Excellent New Fiction Books for the Third Quarter of 2026 !!!
Here are some excellent new novels that were released this quarter:
See a book here that you’d like to review for us?
Contact us, and we’ll talk about the possibility of a review.
The Pirate Queen: A Novel
Ariel Lawhon
(Doubleday)
Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have.
Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.
Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon’s new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”
ADVERTISEMENT:
The Comforts of Exile: A Novel
Trevor Cribben Merrill
(Wiseblood Books)
For twenty-two-year-old Colin Phelps, who fills notebooks with dazzling theoretical insights but is powerless to describe a pancake, escape is a permanent state of mind. Little wonder that when his girlfriend Julia leaves him for a job in New York, Colin flees to a charming suburb of Paris, equipped only with a passable French accent and a tenuous connection to a famed literary player.
Before long, he is holding court in Left Bank cafés, flirtatiously jousting with the sharp-witted, devoutly religious Laure, and overseeing a translation project that could launch his career. But then rumors of his Parisian entanglement reach Laure’s high-powered lawyer ex, and even Julia in New York. Soon the new life Colin has constructed for himself starts to crumble, as he falls prey to jealousy, the lure of old attachments, and—above all—his paralyzing tendency to overthink everything.
“. . . delightful storytelling . . . Status signals and cultural mores—academic, sexual, and literary—are all closely, humorously, and dramatically observed, but what shines forth on every page is a winsome invitation to discern, often well before our main character does, the providential grace of pride and humiliation, of shame and forgiveness.”
—Joshua Hochschild, co-author of A Mind at Peace
<<<<< PREV. PAGE |
BACK TO TOP >>>>>
PAGE 5 of 5
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
