C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: The Darkwood Trilogy by Anthea Sharp

by

Featured Fantasy: The Darkwood Trilogy by Anthea Sharp

99¢ as of April 1, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

Two sisters. One enchanted forest. And a dangerous choice that could destroy kingdoms…

Swept away from her ordinary life, Rose Valrois finds herself in a world full of secrets and forbidden magic. There she meets her new stepsister, the enigmatic Princess Neeve, who will either become her best friend…or her worst enemy.

Three full-length novels – over 1000 pages of fantasy adventure! Includes, White as Frost, Black as Night, and Red as Flame.

In the shadows of the magical Darkwood, Rose discovers danger and adventure in her quest to uncover the mysteries surrounding her. When she’s rescued by Thorne, the handsome Dark Elf guardian of the forest, he binds her to the Darkwood and forbids her to speak of its secrets.

But secrets have a way of getting loose, especially when there’s hidden magic involved, and Rose falls deeper into the thorny tangles of her own past. Her sister, Neeve, is concealing dangerous powers of her own, and the two of them are soon caught up in a destiny that will bring them face-to-face on opposing sides of a deadly magical war.

Ultimately, Rose must risk her freedom, her world, and even her truest love to save her sister. Can she bear to make that sacrifice? Does she even have the choice?

Called “A fantastical series” by Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp has crafted a lushly written fairy-tale trilogy weaving elements of Snow White & Rose Red with romance, magic, Cozy fantasy, and secrets that that will change the fate of worlds.

Featured Fantasy: Rune of Secrets (Enchanted Shadows Book 1) by Kelly N. Jane

by

Featured Fantasy: Rune of Secrets (Enchanted Shadows Book 1) by Kelly N. Jane

FREE on Amazon March 30, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

She craves vengeance. He requires justice. Fate demands both.

Without enchanted powers and struck with a curse, Princess Rowena could not prevent her family’s murder or save herself from the fallout.

Vulnerable but determined, she dares to conquer her enemies and free her people. But secret deals force her into a betrothal, tempting her into a bold decision that could cost her life.

Rowena has nothing left but to avenge her family before she dies. Until the most terrifying, yet hauntingly handsome fae arrives, demanding she follows her destiny.

Rowena has the power to lead her people or destroy them.

Discover action like Throne of Glass and Graceling, with a twisted fairytale like Maleficent in this epic fantasy adventure. Delve into a slow-burn romance, blended with fae magic and warrior shieldmaidens, that will keep you reading all night long.

Featured Fantasy: Flame and Blade (Flame and Blade Book 1) by Meredith Hart

by

Featured Fantasy: Flame and Blade (Flame and Blade Book 1) by Meredith Hart

FREE as of April 1, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

For fans of ACOTAR and From Blood and Ash, this steamy enemies-to-lovers adventure about an outlaw wildmage trying to restore his family’s honor and the broken-hearted guard hired to escort him is impossible to put down!

Lord Vethe knows he isn’t one of the good guys.

Ever since he was old enough to control his illegal wildmage talents, Vethe has done horrible things to support his once-noble family. When his aunt hires a guard to help Vethe retrieve a long-lost contract and bring in some extra coin, Vethe expects the journey to be short and painful. He’s not expecting the guard to be a beautiful woman who looks at him like she wants to punch him.

And, if she discovers the secrets lurking in his family’s past, she just might decide to kill him.

Lyria Guardia let her family down and got her heart broken.

After she discovers her boyfriend in bed with another woman, Lyria limps back to the family and Guild she’d abandoned three years ago. Desperate to prove herself, she accepts a lowly escort mission: Drag a spoiled nobleman through the abandoned and supposedly harmless Demon Forest. But Lord Vethe, the nobleman she’s guiding, is far more infuriating and intriguing than she was expecting. Lyria doesn’t know if she can get through this entire mission without strangling him.

Or kissing him.

[Read more…]

Featured Fantasy: Demons and Darkness (Flame and Blade Book 4) by Meredith Hart

by

Featured Fantasy: Demons & Darkness (Flame and Blade Book 4) by Meredith Hart

New Release:
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

The second Demon War has begun, and no one is safe.

Vethe and Lyria stand outside the gates of Ocrus Sheau, a mysterious kingdom where all wildmages are forced into slavery, hoping to unearth information that could help Prince Kyalam in his struggle against the Citadel without ending up in chains. Entering the kingdom depends on an invitation from the dangerous God-King, but escaping will prove even more treacherous.

On the banks of the Davelroth River, Gaul and Anette have just survived a demon attack, but not before the traitor who’d planned to betray them revealed the location of a secret wildmage encampment to a sinister Citadel master. Now Gaul and Anette must put aside their quarrels, and their growing attraction, in order to reach the encampment before the Citadel. But the encampment will hold dangers of its own, especially once Anette reveals her heritage.

Long-lost secrets will come to light, ancient prophecies will demand fulfillment, and the final battle for the future of humanity will begin when the Elementalist returns!

Previously published as The Elementalist, Demons and Darkness is the final book in an epic romantic fantasy adventure series. Fans of Grace Draven and Sarah J. Maas will love this story of forbidden magic, dangerous adventure, and sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance.

Featured Fantasy: Shield of the Throne (The Second Son Book 3) by Ron C. Nieto

by

Featured Fantasy: Shield of the Throne (The Second Son Book 3) by Ron C. Nieto

New Release
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

To secure peace, he must first rally the kingdom for war…

The dust of betrayal has barely settled, and the threat of war from neighboring Mirdon looms larger than ever. Oren must unite the nobility of Westmere to fight the enemy and get them to trust his lead—or he might face a war within his borders and an invasion.

But snow will hold the mountain passes closed and the kingdom secure until spring. Oren has earned the respect and loyalty of unruly men before, when he served as Captain of the Mountain Guard, and he can do it again.

When he strikes a bold move against his greatest rival, Oren discovers no one is as they seem. The truth he has built his life on shatters, and in the aftermath, he needs to find answers to questions he had never asked himself. If he fails, a chain of events years in the making will drown the kingdom in fire and blood.

Alliances break, and new enemies show their hand. How will Oren protect his people when he can’t anticipate the next attack?

The Second Son is an exciting secondary world (alternate reality) medieval military non-magical fantasy series. It is advised to read the books in order.

Book Review: Captain of the Guard (The Second Son Book 1) by Ron C. Nieto

by

99¢ in US & UK as of January 18, 2024
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom (Also available at: Canada, Germany, Australia)

This was the best fantasy I read in 2022. It’s a secondary world adventure. There is no magic in this world, but there is action and adventure—some of the best hand to hand combat scenes I’ve read—adventure, realistic romance, and characters who jump off the page and are feel real. If you buy the first one you’ll want to buy the second. It’s even better than the first.

To protect the kingdom, he must prove his worth . . .

Oren Trevaine has never shaken the feeling that he’s not good enough, but he’s determined to avoid the same fate for his men. Oren’s first task as Captain of the Guard is to transform his unruly, undisciplined soldiers into a formidable army—if only they would cooperate.

But Oren will need to act fast because the snow is melting with the budding of spring. Soon, the enemy will be able to traverse the main pass through the imposing Sansford Range and his men must be ready to patrol the mountain.

When Oren rescues Lady Joan and her traveling party from a band of Mirdoni raiders, his worst fears are realized. The enemy has utilized less accessible routes to infiltrate their territory, and an attack is imminent.

Now Oren must not only think like the enemy, but he will need to be one step ahead. With the kingdom relying on him and Lady Joan promising her favor if he returns alive, Oren will need to prove to her and his men that he truly is good enough. Or at the very least, die trying . . .