My favorite event of the year is almost here! (Check out my Snoopy Dance!)
That’s right, it’s Alpha Showdown time! The time when the biggest badasses in the paranormal book world battle for bragging rights. Get ready to fangirl (or fanboy) flail all over your favorite characters!
Can you believe this is the 8th year for Alpha Showdown? Last year we had our first female champion, Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrews’ series of the same name. Previous champions include Kate’s mate Curran, J.R. Ward’s Wrath, Darynda Jones’ Reyes, and Karen Marie Moning’s Barrons and Ryodan. This year’s champ will have some pretty big shoes to fill!
And we need your help deciding who the contenders will be. Nominate your favorite characters who exemplify alpha status—leaders, warriors, general badasses. You may choose any character from any book, regardless of publication date, provided he or she is a central character in a novel with paranormal or supernatural elements (adult or YA, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, fantasy romance, etc.).
We’ll place the top 16 vote-getters into an NCAA-style bracket. We’ll have book bloggers champion the nominated characters and matches will be posted on this site where readers will vote on which character advances.
We’ll also have giveaways alongside every step of the Alpha Showdown. We utilize Rafflecopter widgets to handle nominations (below!) and the actual voting when the Showdown happens.
THE DETAILS
And just for nominating, you’ll be entered to win the complete Kingmaker Chronicles by Amanda Bouchet. That’s all 3 books! And they’re SIGNED!
I love the alpha showdown! Thanks for having it every year.
Excited for this years results because I’ve actually made a nomination. Pity I stuffed the first one up or I’d have add Lily Yu from the same series (Eileen Will Lupi series). She’s kick-ass!
Oh, nice choice! I love World of Lupi.
So many choices its hard to pick only 3
I’m excited about this contest every year. 🙂
Yes, I love this contest.
Nominated one heavy-hitter and two relative newcomers – here’s hoping for their chances!
Yay! We Love it when people discover new books because of Alpha Showdown!
I can’t wait to see who is pitted against whom.
Kate Daniels, Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptmann, Jane Yellowrock
Nice! I think my nominations have been quite similar in years past.
This is one of my favorite times of year. I always end up with a new series to read.
Yay! That’s what it’s all about *high five*
Entered my nominees
Entered my choices and lookimg forward to the showdown!
Entered my choices and looking forward to the showdown!
Yup!!!!
So excited,yay!!!
Laurell k hamilton. Anita Blake . Illona Andrews burn for me series.
Patricia Briggs mercy Thompson
I’ve added my choices… Good luck everyone
Sooooo excited for this years’ showdown! I’m ready for Kate to take the crown for two years in the rooooow
sounds fun
Added my picks… so excited for this years showdown!
LOVE Alpha Showdown!! I nominated Damon from Teresa Gabelman’s The Protectors
That’s one of the series we discovered because of Showdown. Love when that happens!
I love this showdown! Always find new books to read!
So excited that Alpha Showdown is finally back
Always look forward to this event. It’s a lot of fun. Many thanks for the giveaway as well!
I voted for 3Awesome Strong female Alphas. All three are different then the other. Note Julie Olson Daniels Lennart is in place of my normal Kate Daniel’s since she won last year.
Julie is a bit from left field but she has potential great potential who did Derek rely on to get him out of trouble several times in KD book 8.5 Lone wolf series? She even can do power words in a way that Kate has yet to learn.
Meg Corben is she a bad ass with a weapon? Well she is “broomstick girl!” Does she have others with superior firepower help her? Can we say the Elders, Elementals (winter, fire,etc?) Does she make us laugh? Who else could get the Elders to say please for a wolf cookie! Does she put her self in harm’s way to save others? She cut her own face to see the danger to wolf’s then she drove like a bat out of hell to rescue the wolf pups!
Last one was Celena Sardothian of Sarah Maas she will do what ever it takes for her side to win!!! She will be prisoner again, whipped etc.
Nice! We’re big fans of the “strong female Alphas” too.
And finally it starts. Let the Showdown begin <3
Have fun everyone.
I am super excited!!!
I can’t wait to see the nominees!
I entered my nominations! In the past this competition has introduced me to characters/series I haven’t read and they have often become favorites of mine. Can’t wait to see who’s new this time around. Thanks VBC!
Alpha Showdown is my favorite time of year!!
Love being able to nominate my favorite vampire book author’s characters and help her out!
AWESOME my favorite time of the year =D
My three favorite this year :
– Dani by KMM (I think I don’t really need arguments for her … Dani once an adult has become the classy and deadly badass she should have been =D)
– John Pritkin by Karen Chance (He is one of the most powerful and famous magicians in the magical world, he breathes alpha and badassness x))
– Bran Cornick by P. Briggs (The guy rules over all the werewolves on the planet more or less, even the beast of Gevaudan is afraid of him AND bonus, he is Welsh =D)
VOTE FOR THEM !!!
Love Pritkin!
OMG, Pritkin is my BAE and I never thought to nominate him!! I kind of focused on badass women for my picks, but I am so glad somebody else knows of the awesomemess that is Pritkin! If he makes it in, my voting is going to be really tough to do…
Oh man – meant awesomeNESS, but y’know John IS kind of messy too most of the time 🙂
YAY I must admit it’s the first year I think of nominate him even if I SOOOO love him ><
This is my most wonderful time of the year. Seriously this is like a late christmas for me. I get to cheer on my favorites and hopefully find out about some new favorite characters!
Love this every year and I always find new books to explore as well as some of my favorites returning. I sent in my three picks and look forward to seeing who made the cut.
There are so many excellent choices! Thanks to the writers who make this a very difficult selection process.
Love Alpha Showdown!!
IM SO EXCITED!!!!
Love the alpha showdown! Even though i think Barrons should win every year! Voted for my 3 fav alphas …
Barrons
Ryodan
Curran
All former champions! Classic choices.
Always a great game! I added some older names…Annwyl, Dragos, Kate.
I just discovered Dragos two years ago so it’s never too late to bring attention to your faves.
what is dragos from?
Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series. (That’s why we ask for an author or title with the nominations. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.).
I’m so excited for Alpha Showdown! I nominated Delilah Bard and I really hope she makes it in because I can see her taking so many of the past nominees down. 🙂
Ooh! Good choice!
Done… When shall the vote begin ?
We’ll announce the schedule with the bracket, but it’s in a few weeks.
Nominees:
– Jane Yellowrock from Faith Hunter’s series
– Nell Nicholson Ingram from Faith Hunter’s Soulwood series
– Atticus Sullivan Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles
Yes! I would love to see Nell make it in. She’s quite different from most of the Showdown regulars.
I nominated Jane Yellowrock! Let the Alpha games begin!
I nominated Ryder from Amelia Hutchins Fae Chronicles and Daniel from Lexi Blake Thieves series.
I haven’t read those, but I do love to see new to me characters make it in. It’s a great way to discover new books.
I came so close to nominating Daniel!
Bones and Vlad from my favourite series ever and Jericho Barrons from my second favourite series ever…sorry Rhysand lol
Classic choices! Bones is one of a few “big names” that are always in, but have never won the Showdown.
Love The Alpha Showdown! Rereading last year’s winner right now!!
always love this !!!
I nominated Ethan (Chicagoland Vampires), Tybalt (October Daye) and Raphael (Guild Hunter). Love them all.
I love Tybalt! I’m a couple of books behind on the Toby series now though.
I’m super excited for the showdown and couldn’t agree more on all of these comments.
I can’t believe it is that time of year again. I have nominated Connor “Mad” Rogan and Nevada Baylor from Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy and of course Derek from Borrowed Souls;)
Love this – Thanks