In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for June 2012. All dates are U.S. and tentative.
I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance, F is fantasy and YA is young adult.
JUNE 1
Blackout by Mira Grant (Newsflesh #3) F UF
Blue-Blooded Vamp by Jaye Wells (Sabina Kane #5) UF
His Dark Embrace by Amanda Ashley PNR
JUNE 4
Finding Magic by Stacia Kane (Downside Ghosts novella) UF
JUNE 5
Accidentally Dead, Again by Dakota Cassidy (Accidentals #6) PNR
All That Falls by Kimberly Frost (Etherlin #2) PNR
Arise by Tara Hudson (Hereafter #2) YA
Blazing the Trail by Deborah Cooke (Dragon Diaries #3) YA
Blood of Innocence by Tami Dane (Sloane Skye #2) UF
Blood Kin by M.J. Scott (Half-Light City #2) UF
Chaos Burning by Lauren Dane (Bound by Magick #2) PNR
After two weeks of battles we’re finally at the final round of the Alpha Showdown 2012. Vampires, werewolves and faery kings have fallen in the quest for the title of Ultimate Alpha.
Only Master vampire Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series and Curran from Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series have survived the melee unscathed. Now, it’s time for them to enter the ring.
Last year, both characters made the Alpha Showdown 2011. When Karen Marie Moning’s character Jericho Barrons took the title, Jeaniene and Ilona had a little fun writing up how it might go down if Bones and Kate (with Curran nearby) had fought in the Alpha Showdown. You can read the hilarious scene here.
Now their characters get to battle it out for real. And one will be named the Alpha Showdown 2012 Champion.
Since it’s the finals, we’re going to give you extra time to rally your friends to vote. The poll at the end of this post will close at 11:59 p.m. CST on June 3.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who wins the Alpha Showdown 2012.
FINAL ROUND: BONES vs. CURRAN
Bones
You know him from: Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost First appeared in:Halfway to the Grave (VBC review, Buy it at Amazon)
Bones has gone head to head with a voodoo queen, ghosts, government agencies, a scary mother-in-law and the most-lauded literary vampire of all time, all to stand up for his woman and his people. Arguably, the most powerful vampire on the planet chose to share power with him. He’s looked death in the face and came out on the other side stronger. If you want the definitive Alpha, you need to look no further than Bones.
You want examples? Fine, take a seat and lets discuss what happens when you combine lethal precision, deadly fangs and undead sex drive to spare. Cat was unfortunate enough to come up against a vampire who had a heart literally in the wrong place. As the result of a staking gone wrong, Bones was about to lose Cat. He beheaded that vampire with the hood of a car. Yeah, that’s right, he slung a car hood with piercing accuracy.
Need more? He ripped the limb off a ghoul and, to add insult to injury, beat the ghoul with his own arm. I don’t know about you, but to bitch slap someone around with their own arm seems pretty badass to me. Not only that, but Bones appears to now have the ability to telekinetically whoop ass. That’s right, brawn and brains. He’s taken a bullet to the head, been faced death, had his mind taken over and fought with demons, all to come out better, stronger and faster on the other side.
Let’s not forget that nobody can rock chain mail like Bones.
When he’s not shagging Cat senseless or traveling the world keeping wayward vamps in line, he hangs with Mencheres, Spade, Ian and, on the rare occasion, Vlad. His line pays their tithes willingly and wet themselves at the very mention of his name. Why? Because he’s Bones. And he’s the ultimate Alpha.
When you hear about a character long before you ever pick up the series, you know they’re Alpha material. And Curran? He’s the Alpha-iest of them all. He commands legions! He has strength and cunning in spades! He is CURRAN! Hear him roar! That’s right, folks, he’s the Alpha’s Alpha and he’s not going to let anyone drag him away from that top spot.
Besides his physical strength, which is very impressive, Curran has stamina. *holds up seven fingers* He’s battled hordes of warriors, a really pissy secret society, and an army of demons and he still has time to romance his lady. The way he stalks his prey puts every other Alpha on the list to shame. He might not be the smoothest shifter on the block, but his technique leaves Kate swooning and I don’t hear her complaining.
Big, smart and ruthless enough to keep the largest band of shifters on the East Coast in line, Curran is more than deserving of the title of 2012 Alpha Showdown Champion!
