Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Last night, author J.A. Saare joined us for our Crimson Moon chat on Twitter (#VBC01). While we talked about that book — including how the love scene at the quarry wasn’t in the original manuscript (gasp!) — we convinced her to give up some tidbits on what’s in store for Emma, Caleb and Trent in the sequels. Saare first told us that Crimson Sunrise begins “right after Crimson Moon ends (4 weeks later) and... 
Veil of Shadows Shiloh Walker Published: Sept. 7, 2010 Purchase at: The Book Depository or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars One of the things I love about Shiloh Walker is she creates full characters. You will never find a shell of a person in her books, nor will you have an ancillary character who is a flat voice speaking a single line. This is incredibly striking as you read Veil of Shadows, because... 
This week we had three unexpected (and pretty excellent) excerpts from upcoming novels released online. All three were books we’re anxiously awaiting, and even the little teases had us squealing with glee (not in a fangirl way, we swear). And, what kind of book club would we be if we didn’t share previews with you? Not sure, but it wouldn’t be nice. THE IRON QUEEN Julie Kagawa may have just released the... 
Blood & Sex Volume 1: Michael Angela Cameron Published: May 2009 Purchase at: The Book Depository or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 3 stars Angela Cameron has my attention. The woman can write one well-crafted and steamy love scene. That is the standout element in Blood & Sex: Michael. In the opening novel in Cameron’s Blood & Sex series, we find Detective Victoria Tyler investigating a serial killer, and the... 
We’ve had a few good chats with some of you about this month’s group read, Crimson Moon by J.A. Saare. We really enjoyed this paranormal romance novel, and appreciated it giving us a fix of both vampires and werewolves. We’re ready to have a real book club discussion. Are you? We’ll talk about the plot, the characters and Caleb vs. Trent. We’ll be holding the Crimson Moon chat on Twitter at 9 p.m. EST on... 
Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) Maggie Stiefvater Published: 2009 Purchase at: The Book Depository or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 4 stars What would you do if the one you loved was forced to leave you? How would you spend your days with him or her? This is how Shiver’s Grace and Sam enter their relationship — with an expiration date already stamped upon it. To say it’s a new romance wouldn’t be fair. The...
We were updating our to-be-read list and realized just how many noteworthy titles are being released in September. Honestly, we were a little blown away. With this many books on deck, we all might benefit from a couple week’s time to prioritize. September release highlights are as follows (we know we’re forgetting several, so please add in the comments!): * denotes books currently on our review list. If... 
We’re going short-notice for this week’s Waiting on Wednesday. Kresley Cole’s Demon from the Dark comes out next Tuesday, Aug. 24, and we’re eager to pick it up. In addition to merging more adult paranormal romance novels into our reading mix, we’re excited for this one because it offers so many obstacles for our hero and heroine to overcome. You’ve got a demon, who is cursed and infected with vampiric... 
We recently discovered the novella Love Sucks about a vampire, who after centuries of slumber and under the belief she’s the last vampire left, seeks out her fated love. Collette over at A Buckeye Girl Reads told us we get to experience the journey to love from this 18th century vampire’s point-of-view, and that’s a good thing. So, when Lauren Hammond, author of the just-released Love Sucks, offered to do... 
Beauty and the Bastard David Bridger Published: July 19, 2010 Purchase at: Liquid Silver Books Rating (out of 5): 4 stars David Bridger reminds us of the redeeming power of love in his paranormal romance novella Beauty and the Bastard. Rebecca is less than pleased about being sent to work for her uncle. Not because she hates the job or her uncle, in fact he’s her favorite. The problem is the demon... 
