Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
MacReive (Immortals After Dark #13) Kresley Cole Published: July 2, 2013 (Gallery) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Purchased Reviewed by: Candace Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Note: While this review contains no spoilers for MacRieve, it does reference events from previous Immortals After Dark novels. The bad thing about finishing a new Immortals After Dark book is that you know it will... 
A Note from Chelsea / VBC: All the suggested poolside reading lists we see online point to cheeky contemporary novels or lighthearted romps. Well, at VBC we know there are plenty of books featuring paranormal elements, badass heroines and sexy heroes that are perfect for reading out under the sun. So, of course, we’ve decided to do our own Beach Reads picks. Each Friday for the next several weeks, we’ll... 
Despite having lovely reviewers who live outside the United States, VBC is still run from Texas. That means today is Independence Day and I have a big thing for fireworks. While I’m not allowed to do my own fireworks in Texas (boo!), I still have some serious love for sparks and the explosions that make us ooh and aah. The last two years we’ve had fireworks posts on the 4th of July. We’ve covered... 
Bite Me (London Undead #1) PJ Schnyder Published: June 24, 2013 (Carina Press) Purchase at: Amazon Review Source: Provided by publisher for honest review Reviewed by: Candace Rating (out of 5): 4 stars PJ Schnyder comes out swinging in Bite Me. It starts out as the characters are getting tissue samples from a zombie, end up killing said zombie (with sound effects included) and the reader still wants to... 
Forsaken by Others (H&W Investigations #5) Jess Haines Published: July 2, 2013 (Zebra) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Provided by publisher for honest review Reviewed by: Krista Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: If you haven’t read the previous H&W Investigations books, we suggest you check out the VBC review of Hunted by the Others. When we last left Shiarra Waynest she had been...
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for July 2013. All dates are U.S. and tentative. Also: Click the title of any book to visit the Amazon page for pre-order or purchase goodness. I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance, F is fantasy and YA is young adult. JULY... 
A Note from Chelsea / VBC: All the suggested poolside reading lists we see online point to cheeky contemporary novels or lighthearted romps. Well, at VBC we know there are plenty of books featuring paranormal elements, badass heroines and sexy heroes that are perfect for reading out under the sun. So, of course, we’ve decided to do our own Beach Reads picks. Each Friday for the next several weeks, we’ll... 
The Scent of Shadows (Signs of the Zodiac #1) Vicki Pettersson Published: February 27, 2007 (Harper Voyager) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Joanna Archer lives behind the lens of her camera. After an attack when she was 15 years old, leaving her brutally assaulted and nearly dead, Joanna was determined not to become another... 
Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) Richelle Mead Published: June 4, 2013 (Dutton) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Publisher provided copy in exchange for honest review Reviewed by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 2 stars Richelle Mead’s new adult series Age of X had significant potential, but unfortunately Gameboard of the Gods tries to do too much and the reader connection is lost along... 
Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6) Kevin Hearne Published: June 25, 2013 (Del Rey) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: If you haven’t read earlier books in the Iron Druid Chronicles, we highly recommend them. Start with Hounded. After his exploits in the last book, 2,000 year-old... 
