biggest problem with her is that she accepted a job to pretend to be this rich bratty celebrity for a month, and the whole time she complained about having to pretend to be someone she isn’t. If she was going to have such a hard time acting to be someone else, then maybe this job wasn’t for her but then we wouldn’t have had a book.

The plot in this book moved fairly well until the ending. I felt like the book needed a bigger ending than what happened, and everything felt very rushed. We had this sort of slow build up to the end of her month stay, and then all of a sudden the book was over in like 10 pages. The author did include a deleted scene at the end, that I think would have helped the story out a little bit.

Overall, I think this book is decent and has potential to be better if it had gone through one more edit. Although this wasn’t in my normal genre of reading, I enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s good to step out of your typical genres and find something new. Although I wouldn’t have picked this up myself if it wasn’t for LitCube.

 

 

Goodreads Monday (11/20/2017)

Goodreads Monday is a meme hosted by Lauren @Page Turner,  and the idea is to post a book that’s on your TBR pile and show it off. This is a great way to show off books I have not yet managed to read!

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This week I have chosen:

Title:  Bellamy and the Brute (Bellamy and the Brute #1)

Author: Alicia Michaels

Published: March 13th 2017 by Clean Teen Publishing

Goodreads Summary:

When Bellamy McGuire is offered a summer job babysitting for the wealthy Baldwin family, she’s reluctant to accept. After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin’s eldest son, Tate. The former football star and Golden Boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness that has caused deformity…turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she’s told that if she takes the job she must promise to never, ever visit the 3rd floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth being hidden there.

Tate’s condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family’s financial history that don’t add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…

As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head, in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?

I’ve been reading a lot of retellings lately, and I put this one in my TBR pile to read this month. I wasn’t too happy with the first retelling I read, so hopefully this one will redeem retellings and get me out of my slump the previous book put me in.

What’s on your TBR shelf this week?

Lady of Sherwood Review

Lady of Sherwood by Molly Bilinski (Outlaws of Sherwood #1)

Published: May 15th 2017 by Clean Teen Publishing

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Robin of Lockesly was neither the son her father wanted, nor the daughter her mother expected. When she refuses an arranged marriage to a harsh and cruel knight, the deadly events that follow change her destiny forever.

After a night of tragedy, Robin and the few remaining survivors flee to Nottingham. With a newfound anonymity, they start to live different lives. There, she and her band make mischief, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. But charity isn’t the only thing she wants—she wants revenge.

As the sheriff draws his net closer, Robin’s choices begin to haunt her. She’ll have to choose between what’s lawful and what her conscience believes is right—all while staying one step ahead of the hangman.

I received this book during one of Lit-Cube’s live sale on Facebook. Honestly, I really just wanted the tote bag and some of the other items, but I thought hey three books in one? Can’t be bad right?! Well, I should have looked up this book first and read some of the reviews, would have saved myself. I forced myself to read all the way to about page 210, and then I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was very disappointed in this book. This might have some spoilers ahead, so read with caution.

Robin wasn’t a very relatable MC and I found her very annoying. She complained about her arranged marriage, she complained about her mother, she complained about almost everything. So what is her response? Go run to Marcus, the guy she has loved since they were children, and sleep with him so that she doesn’t have her honor anymore (definitely seemed as if she was doing it to rub it in her mothers and soon to be husbands face than actually really loving Marcus). Then when (spoiler) Marcus is killed, she just wanted to exact revenge (she didn’t really seem like she was that heartbroken on his actual death). I mean she was sad, but she didn’t really act as if the love of her life was dead. Then once a new guy came along, she all of a sudden was in love with him (but also didn’t want him to know because she wasn’t “ready” to love again). See, she is kind of a wishy washy person.

“They are clever girls, with brains in their heads.” Nice quote right? It was a nice compliment the first time we heard it, and then it was probably said about 50 or so times (at least it felt like it for the amount of pages that I read). With that being said, I was hoping that this would be more of a retelling with the authors own spin to it. It seemed as if I was reading the same Robin Hood story that we all know and love except that the only difference was that it was female Robin with her band of merry women. (Spoiler) If you thought someone was a man, surprise she was just dressed like a man to avoid being judged by society. This was a great idea the first time the author did it, but she should have left it with just one character.

