books:

	The Nymph King (Atlantis, Book 3) Gena Showalter HQN Books, 2007 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 53 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The cynical Shaye wants nothing to do with the mighty warlord, but she's inexplicably drawn to him. For underneath the warrior's arrogant beauty lies a complex and powerful man. A man whose caress is like fire?

Now Valerian must fight for the privilege of claiming her as his own. Because there's one thing Shaye doesn't know.?

That when a nymph discovers his true mate, she's his for life.

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WOW - STEAMY AND WONDERFUL QUITE DOESN'T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE!

A fabulous paranormal by Showalter - it tells the story of Valerian - King of the Nymphs in Atlantis. I am not going to go into the details of the story as a lot of reviewers here have done a great job explaining the plot.

For those of you that love paranormals - this is right up your alley! A quick and enthralling read this is a wonderful love story - full of tenderness, action, steamy sexy scenes and very funny dialogue. The plot was ingenuously crafted and the characters were wonderful and easy to fall in love with! Even the secondary characters were very appealing and extremely well developed.

Surrounding herself with a wall of iciness and a total "bitchy" I really don't care attitude, Shaye has developed this demeanor to keep from further disappointment and hurt in her life. She is the perfect mate for Valerian - who in turn is quite astounded that there is a woman who hasn't fallen for his allure and that is quite a humbling experience for such an arrogant Alpha male such as him! The bad part about that is that she is his "mate" and he is going to have a tough time convincing her of it!

The sexual tension kept me turning the pages at an expediential rate and when Valerian and Shaye finally come together - the bed sheets ignited and the curtains were singed!!! (Who doesn't secretly crave switching places with Shaye! Ay chi wah wah!!!)

THE NYMPH KING is a great read. A fabulous addition to Showalter's Atlantis series, I highly recommend it - it is as good if not better than HEART OF THE DRAGON.

I hope that Showalter tells the story of the Vampire king, Layel - he seems like a very interesting creature as well!


COMMENT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED THIS BOOK NEGATIVELY - I understand that everyone has the right to their opinion - that being said - What happened to remembering that this is A FANTASY!!???? That's what "paranormals" deal with. Yes, this book is rife with mythical figures, Gods of the underworld, Centaurs, Vampires, Dragons, Nymphs, mermaids... deamons.. and some of you are calling this book ridiculous?? Remember - vampires drink blood - warewolves kill people, etc, etc - that is why there is the genre of paranormal/fantasy/futuristic.. If this kind of book is not your "cuppa" then stick to what is. For those complaining about "debasing female behavior" - remember Nymphs ARE arrogant, promiscuous and egotistical creatures - that is how Poseidon Created them - hey, if you were that good looking, with that much sex appeal and needing sex to perpetuate your existence - I guess you could be promiscuous and self-centered too - oh and one more thing.... for the comment made that Nymphs were not really honorable - I think that they displayed quite honorable characteristics. They treated and valued their women, respected each other as warriors who bonded together as a band of brothers and fought honorably to keep their race safe and to retain a permanent place for them to live in - MY TWO CENTS.

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The Nymph King Seduced Me!

Intrigued by the "myth" of Atlantis? Always wanted to know more about nymphs? Dying to read a book with a heroine who manages fairly well to resist an irresistible hero?

Then you would love this book. Valerian is the Nymph King, irresistible to all womenkind. I was prepared to dislike Valerian, considering that he starts the book in bed with not one or two women, but three. The sneer arose on my lips at this point, yet I still kept reading. This woman is a good writer. She held my attention, and kept me wanting more. As a reader, I want to have an author give me a premise that keeps me glued to the page. Showalter does this.

Captivated is a good term to use for how I felt. I was captivated because I wanted to hear more about the Nymph King and his nymph warriors. As a lifetime lover of mythology and folktales, I was somewhat familiar with the concept of nymphs. But I realized that I really didn't know all that much about them. This book really explored the nymph myth and filled in the blanks, so to speak.

According to Showalter's vision of nymphdom, it seems that a nymph is absolutely controlled by his or her need for sex. This puts them in a difficult situation if they don't have a sexual outlet. The warriors lose strength and power. And considering their ongoing battle with the dragons for control of Atlantis, this would be a serious disadvantage. Unfortunately, the nymph women have not arrived to their new home in Atlantis, claimed from the dragons, their immortal enemies. The nymph men are weakening daily without sex. Because the nymph king has a greater need for sex, he claims the three humans who unwittingly entered the portal to the surface world prior to the start of the book, and entirely with their permission. As a matter of fact, they are ready and willing for more of his attentions. But Valerian is not selfish. He realizes the importance of fulfilling his nymph army's need for sex. He makes the decision to allow them to go to the surface and claim human women as temporary bedmates. He will get more than he imagined.

Valerian is written convincingly, not just another player out to bed every women he sees. I am definitely not a fan of this kind of hero. But one of the ways that a writer wins my loyalty is through the ability to get me to buy a concept I normally don't like. And Showalter does this. She gives the reader plenty of justification for Valerian's lifestyle. At least he has a reason to be such a sex fiend (unlike way too many romance novel so-called heroes). Furthermore, he is likeable because he really does show a sense of honor and duty to his people and his kingdom (I found it to be quite an interesting twist to have a culture built around the need for sex and plenty, even if it's meaningless).

