Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Recently, I’ve written a couple posts for Heroes and Heartbreakers looking at damaged heroines and the urban fantasy locales that will never make a tourist guide. The more I think on it, the more thankful I am not to be in the shoes of so many of the protagonists from my favorite books. Honestly, it might sound interesting to be a Guardian in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, but after reading... 
I’m not sure how to top yesterday’s post. There was Russian vampire goodness, but we must move forward. (But don’t forget to enter to win signed copies of the latest from both Jaye Wells and Kresley Cole.) In which Richelle explains Shadow Heir If you read my review of Richelle Mead’s final Dark Swan novel Shadow Heir, you know I liked it quite a bit but wasn’t at all pleased with the ending. There has... 
It’s been a long break, readers, and I’m tired. If you follow me on Twitter, you know, I’ve been traveling quite a bit and working extra hard — all that. But it’s a new year with new books and I’m ready to devour the goodness. I got an extra special present in the mail over the holidays: an advanced copy of Sacrificial Magic. Now, I typically don’t tell you guys when I get something early (feels icky),... 
You read that right. Vampire Book Club is hosting a baby shower for Eugenie Markham, the heroine of Richelle Mead’s Dark Swan series. It’s one of my favorites, and, well, a fitting way to celebrate the closure of the series. The final book, Shadow Heir (VBC review), hits stores on Dec. 27 and if you’re up-to-date, you know our favorite shaman-turned-faerie-queen is pregnant with two little ones – a boy... 
Shadow Heir (Dark Swan #4) Richelle Mead Published: Dec. 27, 2011 (Kensington) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: While this review is spoiler-free for the plot of Shadow Heir, it will reference earlier plot points, including the end of Iron Crowned. If you have yet to start the series, check out the VBC review of Storm Born. There’s a reason this series is in... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for December. All dates are U.S. and tentative. I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance, F is fantasy and YA is young adult. DECEMBER 1 Demon’s Like It Hot by Sidney Ayers (Demons Unleashed #2) PNR Devil’s Kiss by Zoe Archer... 
Lessons from Readers & ‘Ritas I spent last Saturday at the Readers & ‘Ritas convention. My BFF Kristin from My Bookish Ways and I had a complete blast spending the day with many of our favorite authors. A few things I learned: 1. Kristen Painter is of the “go big or go home” mentality when it comes to costumes. She dressed up as one of the noble vampires from her House of Comarré series for the costume... 
It’s been a chaotic and stressful week at VBC HQ. On the upside, I’ve been chatting up my National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) progress with the Huffington Post. Check their Books section each week for an update, if you’re curious. Also, I popped in at Heroes & Heartbreakers earlier this week to talk about the case of nerves I get before diving into the next book in a beloved series. Yep, series... 
This month’s group read — Kristen Painter’s Blood Rights — has characters with chemistry that pops off the page. Only they aren’t a couple. Chrysabelle and Mal’s interactions ripple with tension and unspoken desire. They like each other, but both think it’s a bad idea. The complexity of their fight against intimacy is made exponentially complicated by the fact Chrysabelle needs Mal’s saliva to keep... 
Succubus Revealed (Georgina Kincaid #6) Richelle Mead Published: Aug. 30, 2011 (Kensington) Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: If you have not read earlier Georgina Kincaid novels, there may be spoilers below. There are no spoilers for Succubus Revealed, however. I didn’t think I was ready to say goodbye to Georgina Kincaid — or Seth, Carter, Jerome or even Doug.... 
