Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20427 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"A world of myth, mayhem and love under the sea!" -- USA Today bestselling author J.R. Ward

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Atlantis

Upon awakening, Valerian, King of the Nymphs, untangled himself from the naked, slumbering woman beside him, only to discover his legs were entwined with two other naked, slumbering women.

With a sleep-rough chuckle, he fell back onto the softness of the bed, dark strands of feminine hair cascading atop his shoulder. Silky red tendrils floated over his stomach, intertwining prettily with another woman's blond tresses. Satisfaction hummed inside him.

There were only four females in residence, and all four were deliciously human. Utterly sexual. Captivating. A few weeks ago, right after his army had taken control of this fortress, the women had accidentally entered through a portal leading from the surface world. The gods must have been smiling upon him last eve because three of them had found their way into his bed.

He grinned slowly, and his gaze traveled over the sated beauties sleeping so peacefully around him. Tall, rounded and sun-kissed they were, with faces ranging from daringly bold to endearingly plain.

Whatever they looked like, he didn't care. Quite simply, he loved women. He loved his power over them and wasn't ashamed of it. Wasn't repentant. Oh, no. He enjoyed. Relished. Savored.

Devoured.

Though none in particular had ever been more to him than a passing fancy, he adored every luscious inch of them. Their sweet softness, their breathy moans. Their decadent flavors. He loved the way their legs tightened around his waist (or head) and welcomed him into paradise, allowing him a gentle slide or a rough pounding whichever he happened to prefer at the time.

As he lay there, light uncoiled slender fingers from the crystal ceiling above, caressing everything it touched and bathing his companions in a haze of glittery shadow and shimmery illumination. Desire scented the air, nearly palpable in its headiness. Heat radiated from each of the female bodies, weaving a dangerously seductive cocoon around them.

Yes, he led a sweet, sweet life.

Women had only to look at Valerian to crave him. Smell his erotically seductive Nymph fragrance to ready themselves for his pleasure. Hear his husky, wine-rich voice to strip for him. Feel a single caress of his fingertips to erupt into peak after delicious peak and beg for more. He was not boastful about this; it was simply fact.

Just then the female with the raven hair stirred and rested her small, delicate hand on his chest. Janet? Gail? He wasn't sure of her name. Couldn't recall any of their names, really. They were bodies, in a long line of well-pleasured bodies in which he found succor; females who had chosen to eagerly allow him inside.

"Valerian," the dark-headed one breathed, an exquisite prayer. Her expression remained soft from sleep, but her hand began a slow, downward glide and wrapped around his cock, stroking up and down, awakening it from slumber.

Without sparing her a glance, he reached down and clasped her palm to his, stilling her movement and bringing her fingers to his lips for a chaste kiss. She shivered, and he felt her nipples harden against his side.

"Not this morning, sweet," he said, speaking in her native tongue. It had taken him the entire length of the past two weeks, but he'd finally mastered her oddly fluid language. Once he'd figured it out, it was as if some part of him had always known it. "In a few moments, I must be on my way. I'm needed elsewhere."

As much as he would love to stay and lose himself in another hour (or two) of such delicious debauchery, his men awaited him in the training arena. There, he would help them hone their sword skills and vanquish the frustration plaguing them so fiercely all these many days. Hopefully their ever-present carnal needs would be forgotten as they prepared for the war he knew waited on the horizon.

War. He sighed. Since his army had conquered this palace and stolen it from dragons"dragons already weakened from a previous battle with humans"war had been inevitable. He accepted that. But now his men were weakened. Not from battle, though. They were weakened from lack of sex. And that was unacceptable.

Sexual contact helped their minds and bodies retain strength. Such was the way of the nymphs. Perhaps he should have brought the nymph females with them to this palace. But to keep them safe, he'd forced them to remain behind. He had not anticipated being separated from them this long.

Since the initial battle was over, he had summoned their females here. Unfortunately, they had not arrived and there was no trace of them in the Inner or Outer cities. Concern grew inside him daily. He'd sent a battalion of men to search for them"with an order to kill anyone who might have hurt them. Woe to that enemy, for a nymph's wrath was a terrible thing.

Despite his concern, he would not doubt if the females"who needed sex as desperately as the males"had stumbled upon a group of men and had yet to end their orgy. That didn't help his men, however.

"Hmm, you feel good," the dark-haired woman beside him whispered. "Being near you is better than making love with any other man."

"I know, sweet," Valerian uttered distractedly. With no end in sight to his army's abstinence, he should have felt guilty for his excess last night. And he would have felt guilty, if he'd been the one to summon the women here. But they had followed him, tearing at his clothes and tracing their tongues over every inch of his flesh before he stepped a single foot into the room.

Truly, he had tried to peel them off and send them to his men, but the women had attacked him all the harder. What else could he have done but give in? Any other man"with a fully functioning cock, that is" would have done the same.

Perhaps, after the training session, he would suggest once again that these delectable morsels find other lovers.

"I know you have to leave, but, I'm dying to touch you, Valerian." Black lashes fluttered coyly, and the raven-haired female dipped her lips into a pouty frown. She eased to her elbow, placing her lush breasts in his direct line of vision. "Don't tell me no," she beseeched, tracing a fingertip around his nipple. "You took such good care of me last night. Let me take care of you now."

On his other side, his other companions stirred. "Mmm," the one with the fiery curls breathed. "Morning."

The other stretched like a contented kitten, uttering a low, throaty purr. As she inched into a sitting position, her disheveled golden locks tumbled onto her shoulders. When she spied him, she smiled slowly, seductively. "Good morning," she drawled, sleep clinging to her voice.

"You were amazing," the redhead said, her pale blue eyes wide with remembered satisfaction.

"As were you, sweet."Again he tried to remember her name, but couldn't. He shrugged. It wasn't important, anyway. They were all sweet to him. "Morning has arrived, and it's time for everyone to go about their duties."

"Don't send us away. Not yet," the dark-haired one said. Her warm breath fanned his ear a moment before her tongue flicked out and traced the curve of his left cheek. "Let us have another." she kissed his jaw "taste of." nibbled his throat "you."

Three sets of hands and breasts were suddenly all over him. Hot, greedy mouths sucked at him. Wet, needy female cores rubbed against him. The scent of new desire wafted from the bed, enveloping him.

"Just being near you makes me desperate to come," one gasped.

"You always know what I want even before I know," another panted. "I can't get enough of you."

"I'm addicted to you," the third breathed. "I'll die without you."

Moans and cries of pleasure echoed in his ears, the women's insatiable lust making them frantic for his touch. A fiery heat ignited in his own blood, strengthening him as only sex could. At times, when the need came upon him, he was reduced to an animalistic state, taking his lovers with a savage intensity better suited for the battlefield.

Now was one of those times.

With a growl, he opened his mouth and accepted someone's kiss, his hands tangling in hair and sweetly fragranced skin. Perhaps he'd join his men for lunch".

CLANG.

Sweat trickled down Valerian's bare chest, riding the ropes of muscle and pooling in his navel as he swung his sword, slamming the heavy metal into his opponent's upraised weapon.

Broderick stumbled backward and fell on his ass, flinging dirt in every direction. Some of it sprinkled on Valerian's freshly polished boots.

"Get up, man," he commanded when Broderick remained prone.

"Can't," his friend panted.

Valerian frowned. That was the fourth time Broderick had hit the ground during this training session, and they'd only been practicing an hour. Usually as stalwart and powerful as Valerian himself, Broderick's weakness today was disconcerting.

The guilt he'd managed to deny earlier roared to life. He should have sent the women on their way last eve, should have resisted them more determinedly this morning. While he was stronger than ever, these battlehardened warriors were reduced to this.

"Damn it all," Broderick muttered, his voice strained. Still he remained on the ground, head bent and held in his upraised hands, golden hair shielding his eyes. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

"What about the rest of you?" Valerian slashed his sword's tip into the sand, a tip that had been shaped and honed into the image of an elongated, lethal skull"a tip that inflicted irreparable damage. He'd aptly named it The Skull.

His gaze traveled the ranks of his army. Some were sitting on a bench, sharpening their blades, while others leaned against a silver-and-white stone wall, expressions lost, far away. Only Theophilus appeared ready for anything more than a nap. And only Theophilus paid him the least bit of notice.

Well, that was not quite true. Joachim was hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, his head ti...

Customer Reviews

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!

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.