Which fiction couples are the supernatural equivalent to the Beckhams?
Throughout this year’s Alpha Showdown, I’ve had requests for a Couples Alpha Showdown. I like the idea, but there’s just one problem.
Everyone thinks it’s a great idea with Kate and Curran up against Cat and Bones, but no one has suggested any other couples for this potential melee.
How many other paranormal power couples can you think of that you’d really enjoy seeing in battle? Both would need to be fighters — magical or otherwise — for a tag-team style ring match.
If I can get enough suggestions — in the comments below — for power couples, I’ll see about making the Couples Showdown happen.
Obviously, the Kate Daniels duo and Night Huntress married folk are on the list. Who else?
You saw it coming. Curran and Kate from the Kate Daniels series must battle each other in Round 13 of the Alpha Showdown.
A quick note to commenters asking how these two ended up in the same bracket: Placements in the bracket was decided by seeded position. As in, the number of nomination votes determined where in the bracket each character was placed. The most likely to win (Bones had the most nomination votes) was paired against the person with the least votes (Rachel Morgan). This is what the small numbers on the bracket indicate — the seeded position 1 being top, 16 being bottom.
Now that we have that housekeeping complete, let’s talk about what we’re in store for in Round 13.
Curran, the Beast Lord, has dominated werewolf Hawke and master vampire Ethan Sullivan.
Only one in the couple can advance to be named the ultimate Alpha.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 30). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
The battles have been close — with plenty of smack talk in the comments and on Twitter — but we’ve finally reached the semifinals of the Alpha Showdown 2012. It’s another vampire-on-vampire battle with Jeaniene Frost’s Bones taking on Nalini Singh’s Dmitri.
Bones has already taken out witch Rachel Morgan and werewolf Charles Cornick. How will he handle fighting another vampire?
Dmitri took out cutthroat assassin Gin Blanco and Enemy of Old vampire Lothaire. Is he ready for another strong vampire contender?
Who gets staked? Who will move on to the final battle of the Alpha Showdown?
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 29). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
Both Eric Northman and Kate Daniels were able to take out foes with formidable fandoms in their first matches, but how will they fare against each other in the Alpha Showdown Round 12?
Viking vampire Eric Northman was able to slay a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (Tohrment).
Kate Daniels took out ultimate enforcer Terrible.
Fangs or blade will take one of these two onward in the Showdown. You get to decide who gets the prize.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 26). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
The leader of Cadogan House takes on the Beast Lord in Round 11 of the Alpha Showdown. Both have defeated one foe, but who will advance?
Ethan Sullivan edged out a victory over Atticus O’Sullivan, a druid with some seriously powerful skills. Will Ethan’s cunning get him past Curran?
Curran knocked out wolf shifter Hawke. Will the claws come out against the vampire?
You get to decide.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 25). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
And you thought these battles were difficult before. Two of the most ruthless of the vampires in the Alpha Showdown 2012 are pitted against one another in Round 10.
Kresley Cole’s Lothaire managed to escape the silver stakes of Night Huntress’ Cat in his first battle, leaving him extra bloodthirsty.
Nalini Singh’s Dmitri’s cunning helped him take crafty assassin Gin Blanco last round, but will he be able to remove Lothaire’s heart?
I don’t know, but that’s why you’ll be voting. Who is more alpha: Lothaire or Dmitri? Which would throttle the other in a fight?
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 24). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
After a little more than a week of grueling battles, we finally have our first match-up in the second level.
Bones straight-up crushed witch Rachel Morgan.
Then Charles Cornick took our King Dorian.
Will the master vampire sink his fangs into the werewolf? Will being an alpha enforcer make it easy to stake the vampire? As always, that’s up to you.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 23). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
Round 8 of the Alpha Showdown 2012 puts a human in the ring, but if anyone can hold their own amid the weird stuff it’s Terrible.
Drug enforcer Terrible knows a thing or two about magic and ghosts — it goes with the territory of being a part of Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts world — while Kate Daniels has plenty of experience with supernatural types of all flavors as the heroine of Ilona Andrews’ series of the same name.
Both are fearless and tenacious, but which will win the battle?
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 22). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for June 2012. All dates are U.S. and tentative.
You know him from: Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
You know him from: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
Join the Discussion