Cozy Reader Club February 2016 Inaugural Box Review and $10 Off Coupon!

This is the very first Cozy Reader Club box and if this is anything to go by, the next few months are going to be unlike any book box I’ve ever received before! Wow!

This subscription goes beyond the typical book subscription by focusing on creating an environment where you can take some time for yourself. Every box will include a brand new book, a beverage of either coffee, tea or hot chocolate, gourmet treats and a handmade item.

When I think of “me” time, I think of wrapping up in fluffy blankets wearing my coziest PJ’s with a big mug of tea and a book. I don’t think of shopping or a hot bath. No. It always involves being as cuddly as possible with a book in my hand.

Keeping that in mind, this box is basically pure, unalloyed heaven for me. It’s all the things I love, want and crave in one place.

The Cost: $64.95/month

What You Get: One newly released women’s fiction novel, an artisan coffee, tea or hot chocolate, gourmet treats and beautiful handmade items.

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer– This is a debut novel for this author and is a mystery. I love finding new authors and I love mysteries as long as they aren’t thrillers. Think Sue Grafton. I love those A is for Alibi books of hers.

Newly single mom Beth has one constant, gnawing worry: that her dreamy eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, who has a tendency to wander off, will one day go missing.
And then one day, it happens: On a Saturday morning thick with fog, Beth takes Carmel to a local outdoor festival, they get separated in the crowd, and Carmel is gone.
Shattered, Beth sets herself on the grim and lonely mission to find her daughter, keeping on relentlessly even as the authorities tell her that Carmel may be gone for good.
Carmel, meanwhile, is on a strange and harrowing journey of her own—to a totally unexpected place that requires her to live by her wits, while trying desperately to keep in her head, at all times, a vision of her mother …
Alternating between Beth’s story and Carmel’s, and written in gripping prose that won’t let go, The Girl in the Red Coat—like Emma Donoghue’s Room and M. L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans—is an utterly immersive story that’s impossible to put down . . . and impossible to forget.
I’m interested to see how an 8 year old features in the storytelling portion.
Value: $15
Nossa Familia Coffee in Ernesto’s House Blend-8oz- This is a whole bean coffee, which I always appreciate. It’s labeled as being a well-balanced medium roast with sweet, fruity, honeyed notes. Since I just bought a bottle of Bailey’s Vanilla Cinnamon, I’ll be using this right away. 🙂
Value: $9

Missionary Chocolates– Two gloriously decadent chocolate truffles. HUGE chocolate truffles. These are like two in one! Or four in two, I suppose. They’re gluten free and vegan. One is Simply Espresso. The other is Vanilla Salted Caramel. /drool Funnily enough, this shop is located in Portland on the same street my friend lives on! I’m going to have to hunt it down because these are delicious.
Value: $6

Northernly The Perfect Scarf– Thisssss! This is an emerald green (gorgeous!) cable knit infinity scarf with custom made leaf buttons. It’s made with acrylic yarn, is super cozy and it looks really cute on. I love it! Once I put it on, I only took it off to go to bed. It’s that comfy! 🙂
Value: $28 (on sale)
PNL Jewelry Designs Dragonfly Bookmark– Antique silvertone bookmark with hand wire wrapped red Swarovski crystals and a crystal dragonfly dangling from a chain. It’s engraved on both sides with I like. I’m going to use it with this book because well… it matches the red cover. 🙂
Value: $8
VERDICT: For a first box, this is definitely stellar. Especially for me. It’s an expensive box but it’s specialty and come in a little over the price paid which is normal for a box like this. I love the fact that it has real products in it. Does that make sense? It’s not full of promotional material, little stickers or things a grown woman wouldn’t use anyway. Since the goal of the box is to provide a cozy reading experience, I think this box did what it says it will. I haven’t taken my scarf off since I first put it on. I love it! I’m this close to taking it to Ireland with me even though I don’t need to because I’m going to buy one there as a souvenir.
In the interest of full disclosure, I won a subscription to Cozy Reader Club over the holidays. I’m not shy about expressing my opinion about anything but I *am* biased because I love to read and this box is seriously my idea of the perfect life. If I could read all day, I would. When I was a kid, my mom TOOK AWAY my books as punishment! That’s how much I love to read.
Now, is this an expensive box? Yes. It is. If you want to wait and see more reviews before you take the plunge I will be here reviewing them for that very purpose. I’m curious to see the book style choices and what other handmade items will be found in subsequent boxes. In reality, most book boxes tend to be on the pricier side though Cozy Reader Box definitely includes far more substantial items.
One thing I think would be nice would be a hint about the book genre for the next month.
If you’d like to sign up for Cozy Reader Club, you can do that here. Use code THANKYOU for $10 of your subscription for life!