Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

Fair to Middling

2/3/2023

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One Night in Edinburgh by Nina Kaye

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Steph loses her comfortable life on Hogmanay and a party is just what she needs to recover - that, and the super hot Jamie who she hooks up afterwards. The only problem? He leaves before they can exchange numbers! Steph launches a creative campaign to find him and she does. But a series of misunderstandings and omissions might be a sign that this wasn't meant to be.

"Romcom" is not the right label to use here, because it's more like chicklit engaging with a serious issue. One Night in Edinburgh perfectly captures the insecurity and messiness of the lives of twenty-somethings who are still growing - so Steph is realistic, even if that doesn't always make her a likeable character! The book itself has some pacing issues and isn't very tight. But it's an okay read.

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Reading Outside the Comfort Zone

3/5/2022

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Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1)
by Anthony Horowitz

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Atticus Pünd could ignore what seems to be the accidental death of a housekeeper, but when the body count continues to rise he is drawn to a small English village - the typical setting for the typical English crime novel. But he is fictional and so is his world. Even he could not conceive what a few missing pages might lead to when an editor goes on the hunt for them...

Look, this is an incredibly clever book and it was almost masterful in its execution. But it is definitely not my thing. I read it because A) my aunt sent it to me and B) the cover was exquisite (except, as it turns out, I had got my hands on an uncorrected proof and sadly the real cover isn't as good). I'm also a little tried of this type of female character that male authors seem to enjoy writing - usually they make abysmal decisions that make me dislike them enormously.

Anyway, Horowitz achieved what he set out to do. Which is create a book that plays with the crime genre and inserts the reader as a detective themselves. So this is actually very good and I can appreciate that...but it's not good enough to make me swear off my undying hatred of the crime genre. ;)

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More Miss Than Kiss

27/3/2022

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With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher

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

Lorelai has locked up her heart, but not for the usual reasons - whenever she kisses someone, she can see how they will die. Understandably, she has spent years avoiding men. But then Grayson, a regular at the cinema where she works, catches her eye. It's strangely difficult to avoid him - but how can she start anything with him if she'll see some horrible fate when she kisses him?

I really liked the concept and I do enjoy magical realism, but this book fell flat for me. Mostly, I think, because Lorelai was so annoying and didn't really gain the maturity she lacked from the start. I was also hoping to see more of her and Grayson together...alas. I liked the scenes with Lorelai and her family - the only time I was truly charmed by With This Kiss. But I also had to suffer through a scene with some guy assaulting Lorelai and people subsequently feeling sorry for him.

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Unmasking of a Chevalier

20/2/2022

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The Christmas Chevalier (Christmas Masquerade #1)
by Meg Mardell

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Alvy finally has a space where he can truly be himself, but he can hardly refuse to let Laura in - especially since she needs employment and he's just acquired a printing press. Laura has known Alvy for years and still sees him as the girl from her childhood. What will she do when she discovers that the handsome chevalier from the Christmas masquerade is Alvy?

Ahh these novellas are just so cute and fluffy. I would be happy to inhale more of them in an instant (yes, that's a hint, please write more). A dash of tension makes this an excellent quick read and it left me wanting more - I really wanted to see how certain things progressed (i.e. with the printing press). All in all, an adorable trans Regency romance.

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A Sapphic Highland Hogmanay

18/2/2022

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A Highland Hogmanay (Christmas Masquerade #2)
by Meg Mardell

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Sharda has had enough of her relations and their plans for her, so she needs little convincing to run off to the Highlands with a lovely lass. Finella manages Balintore Castle as much as she can, but it's becoming harder and harder when its owner does so little. A new owner is exactly what the castle needs. But Sharda has something - ahem, someone - else on her mind.

Gosh, this was cute. I had so much fun reading it, especially during the "there was only one bed!" scene. Sharda and Finella are so delightfully perfect for each other. I'd definitely opt to spend a Hogmanay at Balintore Castle, if they were in attendance. I do wish that some scenes were longer - it would have really ramped up my enjoyment of the tale - but ah, that's what you get with novellas.

