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It’s officially time for Alpha Showdown 2013! You made your nominations and we have 16 of the most badass, alpha characters from urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels locked into the bracket. Only one will be named champion and today’s first bout is sure to end in a knockout.
Round six puts vampire against vampire. The Viking vampire from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series is known to be vicious when it comes to protecting what’s his, but Qhuinn from J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood is a trained vampire warrior. Who will come out on top? You decide.
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. Remember, alphas don’t share titles. Your votes decide who advances in the Alpha Showdown 2013.
New for 2013! Every (non-spam) comment on an Alpha Showdown post will enter you to win books featuring the final four alphas. So make sure to join the discussion and cheer on your favorite alphas.
Eric NorthmanYou know him from: The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
First Appeared In: Dead Until Dark, but became a prominent character in Dead to the World (VBC review)
Supernatural Status: BAMF Viking Vampire
Championed by: Barbara & Kat from Saucy Wenches Book Club | @SaucyWenchesBC
Eric Northman, the Sheriff of Area 5, is the oldest, sexiest, and most powerful vampire in the great state of Louisiana, and he perfectly personifies all that we expect and long for in our alpha males. He knows what he wants and is ruthless in his attempts at getting it. He is extraordinarily confident, and not only does he not make excuses for his nature, he relishes it. He is 100% sure of himself in every situation. He is protective and sexy as hell, and he always gets what he wants, every time, without exception.
But don’t let this BAMF fool you. He has a playful heart, and can be thoughtful and kind as well. I’m not talking about merely paying attention and taking notes on the girl he wants to hit the sheets with—he gets to know her (Sookie), what makes her tick, who she is, and what she is all about. All that wrapped up in a 6’5”, blond-haired, blue-eyed, Nordic god of a man? How could you NOT love him!
This vampire Viking sex god is good at everything, really. He is a dedicated Maker, an epic lover, a great listener, and a wise and loyal vamp to have on your side. Don’t be fooled by his sexy, fanged smile either. He is also a phenomenal fighter! Lethal with both a sword and his fangs. He relishes a good fight. Is it wrong to swoon when this Viking lets loose his battle cry? Or sigh when he swings that giant sword in the midst of battle with the grace of a dancer? Honestly, we don’t care!
Who can resist this Viking’s teasing, his playfulness, his charm, his sense of humor, and his almost infectious passion for life and all its wonders. When this Alpha beckons, we answer. A flash of those fangs, and that smile, and we yield to him faster than Sookie can say, “Yikes. Yahoo. Yum.”
QhuinnYou know him from: The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward
First appeared in: Lover Revealed (VBC review), but see his HEA in Lover at Last (VBC review)
Supernatural status: Vampire
Championed by: Jen at Red Hot Books | @RedHotBooks
Imagine, if you will, a male so seductive that he is a magnet to both men and women alike. A male who could walk into a crowded bar, a tattoo parlor, or even the mall, and walk out with another notch on his bedpost. Of course, you don’t really have to use your imagination—you need only meet Qhuinn.
Pierced and powerful. 6-foot-5. 250 pounds of chiseled muscle. And he knows what to do with every ounce. Not just in the bedroom—where he has shown he can handle more than one partner at a time—but on the streets. For years, Qhuinn served as a bodyguard to his best friend, John Matthew. He fought alongside the Black Dagger Brotherhood long before he joined their ranks, slaying Lessers, battling the Band of Bastards… doing whatever was necessary to protect the males at his side.
Qhuinn and Eric may both be vampires, but that’s where the similarity ends. Eric is an opportunistic tool. A user. And frankly, cares more about himself than anyone around him. Qhuinn is his own man. One who stands up for the people who stand for him.
With one green eye and one blue, he’s considered an outcast among the elite, but the trials he faced in their rejection only served to make him stronger. To make him unwavering in his loyalty to those who have always stood by him. Whether he is crash landing a plane, cracking skulls, or breaking furniture in a sexual frenzy, he does nothing by half measure. He fights hard. He fucks hard. And he doesn’t need amnesia to know how to love.
Through the eyes of his lover, we see in him what makes him so undeniable. So Alpha. “It was the thrust of that stubborn jaw, and the dark, slashing eyebrows, and those piercings up his ear and in his full lower lip. It was that thick, glossy black hair and the golden skin and that heavily muscled body. It was the way he laughed and the fact that he never, ever cried. It was the scars on his inside no one knew about and the conviction that he would always be the first to run into a burning building or a bloody fight or a car wreck. It was all the things Qhuinn had been and was ever going to be.”
Move over, Viking. There’s a real warrior in town.
This poll will be open for 48 hours. Alpha with the most votes will advance.
Forgot to comment, but Qhuinn would kick Eric’s butt without difficulty!
I freaking love Quinn! Although I read and like both series, BDB are definitely more alpha than Sookie’s boys.