Category: LGBTQIA+ Representation - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

The End.

4/10/2022

The Highwayman's Bite (Scandals with Bite #6)
by Brooklyn Ann

After challenging a handsy member of society to a duel, Vivian Stratford is sent to cool her heels at her great-uncle's estate. Her journey is interrupted by a handsome highwayman - Rhys Berwyn, who is in fact a vampire and trying desperately to help his family keep their farm. When he discovers that Vivian is his enemy's kin, he hatches a ransom plot - but he never expected to fall for his captive.

I need to stop saying things like "this might be my favourite of the series" too early, because inevitably I'll get to the last book in the series (ahem, case in point - this book) and realise that my favourite was waiting for me to reach it all along. I loved The Highwayman's Bite so much I had dreams about it and I felt utterly bereft when I flicked away from the last page on my Kobo. Alas, the series is also over. What do I do with myself now?

The Force is Not Strong with This One

14/9/2022

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White

Obi-Wan Kenobi feels like he's failing his Master, the Order and himself at nearly every turn. When Qui-Gon fails to show up in time for a mission, Obi-Wan impulsively leaves on his own, chasing a planet that seems to have been lost in the days of the High Republic. He will either find his way - or become even more hopelessly lost if he doesn't centre himself.

My main gripes with this book are pretty much the same gripes I have with the other titles in the Disney canon. Not everything needs to have connection to the High Republic! Geez! I mean, yeah, I liked Orla but they did her so dirty and this book just reawakened my anger. I'm also getting very tired of standalone titles that terminate without much growth or anything new said. Could we perhaps have more serieses? To allow the characters and plots some breathing room?

Full disclosure: I'm a diehard fan of the old Jedi Apprentice series and yes the bookmark I used while reading Padawanwas carefully excavated from my copy of The Mark of the Crown back in 1999. So... this book was never going to match up to the Legends canon for me. Which is fine. Padawan even managed to catch an echo of what I enjoyed about JA every now and then... but Obi-Wan acted like a tween instead of a teenager, I started twitching every time he "laughed" (WAY too many times and often on the same page - was the editor really tired or something?), and there was none of that breathing room I was talking about.

And then there was that weird freaking moment. You know the one. Before it happened, I was quite pleased by the inclusion of a non-binary character who felt like an organic part of the the story. In contrast, the exploration of Obi-Wan's possible sexuality was not organic in the slightest. It was so awkwardly done and didn't feel true to his character.

Ahem. That all said, I'm still going to think of this book fondly because I'm just jazzed to have some Obi-Wan content. And that's a great cover. And the pages smell nice. I'm grasping here, aren't I?

Tea and a Good Book

3/9/2022

Tea Set and Match (Tea Princess Chronicles #2)
by Casey Blair

Miyara has settled into her new life, but she could lose it all if she's not careful. Her sister, a princess who has not ceded the title, is determined to take her home. Now Miyara must prove herself worthy of the title of Tea Master in a tea tournament in order to stay in the one place where she feels she belongs. But the tournament is the perfect staging ground for some illicit activities...

I'm really enjoying this series - it's cosy, cute and uncomplicated. Which means these books are basically the text version of a really nice cup of tea. Book #2 certainly benefited from not having to spend time on introducing Miyara and her world to us, but some of the same issues from book #1 carried over (mostly editing). That said, I'm still rating this highly because it was still a lovely and comforting tale.

Oh No Never Again

13/8/2022

Vows of Empire (The Bloodright Trilogy #3)
by Emily Skrutskie

Separated, the heirs of opposing blood lines, Gal and Ettian would rather this whole galactic war thing went away so they could be together without A) weakening someone or B) killing several someones. But what they want won't be possible...without a heck of a lot of manoeuvring and a buttload of shenanigans.

...oh dear. Vows of Empire never stood a chance with me. I really hate these kinds of "hehehe we're unfolding a big damn plot that we've kept hidden from the reader/viewer" storylines. I find them sloppy and boring. This was no exception to the rule. Where was the momentum of the previous two books? Where was the delicious pining? We didn't get a real ending...just a cop out. I wish I'd never bothered with this trilogy in the first place.

