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The Nymph King (Atlantis #3)

by Gena Showalter (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 6,410 ratings · 261 reviews

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 s...more

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 1st 2007 by HQN Books

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Dec 09, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-romance

You guys where looking for something ORIGINAL?
Well you've found it!!!
This is a great series, very entreating, and I just wanna read more and more. I never thought I would like it so much as the ratings of it are a bit low, but IMHO this series is totally worth to be read.

In this installment we get to read about a totally new supernatural species to me, the Nymphs. They are a species that needs sex to stay strong, and one of the fiercest of them all. They are also mostly men; powerful-strong-hot...more You guys where looking for something ORIGINAL?
Well you've found it!!!
This is a great series, very entreating, and I just wanna read more and more. I never thought I would like it so much as the ratings of it are a bit low, but IMHO this series is totally worth to be read.

In this installment we get to read about a totally new supernatural species to me, the Nymphs. They are a species that needs sex to stay strong, and one of the fiercest of them all. They are also mostly men; powerful-strong-hot-sexy-breath-taking men,LOL.
The hero of this book is their king, Valerian. I was told he was an egocentric and vain hero,difficult to like, but what a lie that was. I adored Valerian. He may have been self-centered at the beginning but he totally proved to be a worthy male when he had and needed to be. At the end I was feeling towards him like a newborn puppy feels towards his new owner,LOL, I was irrevocably in love with him. He may have been a womanizer but it was before he met the heroine (his mate), so I would never punish him for that, specially because he needed the women, I mean he is a Nymph, you just can't blame the guy for being what he is. He was loyal to the core and caring when he had to be. A strong and powerful hero too. I just loved to read about Valerian.

The heroine was great as well. She had a terrible past with a family who was never there for her, not only that but made her think she could never trust anybody, not even love because they would use that to hurt her at the end. I just felt bad for her and couldn't even blame her when she kept trying to stay away from the hero. How can you love someone when you did never learn how to do so? And that she was able to accomplish this at the end only proves how strong their love was.

Now I'm not sure which species I like the most,lol, Dragons or Nymphs? **SIGH** can I have both?
While I love this series, I'm pretty sure I wont ever read it again. It's one of those you love to read, but just once, not a fav.But definitely a must read for paranormal romance fans!

..................................

Dear Gena Showalter,

Please just NEVER stop writing!
your eternally grateful fan,
vale.
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11 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2009 Wendy (V-Lishous) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Any Gena Showalter fan

Recommended to Wendy (V-Lishous) by: Kim

Shelves: gena-showalter, paranormal-scifi-romance, were-shifter-demon-faries-other, pub-2007, 2009-reads, borrowed, part-of-a-series

This was a good story. I really liked the chemistry between Valerian and Shaye. I also liked that there were 2 different love interests in this story. The other was between Joachim and Brenna had a story within this main story. I like that. I think I liked this story the best so far. I am moving on to The Vampire's Bride which is Layel's story. I already have a soft spot for Layel, so I'm excited to start his book.

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2010 Lynsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tone-steamy, favourites-romance, romance-fantasy

WOW...I loved this! This book was incredibly sexual and I really did laugh out loud at some of the antics. You have got to respect a writer that can take a race of promiscuous sex addicts and make them desirable to the average girl. Be warned though, this book has some VERY hot love scenes - do not read it on a train...in fact make sure you are safely at home to save your embarassment!

Valerian is a warrior and king of the Nymphs. He is so handsome it hurts and NO woman can resist him. He literal...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, 2008, romance

This is a random book I picked up - not based on the cover, that's for sure - and bought out of boredom. So I was pleasantly surprised by its humour, sauciness and the great chemistry between many of the characters. I've always been wary of books that throw up the Atlantis thing, but I didn't mind it all here. It was fun, and racy, and (because this often comes up), Shaye didn't annoy me. I understood her, so her stubborness made sense, and helped create some sizzling sexual tension. Valerian wa...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Katherine St. Vincent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, favorites

