C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: Shadow’s Price (The Poisoned Kingdoms Book 3) by Amelia MacLeod

by

Featured Fantasy: Shadow's Price (The Poisoned Kingdoms Book 3) by Amelia MacLeod

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

In the darkness between two dying worlds, trust is the most dangerous magic of all.

Katrina never expected to see Evren Avery again. Two years ago, she sealed the barrier between the Vales and the Miragelands, trapping herself in a realm of wraiths and ruins, paying for her sins in blood and isolation. She’s survived on wit, determination, and the memory of one stolen moment—the night she knelt before a king in his empty castle and made a devil’s bargain.

One drop of blood for another.

But when Evren appears in the underground city where she’s barely clinging to survival, Katrina realizes the deal was never finished. The worlds are unraveling. Magic is failing. And the Ruthless King has come to collect—not her death, but her help.

Together, they must journey into the heart of a dying realm, facing wraiths that hunger for magic, prophecies that threaten to destroy them both, and a connection that should have ended with that first exchange of blood.

As Katrina’s dormant power awakens into something new and frightening, she’s forced to confront the truth she’s been running from: some debts can’t be paid with punishment. Some wounds can only be healed by the one person who knows exactly how deep they go.

But trust is a luxury Katrina can’t afford. Not when betrayal lurks in every shadow. Not when saving two worlds might mean losing the one person who’s ever chosen her. Not when the price of her power could be everything—including the king who’s determined to keep her by his side.

A sweeping fantasy romance about redemption, second chances, and the dangerous magic of letting someone see the truth of your heart.

[Read more…]

Featured Fantasy: Hollow and Venom (The Poisoned Kingdoms) by Amelia MacLeod

by

Featured Fantasy: Hollow and Venom (The Poisoned Kingdoms) by Amelia MacLeod

FREE as of February 9, 2026
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Fake courtesan. Real feelings. Impossible odds. Some lies are worth dying for.

Neve has spent her life hiding a deadly secret: she’s immune to the magical thrall that controls every other human in the Vales. When her defiance catches the attention of Prince Sylvan Everstone—the notorious Soulslayer—she expects torture or death.

Instead, he claims her as his courtesan to save her life.

It’s a lie that could get them both killed, but it’s also her only protection from a court of sadistic mages who see humans as disposable playthings. Forced into an intimate charade with the realm’s most dangerous man, Neve must navigate deadly court politics while hiding the truth about her immunity.

But darker forces are stirring. The mage king has plans that go far beyond simple cruelty, and the ancient ritual that could seal his schemes draws near. As the kingdom hurtles toward catastrophe, Neve faces an impossible choice between the safety of shadows and stepping into a light that could either save her people—or destroy them all.

An enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance featuring a morally gray hero, a fearless heroine with hidden powers, and stakes that could reshape the world.

–

Hollow and Venom is a stand-alone novel set in the world of the Poisoned Kingdoms.

Featured Sci-fi: Starhawke Rising Series by Audrey Sharpe

by

Featured Sci-fi: The dark of Light (Starhawke Rising Book 1) by Audrey Sharpe

START THE SERIES FREE—Book 2 only 99¢, Book 3 only $2.99
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

Save a planet. Sacrifice your future.
For Aurora Hawke, protecting the secret of her half-human heritage has been a lifelong challenge. Taking command of her own starship and the best crew in the quadrant has been her dream. Failing at both is her nightmare. But the survival of a planet may depend on it.

With millions of lives at risk, she’ll do whatever it takes, even if revealing her unique abilities means spending the rest of her life on the run.

If you like Star Trek style pulse-pounding interstellar adventures, intriguing alien encounters, and otherworldly starships, you’ll love the Starhawke Rising series. Perfect for fans of Lindsay Buroker, Michelle Diener, and K. Gorman.

Featured Fantasy: Academy of Ancients by Avery Cross

by

Featured Fantasy: Academy of Ancients by Avery Cross

Start the Series FREE—Books 2 – 21 only $2.99 Each
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

Mysterious necromancers. Wicked summoners. Fierce witches. Occasional familiars. Military experiments. Secret councils. Forbidden alliances. The Academy of Ancients will suck you in.

Briar Shroud has gone from foster child to full scholarship at the Academy of Ancients. Cool, right?

Not quite. Her upperclassman mentor Zachary sucks. He’s hot, but he sucks at being a mentor. And a friend. And a person.

Her roommate’s a paranormal, and the whole school is underground and a secret.
Know what else is bad? Briar learns she’s a witch. And a rare type of witch, to boot.

It went from bad to worse—a picture of a sister she’s never heard of appears at the school. A sister she knows nothing about.

And the rules seem hellbent on keeping Briar from learning the truth. And sometimes, it seems other forces would rather not see her alive.

Warning: This series will hook you! Violence can be found in this series of action-packed fantasy, with necromancers, summoners, and badass witches.

Featured Fantasy: The Reluctant Reaper by Mary Janice Davidson

by

Featured Fantasy: The Reluctant Reaper by Mary Janice Davidson

$1.99 as of February 8, 2026
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

From bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson comes The Reluctant Reaper, a delightful romantasy—with a twist—featuring Death’s daughter.

What’s a death god to do …

A lot of twentysomethings might look forward to inheriting the family business. Amara Morrigan’s got zero interest in hers. The mantle she stands to assume is currently worn by her father, Death.

Amara’s childhood included helplessly watching as her best friend and her favorite teacher were taken away. She knows her dad didn’t do it on purpose … it was just their time. But Amara refuses to accept the job. It’s bad enough that she can sense when the final moment will be for anybody she meets—including her best (and only) friend, Gray. He knows who she is, and he’s cool with it. And though he’s the funniest, kindest, most understanding guy she’s ever met, she can’t allow him to get any closer (however much she might want to), because his moment is coming all too soon.

But now her father is dying. Ominous portents she can’t ignore pull Amara home to Minot, North Dakota, where Death is comatose—something that shouldn’t be possible. Thank all the gods that Gray refuses to be left behind. Amara’s mother is a mess, and Gray gives her somebody to cook for while the other death gods are gathering.

Alas, there’s not enough lefse in all of North Dakota to fix the situation. With their options waning, Amara agrees to (temporarily!) take up her father’s mantle—but she has to figure things out, and fast, because there is no way she’s doing this forever.

Featured Sci-fi: Saving Mars (Saving Mars Series Book 1) by Cidney Swanson

by

Featured Sci-fi: Saving Mars (Saving Mars Series Book 1) by Cidney Swanson

Expected to be 99¢ February 8 – 23, 2026
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

Some pilots follow orders. Others just wing it.

A rule-breaking pilot from Mars must defy two worlds to save her family and her home when a planetary disaster forces her onto a high-stakes, secret mission to Earth. Now she must rely on her wits, her guts, and her brilliant but fragile brother to pull off the impossible. But soon a star-crossed encounter with a privileged Terran boy – and a devastating betrayal – threaten to unravel not only her mission, but the very future of her world.

“SCI-FI THAT SOARS.” -Kirkus, starred review

Saving Mars is a Sci-Fi series of colonization on Mars featuring interplanetary politics, adventure, and romance that’s perfect for fans of coming-of-age science fiction.