We're celebrating the release of Empire of Shadows this week and if you love swashbuckling adventure stories packed with slow burn witty banter, flesh-eating beetles, and real history, this is a MUST READ!
Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana Book 1)
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Genre: Historical Fantasy/ Gaslamp Fantasy
Nice Victorian ladies don’t run off to find legendary lost cities.
One trifling little arrest shouldn’t have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it’s only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.
When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she’s holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There’s just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.
To race him to the ruins—and avoid being violently disposed of—she needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can’t seem to keep his dratted shirt on.
But there’s more than Ellie’s scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren’t just looters. They’re after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.
Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?
Empire of Shadows is the first book in Jacquelyn Benson’s smart, swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series. Read it now and dive into a rip-roaring historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.
REVIEW:
Empire of Shadows is a historical fantasy read and is the first book in the Raiders of the Arcana series. Ellie Mallory is an educated woman with her sights set on an archeological dig in a mysterious ancient city. Teaming up with Adam Bates, Elly and he race to beat her enemies to find the arcane secret. When I read that this was for fans of The Mummy (Evie and Rick, my favorites), I knew I was going to love this one, and I did! Elly is a fierce, independent, and determined character that really pulled me into this story. Her interactions with Adam were also a plus but I loved the adventure and fantasy aspects the most. This was easily a five star read for me.
About the Author
Jacquelyn Benson writes smart historical fantasy where strong women confront the stranger things that occupy the borders of our world.
She once lived in a museum, wrote a master’s thesis on the cultural anthropology of paranormal investigation, and received a gold medal for being clever. She owes a great deal to her elementary school librarian for sagely choosing to acquire the entire Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown series.
When not writing, she enjoys the company of a tall, dark, and handsome English teacher and practices unintentional magic.