You saw it coming. Curran and Kate from the Kate Daniels series must battle each other in Round 13 of the Alpha Showdown.
A quick note to commenters asking how these two ended up in the same bracket: Placements in the bracket was decided by seeded position. As in, the number of nomination votes determined where in the bracket each character was placed. The most likely to win (Bones had the most nomination votes) was paired against the person with the least votes (Rachel Morgan). This is what the small numbers on the bracket indicate — the seeded position 1 being top, 16 being bottom.
Now that we have that housekeeping complete, let’s talk about what we’re in store for in Round 13.
Curran, the Beast Lord, has dominated werewolf Hawke and master vampire Ethan Sullivan.
Kate Daniels has taken out enforcer Terrible and Viking vampire Eric Northman. See all the Showdown results here.
Only one in the couple can advance to be named the ultimate Alpha.
Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to the next round in the Alpha Showdown? The poll at the end of this post will be open for two days (closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on May 30). Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2012.
You know him from: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in: Magic Bites (Kelly’s review at On A Book Bender, VBC review, Buy it at Amazon)
Supernatural status: Lion shifter, Bad-Ass Beast Lord
Championed by: Kelly from Reading the Paranormal | @soulswallo
When you hear about a character long before you ever pick up the series, you know they’re Alpha material. And Curran? He’s the Alpha-iest of them all. He commands legions! He has strength and cunning in spades! He is CURRAN! Hear him roar! That’s right, folks, he’s the Alpha’s Alpha and he’s not going to let anyone drag him away from that top spot.
Besides his physical strength, which is very impressive, Curran has stamina. *holds up seven fingers* He’s battled hordes of warriors, a really pissy secret society, and an army of demons and he still has time to romance his lady. The way he stalks his prey puts every other Alpha on the list to shame. He might not be the smoothest shifter on the block, but his technique leaves Kate swooning and I don’t hear her complaining.
Big, smart and ruthless enough to keep the largest band of shifters on the East Coast in line, Curran is more than deserving of the title of 2012 Alpha Showdown Champion!
Where you know her from: Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
First appeared in: Magic Bites (VBC review, Buy it at Amazon)
Supernatural status: Magic-wielding badass
Championed by: Julie from Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks
Kate Daniels is the ultimate Alpha. Really that is all I should have to say to convince you, but I know that it is part of our makeup as human beings to doubt what is said to us outright – that it is in our nature to require more information before deciding on anything important. And seeing that choosing only one Alpha *whispers “Kate”* is probably the most important verdict you will have to make this year, I will grant you what you need: I will tell you exactly why Kate is the only Alpha and I will do so so thoroughly that you will not have a single doubt in your mind.
When you think Alpha, you think strong, loyal, dependable, smart and willing to die to guard those they are sworn to protect. Kate is all those things and more.
She can battle the creepiest vampires, monsters and deities you will ever see. She is loyal almost to a fault; throwing herself into impossible situations because she sees a threat to someone she cares for. Hell, she would die to protect even those she didn’t know just because she felt that standing up and fighting is the best thing to do. She has walked through fire and even stabbed herself in the stomach because it was the best way to save those around her. And if she wants an opponent dead, they will be dead, pure and simple. She is a skilled fighter and one of the most (if not the most) powerful magic users around. Her Power words are scary they are so potent. On top of all that, she has the entire shifter population bowing down to her as she is already their Alpha through being Curran’s mate.
Think about it: She has fought twenty-two shifters to keep Curran in his rightful place as Alpha. That’s no easy feat considering shifters are crazy badasses. So what does it make you if you conquered 22? The Ultimate Alpha that’s what!
I mentioned that she is Curran’s mate. She is a force to be reckoned with on her own, but with Curran by her side, she is even more unstoppable. She never uses him as a crutch nor does she rely on him to help her save the world – she can do that all by herself thank you very much. It’s just nice to have her BFF Andrea and her mate Curran by her side for support sometimes. She is loyal to them therefore they are loyal to her and they would walk into battle just because she asked them too. That right there is proof that she is an amazing woman and that she is capable of leading.
Men want to fuck her, women want to be her. She is fair and just. She can make you laugh and she can bring you to your knees. She is unbreakable, trustworthy, strong and totally kick ass. When voting, she is the best choice. The only choice. Why?