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Words are Magic

14/1/2022

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The Book Boyfriend by Jeanna Louise Skinner

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Betrayed and doubting her ability to write, Emmy takes over a bookshop after she inherits it from a friend. She doesn't expect to also inherit a magical book that has imprisoned a seriously hot guy for 500 years. Jonathan is sure that Emmy has the power to free him with her words. But Emmy doesn't believe in herself or her writing. It's hard enough to believe that Jonathan exists...

I certainly liked the idea of this book. A bookshop with magical secrets? Heck yeah. A female MC with schizophrenia who gets her HEA? Awesome! The story itself? Not bad...until the frankly OTT plot twist. I mean, it might have made more sense if it had been set up properly throughout the book. But it wasn't. The Book Boyfriend is a sweet, if somewhat unpolished, book that is let down by its ending.

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What's Past is Prologue

9/1/2022

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A Governess of Unusual Experience (The Governess Bureau #5)
by Emily EK Murdoch

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

Rachel has lost 10 years of her memories after an illness. Luckily, she has been allowed back into the Governess Bureau and is given what should be an easy assignment. Timothy visits his sister in her time of grief, only to find that the woman he loved and lost is alive - and she's now his niece's governess! But she has no memory of him. And that might be for the best, because he betrayed her...

What a fascinating concept. I really enjoyed this, even if it did take a bit too long to get where it needed to go. And I'll admit that I was expecting a bit more danger, considering what Rachel and Timothy used to get up to, but I wasn't too disappointed in the end. The romance was certainly satisfying. The best part of this book, however? The supporting characters! They were fantastic.

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Sequel and Sensibility

6/1/2022

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​A Wedding at the Jane Austen Dating Agency (Jane Austen Dating Agency #2)
by Fiona Woodifield

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Sophie Johnson lived to tell the tale and got her happy ending with Darcy - or did she? Now running the Jane Austen Dating Agency with then help of Emma Woodtree (ha!), she has a wedding to plan for a successful agency couple and she's still trying to get that exclusive editorial position at the magazine. But all these competing priorities still don't stack up against the threat of Darcy's mother.

This sequel had more of the same Austen-esque shenanigans, so if you liked the first book you'll enjoy this one. I never thought that Darcy actually suited Sophie. Seeing him get booted in favour of an other suitor - well, that suited me just fine, though I'm sure I know what will happen in the next book. And of course I'll still read it! I enjoy this sort of light-hearted fun.

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Once Upon a Regency Time

2/1/2022

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The Jane Austen Dating Agency (The Jane Austen Dating Agency #1)
by Fiona Woodifield

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Sophie Johnson has landed her dream job - well, a job at her dream magazine anyway. Now if only she could find a man who looks at her the way that Darcy looks at Elizabeth Bennet. The Jane Austen Dating Agency sounds like the perfect solution, until Sophie finds herself tangled up in multiple situations that seem strangely familiar. But this isn't a Jane Austen book - it's real life! Isn't it?

This was a very fun book, even though it did get chaotic at times when yet another Jane Austen-esque character appeared. And while Sophie seemed mildly aware of how much things were mirroring the books she loves, I do wish that had been taken just a little bit further - made her seem a bit dense at times. All in all, a cute romcom that kept me entertained and left me smiling.

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A Killer Ending

31/12/2021

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Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper & Fire #3)
by Natasha Ngan

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Wren has lost the woman she loves to the enemy and retrieving her is no small task - especially with a war brewing between Wren and the palace. The war brewing closer to home may be even more dangerous. Lei is once more imprisoned by the Demon King, but she is no longer under his power. She will do whatever it takes. No matter what. Even if it means making the greatest sacrifice.

So that was emotionally draining - but in a good way. After a somewhat disappointing entry last time (Middle Book Syndrome is real, y'all), the series regains the momentum it has lacked since the end of the first book. And just in time too. Honestly, I would burn down the world for Wren and Lei. They've carried these books on their shoulders. I also like that Ngan has shown how complex the trauma caused by abuse can be. Allowing multiple characters to deal with it on their terms really helps with that. Some better pacing would have elevated this book to a tier of excellence (and some things felt unnecessary), but it's still a good read.

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    About

    Alyce Caswell, when she isn't buried in a book or drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, is a keen writer of science fiction and romance. She has published two novels and four novellas in her space opera family saga, The Galactic Pantheon Series.

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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
  • Contact