Keeper of the Crystal Spring

Keeper of the Crystal Spring is a hybrid--part historical romance, part fantasy. The authors--sisters Naomi and Deborah Baltuck--have crammed the book with period detail, painting a vivid picture of England 20 years after the Norman Conquest. The magic is in the powers of the Goddess and her priestess, Sirona, who sees visions, knows herb lore and midwifery, and curses enemies. Sirona worships at the Crystal Spring, whose waters have miraculous healing properties, and is one of an old race the people call fairies.

Aldyth Lightfoot is a Saxon orphan, goddaughter to Sirona, and a healer. She believes herself destined to be a virgin priestess. Aldyth is also part of a network of guides and shelters for Saxon rebels. Armed resistance has collapsed, and the King's men are hunting down fugitives and their helpers. A fellow guide is Bedwyn, a handsome Saxon determined to marry her but now in mortal danger. His rival is the lonely, scholarly Gandulf Fitzgerald, heir to the harsh Norman Lord. Gandulf befriends the Saxons as he courts Aldyth, though Lord Ralf would marry him to a Norman heiress. Then a lay brother escorting two nuns to the abbey rescues Aldyth from assault; his secrets will change everything.

The cast in Keeper of the Crystal Spring is overcrowded, and a few too many subplots lengthen and complicate the narrative, but lovers of English folklore and history will enjoy this first novel. --Nona Vero