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The Crystal Warrior

By Maree Anderson

She’s a dancer, and the most important thing in her life right now is the success of her new dance studio. He’s an alien Crystal Warrior with one big-ass curse hanging over him. In a moment of weakness she lets him seduce her. Now they’re magically bonded and his life is in her hands.

Winner of the Romance Writers of New Zealand Clendon Award for full-length romantic manuscript

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Chalcedony (Chalcey) has given up on men. Who’s got time for all that angsty dating crap when she’s got a new dance studio to run? Then she’s given a piece of wulfenite crystal and Lord Wulfenite, Keeper of the Shifting Sands fief, literally pops out of the crystal and plants one on her. Wulf is the man of her dreams… or at least, dressed like an ad for We Love Leather, with killer abs and delectable pectorals, he sure looks like the man of her dreams. But if there’s one thing Chalcey’s learned: If it looks too good to be true, then it sure as heck probably is too good to be true! And Wulf proves to be no exception.

Wulf doesn’t stop to wonder why he’s so attracted to Chalcedony. All he knows is he’s finally escaped from a centuries-long hell and he wants this woman – more than anything he’s wanted in his entire life. Chalcey doesn’t stand a chance. Before she realizes what’s at stake, she’s bonded with him and his life is in her hands. She knows she should walk away and leave him to his fate. No way is she planning on getting stuck with a guy who used to steal women for breeding stock! But the more she learns about Wulf and his past, the more conflicted she becomes.

Only when the Crystal Guardian’s curse threatens everything Chalcey’s worked so hard for, does she finally realize what’s truly important. But even if she can figure out how to save Wulf from his fate, it might be too late.

(Click here to view an excerpt or download a sample from Smashwords)

Click here to read an excerpt from The Crystal Warrior

Genre:	Paranormal Romance
Format:	eBook
Length:	Novel, approx 92,000 words
Price:	US $3.99 (or US$ equivalent)
Publisher:	Maree Anderson
Published:	August 2011
Smashwords ISBN: Amazon ASIN:	978-1-4657-1514-2 B005H6Y60M

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Reviews

THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

“Just picked up the 1st book in the Crystal Warrior series via a free thang on All Romance. Tried to stay up and finish it last night and gave up at 3am. Finally finished it this afternoon after deciding that the washing and cleaning could wait.

Wow… I really loved the characters in this. When I read the blurb I was not that interested in the sound of Chalcey – as in that I didn’t think I would be able to identify with a dance instructer. Okay, my mistake! I am so impressed with how you wrote a strong and independent woman who stood on her own two feet, took no crap from anyone and ran her own business. That I could identify with 100%. I read a lot of romance and I often feel that the women are not as strong as they could be and that they are simply part of a story that involves snaring some hot guy and getting a HEA- almost like their actual character is unimportant.

So 5 stars and have some extra bonus cookies for writing a believable woman who I was rooting for. I wanted her business to be a sucess just as much as I wanted her to get the guy.

And kudos for the plot twist. Usually they’re so obvious, but I didn’t see that one coming at all.

I liked Chalcey’s friends and the family dynamics that helped shape her character.

Wulf was a nice character too. (What’s not to like about a guy in leather?) He was a complex guy, but what I loved about him most was that you didn’t strip away his masculinity in order for him to ‘settle down’ and get his HEA. Too often books turn a bad boy into this domesticated mushy guy and strip away half of what made the character in the first place.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I really enjoyed the book. I’m off to buy #2.

Keep up the great work.”

Catriona (via email)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

I had decided that I wasn’t going to review any more romance novels since I get very few readers of those posts. When I finished reading the paranormal romance The Crystal Warrior by New Zealand author Maree Anderson I felt so refreshed that I had to change my plan.

Why did this book change my mind. I read a lot of books in a wide variety of genres. My Friday evening is for free reading, works that I don’t feel compelled to review; most of them are romances. This week I started reading The Crystal Warrior. I had read about fifteen pages, but it wasn’t really working for me. I called it a night. The next day I felt that I had dismissed the book without giving it a fair chance. As Maree is a Kiwi author and I really have a thing for New Zealand (we’ll be travelling there in less than three months, for our third trip), I picked it up the next day and continued reading. It wasn’t very many pages before I was submerged in the lives of Chalcedony, Wulfenite and Pietersite.

Don’t those sound like rock/crystal names. Exactly, main characters with the name of crystals. Chalcedony, known as Chalcey to her friends, wants nothing more than to open her dance studio. On her way to a meeting with a potential backer, she is sidetracked into an odd little shop that she had not noticed before. Pieter, the shopkeeper, asks her to select a crystal from a display. She feels attracted to one particular stone. This stone is Wulfenite.

Wulfenite, or rather Wulf, was the leader of a band of warriors that was intent on abducting all the suitable women from the village where Pieter lives. With no one from the village willing to take a stand against these warriors, Pieter determines he has to take a stand. Using the most powerful magic he has at his command, he traps the eleven warriors in their namesake crystals and locks them inside until they are released by their true love. Enter Chalcey into Wulf’s story.

I found this story refreshing. Chalcey wasn’t looking for love, she was intent on her business. She was an accomplished dancer with a dedicated staff and willing clientele. All she was missing was sufficient financing. I’ve read quite a few time travel type romances, and it is always interesting to see how the out-of-time person integrates into the new time. Wulf handled this well. He approached it as a warrior would a battle, just a different type of battle. It was interesting to watch. I am not a dancer, but I did enjoy the descriptions of the studio and the demonstration dances that Chalcey did with her dance partner. Almost made me want to sign up for a dance class.

There are currently three books in the Crystal Warrior series.

Heather Pearson (via Amazon)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

Okay, I picked this up as a freebie but I knew ahead of time that the writing would be good. My daughter is Lemon from the YA review blog [...] and she reviewed and loved Maree’s Freaks of Greenfield High. So I figured Crystal Warrior would be a safe bet -it was so much better than that! The characters are fun and well written, even the minor ones that don’t get a lot of face time (Samantha and Marcus need their own non-crystal story!) The villains are believable which sounds dumb but this is a contemporary story and let’s face it mustache twirling villains just throw everything off but you see them all the time in CR. Chalce is a girl after my own heart, even if I have two left feet. She fun and feisty but not so perky that you want to smack her every time she opens her mouth. When she hurt it felt real and not like -oh, this will last a page and then everything will be fine. Wulf manages to be a total alpha male -He’s from medieval times and an alien to boot! – but is a quick study in the art of seducing his woman. I loved this story and plan to read them all!

Lisette Carrithers (via Amazon)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

This book has it all, and leaves you wanting the next book in the series NOW! Chalcey is an independent woman who knows exactly what she wants, and how she plans to get it. She’s worked hard to achieve her dream, and isn’t about to let it go for the sexy stranger who rescues her from the Date from Hell. Even if he does make her pulse race, and her body ache for forbidden pleasures.

Wulf is a Crystal Warrior, brought here by a magic neither he nor Chalcey truly understand. This is their story, and the author has crafted it with enough emotion, suspense and twists that I found it hard to put down. It’s easy to see why it won the Clendon Award! I sure hope Ms. Anderson doesn’t make us wait too long for the sequel!

Anne Kane (via Smashwords)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

The Crystal Warrior is an intelligent, fast, action packed read with a feisty, sassy heroine Chalcedony and a really hunky hero, Wulfenite. This book has it all including laugh out loud humor, danger, twists and turns, and both protagonists have gut wrenching choices to be made that leave you wondering right to the very end as to whether Chalcey and Wulf will make it. I absolutely love the concept of the Crystal Warriors, and Wulf’s and Chalcey’s story is well plotted and a fantastic read that has you wanting more. Ms Anderson is an excellent writer. It’s very clear why this book won the prestigious The Clendon Award and I can’t wait to read more.

rowenamaywrites (via Amazon)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR

I thoroughly enjoyed The Crystal Warrior. No surprises that it won the RWNZ Clendon Award – everything about it was beautifully crafted. Characters felt real – even ancient warrior Wulf – and I loved the interaction between modern day independent heroine, Chalcey, and her hero. There was humour, angst, passion, the works! I am looking forward to the next book in Maree Anderson’s crystal warrior series.

Jennifer Lynne (via Goodreads)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR:
A Paranormal Romance Gem

The sexy alpha male hero had me hooked from the beginning and I loved the sassy heroine who tamed him (just enough). The plot unfolded at a fast page-turner pace. Finding The Crystal Warrior was like finding a Paranormal Romance Gem. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

BookLover1960 (via Amazon)

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THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR:
Must Read!

Do you love strong alpha heroes? If so, you’ll absolutely love The Crystal Warrior.

The Crystal Warrior begins with a compelling prologue: An army of warriors sent from another world to pillage women of childbearing age. A brave old man desperate to protect his village. A crystal curse. I knew immediately I had a great story on my hands. AND the writing was excellent, which is a must for me.

Fast forward a few hundred years. Chalcedony is a young woman trying to make it on her own, just opening her own dance studio. She’s independent, witty, and strong. I instantly loved her. She quite literally stumbles into a strange little shop where she’s inexplicably drawn to a crystal – a crystal that later ends up in her bag with her having no recollection of having purchased it.

When the crystal is broken, Chalcedony finds herself feeling things for a stranger she has never felt before.

Wulf is an ancient warrior who’s spent hundreds of years locked away in a crystal cell. He’s ill-prepared for this world or for the emotions he’s hit with when he first sees Chalcedony.

As hard as she may try, Chalcedony can no longer deny the connection she feels to Wulf. Or is it just another part of the curse?

The chemistry between these two jumped off the page, and there was no putting The Crystal Warrior aside until I’d made it all the way through. Wulf is positively swoon-worthy, and Chalcedony was never the frail heroine, but fought for the one she loved until the very end.

Loved it from the first page to the last!

Recommended for adults

InTheBook (via Amazon)

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