Alyce Caswell - Author
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact

Book Reviews

Passsssss

4/9/2021

0 Comments

 

New Year, New Guy by Angela Britnell

Picture
Laura's sister, Polly, has a wedding to prepare for and so Laura is put in charge of looking after Hunter, the old school friend of Polly's soon-to-be husband - and a surprise guest. Hunter and Laura immediately clash. Having to share space with him is bad enough...how is she supposed to keep him a secret from the groom? And will the groom even want to see him?

This...just wasn't as interesting as it sounded. The leads had no chemistry, the story felt flat and it was hard to find much of the goings on believable. I don't think it was terribly objectionable, though. And if some parts had been developed better then I might have enjoyed it.

0 Comments

Switcheroo

29/8/2021

0 Comments

 

The Girl Who Swapped by Emma Baird

Picture
Lottie and Josh aren't even out of their teens and are carefree students - so why did they just wake up in the bodies of two 40-something parents with children? Charlotte likes to keep her life in order, but now she's in the body of a young surfer and half a world away from her children. What is going on? And how do Lottie, Josh and Charlotte fix this mess they've found themselves in?

This book had an intriguing concept and a whole lot of potential - a pity that it wasn't fully realised. Some things really should have been fleshed out more, including the characters themselves. They seemed to be reduced to "young and tarty" and "old and boring". Still, there is some fun to be had in The Girl Who Swapped. And Baird's more recent books are much better, courtesy of experience.

0 Comments

Deck the Halls

27/8/2021

0 Comments

 

Highland Christmas (The Highland Books #5)
by Emma Baird

Picture
A family Christmas is always going to be stressful, but add in an ex-alcoholic father, a father reappearing after a lengthy absence, a father flying the coop when he realises his child isn't his, and a father with sad, secret news - then the stress becomes practically stratospheric! Gaby and Jack are so run off their feet with the pub that they haven't any presents for their daughter. Can this Christmas be merry at all?

So I'm writing this nearly a day after finishing the book because MY EMOTIONS. Baird made me love all these people and seeing them go through so much makes me want to hug them all (...even Zac). Evie and Tamar were a delight, especially in scenes together! And Dylan finally shed his cardboard cutout identity and became a well-rounded character. I'm sad that this seems to be the end, but also happy to see off Lochalshie and its people when they're in a relatively good place.

0 Comments

Awfy Good Fun

24/8/2021

0 Comments

 

Highland Chances (The Highland Books #4)
by Emma Baird

Picture
​Times are changing in Lochalshie. It might've been easier if said times didn't occur when Gaby was pregnant and battling changes of her own at work! Gaby and Jack are run off their feet trying to keep a roof over their heads, as well as a roof over their favourite pub. But have they bitten off more than they can chew? And will The Lochside Welcome have to close its doors forever?

I just can't get enough of these books at the moment. The folks in Lochalshie are my friends and I would take a bullet for them. Okay, maybe not Zac. Ahem. Gaby and Jack's journey to parenthood was quite fun and I felt for them as chaos erupted. As always, there were moments where Baird made me chortle out loud. Prosecco and a loch in summer - need I say more? Okay, enough reviewing. I'm keen to get my nose into the next instalment of this runaway train.

0 Comments

Runaway Bride

22/8/2021

0 Comments

 

Highland Wedding (The Highland Books #3)
by Emma Baird

Picture
Gaby blurts out a proposal to Jack and of course he says yes. But soon she's saying yes to other things, like a job in London when she only has three months to get the wedding sorted, letting Jack's ex plan the whole thing, and going out with her new boss. Oops. All she and Jack have to do is get to December and say "I do"...but this runaway train might be a disaster waiting to happen.

Yay! An excellent sequel. I was a little worried after the last book, but those fears were unfounded. Gaby and Jack are like dear old friends (and just about everyone else who's popped up in this series so far - except Zac ha!) and I enjoyed their latest misadventures. Baird makes it so easy for you to slip into their lives, into the rhythm of Lochalshie, into a little pocket dimension where miscommunications and mistakes are the worst things that can happen. Now for the next one!

0 Comments

Och!

21/8/2021

0 Comments

 

​Highland Heart (The Highland Books #2)
by Emma Baird

Picture
Katya has never had an instant connection with a man before and being with Dexter is incredibly exciting - if only he wasn't so geographically unavailable. Distance and miscommunications may prove fatal to their relationship. Or perhaps it will be the handsome newcomer Zac who finally drives that final wedge between?

Oooh I'm not sure about this one. Firstly, Katya just isn't Gaby and I couldn't connect to her (so that's more of a personal thing, I guess). Dexter being MIA so much meant that I never really saw him with Katya and thus I couldn't see how they'd ever work out as a couple. He also did something incredibly creepy - pretending to be someone else to Katya the whole time? WTF? And lastly, Mena... oh man. That really was a downer and I nearly DNFed.

