Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
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 that time again. I spent far too much time attempting to whittle down the 100+ books reviewed on VBC this year to the absolute best. So, as those Amazon and B&N gift cards start rolling in, just use this list as your shopping guide. I personally promise the extreme awesomeness of all the novels listed below. Also, at the very end you’ll see the VBC Readers’ Choice winner (which allowed me to leave it... 
Looks like authors are getting the OK to reveal excerpts for Winter and Spring 2012 titles. Today we have tastes of new books from Shiloh Walker, Anya Bast and Rachel Vincent. Plus, Hollows is coming to TV and an edible version of Plants vs. Zombies. Excerpt from Shiloh Walker’s The Departed Sometimes Shiloh Walker makes us wait too long for the next book in the series (I’m totally talking about Veil of... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for October. All dates are U.S. and tentative. I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance and YA is young adult. OCT. 1 The Goblin King by Shona Husk PNR Unleashed by Sara Humphreys (The Amoveo Legend #1) PNR OCT. 3 Bleeding... 
This week we got two deleted scenes from YA novels featuring kissing — and more for the Jace/Clary scene — plus news on upcoming books from Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, P.C. and Kristin Cast and even a little video to make your day (compliments of the lovely Tessa Dare). Enjoy! Cover tease for next The Hollows novel I really loved Pale Demon, and the end left things wide open for Kim... 
Sorry for the lack of post yesterday. I have a few reviews to get done for y’all, but I’m recovering from a concussion. (No, I don’t have a cool story. I fainted. It’s boring and, yet, still totally scary. I’m fine. But it limited my computer time and creativity.) I’m officially on the mend, and expect to have all sorts of reviews, features and giveaways right around the bend. Get your Downside fix I’ve... 
Last week I reviewed Kevin Hearne’s debut urban fantasy Hounded. The novel, featuring 2,100-year-old druid Atticus, is set in Tempe, Arizona. Mostly in downtown Tempe, which is a dense mashing of bars, indie shops and the best hamburgers ever. I say all this because I lived there for several years there. I attended Arizona State University when the journalism school still resided at its Tempe campus. So,... 
Pale Demon (The Hollows/Rachel Morgan #9) Kim Harrison Published: Feb. 22, 2011 (Eos) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Note: This review is spoiler-free (yay), but does may give away events from earlier novels. If you haven’t started The Hollows series, you can check out our review of Dead Witch Walking, the first novel. Things were already tense for Rachel Morgan at the... 
Kim Harrison has a knack for giving us memorable, quirky characters. Remember the first time you learned about pixy swearing in Dead Witch Walking? The woman takes character development to another level in the ninth Rachel Morgan/The Hollows book, Pale Demon, where we’ll get to see tension build as they’re all crammed in Rachel’s mom’s Buick. Yes, it’s the Great American Roadtrip….with a witch, a vampire,... 
Ooo, do we have delicious tidbits for you… READ A CHAPTER OF DEAD RECKONING Charlaine Harris posted the first chapter of the next Southern Vampire Mystery (a.k.a. the Sookie Stackhouse books) up on her website today. It’s 19 pages of Sookie, Eric, Sam and even some of the fae family members. The 11th book in the series, titled Dead Reckoning, will be — like all Sookie books before — released in May. So,... 
