Category: LGBTQIA+ Representation - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

One Wedding & Some Drama

21/9/2024

Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment by Arushi Avachat

Arya should be happy - her sister is back and planning a wedding to really nice guy. But the more time they spend together under one roof, the more the tension rises. Meanwhile, Arya is trying to get ready for college and fulfil her student government responsibilities, but the boy who won the role of president over her is so annoying. How could he be anything but an enemy?

This book's main strength is how it explores and handles female relationships, particularly familial ones. I always like to see this kind of thing done well. It also helps that the plot is engaging, perfect for YA readers who want spades of character growth alongside the expected romance. There is no absolutely no need for familiarity with Bollywood movies to enjoy Arya Khanna's Bollywood Moment (I think the only one I've seen all the way through is Lagaan!). And enjoy it I did.

Tropetastic

20/9/2024

The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist by Sophie Gonzales

Ivy is a huge fan of a fantasy TV series but she doesn't expect to wake up with one of the characters in her bed. Weston is somehow real - and he thinks they're soulmates! Now Ivy has to find a way to hide his presence from everyone, especially her neighbour and ex-BFF, Mack. But maybe this isn't a story about soulmates. Maybe it's a story about mutual pining...and maybe Mack is Ivy's costar instead.

Gosh, this was cute. And I love seeing another bi girl with a similar haircut to mine on a book cover! As for the story, it's fun and amusing. The teen angst and drama ring true and you can't help but like every character. I did feel that this could have been something more, but sometimes you just want an uncomplicated YA novel to breeze through. As a bonus - I've discovered another Australian author!

Mages Run Amok

20/9/2024

The Silent Tower (Windrose Chronicles #1)
by Barbara Hambly

Caris witnesses the murder of a mage right before the perpetrator disappears. In our world, Joanna is a programmer who can't shake the feeling that she is being stalked - and this culprit also leaves no trace of themselves. Caris accompanies his grandfather to the Silent Tower, where Antryg (the student of an infamous dark mage) resides. But instead of answers, Caris will only find more questions.

I'm not usually one for cliffhangers, but it was so well done and this book was so well written that I was excited instead of annoyed when I reached the end (but I do have the benefit of possessing the next 2 books...). Hambly certainly has a way with words. I really loved this... and was delighted by the offhanded mention of a female guard having "a girlfriend of her own". What's this? Queer rep in the 1980s? Sweet! But uh oh. Of course the other queer rep arrived in the form of a gay man being portrayed as a sinful "pervert". Typical for the era but le sigh.

Anyway, I am so weak for retro fantasy and I'm fast becoming a Barbara Hambly fan.

The Force and the Restless

8/9/2024

Temptation of the Force (Star Wars: High Republic)
by Tessa Gratton

The Stormwall has been breached and the Republic can begin operations in the Nihil's Occlusion Zone. Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann both have their parts to play - and if they can avoid attachment, perhaps their love can make them better Jedi. Meanwhile, a blight is spreading throughout the galaxy and Marchion Ro is quietly studying it, to see if he can make another fearsome weapon.

Gratton is one of the stronger authors of the High Republic project and her exceptional writing is once again on display here (a relief after Defy the Storm). I want to say this is my favourite adult novel so far, but it definitely has issues - for example, the climax occurs in the middle of the book, which is really strange and causes the second half to drag. And Marchion Ro is the most uninteresting villain ever; he just roams around and you wonder how anyone is actually afraid of him lol. But I'm weak for Avar and Elzar content... so that was a nice distraction from my bemusement.

Still, I really enjoyed reading this book. I mean, I shouldn't give it my love... it doesn't deserve it haha... anyway, it's better than a lot of the other adult novels in the High Republic project.

Not Like the First Book

3/4/2024

Not Like the Movies (Waiting for Tom Hanks #2)
by Kerry Winfrey

Chloe is not coping. She's looking after her father, whittling away on her business degree, working in a cafe - oh and now there's a romantic movie coming out, written by her best friend and based on Chloe and her boss, Nick. But real life doesn't have neat, happy endings. Besides, Chloe doesn't have time for a relationship. Nothing will EVER happen between her and Nick. Nope.

I've spent half my day wondering if this book was merely average or truly terrible, because comparing it to Waiting for Tom Hanks is unfair since I love that one so much. Annie was a charming MC who made it easy to overlook the romcom homages. Chloe, on the other hand, is exhausting and at times really quite horrible to the hero. But I will admit... I am always thrilled to read a book with a bi heroine. The author also made me reevaluate some things in my life, such as how my friendships changed after marriage. So I guess Not Like the Movies is merely average after all.