Valerian, raja nymph yg digila-gilai oleh para cewq, akhirnya menemui batunya, setelah bertemu dgn Shaye yg punya usaha anti-card (hmmm.. menginspirasi gw utk buka usaha ini jg). Namun Shaye gigih menolak pesona Valerian, sampai mencoba kabur berkali-kali. Namun apa daya, maybe krn memang sudah belahan jiwa, akhirnya toh Shaye luluh juga.
Bagi para pembaca dibawah usia 21 thn, amat sangat disarankan tidak membaca novel ini. Penggambaran percintaan amat mendetil. Benar-benar extra hot. Dan ada ade...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, showalter-g

(Atlantis,#3) In this Atlantis story, Valerian, Nymph King, battles his constant need for sex while protecting his newly acquired home from dragons. In order to appease his warriors, Valerian travels to the surface and brings back several women including leading lady Shaye Holling. I liked that Shaye maintained her tough, cynical personality throughout the book. Valerian was not that deep of a character and I was actually a little annoyed with him about midway through. Still, this was a good rea...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Marulett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Marulett by: Aly (Mircea) Basarab

Shelves: rec-by-aly, buddy-read, 5plus-stars, adult, epic-thirds, great-in-betweens, gena-showalter, hea, hero-heroine-pov, kick-ass-heroines, kick-ass-male-lead, mermaids, paranormal, romance, series-i-love, series-i-will-love, super-yummy-alpha-male, yummy-male-lead

Buddy read with Aly

Another great book :))

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May 24, 2013 Melissa Tay rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 06, 2012 Jilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

What can I say about this book except that it is the best one yet. I love it when a series gets better as it goes along and this is definitely the case here.

This series was recommended by a friend on a yahoo book group. So I tried it. I was definitely intrigued by the first two books though admittedly not super impressed. I had never read anything by the author but was willing to continue with the series. I'm so glad I did.

The Nymph King is the best of the series yet. Valerian oozes sexual allur...more What can I say about this book except that it is the best one yet. I love it when a series gets better as it goes along and this is definitely the case here.

This series was recommended by a friend on a yahoo book group. So I tried it. I was definitely intrigued by the first two books though admittedly not super impressed. I had never read anything by the author but was willing to continue with the series. I'm so glad I did.

The Nymph King is the best of the series yet. Valerian oozes sexual allure and passions, and has no problem going to any woman's bed. Then he allows his men to go from Atlantis to the surface and world of humans only to come face to face with his mate, the only woman he will ever want after seeing her.

Shaye is a cynical woman who keeps people at bay with her quick wit and biting comments. And now she's being carried into the ocean by some huge man that radiates naughty thoughts.

Valerian is a great hero for the story. He doesn't hide any "faults" Shaye points out and is refreshingly opened and honest about all manner of things. He also rarely backs down. He wants Shaye and he won't stop til he gets what he wants; even if it means the death of his cousin.

Shaye is a great character. So many times the heroine of the story is pathetic and weak and lacks all sense of humor but Shaye's got it in spades which is part of her problem. She's one of those people that can't fathom letting someone close enough to break her heart and Valerian's promiscuous ways aren't coming near her, until she realizes what he means by mate.

Another great addition to the story is there is technically more than one hero and heroine. Joachim and Brenna are a great pair that quickly became equally as interesting as Valerian and Shaye.

Joachim watches as another warrior picks Brenna for his bed-mate (against her will) and seethes with anger. He wanted her and because he doesn't get her he plans on challenging Valerian for Shaye just to make his cousin suffer with him. Joachim isn't a match for Valerian and ends up injured which brings Brenna to his side as she's a doctor.

Brenna is terrified of these men. She's been attacked before and just wants to go home. Brenna is saved from the warrior who chose her because Shaye demands that any unwilling woman be left alone. Only problem is that the warrior who picked Brenna follows her everywhere and now her patient has her wondering if she wants to go home or not. As it turns out, Brenna is Joachim's mate and he will do anything to gain her broken trust.

I love Brenna and Joachim and Valerian and Shaye are great too. We also get a little insight into Layel who the next book is about. I think this series is getting better and this book is well worth it.
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Dec 18, 2011 Ayu Wirdha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Thanks to Mba Grace who lend me this book.

