Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Darker After Midnight (Midnight Breed #10) Lara Adrian Published: Jan. 24, 2012 (Delacorte) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Reviewed by: Candace Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Once in a while, when an author has that special touch, she teases and gives glimpses into a character’s life to make you want more. Lara Adrian has done that multiple times for me, but the one charaacter I really wanted was... 
From VBC: Character Love Letters is beginning to wind down, and I knew you would be ready for more love for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Today we have a love letter to one of the most beloved Brothers, Tohrment. His book, Lover Reborn, comes out next month and to say it’s anxiously awaited would be an understand. Dear Tohrment, I was always afraid to speak my love for you because, well, you have a... 
Tempted by Blood (Sweetblood #3) Laurie London Published: Feb. 21, 2012 (HQN) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Reviewed by: Candace Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars One of these days, I’m going to review a book for VBC that I’m not going to like and I’m going to have to give it a really bad review. Thankfully, today isn’t that day. A bit of a history lesson is in order. I’ve had a cold that has... 
From VBC: Our reviewer Candace loved Laura Wright’s third Mark of the Vampire book Eternal Captive. Hero Lucian stole her heart. Well, if her review wasn’t enough to convince you to pick up the book, this post will. Today Laura Wright has provided VBC with Lucian’s love letter to the book’s heroine Bronwyn. My Princess, I was asked to write this letter. A LOVE letter it’s apparently called. Hey, you know... 
From VBC: If you’ve started Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, you’ve been be spelled by Daemon. In today’s character love letter, Smexy’s Sidekick unveils what it could mean to have Daemon’s full focus turned on her. Enticing, no? My Darling Daemon, Even though you have forsaken all for Janelle, to the point of obliterating all those who seek to separate you from her, I find myself unable to let you go.... 
From VBC: When I interviewed Kevin Hearne, I asked if he knew the hero of his urban fantasy series would be seen as a hottie. It certainly wasn’t his intention, but as this character love letter shows, I’m not alone in recognizing the swoon-factor of the 2,100-year-old druid Atticus O’Sullivan. Dear Atticus, I first experienced your hotness when I saw you on the cover of Hounded, sword on your back, curls... 
Lauren Dane consistently brings the awesome. This is no surprise to, really, anyone in the romance community. I particularly loved her new paranormal Bound by Magick series. The first book Heart of Darkness cleverly treated the bonding of two magic users as though they were werewolves meeting for the first time. Always human, but still very primal. Rather brilliant, really. I had to know what she has in... 
From VBC: It’s hard not like a ruthless and devoted Viking vampire. Just ask Fiktshun, who wrote the Character Love Letter to him. Like me she can’t help but want Sookie to always pick Eric over Bill in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series. Plus, he’s a hottie to the point the closest they could get to play him on TV was the jaw-droppingly delicious Alexander Skarsgard. Read on to find out just why... 
Delilah S. Dawson’s forthcoming novel Wicked as They Come (pre-order for March 27 release) brings the sexy while merging steampunk and paranormal romance. We’ve got a heroine, Tish Everett, transported to a surreal world where a charming (and fanged!) proprietor of a magical traveling circus has been waiting for her. As part of our month-long Character Love Letters series, we have his letter to her. Dear... 
Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer #1) Karen Chance Published: 2006 (Roc) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 3 stars The Cassandra Palmer series has a ton of potential. Karen Chance creates a unique world with powerful conflicts and a heroine forced to come into new abilities. This first book was hit-or-miss for me, but the tone and characters make me want to continue the series.... 
