The Crystal Cerridwen Press Category:  Romance Publisher: cerridwenpress.com ISBN-10:  1419908118 Pages: 249 “Only the chosen ones or their mates will ever be able to see the magic contained in the Globe.” Caught in a downpour, Gabriella Bell enters a trendy little shop and discovers a crystal ball in which she sees the face of a hard-eyed stranger. Drawn by a force she doesn’t understand she buys the crystal, unaware she is purchasing stolen property that belongs to the aunt of a premiere cat burglar known to polite society as Christopher Saint and to the underworld as The Tiger. She soon discovers that not only does Christopher want the mysterious globe but so does a beautiful jewel thief who will stop at nothing, including murder, to possess Christopher and the crystal ball. In The Crystal, Gabriella discovers the road to true love isn’t just rocky, it’s downright dangerous. The stone was the size of a large man’s fist. Tamarilla, princess of the fairies, touched the fiery emerald in passing as she fluttered back and forth her feet not touching the floor. Incandescent sparks of light flashed from her wings as they twitched in agitation. “The Future Stone has belonged to the women of my family for generations to prophecy and to foretell their lover,” the princess told a wizened old woman sitting against a masonry wall. “Zan,” the prince of elves, “is only marrying me to get his hands on my stone. To unite the kingdoms, my father is going along with it.” Tamarilla stopped pacing and stared wistfully at the flawless emerald, yearning for a vision of a young and handsome leman. With a heavy sigh, she straightened her shoulders and put away the dreams of youth. Her lips, likened by many to rose petals, thinned into a straight line. “Zan will not use it for good, can’t my father see this?” Her heart thudded against the wispy confines of the gown she wore, as if it would tear free of her body and fly away from the restrictions of royalty. She sighed at the fanciful thought then turned to the old woman. “I know my destiny is to marry Zan, that I will never have true love. I have foreseen it in the stone. I accept it. With royalty comes responsibility. But how do I protect the stone for the women of my family who are to come? Hundreds of years from now my descendants will be mortal. The fairy line will die out. I have seen this too in the stone. Somehow, I must keep it safe for them, safe from Zan.” She knelt beside the woman who, in Tamorilla’s seventeen years of life, had been her nurse, teacher and wise woman. She put her head in the old woman’s lap. “What shall I do, Nimue?” Nimue touched the glittering strands of hair that fell like sheaths of gold over her faded purple skirt. “Be brave little one and embrace your destiny with dignity. Zan is not a bad elf. But he is a male. And they all have their failings.” The old woman stood and raised the princess to her feet. “Get up child. I will protect the stone for your line. “How?” “Watch,” the nurse commanded, in a voice she had never used before. Electricity fairly crackled around her. The princess could feel her eyes widen as Nimue stretched out her arms, pointed her long bony fingers at the stone, and began to chant: “Stone of light, stone of wealth, May the seed of this child’s future dwell. Only Women of her line May see their true love in their time Exception of the spell is this The Chosen’s mate shall know stone’s bliss.” As Nimue chanted a mist began to form in the room, purple and blue swirls of smoke danced through the chamber. The mist thickened. It formed and reformed, swirling faster and faster, until it settled around the stone. Outside, the sky grew dark as a wild green and black storm rolled in. Loud booms of thunder shook the room. A brilliant bolt of lightning shot through the open window. Like a thrown spear, it cut through the purple-blue mist, straight to the emerald. Then all became still. Tamorilla blinked and crossed her arms to control the trembling that shook her body. From outdoors, she heard the tentative chirp of a wren. She glanced at the window, surprised to see sunlight once more pouring through. The black and green fury of the storm magically dissipating, being replaced by fluffy white clouds and a soft blue sky. The purple and blue mist blanketing the room dissolved. The princess looked at the table and froze as fear and shock coursed through her. The future stone was gone! In its place sat a green crystal ball. “What have you done? Where is my emerald?” she cried. “I was once the lover of the great Merlin himself. He taught me much magic,” the old nurse explained. “Your Future Stone is safe. Look closely at the crystal.” Frightened, the princess forced herself to approach it. She reached her hand out stopping just inches from the beautiful orb. “Go ahead,” Nimue urged her. “It knows your touch like a lover’s.” Tamorilla leaned forward and traced its surface with her index finger. Her eyes widened and she smiled then encircled it with both hands, throwing her head back, arching her neck, and closing her eyes in ecstasy. As she held the stone, colors inside it began to swirl with a life of their own. Feeling the globe pulsing in her hands, the princess opened her eyes and gazed in wonder as the swirls formed a pattern and the pattern became a child, a child that looked exactly as she. Nimue’s voice was gentle. “You will never know the wild excitement that comes from carnal knowledge of your one true love, but you will know contentment and love of a child that is purer than the love of a man. Your life will not be a maelstrom of passion but you will know quiet fulfillment. You and your king will reign in peace for many years. And that is a better legacy than many are given.” The princess studied her offspring. “And my beautiful child?” Nimue smiled, “Will know love and passion. She will have a good life.” Tamorilla tapped her shell-pink fingertips against the crystal. In its center lodged the emerald known as the Future Stone. “And this?” “It shall be as you wished. Passed down from generation to generation to the women in your family, who will see their true love in the stone.” “And if it’s stolen?” “It will find its way home.” “What if the globe is broken and the stone stolen?” “No one, not even a family member, can break through the protective orb.” Tamorilla watched it, fascinated. “What about women outside my family?” Nimue laughed. “Oh, child you were always one for questions. Only those of your direct line, those that mingle their blood with that of your direct line, or the children added by love to your line—the chosen ones—or their mates will ever be able to see the magic contained in the globe. Now come, it is time for the engagement ball.”      Excerpt Gabby reached for the crystal ball and felt heat. Drawn, she splayed her fingers until her palms nestled around it. A delicious wave of warmth spread through her, like sitting in front of a crackling fire on a cold winter night. Ecstasy coursed through her body. But the pleasurable senation dissipated like smoke, leaving fear in its wake, as the crystal began to pulse beneath her hand. Transfixed, she watched the crystal glow, the colors changing from green to blue, as the hues danced like waves on the ocean. Her breath hitched in her throat as the coloration fell away and a face began to form. Its blurred outline moved back and forth, wraithlike, and then sprang into sharp focus. Her nerveless fingers dropped from the ball. The face in the globe belonged to the hard-eyed stranger she'd bumped into outside the shop, only moments before.

Romance Reviews Today
THE CRYSTAL - Sandra Cox
Cerridwen Press - www.cerridwenpress.com
ISBN: 1-4199-0811-8
January 2007
Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Springfield, Illinois; New Orleans, Louisiana; Calcutta, India - Present Day

Gabby Bell is just trying to get inside out of the rain when she steps into a New Age shop. But a green glow towards the back of the store immediately captures her attention. There doesn't seem to be anything especially interesting about the crystal ball, until Gabby sees a face in it. Something tells her she must have the crystal and, five hundred dollars later, it's hers. Then the fun begins.

Christopher Saint, a well-regarded playboy, is known in underworld circles as the Tiger, a man not to be crossed. When he discovers his adopted aunt Tamara's crystal ball has been stolen, Christopher is on a mission to recapture it. This brings him to Gabriella Bell, a blonde Nordic goddess who rubs him the wrong way. Even worse, for a man who sometimes deals with the shadier side of life, locking horns with a reporter who has a policeman for a father is definitely disconcerting.

But squabbles about who owns the ball take a back seat to a deadlier challenge. Who stole the crystal in the first place, and why? Soon, Christopher and Gabby find themselves working together, aided by his fey aunt Tamara, on a quest to protect the family heirloom. On top of everything else, a battle of sexual wills breaks out between the two as Gabby tries to understand why she keeps seeing Christopher's face in the ball.

An entertaining tale, THE CRYSTAL is a throwback to romances of the past, but with a thoroughly modern flair. The genre of today can sometimes slide into the erroneous assumption that more sex, or more explicit sex, is better. Sex has its place, but what author Sandra Cox excels at in this tale is the build up of the sexual tension, enough so that the reader can easily imagine the actual event, without the step-by-step details. It certainly brings an innocence and real romance to a tale that this reader absolutely enjoyed.

Gabriella is a go-getter who is not afraid to go after a story when she sniffs one out. Christopher Saint's arrival in her life smells like the kind of story that can get her from freelance to a steady job. Christopher is totally unprepared for the tenacious Gabby and her unexpected affect on his life and heart. Toss into the mix a matchmaking aunt, two adorable pets, and a crystal ball with a mind of its own, and you've got a great story.

Humor, romance, and adventure combine to create an entertaining romance that I highly recommend picking up.

Kathy Samuels



Fallen Angel Reviews
The Crystal


The Crystal delivers a romantic tale with an original flare.

Christopher Saint has grown up on the romantic tales of the globe, yet he really didn?t give them much credence. However, when the globe is stolen he searches for it only to discover a beautiful, stubborn woman believes she owns it. Gabriella Bell bought the globe on a whim. Despite the enigmatic stranger reflected in its depths, something about it calls to her on an elemental level. When the face shows up in person, Gabriella?s life takes an unexpected turn that might be just what her heart needs if it doesn?t kill her first.

The Crystal takes an unusual premise and delivers a full-bodied romance. The paranormal aspects of the story are somewhat light, but factor heavily into the plot when needed. The author was able to pull this off by having strong, likeable characters that easily kept the plot moving. The antagonist is definitely not one of the good guys and is sure to make your skin crawl. I loved the dialogue; it is quick, witty, and readily reflects the personality of the characters. The exchanges between Chris and Gabriella are a true delight of barbs, sexual tension, and honest caring. The secondary characters flesh out the story and interject plenty of humor and insight. The action keeps a steady pace with little forays here and there to help bring the suspense and romance together into an enjoyable story.

Reviewed by: Amanda S.



Romance Junkies
Despite his name, Christopher Saint is definitely not a saint. In fact, he is known as the Tiger in the shady underworld, a ruthless thief who always gets his treasure. Just how cunning and resourceful is this steely eyed man, Gabriella Bell is about to find out when the alluring crystal ball that she owns ends up missing. Smelling a story in the making, tenacious freelance reporter Gabriella follows the thieving Christopher to his home town and into danger in pursuit of her globe.



More than just a simple green orb, all those that are chosen and their mates will be able to see the magic contained in the globe. And it is the fairy globe as well as destiny that bring these two headstrong adversaries together despite their social differences and family background.


From a glittering ballroom in New Orleans to the disreputable backstreets of Calcutta, Sandra Cox takes us into high adventure where the action is thick, fast and furious. In a world populated by intriguing characters such as the gruff moonshiner John Paul and the beauteous but deadly Lai, even a "tacky" crystal ball can be the stuff of legends and destiny. Definitely a book to keep the adrenaline pumping and the wonder of magic alive!