Alpha Showdown 2014 Round 1: Reyes vs. Zsadist

Update: This round’s winner is Reyes Farrow! It was a close one. Final results: Reyes – 51%, Zsadist 49%.

Both Reyes and Zsadist have made appearances in the Alpha Showdown before. Reyes almost took the top title last year. The slates have been wiped clean, though, and it’s time to begin the battle for the 2014 title.

Both characters know a thing or two about Hell, but who will come out on top? That’s up to you!

We’ve lined up great bloggers to explain why each alpha deserves to advance. Read the pitches, and then make the call.

REYES FARROW

You know him/her from: Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones
First appeared in: First Grave on the Right (VBC Review | Saucy Wenches Series Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: Son of Satan

Championed by: Natalie, Kathi, and Merit from Saucy Wenches Book Club | @SaucyWenchesBC

Strong, silent type: Check!

Rebel with the ultimate cause and a badass attitude: Check!

Smooth-talking epitome of sex on legs: Check!

Mind-blowing seducer in real life and your wildest dreams: Check! Check! Check!

Eyes for only one woman: Check adinfinitum!

These are just a few of the virtues I want in my Alpha, how about you? Rey’aziel—Reyes for short—embodies every single magnificent quality I’ve ever dreamed of!! His name means the Beautiful One—and he most definitely is—but gorgeous doesn’t begin to describe him.

Lethal, brilliantly intelligent, and practically invincible, General Reyes Farrow has led the armies of hell into countless battles, spreading chaos and doom. After all, when you’re the Son of Satan, Daddy has certain expectations. But Reyes—formidable on the battlefield and legendary in the boudoir—gives it all up for love—and proves that a true Alpha forges his own path.

Reyes has both earthly and unearthly bodies—just imagine the power this engenders, and the possibilities! He’s frighteningly and deliciously dangerous, wickedly playful, and sexy as sin—the complete package in every way. With equal ease, he severs enemy spines and enthralls legions of women, compelled by his intense animal magnetism and raw sexuality. Yet he has eyes for only one, who enamors his heart and soul—and is hell bent on resisting his charms. With brute force and timeless patience he protects her, with gentle persistence he woos her, at great cost he offers to share a mortal lifetime with her. And, luckily for us, to guard heaven and completely block all his Daddy’s big plans for destroying mankind.

When it comes to love, Reyes is a man of few words, but oh, what words. They aim straight for the heart to ignite a firestorm of lust. He is not above using his drop-dead gorgeous looks and every other weapon in his seductive arsenal to convey the depths of his desire and devotion. Ultimately, though, actions speak louder than words, and his now are as noble as they once were deadly.

For love, he escapes the clutches of Hades and renounces his incorporeal body. He endures prison and torture to save those who cannot protect themselves. He dedicates everything to protecting the woman he loves—the essential key in the battle between heaven and hell, as it turns out. When things heat up, he moves heaven and earth to get an apartment next door, repelling the forces of darkness while charming her with rakish smiles and sticky note invitations to come on over any time. *swoons dreamily* Now that is just sweet and badass at the same time!

But hold on, there’s more! His sexual prowess is phenomenal. Remember the incorporeal/corporeal bodies? He can be in two places at once: sharing steamy shower sex from a coma, seducing through dreams while you sleep! There’s no hiding from this master virtuoso.

Did I mention that he cooks? Loves to read all sorts of books? What more could you possibly want in a tall-dark-and-handsome hero?

Reyes Farrow, exalted prince of the underworld, abandoned hell to champion the other team. To preserve paradise, spend his life with the girl of his dreams—and ultimately save Mankind! A true hero in my book—and the number ONE Alpha, hands down!

ZSADIST

You know him/her from: Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward
First appeared in: Dark Lover, but most prevalent in Lover Awakened (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: Vampire, member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Father, Hellren

Championed by: Jenese at Readers Confession | @Jleon09

He cocked an eyebrow at her and then went back to staring at his brother. “I’m the evil one, in case you haven’t figured it out.” “I wanted your name, not your calling.” “Being a bastard’s more of a compulsion, really. And it’s Zsadist. I am Zsadist.”

Zsadist is not just your average vampire! Zsadist is the vampire of your nightmares. The alpha vampire that will scare the bejesus out of you, with his scarred face and black eyes. He was stolen from his parents at 7 months old and sold into blood and sex slavery, until his twin brother Phury rescued him. He is the dark menacing brother of BDB. Rumored to kill women, always angling for a fight and not even his own Brothers trust him.

“With broken maybe you can fix things. Ruined? All you can do is wait to bury me.”

Z is a BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! He is the epitome of a tortured soul. Right in front of our eyes Zsadist changes and evolves. Oh he pushed and fought against the changes. He didn’t want anyone to know the extent of his emotional scarres. Better to push everyone away then to let them in. He was clawing at his own skin thinking he wasn’t good enough. Never good enough, he was dirty.

His transformation is what sets him apart from others. The journey that he travelled to get to his HEA was one long bumpy ride filled with so much emotional turmoil.

He was finally able to confront his fears about intimacy, trust, love and sex. After never taking care of himself, not eating properly and being illiterate, Z finally finds a reason to finally LIVE!

He crushed those walls around his heart and made my heart melt in the process. I think we all wanted to just hold him and tell him it will all be okay. I’ll make it better Z. I wanted to make him whole again not Bella. Can he service me in my needing?

Z was no longer the dark menacing brother but the strong, fiercely loyal, protective, loving Hellren and Father. His eyes are now yellow like his twin brother and reflect a BLESSED soul not a DAMAGED soul.

Oh! Did I mention he sings? He has the voice of an Angel. Which his baby girl Nalla can fully enjoy. And who could forget this quote?

“I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came…and I was awakened.”

 VOTE!

So, who will it be? The Beautiful One or the Beautiful Disaster?

Only votes submitted via the Rafflecopter form below will be counted. This means your vote is tied to your email address. It also means we’re giving away something awesome.

For Round 1 we’re giving away the first three books in Meljean Brook’s Iron Seas series—The Iron Duke, Heart of Steel and Riveted—because it’s one of our favorites and we think you should read it. This contest is open internationally, provided The Book Depository will ship to your location.

You can get additional entries into the contest by tweeting, following and the like, but your vote is still only counted once.

UPDATE: WINNER – REYES FARROW!

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