Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Don’t Bring a Cannibal to Dinner
SERIES: A Cox Fairytale #3
AUTHOR: James Cox
PUBLISHER: Evernight Publishing
LENGTH: 77 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
BLURB:
What are you willing to sacrifice for true love?
Harris and Grant were both raised in an orphanage. They’ve known beatings, starvation—and falling in love. When the dangers become too great, they run away into the dark woods, and they come across a cottage made completely of sweet treats. What could one taste hurt? Well, it stirs the handsome witch that lives inside. Fearing his wrath, they run straight into the brutal orphanage owner they were fleeing from before. Their unlikely hero is none other than the witch, but does the handsome magician want to save them or devour them? As it turns out, a bit of both.
But when the cottage the witch is bound to is set on fire, Harris and Grant face a terrible decision. For the only way the witch can be free is by eating one of their hearts…
REVIEW:
I haven’t gotten the chance to read a whole lot of James’s stories, but the ones I’ve read, I’ve absolutely loved. His twists on fairy tales have been fascinating. And I’ve loved the characters. I remember reading the one with Belle being the bad guy and that was awesome. Anyway, this was his twisted version of Hansel and Gretel and it was so good.
I will say his also, of the stories I’ve read of James’s, they all have had a dark element to them so if you have triggers, be careful. This one has issues with abuse and beatings.
Grant has one more week. Just one more week and he can finally leave the orphanage and get out from under Mr. D’s beatings. But it’s Harris he’s scared for. And he has every right to be. Harris still has a month to go, and Mr. D just got him good for breaking a dish. Grant read an article about capturing or killing the evil witch in the forest for a hefty reward, so maybe if they escape and so that, they will be ok. Well, they escape and find the cottage, but things aren’t quite as they seem. The witch, Dec, seems like a really good guy. But when Mr. D catches up to them and sets the cottage on fire to kill ALL of them, what Dec asks of them is too much. But they’re trapped with nowhere to turn….
I wish Harris would have let Grant go stab Mr. D. But then I get where Harris was coming from. He was worried and scared. I was so happy when they got to escape. By escaping, it also gave a chance for their relationship to blossom. They’ve loved each other for years. But the witch was deceiving them, Mr. D was catching up to them, and what did they do? I felt so bad for them. They just wanted a chance at life. To be free from beatings and to love each other. Just sweet boys dealt a shitty life. But they say karma is a bitch. I’ll let you read and find out why.
It’s a great short story. I haven’t read the second one yet but the first one was great too. They fun twists on childhood stories and I love them. I wonder who will be next.
RATING: 
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