The Pirate Queen: A Novel

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

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.”

Ariel Lawhon is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. She is the author of THE WIFE THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS, FLIGHT OF DREAMS, I WAS ANASTASIA, CODE NAME HELENE, and THE FROZEN RIVER. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Good Morning America, Library Reads, Indie Next, One Book One County, Amazon Spotlight, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.

“A page-turner. . . Bold and daring, it’s a thrill-a-minute adventure with an absolute badass at the helm.” --Real Simple

"Legendary historical figure Grace O’Malley commands the page as she once commanded the Atlantic in this thrilling tale of clan rivalries, daring escapades, bloody betrayals, and female power. . . Lawhon's swaggering epic transports us to a mythic era complete with brave heroes and heroines, loyal servants and vile villains." --Oprah Daily

"Epic . . . An action-packed adventure that could be a spectacular movie in the right filmmaker’s hands (we’re looking at you, Mr. Nolan).” —AARP

“An immersive odyssey.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“A thrilling story, and the fun that Lawhon clearly had with scenes of bloody mayhem, storms at sea, treacherous machinations, and low Gaelic dialect is contagious. Her pirate queen is brilliant, beautiful, and fearless; her loyal servants are adoring and capable; her male foes are sleazy scumbags and detestable boobs—all exactly as it should be. A heroic, exciting, and stormy voyage.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A vivid portrait of a larger-than-life figure whose feats of bravery and cunning have become the stuff of legend.” --Library Journal

“Exhilarating . . . rewards attentive readers with recurring imagery and motifs forming an increasingly complex portrait of the heroine. This is transportive.” --Publishers Weekly

"Engrossing" --Women's World