Update: With 72 percent of the vote your victor is Vlad! He will advance to the next round of the Alpha Showdown 2017!
Real talk: How happy are you that this round doesn’t involve a married couple? Whew. The last couple rounds were wicked.
That said, it isn’t getting easier. We have Griffin from Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles—who already bested Jane Yellowrock—up against the original vampire Vlad from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Prince series. (He took out Simon in the Showdown already.)
The Alpha Showdown gets more interesting after each round (peek at the bracket), but the winner is all up to VBC readers. Each round is open for 48 hours. The winner advances.
You know him from: The Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet
First appearance: A Promise of Fire (VBC review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: Sintan warlord, Hoi Polloi (non-magic user)
Championed by: Ronelle from Red Hot Books
“I conquered a kingdom and found a treasure.” His voice turns gravelly, low. “I won’t let you go. Not now. Not ever.”
If you’re looking for an alpha male’s alpha, then Griffin Sinta is your warlord. He’s fierce, cunning, loyal, and can brood with the best of them. Griffin knows what he wants and how to get it–or who can get it for him. You can either come along willingly or be tied up with a magic rope and carted off; he isn’t picky. Resist or flee? You can try.
But don’t be fooled; Griffin isn’t all sexy demand-and-conquer. He loves and protects just as fiercely as he commands, and he values loyalty above all. His family and his people, his men and his woman, Sinta, Fisa, and Tarva, Griffin has big plans for them all. And the fact that he’s Hoi Polloi ruling in a world of Magoi is unheard of, but he doesn’t care.
Oh, and before you try to take him out with magic, you should know one thing: Griffin is immune to that garbage. Monsters, deities, and homicidal neighboring sovereigns? Don’t make him laugh. Convinced your fate will lead to destruction? Not if he has anything to say about it.
Think you can take him, resist him, or outmaneuver him? Well…you can try.
You know him from: the Night Prince series by Jeaniene Frost
First appeared in: As a side character in At Grave’s End (Night Huntress #3), as the main character in Once Burned (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: He is the OG vampire
Championed by: Scandal of Scandalicious Book Reviews
In a world of cold, pasty vamps, Vlad Tepesh is hot, like pyrokinesis hot—he can control fire. Vlad is literally smoking hot, all the time. He lights up a room, he’ll burn down the house, I swear, the jokes just write themselves here. Sadly, Vlad would not enjoy my humor at all. He’s so alpha, he scoffs at silly humor. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so intimidated by a character’s masculinity as I am by Vlad Tepesh. Vlad wins the alpha contest because he is, is the epitome of old school badass, in fact, he may have originated the concept of alpha. I think the best way to show you how alpha this guy is to let him tell you himself. He might be smoking hot on the outside but he is stone cold alpha badass on the inside. Vlad learned very early on not to show emotions. Emotions can be used against you but the love of a good woman, makes this Alpha say things, protective, intense things like this…
“I want no misunderstanding between us. I am everything you think I am, but I love your daughter, and what I love, I protect with all of the violence in me, which, as you’ve guessed, is considerable.”
Another quality of a strong alpha is his ability to love, and express his love. Don’t get me wrong, Vlad doesn’t shy away from the evil glares and grunts, but when he feels, he feels it deep and makes all of the ladies swoon.
“When I heard the ghouls coming for you, all I cared about was reaching you in time. How often must I tell you that you mean more to me than vengeance? I can live without defeating my enemies, but I cannot live without you…I love you, which is why I intend to lock you inside the house as soon as we’re home.”
Priorities people, priorities. But hey, if you disagree with my assessment of Vlad’s level of alpha badassery, feel free to take it up with him, I’m sure he has a stake with your name on it. Vlad Tepesh can’t be beat.
Make your choice below. One lucky VBC reader who votes in this round will win a copy of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Unbound.
Vlad
Vlad
Easy – Vlad!
Griffin
Griffin
Griffin
GRIFFIN! Go Griffin!!!!!
Griffin
Vlad!
Vlad
VLAD
I voted for Griffin…..Vlad was just okay for me as a hero
Griffin
Vlad!
Vlad can impale me anyday. 😉
OMG!!!! Vlad!!!!
Vlad
I picked Vlad
Vlad
Vlad!
Vlad!!!
Griffin. ✋
Griffin.
Vlad for me
Vlad
Vlad!
Vlad
Griffin! Love Vlad but Griffin has something extra special going on.
Griffin
Team Vlad all the way!
Griffin! (Vlad had too much of a character change in his spinoff.)
Griffin.
Vlad.
Vlad.
Vlad!!!!
Griffin for the win!
Griffin!!!
Vlad gets my vote!
Vlad
VLAD