Blog Archives - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

The Average Game

30/7/2022

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

Ruthie lives a very quiet, tidy life in Providence, a place where rich old people come die - er, retire. Two of the eccentric residents, the Parlonis, require another young man to torment/run their errands and so one must be found. But the latest offering is Teddy, son of the owner of Providence and the guy who just made one heck of a bad first impression of Ruthie...

I have to say, Thorne really knows how to pace a romcom! And she has populated her pages with some very interesting characters. However, I didn't really see Ruthie and Teddy being together at all (perhaps it's because I never lost my dislike of Teddy) and many things weren't addressed or were too quickly dealt with (eg. Teddy's sister). An okay, if not particularly memorable, book.

Tea Cosy

30/7/2022

A Coup of Tea (The Tea Princess Chronicles #1)
by Casey Blair

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

The day has arrived for Miyara, the fourth princess of Istalam, to choose how she may serve her people. But she has no idea what her path should be. So she renounces her title, flees to a city on the edge of the Cataclysm, and begins to find her place as a Tea Aspirant. But even though she is no longer a princess, Miyara might still yet discover how she can serve her people.

Turns out I have kryptonite and it's fantasy novels featuring tea. I wouldn't say this is the most amazing book I've ever beheld, but it was cosy and adorable and exactly what I needed during a period when I wasn't able to read for more than a few minutes at a time. A Coup of Tea is a like a trusted, always-welcome friend. And it's perfect for a reader obsessed with books and tea. Looking forward to my paperback copy arriving next week. ;)

And so the series ends

17/7/2022

Some Like It Scot (Scandalous Highlanders #4)
by Suzanne Enoch

Catriona MacColl rescued her sister from an unwanted marriage and went on the run with her, all the way to Scotland. Munro MacLawry finds a lass dressed like man hiding out on his brother's land and is immediately drawn to her. But it soon becomes difficult to sneak away and visit her without raising the suspicions of his family - and Catriona may be hiding from something else.

What is with the heroes in this series launching kisses of dubious consent on the heroines? And Munro's brothers...I can't recall them being this irritating and dense in their own books. I'm SURE I enjoyed Some Like It Scot. I'm sure I did. Perhaps I enjoyed it despite its many glaring flaws. Let's just say it was average and leave it at that.

And it was going so well...

15/7/2022

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid (Scandalous Highlanders #3)
by Suzanne Enoch

Rowena MacLawry ran away to have her London season and now she's returned to the Highlands at the age of eighteen, ready to put aside her childhood obsession with the man who ignored her. Lachlan MacTier should be relieved that the lass who loved him for years has moved on. But it's strangely difficult to watch her pretending she fancies Englishmen who can talk about theatre...

I loathed Lachlan so much I nearly DNFed this many times. I wish I wasn't so stubborn about finishing what I start. Lachlan is a petulant and forceful arsehole - and oh yeah, he only suddenly develops a tendre for the heroine WHEN SHE GETS OVER HIM. I didn't buy that Rowena was still into him and I didn't want them to end up together. But as usual, I liked the clan drama. Pity about the "romance".

Drama, romance - action!

14/7/2022

Rogue with a Brogue (Scandalous Highlanders #2)
by Suzanne Enoch

Arran MacLawry dances with an enchanting lass at a masquerade, but instead of being his intended - she's from a rival clan! Mary Campbell knows she should avoid Arran and marry the man her parents have chosen, but the Highlander in her is drawn to the Highlander in him. Will they manage to resist each other - or will they imperil an important, fragile truce?

Gosh, I loved this one. Maybe because I'm such a sucker for enemies to lovers - and a sucker for dramatic races to Gretna Green. I'm amazed that Enoch managed to see the romance, given that they spent a lot of the book on the run. The minor characters assisting Arran and Mary were brilliant and I find myself missing them. I really enjoyed the clan drama too. Definitely my favourite of the series so far, but it is only book 2... ;)

Final Act to the Rescue Again

11/7/2022

The Devil Wears Kilts (Scandalous Highlanders #1)
by Suzanne Enoch

Ranulf MacLawry, the Marquis of Glengask, has come to London to bring his wayward sister home, but instead finds himself agreeing to allow her a two-week stay. He's no fan of the English and Lady Charlotte Hanover has a way of getting under his skin better than most of them. Charlotte has no patience for men who use violence to get their way. Can she convince him to change...or accept him as he is?

This was a typical historical romance novel and didn't really stand apart from the others until the climax, which was unexpected but not unwelcome. Truthfully, I found the clan dynamics a lot more interesting than the actual romance. Mind you, the intimacy scenes were excellent - but even those won't help me remember the particulars of this book when I come across it again.

Saved in the Final Act

9/7/2022

Better Off Wed (Love & Let Spy #3)
by Susanna Craig

Lady Sterling exacts vengeance upon society's predators on behalf of those with no power to do so themselves. Her real identity: Miss Laura Hopkins. When her old nemesis is up to his usual tricks, she races off to deal with him - only to encounter Captain Jeremy Addison, who is the real Lord Sterling. And he doesn't have a wife! But they'll have to pretend wedded bliss in order to evade detection.

I will admit, I got a bit worried during the saggy middle section of this book because my attention started to wander - but Craig well and truly stuck the landing. The premise was great and some of the minor characters were exceptional. A pity we only met them towards the end, as I think they would have breathed some more life into that troublesome middle section.

While You Were Reading

9/7/2022

While You Were in the Country by Eva Scott

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

Frankie Fox has a magical night with Ant and leaves him her number, but he never calls. Never mind - there's soon another man in her life when Jed Murphy, her longstanding AFL crush and infamous bad boy, crashes his car in front of her. Frankie is quickly roped in to pose as Jed's fake girlfriend in an attempt to repair his reputation. There's an even bigger complication, however - Ant is Jed's brother!

I was a little wary after the last romcom-inspired book Eva Scott wrote, since it stayed too close to its source material, but she nailed this one. I absolutely loved reading While You Were in the Country. It contains the best aspects of its progenitor (While You Were Sleeping), but it's still quite capable of standing on its own - some parts of it might have even been better! And there's so much delicious drama that you're going to need a spoon to eat it all up.

A Suitable Sequel

7/7/2022

One Thing Leads to a Lover (Love & Let Spy #2)
by Susanna Craig

Amanda, the Countess of Kensington, has her shopping swapped by an intelligence agent who needs to keep an important codebreaking book out of the wrong hands. Major Stanhope is sent to retrieve the book and finds that the countess is not so staid and dull as reports would have him believe. His mission should be simple, but he's discovered a great distraction...

I felt very lukewarm towards the first book in this series, but I thought I'd try this one anyone - and I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed One Things Leads to a Lover...possibly because Langley has just today become one of my favourite romantic heroes. And perhaps I like a bit of intrigue with my Regency romance! What a relief this turned out so well... I may have bought/preordered all the other books already. ;D

Not Lovin' It

5/7/2022

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora is wary of small towns and for good reason - they're the kind of place were former boyfriends get lost forever, trading her in for someone less career focused. But she agrees to visit Sunshine Falls with her sister, Libby, in attempt to fix the vibe between them. This small town won't trap her, no way - even if it is the childhood home of Charlie, the editor who rubs her the wrong way and gets under her skin.

Hmm. I wanted to like this more than I did. Mildly entertaining, plays with the trope of a woman going to a small town- but lacks the magic of Beach Read. I also prefer a bit more of the "will they/won't they" thing, and there wasn't a single instance where I thought "won't they" about Charlie and Nora. Without that crucial element, the book plodded along without any tension. But it was still decent enough.