Shaye Holling is serving as a bridesmaid in yet another of her mother's weddings, and hating every minute of it. She has no belief in love and happily ever after and makes it her goal to push every living being away so that her often broken heart is not injured again. She's seen her mother and her father go from lover to lover, has had a host of sometimes nice and sometimes not nice stepsiblings come and go from her life. And she has determined that being alone is much better than being left again and again. She is so dedicated in her cynicism that she started an Anti-Greeting Card company. Some of the lines that she comes up with are classic!

In the midst of a heated argument with her mother, an army of men of unearthly beauty and masculinity arise from the surf like the goddess Aprhodite. There is one man who is the most captivating of all. They come to conquer. Most of the women make easy conquests, unable and unwilling to resist the seductive pull of the nymphs. She and one other women are the only ones to resist (and her story is very interesting, but you'll have to read the book to find out). But Valerian sees the slender, white-blonde with dark eyes, and recognizes his true mate. There is no way he's not taking her. Even against her will.

Then begins a battle of wits, sense against sensibility. A woman's fight to resist an incredible passion for the man who can have any woman, but wants only her. But he's not about to take an unwilling woman. She has to be his of her own volution, although he's not going to let her leave him.

I enjoyed these "battle scenes," if you will. I also enjoyed the new twist on Greek and Atlantean mythology, with a variety of mythical beings thrown in. And heck, I've always been in love with the ocean, and it was really cool to get a vision of life under the sea. (Growing up Splash was one of my favorite movies because I was obsessed with mermaids). Also, I liked that for once the heroine actually does put up a fight and doesn't instantly fall into bed with the so-called irresistible hero. And this is even more fun because he's truly (and magically) irresistible to women. The great thing about it is that Shaye has to work really hard to fight the temptation to surrender to her desires. It's not half-hearted on her part. She's fighting to keep her heart from being broken when he tires of her and moves onto more interesting prey. It brings the battle to another level. It's refreshing change for me. It can be really annoying to read book after book where the heroine has absolutely no resistance to the hero, even knowing that he's bad for her. She loves him so much that she simply must lie down like a doormat and allow her heart to be walked on.

It's hard to say what captivated me so much, but I think part of it is the snappy, often hilarious dialogue, the interesting plot twists, lets face it, the numerous hot men, including nymphs, dragons, and vampires, and the mythology. And also Atlantis is an intriguing idea, and I like what Showalter does with it.

There is a lot of sex going on in this book, most of it between other partners and the best scenes between Shaye and Valerian. After all, it's absolutely essential to their wellbeing. :) Before and after battles, the nymphs must have sex and lots of it. And they're not picky about having it in public places. I couldn't even imagine walking around minding my own business and seeing couples having sex all around me. This is what Shaye is around, knowing that she had to resist with all her heart.

Most definitely, this book is spicy and sensual but hasn't left behind the heart of romance, the story of love between one woman and one man. That's the most seductive part of this book is that pure and simple love story. And it's great when you read an author who hasn't forgotten that.

I'm definitely going on a hunt for the other books in the series....and soon!

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A little slow to start, but great story!

Ok, I am so glad that I didn't put this book down! I was a little disappointed for the first 30 pages or so, the hero just seemed really one-dimensional, and I really had a hard time liking him. The heroine seemed also kinda hard to like, but once the story picked up, it was just great! I am not really sure how to summarize the basic premise of this story, but it was very interesting. I am going to have to go buy the other two books in the series now! Excellent story, and I loved the interactions between the hero and heroine, and how he won her trust and took such good care of her. Great job!

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nymphs

I bought this book at a used book store, and had never read any of Gena Schowalter's book previously. I had picked up for an airplane ride, and while it was great fluff reading as others have mentioned, it's short on plot but overall enjoyable and humorous!


If you're in the mood for a laugh, this book will do the trick

Valerian, King of the Nymphs, is coveted by any female who lays eyes on him. The air of sensuality that surrounds nymphs allows them to seduce anyone, a useful ability for creatures who thrive on sex. And never has this sensuality been more potent than with Valerian. But the king has more on his mind than just bedding women. First off, all the female nymphs are missing, which means that his men weaken daily without sex to strengthen them. Secondly, he's recently acquired a dragon castle, which the creatures in question desperately want back. And third, much as he doesn't want to, he fears he'll have to take his men through a portal to the surface world to find human women to satisfy their needs and provide the strength they need for the fight ahead. It is begrudgingly that Valerian leads his men through the portal. But what he finds in the surface world makes the trip worthwhile.

Shaye Holling is attending her mother's sixth wedding when a group of the most beautiful men she's ever seen come striding out of the ocean. The men grab all the single women from her mother's wedding, and take them into the ocean and to Atlantis. Their leader, and the most handsome, chooses Shaye for himself. But he doesn't realize that Shaye is no meek and mild lady to bend to his will. No, she is sarcastic, smart-mouthed, and packs a mean punch, which she is more than happy to show Valerian. As the king of the nymphs tries to seduce her, this hard-headed woman fights him the entire way. And the results were hilarious.

This book is the third in the Atlantis series, and the first I've read by Gena Showalter. I didn't think it was great, but I enjoyed its humorous tone and had more than a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. I really liked the Shaye character. It was nice not to have a heroine who falls instantly in love with the first brawny warrior who touches her, and the fact that she kept giving him a hard time was entertaining. As for Valerian, I liked him in theory, but felt he could have been more developed. This criticism might not be warranted, however, since I haven't read the first two books in the series. All in all, I liked this book. I probably wouldn't read it again, but if you're in the mood for a laugh, this comedic paranormal romance will do the trick.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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