The Nymph King by Gena Showalter

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
Mass market paperback: 373 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: HQN Books
Release date: February 1, 2007

Series: Atlantis #3

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Personal shelf

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Enter a world of dark seduction and powerful magic . . . enter Atlantis . . .

Females young and old, beautiful and plain crave Valerian’s touch. None can resist his blatant sensuality and potent allure . . . until he steals Shaye Holling from a Florida beach and holds her prisoner in his underwater kingdom.

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.

What makes me reread a book? Usually it’s when I know I enjoyed a certain story and I found the characters entertaining and engaging. Usually, it’s books with a bit of humor thrown into the story. But most important of all, it’s usually books that are easy to read and well written. THE NYMPH KING touches more or less all these criteria and that’s why I tend to reread this one quite often enough.

While I enjoy it every time I read it, it’s not a book I would recommend to everyone. It is published by Harlequin so obviously you’re guaranteed a book that’s heavy on the romance. What I find most attractive about this book is that the setting is Atlantis. I’ve always been interested about anything Atlantis (or mythology for that matter) so I might be a bit biased so if that doesn’t interest you, the author’s imagination while creating this world just might. Or you might simply be pulled in because of the characters’ awesome chemistry.

Shaye and Valerian have this love/hate relationship that goes on throughout the book and I find it very entertaining, if not humorous. When Shaye is kidnapped at the beginning of the book, I love how she’s not seduced right away by Valerian, who carries her off to Atlantis without her permission. She’s very vocal about the fact that she’s not happy and she doesn’t understand how the other women who were kidnapped are happy with their situation and swoon over their kidnappers. As a self proclaimed independent woman, Shaye doesn’t like to rely on anyone but herself, let alone a man. She has decided from an early age that she doesn’t need a man to make her life feel complete and that creating emotional links will only lead to heartbreak. As Valerian tries to seduce her, you can see how her no touch façade fades little by little. As a nymph, Valerian needs sex to stay physically strong so when Shaye continues to reject him physically, he begins to weaken, which isn’t good when the dragons attack his castle. Eventually, Shaye’s refusal gets a little repetitive and maybe a little annoying but the annoyance doesn’t last very long.

This being the third book of the series, you should probably read the other two first, but if you don’t, it’s certainly not a problem. The story holds on it’s own. Thinking back, I think I enjoyed this book better when I first read it, but it will always have a special place in my bookshelves. In fact, almost all of Gena Showalter’s books can be found on my shelves or on my Kindle. She certainly knows how to write great characters and the ones in this book are part of one of my favorite pair. The banter between them is funny and entertaining, and their love/hate relationship never gets old. Be seduced by the gorgeous Atlantis nymphs in THE NYMPH KING. Their hotness is definitively not something you’ll regret.

Posted by Unknown at 06:55

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