Alyce Caswell - Author - Book Reviews

Alyce Caswell - Author

Enter the Oasis

27/11/2020

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Wade Watts doesn't have time to settle down and enjoy life after his big win - another hunt has been unlocked for Halliday's heir and there will be a toll to pay if he pursues it. And this time his pop culture knowledge may not actually be enough to save the day.

I adore the music and movies of the 1980s, so Ernest Cline's books are like crack to me. Wade traipsing around a whole world full of John Hughes' movies? Be still my beating heart. But Ready Player One and Armada had problems that grated on me. I'm not talking about Cline's less-than-fantastic prose (which, honestly, isn't an issue considering how much fun the books are). I'm talking about the female characters and the diversity problems.

After being disappointed so many times by male authors refusing to grow and continuing to treat female characters as afterthoughts, objects, or complete trash (here's looking at you, Jim Butcher), I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Cline actually put in the effort to address the problems from the first book. Is it perfect? Well, no. But Ready Player Two might be my favourite book of Cline's, because he didn't ignore a large portion of his readers. This book is not just for CIS white dudes.

Yep, I outright cackled when John Hughes' world got called out for being very white. And I think about the ending to Pretty in Pink practically every week lol. I think I'll re-read this book a lot.

Thrawn: Secret Origins

14/11/2020

Chaos Rising (Thrawn Ascendancy #1)
by Timothy Zahn

Mitth'raw'nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendancy is a genius at tactics, his interest in studying art giving him an edge over his opponents. But when it comes to politics, he is constantly out of his depth, and his career is not the only casualty when things go sideways.

Finally, we get the full Thrawn origin story. Given how tightly the other Disney novels have to colour in between the lines (often to the detriment of plot), it's nice to read a book that doesn't have to obey all the rules. Very interesting, though not always engaging. I suspect the next couple of books will give us a better villain - this book was primarily about set-up.

Heaven's Sk8er Boi

11/11/2020

Unseen (The Fallen Guardians #3)
by Cassie Laelyn

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hailee has spent her life never putting down roots, thanks to her mother's strange need to keep moving, and finds solace in her book boyfriends. But Fate will soon throw her into the path of EJ, an immortal Guardian barred from returning to Heaven and more interested in living it up than in being someone's knight in rockstar jeans. The growing attraction between them might just be hotter than where they're headed...

I didn't think I'd enjoy EJ's book, but I was very wrong about that! I think Hailee might be my favourite heroine of the series so far - perhaps the book is my favourite of the series too. Laelyn is settling into a comfortable rhythm with her romances and the pacing is just right, with nothing ever dragging on too much. I'm often wary of insta!love situations, but I did enjoy this one.

A Little Bit of This and That

1/11/2020

Warlords, Witches & Wolves by Various

I received an ARC of this book, but only after I'd already preordered it so I'm not sure what disclaimer to put here! I'm definitely going ahead with the preorder though.

This anthology collects romantic fantasy stories involving characters that are at least one of the promised "warlords, witches and wolves". There are magical lands to discover and pockets of our own world to revisit with new eyes.

I was a little daunted by the size of this anthology (14 hours to go, or so the Kindle informed me at the start), but each novella is just the right size for someone who's about to fall into bed. Unsurprisingly, the authors I already like were behind he novellas I enjoyed the most. My favourite novellas, however, would be Daniel de Lorne's (I always enjoy an exploration of the power dynamics in a relationship) and Claire Boston's (Mongolian fantasy!).

Less enjoyable were the novellas that stopped before reaching a conclusion. I think a novella should have a fully realised story - prequels and spin-offs are fine, but cutting the story off is less preferable to me.

All in all, a fine collection that lets you dip your toes into the work of various authors. I found at least one new author that I'd like to investigate further.

Lesflix Christmas

25/10/2020

The Holiday Treatment by Elle Spencer

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holly writes romantic Christmas movies for the Wifetime Network and dreams of finally getting them to produce and air a lesbian romance. An unexpected fling with Meredith, her colleague-turned-boss, over Christmas one year might finally get her to change her mind about her dislike of the holiday season. Or it might complicate her life even further.

