C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: The Coven’s Secret (College of Witchcraft Book 1) by Alicia Rades

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Featured Fantasy: The Coven's Secret (College of Witchcraft Book 1) by Alicia Rades

FREE as of October 6, 2026
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USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Alicia Rades pens an enchanting paranormal romance where witches summon powerful goddesses and warlocks battle dark forces.

Gold Medal Winner in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Contest!

Love is a curse when you’re a witch.

Nadine

I thought witches were myth—until I moved to a secret town protected by magic. Turns out I’m a witch, and my powers will awaken on my nineteenth birthday.

I’m sent to a magic academy, where I’ll learn about the coven and prepare to meet our goddess. It’s there that I meet Lucas, a sexy warlock with an attitude. I shouldn’t be attracted to a guy like him, but he’s a puzzle I can’t figure out—and I find that beyond irresistible.

But there’s more on my mind than Lucas. If I don’t pass the goddess’s test to awaken my magic, I’ll be banished from the coven—and lose the only family I have left.

Lucas

I wasn’t supposed to inherit death magic, but here I am. They call me the Reaper’s Apprentice. I’m tasked with carrying the last thoughts of the dead to the afterlife when I die. It’s a burden that grows heavier by the day.

Most thoughts are more depressing than I care to admit… except for one. I don’t know what it means, until Nadine shows up in town. She’s the one ray of hope to an otherwise dark gift, and I quickly find myself falling for her.

But we can’t be together—because there’s a curse upon all reapers, and if Nadine falls for me, she’ll die.

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Now a complete series! Magic, romance, and adventure collide in this spell-binding new adult urban fantasy series featuring witches, demons, and reapers! Cast spells, brew potions, and fall in love with sexy warlocks at Miriam College of Witchcraft.

“Nadine and Lucas serve as the linchpins of The Coven’s Secret, and Rades does an admirable job rounding them out with interesting, heartfelt—and, most importantly—relatable backstories.” -The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly

“The story has a lot of action and plenty of twists – the ending will leave you wanting to read the next book straight away.” -Anne-Marie Reynolds, Readers’ Favorite ★★★★★

“The Coven’s Secret is a magical story that pulled me in from the first word and had me enthralled right up until the end.” -Nancy Allen, The Avid Reader ★★★★★

“This was dark, mysterious, drama and angst filled, a touch romantic, tons magical and I can’t wait for the next book so I can jump back into this world that I was not ready to leave! ” -KRLGA, Smada’s Book Smack ★★★★★

Cast a spell and order now to start reading today!

This series takes place in the Hidden Legends Universe, along with the Academy of Magical Creatures series, the Prison for Supernatural Offenders series, and the University of Sorcery series. The Hidden Legends universe features college-aged protagonists attending magical academies, dual points-of-view, disabled and diverse main characters, and steamy, empowering romances. Each series stands on its own and can be read in any order.

This is a full-length novel over 400 pages. Recommended reading age 18+

Featured Sci-fi: The Thunder and Lightning Series Books 1 – 3 by John Varley

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Featured Sci-fi: The Thunder and Lightning Series Books 1 - 3 by John Varley

$2.99 as of October 6, 2026
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Red Thunder, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder—”action-packed, science-packed homages to Heinlein’s best work”—now in one volume (Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing).

Enjoy all three novels in Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author John Varley’s Mars saga!

Red Thunder
As Chinese and US spacecraft compete to be the first to land on Mars, a former astronaut, his cousin, and four teens from Florida have a chance to beat them both—thanks to an inventive new power source that can propel them to the Red Planet within three days. No guts, no glory . . .

Red Lightning
Son of one of the first men on Mars, Ray Garcia-Strickland is over the Red Planet and its gravity-dependent tourists. And when an unknown object hits Earth and causes a massive tsunami, he’ll get his own chance at interplanetary adventure . . .

Rolling Thunder
Stationed on one of Jupiter’s moons, Podkayne, a Martian navy lieutenant and daughter of Ray Garcia-Strickland, is finally realizing her dream of being a singer when disaster strikes. Put into a state of suspended animation, she awakens ten years later to face her—and humanity’s—greatest challenge . . .

Praise for the Thunder and Lightning Series

“Superior science fiction.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Fast paced . . . engaging characters.” —Rocky Mountain News

“Much more than a simple adventure story, full of poignant moments and relevant social commentary.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The heart-pounding space race is on . . . in this riveting SF thriller . . . with hilarious, well-drawn characters, extraordinary situations presented plausibly, plus exciting action and adventure.” —Publishers Weekly

Featured Sci-fi: Bastion (Against a Dark Future) by Evan Currie

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Featured Sci-fi: Bastion: Against a Dark Future by Evan Currie

New Release
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It’s 1986. Again.