Short but Sweet & Sexy

8/8/2022

His Lord's Soldier (Great War #4)
by Renée Dahlia

James has pined away for his best friend, Rafe, for years and knows there is a very low chance of Rafe having the same inclinations as he does. But when Rafe returns from the Great War broken in more ways than one, James wants to take care of him...even if he can't have more.

Well, it's easy to see why this is a Ruby finalist! A lovely novella full of heat and heart - and an excellent addition to the series. I admittedly have a weakness for the grumpy one/sunshine one dynamic, but even discounting that this is really well done.

Anticlimax

7/8/2022

Her Lady's Fortune (Great War #3)
by Renée Dahlia

Women of means, Priya and Rosalie, had a passionate fling before the Great War and then certain misunderstandings stopped them pursuing anything further. But now, six years later, they must work together for a charitable purpose and their past might complicate matters - or they may realise that there are significantly fewer barriers between them than there were.

Well, that started with a bang. Heh. The prologue was exquisite and gave me great expectations - which weren't quite met. I didn't really feel that there was much of a barrier between Priya and Rosalie...and an antagonist was introduced but hardly used. Not as good as the other two F/F romances in the series, but still a pleasant read.

A Sapphic Delight

6/8/2022

Her Lady's Melody (Great War #1)
by Renée Dahlia

Luciana is doctor with unsteady hands, recovering from the Great War and losing the woman she would have called wife. When the neighbour's child falls from a tree, she knows she must use her skills - but she doesn't know that she is about to become intimately connected with Therese, who is trying to protect her son from the Bolsheviks. But other threats are lurking.

I used to think I had no interest in books set around WWI, even romances - but then I discovered Renée Dahlia. Luciana and Therese were delightful together and I really felt for them as they grieved what they had lost. Mostly, though, I was impressed with the historical detail and how Dahlia managed to ratchet up the tension at certain moments. Well worth reading.

The Average Game

30/7/2022

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

Ruthie lives a very quiet, tidy life in Providence, a place where rich old people come die - er, retire. Two of the eccentric residents, the Parlonis, require another young man to torment/run their errands and so one must be found. But the latest offering is Teddy, son of the owner of Providence and the guy who just made one heck of a bad first impression of Ruthie...

I have to say, Thorne really knows how to pace a romcom! And she has populated her pages with some very interesting characters. However, I didn't really see Ruthie and Teddy being together at all (perhaps it's because I never lost my dislike of Teddy) and many things weren't addressed or were too quickly dealt with (eg. Teddy's sister). An okay, if not particularly memorable, book.

The Troublesome Middle Child

2/7/2022

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2)
by Rebecca Roanhorse

Convergence has come and gone - and so has the Crow God, leaving behind Serapio, an empty vessel. Serapio is surrounded by new worshippers and new enemies, including the Sun God's vessel who survived via betrayal. He is divided from Xiala, who has found herself caught up in what might be the beginnings of a war. Meanwhile, Tova remains darkened by a black sun.

The fascinating characters and world building from Black Sun are still present here, but as happens with all fantasy trilogies, book 2 was always destined for Middle Book Syndrome. Characters are moved about and separated for the sake of being separated - not unusual when MBS has struck - which bogged things down a bit for me. Looking forward to the conclusion, which I hope will deliver.

Worth the Wait

29/6/2022

Black Sun (Between Earth & Sky #1)
by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Convergence is coming to Tova, a city ruled over by its priests - and a city due for upheaval. The Sun Priest, Naranpa, is too busy to do anything about it, as she must outmanoeuvre her political enemies of risk losing her title. Elsewhere, Xiala is given a ship, a crew, and cargo due in Tova before the Convergence. But that cargo includes Serapio, a blind man whose destiny is steeped in blood.

I really enjoyed this, for the most part. Roanhorse has created some fascinating, flawed characters that I didn't know what to make of - which usually would bother me, but didn't on this occasion. Roanhorse's writing is impeccable and perfectly fits the epic fantasy genre here, showing just how much range she has underneath the sci-fi/fantasy umbrella. Overall, an excellent book, but it stumbled at the last hurdle. Novels like this one obviously need to set up the sequel - however, it was done at the cost of this book's climax.

Note: I first preordered this on Kobo back in 2021, only for the preorder to fail when the publisher (presumably) yanked it and then went radio silence for months, before throwing it onto Kindle only. I was very annoyed by this, which delayed my reading of this book. But it was worth the wait.