Raja Nymph (Valerian)dan beberapa prajuritnya naik ke dunia permukaan untuk menculik wanita2 untuk menambah kekuatan mereka. Nymph adalah mahluk yang kekuatan/hidupnya akan berakhir kalau mereka tidak melakukan hubungan sex. Karen semua perempuan2 Nymph menghilang setelah perang dengan manusia Naga memperebutkan istana (gw lupa namanya)jadi mereka menculik wanita2 tsb. Pas mereka muncul pas di pernikahan kesekiankalinya Ibu dari Shaye. Shaye ini yang ter...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Els rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-cant-believe-i-read-this, supernatural-fantasy, romance

Self-proclaimed Grade A Certified stone cold bitch is "defrosted" by a "loveable" misogynist-nymph king. You know, the usual. Except that Shaye, our female lead, isn't that bitchy. She's just got standard white girl problems that romance novels love to go on about. Let me expand, "Mommy doesn't love me, I've had over six fathers, I don't get along with any of my step-siblings, life is unfair."

I think if Shaye had actually been shown as bitchy instead of antisocial then this book would have been...more Self-proclaimed Grade A Certified stone cold bitch is "defrosted" by a "loveable" misogynist-nymph king. You know, the usual. Except that Shaye, our female lead, isn't that bitchy. She's just got standard white girl problems that romance novels love to go on about. Let me expand, "Mommy doesn't love me, I've had over six fathers, I don't get along with any of my step-siblings, life is unfair."

I think if Shaye had actually been shown as bitchy instead of antisocial then this book would have been more successful for me. In reality, she just isolates herself so that no one can hurt her and it's been done before. I am actually tired of the heroine who shouts ALL THE TIME and is quarrelsome and has ZERO agency in her own life once the male lead shows up.

I'm pretty sure that not once did Shaye ever stand up and say that Valerian had no right what so ever to cart her off like he did (oh she did behind closed doors but there was never a public display in front of the other nymphs because that would have been a messy scene, questioning their practices and calling them all rapists).

Overall I just found the book annoying because it was almost 400 pages of teasing. Will or won't they have sex? Oh! They almost had sex...no they didn't. But they did! Now they're in love!!! Hearts and rainbows and unicorns... gag me. There is absolutely no basis for Shaye to love Valerian. Okay, she wants his body. That's called lust. Home boy stole her from her mother's sixth wedding, has imprisoned her, only lets her go places as long as she's guarded and threatens to punish her countless times. Now, I am not in to Dom&Sub relationships so the threat of violence is not one of my favorite foreplay's to read about in a book. I can stand it to a point but every time Valerian threatened to punish Shaye I kept thinking this is just one more reason for her to get the hell out of Dodge.

Also, the whole virginity thing annoys me, especially when the lead female is from this century. "I have no idea about this thing you call sex" is no longer an excuse for virgins. In fact, you would have to willfully keep yourself secluded from anything sexual to be so ignorant. Shaye treated sex like this mythical thing that she couldn't allow herself because then it would be a gateway for more hurtful things. Insert biggest eye roll ever. This b**** could have googled some stuff and educated herself. But no, she has to rely on a nymph to provide her sexual awakening, "Hey! This sex thing isn't so bad after all!"

I know this is more of a rant about the book than actual review but I just couldn't get past the storyline. In fact, I was more interested in Brenna than Shaye and Brenna only comprises a small part of the book. Brenna's story is the story I wanted to hear about. Not how Shaye was never loved as a child.

Overall, if you want to read about sexy god-like men with rippling muscles and a woman who is afraid of her own sexuality, then this book is up your alley because it takes until almost the end of the book to throw in some conflict. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2011 Patricia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, _adult, paranormal-dragons, paranormal-vampires, review-planned, setting-otherworld, setting-present

The Nymph King was.. a mixture of good - we got to see the other side, Darius 'enemies' as good guys/the protagonists, who just did what they needed to do in order to survive, have a home etc. - and not so good - kidnapping, Paris-ing etc. (Paris as in the keeper of promiscuity. If you don't know whom I'm talking about, read LOTU. Now.) And where Paris is just doing what his demon needs him to do, not really enjoying it the Nymphs surely do.