As this is only the first book in the series, and I couldn’t even get passed 210 out of 290 something pages, I will not be finishing up this series. Hopefully, the rest of the series gets better for the people who did enjoy this book, and according to GR it seems as if a good amount does. I wanted to like it, I really did, but this was just not my cup of tea and there are way to many books out there to struggle through one.

Lit-Cube Live Sale Review

Lit-Cube is a monthly subscription box curated by Peggy and her team that sends you a book, a wearable, and other little bookish goodies.

The cost: $29.99/month + $4.99 s/h to U.S. and $14.99 s/h to Canada

<–This is what it looks like on the inside, after you first open it! The anticipation is exciting. This months theme was “Sherlocked” and it has all things Sherlockian inside!! I always like their description cards, and this month is no exception!

 

Check out my other Lit-Cube reviews and book box subscription reviews !

 

I had to stop my subscription service at the beginning of the year, and since I’ve stopped they’ve added some new features! One new thing is that they’ve added a rewards program! You can earn rewards by leaving reviews on Amazon of the books you receive in the subscription boxes (15 points for the current featured book, and 5 points for recent past titles), and you also get a point for every $1 you spend! With your reward points, you can either get a discount on subscription boxes or on items in their shop. I honestly like this idea and wish they had started it sooner (while I was still subscribing, I might have to re-subscribe after I finish grad school and get my big girl job).

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This year Lit-Cube has started to do live sales on Facebook, and I just so happened to catch one (I think they have only done one before this one). It was definitely an interesting process, and I had to restrain myself from purchasing more than one box. All of their “boxes” for sale were first come first serve and they only had a certain amount of each one. This one had a mix of compilations of past boxes of their Stars Hallow subscription and their normal Lit-Cube subscription.

The box that I ended up buying was a compilation of 3 past Lit-Cube boxes, that they called Live Laugh Love box (I think mine was #1 out of 2 different ones). This one cost $50 and included all the items below:

This tote came from their “Live Laugh Love” February box. This has an estimated value of $20.

The Lady of Sherwood by Molly Bilinsky was from their May box. On Amazon the value is $6.95 (retail value of $10.95).

This looks like it’ll be an interesting retelling of Robin Hood.

“The girl who was on fire” Bookmark by Lexy Olivia. This has a value of $6.

Arrow bangle bracelet. This has an estimated value of $10.

Bellamy and the Brute by Alicia Michaels was from their March box. This book has a value of $7.52 (retail value of $10.95).

Can you sense the theme yet? This box is all about different fairy tale retellings (this box also came out when the new Beauty and the Beast movie came out, so it was very fitting).

4 oz tin from In the Wick of Time– Belle’s Books (value of $10.99)

This is a soy vegan candle that smells really nice and not very over powering. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the lid off so I’ll have to get my husband to try when he gets home later.

Also included from the March box, was this Beauty and the Beast Be Our Guest lip balm by Olive Kisses. This has a listed value of $2.99.

Cinderella.com by River Laurent was from their June box. This has a value of $12.49 on Amazon.

From this box we received The Glass Slipper bath salts from Two Wild Hares. I always like when boxes have bath salts or wax melts in them, because it always makes the entire box smell good! This particular scent has a value of $6.95. This bubble salt blend has Himalayan pink salt, Dead Sea salt & sea salt blended with an elegant fragrance of passion fruit and acai berry.

“Have Courage and be Kind” Bookmark. It kind of looks like one of those headbands that’s not supposed to leave a crease with a little embellishment. This probably has an estimated value of $8.

The last item from this past box was this little Cinderella trinket box. This probably has an estimated value of $10.

Overall, this has an estimated value of $101.89. Even though it cost more than their normal subscription box, I think I like doing the live sale more. For one you get to see everything before hand so you can decide if you want it or not (although part of the charm is being able to unbox new items every month).

Before I checked out with my goodies, I took advantage of their buy one get one free deals and bought their Stars Hallow coloring book set and passport holder for $25.

I love that the coloring book set came with a canvas pouch and coloring pencils!

