The Nymph King by Gena Showalter

This time on The Young & The Restless: The haughty Nymph King finds & steals his mate, who isn't the woman sized puddle of lust and gratitude he expects. Dun dun dun dun...

Enter a mythical world of dragons, demons and Nymphs…enter a world of dark seduction and powerful magic…enter Atlantis… He is Valerian, the most darkly seductive male ever created. He embraces every aspect of his sensuality, reveling in his erotic powers. No woman can resist his potent allure. . .until he steals cynical Shaye Holling from modern day earth. Valerian’s hunger for Shaye is soul deep – but she is to be offered up to his men... While Shaye claims to want nothing to do with the mighty warlord whose touch is like fire, she is inexplicably drawn to him. For underneath the warrior’s arrogant beauty lies a complex and powerful man. A man she is finding hard to resist...

Valerin wakes up post orgy tangled in 3 sleeping women; one for each hair color of course. He had tried to selflessly pimp them on his soldiers, for you see nymphs need sex for survival. But the soldiers' manslut karate is no match for V's kung fu. So they ignored the other perfect (if slightly worn hunks) and all 3 threw themselves at him in tandem. When the Nymph army had set off for their latest exploit, he ordered all the women stay behind, it was too dangerous and they wouldn't be gone long. But now after they've settled and sent for the women, they're missing. Feeling guilt over this and his selfish manwhore actions last night while his men suffered, he agrees to let them use the magic portal to earth. The plan if they choose to accept it, is: to kidnap as many earth women as possible quickly and take turns choosing later; since earths' environment is toxic to them past short durations. V goes to supervise promising not to claim any of the earth women for himself. All that changes when the prerequisite mate scenting happens, and he realizes Shay is his. He can't go back on his word because of honor stuff. So he throws her in T&A pageant line up anyway, praying no one picks her. Shaye is not amused at the circumstances and wants nothing to do with any of his men or V. She's determined to escape back to earth and the life she's made for herself. And thus the battles of wills begins, that is sure to end in lurve. Shaye's a plucky heroine, who doesn't feel love is an excuse for idiocy. She runs a Anti-cards business, cards for those who want "to tell someone to fuck off in a round about way"; I liked her instantly. There was a delightful playfulness to their courtship. And I enjoyed Valerin's initial confusion & vulnerability upon realizing he has to woo her, when she doesn't fall on her back legs spread; as he's accustom. The minor love triangle plot, with Brenna (another captured woman, with a dark past) and the 2 soldiers she's drawn to on very different levels; is by far the high point of the novel. The plus column ends there for me, since the rest was sprinkled in generic cliched fairy dust. You know how it goes : declarations she'll beg for his touch, if she attempts to escape he will "punish" her in some kinky orgasmic fashion, the overuse of the word "mine" in mental dialogue, lots of spirited rebuffs on her part though she's quivering woman jelly for him on the inside, somehow despite being 25 and jaded from boyfriends past - she's untouched *gag*, and he comes to the brilliant realization that she doesn't know what she wants, because she's never had sex ...so less talky more 'getting it on'. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Heart of the Dragon. I keep reading in hopes the next addition will measure up, no dice yet. All the above mentioned cliches make me tingle like any other Para Romance enthusiast when well executed. But the Nymph King lacked effort; the characters were new, the story recycled. Fingers crossed The Vampire's Bride will be an improvement, when I eventually get around to reading it. Final Grade:

Liked the Premise of this book, but aspects of its execution were WEAK. Enjoyed it enough to continue riding the series/author out, at my own leisurely pace. Beyond the hype, this book is fine for a fluffy generic read. But more library rental/swap quality, rather than a keeper on my personal bookshelf.

Around The Net: Lurv A La Mode 3/5 scoops "this was entertaining enough to pass the weekend with, but it was unfortunately in no way memorable, nor interesting enough to want to read the previous two." Book Loons "those looking for a bit more plot and character development may find this isn't their cup of ambrosia." Romantic Times "Readers looking for a plot beyond the typical cat-and-mouse game for sex may find this novel hard to finish. The action and conflict do not appear until the end of the book, which makes the first 270 pages hard to get through. Showalter's latest doesn't live up to its promise. " Riley Reviews "In truth, Brenna's story was more interesting to me. Shaye's and Valerian's story smacked a little too much of Stockholm Syndrome for my taste, which is a danger when it comes to fated mate stories.....Despite my misgivings, I still enjoyed my return trip to Atlantis, and I look forward to going back again." Once Upon A Romance "The Nymph King is all about finding the one – and that search is not easy or simple as this. If you want a funny, romantic book that is not senselessly erotic, then I recommend this one. "