Sebastian Parker had lived a long life, one that most would consider successful as a writer of science fiction. Mastering his craft had been the work of decades, but when the world came under assault from actual aliens, the war demanded more from every person… and Sebastian was no exception. Too old to fight, he contributed the only ways he knew, and that drew him deeper into the last gasp of humanity’s struggle for survival until, one day, his own struggle came to an end.

… and then he woke up.

A century earlier, his body once more that of his youth, his memories split between the world’s dark future and his own childhood. He would have considered it all a dream, except for one unassailable piece of evidence. Alien technology he had known had come back with him, and now he looks to the future and sees only the coming storm.

Sebastian and his Virtual Intelligence companion, Al, must now set a course from the 1980s to the future and the distant threat… only to find the threat isn’t so distant, and the future isn’t so certain. Armed with knowledge of the future, an occasionally snarky Virtual Intelligence, and absolute disgust at the sheer number of genre tropes he’s dealing with, Sebastian begins making his plans the only way he knows how… guided by his familiarity with fiction and gaming and his knowledge of what is to come.

The countdown has begun, the threat is here, and he’s the only one who can stand as a Bastion against the Dark Future.

Featured Fantasy: Destiny Gift (The Everlast Series Book 1) by Juliana Haygert

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Destiny Gift (The Everlast Series Book 1) Kindle Edition by Juliana Haygert (Author)

FREE as of October 6, 2026
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Her gift will bring light to a world of darkness…

In 2047, the world exists in permanent darkness. Nineteen-year-old Nadine, a student at NYU, works hard to better her family’s life in the harsh conditions. When she starts having strange visions of someone named Victor, she tries to ignore the flashes, afraid she might be going insane.

But when she bumps into a very real Victor, her entire world shifts. Her visions taking a turn for the worse, Nadine is bombarded with prophecies of eerie fates, unfamiliar gods, sharp-clawed demons… and instructions. Along with the reluctant Victor, she finds her path entwined with yet another man, Micah, who may be able to shed light on her dark revelations.

Directed down an unbelievable path of magic and mayhem, the three must unravel clues from the visions in order to restore an ancient creed. The chance to bring sunlight to the world again is in Nadine’s gift, but only if the evil forces behind the darkness don’t manage to stop her first.

If you like Urban Fantasy Romance with Post-Apocalyptic elements, you’ll love this action-packed story about destiny, self-discovery, and love. Destiny Gift will entice fans of Lauren Kate, Cassandra Clare, and Kim Harrison, so scroll up to one-click your copy today!

Series complete! Binge read now!
Book 1: Destiny Gift
Book 2: Soul Oath
Book 3: Cup of Life
Book 4: Everlasting Circle

Featured Fantasy: Pet Psychic Cozy Mysteries Books 1-3 by Max Parrott

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Featured Fantasy: Pet Psychic Cozy Mysteries Books 1-3 by Max Parrott

99¢ as of October 4, 2026
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom (Full-price: Canada, Germany, Australia)

“The story has a Nancy Drew style to it… fun and upbeat with a mystery that’s intriguing, engaging, and is perfectly fitted to the witty duo of Luffy and Jasmine… funny, charming, lighthearted”—5 Stars, Readers’ Favorite

BOOK ONE

A body in Blackwood Cove is never just a body.

Jasmine Moore sees trouble before it arrives, in sudden flashes of the future she’d rather not have. She can also understand every word her golden retriever, Luffy, says. (Mostly opinions about bacon.)

So when a local is found dead and the police call it an accident, Jasmine can’t let it go. She saw it coming, and what she saw was no accident.

With Luffy’s nose leading the way, she digs into the grudges and buried history the town would rather forget. Soon, she learns half her neighbors have something to hide, and one of them has started watching her. Jasmine has to find the killer before Blackwood Cove claims another victim.

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Featured Fantasy: Twisted Luck Bundled Set Books 1-3 by Mel Todd

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Featured Fantasy: Twisted Luck Bundled Set Books 1-3 by Mel Todd

FREE as of October 4, 2026
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

This is the first three books in the Twisted Luck series, an Urban Fantasy you didn’t know you needed. A found family, non-romantic series with a smattering of magical beasties.

My Luck
Coffee and my BFF are all the magic I need.

Things have gone wonky around me most of my life. I find an odd amount of dead or dying people, and if something freakish happens, I’m usually in the middle or nearby. My luck dumps me into the weirdest situations. Which means finding a body on the way to work isn’t exciting, just frustrating because I can’t afford to lose my job. College, when you aren’t a mage, is expensive. Nothing is going to stop me. I will have a good life, I will be a great EMT, and I will keep looking for why my twin died. Life is a series of steps; this is step one. But with my luck, anything and everything might happen.

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