I do love Lochalshie and its people and how Baird writes them, but I think I'll give this book a miss in future.

0 Comments

Sin City

9/8/2021

0 Comments

 

The Forgotten Duke (Diamonds in the Rough #5)
by Sophie Barnes

Picture
Regina is desperate to escape a marriage to a mere boy and runs away in her wedding dress on the morning of her big day. She finds herself in St Giles, at the mercy of the streets - and Carlton Guthrie, a crime lord who offers her sanctuary, but out of the goodness of his heart. He wants revenge. Regina's father wronged him and he means to settle the score. Falling in love is out of the question.

I remember thinking "do I really want to see the Scoundrel of St Giles get his own story?" and the answer is a most emphatic yes! Easily my 2nd favourite book in the series (Blayne will always have my heart!). Carlton was perfect as the scoundrel with a heart of gold and I loved how his and Regina's relationship developed. Bonus intriguing subplot. And even if I hadn't already read Marcus' story, I would have felt for him. I could go on and on, but basically I freaking loved this book.

0 Comments

Discover At Your Convenience

3/6/2021

0 Comments

 

A Convenient Marriage by Jeevani Charika

Picture
TW: mentions of self harm

Chaya and Gimhana both work in London, but they are always under pressure from their Sri Lankan families, who want to see them settled. Chaya still pines for a love she lost and Gimhana knows that his being gay will destroy his parents - and dissuade his law firm from promoting him. Gimhana suggests to Chaya that they enter a marriage of convenience. And it's just what they need... until complications ensue.


This is such a beautiful platonic love story. It's quite rare to find that kind of love story in women's fiction and I'm pleased to have happened across it. Chaya and Gimhana have a relationship that enables both of them to grow - we all have many variants of these relationships in our lives, so this felt true to me. The only thing I would have liked to see was a bit more of Gimhana's romantic past, since it was reduced to one violent on-screen incident and some throwaway lines.

0 Comments

Travel Without Quarantine

29/3/2021

0 Comments

 

Marriage Unarranged by Ritu Bhathal

Picture
Aashi should be preparing for the most exciting day of her life, but her wedding dreams are in tatters after she discovers her husband-to-be has cheated. Now she must cancel everything - except, perhaps, the trip she had planned to take to India with her best friend and her brothers. Aashi may find herself there...and she may also find true love.

I loved this!! Not only did it provide some desperately-needed armchair travel, it was a delightful read that kept me hooked way past my bedtime. Of course, I enjoyed the romantic pairings, exploring the "sights", the sprinkling of melodrama (never outstaying its welcome) - but mostly I enjoyed reading about Aashi and Arjun together. I desperately need this book to be turned into a movie.

0 Comments

This Girl is on Fire

29/12/2020

0 Comments

 

Heiress on Fire by Kellie McCourt

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

Heiress Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg (*draws breath*) married a man who was supposed to be her boring, reliable "Bran Muffin". But after her clumsiness inadvertently leads to his death in an explosion, she begins to unravel her Bran Muffin's secrets - and must somehow clear her name by venturing out into a world she has been sheltered from.

This was a somewhat amusing romp and I'm rather impressed that McCourt made someone who should have been unlikeable into a main character who I might follow into the sequel. You'll have to suspend disbelief a lot with this book and you really need to be in the mood for a vapid MC in the midst of a vapid plot (there are definitely times for this!). I'm not sure I liked how achingly obvious this book was as a setup for a series. It felt a little unfinished because of that. But I am like a moth to the Heiress on Fire and will probably pick up a sequel if there is one.

0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>
    Picture

    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.

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Alt Hist
    Anthology
    Ashley Poston
    Australia
    Australian
    Book Review
    Canada
    Chicklit
    Classic
    Collection
    Comedy Of Manners
    Community Unravels
    COVID-19
    Crime
    Denmark
    Diversity
    Emma Baird
    Fantasy
    Female Relationships
    Harlequin
    Historical Romance
    History
    Hugo Award Winner
    Irish
    Jack Campbell
    Julia Quinn
    Kim Harrison
    Korean
    LGBTQIA+ Representation
    Literary Fiction
    Lynsay Sands
    Malaysian
    Memoir
    Messy Family
    MG
    Mills & Boon
    Netgalley
    New Adult
    Non Fiction
    Non-fiction
    NOPE NOPE NOPE
    Novella
    Paranormal Romance
    Patricia Briggs
    Paula Quinn
    Prequel
    Queer Romance
    Romance
    RUBY
    Rural Romance
    SA
    Sarah J Maas
    Sci Fi/fantasy
    Sci-fi/fantasy
    Scottish Romance
    Sequel
    Sophie Barnes
    Space Opera
    Star Wars
    Suspense
    Tea
    Television
    The Epic EU Read Through
    TW: Suicide
    UK
    Urban Fantasy
    US
    Vampires
    Video Games
    Wattpad
    Werewolves
    Witches
    YA
    Zimbabwe
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact