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The Conqueror's Way #1
His Catalyst
Bitter secrets, giant monsters, and no heroes: it’s the end of the world.
When he’s caught in the act of forbidden magic, Terebin’s first thought is to flee. As the last sorcerer, his survival hinges on keeping a low profile among the refugees in the fortress he calls home. Iskan, the guard who catches him, has other plans: keeping order means slaying sorcerers. But a spark stays Iskan’s hand, kindling the first flames of attraction.
After a dragon razes the fort, Terebin finds himself bound to the defense of a people he loathes--and with Iskan at his side, the sword to Terebin’s shield.
As they struggle to save their band of refugees from ravenous monsters, Terebin digs away at Iskan’s defenses… And finds that his own are crumbling. Iskan is everything Terebin never thought he wanted. Even with an ocean of secrets between them, one kiss is all it takes to bind their fates.
But will love be enough to save them?
Warning: This adventure includes explicit m/m sex, giant monster battles and their aftermaths, theological arguments, and a fair share of cursing!
When he’s caught in the act of forbidden magic, Terebin’s first thought is to flee. As the last sorcerer, his survival hinges on keeping a low profile among the refugees in the fortress he calls home. Iskan, the guard who catches him, has other plans: keeping order means slaying sorcerers. But a spark stays Iskan’s hand, kindling the first flames of attraction.
After a dragon razes the fort, Terebin finds himself bound to the defense of a people he loathes--and with Iskan at his side, the sword to Terebin’s shield.
As they struggle to save their band of refugees from ravenous monsters, Terebin digs away at Iskan’s defenses… And finds that his own are crumbling. Iskan is everything Terebin never thought he wanted. Even with an ocean of secrets between them, one kiss is all it takes to bind their fates.
But will love be enough to save them?
Warning: This adventure includes explicit m/m sex, giant monster battles and their aftermaths, theological arguments, and a fair share of cursing!
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2016
42 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
C.K. Gold
3 books5 followersC. K. Gold comes from the hazy hills of Appalachian country. She moved to New England to pursue her own romance story and wound up settling down. She left the corporate compliance life for freelancing in 2015, and now spends much of her time writing, researching, and revising with her partner.
She is a passionate cook and spends an inordinate amount of time on culinary science experiments. She keeps two cats, a postage stamp of a vegetable garden, and a suspiciously large collection of PlayStation 2 games in her home near Narragansett Bay.
She is a passionate cook and spends an inordinate amount of time on culinary science experiments. She keeps two cats, a postage stamp of a vegetable garden, and a suspiciously large collection of PlayStation 2 games in her home near Narragansett Bay.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 12, 2016
I almost didn't read these books due to the one and two star ratings.
I'm not sure why those were so low - but I freaking loved these books!
Typos? Sure, but not enough to make a difference to me or to the flow of the book.
If anyone is questioning whether or not to read these, just do it.. jump in. They're free on KU and I have every intention of buying them so I can re-read.
I'm not sure why those were so low - but I freaking loved these books!
Typos? Sure, but not enough to make a difference to me or to the flow of the book.
If anyone is questioning whether or not to read these, just do it.. jump in. They're free on KU and I have every intention of buying them so I can re-read.
May 22, 2017
Interesting
A group of refugees lives in a fort after most of the world has moved on, ended, or disappeared. Terebin, a sorcerer who hides his powers, tries to protect the people that took him in from a deadly beast. He expects to die, but a guard, Iskan, arrives to fight, and ultimately slay, the monster. The aftermath of the attack leads to some uncomfortable questions and hard decisions. In the midst of this, the two men struggle against laws, religion, and themselves, wondering if their growing love can survive. Decent world building (though there are so many questions!) and even storytelling. Warnings for profanity and descriptions of sex and gore.
