Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Magic Graves Jeaniene Frost & Ilona Andrews Published: Sept. 1, 2011 Purchase at: B&N or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Magic Graves offers nice fixes for both Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress and Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series in between the novels. With a short story set in each world, fans get some time with favorite characters. The Night Huntress story, “One for the Money,” offers up a hearty... 
Thanks, Chelsea and Vampire Book Club, for hosting the first stop on our #VampXmas blog tour! It’s always fun to talk vampires with you and your readers. All four authors of the anthology, A Vampire for Christmas, which is out in print tomorrow (digital on November 1), are answering the same question about our stories. Stay tuned at the end for a chance to win a cool prize package. How did you incorporate... 
We may talk about the sexy vampires here quite a bit at VBC, but sometimes you long for the vicious, the horror-style vampires. Ellen Datlow has put together a collection of short stories focused on the predatory side of vampires, as well as those being that feed off souls and leech life. The authors in Blood and Other Cravings (pre-order, releases Sept. 13) are some great names in horror, and we couldn’t... 
Wild & Steamy Meljean Brook, Jill Myles & Carolyn Crane Published: Aug. 2, 2011 Purchase at: Amazon Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars “Blushing Bounder” by Meljean Brook (3 stars) Meljean Brook’s story is set in her Iron Seas world, before the events of The Iron Duke. We get to learn how Constable Newton ended up in London and learn about his wife. He and the missus are Bounders — what the London folk call... 
Home Improvement: Undead Edition edited by Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Published: Aug. 2, 2011 (Penguin) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 4 stars I have a hit-or-miss record with anthologies, especially those including more than five stories. However, Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner consistently manage to pull together a quality collection of short stories. I... ![Giveaway: Nyx in the House of Night [CLOSED]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HIAf0hLnL.jpg)
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Congrats to Brooke D. on winning Nyx in the House of Night. Despite my less-than-favorable review of Awakened, like many of you I’ve stuck with the House of Night series. One of the things — in addition to my love for Stark circa book 6 — that keeps me coming back is the mythology element. P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast have crafted a vampire world based around the worship... 
The Vampire Diaries is one of my must-watch TV shows. And not just because of my mini obsession with all things Ian Somerhalder (yep, the eye candy to the right is him). The CW has brilliantly adapted the world from L.J. Smith’s series of the same name into something soapy, engaging with plenty of sex and violence. But before everyone was swooning over the TV versions of Stefan and Damon, they were all... 