I didn't like their attitude, nor did I like the h/h....more

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Feb 09, 2013 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-immortals-reading-challenge, 2013-mount-tbr-reading-challenge, 2013-sexy-showalter-reading-challen, pnr-uf

With this third installment in the Atlantis series, I was curiously anticipating a story involving a race of creatures that aren't known for monogamy and require sex to survive. It was fascinating getting her idea of dragons and then a book that pulled a little from all the races in Atlantis, but now it zeroed in on the Nymphs who were briefly mentioned in the other books. I was ready to be intrigued yet again.

This was one of those stories that teetered on the edge of like/dislike for me. I hone...more With this third installment in the Atlantis series, I was curiously anticipating a story involving a race of creatures that aren't known for monogamy and require sex to survive. It was fascinating getting her idea of dragons and then a book that pulled a little from all the races in Atlantis, but now it zeroed in on the Nymphs who were briefly mentioned in the other books. I was ready to be intrigued yet again.

This was one of those stories that teetered on the edge of like/dislike for me. I honestly wanted to like it and did to a certain extent particularly the last portion of it, but I just couldn't get past my dislike of the female lead. I stuck with it through my initial dislike of Shaye because I trust Gena to give me a good story and I had a general idea of where Gena was going with this character. To combat the sexual pull and mystique that Nymphs have on everyone they come into contact with, Valerian the Nymph King's heroine had to be someone who wasn't pulled in by his Nymph power, but by someone who wanted him as himself. And the reverse had to be true. Valerian had to be attracted to and learn what it was to court a female who couldn't just be pulled in by his power.
So like I say, I got the writer's choice to write about a heroine who had been hurt by love and kept herself apart from others and kept herself far away from her feelings. Unfortunately, Shaye was too much for me in the sense that she claimed to be cold and hateful and purposefully drove others away so that she couldn't be hurt again, but underneath all that she roiled with hurt, pain and unhealthy emotions. I was appalled every time Shaye made the conscious decision to be a witch to perfectly innocent people who came into her life. If it had been a knee-jerk reaction or she didn't even realize she was being horrid, that would have been one thing, but to pause, think it through and decide to say an unprovoked cruel or rude statement just didn't work for me. Then I didn't get the man-hater thing when she hadn't been around men long enough to form that deep of an opinion- hey, we all could cite times when a relationship didn't work out for us, but that doesn't mean take it out on the rest of the world for the rest of your life. She was totally transferring the stuff with her mom and dad onto the rest of the human race which just struck me as pitiable and sad instead of snarky and feisty.
I approved of the fact that she didn't instantly cave in to the arrogant and 'confident in his own abilities to bag any female he wanted' Valerian, but it just made him look like a real hero when he worked harder than ever over the long haul to prove himself to her. I loved that he he was happy to finally find his mate and that he cherished Shaye, but I personally struggled to see something worth cherishing there.

So now that I've gone on ad nauseum about the heroine which probably seems like it took up much of the review, I'll just say that the relationship battle between Shaye and Valerian was the main plot and focus of the book which should explain why I was frustrated about Shaye and discussed it at length.
The other parts of the book was a side storyline involving Valerian's cousin Joachim who made a play for Valerian's throne and made a play for one of the other human women, Brenna that were captured with Shaye. I found Brenna's storyline probably my favorite part of the book. There was also a subplot involving the Greek god Poseidon finally taking an interest in Atlantis and deciding to interfere a little in things. Then there was a confrontation when Darius and his dragons came to take back the castle from the Nymphs. That last portion of the book redeemed it for me because finally Shaye has gotten her head on straight, Valerius is in his defining hour, and there's a great deal of action between the Nymphs, Dragons and the Vampires with the ominous presence of Poseidon that will probably carry over into the next book of the series.

In the end, it was not my favorite installment, but it wasn't a dud either. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 14, 2013 Aly (Mircea) Basarab rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-sexy-showalter-challenge, favorites, paranormal, 2013-group-challenge

Buddy read with Maru.