A group of refugees lives in a fort after most of the world has moved on, ended, or disappeared. Terebin, a sorcerer who hides his powers, tries to protect the people that took him in from a deadly beast. He expects to die, but a guard, Iskan, arrives to fight, and ultimately slay, the monster. The aftermath of the attack leads to some uncomfortable questions and hard decisions. In the midst of this, the two men struggle against laws, religion, and themselves, wondering if their growing love can survive. Decent world building (though there are so many questions!) and even storytelling. Warnings for profanity and descriptions of sex and gore.
September 28, 2016
Very Good
I very much enjoyed this book, be warned it is a slow start but give it a chance and you won't be sorry
I very much enjoyed this book, be warned it is a slow start but give it a chance and you won't be sorry
August 7, 2016
I read an awful lot of gay romance novels and I have a particular love of books involving magic and/or sorcery. Normally I read goodreads reviews before purchasing, but when the genre is gay magic/sorcery its an almost instant impulse buy. I really wish I had read the reviews here first before wasting money and time.
The premise is absolutely intriguing. The desolate world where magic is feared and/or outlawed. The system of magic was also interesting and unusual.
Unfortunately, the author did not have the skill to bring these wonderful ideas to the page. The writing and the editing are horrendous. Apart from a few pages, the remainder of the first chapter was almost unintelligible. I had no idea what Terebin was doing. I had no idea who or what the hell Omelas was, and I had no idea what the characters had done. Not a good start. It didn't get any better.
Example:- "Who could bleed this much power? ... His senses churned as though he were swinging over a chasm, but he still pushed himself up on his knees. He had to flee. The overwhelming pressure was too great to withstand. His body trembled to obey but everything had liquefied. The wretched reek, burnt iron, charcoal, fat, syrup, he staggered against the wall and heard more than felt the sizzle of skin along his arm" Syrup?!? Really? SYRUP???
Two pages of absolute drivel, to convey what? I was reading words, which were apparently in English, and yet they meant absolutely nothing and conveyed even less.
There are quite a few gay romance authors who write like this and it drives me insane. They never fully describe whats going on, things are left half said or unsaid, and we're left to guess what was supposed to be in their head when they committed pen to paper. It's not cute, it's not intellectual, it's not mysterious, it does not indicate tension or angst (unless your intention was to drive your reader insane with rage).
Language is meant to convey ideas and stories. If you can't do that you shouldn't be writing books.
I regret buying this book.
The premise is absolutely intriguing. The desolate world where magic is feared and/or outlawed. The system of magic was also interesting and unusual.
Unfortunately, the author did not have the skill to bring these wonderful ideas to the page. The writing and the editing are horrendous. Apart from a few pages, the remainder of the first chapter was almost unintelligible. I had no idea what Terebin was doing. I had no idea who or what the hell Omelas was, and I had no idea what the characters had done. Not a good start. It didn't get any better.
Example:- "Who could bleed this much power? ... His senses churned as though he were swinging over a chasm, but he still pushed himself up on his knees. He had to flee. The overwhelming pressure was too great to withstand. His body trembled to obey but everything had liquefied. The wretched reek, burnt iron, charcoal, fat, syrup, he staggered against the wall and heard more than felt the sizzle of skin along his arm" Syrup?!? Really? SYRUP???
Two pages of absolute drivel, to convey what? I was reading words, which were apparently in English, and yet they meant absolutely nothing and conveyed even less.
There are quite a few gay romance authors who write like this and it drives me insane. They never fully describe whats going on, things are left half said or unsaid, and we're left to guess what was supposed to be in their head when they committed pen to paper. It's not cute, it's not intellectual, it's not mysterious, it does not indicate tension or angst (unless your intention was to drive your reader insane with rage).
Language is meant to convey ideas and stories. If you can't do that you shouldn't be writing books.
I regret buying this book.
May 13, 2016
I think it was a nice story. It focus mostly in the adventure and, even if allows a romance take some of the spotlight.
Terebin was a good character, with strong beliefs. It was interesting to see how he struggle to keep himself true to what he believe. There were times when he had to fight within himself in order to do what he needed to do instead of what he wanted to do, even if that mean he would condemned himself. It was very nice to see how he valued every form of life, tiny creatures and plants, everything was important for him. There is also some guilt and struggle to not become what he fears the most. He also had to deal with a constant feeling of loneliness.
Iskan, is the other main character. I didn’t find him as good character as Terebin. He did a good job keeping himself a mystery.
The relationship between them, was a little underwhelming, I felt like some emotion was lacking, and yet, at the end of the book, I did believe they care for each other.
One character I liked was Shina, she had an important role among the other refugees, and she had to deal with some primitive way of think from some of them.
The leader of the fortress is had me wondering on who’s side he is every time, he change the way of seeing things so frequently that it only show his inability as a leader, he didn’t know what to do. He is not a likable character, but I got to give him some credit, because he provoked me some feelings, even if those were to despise him.
The book has a nice pace, there seems to be always something wrong and the characters need to be constantly trying to prevent or repair the damage, to keep the refugees and themselves safe.
Overall I think it was a nice story, it could be appreciate for reader who enjoy adventures.
* I received an ARC from the Author.
Terebin was a good character, with strong beliefs. It was interesting to see how he struggle to keep himself true to what he believe. There were times when he had to fight within himself in order to do what he needed to do instead of what he wanted to do, even if that mean he would condemned himself. It was very nice to see how he valued every form of life, tiny creatures and plants, everything was important for him. There is also some guilt and struggle to not become what he fears the most. He also had to deal with a constant feeling of loneliness.
Iskan, is the other main character. I didn’t find him as good character as Terebin. He did a good job keeping himself a mystery.
The relationship between them, was a little underwhelming, I felt like some emotion was lacking, and yet, at the end of the book, I did believe they care for each other.
One character I liked was Shina, she had an important role among the other refugees, and she had to deal with some primitive way of think from some of them.
The leader of the fortress is had me wondering on who’s side he is every time, he change the way of seeing things so frequently that it only show his inability as a leader, he didn’t know what to do. He is not a likable character, but I got to give him some credit, because he provoked me some feelings, even if those were to despise him.
The book has a nice pace, there seems to be always something wrong and the characters need to be constantly trying to prevent or repair the damage, to keep the refugees and themselves safe.
Overall I think it was a nice story, it could be appreciate for reader who enjoy adventures.
* I received an ARC from the Author.
May 16, 2016
I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. In all truth, it wasn't to my taste. The cover makes it look like a trashy romance, which intrigued me because there was a dragon involved, and how could this go wrong? These are two of my favorite things in life!
But the book itself is short on sexiness and long on starving refugees and strange religious restrictions. Our protagonist, Terebin, practices a religion that, like Jainism, prohibits the killing of living things, including insects and plants. I'm fine with quirky religious issues, but Terebin obsesses over them to the point that it became distracting to me, and it made him seem squeamish and twitchy instead of appealing. Though the sex scenes are fairly good, Iskan really carried them for me because I just couldn't think of Terebin in a sexual way.
There is also a lot of intriguing backstory here involving sorcerers and war (not to mention how the world is now inhabited by giant, bloodthirsty beasts!) but the author barely lets us in on it. I feel like there's a lot of good stuff here that just isn't explored, and I think I would have liked this book if it had been. I'm always complaining about info dumps, but I really could have used one here; the details are just too scant for me to envision this world or feel personal involvement in it.
But the book itself is short on sexiness and long on starving refugees and strange religious restrictions. Our protagonist, Terebin, practices a religion that, like Jainism, prohibits the killing of living things, including insects and plants. I'm fine with quirky religious issues, but Terebin obsesses over them to the point that it became distracting to me, and it made him seem squeamish and twitchy instead of appealing. Though the sex scenes are fairly good, Iskan really carried them for me because I just couldn't think of Terebin in a sexual way.
There is also a lot of intriguing backstory here involving sorcerers and war (not to mention how the world is now inhabited by giant, bloodthirsty beasts!) but the author barely lets us in on it. I feel like there's a lot of good stuff here that just isn't explored, and I think I would have liked this book if it had been. I'm always complaining about info dumps, but I really could have used one here; the details are just too scant for me to envision this world or feel personal involvement in it.
August 29, 2016
The books in this series are problematic. While the plot is interesting and enjoyable the story is difficult to follow.
The main problem appears to be that the authors efforts to keep the story moving and on point resulted in not enough being included to ensure clarity. For example despite taking place in a completely fantastical world the is virtually no wold building until the second book. Character back story is also rarely given even when it seems relevant to plot points. Finally plot points often seem to move to quickly or are insufficiently explain. The end result was that while I was interested in the story and wanted to see how everything would work out I was constantly thinking "what? Why?"
The main problem appears to be that the authors efforts to keep the story moving and on point resulted in not enough being included to ensure clarity. For example despite taking place in a completely fantastical world the is virtually no wold building until the second book. Character back story is also rarely given even when it seems relevant to plot points. Finally plot points often seem to move to quickly or are insufficiently explain. The end result was that while I was interested in the story and wanted to see how everything would work out I was constantly thinking "what? Why?"
July 5, 2016
There are just so many parts of this book that don't make sense. There were several scenes when I just couldn't tell what was going on. There are problems with the timeline continuity and typos. This book could do with more time with proofreaders and editors.
And WTH? (spoiler alert) He turns into a monster. WHY? Then turns back Human? HOW? The author never explains. The characters don't even question it. They do decide to try to turn another monster human again. But then, they don't. They leave him tentatively trapped near the human settlement while they go off to find more monsters to do What? NOT try to help them Either?
And WTH? (spoiler alert) He turns into a monster. WHY? Then turns back Human? HOW? The author never explains. The characters don't even question it. They do decide to try to turn another monster human again. But then, they don't. They leave him tentatively trapped near the human settlement while they go off to find more monsters to do What? NOT try to help them Either?
September 1, 2016
First off I don't read Fantasy! The Author gave me a ARC, for a honest, and fair review. Well I can say I was wrong! I loved this story! The scenes were so good! The characters were great! I didn't want Terebin to be a main character, but as I read the story, he drew me in, now I know why he was the leading man in this story. I loved him, and his kind, and tender heart. A strong, and powerful story.
July 20, 2016
Great story
A very interesting story filled with adventure and secrecy. The main character was not a typical leader and he constantly struggled with his personal values beliefs and the way things were. The story also showed how people react during times of struggle. Well written with plenty of details.
A very interesting story filled with adventure and secrecy. The main character was not a typical leader and he constantly struggled with his personal values beliefs and the way things were. The story also showed how people react during times of struggle. Well written with plenty of details.
September 23, 2016
Wonderful Epic Tale
I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I took a chance. Fantasy writers always have a harder time due to having to create a world that's believable. C.K. Good has done a wonderful job in creating a world, people and characters that are believable and can be related to.
I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I took a chance. Fantasy writers always have a harder time due to having to create a world that's believable. C.K. Good has done a wonderful job in creating a world, people and characters that are believable and can be related to.
December 27, 2016
Fabulous book!
For a $.99 book I wasn't expecting much but this was a sensational read and well worth more than what I paid. Can't wait to dive into the sequel.
I like the world on which this book is built around. And I can say that any any story that can get me hooked on a world has me for life.
For a $.99 book I wasn't expecting much but this was a sensational read and well worth more than what I paid. Can't wait to dive into the sequel.
I like the world on which this book is built around. And I can say that any any story that can get me hooked on a world has me for life.
June 15, 2016
I wish this was a little less confusing. I just felt lost in the plot many times. I ended up skimming about 20%.
April 12, 2017
KU
The writing is strong but I found the story a little boring and confusing, particularly the magic.
The writing is strong but I found the story a little boring and confusing, particularly the magic.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews