Alyce Caswell - Author - Book Reviews

Alyce Caswell - Author

Regency/Vampire/Road Trip/Awesome

3/10/2022

Wynter's Byte (Scandals with Bite #5)
by Brooklyn Ann

Justus de Wynter became a rogue vampire after he lost his love, but now he knows where she is - an asylum, where she has been locked up for 8 years, for claiming that her suitor was a vampire. Bethany Mead is happy to escape with Justus, but it's a case of frying pan to fire - rogue vampires are killed on sight and Justus needs permission to Change her. Can they possibly make a life together?

This might actually be my favourite book of the series, though it was entirely different from the usual blueprint and shouldn't have worked. But it did! Justus is such a great character - not only is he a reformed rake, but he's a reformed villain as well. I admittedly found him more interesting than the hero in the previous entry. I adored this Regency/vampire/road trip (lol) romance.

Once Bitten Twice Shy

3/10/2022

His Ruthless Bite (Scandals with Bite #4)
by Brooklyn Ann

Lenore Graves owes the Lord Vampire of Rochester a favour and now he's decided it's time to collect. Gavin Drake, Baron of Darkwood, needs a wife to fend off overzealous mortal mothers and he desires a vampire who is loyal and won't cause him too much trouble for the fifty years of their marital arrangement. Lenore wants a marriage in name only. But Gavin may just change her mind...

I was pleased to see that the author decided to change things up a bit with this book (i.e. not another vampire/mortal romance) and I had actually hoped to see more of Lenore, since I became quite attached to her in the previous entry. Still an excellent romance, but a tad wobbly in some areas (including editing). Presumably a side effect of the shift into indie publishing.

The Doctor and the Vampire

1/10/2022

Bite at First Sight (Scandals with Bite #3)
by Brooklyn Ann

Cassandra Burton, widowed countess and would-be doctor, has been excluded from obtaining a medical education due to her sex and must resort to grave robbing. But this lands her in the the path of Don Rafe Villar, who reveals himself as a vampire. She soon finds herself his prisoner - which gives her a fantastic opportunity to study his kind and hone her skills. And perhaps...indulge a little.

An immensely satisfying Regency/vampire romance, as with the others in the series. But this one contained a significant amount of action and excitement, which made me enjoy it all the more. Who'd have thought that I would ever find myself enjoying vampire politics? Ann has created a wonderful world of paranormal alt-history and I'm probably going to devour all the titles in the series.

A Regency Romance with Bite

1/10/2022

Bite Me, Your Grace (Scandals with Bite #1)
by Brooklyn Ann

Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath, is not enjoying the sudden obsession with vampires that an author has sparked. Because the close scrutiny may reveal the truth of his "skin condition". The perfect solution may very well have presented itself: Angelica Winthrop, who broke into his house because she needed writing inspiration. She wants to be ruined...but he has other plans for her.

I am loving this series so far. A Regency/vampire romance mashup? Yes, please! What I really enjoyed about this book was the use of historical figures and how seamlessly they fit into the narrative. And of course, the romance itself was delicious (ha!). Angelica is a great heroine and is given the opportunity to truly shine. Looking forward to sinking my teeth into the next one (#3, because I've read #2 already).

Seriously Good Sequel

27/9/2022

Bravely (Disney)
by Maggie Stiefvater

There are two types of people - those whom magic seeks and those who seek magic. Merida is definitely the former. After a curious knock on the door on Christmas Eve, she encounters the god of ruin and realises that DunBroch is in danger of falling to his powers. Luckily, Merida is granted some time - a year - to prove that her family can change. But if she fails...all will be lost.

Okay, I did not expect this to be one of my favourite reads of the year. I was sure I would have to force myself through some lacklustre Disney release, but this was really quite special. Very well written, the triplets are given separate identities, Merida continues to grow, the world is expanded but retains the magic and feel of the film...I think I actually prefer the book to its progenitor. Gasp! This is mostly because the trailers of the day promised adventure and the movie did not deliver, which left me feeling very disappointed in the cinema.

At last, I've had a true adventure with Merida. I loved every minute of it.

Pointy, Thorny Courts

25/9/2022

These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows #1)
by Lexi Ryan

Abriella has always known that it is too dangerous to make a deal with any of the Fae, but after her sister is sold to the Unseelie king she has no choice. She is tasked with stealing three magical artefacts and she must succeed or risk losing her sister forever. But in order to do this, she has to infiltrate the Seelie court - and pretend she is interested in marrying the Seelie prince.