Quotes:
“Do you like the palace?” he asked again.
She hesitated before saying, “I’ll be honest. Your home…the walls, remind me of you.”
Our home, little moonbeam, our home. “Thank you.”
Frowning, she slapped at his hand, trying to force him to release his hold. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Being told pictures of sex make you think of me is not a compliment?”
Her mouth fell open, but she snapped it closed. “That’s not how I meant it, and you know it.”
He chuckled. “Deny it all you w...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-romance

i got this (as well as Jewel of atlantis) for xmas and had read The Vampire King (layels story) before and liked it but had read a snippet of this one and was hooked i really wanted to read this one next (though out of sequence it doesnt seem to affect the story which i like)

and was as good as i thought
i loved the passion and chemistry between valerian and shaye .. you could Fell it emulating from the book from the moment ya met ...
and yes he is an arrogant cocky guy whos unbelievebly good loo...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Merve Özcan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: godish, immortal, dragon, mythology, romance, were, vampire

well it gave me what ı expected. give or take some things. a happly ever after, sex, a human sexy men. it was fun to read. but ididnt expect Posedion will show himself. he "got bored" and he came to Atlantis to pnish him which is made me very angery.

Valorian Nymph king, he is in dire need of ,actually his men,sex and women nymphs nowhere to find they go surface and takes human females. A female is mate of Valorian. After some seduction they find their happly ever after.

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Feb 24, 2010 Dhympna du Maurier rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like campy Para-roms

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-romance, para-rom

OK. So, I am giving this book two stars because it is sort of corny and full of the typical paranormal romance tropes. BUT, in terms of a guilty pleasure book, I would probably give it three stars.

Yes, the hero is the ultimate man-whore. Actually, he sort of gives new meaning to misogynistic man-whore with his compelling nymphy fragrance. Yes, some readers will be turned off by the whole concept of women as food/possessions/dinner/sex toy thing going on in this book. I am sure that some die hard...more

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Dec 31, 2010 OceMei Belikova♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-in-2010, novel-terjemahan

not bad la~~ :)
lucu banget si Valerian raja para nymph yang gak pernah ditolak perempuan sekalipun ketemu pasangan hidupnya yang setengah mati menolak bercinta maupun bersentuhan dengannya.lol
satu co yg penuh hasrat, satu lagi cewek yang keras kepala namun wanita paling cantik dimata Valerian.

kenapa ngasi 3, karena gak suka aja dengan Shaye yang malu-malu tapi mau :p kurang sret ma sifatnya :p
tapi tetep enjoy kok bacanya.hoho..

selain percintaan, disini juga ada perdamaian dan persabatan oleh...more

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May 04, 2009 Mistress ~ ♠ Mistral's Kiss ♠ ~ (Mist) rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those looking for a fluffy/generic Para Romance to kill some time.

Shelves: paranormal-romance-chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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...more 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 efff 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.

Curious about my blog or how other blogs reviewed the title?(less)

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Nov 28, 2011 Cean rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was the first fiction book I picked in year 2011 (yes, I haven't read a book for almost a year), and it reminded me of how much I'd fallen in love with paranormal romance since young until this heavy school workload curses came falling upon me as I grow. Now I'm back. Falling in love with these stories again, from these amazing authors that have the "powers" to make me secretly crave for more of these oh-so-hot stories.

I am so glad I stumbled upon Gena Showalter. Her books are honestly, my ty...more
It was the first fiction book I picked in year 2011 (yes, I haven't read a book for almost a year), and it reminded me of how much I'd fallen in love with paranormal romance since young until this heavy school workload curses came falling upon me as I grow. Now I'm back. Falling in love with these stories again, from these amazing authors that have the "powers" to make me secretly crave for more of these oh-so-hot stories.

I am so glad I stumbled upon Gena Showalter. Her books are honestly, my type of books. Perhaps that's the reason why I picked this book and broke my almost one year curse of not reading fiction.

The Nymph King screams of sensuality. That's how he was described nearly everywhere in the book. He didn't have to do anything. He just had to... exist. Ah, yes that's the word. Exist. Shaye seems to be the only one who can resist him, not affected by his arrogant beauty. The almighty my-body-is-here guy pleasing her in ever way and she says no.

"Did you dream of me?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted grudgingly. She had. She'd dreamed of his hands caressing her, of his mouth devouring her.

