Book Lover Mystery Box – March 2017 Review

7The Book Lover Mystery Box is an Australian subscription box that provides you with a minimum of 2 romance novels (occasionally up to 4) – depending on the number of books in the box, bookish extras such as candles, bookmarks, jewelry, etc. may also be included.

Book Lover Mystery Box
Cost: $44.99 AUD (discounts available on longer subscriptions)
Shipping Costs: Free within Australia (varies to other countries).
Payment Method: Credit Card or Paypal.
Mailed Out: the first week of the month

FYI, the 1-month non-renewing purchase is available for $39.99 or you can get a 2-month subscription for $74.99.

Book Review – ‘ 10 Things I Can See From Here’ by Carrie Mac

Title:  10 Things I Can See From Here
Author: Carrie Mac
Genre:  Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT
Date of Publication: 28th February, 2017
Page Count: 320 pages (hardcover)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Perfect for fans of Finding Audrey and Everything, Everything, this is the poignant and uplifting story of Maeve, who is dealing with anxiety while falling in love with a girl who is not afraid of anything.

Think positive.
Don’t worry; be happy.
Keep calm and carry on.

Maeve has heard it all before. She’s been struggling with severe anxiety for a long time, and as much as she wishes it was something she could just talk herself out of, it’s not. She constantly imagines the worst, composes obituaries in her head, and is always ready for things to fall apart. To add to her troubles, her mom—the only one who really gets what Maeve goes through—is leaving for six months, so Maeve will be sent to live with her dad in Vancouver.

Vancouver brings a slew of new worries, but Maeve finds brief moments of calm (as well as even more worries) with Salix, a local girl who doesn’t seem to worry about anything. Between her dad’s wavering sobriety, her very pregnant stepmom insisting on a home birth, and her bumbling courtship with Salix, this summer brings more catastrophes than even Maeve could have foreseen. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves?

I like to read other people’s reviews to see if I’m in the majority of minority with my opinion, and I’m really surprised to see that my overwhelming love for this book isn’t the norm on Goodreads where it currently has an average rating of 3.64. Reading through some of the criticisms only reinforced my affection for the main character and her story, and I’m going to stubbornly hold onto my 5-star rating for this one!

I requested this from Netgalley because the protagonist, Maeve, combines two character traits I relate to and therefore find most interesting to read about: she struggles with mental illness and she’s a lesbian. And on both counts, I was very pleased with how the author portrayed Maeve.

Review – ‘Making Love’ by Aidan Wayne

Title:  Making Love
Author: Aidan Wayne
Genre:  Romance, Paranormal, LGBT
Date of Publication: 30th January, 2017
Page Count: 92 pages (ebook)
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

Carla the cupid is an excellent shot, but her chemistry is so bad that most of her matches don’t last. Her dream is to shoot a True Love pair, but until her scores improve, she’s relegated to the Puppy Love division of Aphrodite Agency.

Leeta, a succubus, is looking for a True Love match. Which is highly unusual, as most succubi are aromantic. But Aphrodite Agency—her only hope—turns her away because the receptionist can’t believe she’s not just looking for an easy meal.

Carla agrees to take Leeta’s case on freelance. She figures it’s a win-win: Carla gets to put a succubus’s True Love match on her résumé, and Leeta gets to find her True Love! Except as Carla tries to find a match for Leeta, she finds herself maybe . . . relieved when the matches don’t end well. And Leeta seems to be getting pickier and pickier. Things will never work out until Carla learns enough about chemistry to figure out who’s truly best for Leeta, and until Leeta can admit what—or who—she truly wants.

Word Count: 22,800

I’m not a fan of novellas and I didn’t realize that’s what this was when I requested it…but this story is so  treacly sweet and works best in a small dose, so that ended up being a positive!