Category: Paranormal Romance - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

A Ghost of a Chance

2/2/2025

Girl Haunts Boy by Cesar Vitale

Shortly after she steals a ring from a museum, Bea meets her timely end when a streetcar strikes her down. She regains consciousness as a ghost a century later and finds herself haunting her old house - which Cole has just moved into. Cole doesn't believe in ghosts and he's definitely not in the mood to share a bedroom with one. But maybe he and Bea aren't as different as they seem.

This is your typical YA ghost romance fare. The way it was written reminded me of the kinds of stories I inhaled back in the late 1990s and early 2000s - but I have to admit that some of them, just like this book, badly needed more depth. Bea also didn't seem authentically 1920s. Her dialogue felt forced whenever Vitale peppered it with older phrases. This all said, it was a sweet, short read.

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.

Fae-ngst

26/3/2024

Fae's Dream (Fated Mates of the Fae Royals #6)
by Helen Walton

Aislinn has been bitter for centuries, ever since a chance encounter with her fated mate on Earth ended with him abandoning her. Fallon has regretted the choice he had to make that night. When Aisling returns to Earth on a quest to save the Fae, Fallon is desperate to win her over and make her his. But bruised hearts can be as difficult to heal as the magical spring in the Fae Kingdom.

Mmm tasty angst. Bonus pointy objects. Fallon was such a dreamy hero and I liked how he was with Aislinn. His past was pretty interesting too. The overarching plot had some exciting developments, which I enjoyed, but they also had the side effect of making the book feel incomplete because the building momentum abruptly dead-ends in the last chapter.

Double Feature of Faves

25/3/2024

Fae's Heart (Fated Mates of the Fae Royals #4)
by Helen Walton

Rian is a Fee prince and belongs in the Summer Court. Sophia is Queen of the Jungle on Earth, in the human realm, and her duty is to protect her people. Fate has brought them together as mates and distance cannot dispel their longing for each other. But they inhabit different worlds. They cannot forsake their individual duties. Can they ever live together - or forever remain apart?

My favourite of the series so far. Walton has clearly become very comfortable with her world and that made it very easy to slip into it once again. Rian and Sophia were great characters - and so great together. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fae's Heart, though I will note that my opinion of Fintan continues to drop drastically with each instalment in this series.

Fae's Witch (Fated Mates of the Fae Royals #5)
by Helen Walton

Lorcan can't abide witches, but he must rely on one to help protect his sisters in the human realm. Pepper is immediately flustered upon meeting Lorcan, a Fae prince, and she doesn't understand why she's so drawn to him. Lorcan knows it shouldn't be possible for a witch to be his mate. Worse still...she's a mortal. Marking her would kill her. But how can he bear the pain of not making her his?

I knew I jinxed myself when I said the last book was my favourite in the series, because now THIS ONE is my favourite. A statement which totally won't change when I read the next instalment. *eye twitch* Pepper is my kind of witch. Through her, an important piece of the overarching plot puzzle was delivered and also she's just awesome. Let's not forget those enjoyable steamy scenes. ;)

Pale Imytation

28/2/2024

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Misery has already been used as a sacrificial pawn for the safety of the Vampyre community, so it isn't that surprising when she agrees to marry Lowe, a Were Alpha, in an attempt to cultivate peace. But Misery didn't put herself in this position for the good of the many. She has her own reasons for getting close to Lowe...even if he seems to find her scent and her very presence offensive.

This book reads like someone's first attempt at writing PNR - which is exactly what it is. Hazelwood's inexperience with worldbuilding is obvious and makes it hard for one to fully sink their teeth into the story, which itself is undeveloped and uninspired. There were elements of Bride that I enjoyed, but those same elements can already be found in more polished PNR novels.

Apocalypse Now

16/12/2023

Enchanted to Meet You (Witches of West Harbour #1)
by Meg Cabot

Jessica Gold hasn't always been so good about using magic - but that stuff is all in the past, isn't it? No need for anyone from the World Council of Witches to check her out. They don't even consider her a real witch. But then Derrick Winters darkens Jessica's doorway and brings her a message: she's the Chosen One and she needs to save her town from a disaster. No pressure, right?

I've been a fan of Cabot's for literal decades and I was pretty sure I was going to like this before I even opened it. Okay, so I didn't like it - I LOVED it! The genre of this book is best described as "steamy, cosy, witchy apocalypse". Which I didn't even realise was a thing or a thing that I desperately needed in my life. I also appreciated all the little surprises along the way. So... moar please?

Cosy Creepiness

24/8/2023

Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson #13)
By Patricia Briggs

Wulfe, the unhinged vampire that has been stalking Mercy, has gone missing and now a creature worthy of a horror movie - quite literally - is slaying people with a slight magical bent with a scy - er, a sickle. Dealing with the Soul Taker is one thing. Figuring out how to dispose of a weapon that will only create another in its place when someone's hand touches it is quite another.

Despite not being a horror fan, I quite enjoyed the horror movie inspiration in this book and felt it paired well with the cosier domestic dramas flowing alongside it. Admittedly, the latter did dampen the tension a bit too much. But it's always nice to hang out with Mercy and Adam and perhaps I did need a book that didn't induce too much anxiety or despair.

20/80 Vision

7/6/2023

Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3)
by Kim Harrison

Rachel is being stalked by a demon who has made her his familiar, her boyfriend (also her familiar) has skipped town, she's pissed off one of her partners, and now she has to protect Trent (aka Not A Good Guy). She's also struggling to balance her feelings for a vampire with the dodgy stuff he's done in his life. She might come out of this mess in one piece, but will her soul remain untouched?

I really wasn't impressed with this book until the last 20%, which was brutal and epic and everything a climax should be. But I'm not sure it makes up for the crappy 80% that preceded it. The plot, if there was one, rambled aimlessly in unnecessary directions and Rachel's previous love interest just up and left. I mean, he's not a great character so it's no real loss, but that was a lazy and jarring decision. Still, that last 20%...

And no, this book isn't getting my "LGBTQIA+ representation" tag because it's so badly done.

Unbleugh My Heart

6/6/2023

Unending (The Fallen Guardians #5)
by Cassie Laelyn

Cole has been forced to watch his soulmate die over and over again throughout the centuries, their moments together few but worth the pain. Evie is now on her last incarnation. She has no memory of their past and he should leave her alone, like she wanted him to, but Evie isn't making it easy for him. And nor will she cease her pursuit of the book that could end everything, once and for all.

It's always fun to catch up with the Guardians and see what else Blaine (aka the Big Bad) seems to be cooking up. And hey, I have a weakness for cupcakes and immortals who consume cupcakes. However, this book didn't grip me as much as the previous titles - maybe I'm a bit fatigued of the series. It's also a bit creepy when a man refers to his lover, someone he's attracted to, as "baby girl". Bleugh.

Hot Damn

30/5/2023

Light My Pyre (Everwood Falls #1)
by Kat Kinney

Asher Heath is part fae and part human, gifted with extraordinary fire magic - but when he tried to fight one particularly large blaze, he failed and has been haunted by that day ever since. It doesn't help that suspicious fires keep following him. He's not the only one being hunted - Gwyn Drake is a dragon shifter with her own troubles. It's a good thing fire and dragons are an excellent combo.

Light My Pyre is a cosy small-town paranormal romance and this is an excellent combo itself. And I just love that title! I really enjoyed the mystery that Kinney gave us - and obviously my favourite character was Daisy the Wolfhound, who is such a scene stealer. But I was a little disappointed that we didn't really get to see Asher and Gwyn properly fall for each other.