C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: Blood of Stone (Blood of Stone Book 1) by Jayne Faith

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Featured Fantasy: Blood of Stone (Blood of Stone Book 1) by Jayne Faith

FREE as of May 28, 2024
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Magic. Royalty. Power plays. Swords. Action. And a slow-burn romance with the bastard son of the enemy king . . .

There’s a bounty on my head, and it’s going to spark a supernatural war.

My name is Petra Maguire, and I’m a vampire hunter and full-blood Fae living among humans. My father would rather have me in Faerie serving his queen, but I want nothing to do with her tyrannical reign.

But when I discover I have a changeling twin sister who’s been kidnapped by the enemy King Periclase, I can’t avoid Faerie affairs any longer.

Plunging back into the Faerie world of magic, royalty, and power plays I’ve been avoiding for so long, I take on a dangerous mission to free my twin.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Periclase puts a bounty on my head, and he has unlimited resources to pursue me. And the rescue of my twin has pushed inter-kingdom hostilities to a tipping point. Suddenly, Faerie is on the brink of all-out war, which would mean almost certain death for my soldier father and a life of slavery for my new-found twin.

Fortunately, I have the power to stop the looming war. There’s just one little catch: I have to enter the Battle of Champions against Periclase’s best fighter, and it’s a fight to the death. I was practically born with a sword in my hand and spent my youth defeating opponents. But will it be enough in this battle with everything—including my life—on the line?

Featured Sci-fi: Silent Order Books 1 – 4 by Jonathan Moeller

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Featured Sci-fi: Silent Order Books 1 - 4 by Jonathan Moeller

FREE as of May 28, 2024
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Combined for the first time in one volume, here are the bestselling novels SILENT ORDER: IRON HAND, SILENT ORDER: WRAITH HAND, SILENT ORDER: AXIOM HAND, and the short story RAIL GUN.

The galaxy is at war, but wars are won and lost in the shadows.

To the galaxy at large, Jack March is a privateer of the interstellar Kingdom of Calaskar and a former Iron Hand commando of the malevolent Final Consciousness. In truth, he is an alpha operative of the Silent Order, the most efficient and feared intelligence organization in human space. When there is a crisis, Jack March is the man to call.

But there are many forces that wish to enslave or destroy humanity, and March is the one to stop those forces…

Featured Sci-fi: The Space Between Us (The Enceladons Trilogy)

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99¢ as of May 25, 2024
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Editor’s Note: I read this last year. It’s lovely. It will keep you up late and flipping virtual pages. Recommended.

When three people suffer strokes after seeing dazzling lights over Edinburgh, then awake completely recovered, they’re convinced their ordeal is connected to the alien creature discovered on a nearby beach… an adrenaline-soaked, deeply humane, life-affirming first-contact novel from one of Scotland’s most revered authors…

Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family. Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband. Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don’t know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes…

…only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered.

When news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial force is at play. With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call ‘Sandy’ and goes on the run.

But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava’s husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature, at all costs. And Sandy’s arrival may have implications beyond anything anyone could imagine…

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.

~

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

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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
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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.