Category: Paranormal Romance - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

Team Bad Guy

9/4/2022

Untamed (The Fallen Guardians #4)
by Cassie Laelyn

Raine isn't complicated - she likes sharp, pointy things and she has a destiny fulfil (thanks, Fate!). Nothing is going to get in her way, certainly not a Fallen who's been on Team Bad Guy this whole time. Slater craves freedom but he needs a certain item to achieve this - a weapon forged by Raine and a weapon she wants back. But he can't let her get it...and he can't lose his heart to her either.

Whew, sparks were definitely flying in this one. Raine and Slater are quite the pair - and I'm a sucker for random cats in my romances lol. If you've read books from this series before, you'll get exactly what you're expecting. I am getting a bit of fatigue over the main story arc since it does move forward quite glacially, but this is still a fun enemies-to-lovers romp (bonus cat - did I mention the cat?).

From Timber to Cedar

26/1/2022

Reclaim (Small Town Packs #2)
by Cassie Laelyn

Brax left Cedar Valley when he failed as an Alpha and he has no intention of going back. But a mysterious text message about the death of a pack member sends Kali after him and he can't refuse to help her - he can't refuse her. Kali has had her heart broken by Brax before. He might be able to save her life, but can he do it without breaking her heart all over again?

I really enjoyed this novella and quickly became attached to Kali and Brax. Sometimes novellas can lack important details, but this one didn't - it had all the action, sparks and sizzling angst that you can expect to find in a shifter romance. I'll admit that I like how the length meant that there wasn't time for too much drama. A great short read.

Tense in Texas

21/10/2021

Bound (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #3)
by Kat Kinney

West writes happy endings in his fanfics, but he knows he can never have one for himself - because his powers can get out of control and bind people to him. He's already made that mistake once. He accidentally bound Topher to him while trying to save his life and no matter how much his wolf wants Topher, West knows he can't go there. But what if Topher wants him to?

Loved this one! So much tension. So much intrigue. I'm enjoying how the story is developing over the books. As for West and Topher...oof, that was some delicious denial they had going on. I would rate this higher, except I've noticed that Kinney's characters can sometimes "sound" too similar too each other. For example, the text messages sent by each character all read as if written by the same person. It's becoming more noticeable the more I read of the series.

Craving More of This

17/10/2021

Crave (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #2)
by Kat Kinney

Dallas lost Lacey the night he accidentally infected her with the virus that made her a werewolf. He was exiled and shunned, but now he's made a name for himself by opening a restaurant - right across the street from where Lacey works. Avoiding her is impossible. Being with her is almost just as impossible. Because it's his fault she lost everything.

I am really enjoying this series. The overarching plot connecting the books is intriguing and strong, which keeps me coming back for more. We're being introduced slowly to Kinney's world of shifters, without a deluge of information, and we're also being encouraged to fall in love with this dysfunctional family. So I'm definitely sticking around for more.

New Wolf Rising

14/10/2021

Dark (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters #1)
by Kat Kinney

Hayden wouldn't usually go anywhere near Ethan after how things ended, but something strange has happened. Something bit her and now she can't control herself. Ethan doesn't do serious relationships. Being a shifter with a painful past makes things too complicated. But Hayden got under his skin and never left. He'll find some way protect her - even if he can't keep his hands off her.

A delightfully steamy novel that effortlessly introduced a new shifter world to explore, along with Ethan and his brothers. And Hayden was a a ridiculously cool MC, despite what was happening to her lol. I blitzed through this - it was easy to, really. The emotional stakes were just as high as the physical ones. I do wish Hayden and Ethan had encountered a few more obstacles, though.

Boy, do I miss the cookie cutter!

12/10/2021

Retribution (The Pack #2)
by Geena Tillman

Markus is hunting a pack traitor when he happens upon a small town and stays in the B&B belonging to Missy, a local derby champion. Markus thinks he knows where the danger is. But it might come from an unexpected source. Meanwhile, stuff happens with the pack at home.

I would have really loved this book to actually focus on the characters mentioned in the blurb. I don't expect, in a PNR series, to have to read about book 1's couple having sex in book 2 when the story is supposed to be following another couple instead. To make matters worse, other couples were also getting page time and constantly interrupting the plot. This could have been so much better if it was spread out over more books. A disappointing read.

A Cookie-Cutter PNR

10/10/2021

Blue Moon (The Pack #1)
by Geena Tillman

Jason is trying to run his werewolf pack in the aftermath of his father's death, but not everyone wants to keep in line. Elise has just arrived in town after running from an abusive situation and is out taking photos in the woods when Jason finds her. They have an instant connection. But both of them are being stalked by danger.

This was a pretty standard paranormal romance and does the usual stuff you'd expect of book one - starts the series, sets up the world, introduces characters who will get their own stories. There's quite a few spelling/grammar errors, but I didn't find them that intrusive. I did feel that the bevy of POVs detracted from the main couple, however. An average read.

Badwitched

27/6/2021

A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass

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

Gwen and her cousins, Trudy and Milo, have been forbidden from practicing magic - all thanks to an ancestor and a spell that went awry. So far they've managed lived on the straight and narrow (no one wants the Council to punish them!). Well, as much as they can. But both magic and drama are about to upend their lives, especially after Gwen's foster sister, Tannith, sends them all a mysterious letter.

I found this exceptionally difficult to get into and I was thinking "oh this reaaaally isn't for me". But once the rough start was over and done with, I started to enjoy the shenanigans in Zenobia. Gwen, Trudy and Milo are great characters - I feel like I know them after all that craziness. But Tannith was a Passions-grade villain (not my thing) and oooh that rough start. That said, A Letter to Three Witches is a bit of witchy fun that may just brighten your afternoon.

All a Flutter

11/4/2021

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.

Shadow Games

18/3/2021

The Heart of a Shadow (Merged Worlds #1)
by Samantha Marshall

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

Liria Atlannon is a shadow and is bound to the will of Princess Ione, who has travelled to Egypt to marry its pharaoh. Liria will always remain Ione's shadow...or she's supposed to. But the pharaoh's brother, Prince Raiden, sees her for what she is and what she can be. Unfortunately, anything that grows between them will have to survive the gods turning Egypt in a battleground.

This was a delightful dark fantasy novel with an Ancient Egyptian bent - I have always had a soft spot for those gods and any book that makes use of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt like I had to fan myself even when Liria and Raiden were sharing innocuous scenes! And Ione is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered. I kind of wished I could dive right into this book and live there, though obviously I'd prefer not to encounter someone like Set...!