Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
I recently finished a Netflix rewatch of Lost Girl, which got me thinking that maybe I should revisit some favorite books about the fae as well. But where to start? This took me back to when I was just discovering urban fantasy almost a decade ago. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels old now.) Here are some of my favorites. For my fellow binge readers, most of these are completed series. The... 
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... 
A few weeks ago Chelsea posted her list of essential Urban Fantasy series. It’s a good list. I’ve read and enjoyed all of those series. But I felt like there was one glaring omission. My gateway to urban fantasy was the Sookie Stackhouse series, so any UF list I made would have started there. When I asked Chelsea about it she said that Sookie defies many typical UF conventions, first and foremost with its... 
Spoiler Warning: This post may contain spoilers for Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Series (a.k.a. The Sookie Stackhouse Series), and by extension, the HBO show True Blood. Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries brought a fresh take to paranormal. It offered a look at the normalization of vampires in the open world. The books were urban fantasy in a rural setting. Sookie and her companions... 
Have you fallen for an urban fantasy series and want more? We’re here to help. These ten book series epitomize things we love about urban fantasy. They may have influenced the subgenre or they’re the ones every urban fantasy fan has read. These are the books that showcase what we love—and expect—from urban fantasies. 1. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton We have to start here.... 
Some of our favorite heroines became moms this year. Happy Mother’s Day Merit and Kate! I’m sure lots of people have been giving them parenting advice, but wouldn’t it be more fun to talk about what not to do? Here are some of urban fantasy’s worst moms. Justina Crawfield from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost Cat Crawfield grew up hating her vampire side, largely based on a lie. Justina... 
Do you ever wonder how your favorite supernaturals would celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Or think you’d like to jump into their world to join in the celebration? Us, too. We’d much rather hit up a vampire-filled bar than chug green beer with humans. Here are five of our favorite fictional bars to help you make the perfect party (reading) plans. 1. Howler’s from the Nocturne Falls series by Kristen Painter... 
The week of Halloween I read a book that had been languishing on my Kindle for a while. It’s set in a small town as it prepares for its annual Halloween festival. I loved how the sweater weather and changing leaves mirrored real life—I felt like I was a part of the story. Then I realized that the book came out in July. Reading it then might have been a completely different experience. That got me thinking... 
The Vampire Book Club team love giving recommendations. Usually, we ask a few questions (favorite authors, any genres you hate, etc.) to help find just the right book for you. However, we also get asked what are the best vampire books. Kind of goes with the VBC territory, right? Best vampire series? We’ll usually call out J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood (get Dark Lover), Jeaniene Frost’s Night...