His lush lips inched into a surprised but pleased smile.

"You were naked," she told him.

His grin spread; his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"And tied up..."

He arched his eye brows in smug expectation. "I did not know the idea of bondage would please you."

"Oh, I love the idea of typing you up." She paused dramatically. "Just like in my dream, you'll be secured to an ant-hill and the little things will eat you alive."

I like her attitude.

After reading around 80 per cent of the book, she suddenly gives in. I know it gets kinda draggy when someone keeps saying no to an obvious love from a guy described to be that sensual, but I was hoping to have more. Shaye certainly has a strong character to resist a nymph's touch, but ... if there could be perhaps, something more into the story, when she finally accepted his love.

Since I chose to pick the third book out of the Atlantis series, there are some points in which I didn't quite understand, like parts on the dragon and the vampire. So... I'll be starting from book #1 of the Atlantis Series after this review.

Loved this book, has interesting content, and deserves a 4.5 / 5.

Also posted this review on my blog, www.ohdearlife.com.(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Cassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, pnr, 2012

I'm not too sure about the nymphs and their enslaving powers. I'm still wondering why Brenna and Shaye were (mostly) able to ingore the the power the nymphs had over all the other women. I understand Brenna to some extent, but Shaye being immiune is still a puzzle. Mates maybe but the book says that even mates become enslaved, so maybe it's that they are human and mates? Sounds good anyway.

I liked this book more than the first two in the series (Heart of the Dragon & Jewel of Atlantis). I di...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Patti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Oooo another Gena Showalter. Virgin (every single time I swear.) Hot Atlantean creature (this time a sex crazed nymph.) Somewhat of a plot mostly driven by the romance. Where is this going? You know exactly where it's going. This is basically a porno in book form. Orgies, BJs, hand-jobs, you name it. There really is never a plot to these. Never ever. Never ever ever. But they're enjoyable…to an extent. If you're looking for a series with an interesting plot diagram, this isn't it. Stay away.

Tha...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Jessica `~Blahyze~` rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: atlantis-series, favourites, gena-showalter, books-i-own

Amazing, I think I may just love this one more then the first,I know I love it more then the second. I like how the leading lady (Shaye) didn't just give up and swoon like all the other chicks, she had strength and power. She was her own self, and I liked how Valerian didn't give up on her. I loved this book, really loved this book. But one thing bothers me, why are all the lead females virgins???

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Feb 28, 2012 Esther Yam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Being only the third book I've read by the author, I wasn't sure what to expect (except for the gratuitous sex of course) from this particular instalment. What I really liked was that the protagonist this time wasn't an insipid whiner, but instead seemed to have a mind of her own and some form of 'feistiness' that was a nice change from the other two lead characters in the previous books.

That being said, Shaye's bitchiness got tiring and monotonous after awhile (this goes on for 3/4 of the book...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Rebecca (everyday reader) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Valerian, king of the Nymphs, has never had to work at getting a woman, but he has to work for Shaye, a human and his mate. I love it!! Not even Poseidon can interfere. A good continuation of the Atlantis series. She is untouched by any man until him, and he has bedded anything that came near him for centuries. Complete opposites, but very compatible in all ways. Great read!!

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Mar 14, 2010 Maria D'Isidoro rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-loan

A friend who thought I needed a laugh lent me this one. Laugh? boy did I ever. It's SUCH a stereotypical erotica. We've got no plot (though a little is thrown in near the end), some purple prose and questionable grammar, and exaggerated and conformist gender roles. Hello strong warrior man who knows nothing of love but is ACTUALLY totally misunderstood and needs to civilizing influence of a woman. Greetings healer woman who has daddy issues/mommy issues/abusive ex-boyfriend issues, and needs a s...more

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Mar 23, 2010 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, series, contemporary

I was pretty excited to read this book in the Atlantis Series. Everything mentioned previously in the series describes the nymphs as the strongest warriors in Atlantis although they are the most laid back. They won't bother you if you don't bother them first.

Valerian, King of the Nymphs, has led his army to capture a castle from the dragons. To retaliate the dragons stole the nymph females. Valerian's men are getting antsy and weak because even though Valerian is still getting sex to keep his s...more I was pretty excited to read this book in the Atlantis Series. Everything mentioned previously in the series describes the nymphs as the strongest warriors in Atlantis although they are the most laid back. They won't bother you if you don't bother them first.

