Category: Australia - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Fancy a Firestarter?

10/9/2023

Not Here to Make Friends (Marry Me, Juliet #3)
by Jodi McAlister

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Murray O’Connell needs to produce another season of reality show Marry Me, Juliet and he has to do it without his best friend, Lily Ong. Or so he thought. After a year of silence, she's back - as Lily Fireball, not a producer and not the woman he knew, but the villain of his season. She could completely derail his plans...or help him make the most brilliant season of reality television ever.

I don't often get obsessed with a series. I'm extremely obsessed with this one.

I devoured the first two books, so of course I did my damndest to pick up an ARC of the third instalment. I was not at all disappointed! It was so much fun to read about two MCs who are such a mess - especially when they are so delightfully messier when put together. Lily Fireball is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered and you will easily find yourself rooting for the "villain" here. McAlister has done it again - and yes, I'm still obsessed.

Bronze Debut

9/9/2023

Silver Valley (Silver Valley #1)
by Arabella Rosier

Savannah Shaw moves to Silver Valley because of her father's work and is happy to see her best friend, Jasmine Spark, again. But there is something seriously strange going on and Jasmine has told her not go into the forest. But Savannah is drawn to the forest - and the boy she's seen lurking there. Soon the secrets of Silver Valley will be revealed.

This is a well-written debut that introduces believable teenage characters and it was intriguing enough to hold my attention for the first and second acts (after that...not so much). There's potential here, but a lot of it is unrealised. I imagine that the uneven pacing and plot issues will improve across the series, just as the author improves in her craft.

Sweet & Sunny

25/8/2023

Summer Beach (Escape to the Coast #1)
by Amber Jakeman

Sam has returned to Australia from her busy life in LA and is cleaning up her late father's holiday house, eager to have it sold as soon as possible. She discovers that the house has a neighbour - Jake, a songwriter and guitar player who has no tolerance for out-of-owners who only see dollar signs. But he and Sam have more in common than she realises. And now she might have a reason to stay.

This was a charming book and a pleasant detour between heavier reads. I did feel that it could have used a structural edit and I thought the MCs were rather mean to each other at times (too mean, perhaps, to make things work). Ultimately, Summer Beach: Escape to the Coast delivers exactly what it promises its readers - sweetness, romance and a sunny setting.

More Heir than Spare

2/7/2023

My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas

Phoebe doesn't want to go to a new school or move in permanently with her dad and his girlfriend - and she definitely doesn't want to do yoga! She just wants to play basketful like her heroes. While settling in isn't so bad, it does mean that she can't see her mum as often as she'd like...and it'd help if her mum actually showed up when she promised she would.

Jared Thomas has a gift for writing YA fiction that feels real, isn't unbelievable or OTT, and is accessible to teens who might not usually read as a hobby. For some adult readers, this means the prose isn't as elegant as in some other YA novels, but you're not the intended audience. Thomas grapples with some very difficult issues here, including having an alcoholic as a parent and dealing with micro-aggressions. This is a solid Australian story.

Sometimes I Read Non-Star Wars Books

16/3/2023

Fae's Alpha (Fated Mates of the Fae Royals #3)
by Helen Walton

Briana heads to Earth against her father's wishes to assist her sister. But first she runs into Sledge - a strong, sexy Alpha who just happens to be her fated mate. Briana doesn't want to risk her heart again. Sledge will do anything to win her over - even promise not to touch her until she asks him to.

What's not to like about firefighter wolf shifters? Especially one who rescues koalas! Another enjoyable steamy PNR from Walton, with the added bonus of a slightly more intriguing plot than the previous two instalments.

Reality TV Bites

28/2/2023

Here for the Right Reasons (Marry Me, Juliet #1)
by Jodi McAlister

Cece is in desperate need of money, which is definitely NOT the right reason to be on the reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet. But she only lasts one episode before being eliminated. Game over - right? Nope! The pandemic has stranded her on location. The show's Romeo, Dylan, offers to help Cece out with some extra screen time. Cece accepts: a decision that definitely won't come back to bite her. Ha!

AHHHHHHhhhh ommmgggg squeeeeee. Right, that's dealt with. I think I remember how to do words now. I discovered this series via an ARC of the sequel, which I loved (bi rep wooo!) and I thought I might like this one too. Didn't expect to love it just as much! Cece bulldozed her way into my heart and I was desperate for her to have her HEA. She and Dylan were such an amazing couple too. This book was amazing and I need more.

I just have one question. Lily Fireball book - when?

A Match Made in Sydney

27/2/2023

The Matchmaker by Saman Shad

Saima is a matchmaker with a string of successes - and a lot of debt. She has no choice but to take on new clients, even though she's already met their son and she absolutely cannot stand him. The dislike is mutual. Kal doesn't appreciate Saima's opinion on his life and his choices, but she wears him down and he agrees to go on some dates. But his perfect date might actually be his matchmaker!

Great setup, great start, great chemistry - I was so keen. And I have such a weakness for stories that use Sydney as a setting! I spent most of this book thinking it would make a fun movie on Stan, but towards the end I got quite fed up with Kal. Also... I don't like MCs who hook up with another character 81% of the way through the book. Somewhat spoiled the fun for me.

Simply Wonderful

6/2/2023

Can I Steal You for a Second? (Marry Me Juliet #2)
by Jodi McAlister

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Mandie is a longtime watcher of reality show Marry Me, Juliet, but she would never have applied to be on it - before she got dumped by her toxic girlfriend, that is. She's not even sure she has the courage to go through with it. But then she meets Dylan, another romantic hopeful - who should be her competition, not her new obsession! After all, they're on the show for a chance at love - with a man.

How can you not love that premise? Two contestants on a Bachelor-style show falling in love (which has actually happened IRL!)? Sign me the heck up! To say I enjoyed this would be a vast understatement. There was plenty of delicious drama to be had, so much heart-twisting angst, and a strangers-to-friends-to-lovers tale that had me up past my bedtime.

But the best part? Representation. Oh my gosh. YES.

I don't usually see myself in romcoms. I will devour ALL the sapphic romances, but I'm always keenly aware that bisexual women like myself are generally not going to be the heroines. Unicorns are more visible than us lol. So imagine my delight to discover that both heroines were bi!

And pandemic fiction is my biggest weakness atm, so I ate up that aspect of the story. xD

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.

Blossoming

13/6/2022

Paperbark Hill by Maya Linnell

One family tragedy set Ned Gardiner on his wandering path and now another has brought him home to his father's farm in Bridgefield. He doesn't usually keep his family in the same place long, but this time he might find a reason to stay. Diana McIntyre is trying to make her flower farm successful - no mean feat while grappling with loss and four boys. But help may have just arrived...

What a lovely slice of life this was. While Paperbark Hill had lower stakes than the previous books, I quite enjoyed the slow, believable build up of a relationship between two very real people - and of course it's nice to keep up with the McIntyres. Linnell has created a family (and a town) populated with characters that you always look forward to spending time with.