I loved every single second I spent reading this book - and I demand that someone actually turn this into the Christmas movie we all need and deserve. Spencer is quickly becoming my favourite F/F author. Not only are her romances utterly squeeful, she also introduces a cast of friends and family that you can't help but love. The Holiday Treatment had me in tears of joy by the last page and that's the best endorsement I can give it.

Let It Snow

18/10/2020

A Very Highland Christmas by Various

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is a tavern on the way to Culloden with colourful characters and, if you're lucky, a warm place to sleep during the chilly festive season. The Highlands are still reeling from the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie, but there are still celebrations to be had. These six romantic novellas include guardian angels, ghosts, mystical swords, family feuds and enough steamy scenes to thaw any reader out.

This collection is exactly what I needed. It combines two of my greatest weaknesses: Highlander romances and stories with a slightly supernatural bent. I'll admit that I enjoyed the latter quite a bit more than the other novellas on offer, but the entire anthology is a great read. Perfect for cosying up with. My only quibble is that I would have liked to see Carrie find true love - the collection felt somewhat incomplete without her story.

Appetiser > Mains

10/10/2020

The Voice (Ephemera #2.5)
by Anne Bishop

There is a village near Vision that deals with its sorrows by making cakes and feeding them to someone who is not in a position to refuse them.

This novella doesn't contain the main characters or the overarching plot... and yet I think it might be the best story in the entire series. Ephemera is a fascinating setting and after reading this I feel that it works best when you aren't trying to grasp what's going on. I really enjoyed this.

Paranormal Lite

9/10/2020

Wolf Untamed (SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team #11)
by Paige Tyler

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After a near death experience transforms Diego Martinez into a werewolf, he finds his pack and starts working with them in SWAT. When he responds to a hostage situation in a diner, he doesn't expect to find a teenage werewolf in need of an alpha - or Bree, a mother who desperately needs help with her son. Bree might just be The One for Diego. But first they must survive a crimewave that seems to be catching.

This was a lot of fun to read, though I found it to be a bit Paranormal Lite - I prefer a bit more world-building and more developed pack dynamics in my werewolf romances. Diego was actually quite a sweet werewolf (though I'm sure he'd scoff if I told him this lol) and I grew to be quite fond of him. A nice, easy way to pass the time - and there are enough interesting twists in this book to keep you reading until the end.

Save a Horse, Start a Romance

4/10/2020

Her Lady's Honor by Renée Dahlia

Lady Eleanor (who prefers to go by Nell) returns from the front with the duty of returning her captain's horse to Wales. Beatrice Hughes is the eldest daughter of Nell's superior, raised in a house ruled by fear and abuse. She has no reason to trust a woman who is conditioned to obey her father's orders. Can their building attraction overcome tragedy and the expectations of society?

Well, I'm baffled by the reviews on this one. I absolutely loved it. I have such a weakness for two broken souls who find love, especially if they keep miscommunicating and mistepping with each other - and I am always down for intersectional feminism! I found Nell and Beatrice to behave quite believably, given the PTSD and grief holding both of them back. This was a nice surprise.

FIFO Parenting

3/10/2020

Flying the Nest by Rachael Johns

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ashling's world crumbles around her when her husband, Adrian, says he wants to try nest parenting - which is also his way of saying their marriage is over - meaning that each parent spends one week with the children and one week without them. At first Ashling doesn't know what to do with her "off" week, but then she finds herself refurbing an old cottage by the sea at Ragged Point. This newfound freedom might be just what she needs.

I found the nest parenting arrangement to be utterly fascinating, both as a concept and as a plot device. It worked really well to contrast both Ashling's new and old lives. I quickly became quite fond of Ashling and also couldn't help but fall in love with Ragged Point and its cast of characters, especially Dan! What a great reminder that it's never too late to start over.

A thoroughly enjoyable book that kept me up well past my bedtime.

About

Alyce Caswell, when she isn't buried in a book or drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, is a keen writer of science fiction and romance. She has published two novels and four novellas in her space opera family saga, The Galactic Pantheon Series.

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