Alpha Showdown 2015 Round 3: Kate Daniels vs. Bones

We told you from the start that the Alpha Showdown would be brutal. We’re only three matches in, and we’ve already had to make tough choices. Round 2 is still open, and it’s very close between Jane and Barrons.

Kate Daniels isn’t scared of a vampire, but we doubt Bones is scared of anything. He’s battled some heavy hitters before. In an alternate universe, these two would probably end up hanging out, but in the Showdown they have to fight. Who will move forward in the bracket? You decide.

We’ve lined up excellent bloggers to fill you in on why each alpha deserves to advance. Read the pitches, and then make the call.

KATE DANIELS

You know her from: The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in: Magic Bites (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: Good question

Championed by: Jen at Red Hot Books | @redhotbooks

You don’t have to be a man to be the top dog alpha.  It’s something intangible that separates you from the sheep.  It’s about strength of the body and mind. It’s about power.  For a man, strength can be more obvious in the physical sense.  His dominance can be downright sexy at times.  But a woman who can burn the world with a strong sword arm and an iron will, to me, is even more impressive.

Kate owes a lot of her strength to her lineage, but she is more than the sum of her parts.  Her father passed on many of his powerful gifts, like the ability to manipulate blood.  He can’t take credit for her years of training, though. He can’t compete with her drive to protect those around her and to save the day at all costs.  The fire that is inside of Kate is all her own, and she will destroy you without hesitation if you are a threat to someone she loves.

She uses every weapon at her disposal, and is willing to risk everything to protect others.  She’ll throw herself into a fighting pit, face off with her own deranged relatives, battle deities, and stare down supernatural baddies of all shapes and sizes –not for her own gain—but do what needs to be done for people who can’t do it themselves. She is strong, but not infallible, which is what makes it all the more meaningful when she puts herself in the line of fire.  She could die, but she doesn’t. She prevails and lives to fight another day.

Kate’s abilities keep getting stronger.  And she keeps getting smarter.  Whether she is leading hundreds of shapeshifters or slapping down detractors; whether she is fighting alongside members of the Guild or against them; whether she is battling a legend or edging closer to becoming one herself… she is fierce. She is relentless.  She doesn’t stop until she is done.

What other woman could be a worthy mate to Curran?  Could hold her own with Aunt B?  Who else could face off with Roland and walk away with an entire city under her protection? No one.  Kate is in a category all her own.

And she could kick your ass. Without breaking a sweat.

BONES

You know him from: The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
First appeared in: Halfway to the Grave (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural Status: Master Vampire

Championed by: Margaret from VBC | @ghoulishgretl

It seems that Bones is becoming the Susan Lucci of Alpha Showdown. And that’s just not right! He’s a leather-wearing, motorcycle-riding, sexy-accent-having urban fantasy icon. But he’s also a patient man. Remember when he spent four years waiting to get Cat back? He’s been waiting four years for his Alpha Showdown title too. And I think that’s long enough.

How many of those other Alphas can fly? Okay, two. And a few more of them could if they wanted to, but none of them would look as good doing it. Bones can also read minds, stop bullets (and unhook bras) telekinetically, and pretty much come back from the dead. Remember when he turned into a vampire raisin in At Grave’s End? Or kept fighting without most of his skin in Up from the Grave? And he’s a master strategist because he did those things on purpose.

Bones once got shot in the head, jumped out a window, flew down the street and overturned a van with one hand while holding Cat with the other. And that was before he started gaining new powers. He has a talent for making an impression on his enemies: “One moment Domino’s legs were kicking, the next they were ripped off and in Bones’s hands.” (At Grave’s End) And Domino got off easy compared to the ghoul that Bones beat with his own severed arm.

Bones has battled zombies and ghosts, a Voodoo Queen and a mad scientist, and the formidable Justina Crawfield. He’s survived being sent to a prison colony, stuck in The Capsule, and related to Ian. He deserves an award for that last one alone!

Everyone talks about Chapter 32 and I’m certainly not going to deny Bones’s skills. By now, we all know that once you go dead, no one’s better in bed. But I think sometimes that overshadows what a romantic he is at heart. Who wouldn’t melt when they hear “Kitten, your hands are my heaven and your eyes are my home?” (This Side of the Grave) Sure, sometimes that devotion becomes over-protective and kind of annoying. But that’s just part of being an Alpha.

And isn’t it about time for the VAMPIRE Book Club to actually give the crown to a vampire?

VOTE!

Who are you putting your money on: Kate or Bones?

At the request of last year’s voters, we’re going back to traditional polls for the voting, but keep reading for your chance to win awesome books. Your to-be-read pile could always use more. Trust us.

 

WIN!

Participating in the Alpha Showdown is all about fun, and free books totally lead to fun, right? We hope you’ll find lots of great new reads during the Showdown, and to help that along, we’re giving away some stellar reads.

With Round 3 we are super excited to offer up a complete set of Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson series, which has plenty of snark, action and one smokin’ hot dude. (Did we mention Reyes won the Alpha Showdown last year? He did.) The latest book Eighth Grave After Dark released yesterday, and if you missed our review the TL;DR version is we loved it. Same goes for book one First Grave on the Right. Basically, the VBC team loves this series and we’re giving you the chance to win ALL THE BOOKS (and some sweet nail decals and a coffee mug). Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway