Gena Showalter, The Nymph King

The Nymph King

Gena Showalter

Harlequin HQN, Feb 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 0373771886

Shaye Holling thanks her mother for her successful anti-cards business that centers on the idea that love, if it even exists, is evanescent, ending before it can begin; forget that hokey, ever-after, fairytale junk. Shaye does not even blink though she is a bit stunned as mom invites her to attend wedding number six.

The King of the Nymphs Valerian and his men attend the ceremony seeking women to take back to Atlantis to mate with his male horde. When his species fail to have sexual gratification, they turn feeble and pathetic; he knows firsthand how that feels. Most of the women at the wedding including mom agree to go back to Atlantis with the nymphs, who have cast a web of romance on all the women except Shaye and one other female guest who refuse. Valerian will not accept Shaye's rejection, but before battling this human anti-romantic, he must fight against his best warriors for the right to pursue her as she is the key to winning an upcoming battle that if lost could destroy Atlantis.

Readers will have to adapt to male warrior hunks as nymphs, but Gena Showalter makes them seem real as do Atlantis, dragons, and vampires, oh my. The storyline is fast-paced and oceans deep as Valerian and Shaye battle over whether love exists. Romantic fantasy fans already know Ms. Showalter always provides a winner (see THE STONE PRINCE); her latest is no exception.

Harriet Klausner