Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
![Round 3: Vlad vs. Christian MacKeltar [Alpha Showdown 2013]](http://vampirebookclub.net/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/VBC-HomeofAlphaShowdown-216x300-28337_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 three offers two very different princes. A vampire of legend with a penchant for fire finds a suitable... 
Wicked Enchantment (Dark Magick #1)
Anya Bast
Published: Jan. 5,2010 (Berkley)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Amber
Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars
Incubi are known for their sexual prowess, and being only half incubus hasn’t hindered Gabriel one bit. Any woman in the Seelie court would jump at the chance to spend time with him. Any woman except Aislinn, who is still dealing with her... 
Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13)
Charlaine Harris
Published: May 7, 2013 (Ace)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Chelsea
Rating (out of 5): 2.5 stars
If I could use only one word to describe this final volume in the Sookie Stackhouse series, it would be meh.
After the ruckus online about the ending of Charlaine Harris’ popular series, I was sure I’d finish this book... 
Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1)
Seanan McGuire
Published: Sept. 1, 2009 (DAW)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Amy
Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars
October “Toby” Daye is a changeling P.I. When one of her assignments goes wrong she’s turned into a fish for 14 years. At the beginning of Rosemary and Rue, Toby has been changeling again for about six months and all she wants is be left... 
Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1)
Melissa Marr
Published: Oct. 2009 (HarperCollins)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Mary
Rating (out of 5): 5 stars
Aislinn may seem like a normal teenage girl, but only because she works very hard to blend in and not attract attention. Ash, like the other women in her family, can see the fae. Even in her small town, they are everywhere. While the rest... 
Iron Kin (Half-Light City #3)
M.J. Scott
Published: April 2, 2013 (ROC)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Amanda
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
A mark of a great book is when I finish reading it and get pissed the next one isn’t immediately available.
In Iron Kin we return to the Half-Light City and the DuCaine family. Saskia’s a metalmage and the oldest daughter, escaping the... 
With All My Soul (Soul Screamers #7)
Rachel Vincent
Published: March 26, 2013 (Harlequin Teen)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Jo
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will have major spoilers for the previous books in this series.
I didn’t want to open With All My Soul, VBC readers. I didn’t want to open it because that meant... 
One of the most important elements in the Shaede Assassin series (for me, anyway) are the flash back scenes. I think it helps to give the reader a more rounded story and better insight to Darian’s character when you can see what events have molded her present. I wrote a scene from Darian’s past that didn’t make it into Crave the Darkness (out today), and though it’s an unhappy memory, it was one... 
Happy Valentine’s Day! Today’s Character Love Letters post features a hero we’d heard about before, but only fell in love with this year: Ryodan from Karen Marie Moning’s Iced. Mandi from Smexy Books has called dibs. Read her letter below and decide if you want to fight her for a little alone time with her book boyfriend Ryodan.
Dear Ryodan,
I must start my love letter to you with... 
Primal Possession (Moon Shifter #2)
Katie Reus
Published: Sept. 4, 2012 (Signet Eclipse)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Jo
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
Having loved the first book in this series, I was more than a little eager to jump straight into the next installment. Primal Possession focuses on Liam, Connor’s brother and second-in-command for the Cordana-Armstrong Pack. He... 
