C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: Shadows of Winter – The Curse and the Crown

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99¢ as of May 25, 2024
Available at Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Kaylina wants to prove herself to her family by opening a successful meadery, but on her first day in the capital, she runs headlong into the powerful royal ranger, Lord Vlerion. He’s aloof, sexy, dangerous, and… he accuses her of being a spy.

To remove suspicion from her name, Kaylina must work with him to stop the real danger to the crown.

But she soon learns that Vlerion suffers from a curse. When he experiences strong emotions, he turns into a deadly beast who can’t tell friend from foe.

Irking him would be a bad idea. Developing feelings for him would be even worse. Unfortunately, as Kaylina spends more time with Vlerion, she struggles with both.

If she can’t keep from rousing the beast, she won’t clear her name, fulfill her dream, or even survive the week.

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Shadows of Winter is the first in a romantic fantasy series perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and enemies-to-lovers stories.

Book Reviews: Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton

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Available at Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia

Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay, Apple

When I heard Edward Ashton, author of Mickey 7, had a new book out I rushed right out to pick it up from my local library. (What is with Trad pubbed ebook prices? The US price is the highest. In the UK, Canada, and Australia it is more reasonable. I would love to know the reason for the discrepancy. The audiobook version, if you have an Audible subscription, is more reasonable.)

It was my best read in a long while. If you’re looking for something poignant but funny and optimistic, I highly recommend it. “Mal” is short for Malware. Can you see already how it is awesome?

Here is the blurb:

The humans are fighting again. Go figure.

As a free A.I., Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He’s not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to infospace he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting.

A dark comedy** wrapped in a techno thriller’s skin, Mal Goes to War provides a satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human.

**My note: can a comedy really be dark if the ending isn’t one of abject despair?

Featured Fantasy: The Cursebound Thief, A Contemporary Fantasy Heist (Fracture Pact Book 1) by Megan O’Russell

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Featured Fantasy: The Cursebound Thief, A Contemporary Fantasy Heist (Fracture Pact Book 1) by Megan O'Russel

FREE as of May 23, 2024
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia,

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

The world wants a hero. The curse needs a thief.

The party of the decade stands between Jerek Holden and saving the people he would do anything to protect. After twelve years, he’s finally found a way to break the curse that ripped all magic from the world and destroyed the peace that took generations to build. All he needs is one, simple artifact. But he can’t steal the heliostone alone.

A girl with a soul of fire.
A vampire bound by a vow.
A werewolf bent on revenge.
A knight torn between honor and duty.
A hacker to keep them all alive.

The fate of magic lies in their hands―if they can survive long enough to pull off the heist of the century.

Featured Sci-Fi: The Shores of Eternity (A Prayer for Earthrise Book 4) by Daniel Arenson

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Featured Sci-Fi: The Shores of Eternity (A Prayer for Earthrise Book 4) by Daniel Arenson

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

This is our darkest hour.

The storm is here. The winds of war howl. The aliens swarm.

They are everywhere.

The hydrians, squids from another galaxy, topple our forests, fill our oceans, storm our cities. Years of civil war have weakened Earth. As the aliens attack, we fall fast.

But some still stand. A group of heroes rises. The legendary Einav Ben-Ari, the Golden Lioness, leads the resistance.

We are a young species. New to space travel. We dipped our toes into the cosmic ocean, and in its waters, we found venomous squids. Now we stand upon the shores of eternity. If we can defeat the monsters in the depths, the stars are ours. Yet if we fail… we all drown.

Featured Sci-fi: Hear, O Earth (A Prayer for Earthrise Book 1) by Daniel Arenson

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Featured Sci-fi: Hear, O Earth (A Prayer for Earthrise Book 1) by Daniel Arenson

$1.49 as of May 24, 2024
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom

Also available in: Canada, Germany, Australia

They came from beyond.

From beyond the galaxy. From beyond human understanding. They came with one mission.

To kill us all.

Some call them aliens. Others call them gods. Their tentacles grip worlds. Their malice destroys civilizations. They’ve crushed a million planets.

And now they crave Earth.

Marco and Addy, veterans of the Alien Wars, are retired. They fought for many years. They saved Earth many times. Now they’re raising their children in a peaceful forest. They’ve earned this peace.

But Earth needs them. More than ever.

Because a war is coming. A war unlike any before. A war that can devour our very galaxy.

The enemy is almost here.

From the shadows of despair, heroes will rise. Heroes will sound the cry of our world, the prayer of our people. “Hear, O Earth! We will live!”

From the USA Today bestselling author of Earthrise comes a tale of courage, sacrifice, and honor among the stars. A Prayer for Earthrise returns to the bestselling Earthrise universe with a brand new story—one for new fans and old readers alike.

Featured Fantasy: Ravensby Od (A Wonder Tales Novel) by Charlotte E. English

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Featured Fantasy: Ravensby Od (A Wonder Tales Novel) by Charlotte E. English

99¢ as of May 23, 2024
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

From the author of Gloaming and Wyrde and Wayward comes a sparkling wonder tale about a gentle widow, an eccentric wizard, and a wardrobe of magical hats…

Meg Lavender has been alone since her husband died – well, mostly. There’s a trio of widows in Ravensby Od; you can find them every Wednesday at Foxley’s, absorbing syllabub, and tea.

It’s a quiet life in a quiet town; a sensible town, where tea is always at three o’clock sharp, and the trains arrive precisely when they’re supposed to.

But the past is an odd sort of place, and it won’t always stay where it’s meant to. Magic is coming back to Ravensby Od – and Meg Lavender’s in the thick of it. It begins with a strange bequest, sped on the wings of ravens…

“The world is full of strange things: it doesn’t do to object, when they get a little stranger.”

Bursting with Charlotte E. English’s unique charm, Ravensby Odis a wild, whimsical Wonder Tale to warm the heart and leave you smiling.

Contains: dauntless leading ladies; weird and wonderful wizards; magical dresses, and hats; an unkindness of ravens; labyrinths; unlikely friendships; and entirely too much syllabub.

“Large helpings of wit and whimsy…” Publishers Weekly on Faerie Fruit

“Her faultless prose… sparkles with eye-bedazzling wonder.” NYT Bestselling author Mercedes Lackey on Gloaming