Some Like It Wolf

28/3/2024

Hunted (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #5)
by Kat Kinney

River will never forget the day he erased Ellie's memories and discovered that she was meant to be his mate - and nor will he ever forgive himself for what he did to her. Now she remembers everything. Ellie is doing research that will change the paranormal world forever - and this makes her a target. River wants to protect her, but his guilt and her desire to remain human might keep them apart forever.

Such is my love for this series that when I started this book, I actually slowcooked brisket which I happily ate once I'd hit the 50% mark in my Kindle. I am firmly Team Texan Werewolf Fam. I am also Team Delightfully Steamy Dream Sequences. Oh yes. You will find many of those inside these pages, along with a fiercely protective hero and a heroine who is much braver than she thinks (and I also appreciate her struggles with her anxiety). I'm probably going to my jinx myself again - as I always do when I write these particular words - but this is my favourite book in the series so far.

Red Dawn: Star Wars Style

7/2/2024

Escape from Valo (Star Wars: The High Republic)
by Daniel José Older & Alyssa Wong

Ram Jomaram was trapped on Valo when the Nihil erected the Occlusion Zone. Now he is a lone Jedi, always lurking in a secret part of the Jedi temple, always doing what he can to mess with the Nihil's plans. He calls himself he Scarlet Skull - and now his cause has brought other, younger Jedi out of hiding. Ram must somehow balance his self-imposed mission with looking after them.

First of all, the number of queer characters in this was a delight - and most of them were young too. I also enjoy any story where kids find ways to fight back against nefarious invaders, so heck yeah I was down for that. But there were quite a few rough patches in this book and honestly there were too many characters taking up pages that were needed for more focused development.

Okay, so...I'm still trying to figure out if Ram annoys me because of how his neurodivergence is written (it does not align with my own experiences, but neurodivergence is a spectrum of many diverse experiences) or for some other reason. I feel that Delilah S. Dawson did a much better job of writing an autistic Force-user (Iskat in Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade). Admittedly, there were specific, very personal reasons that Iskat resonated with me. Hmm.

Side note - my Australian copy of this book does not have the spelling errors that beset the previous Hardie Grant releases. That's a relief. I'd like to think my contacting them helped, but it's highly probable that no one there read my email lol

Beach-ish Read

4/1/2024

No Words (Little Bridge Island #3)
by Meg Cabot

Jo Wright only agreed to attend the new literary festival on Little Bridge Island for two reasons: 1) the money and 2) she was assured that Will Price would NOT be in attendance. But unfortunately, there he is when she lands. And worse still, he's helping to fund the festival! So now she's stuck on an island with the guy who demeaned her novels - and now seemingly wants to apologise.

Yeah, this book has the undeniable whiff of Beach Read about it. But oddly enough, I enjoyed it just as much, if not more so (okay, full disclosure: I am a Meg Cabot fan 4 life - perhaps that has resulted in some bias here!). Keeping the story in one POV was a change from the previous entries to the series, but a good one. I had a lot of fun reading about unhinged author antics and enemies who are irrevocably drawn together.

Not a Single Lady for Long

2/1/2024

No Offense (Little Bridge Island #2)
by Meg Cabot

Molly Montgomery, the new librarian on Little Bridge Island, likes a good mystery - so when she finds a baby on a toilet in the library, she's unable to stop herself wanting to find out more. This is what makes her so frustrating to Sheriff John Hartwell. He has so much more on his plate than an abandoned baby: he has to catch a serial thief AND learn how to dance to "Single Ladies".

This is a great series to read during summer. It's full of warm, transient vibes. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of book #2 and was pleased that Cabot managed to serve up tension without the assistance of a hurricane. The pairing up of a librarian and a sheriff is delightful. I also find most of Little Bridge Island's residents to be just as delightful... even, at times, the teen characters lol

Judged and Jurored

2/1/2024

No Judgements (Little Bridge Island #1)
by Meg Cabot

Bree Beckham fled her supposedly perfect life (according to her ex and mother, anyway) and found safe harbour on Little Bridge Island. But it's about to get a lot less safe with a hurricane on the way. Bree wants to stay, no matter what Drew Hartwell, seasoned local, thinks of her decision. She thinks she'll be fine... but this also means she might get stuck on an island with him.

An island setting? Meg Cabot? That's all I needed to know in order to choose this for my summer holiday read. Well, I disliked Drew intensely throughout the entire book, but as always Cabot has created a heroine that I really wanted to spend time with. The hurricane was an exciting plot device - I'm curious to see if the other books have the same urgency without it.