Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Volatile Bonds (Prospero’s War #4) Jaye Wells Published: Sept. 12, 2017 (Jaye Wells) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may reference previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Dirty Magic....
I get to share something extra awesome with you today, VBC readers. We have the very first look at the cover art for Jaye Wells’ Volatile Bonds. It’s the fourth book in her The Prospero’s War series, and if you’re anything like me you’re super stoked to hear there are more books coming in this killer urban fantasy series that brings magic to the police procedural in a way that’s all kinds of yes. VBC’s... 
Deadly Spells (Prospero’s War #3) Jaye Wells Published: Feb. 10, 2015 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it may reference previous books in the series. If you haven’t started it yet, check out VBC’s review of Dirty Magic. It’s... 
Cursed Moon (Prospero’s War #2) Jaye Wells Published: Aug. 12, 2014 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: This review will be spoiler free, but will reference events from the previous book in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Dirty... 
Update: Sabina put up a good fight, but in the end Acheron took home the victory. He’ll advance in the Showdown. Round 8 of the Alpha Showdown is the first-timers’ round. If we hadn’t changed our rules this year—taking off the “published in…” limitation—these two wouldn’t have made the bracket. So we’re pleased we made the change, because your nominations showed both of these characters are long-time... 
We’re big fans of urban fantasy author Jaye Wells. Her latest novel Dirty Magic just released a couple weeks ago. Amy read and loved it. It’s the first in her new The Prospero’s War series, which goes dark and snarky with alchemy in the mix. You want to read it. Trust us. Well, I went to one of Jaye’s book signings last week and had her sign a copy of Dirty Magic for VBC readers. I didn’t feel like... 
Dirty Magic (The Prospero’s War #1) Jaye Wells Published: Jan. 21, 2014 (Orbit) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Kate Prospero is a beat cop in Babylon. A once beautiful city, it is slowly deteriorating under the use of dirty magics supplied by the wizard covens of the city’s... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for January 2014. 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....
From VBC’s Chelsea: We’ve covered the best books of 2013, but we’re ready to look forward here at VBC. There are so many wonderful reads waiting for us in 2014. To help you get excited for new books, we’re going to post our reviewers’ most anticipated 2014 books. Add your favorites in the comments. We’re starting off today with Amy’s picks, which include a January release (yay!) and a little of everything... 
Halloween is kind of a big thing at VBC headquarters, and sometimes that means reading something spooktacular. If you’re itching for a good collection of urban fantasy and horror, I highly suggest reading the Carniepunk anthology. So much so that we’re having a giveaway today. I have one copy of Carniepunk signed by authors Jaye Wells, Mark Henry and Nicole Peeler. In addition to their awesome stories,... 