*queue lightning strikes and thunder claps*
Because she is Kate Daniels and she IS the ultimate Alpha!
What, too much? Never.
Urgh can’t decide, can’t vote help
How do you vote for one over the other? They are both badass alphas in their own right. I have vote for Kate on this one, but I have a feeling that Curran will win.
This is too cruel.No matter who won the game ,I love both of them.
Argh! I hate this but I’m going to go with Curran. He’s stronger than all get out, he is used to thinking of tactics and using other’s weaknesses against them, he’s a “first” meaning his werelion prehistoric so his immunity to magic is so strong he can resist Kate’s “power words.”
How about next time we have an Alpha Couple Showdown?
i like the Alpha Couple Showdown idea 😉
We don’t! Was a hard fight we had over it last night! *grin*
K & C
LOL!!!! This is NICE!!! Well, we girls hold together, so Go Kate!
I HATE this! I will rip my heart in two for this one!
But I’m going to vote for Kate!!!!! She is the total uber-kick ass heroine.
“”She has fought twenty-two shifters to keep Curran in his rightful place as Alpha.”” That says it all!!!!!
yeah, but at 15 curran took out andorf and became beast lord. that says it all. i think kate could our alpha almost everyone but curran
yeah, but at 15 curran took out andorf and became beast lord. that says it all. i think kate could our alpha almost everyone but curran. now she can outstubborn him (magic slays) but really, honestly, without all the girl power, you know curran got this
I vote Kate …but with a heavy heart. I’m sorry Curran, but I go with girl power. I think Kate is stronger than we think and has been coming into her power more and more. Against Bones it’s going to be tough but again, she pilots vamps, so she’ll dominate him too.
I am just going to put it out there that I don’t like these two pitted against each other unless it ends with them replacing the bed back to rights and getting down.
This is sooo unfair! They are a couple, I can’t choose between them!
I have to vote for Curran for the simple reason that Kate herself admitted that she couldn’t best him. I don’t remember what book it was in (maybe one of the earlier books) but either way, he gets my vote.
This was really tough but there has to be a reason that Kate’s dad fears the type of shapeshifter that Curran is and why he’s worked so hard to kill all of the “firsts”……so I went with Curran though Kate is my girl…lol
It was a tough choice, but Curran couldn’t kill Kate…. He’d rather fall on her sword than hurt her….
Kate of course. Not saying Curran could not beat her, saying he would not.
You know me well! <3
This is the toughest vote yet. I want to vote for Kate, I feel more connected to her, but I don’t think she could out muscle Curran. There is the chance he would let her win, but, then again, this is Curran. The Beast Lord’s ego is monumental.
I dreaded this. I knew it was coming though ’cause they are both just that awesome. I had to go with Kate. She has powerful magic on her side. I think she is mentally tougher than Curran. It’s not just physical strength that makes an Alpha.
I voted for Kate. Curran is more phisically strong but Kate has more magic, and once she learns how to use it completely she’ll be unstoppable.
Kate would back down if it were just about pride. Curran cannot because of his position. So, I’d have to go with Curran.
Can’t choose. Uggg Can we call a Stalemate? Neither one would hurt the other.
Ugh. Love them both but got to support my gal Kate.
Kate! Girls can be alphas too!
I have to go with Kate since we all know that Curran could never bring himself to harm her. I still love curran though
There’s a reason she’s his Mate so I’ll have to vote Kate.
I’ll vote for Kate because it seems she’s the only one who can master Curran! Using her powers as mate…..
I still haven’t decided. And I thought the Cat vs Bones matchup was hard – this is brutal!
They are both strong, dedicated, protective – I could go on and on.
This is hard, think I’ll wait till the last moment to decide.
Kate FTW! Curran HAS to let her win, otherwise there might be issues in the bedroom…
That’s easy. Curran wins, no doubt!
Ladies – if I do, I’ll get real problems! LOL
So not fair! They are BOTH awesome! But if I have to choose – sorry Curran, it is Kate!
I vote for Curran, Kate herself said that he could beat her if he wants. She had afraid of Curran in the early books AND the finals with Curran x Bones will be way better than Kate x Bones… it would be exciting, girls hahahaha People will just say “oh she pilote vampire” and she’ll win, it’s boring.
I have to agree with you Lilian. Good points!
