Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
We couldn’t let a Character Love Letters event go by without talking about at least one character of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. While Zsadist still tops my list, Rehvenge is a close second. Though, based on the steamy letter below, Tori from Smexy Books may be just the girl to woo the vampire.
My darling Rehv,
When I first saw you at Zero Sum, your image burned itself into my... 
Lord’s Fall (Elder Races #5)
Thea Harrison
Published: Nov. 6, 2012 (Berkley)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Candace
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
I’ve faced monsters and demons and nightmares that most people have never heard of, but you have always scared me the most. We might make a list of pretty words that we can call each other or use for our relationship, but I don’t feel... 
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... 
Storm’s Heart (Elder Races #2)
Thea Harrison
Published: Aug. 2011 (Berkley Sensation)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Jo
Rating (out of 5): 5 stars
Note: While this review is spoiler-free, it does assume you have read the first in the series.
After reading Chelsea’s review of Dragon Bound, I decided it was high time I bumped it up to the top of my TBR pile (it’s... 
Heart of Atlantis (Warriors of Poseidon #8)
Alyssa Day
Published: Dec. 4, 2012 (Berkley)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Candace
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
“…See me for the heartless monster that I am, Quinn, and make no mistake that your safety is my only priority.”
Sometimes an introduces a character early in a series, and then dangles them along to torture the hell out of... 
Every year, I compile the standard year-end best books list—read 2012′s best reads list—and it’s a hard task narrowing things down. What’s harder though is picking the ten heroes from novels published this year to make my annual swoon-worthy list. Last year Eve Silver’s Lokan took top honors and the year before Stacia Kane’s Terrible was causing fevers all over the... 
Dragon Bound (Elder Races #1)
Thea Harrison
Published: May 2011 (Berkley Sensation)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Chelsea
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Lately I’ve been trying to make time for the highly recommended books on my to-read shelf. The ones I bought on a friend’s recommendation and then got so busy with new review books that I didn’t sit down and, you know,... 
Marked (Eternal Guardians #1)
Elisabeth Naughton
Published: April 2010 (Love Spell)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Jo
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
After finishing Fantasy Lover for this month’s VBC Group Read, Marked popped up on my Amazon recommended page. A series based around the descendants of the Argonauts, with smokin’ hot romance and more Greek mythology than you can... 
Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter #0.5)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Published: 2002 (St. Martin’s)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Chelsea
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
Nothing like a Greek love slave to keep you up all night. Well, it didn’t go exactly like that, but I did read the entirety of Fantasy Lover in a single sitting in the wee hours of the night. So, we can pretend, yes?
While Fantasy... 
Shadow’s Claim (The Dacians #1)
Kresley Cole
Published: Nov. 27, 2012 (Pocket)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Reviewed by: Candace
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Every paranormal hero has a moment where the reader realizes he is not going to be soon forgotten. A British vampire waving a half-breed away in a bar. Two vampires discussing the latest fashion trends with their human friend who... 
June 2013 New Releases