Valerian, King of the Nymphs, has led his army to capture a castle from the dragons. To retaliate the dragons stole the nymph females. Valerian's men are getting antsy and weak because even though Valerian is still getting sex to keep his strength up, his men aren't. Valerian finally decides to lead them to the surface world to capture unattached woman to have sex with, but swears that he won't claim any of the women from the men. Unfortunately for Valerian he recognizes his mate, Shaye, among the woman. Now he has to deal with figuring out how to claim her without breaking his word and how to get her to want to be with him.

As I was reading I was really curious to find out how the author would swing Shaye falling for Valerian. The man doesn't have any respect for women other than for their bodies. He has a huge ego and has slept with a gargantuan amount of women. For a women coming from modern earth I'd expect those to be pretty big issues that they have to work through together. Unfortunately there was much more time spent on sex and lusting to have sex. Shaye did try to make the nymphs see that what they were doing was wrong but she easily ignored her own objections when it came to lusting after Valerian.

The second half of the book where there was more interaction with the dragons and vampires was more interesting. It seemed like a little more time was spent on the plot and a little less on the sex. I wish more time had been spent making Valerian and Shaye seem like they were really falling in love. It's sad to say, but I felt more of a connection between the characters in the secondary romance. One part that I did think was funny though was in the beginning where Valerian kept asking Shaye if she could smell him. I thought it was pretty cute.(less)

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May 23, 2011 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gena-showalter, fantasy

Setelah baca 2 buku sebelumnya yg menegangkan, agak kecewa deh ...baca buku ini, soalnya gak ada petualangannya sama sekali. Padahal aku berharap banyak klu petualangan di buku ini bisa lebih seru dari 2 buku sebelumnya :(.

Sampe 3/4 buku, cerita cuman muter2 di kebutuhan para nymph untuk mendapatkan kepuasan alias "sex" untuk menambah stamina hehehe :D. Diawali dengan perginya para nymph ke dunia permukaan, lagi2 untuk menambah stamina, dan bertemunya Raja Nymph, Valerian dengan Shaye yg ternyat...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

★★★☆ I liked it

O'oh. This series started so good but has kept dropping from there. I expected this to be a fantastic book focussing on the impending war between the nymphs and dragons, with a love story of course. Instead, we just get a sex-crazed King who won't stop until he gets what he wants. Sex, sex, sex. It's pretty much all that happens (or is thought about). Even the "war" was lacklustre. Shaye is meant to be his mate but he seems to just want to have sex with her for the rest of his lif...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Kerra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sorry, Gena Showalter. Stokholm Syndrome isn't sexy.

The plot of "The Nymph King" (or any other Gena Showalter book) is essentially a porno. Valerian, the unbelievably sexy Nymph King (nymphs are basically sex addicts) kidnaps Shaye, a young, cynical woman who wants nothing to do with love. He drags her to Atlantis and basically tells her that he will have sex with her no matter how much she says no (um rape much?).

I'm assuming that in te context of a romance novel this seems sexy, but in realit...more

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About Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been transl...more

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Books by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, #1)

The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld, #2)

The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld, #3)

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, #4)

The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld, #5)

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Quotes from The Nymph King

“I love this quote when Valerian the King of the Nymphs says to his mate Shaye;

"I am Valerian, leader of the nymphs. You may call me Oh God, that is what the other surface dwellers have preferred to call me".” — 33 people liked it

“Did you dream of me?" he asked.

"Yes," she admitted grudgingly. She had. She'd dreamed of his hands caressing her, of his mouth devouring her.

His lush lips inched into a surprised but pleased smile.

"You were naked," she told him.

His grin spread; his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"And tied up..."

He arched his eye brows in smug expectation. "I did not know the idea of bondage would please you."

"Oh, I love the idea of typing you up." She paused dramatically. "Just like in my dream, you'll be secured to an ant-hill and the little things will eat you alive.” — 16 people liked it

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The Nymph King (Atlantis #3)

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