Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

Far From Aced

19/3/2023

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This Doesn't Mean Anything
by Sarah Whalen

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Content warning: sexual assault

Spencer has just entered college and wants to spend her time working hard, though she often has to share her favourite quite spot in the library with Nicholas, a student and barista - and one of the few guys she can stand to have in her personal space. As they continue to grow closer together, Spencer realises it might be possible to be asexual and still get the guy.

It is obvious that This Doesn't Mean Anything is a first novel - unfortunately, it also reads like a draft. A brutal edit (cutting about 25%) would have done wonders, because there is potential inside these pages. The hero is quite unlikeable and toxic - and his main character trait seems to be that his presence is required to stop any sexual assault from occurring. I'll stop here, since there are a litany of issues with this novel and I don't have time to write an essay lol. But I will say that there is a decent foundation here that can be improved upon, if the author is willing.

I was actually quite excited to read this initially, since ace romances are underrepresented in the market. Alas...

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Tea Cosy

30/7/2022

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A Coup of Tea (The Tea Princess Chronicles #1)
by Casey Blair

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

The day has arrived for Miyara, the fourth princess of Istalam, to choose how she may serve her people. But she has no idea what her path should be. So she renounces her title, flees to a city on the edge of the Cataclysm, and begins to find her place as a Tea Aspirant. But even though she is no longer a princess, Miyara might still yet discover how she can serve her people.

Turns out I have kryptonite and it's fantasy novels featuring tea. I wouldn't say this is the most amazing book I've ever beheld, but it was cosy and adorable and exactly what I needed during a period when I wasn't able to read for more than a few minutes at a time. A Coup of Tea is a like a trusted, always-welcome friend. And it's perfect for a reader obsessed with books and tea. Looking forward to my paperback copy arriving next week. ;)

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A Fun, Flirty Fling

19/6/2022

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The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn

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Bonnie is feeling directionless and unsuccessful in life, so obviously the solution is to agree to her friend Dakota's mad plan - respond to an ad requesting people to look after a cafe in the Scottish Highlands for six months. Leaving LA was the easy. Surviving the Scottish roads AND surviving Rowan MacGregor's grumpiness and disdain for her? Not so much.

I had an absolute blast reading this, even if it did have its flaws. The first half was fun and fast paced, though I found Bonnie to be somewhat irritating (and the "American in Scotland" thing was played a bit OTT for my liking), and then I was pleasantly surprised by just how many FEELINGS Quinn managed to evoke in me during the second half. This is a good book, but a good book with a rather dislikable heroine.

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Pride and Prejudice and EJ

15/2/2022

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The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi

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EJ is trying to look after her fellow Bennet Women at Longbourn University, all while stressing as she tries to be the best engineering student - because she has to be. Enter Will Pak, a celebrity who on their first meeting has a bad attitude and insults her to boot. EJ has no time for rude men and first impressions are hard to dismiss. At least, to start with...

I will read every Pride and Prejudice retelling I can get my hands on and, make no mistake, I enjoyed seeing how Appiah-Kubi used the modern context to alter plot points. And more diversity in NA romance is always welcome! But the strength of the original is how Austen used all of her characters, not just Elizabeth. EJ is used well and so is Will, but other characters fall by the wayside. There were also too many things that happened "off screen". That worked in Austen's time. Not so much now.

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All a Flutter

11/4/2021

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I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Wren has a lot of things on her mind already. She doesn't need a winged assassin trying to kill her - but she does need a rescue, courtesy of Ezal, who has just jumped in from another dimension. Originally sent to Earth as a baby, Wren has become the heir of House Banae and with this positions comes new dangers. Now she is expected to either abdicate or marry a suitable husband, one who must overlook her lack of wings. But Ezal might complicate matters...

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I adored this book. I was sucked in so easily and I was Team Ezal from the start! The world-building was fantastic - Letharia is a world of wings and magic, as well as a world of science and string theory. A perfect, fascinating blend. It was as difficult for me to leave Letharia as it was for Wren.

Fans of Sarah J. Maas will absolutely love this winged romance.

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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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Hawaii Drift

29/8/2020

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The Aftermath of Drifting Away by Audrey Beaudoin

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Faye was so sure she was about to die when she asked Chris, a stranger, for her first kiss. There was no other reason she would ask. But after days of being adrift at sea, they were rescued - and now Faye has to live with the consequences. Including the fact that Chris isn't single!
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I loved the premise for this one - there are many fictional romances that begin far away from reality and I always wonder what happens when the couples go back to their real lives. I really felt for Faye, who I honestly would have befriended myself, and she felt very real to me (even if some of the plot developments didn't). A sweet New Adult romance with writing that shows a lot of potential.

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    About

    ​Alyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods.

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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
  • Get in Touch