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Update: This round is now closed. This was insane. This is probably the closest Alpha Showdown match in our history. Mercy Thompson has won with 51% of the vote. This match came down to 15 votes! Make sure to rally your friends for the final matches. We’ve reached the semi-finals in the 2018 Alpha Showdown. It’s almost time to crown the Biggest Book Badass in the paranormal world! (To see how we got to this point check out the bracket.)
But first we’ll have to pit two of our favorite authors against each other. Both semi-final rounds feature an Ilona Andrews vs. Patricia Briggs match up. This is going to be fun!
Connor Rogan from Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series defeated former Showdown Champion Reyes with an impressive 68% of the votes in his last round. He’s taking on Briggs’ Mercy Thompson who bested Griffin from the Kingmaker Chronicles with a whopping 81%.
I suspect this will be a much closer contest.
As in the previous rounds, you have 48 hours to vote using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the post. Your vote also enters you in this round’s giveaway.
Connor Rogan
You know him from the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in Burn for Me
Supernatural Status: Telekinetic Prime Mage
Championed by Tanya from Rantings of a Reading Addict
Find her at @readingaddicted on Twitter and Facebook
What happens when Connor “Mad” Rogan is confronted with evil? Cities will fall. There’s a reason they called him The Butcher of Merida. The power contained within this gorgeous, muscular body is capable of ripping apart any that dare go up against him. Killing to save someone he loves or cares for is just another mundane task to check off his to-do list. Rogan is so powerful, he can even save you from something as scary as a weather mage creating deadly tornados. Just by creating a null space for you, those tornados will pass right around without so much as messing up your hair.
If you capture his attention, beware. He has the patience of a snake and will work his magic on you until you are dying to have him sweep you up and hide away with you. His witty remarks and rough exterior may have you wondering why you would want him, despite his good looks. But he will win your heart when you start to understand him. Then you’re a goner.
Rogan is someone you will want to have your back. He is protective but gives you enough rope to either overcome your adversary or sink. If you start to sink, he’ll jump in and save you, but he’ll never hold you back from testing your power limits. He will have faith in you and will not smother you. There is just something sexy in fighting side by side, then coming home together to burn off that excess energy left over.
With Rogan’s strength, loyalty and power, he is not a man that you’d want on your bad side. He is capable of tearing apart cities and making you swoon at the same time. He’s such a well-rounded man, his qualities make him a sure win.
Mercy Thompson
You know her from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
First appeared in Moon Called
Supernatural Status: Native American walker
Championed by Beth from VBC
Find her at @biblioholicbeth on Twitter
Mercy Thompson is unique—she is a Native American walker, so she can shift into a coyote at will. While many would not be willing to pit a coyote against other creatures such as vampires or werewolves, it is those coyote qualities that will give her a leg up (HA!) here.
While Mercy doesn’t have magic of her own, she can use the pack bond to access THEIR magic. In addition, she is immune to most magic—so anyone attempting to use their magic to best her had better have a backup plan. And unlike most, Mercy can see ghosts—and command them.
Like the coyote, Mercy is quick and smart. She may not be as strong as some of the other creatures, but she can find her way around almost any rule, and she is incredibly adaptable. Like the original Native American Coyote, she can—and will—use deception to achieve her goals. She knows her strengths—and her weaknesses—so she also carries a gun, just in case. She is also mechanically inclined, which is helpful. Just watch any Scooby Doo episode to know how important it is to be able to fix a broken vehicle before all hell breaks loose.
Also like the coyote, Mercy is “highly flexible in social organization” and that works to her advantage. She has varied friends and family—werewolves, a gremlin, and even a vampire. There are few that can take on Mercy and her group and hope to come out on top. She is also fiercely determined and has a lot of heart—she will fight for what she believes in, and she is willing to die for it. That heart, believed by opponents to be a weakness, becomes the last mistake they will ever make. She is loyal to her loved ones—and they are loyal to her.
Mercy Thompson is unique—and that is her biggest strength. She embodies her animal form even when human, and those she faces often underestimate her because of her size and lack of magic. They do so at their peril. Mercy is a force of nature—and a force to be reckoned with. Add in her friends and family? She may be damaged, even close to death, but she will be damn sure she takes her enemy with her if she goes.
Remember, you only have 48 hours to vote using the Rafflecopter form. (Once you log in the poll is the first entry.) Plus, your vote unlocks more chances to win an awesome book. Voting in Round 13 will enter you to win a copy of Kevin Hearne’s Staked.
Convince your friends to back your candidate using #AlphaShowdown and feel free to share your opinions in the comments.
Mercy
Mad Rogan
While I love Ilona Andrews books I voted for Mercy. Rogan is just 9kay to me. Much harder decision if was Mercy vs. Nevada. I like the Alphas that are powerful but not always by themselves. Why fight a werewolf when you can have one hit by a bus? She has the Meroc, Adam, Samuel, Charles, and the rest of her pack on her side.
All aboard the Rogan Train!
I love Mercy but Rogan got it
Mercy!
Hard choice. But I choose Mercy.
Rogan!
Rogan of course.
Mercy
Hard choice, i have to go with Rogan.
Mercy Thompson Hauptman for the win! I can’t resist a good book with a kickbutt woman as the MC!
Mercy!
Mad Rogan!!!
Connor!
Connor. I enjoy Mercy but I love CONNOR!
Love Mercy, but Rogan for sure!
Mercy!
Mercy!
Connor Rogan
Connor 😉
I like both but Connor is a crazy wildcard, Mercy will give it all for the people she protects, and will bring all her supporters with her
Mad Rogan for sure. Everyone under his protection is his priority. I love Mercy, but she isn’t Alpha-alpha
Mad Rogan for the win!
Mad Rogan even though I love Mercy Conner would win hands down even with Mercy having her crew Mad has a small army literally and now he has the Baylor’s as well.
Mercy!
Rogan!
Rogan, of course! Mercy and crew are no comparison to Connor Rogan (especially with Nevada and family with him too). Rogan will easily win Mercy, when it comes to a fight between them.
I love Mercy, but if I have to choose between these two, it will be Conner Rogan. He’s the incomparable Alpha.
Mercy
My girl Mercy!
Rogan, without a doubt
Connor is more merciless otherwise they are both capable.
Connor Rogan!
Mercy!!
Connor is good, he is amazing… But… Mercy, she is my favorite coyote Alpha girl <3
Mercy
This was a tough one, love them both.
I hat this. Mercy rock but in this case Rogan wins
Boy that is a hard choice! I love both of these characters.. but they have way different skill sets. Mercy is a badass who brings chaos wherever she goes, but she works better in a group.. by herself she would run. Where as Connor will Hulk smash the city by himself. I’m going to have to go with Connor Rogan.
Mercy
Mercy
Connor
Connor has my vote this round.
Mad Rogan!!
Rogan. I don’t take days off work for Mercy. I do for Hidden Legacy
Tough choice but have to go with Mercy.
Mercy
Mad Rogan!!
Mercy