Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
A couple weeks ago I joked on Twitter that I was in need of a book boyfriend Advent calendar. There was quite a bit of “yes, please!” from others, but no one could find a good one. Clearly, this was up to me. So, to make the chaotic holiday season a little more fun and a lot more sexy, we’re going to feature a book boyfriend every day for the next 25 days. That’s right. Welcome to VBC’s 25 Days of Book... 
We’ve been good about the giveaways here of late. (We promised!) However, we’ve been limiting the contests to the U.S. and Canada because shipping is expensive. But I love all of the VBC readers, so today we’re doing an international giveaway. Not just any giveaway either. I’ve picked three of my favorite—and most recommended—books to be the prize here. Think of it as the Taste of VBC Giveaway. We have... 
Earlier this week Book Riot ran a post featuring the 20 most-loved literary characters. It was a fun post and I certainly saw a few of my favorites there, but as I went to go and share the link via VBC’s Facebook page I stopped myself. As lovely as the list was, it wasn’t too heavy on the fantasy end of things. Sure, Gandalf and the Harry Potter gang were there, but it leaned much more toward the... 
Wrong Ways Down (Downside Ghosts #1.5) Stacia Kane Published: Aug. 6, 2013 (Stacia Kane) Purchase at: Amazon Review Source: copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Note: White this review will be spoiler free, it may have spoilers for other books in the series. If you have yet to start this series, check out our review of the first book,...
There was just too much good news this week to skip on the Book Bits. Are you ready to get excited for upcoming books? (Silly question, I know.) Terrible’s Book Has a Cover and I Love It I’ve been talking about Stacia Kane’s forthcoming short novel Wrong Ways Down quite a bit on Twitter the last few months. It’s set in her Downside world (if you haven’t read Unholy Ghosts, you need to fix that) only this... ![Round 4: Jane Yellowrock vs. Terrible [Alpha Showdown 2013]](http://vampirebookclub.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/VBC-HomeofAlphaShowdown-216x300-28338_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 four is sure to be full of dirty fighting. How will enforcer Terrible take on Jane’s Beast? Who will come out alive?... 
The VBC team has made no secret of our love for Terrible from Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series. Tough guy with heart? So there. It was hard to let anyone else write about the guy who gives us a case of Terrible Fever, but if we took all the book boyfriends Character Love Letters would be a bit boring. We’ve entrusted Jennifer from The Book Nympho to do our man justice. You approve, aye? Dear Terrible,... 
I’ve had a higher-than-usual number of book recommendation requests on the VBC Facebook page and via Twitter of late. While I can, of course, just point you to the recommendations section, I decided to take a look at the most popular reviews here at VBC. Consider this post your quick access to the books reviews VBC readers found helpful. TOP 10 MOST POPULAR VBC REVIEWS Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris... 
Every year, I compile the standard year-end best books list—read 2012’s best reads list—and it’s a hard task narrowing things down. What’s harder though is picking the ten heroes from novels published this year to make my annual swoon-worthy list. Last year Eve Silver’s Lokan took top honors and the year before Stacia Kane’s Terrible was causing fevers all over the place. There are returning favorites... 
Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts #5) Stacia Kane Published: June 26, 2012 (DelRey) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: This review assumes you have read earlier novels in the Downside Ghosts series. If not, please see our review of the first book in the series, Unholy Ghosts. Chess Putnam has always struggled with feeling unworthy. Having someone... 
