Category: Mills & Boon - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Lightning Strikes...Three Times?

3/7/2022

The Highlander's Secret Son by Jeanine Englert

Brandon is now the Campbell laird and has just discovered that he is also a father. The mother of his child? The woman who betrayed him and his clan. Fiona MacDonald was trying to flee a bad situation with her son, but now she might have landed in another situation that is no better. Brandon's clan wants her dead. As for the laird himself, he might want her alive - but his plans can still hurt her.

I'm rather pleased that I discovered jeanine Englert's Scottish romance books this weekend. They've been an excellent diversion whilst I've been sick (oh hello, I lost Ronageddon today) and The Highlander's Secret Son is no exception. I'm astonished at how much plot (and drama!) Englert managed to cram into this book, along with a lovely second chance romance. Loved it.

Lightning Strikes Twice

3/7/2022

The Lost Laird from her Past (Falling for a Stewart #2)
by Jeanine Englert

Garrick has been lost to all who knew him for over a year, haunted by a mistake. He hoped that Brenna, the woman he loved, would think him dead. This falsity would have continued to succeed - if he hadn't come across her left for dead in a carriage surrounded by dead men. Brenna gave up on Garrick and is due to wed another man. But she may need Garrick around to save her life once more.

Another excellent entry in the Falling for a Stewart series from Jeanine Englert. You expect some changes between books, but I was almost as shaken as Garrick but how much had occurred - it's bold to do something like that and it really paid off. I also really enjoyed seeing Garrick and Brenna together again and I'm looking forward to Ewan's book (which I hope is on the horizon!).

Falling for a New Author

3/7/2022

Eloping with the Laird (Falling for a Stewart #1)
by Jeanine Englert

Moira must choose her husband before her father chooses one for her - and the first man he chose for her was an awful match that she has no intention of repeating. So the choice seems obvious once she discovers Rory, Laird Death, who only has months to live. Rory needs an heir before he dies and Moira's proposal is the only one he is likely to get. But he'll have to convince her father - or elope.

I loved this book so much I'm now in the process of debating whether or not I can fit another physical book on my already cramped shelves (I bought and read the Kindle version, so this is A Big Deal). The premise is so intriguing and so well executed. I've read longer books that failed to deliver as well as this one has. Jeanine Englert may be my new favourite author of Scottish romance.

A Match Made in Island Isolation

14/6/2022

A Laird for the Governess (Lairds of the Isles #1)
by Catherine Tinley

Lydia has lost decent governess positions due to the lewd behaviour of men in the households that hired her and now the only posting she can take is on a remote island in Scotland. Alasdair needs a governess for his sickly daughter and will suffer no fools, even if they are exceedingly beautiful. But though she is an outsider, Lydia may be exactly what Alasdair and his people need.

This was a very sweet story, punctuated by heartbreaking tragedy and a surprising amount of historical detail, given the length. I would have liked Lydia and Alasdair to have a bit more time together, but I do understand that this romance hinged heavily on Lydia connecting to Alasdair through his daughter. All in all, quite a solid story.

13 Years Later

1/10/2021

Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump

Catherine Wyndham tangled with a witch two centuries ago and is now cursed to be a woman by day, a cat by night. The curse cannot be broken unless a man loves both woman and cat - impossible right? Garrett McAllister finds a stray cat who escapes, then he finds a woman wearing his lab coat and only his lab coat. He should send her packing, but for some reason he can't.

Once upon a time, my mother (still a devoted Mills & Boon fan) handed me this book and said, "This wasn't really my thing, but I think it's yours."

It most certainly was! I loved it - a Mills & Boon title that was also a shifter romance? Heck yeah! Then the book got donated and I couldn't stop thinking about it for 13 years, so I pounced on a secondhand copy the other week. So it's not as amazing as I remember...it's actually quite average. And quite silly. But it has a permanent home in my book case now, because I don't want to spend another 13 years wishing I'd kept it!

Nobody Puts Elf on a Shelf

30/9/2021

His Christmas Escape (Rainbow Cove Christmas #5)
by Shona Husk

There's no happy Christmas homecoming for Jade. Avoiding her biphobic parents is easy enough, but she immediately finds it hard to avoid whatever is going on between her and Nico, who works in a kitchen. Jade and Nico both want to keep it casual - Nico has his own problems, namely a restrictive living situation - but a week-long fling could turn into something else. If they let it.

This might be my favourite book of the series, actually. It just felt so real to me. Husk captured the dynamics of dysfunction so well and threaded a romance through it all. The longer timeframe, aside from suiting Nico and Jade's relationship, made me feel like I got a lot more out of this story than I did the others. Okay, and this might also be the hottest book of the series! ;)

Summer Ba - er, Summer Cove

30/9/2021

His Christmas Pearl (Rainbow Cove Christmas #4)
by Renée Dahlia

Kiet is shucking oysters when Zoe comes across him and they both get bad first impressions. But after Zoe drives him home, she finds herself caught up in the mystery of the money disappearing from Kiet's business. That's why she's choosing to stay at his place during her holidays - and there's definitely no other reason...

Much like Zoe, I also found myself caught up in the mystery. It helped that Kiet and Zoe were very likeable leads (although I was often distracted by thoughts of "yay, Sam!", having read Sam's book first). The ending seemed a bit OTT and I wondered if Zoe completely lacked any sense of self-preservation (come on, woman!), but all in all this was a pleasant read.

Return to Sender

28/9/2021

Her Christmas Homecoming (Rainbow Cove Christmas #3)
by Shirley Wine

Marta Field has come home to sort out her mother's house and find some way to pay for her mother's bills. Music was a passion she once shared with Joe Marshall - and they also shared a different type of passion. But Joe has seen her walk away from him once. What's to stop her doing it again? There isn't much for a singer in a small place like Marandowie. Maybe Joe can convince her to stay.

This was a fairly enjoyable homecoming romance and I liked the small mysteries that the characters got to explore. It seemed that I was reading a very sweet story. But then I got to the Christmas party - the one constant in this series - and Marta turned into Raging McBitch all of a sudden. Wow, I did not want Joe to stay with her after that. Until then, however, it was shaping up pretty well.

Second Time's the Charm

26/9/2021

Her Christmas Kisses (Rainbow Cove Christmas #2)
by Susanne Bellamy

Flick is adrift after her parents divorce, ruining her plans to buy the family restaurant. She stops in Rainbow Cove to get groceries, but then her car becomes a write-off. The owner of the other car? Xander, who's in charge of the town's resort. Flick accepts his help and starts working in the resort restaurant. She's a whizz at desserts, but something else is simmering between her and Xander.

Every now and then you find a shorter book like this where the author completely nails the pacing. This is such a strong romance I think it might have been served better as book one in the series. I was on Team Flick right from the start and I couldn't wait for her and Xander to get together, then stay together. Jenny was also a wonderful side character.

Ooh la la? No la la!

26/9/2021

His Christmas Feast (Rainbow Cove Christmas #1)
by Nora James

Christophe can cook a magnificent feast and wow most residents in Rainbow Cove, but Emily - his next door neighbour - remains immune to his charms. Emily hates Christmas and certainly doesn't appreciate a Frenchman trying to get her to see the good side of the holiday. But the two of them have a fence to fix - and they may be mending other fences too.

Oh wow, I really detested Emily. She was abrasive for most of the book and the abrupt change at the end felt weird to me. Christophe was also too pushy for my liking, but I suppose some readers will like that. Still, I thought the fence metaphor was pretty good. Even if I couldn't stand the thought of these two characters ending up together lol