C Gockel Writes

Featured Fantasy: Savage Skies (The Fourth Empire Book 1) by Kat Ross

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Featured Fantasy: Savage Skies (The Fourth Empire Book 1) by Kat Ross

FREE as of May 6, 2025
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, B & N, Kobo, GooglePlay

Winner of the 2024 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal for Magic & Wizardry!


When someone dies in Aveline, they don’t always stay that way.Castelio learned this hard lesson when he was a boy.

Now he roams from village to village as a Quietus, banishing restless spirits and keeping the Ducissa Orlaith’s peace—until the day her only son is kidnapped.

Blame falls on the land across the Boundary, where necromancers practice their black arts in eternal darkness.

To get the child back, Castelio recruits the aid of a young stranger named Delilah, along with her peculiar (and possibly demonic) cat Thistle. The pair has a habit of attracting violent thunderstorms, but their wind ship can cross the high mist-cloaked passes of the Boundary.

As the trail leads deeper into the wilds of midnight, Castelio and Delilah discover there are worse things than the risen dead. Yet nothing is quite as it seems in the Moon Courts. Despite the dangers all around, they find allies in unexpected places.

And choosing a side in the brewing war between light and dark magic might be harder than they imagined.

Book Review: City of Storms (Nightmarked Book 1) by Kat Ross

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Featured Fantasy: City of Storms (Nightmarked Book 1) by Kat Ross

FREE as of April 16, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay

C’s review: A delightfully complex blend of action, adventure, and romance in a unique fantasy setting. Think post-magic apocalypse “utopia.” If it has any flaw, it is that it might have been written in a serial style and the author wasn’t quite sure how to put the episodes together. The last 1/3 of the book could have been in book 2–erm, I may have had that issue before! It didn’t keep me from stopping at book 1, and I just bought book 3 last night.

Winner of the 2022 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A city simmering with repressed urges…

A fallen angel bent on chaos…

And a conspiracy that could destroy them all.

Can one woman harness her own psychic power to stop it?

In a world with three layers of ever darker magic, few dare to wield the most dangerous. And those who try can fall prey to violent madness.

The Church keeps a tight leash on its citizens. It tests every child for psychological deviancy.

If you pass, you’re given a Mark. A tattoo that lets you use the ley power—and shields you from your most primal desires.

For the lucky ones, the world is at their feet. The rest suffer a life of menial jobs and hopelessness.

When tarot reader Kasia crosses paths with a young priest who hunts deviants, her own ugly secret is dragged into the light. Will they learn to trust each other in time to stop a greater evil from corrupting their world?

You’ll love the first book in this epic fantasy series because the lush weaving of intrigue, action and slow-burn romance will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Get it now.

[Read more…]

Boxset List Featured Fantasy

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Nocturne (The Fourth Talisman Book 1) Kindle Edition by Kat Ross (Author)

FREE as of November 5, 2020 6AM
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Nocturne, a wilderness of eternal night.
Solis, a wasteland of endless day.

Nazafareen is a Breaker, a mortal who has the rare ability to shatter spell magic—although her power carries a high price. With the memories of her former self erased and nowhere else to turn, she comes to Nocturne hoping to start a new life under the triple moons of the darklands.

But when an assassin forces Nazafareen to flee to the sunlit mortal city of Delphi, she finds herself embroiled in a deeper mystery whose origins lie far in the past. Why was the continent sundered into light and dark a thousand years before? And what really happened to the elegant but ruthless creatures who nearly reduced the world to ashes? The new Oracle might know, but she’s outlawed magic and executes anyone caught practicing it. Nazafareen must hide her powers and find a way out of the city—before it’s too late.

As the net slowly tightens, something ancient and vengeful begins to stir in the arid death zone called the Kiln. A dashing daeva named Darius is pursuing Nazafareen, but so are a multitude of enemies. War is brewing again. Can she stay alive long enough to stop it?

Praise for Nocturne

“A historical fantasy that crackles with electricity…The narrative’s magical components never overshadow the players and their struggles. And the characters newly taking shape are thrilling to behold. Layered subplots featuring Culach, Mina, and Javid provide an embarrassment of riches. The finale primes audiences to learn about the legendary Vatras, who did what other elementals can’t—control fire.” –Kirkus Reviews

“If you haven’t read this series, you definitely need to get on it. Like yesterday.” –Haddie’s Haven

“The world of Nocturne and Solis is comparable to the expansive fantasy worlds found in epics by Tamora Pierce, Cassandra Clare, and Sarah J. Maas. With her lyrical prose, expansive world-building, and mastery of various voices, Ross is my new favorite for long-running fantasy epics.” –Crazy for YA

“Nocturne is brilliant…. Kat knows how to take us on an adventure and keep you totally sucked in.” –Am Kinda Busy Reading

“Absolutely fantastic! From page one it just hit the ground running… Ross has managed to create something truly magical, beautiful and complex.” –Rattle the Stars

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Box Set List Featured Fantasy

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Gaslamp Gothic Box Set by Kat Ross

99¢ as of June 25, 2020 6AM
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany

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Five full-length books of supernatural suspense set in Gilded Age New York and Europe, starring demons, shifters, necromancers and an unforgettable cast of characters — both human and not — who hunt them in the shadows. The perfect series for anyone who likes their Victorian mysteries with a heaping teaspoon of magic, adventure and romance!

Includes The Daemoniac, The Thirteenth Gate, A Bad Breed, The Necromancer’s Bride, and Dead Ringer.

Praise for the Gaslamp Gothic books

“Beautiful landscapes, beasts with more to them than meets the eye, women who fight the darkness, and men seeking redemption. This book was amazing.” –The Caffeinated Reader

“Greatly entertaining, fun, thrilling, at times chilling and with a light hint of romance. I have no word left to say, only ‘perfect’.” -Field of Bookish Dreams

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde combined with Sherlock Holmes . . . If you like historical books that also have mystery, suspense, action and all the other ingredients for a page-turning stay-up-all-night experience, Dead Ringer is a must read!” –Books+Coffee=Happiness

“You just can’t help but fall for the male interest. Everything about this book just screams darkness. If you want a page-turning, plot-twisting, soul-burning story, this is it!” –Treestand Book Reviews

“Mystery. Paranormal creatures and myths. Intelligent, brave and daring characters. Love and hate. History. What else can you possibly want?” –Dena Garson’s Book Blog

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