LORD OF THE DEEP - Dawn Thompson
The Elementals, Book 1
Kensington Aphrodisia
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-2179-7
ISBN-10: 0-7582-2179-7
September 2007
Erotic Paranormal Romance

The Isle of Mists in the Eastern Archipelago, Principalities of Arcus – the Past

One night while gazing out of her window, Megleen watches as a cluster of seals emerges from the ocean and onto the seastrand. Meg is living with her Aunt Adelia after being accused of being a witch on the mainland, so she knows that magic exists, but when the seals begin to shed their skins, and what appear are the most beautiful human beings Meg has ever seen, it is even beyond her comprehension. Meg has heard of Selkies, legendary creatures of the sea with the ability to shape shift, but she thought they were a fable.

Still glued to her window, Meg watches as the Selkies start to mate and engage in an orgy. Her gaze is drawn to one man, clearly the leader of the group. Stunned but aroused, and sure that no one can see her, Meg opens her smock, and imagines that the Selkie leader is making love to her. When Meg’s gaze collides with his, she gets flustered. He could not have seen her touching herself, could he? She moves away from the window, and when she moves back, the seashore is deserted. Had she imagined it all? Meg leaves her aunt’s cottage to investigate.

LORD OF THE DEEP is a sex-driven romp of a story that opens with an amazing concept that does not falter or disappoint. Simeon, the Lord of the Deep, is the leader of all the sea creatures and a Selkie. Although it is not uncommon for Selkies to mate with human beings, they do not fall in love with them. Selkies are too notorious for not being faithful, so you can imagine Simeon's surprise when he not only falls in love with Meg, but also actually wants to be faithful to her. Meg is innocent and has to remain so before her initiation to become a priestess of the Isle of Mists. But once she meets Simeon, her plans, and her virginity, go out the window.

The sex is constant throughout LORD OF THE DEEP, but it never seems out of place within the context of the story. Simeon, because of his Selkie nature, is highly sexed, and Meg’s passionate nature blooms under Simeon’s tutelage. They are madly in love with each other, therefore their love scenes do not seem contrived or forced.

Meg and Simeon are likeable, and, I think, loveable characters. There are some plot devices that Ms. Thompson uses that are repetitive but other details -- the imagery of the underwater ocean, the sensual sex scenes, and other magical beings -- overshadow these flaws and will not stop readers from enjoying the story.

There are some secondary characters who must be mentioned like Gideon, the Dark Lord; Vega, Simeon's half brother, who is half-human and half Selkie. Vega loves his brother, but knows the pitfalls of being born a half-breed and not fully belonging to either the human or the underwater world. Then there is Pio, Simeon's faithful protector.

A Romeo and Juliet of the sea, and did I mention the sex was hot? Also, this is the first in what, hopefully, will be a fascinating series. LORD OF THE DARK is scheduled to arrive in bookstores sometime in 2008. An inventive tale with characters to root for, fast paced, and with a richly drawn and intriguing setting, I recommend heading to your local bookstore and seeking out a copy of LORD OF THE DEEP.

Nickole Yarbrough