Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 109
Mar. 1st, 2026 09:00 amWelcome back!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed the last edition, that was full of recommendations from KJ Charles. I wonder if we could do special editions like that from time to time, where we ask an author to recommend four books. What do you all think?
As always, share with us some recommendations!
Blood Sweat Glitter
Firstly, this cover just makes me so happy. It’s pure joy! This is a f/f roller derby romance novella that packs a punch. There are elements of female rage and trauma, especially as it relates to the COVID pandemic.
The Primrose Glitter Girls play ROLLER DERBY and they’re here to DESTROY YOU!
Well, they’re trying. Team captain Eleanor Ashwell has problems. Her fresh meat skaters are terrified, her blockers fall over when people look at them funny, and if the Glitter Girls don’t start winning bouts soon they’re going to be chucked out of the league. And off the track, things are no Eleanor’s job as a nursing sister is overwhelming her, and friends and lovers seem to be drifting away.
Robin, Eleanor’s pretty-in-pink new jammer, is hawk-fast and fearless, and she’s a brilliant skater to boot. But she’s never on time, she forgets her kit, she comes to practice in stupid frilly dresses, and according to Eleanor, she has no respect for the traditions of the game. It’s only because the team needs her so badly that Eleanor is teaching her to play at all.
But ditzy, silly Robin isn’t quite what she appears to be. And if Eleanor can see past that candy-pink exterior, then there might be some things Robin can teach her, too. About how to win, how to lose, how to rediscover a little glitter in her life. How to get herself back up from where she’s fallen—and how to fall in love.
Julie Chan is Dead
This is a twisty and fucked up thriller. After discovering her twin is dead, a woman slips into her sister’s life of luxury and social media.
In this razor-sharp, diabolical debut thriller, a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life, only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.
Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.
Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.
Nightlights
This graphic novel is GORGEOUSLY illustrated and I highly recommend seeing it in person. While this is listed for middle grade, it reminds me children’s shows that clearly have subtle content for adults too.
Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy’s bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings them back to life in the whimsical drawings that cover her room.
One day, Morfie, a mysterious pale girl, appears at school. And she knows all about Sandy’s drawings…
Nightlights is a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity, from the enchanting imagination of Lorena Alvarez.
Oak King Holly King
Nothwell writes m/m fantasy romances and historical romances, and I think would scratch similar itches of KJ Charles and Allie Therin.
Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King – a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands.
Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart.
As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory – Oak King or Holly King.

































