Get Rec’d with Amanda

Welcome back, everyone!

There’s only one non-fiction title today! I know; I’m just as shocked as you are. Aside from that, there’s some fantasy, surrealist lit fic, and a paranormal romance (which comes out today!).

Receive any good book recs lately that you want to share? Drop them in the comments!

Hate Hex

This one is more a recommendation to me, as I saw it the “readers also enjoyed” section of Goodreads while looking at other titles. This gives me Kim Harrison and Chloe Neill vibes of paranormal romance mixed with urban fantasy with a vamp hero.

Trixie Gardens is one average witch, thank you very much.

A down-on-her luck taxi driver in the paranormal section of New York, Trixie has spent a lifetime repressing her magic. Until one night, she meets a grumpy, devilishly handsome vampire in a dark alley, and she accidentally activates her powers by shooting the cork from a cheap cabernet bottle at his face.

It turns out the vampire is none other than Dominic Kent—the stormy, rough-around-the-edges billionaire who owns Trixie’s apartment building. When she discovers Dominic is trying to kick her out of the only place she’s ever called home (and did she mention rent-controlled?), it’s hate at first sight.

After Trixie puts a teeny, tiny hex on her new nemesis, Dom retaliates in a big way. It’s all clever enchantments and witty curses, until Dominic’s brother suddenly returns, hellbent on revenge. When things turn deadly, Dominic and Trixie must bond together to survive.

As Dom and Trixie fight to stay alive, they try to ignore the electricity crackling between them that’s got nothing to do with magic. However, before she knows it, Trixie finds herself wondering why the line between hate and love feels like it’s so thin it might have vanished entirely…

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How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

If you’re eagerly awaiting for the follow up to Hench, I think this one will scratch that itch in the meantime.

Groundhog Day meets Deadpool in Django Wexler’s raunchy, hilarious, blood-splattered fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

“Takes the old saying ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,’ to the next level. A sarcastic, action-packed, intrigue-filled (mis)adventure. One of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.”–Matt Dinniman, author of Dungeon Crawler Carl

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

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Periodic Tales

More niche non-fiction! If you also want another recommendation for periodic table history, I’d also suggest The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. Maybe buy both and bundle them together as a gift for the favorite science/chemistry nerd in your life.

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Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend

The comparison to Kevin Wilson is pretty spot on, especially if you like stories of normal people suddenly in surreal or bizarre scenarios. And if you haven’t read any books by Wilson, Nothing to See Here is my personal favorite.

White Lotus meets Kevin Wilson in this whip-smart social satire about a man who finds himself trapped on an island resort after the sun literally explodes, and suddenly must choose whether to save himself from the chaos, or help fellow guests make it off the island alive…

Vacation Checklist:
Pack swim trunks.
Apply sunscreen.
Survive the apocalypse?

Professional underachiever Dan Foster is finally taking a vacation. Sure, his life has been average at best, and yeah, he’s never quite lived up to his potential. But after a few Miller Lites in paradise with his girlfriend, Mara, things are starting to look up.

Then the sun explodes.

With the island resort suddenly plunged into darkness (he really should’ve sprung for the travel insurance), Dan’s holiday goes from bad to worse when elite guests stage a coup and commandeer supplies. As temperatures drop and class tensions rise, revolution begins to brew on the island, and Dan accidentally becomes a beacon of hope for the surviving vacationers. But when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan realizes he has a choice to make.

Does he escape the island with Mara? Or does he stay and fight to become the most unlikely hero of the end of the world?

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This book is available from:

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

We also may use affiliate links in
our posts, as well. Thanks!