Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
We’ve had big changes at VBC this year. For starters, we now have multiple reviewers. In addition to me (Chelsea), you see regular posts here from Jo, Candace, Mary, Amanda, Amy, Krista and Amber. So, while last year we broke it out by reviewer for the best books, that would make for a very long list with a lot of repeated books. So, this year it’s curated. Yep, the VBC team put our collective heads... 
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... 
Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson #5) Darynda Jones Published: July 9, 2013 (St. Martin’s Press) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may contain spoilers for previous books in the series. If you haven’t started it yet, here’s our... 
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... 
Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight #1) Darynda Jones Published: Oct. 2, 2012 (St. Martin’s Press) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Source: Purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 3 stars I am a big fan of Darynda Jones’ Charley Davidson (read Jo’s review of First Grave on the Right) series. So when I learned she was writing a YA series, I was interested to find out how the humor and wit I... ![Final Round: Ryodan vs. Reyes Farrow [Alpha Showdown 2013]](http://vampirebookclub.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/VBC-HomeofAlphaShowdown-216x300-28338_200x200.jpg)
Wow! This year’s Alpha Showdown has certainly been epic. We’ve had heated battles from the very beginning, surprise upsets throughout (we’re still surprised Vlad didn’t make it past the first round as he is the original Prince of the Night) and a whole lot of finding new reads. I hope you guys have had fun with this event and found yourselves some new book boyfriends. That said, it’s time for the final...
Things are advancing in the Alpha Showdown 2013. We’ve hit the second tier of the event. Winners will start battling winners. Expect the stakes to be raised and the smack talk to increase. Both characters this round fought hard to get here. Their quarterfinal rounds were tied up until the end. Only one can continue to the final round. You decide. Read the pitches, then make the call. Who should advance to...
Things are advancing in the Alpha Showdown 2013. We’ve hit the second tier of the event. Winners will start battling winners. Expect the stakes to be raised and the smack talk to increase. These alphas dominated their earlier competitors without lifting a finger. The Beast Lord Curran trounced Holden and son of Satan Reyes had no trouble conquering the vampire Trehan. How will these formidable men deal... ![Round 8: Reyes Farrow vs. Trehan Daciano [Alpha Showdown 2013]](http://vampirebookclub.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/VBC-HomeofAlphaShowdown-67822_200x200.jpg)
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 eight brings the son of Satan against one mighty vampire. Will Darynda Jones’ Reyes be able to take down Kresley... 
If you read Jo’s review of Darynda Jones’ first Charley Davidson book First Grave on the Right, you know she loved it. The fun and snarky tone won her over, and she swooned hard for the hero Reyes. It only made sense to let her write him a Character Love Letter—one that wouldn’t step on Charley’s toes too much. Dear Reyes, I know we haven’t know each other very long (totally my fault), but what I can say,... 
