Hate Hex by Gina LaManna - Book Review

Publication Date: 01st September 2024 

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

3.5 Stars (rounded up) 

One Liner: A light timepass read 

Trixie Gardens is a taxi driver in the paranormal section of NY. She is twenty-nine and struggling with her finances. She is also determined not to use her magic, which could cause trouble soon. 

Dominic Kent is a multi-billionaire vampire who owns many businesses, including the building Trixie lives in. Their interactions are heated, and Trixie decides to hate-hex him for making her life hard. Soon, there’s more than hate between them as the two cannot seem to avoid each other.

However, they have a lot more to deal with as Dominic’s brother, Sebastian, returns, determined to create a mess. Can Tix and Dom fight Sebastian and have their happy ever after? 

The story comes in the first-person POVs for Trixie and Dominic. 

My Thoughts: 

I wanted a light and easy read and got it. This is a quick paranormal romance with some fun banter. It’s pretty much insta-love but works since the book is short and has a steady pace. There are enemies-to-lovers and fated-mates tropes as well. 

The dual POVs give us both backstories and make it easy to understand the characters. Dom’s first-person POV is quite good. There were times I liked it more in the first half. 

The FMC has a strong reason to suppress her magic. However, we don’t get the reason until the halfway point. By then I was starting to grow weary of her. Maybe the reveal could have come 5-10% earlier and used for further character development afterward. 

Though there is no world-building, it is easy to get into the plot without wondering about what’s and why’s. However, if you are new to this genre, you may need more than what’s provided. Turns out, the book is set in the same world as an established series (Magic & Mixology Mystery) with eight existing books. I got to know only when I read the author’s note. 

I quite like the descriptions of the apartments, though. Emmy’s lab sounds like a fun and explosive place to be. The friendship between the FMC and Emmy is also sweet and cute. 

Grandma Betty, though in a minor role, is charming and delightful. I wish she had more space, though given the book’s length I can’t ask for much. While Vix is almost uni-dimensional, Belinda (a pixie) is a fun character to meet. 

Apart from the Sebastian track, there’s another subplot about the Circle and nominations for the wildcard seat. Though this acts as a catalyst for the plot to move, it could have been better woven into the plot. I wouldn’t mind reading a few pages extra to know more about this. 

There is a third-act breakup of sorts which made me groan. However, the way it was used in the climax surprised me. Such a cool idea! 

To summarize, Hate Hex is a lighthearted and quick romance (pretty clean too!) with interesting themes like forgiveness, healing, acceptance, etc. Since I wanted a fluffy romance and got one, I cannot complain (hence rounding the rating up to 4 stars). 

Thank you, NetGalley, LaManna Books, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for eARC. 

#NetGalley #HateHex