I am having a really hard time with this so….. I agree Curran vs. Bones will be a good match-up.
Has to be Curran – but only because Kate wouldn’t fight him and she can handle loosing better than he could. But … say if Curran went loop, then yes, Kate would win.
Woah woah woah, Kate is beating CURRAN? If he’s all Beast Lord king of the shifters, how the heck is Kate beating him?! I call foul! =P
I’m all about girl power so Go Kate!
Seriously? This so not fair… This is my favorite series.
I’ll go with Curran. He is the Alpha. Kate can challenge his decisions, but he’s got final saying.
Even I had to think about this one. But in the end, I went with my Kate.
I think Kate could easily defeat Bones as she has powers over vamps. That’s the only reason I voted for her over Curran. I love them both!
Curran!
How unfair. We really need a couple’s showdown.
But Kate – you rock my world. Keep on rocking! 😉
I went with Curran because I do believe he could best Kate in a fight. He is way more “Alpha” than Kate is. She mostly does her own thing whereas he actually leads the pack. That is no easy task. I also thought about who would win if they weren’t a couple and knew it would be Curran. As for them fighting now that they are in love, I doubt either of them would be willing to kill the other, so it would be a draw.
OMG! What a choice, I love them both…I hd to pick Curran though, I think he could best Kate in a fight if he really wanted to…SORRY KATE! I still love you!
Suzanne 🙂
Such a hard choice. They are both badass. But in the end I have to go with Curran. Just because he had to save her ass a few times.
Gahhhh, this is hard!!! In the end, I went with Curran.
Both are badass.
Both hold immense respect from me.
Both are my favorites.
So why did I go with Curran?
Part of being an Alpha is being in charge and knowing how to make others submissive to you; control them. I’m not sure which would actually come out in a fight if Kate and Curran were to be tossed into a ring, but this competition is called the Alpha Showdown. Since Curran holds more leadership skills than Kate I went with him. That’s not to say Kate isn’t a fantastic leader–she is and is proving herself as Consort, but Curran’s been Alpha of the Alphas since he was a teenager. Gotta take these things into account.
This would have been perfect if only Kate and Curran were having their face-off in the finals…D:
I completely agree. If we were having a “who’s more badass” contest, I’d pick Kate. But an Alpha is a leader, and Kate prefers to make her way on her own. She takes up people as she comes to them (Julie, Curran, Andrea) and does a good job making decisions when she has to, but she’s not a ruler. Curran eat/sleeps/breathes Pack, and constantly thinks about the shapeshifters.
Exactly. Who’s the leader was the only way I could pick between the two of them.
This was so hard to choose. I went for Curran. I think if he was in the final with Bones then it would be a much closer & exiting match than Kate v Bones.
Kate…purely because Curran lets rip into anyone who hurts his mate…ergo he wouldn’t actually hurt her. He just restrains and then uses sex as a weapon until she forgets why she threw a knock-out roundhouse kick at his head 🙂
I agree with Vikki…I won’t say Curran would “let” Kate win, but he’d die to keep her safe so I can see him subconciously throwing the match in her favour.
Can’t decide, they are both pretty amazing in their own rights… Just going to wait & watch…
I know this is difficult and as much as I think Kate is a bad ass, I think Curran has a better chance against Bones.
Curran might kick her butt, but he would never truly hurt Kate, so I voted for her. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. BAHAHAHAHAHA
Girl Power!
Kate is a badass BUT Curran is an Alpha. Someone mentioned up above, but there is more to being Alpha than being able to kick ass. Curran has all of that…he is controlled, measured, radiates power. Kate is learning but she is not there just yet. Also, a previous poster mentioned having an “Alpha couples” showdown: Kate & Curran could pose some major danger but I’d have to go with my man JZB & Mac…
Anyway, Curran all the way! He has a chance against Bones. Kate can only pilot vampires that don’t have any rational intellect. Bones can do stuff with his mind, so she’d have to break him first in order to pilot him.
While I love both Kate and Curran, since this showdown is about being an ALPHA, I have to go with Curran. An alpha is a leader, a motivator, an adjudicator, and a protector. Kate has been a loner most of her life. While she’s in the process of becoming an alpha, of taking on responsibility for other people, Curran has been Beast Lord since he was fifteen. He’s been living with the responsibility of being alpha for what, half his life? His experience gets my vote.