Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
You know we loved this month’s group read, but we’re pretty sure the discussion is going to be fantastic. Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade has some great substance for us to talk about — the way she created the pack, strong women and mostly the big division between those who think Ren is ideal and those of us who adore Shay. Even in our love triangle discussion post, we heard from those who didn’t get the... 
One of the highlights of this month’s group read pick — Nightshade by Andrea Cremer — is the fantastic love triangle. Sure, the love triangle is a tried plot point in romance. To the point it can be tired if not done right (or at least uniquely). That’s the beauty of the love push-and-pull in Nightshade, it’s a true triangle. Both options are good. It’s one book where friends will end up on opposite...
It was a close call in this month’s group read poll, but Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade claimed the title with 29 percent of the votes. (Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly was a near second at 27 percent.) We are incredibly excited you guys are ready to read Nightshade, because we love this book. We tapped it as one of our Best Books of 2010. We talked Cremer into telling us about writing a sexy book without any sex... 
Oh, it’s a new year and that means new books. Giveaways celebrating new releases dominate this week’s roundup. First and foremost, we’re giving away a signed copy of Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade. This book is amazing. We promise. Contest is open to U.S. and Canada addresses. Enter by Jan. 24. Five copies of Syrie James’ Nocturne are up for grabs on Goodreads. Be sure to enter by Jan. 16. Open to U.S. and... 
Ed. note: We loved Andrea Cremer’s YA debut Nightshade so much it made our Best of 2010 list. We’ve noted it is one of the sexiest books without sex we’ve ever read. So, we asked Andrea about that line between sensual and sexual. We think you’ll enjoy her thoughts as much as we did. When Less is More by Andrea Cremer One of the cardinal sins of emerging writers is overwriting. Describing the heck out of... 
This year we fell in love with several new authors, found new series and even decided we could really get into steampunk. We’ve narrowed the list down to these gems. All the books on this list are ones we’ve told friends, family and random people at the bookstore about. These are the books we tell you are musts for your to-read piles. As a matter of fact, print it out and make it a checklist. We were...
Nightshade Andrea Cremer Published: Oct. 19, 2010 Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 5 stars I couldn’t put down Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade for more than a few moments at a time. After reading the majority of the 450-page book in a single sitting, I looked at my husband and just mumbled, “Wow.” Following a curious look from my better half, all I could say was Nightshade is by far... 
Twitter and blogs have been buzzing today about a column written by Wesley Scroggins, who would like to see certain novels currently in Missouri school curriculum banned. (He also asserts his issues with sex education.) His main beef is with the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, which he equates to “soft pornography” due to rape scenes. (Yes, you read that right. He doesn’t understand rape is an act... 
