Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for April 2021. 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. (Note: If you end up buying the book from one of these links, VBC will get a tiny bit of revenue to cover our overhead.) I’ve included... 
VBC HQ Note: This post by Chelsea Mueller was originally published on Heroes & Heartbreakers in 2011. Since that time, J.R. Ward has brought us many more strong heroines. If you’re looking for more female leads from Ward, try the spin-off series beginning with Blood Kiss. That said, Chelsea still says the early BDB books are must reads. If you haven’t dived into this series, let’s talk about the power of... 
We’ve talked about the essential urban fantasy books and our favorite new UF books, so it’s about time we talked about the vampires, demons, and shifters that make paranormal romance. This is not my list of the all-time best paranormal romances. These ten titles are the ones that have had significant influence on the subgenre and the ones every paranormal fan has read—whether they loved it or hated... 
Note: This article was originally posted on Heroes & Heartbreakers in 2013. Chelsea still says these books are fantastic, though! Vampire books have ensnared readers for years. Sometimes we think they’re sexy, other times we think they’re scary, but the creature of the night mythos follows a familiar trope. If you think you might be burned out on vampires, maybe it’s time to try a vampire book done in a... 
Blood Fury (Black Dagger Legacy #3) J.R. Ward Published: Jan. 9, 2018 (Ballantine) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: This review will be spoiler-free, but does assume you have some familiarity with either the Black Dagger Brotherhood series or its spinoff Black Dagger... 
Have you stuck a toe in the paranormal romance waters and found yourself wanting to sink to its depths? It’s understandable. There’s a brilliant escapism with paranormal romance. The swooning is there, as you expect, but most everything is on a grander scale. The alpha males are turned up to eleven, thanks to their non-human status. The black moments involve fighting against one’s nature and/or being... 
The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #15) J.R. Ward Published: April 4, 2017 (Ballantine Books) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events from previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Dark Lover. After the safe birth of her... 
Blood Vow (BDB Legacy #2) J.R. Ward Published: Dec. 6, 2016 (Ballantine Books) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Jo Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will make reference to previous books in both this series and the Black Dagger Brotherhood novels. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1,... 
Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1) J.R. Ward Published: Dec. 1, 2015 (Signet) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Jannelle Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. If you haven’t started that yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Dark Lover. You do not, however, need... 
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... 
