Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

Lonely Planet

21/12/2020

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The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

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Sophie feels out of place and invisible beside Bianca, the glamorous roommate that she adores. When Sophie takes the fall for Bianca's small seditious action, their bond will change as much as the planet around them. Humans came to a world they never understood and if they never try to change that, they will face extinction.

Hmm. This had a great premise and I enjoyed the world-building - heck, I was delighted to see a queer neurodiverse main character. But that's all there was to it. I'm not even sure what the plot was after finishing it, though "finishing" is a relative term - there is no ending. The book fails to finish and I see the author does not intend to continue the story unless it's made into a TV show! Wow. Just wow. What a slap in the face. I could go on and on about the problems with this book, but I have better things to do with my time.

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A Little Bit of This and That

1/11/2020

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Warlords, Witches & Wolves by Various

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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.

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Lesflix Christmas

25/10/2020

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The Holiday Treatment by Elle Spencer

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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.

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Save a Horse, Start a Romance

4/10/2020

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Her Lady's Honor by Renée Dahlia

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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.

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Hawaii Drift

29/8/2020

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The Aftermath of Drifting Away by Audrey Beaudoin

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Faye was so sure she was about to die when she asked Chris, a stranger, for her first kiss. There was no other reason she would ask. But after days of being adrift at sea, they were rescued - and now Faye has to live with the consequences. Including the fact that Chris isn't single!
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I loved the premise for this one - there are many fictional romances that begin far away from reality and I always wonder what happens when the couples go back to their real lives. I really felt for Faye, who I honestly would have befriended myself, and she felt very real to me (even if some of the plot developments didn't). A sweet New Adult romance with writing that shows a lot of potential.

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Witches Are Back, Back Again

18/8/2020

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These Witches Don't Burn (These Witches Don't Burn #1)
by Isabel Sterling

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Hannah is a real life witch living in Salem with her parents and the twelve other families that make up her coven. The most challenging things in her life are hiding her many secrets, trying not to get on the bad side of her grandmother, and dealing with an ex who just won't leave her alone. But her problems are about to get bigger. A LOT bigger.

I've read a lot of witchy teen books in my time - I grew up in the 1990s, after all. They're all very samey and unfortunately this one is no different, even if it did have queer representation. The typical 'incompetent adults' were especially incompetent, which I've always found a bit annoying. I think I'm willing to try the second book, since this was a decent enough way to pass the time.

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This Universe's Review

15/8/2020

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Again Again by E. Lockhart

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The Adelaides of various universes spend their summers walking dogs, creating a project that might save their grades, and encountering boys who may or may not remain in their lives.

Hmm. Do you ever read something that you know is clever and you really should appreciate it - and yet, you don't? I actually liked how this was laid out and the last part provided the pay-off I was looking for. But the story didn't grab me and I couldn't love it. A good idea let down by execution.

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From Simmer to Boil

15/8/2020

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On The Square (University Square Series #1)
by Brenda Murphy

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

Stung by an ex and the cancellation of her cooking show, Mai Li has come back to her hometown to restore her family's restaurant. She enlists the services of Dale Miller, a contractor who is adamant about never mixing business with pleasure. But the heat simmering between them is about to boil over.

I'll admit I expected something a little different based on the cover. Maybe a greater focus on the cooking and renovation aspects? But I got over my initial disappointment because this F/F romance has drama, miscommunications and delightfully steamy scenes (heat level 100000!). Dale's sons are strong secondary characters. All in all, it was an enjoyable read, but while the physical aspects of the relationship were really good, the emotional side was more "tell" than "show".

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What I Like About This Book

13/8/2020

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What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

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Maisie Martin is being forced to keep a journal over the summer by a tyrannical teacher. What she'd rather do is spend summer the same way she always does: hanging out on the usual family holiday, pining away over Sebastian, running away from her problems and definitely not entering a beauty pageant.

Okay. All caps time. WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER?

Well, obviously I couldn't obtain it through wibbly wobbly timey wimey means. But you know what I mean! Jenna Guillaume writes YA books that I can really relate to. Her characters feel like people I know in Real Life - and they all speak like people I know. But Guillaume's real strength is in how she tackles teen issues (eg. body image) without it feeling forced or heavy-handed. I really would have loved Maisie and learned a lot from her when I was younger.

And here I was thinking that nothing could best You Were Made For Me...

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Into the Wildeeps

6/8/2020

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The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps (The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps #1)
by Kai Ashante Wilson

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Demane's godly inheritance marks him out as other, the Sorcerer, but he hasn't realised his full potential or discovered himself. The decision to follow a caravan into the Wildeeps will transform and ruin him.

Confession time - I was really put off by the writing style to start with. But then, somehow, I was sucked into the story and realised just how well the style worked with action sequences. A hero's journey has never intrigued me this much before. This has the feel of something epic - and so much is said with so few scenes. So few words. An excellent novella, but the style does make it hard to get into.

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    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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