This felt like some weird mashup of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, with competing love interests from those tales, which I found interesting. I'll admit I'm not hugely into Fae stories, but it was nice to read one that's well written (yes, I'm throwing shade on the very popular books by another author lol) and properly dark. Alas, I hate love triangles. That I failed to notice the very obvious love triangle on the cover is on me! An enjoyable read that has left me, despite my personal preferences, wanting to read the sequel.

The Honeymoon's Not Over

15/9/2022

Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel
by Beth Revis

The Rebellion has triumphed at Endor and though the war should be done and dusted, there's still so much more for our heroes, Han and Leia, to do. Like get married and go on a honeymoon that totally isn't a PR stunt and totally won't be derailed by any impromptu ambassadorial missions or opportunistic stowaways.

Ahhh, this was so lovely. The wedding was everything I wanted in Legends and never got. And bonus? No kidnapping! Look, The Courtship of Princess Leia is a classic but it's very much a product of its time lol.

I was happy to bask in the slower pace of The Princess and the Scoundrel, though the action introduced towards the end was obviously very welcome. I'm not even mad about the thinly veiled advertisement for the Disney World Resort. A starship is a much less noticeable thing to shoehorn in than, say, a random far-flung outpost (I will always be annoyed by the Black Spire books).

This is not a perfect book, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

The Force is Not Strong with This One

14/9/2022

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White

Obi-Wan Kenobi feels like he's failing his Master, the Order and himself at nearly every turn. When Qui-Gon fails to show up in time for a mission, Obi-Wan impulsively leaves on his own, chasing a planet that seems to have been lost in the days of the High Republic. He will either find his way - or become even more hopelessly lost if he doesn't centre himself.

My main gripes with this book are pretty much the same gripes I have with the other titles in the Disney canon. Not everything needs to have connection to the High Republic! Geez! I mean, yeah, I liked Orla but they did her so dirty and this book just reawakened my anger. I'm also getting very tired of standalone titles that terminate without much growth or anything new said. Could we perhaps have more serieses? To allow the characters and plots some breathing room?

Full disclosure: I'm a diehard fan of the old Jedi Apprentice series and yes the bookmark I used while reading Padawanwas carefully excavated from my copy of The Mark of the Crown back in 1999. So... this book was never going to match up to the Legends canon for me. Which is fine. Padawan even managed to catch an echo of what I enjoyed about JA every now and then... but Obi-Wan acted like a tween instead of a teenager, I started twitching every time he "laughed" (WAY too many times and often on the same page - was the editor really tired or something?), and there was none of that breathing room I was talking about.

And then there was that weird freaking moment. You know the one. Before it happened, I was quite pleased by the inclusion of a non-binary character who felt like an organic part of the the story. In contrast, the exploration of Obi-Wan's possible sexuality was not organic in the slightest. It was so awkwardly done and didn't feel true to his character.

Ahem. That all said, I'm still going to think of this book fondly because I'm just jazzed to have some Obi-Wan content. And that's a great cover. And the pages smell nice. I'm grasping here, aren't I?

All Poured Out

10/9/2022

Royal Tea Service (The Tea Princess Chronicles #3)
by Casey Blair

The Cataclysm is at risk of expanding, if certain players cannot be stopped - and so Miyara must call together representatives from the nearest lands, even those who cannot be trusted or convinced to help. Istalam is on the brink of disaster and Miyara cannot save it alone. So it's a good thing she has a team of loyal friends, royal sisters...and a cat-like dragon tea spirit.

Such a fitting end to Miyara's arc and the series - though I am intrigued by the open plot threads for other characters. I really like how these books show that problems can be solved through unity...and of course I love that tea is the main instrument of bringing people to together. Some things could have been covered in greater detail and I don't think this book having three epilogues did the conclusion any favours, but all in all I enjoyed Royal Tea Service.

Tea and a Good Book

3/9/2022

Tea Set and Match (Tea Princess Chronicles #2)
by Casey Blair

Miyara has settled into her new life, but she could lose it all if she's not careful. Her sister, a princess who has not ceded the title, is determined to take her home. Now Miyara must prove herself worthy of the title of Tea Master in a tea tournament in order to stay in the one place where she feels she belongs. But the tournament is the perfect staging ground for some illicit activities...

I'm really enjoying this series - it's cosy, cute and uncomplicated. Which means these books are basically the text version of a really nice cup of tea. Book #2 certainly benefited from not having to spend time on introducing Miyara and her world to us, but some of the same issues from book #1 carried over (mostly editing). That said, I'm still rating this highly because it was still a lovely and comforting tale.