Blog Archives - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Sailors Ahoy!

9/8/2020

Kilts Ahoy! (Clash of the Tartans #6)
by Anna Markland

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

Marshall Robson has admired Teagan MacCray from afar, but her clan has been feuding with his for centuries. He has a chance to put an end to the feuding - by proposing marriage between Teagan and his brother, the laird of his clan.

I really liked the premise and things definitely started well, but I can't say this one captivated me. The hero and heroine didn't have much "screen time" together - Marshall was either brooding or tearing off to Norway - which meant that I didn't feel the love, so to speak. Marshall's brother wasn't really much of a roadblock either, so I never got the "will they/won't they" vibe. But that cover is pretty awesome.

Book Review

8/8/2020

Beach Read by Emily Henry

As an author of romance novels, January lives and breathes happy endings. As an author of literary fiction, August is staunchly against happy endings. They've been fierce rivals since college, but now both of them are struck by writer's block. A bet to switch genres may help them out of their respective funks - and may give them an ending of their own, happy or otherwise.

I am a sucker for books about writers writing. I am a sucker for books involving leads who are both a bit broken. I am a sucker for books that feel like comfort food on a cold winter's night (as it is tonight!). So it was enviable that I fell in love with this one. It was so easy to blitz my way through it, but now I wish I'd savoured it a little bit more. Well, that's what re-reads are for, aren't they? :)

Twice Jilted, Twice Smitten

7/8/2020

More of Less a Marchioness (The Somerset Sisters #1)
by Anna Bradley

Iris has set herself up as typical wife material - sweet, docile, completely unlike herself - and it has successfully attracted the Lord of Huntington. But then she does the unthinkable: she jilts him. <i>Twice.</i> Previously unaffected by her, Finn now finds he absolutely must have her for his marchioness.

I wasn't expecting to like this so much, given my last flirtation with Anna Bradley's work. But Iris is one of my favourite romantic heroines of the year - she's clever, discerning, and knows what she wants (once she figures it out!). I enjoyed (perhaps too much) her jilting of Finn and it was satisfying to read/witness him changing into a man more suited to Iris - and a man more worthy of her.

A Tale of Two Novellas

6/8/2020

A Taste of Honey (The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps #2)
by Kai Ashante Wilson

Aqib bgm Sadiqi has a choice to make - uphold his family honour and marry a woman of higher standing, or run away with the soldier who has captured his heart.

Maybe I shouldn't have tried to read this directly after The Sorcerer of the Wildeep, which was wonderful. A Taste of Honey pales in comparison. That said, I don't think more time between the two would have changed my mind. This novella has a good twist ending, but the story takes too long to get there and as such most of it feels unnecessary. The world-building is mere padding.

A Taste of Honey would have had a lot more punch as a short story.

Into the Wildeeps

6/8/2020

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

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.

Real As

5/8/2020

Songs That Sound Like Blood by Jared Thomas

Roxy has music in her blood and her soul, but she won't make it very far in her small town. She moves to Adelaide to attend university and starts to figure out who she is and what her place in the world might be.

A lot of YA titles are about The Big Goal, with fantastic and dramatic journeys to get there. It's so nice to find a book that is instead grounded in reality, especially one where the character is allowed to grow at a rate that younger readers would be familiar with. Roxy is very relatable. And this isn't just a story - it's a roadmap, with advice for readers who may not hear it elsewhere.

It's so FLUFFY!!!

2/8/2020

The Love Study by Kris Ripper

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

Declan left his boyfriend at the altar years ago. Jumping back into dating is intimidating - more so when he agrees for his dates to be chosen by Sidney, a YouTuber who wants to use Declan for their show. But it's a little hard for Declan to focus on his dates when all he can think about is a certain someone else...

Gosh, this was the cuteness thing I've read in ages. Declan and Sidney reached peak levels of utter adorableness - their relationship was saccharine in the extreme, which was frankly too much for me. But if you want to sigh happily until 80% of the way through the book, where there's a weak attempt at conflict, then you'll probably enjoy this piece of fluff.

Magical Fire Guy (and friends)

1/8/2020

Sorcery and Sandstorms (The Weaver's War #2)
by Samantha Marshall

The warg threat might be lessened for now, but it hasn't gone away - the galaxy is in more peril than ever before. Arcana and Fenris are stranded on a planet with a cruel system of governance and seemingly no way of saving themselves, let alone the galaxy. Meanwhile, Flare tangles with politics and an infuriating cyborg.

I absolutely loved this one - the retroesque fantasy I really enjoyed in Sorcery and Stardust is back in full force here. Part of it felt like an episode of Xena (if Xena was set in space lol) and the other part starred the inimitable Flare (definitely deserved the amount of the screentime he got!). I also found this sequel to be tighter and so much harder to put down. I'd like to say it's my favourite of the series right now, but it's not done yet! Looking forward to the next one.

I've Done...

1/8/2020

All the Dumb Things by Georgia Tingley

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review - and Georgia very kindly agreed to a Q&A so you get that as well!!!! Her novella from last year, Whistler's Wonderland, had been selected as a RUBY Finalist.

Review
Juliet has had no luck in her pursuit of marriage and family - too bad the prefect guy doesn't want either of these things. Trey has been one of her "dumb things" before but she just can't help herself. Will this shot at love burn out like all those other times?

This is a fun and sexy (very sexy!) contemporary romance that will spice up your evening. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Juliet's "dumb things" because of the tension they brought to the story (flashbacks are so hard to do well). Juliet is a realistic heroine who endears herself to you - she isn't as vapid as some of the protagonists in the genre. What I like most, however, is the fact that Juliet is 40. She's realistically portrayed as someone who found success later in life.

Click here to read the Q&A with George Tingley :D