Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

All Poured Out

10/9/2022

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

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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.

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Sapphic Villains FTW

2/3/2022

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The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska

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Marynka, or Midday as this witch's servant is known, is determined to beat her rival, Midnight. This time, the prize is the pure heart of a prince and Marynka will take it back to her grandmother. But Midnight's plan for the heart is different, something that will make her more powerful than Midday. There is, however, another obstacle for both of them: their mutual, unshakeable attraction.

I am weak for YA witches falling in love - the author describes her characters as "sapphic villains" - so of course I was going to enjoy this. The Polish-inspired fantasy setting was fascinating to me and it was introduced naturally, without any info-dumping. Marynka and Zosia were such a delight too. Slower pacing would have helped build more tension, but The Midnight Girls was still a lot of fun to read.

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Sequel and Sensibility

6/1/2022

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​A Wedding at the Jane Austen Dating Agency (Jane Austen Dating Agency #2)
by Fiona Woodifield

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Sophie Johnson lived to tell the tale and got her happy ending with Darcy - or did she? Now running the Jane Austen Dating Agency with then help of Emma Woodtree (ha!), she has a wedding to plan for a successful agency couple and she's still trying to get that exclusive editorial position at the magazine. But all these competing priorities still don't stack up against the threat of Darcy's mother.

This sequel had more of the same Austen-esque shenanigans, so if you liked the first book you'll enjoy this one. I never thought that Darcy actually suited Sophie. Seeing him get booted in favour of an other suitor - well, that suited me just fine, though I'm sure I know what will happen in the next book. And of course I'll still read it! I enjoy this sort of light-hearted fun.

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Once Upon a Regency Time

2/1/2022

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The Jane Austen Dating Agency (The Jane Austen Dating Agency #1)
by Fiona Woodifield

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Sophie Johnson has landed her dream job - well, a job at her dream magazine anyway. Now if only she could find a man who looks at her the way that Darcy looks at Elizabeth Bennet. The Jane Austen Dating Agency sounds like the perfect solution, until Sophie finds herself tangled up in multiple situations that seem strangely familiar. But this isn't a Jane Austen book - it's real life! Isn't it?

This was a very fun book, even though it did get chaotic at times when yet another Jane Austen-esque character appeared. And while Sophie seemed mildly aware of how much things were mirroring the books she loves, I do wish that had been taken just a little bit further - made her seem a bit dense at times. All in all, a cute romcom that kept me entertained and left me smiling.

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A Killer Ending

31/12/2021

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Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper & Fire #3)
by Natasha Ngan

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Wren has lost the woman she loves to the enemy and retrieving her is no small task - especially with a war brewing between Wren and the palace. The war brewing closer to home may be even more dangerous. Lei is once more imprisoned by the Demon King, but she is no longer under his power. She will do whatever it takes. No matter what. Even if it means making the greatest sacrifice.

So that was emotionally draining - but in a good way. After a somewhat disappointing entry last time (Middle Book Syndrome is real, y'all), the series regains the momentum it has lacked since the end of the first book. And just in time too. Honestly, I would burn down the world for Wren and Lei. They've carried these books on their shoulders. I also like that Ngan has shown how complex the trauma caused by abuse can be. Allowing multiple characters to deal with it on their terms really helps with that. Some better pacing would have elevated this book to a tier of excellence (and some things felt unnecessary), but it's still a good read.

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Soapie of Serenity

4/9/2021

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Summer of Serenity ​by Nicola Marsh

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

Jy Atherton is sent to Acacia Haven to shut down its only school, under the guise of evaluating its students' poor performance. Summer O'Reilly knows what he's about and she has no intention of making it easy for him - but he's got a way of sneaking in past her defences. This is just a fling, far from the lights of Melbourne. Acacia Haven isn't the town for complications...or secrets.

Well, I should say this book had a way of sneaking in past my defences. I wasn't expecting to love it so much. Jy and Summer had intense chemistry and I was all in for their relationship from their very first scene together. I liked Acacia Haven and its people, especially Summer's mother and her journey to take back control of her life. I can also appreciate a book that has a self-aware dig at itself lol. I would happily revisit Acacia Haven in the future (and I hope I can!).

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Princess Switch: Geek Edition

19/3/2021

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The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon A Con #2)
by Ashley Poston

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Jessica Stone wants to leave the Starfield franchise and its toxic fans behind her. The role has been the bane of her existence - and now she's lost the script to the sequel. She needs someone to pretend to be her while she finds it... so enter Imogen Lovelace, a huge Starfield fan who looks uncannily like her. But Imogen isn't filling in Jessica's shoes just to be nice - she wants to ensure that Jessica's character makes it to the sequel and that is the last thing Jessica wants.

I loved Geekerella so this was an insta!buy for me. Once again, I threw myself into the cutesy geekiness with wild abandon and enjoyed every second of it. I am such a sucker for stories, be they books or movies, set over a short period of time. So much fun knowing there's only a weekend for everything to be resolved! This all said, I didn't fall as much in love with this one as I did the previous book - probably more to do with my not loving the tale that inspired it. But I will still inhale the next one.

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Three on a Match

13/3/2021

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All We Have is Now by Kaneana May

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

Olive, Elsie and Bree move their growing wellness centre into a larger place and must navigate the ensuing changes and challenges in their lives. For Olive, it's her secret past surfacing in the form of the wellness centre's new masseuse. For Elsie, it's her role as stepmother and soon-to-be mother. For Bree, it's the sister who blows in and out of her life and causes trouble wherever she goes. Achieving wellness will be harder than any of them ever realised.

I'm always hungry for a novel that explores the varied and fascinating relationships between women and this certainly delivered. Olive, Elsie and Bree felt like real people to me. I could easily picture running into them on the street. May has a history of making me ugly cry (see her previous novel, The One!) and All We Have is Now was no exception. Definitely park yourself beside a box of tissues when you pick up this book. A thoroughly satisfying read.

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Lonely Planet

21/12/2020

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The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

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Sophie feels out of place and invisible beside Bianca, the glamorous roommate that she adores. When Sophie takes the fall for Bianca's small seditious action, their bond will change as much as the planet around them. Humans came to a world they never understood and if they never try to change that, they will face extinction.

Hmm. This had a great premise and I enjoyed the world-building - heck, I was delighted to see a queer neurodiverse main character. But that's all there was to it. I'm not even sure what the plot was after finishing it, though "finishing" is a relative term - there is no ending. The book fails to finish and I see the author does not intend to continue the story unless it's made into a TV show! Wow. Just wow. What a slap in the face. I could go on and on about the problems with this book, but I have better things to do with my time.

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Lesflix Christmas

25/10/2020

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The Holiday Treatment by Elle Spencer

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

Holly writes romantic Christmas movies for the Wifetime Network and dreams of finally getting them to produce and air a lesbian romance. An unexpected fling with Meredith, her colleague-turned-boss, over Christmas one year might finally get her to change her mind about her dislike of the holiday season. Or it might complicate her life even further.

I loved every single second I spent reading this book - and I demand that someone actually turn this into the Christmas movie we all need and deserve. Spencer is quickly becoming my favourite F/F author. Not only are her romances utterly squeeful, she also introduces a cast of friends and family that you can't help but love. The Holiday Treatment had me in tears of joy by the last page and that's the best endorsement I can give it.

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    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.

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  • 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