Lock & Mori Review

Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty

Published: September 15th 2015 by Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.

This wasn’t anything that I expected a modern day Sherlock book to be. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Although this book is called Lock & Mori, it is definitely basically all about Mori. Sherlock is there randomly when needed or not.

This book starts off with Mori who has an eidetic memory, and it’s basically brought up every chapter of the book. Her first introduction to Sherlock is going to fetch him during a fire alarm in his secret lab in the basement of the school (because that makes sense in a high school). Then somehow miraculously they end up in the park late at night together, and decide to crash a crime scene. What do you think they decided to do next?

“We should take the case.”

“‘Take the case’?” I wanted to laugh openly at him then. “Do you think at all before you speak?”

“We could do it. We are clever. The swans on the lake are more clever than those detectives. Perhaps even the trees.”

That’s right, they took the case, and then Mori couldn’t decide if she even wanted to play Lock’s game for most of the book. The only rule they had was to share everything, no secrets. Guess who failed at that, Mori after like the second day of looking for clues. I was expecting the mystery to go for the entire book, but Mori solved it it felt like before half the book was over. From then on I just wanted to strangle her, I thought she was supposed to be really smart?

Want to know the worst part about this book? There was insta-love. To make matters worse, it seemed as if Mori would only kiss Lock to distract him so that she wouldn’t have to tell him her secrets. There was no building of romance, or really character development in this book.

Overall, I would not read this book again. The entire book was kind of boring and slow to begin with, but when you add in the insta-love and lack of character development it’s just not worth it. There are tons of books on my TBR shelf right now that have a much more interesting plot.

Litcube “Sherlocked” December Box Review

Lit-Cube is a monthly subscription box curated by Peggy and her team that sends you a book, a wearable, and other little bookish goodies.

The cost: $29.99/month + $4.99 s/h to U.S. and $14.99 s/h to Canada

 

<–This is what it looks like on the inside, after you first open it! The anticipation is exciting. This months theme was “Sherlocked” and it has all things Sherlockian inside!! I always like their description cards, and this month is no exception!

Check out my other Lit-Cube reviews and book box subscription reviews !

 

I was very surprised to see two hardcover books in our box this month! I didn’t realize there was two until after I pulled them out, because even though I like the info card, I don’t want to be spoiled while I take everything out. Do you read the info cards or wait until after you unbox everything??

Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori #1) by Heather W. Petty

Released: September 15th 2015 by Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary:

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again

This book has a retail value of $17.99, but you can find it on Amazon for $12.14.

The book itself looks very interesting, and something that I would enjoy reading a lot! My only complaint is that there is a slit in the jacket on the top right corner. At least it’s small and hopefully won’t get any bigger!

 

Lock & Mori Mind Games (Lock & Mori #2) by Heather W. Petty

Published: December 6th 2016 by Simon & Shuster

Goodreads Summary:

Sherlock Holmes and Miss James “Mori” Moriarty may have closed their first case, but the mystery is far from over in the thrilling sequel to Lock & Mori, perfect for fans of Maureen Johnson and Sherlock.

You know their names. Now discover their beginnings.

Mori’s abusive father is behind bars…and she has never felt less safe. Threatening letters have started appearing on her doorstep, and the police are receiving anonymous tips suggesting that Mori—not her father—is the Regent’s Park killer. To make matters worse, the police are beginning to believe them.

Through it all, Lock—frustrating, brilliant, gorgeous Lock—is by her side. The two of them set out to discover who is framing Mori, but in a city full of suspects, the task is easier said than done. With the clock ticking, Mori will discover just how far she is willing to go to make sure that justice is served, and no one—not even Lock—will be able to stop her.

This book has a retail value of $17.99, but you can find it on Amazon for $11.99.

Depending on how the first book goes will determine if I will enjoy this one or not. So I’m crossing my fingers that I do, because the premise sounds really good. So far it has a 4.06 rating on Goodreads, so that is really promising so far.

Look how cute these promotional items are!! The stickers are adorable, and I am thinking of putting them inside my book. What do you do with promotional character stickers?

I decided to put the signed sticker inside the Mind Games book, that way it won’t accidentally get lost.

The wearable this month, are Lit-Cube exclusive Sherlock Holmes socks! This has a retail value of $9.99. Since they were designed just for Lit-Cube subscribers you unfortunately won’t be able to find them anywhere else. Hopefully if they have extras they will sell them on their website.

Sherlock themed tea by First Edition Tea Co. Retail value $3.99

This fits the theme very well, I just wish I liked tea! Maybe I need to subscribe to their Stars Hallow box in order to get coffee products instead of tea!

221 Baker Street keychain – retail value $5.99

This is a cute keychain, a little plain for my tastes, but I have some friends who would really like this for Christmas!

Last, but not least, is this exclusive 2016 Lit-Cube Holiday #bookish ornament. I like the color, but it’s a little hard to see the words unless you are right on top of it. It does give my tree a little something extra!

Overall, this month’s box had an estimated overall value of $44.10. That doesn’t include the ornament or promotional items included in the box. Unfortunately, this will be my last box for awhile for personal reasons and this was a great box to end my subscription with. I loved that there was 2 books included in the box and the socks! One can never have too many socks.

What do you think of this month’s box?

LitCube November “Sorting Hat” Box Review

Lit-Cube is a monthly subscription box curated by Peggy and her team that sends you a book, a wearable, and other little bookish goodies.

The cost: $29.99/month + $4.99 s/h to U.S. and $14.99 s/h to Canada

<–This is what it looks like on the inside, after you first open it! The anticipation is exciting. This months theme was “Sorting Hat” and the quote on the card says “happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Ahh, I just love this theme!!

Check out my other Lit-Cube reviews and book box subscription reviews !

This month is just chalk full of Harry Potter goodies, and when they announced the theme last month I was already ready for it!

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls by Holly Grant and illustrated by Josie Portillo.

Published: April 28th 2015 by Random House Books for Young Children

Goodreads Summary:

A creepy Victorian house, secretive aunties, and a great escape combine in this debut that is part Mysterious Benedict Society, part Roald Dahl. Join the League. . . .

Anastasia is a completely average almost-eleven-year-old. That is, UNTIL her parents die in a tragic vacuum-cleaner accident. UNTIL she’s rescued by two long-lost great-aunties. And UNTIL she’s taken to their delightful and, er, “authentic” Victorian home, St. Agony’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

But something strange is going on at the asylum. Anastasia soon begins to suspect that her aunties are not who they say they are. So when she meets Ollie and Quentin, two mysterious brothers, the three join together to plot their great escape!

This book has a retail value of $16.99, on Amazon you can purchase it for $14.37.

This definitely has that middle school feel for it, and it looks like it’ll be a quick fun read.

Look how fun the back is! Those attack poodles do look very vicious! If you enjoy this book, the second one is already out and the third one will be released next year.

Can we just take a moment and admire this scarf? This was exclusively designed for Lit-Cube, and has a value of $14.99. I am so glad that we got a cold front this weekend, my outfits will now be complete with this scarf!!!

The snackable this month is some old fashioned candy by Giliam. I found a pack of 80 sticks for only $16.00, making one piece have a value of $0.20. Lit-Cube sent out two different flavors, I received Rum and Butter (Butterbeer), and the other one was Rootbeer. Definitely something you would find in Fred and George’s shop!

One of the exciting items in this month box was this exclusive House Handbook Organizer.

I like that each week is customizable, that way if I forget to use it it won’t matter!

I love the quote on the back of the organizer. Since this was designed and manufactured exclusively for Lit-Cube, I can’t find it anywhere online. The info card says that this has a value of $34.99, and it seems accurate for that price. It is very well made and seems as if it’ll be very sturdy in my book bag.

So not going to lie, I was seriously hoping that this would contain my Hogwarts letter. Heck I would have been okay with my acceptance to Ilvermony!

Although it wasn’t my acceptance letter, I will accept the planner stickers from Nerdy Grl Designs! I mean look how cute these little stickers are, and they will go perfectly with my new planner! These were designed by the shop owner herself, and they have a value of $3.99.

The last HP item in the box are these adorable nail decals by Nail Glams! Thankfully they came with instructions or I would not have been able to apply them =/. She has many different HP sets on her site, so this is obviously a custom order. She is also having a sale right now of buy 2 sheets get 1 free! This particular set has a value of $5.99.

Overall this box has an estimated value of $75. This is probably hands down my favorite box from Lit-Cube. I honestly would have been just happy with the book items! I wish I could have been sorted into Gryffindor, but I am happy with my Slytherin scarf and planner!

Did you get a Lit-Cube this month? What house were you sorted into?

Next months theme is…

This will include 2  hardcover books (one a new release and the other is not the classic book). There will also be a signed bookplate and exclusive content from the publisher! This is so exciting! Just in time for the 4th season of Sherlock in January!

If you are a new subscriber you can use the coupon code thankful2016 for $5.00 off of your first box! This code expires 11/24/2016 so if you think you want this box don’t hesitate to buy it!!

Lit-Cube Special Edition “Halloween Eve” Box Review

Lit-Cube is a monthly subscription box that sends you a book, a wearable, and other little bookish goodies.

The cost: $29.99/month + $4.99 s/h to U.S. and $14.99 s/h to Canada

<–This is what it looks like on the inside of the special edition box, after you first open it! The anticipation is exciting. The theme for this box was “Halloween Eve”.

Check out my other Lit-Cube reviews and book box subscription reviews!

 

For a limited edition box (such as this one) it is a little bit more costly. The cost is $44.95 which included shipping and handling. These are one time boxes and are not part of the monthly subscription, I believe they only do 4 boxes a year, but I could be mistaken. This was my second limited edition box, and so far I really like it! I might consider buying more in the future, but that will depend on funds during that particular month!

Unlike my first limited edition box, this one included a description card. I really like when subscription boxes include these, I like to get a sense of what each item is valued.

The book for this box is Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker. This was published January 12th 2016 by Feiwel & Friends.

Goodreads Summary:

High school meets classic horror in this groundbreaking new series.

It was a dark and stormy night when Tor Frankenstein accidentally hit someone with her car. And killed him. But all is not lost–Tor, being the scientific genius she is, brings him back to life…

Thus begins a twisty, turn-y take on a familiar tale, set in the town of Hollow Pines, Texas, where high school is truly horrifying.

This book retails at $17.99, but on Amazon it is $12.59.

This book was picked to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the penning of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when she was just 18 years old. Shelley later published it anonymously in 1818, and in 1823 published an edition with her name on it.

I have never heard of this book before, but it is very fitting for a Halloween box! I will definitely make sure I read this one before Monday!

Exclusive Hocus Pocus pajama set – RV $44.95.

I was super excited for this item when I saw it in the packaging. At first I thought it was just a shirt, but it turned out to be something even better!!! (P.S. Sorry for the horrible photo of me wearing the pjs, my husband is not a great photographer and he cut off my head.) These were super soft and I was a little worried that the shorts would be a little too big, but they fit perfectly. My only problem is that I live in south Texas, and the high today was 88 degrees F! Definitely not long sleeve weather. =/

Frankenstein Tea Sampler by First Edition Tea Co. -RV $3.99, you can purchase other literary themed teas on their Etsy shop, a sampler bag costs $2.50 in their shop. Maybe this will become available sometime in the future!

This was made exclusively for Lit-Cube. I almost wished I was a tea drinker so that I could try this out! I love pumpkin anything and this looks like it would taste amazing! Maybe I will give this to my good friend who loves tea so that he can tell me the verdict!

National Geographic Is It Real? Vampires -RV $19.99, Amazon has this for $4.99.

I am pretty sure that I have seen this on TV randomly, but I don’t think I really need this on DVD. This is probably the least liked item that we received. I wonder if it is on Netflix.

Halloween Socks- RV $9.99

How adorable are these socks?? I love socks and these will be a great edition! Great for keeping feet, while not necessarily warm, covered. They can also be used to confuse your big black dog into thinking your foot is your small dog while they are playing.

Hocus Pocus magnetic bookmark set by NerdyGrlDesigns, RV $3.25. These particular bookmarks can be bought as a set (which the full set is 5 characters) for $9.15.  They can be bought individually for $3.15, or as a set of 3 for $5.50 in the choose your own characters section. I love Melissa’s shop, and have actually purchased from her before. I actually have my eye on a few more bookmarks that I hope I can convince someone to buy me for Christmas. =D

Annie B’s Popcorn & Caramels– RV $2.95

You either received caramel, sea salt caramel, or jalepeno cheddar, each individual bag is $2.00. I am very excited to try these out as I am a huge popcorn fan! The individual caramel candies come in 13 different flavors. You can purchase a bag of 10 for $5.00 or 120 pieces for $60.00, or a few different options. I imagine that Lit-Cube probably bought in bulk, which would make each candy worth $0.50.

Overall this box has a value of $83.52, not bad for a subscription box. This is probably my favorite box I have received from Lit-Cube this year! Not just because the theme is Halloween, but I love almost all of the goodies picked out! I hope I enjoy the book as much as I enjoy the goodies!

What do you think of this boxes curation? What boxes do you subscribe to that had a Halloween theme this month?

Lit-Cube October “Tale As Old As Time” Box Review

Lit-Cube is a monthly subscription box that sends you a book, a wearable, and other little bookish goodies.

The cost: $29.99/month + $4.99 s/h to U.S. and $14.99 s/h to Canada

<–This is what it looks like on the inside, after you first open it! The anticipation is exciting. This months theme was decided by a vote, and the winner was “Tale As Old As Time”!

Check out my other Lit-Cube reviews and book box subscription reviews !

I love the themed description card, I like that Lit-Cube . I may be biased because I love Beauty and the Beast. And as always, they included on the other side information of what you will find in the box.

The book this month is a special edition for Lit-Cube.

Beauty (Everland Ever After) by Caroline Lee

Published: October 1st 2016 (paperback), originally published May 31st 2016 for Kindle

Goodreads Summary:

A faded matron and a blinded musician… but which is the Beauty and which is the Beast?

Twice-widowed Arabella Mayor has made a place for herself and her son in Everland, selling and lending her beloved books to other bibliophiles in the sweet town. But she’s running out of money, and ten-year-old Eddie is giving her fits, and their future is uncertain. Re-marriage might have once been an option, but Arabella knows she’s past her prime, and isn’t the Beauty she used to be. And as her beauty faded, so did her worth. What does she have left?

World-renown violinist Vincenzo Bellini is at ease with his carefully cultivated reputation of a beastly recluse. After all, the fewer people looking at his hideous scars, the better. Ready to retire, he’s trying to hide in Everland, but doesn’t count on the townsfolk being so curious… especially a particular bookseller who reminds him of the life he abandoned long ago. Can he teach her that worth isn’t tied to their appearances, or will he have to abandon his plans for a future here in Everland?

The paperback version on Amazon is $9.99, but you can get the Kindle version for only $2.99. 

I really like fairy tale reimaginings, but I am not so sure about this one. It doesn’t sound like something I normally read, but I am willing to give it a try.  What makes this a Lit-Cube special edition, is that the very first page is a letter written to the subscribers from the author and then she signed it! I thought that was a pretty cool element that I haven’t seen in a Lit-Cube box before.

Not only did we get a signed book, we also received a signed bookmark from the author.

The wearable this month is an exclusive Beauty and the Beast rose necklace. This has a value of $9.99.  The mini replica of the enchanted rose is very cute. I know a little girl whose birthday is coming up that would love this!

Our edible this month is a large cinnamon pretzel with icing. This is from the Pretzel Haus Bakery, on Amazon you can purchase a pack of 10 for $29.99. Which would make one pretzel have a value of $2.99. I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but it is super soft in the package.

This is an Exclusive Tale as Old as Time Jewelry Box, retails for $24.95. This is very cute, if I had a little girl she would love this.

The last little goodie, is this metal rose bookmark. This has a value of $4.99. It comes with a very cute blank card, and an envelope with a rose on it. I have a new obsession with bookmarks, and I am excited to add this to my growing collection.

Overall, I am very pleased with this month’s curation. This box has an estimated value of $52.91. The book is signed so that in my opinion raises the value of the book.

What do you think of this month’s Lit-Cube “Tale as Old as Time” Box?

Next month’s theme is: