Since I've been mildly irritated ever since the hobo stole my Malibu, I may as well unburden myself here and get it out of system. And, caveat - of course I love urban fantasy. It's my genre, what I write, what I read, what I adore. So this is all light-hearted. So:

1. Men's names that are short-hand for "I'm a dark and sexy mysterious type with possible angst." - There are an awful lot of Dantes*, particularly. LKH is guilty of bringing us Wicked, Truth, and London, amongst others.

2. Spelling words with "i" instead of "y" to indicate Mysticism - actually this is true of swords and sorcery fantasy too, but every time I see "wyne" instead of "wine" or "myst" instead of "mist", or indeed "vampyre" instead of "vampire" I die a little inside.

3. Women's names that are deliberately spelled exoticly as short-hand for "I'm a free-spirited kook but I'm not above being a total bitch but nobody will hold it against me". I'm looking at you, Zoey Redbird.

4. Monsters that are just people with fangs. Come on, people! Let's see someone get their throat ripped out! Is it so much to ask that just one vampire isn't saved by the Power of Love?

*And I myself am guilty of this as I have a Durante in Death for the Born, which is of course where the nickname Dante comes from. And yes, he certainly is a dark and sexy mysterious type with possible angst.