Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
A recent Molly Harper binge got me thinking again about the differences between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Ultimately, I don’t think it really matters. Read what you like. Who cares what they call it? But I’m still a word nerd so I’m compelled to contemplate. Harper’s Jane Jameson series falls into that awkward space between UF and PNR (VBC’s review of Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs). It’s not... 
From VBC/Chelsea: We are having fun with our If You Like… series. If there’s a recommendation you’d like, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll see if we can add a post for you! For now, though, let VBC’s Margaret convince you to read The Paper Magician. In Charlie N. Holmberg’s The Paper Magician, 19-year-old Ceony Twill has just graduated from magic school, not Hogwarts but The Tagis Praff School for...
I’m pretty sure Charley Davidson is my soul mate. (Sorry husband.) The lead character in Darynda Jones’ series of the same name is hilarious, full of life, and kind to all she meets. (Read the VBC review of First Grave on the Right.) Charley is a private investigator and consultant to the police. Her ability to talk to the dead murder victims’ spirits makes her especially helpful on murder cases. She...
I have to say, vamps are not my favorite flavor of supernatural creature (Merit and Company excepted, of course). So finding books that feature shifters or witches or just plain other can be a bit of a challenge sometimes. [Ed. Note: Not everyone can love vampires as much as Chelsea does… we suppose.] When I first read the title of Molly Harper’s How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf, I had to read it. And I...
You know how some books seem to take a little while to get started? The world is so elaborate or the language is so stylized that it takes some time to get used to it so you can really get into the story. For me Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires is the exact opposite. I instantly feel at home in that world and feel like those characters are old friends. Christina Henry’s Black Wings is another series...
So the sixth Mortal Instruments book has been released, read, and reread. Tears were shed, plot lines were resolved, and happy endings were had by all. By all except for the readers who now have nothing in the young adult, urban fiction, paranormal romance, angel/demon/all-of-the-above genre to read. Jace and Clary had an epic love that overcame obstacle after obstacle. While we have been promised...
Last year when Written in Red came out, it seemed to pop up everywhere for me. That’s when I knew I had to read this first book in a new series by Anne Bishop. What I found once I started reading was an interesting take on the supernatural, mainly shifters, that puts them in less of the human light and more in touch with their animal natures. Meg is a human, a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet on the run...
Okay this maybe cheating since I am recommending two series instead of one, but in my defense both series are by Karen Chance, are set in the same world, take place simultaneously, and have characters who crossover in both series. So really I am recommending the body of work of one author. My favorite characteristic of Kim Harrison’s The Hollow series is not only the strong female protagonist, but also...
Around this time last year, I advised hardcore fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series to give Larissa Ione’s Demonica series a try. Well, you should be caught up on Demonica at this point (and our reviewer Candace would remind you to start her Lords of Deliverance series, too). Now what to read? I have you covered, dear readers. If you’ve devoured the demons and hunters within the Demonica...
Oh, readers, it is the epic return of If You Like…! I know we dropped this feature for a few months, but when you started asking again (and continually read the BDB/Demonica post), I decided I couldn’t resist any longer. Today’s recommendation is for those who love their urban fantasy with heavy doses of sexual tension. If you’ve fell in love with Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series (Some Girls... 
