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The Stronghold #3
Defiance
The battle for the stronghold of South Point has been won—but the war is far from over.
Escaped Sheriff Marcus Wheeler hunts those who betrayed him. The demoness, known as The Mistress, returns to rebuild The Brotherhood's bloodlines. And dozens of captives—including missing orphans—await rescue from trafficker Joaquin Murrieta's fortified compound.
As Texas Rangers and unlikely heroes race against time, they discover that breaking generational curses demands the ultimate sacrifice. Brothers will face brothers. Some will pay with their lives. The legacy of The Brotherhood must be destroyed once and for all.
Meanwhile, Doc's attempt to cure a curse from an old wound transforms him into a Corrupted One—neither fully human nor demon.
The prophecy has begun. Defiance will be paid for in blood.
Escaped Sheriff Marcus Wheeler hunts those who betrayed him. The demoness, known as The Mistress, returns to rebuild The Brotherhood's bloodlines. And dozens of captives—including missing orphans—await rescue from trafficker Joaquin Murrieta's fortified compound.
As Texas Rangers and unlikely heroes race against time, they discover that breaking generational curses demands the ultimate sacrifice. Brothers will face brothers. Some will pay with their lives. The legacy of The Brotherhood must be destroyed once and for all.
Meanwhile, Doc's attempt to cure a curse from an old wound transforms him into a Corrupted One—neither fully human nor demon.
The prophecy has begun. Defiance will be paid for in blood.
- GenresFantasy
Paperback
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Eric N. Bentley
8 books43 followersEric N. Bentley is the author of The Stronghold Series, a fourteen-book Christian supernatural thriller saga set in the fictional town of South Point, Texas. Spanning five centuries of spiritual warfare, the series weaves ancient prophecy, generational bloodlines, cursed weapons, and a modern-day reckoning with one of the darkest evils of our time: human trafficking.
The series began with a conversation. Eric’s daughter, a young woman with a heart for trafficking victims, shared what she’d learned about the crisis. The scope of it haunted him. On a long drive afterward, he realized the kidnapping of children — sold predator to predator — could only be operating under spiritual influence. That, he thought, sounds like something out of a horror novel. That was the seed.
Years earlier, missionary work in Trinidad and Tobago had introduced him to depths of human depravity he’d never encountered — a darkness that left an indelible mark on his understanding of the world. When the seed of The Stronghold was planted, that experience gave it soil to grow in.
Eric writes for readers who grew up on Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker — readers who want their fiction to do more than entertain. The Stronghold Series is fiction with a purpose: every book sold supports the real-world fight against trafficking, with proceeds donated to organizations on the front lines of rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and restoration.
Eric lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He prays that every reader will find a moment within these pages that makes them laugh, a moment that makes them cry, and a moment that compels them to look both inward and outward at the suffering this world demands a response to.
The series began with a conversation. Eric’s daughter, a young woman with a heart for trafficking victims, shared what she’d learned about the crisis. The scope of it haunted him. On a long drive afterward, he realized the kidnapping of children — sold predator to predator — could only be operating under spiritual influence. That, he thought, sounds like something out of a horror novel. That was the seed.
Years earlier, missionary work in Trinidad and Tobago had introduced him to depths of human depravity he’d never encountered — a darkness that left an indelible mark on his understanding of the world. When the seed of The Stronghold was planted, that experience gave it soil to grow in.
Eric writes for readers who grew up on Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker — readers who want their fiction to do more than entertain. The Stronghold Series is fiction with a purpose: every book sold supports the real-world fight against trafficking, with proceeds donated to organizations on the front lines of rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and restoration.
Eric lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He prays that every reader will find a moment within these pages that makes them laugh, a moment that makes them cry, and a moment that compels them to look both inward and outward at the suffering this world demands a response to.
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