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Empire of Shadows
(2024)(The first book in the Raiders of the Arcana series)
A novel by Jacquelyn Benson
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 the Raiders of the Arcana series, rip-roaring historical fantasy adventures perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.
"Sassy banter and sizzling romantic tension sparkle throughout the fast-paced action ... Fans of Indiana Jones-style historical fantasies will be eager for the next adventure." - Booklist of the American Library Association
"A feminist, anti-colonialist tour-de-force, a pulse-pounding adventure tale, and a compelling, spirited romance all in one." - Charlotte English, author of the House of Werth series
"A page-turning historical fantasy romp ... Adam Bates somehow becomes more attractive with every extra layer of dirt." - Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul
Genre: Fantasy
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 the Raiders of the Arcana series, rip-roaring historical fantasy adventures perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.
"Sassy banter and sizzling romantic tension sparkle throughout the fast-paced action ... Fans of Indiana Jones-style historical fantasies will be eager for the next adventure." - Booklist of the American Library Association
"A feminist, anti-colonialist tour-de-force, a pulse-pounding adventure tale, and a compelling, spirited romance all in one." - Charlotte English, author of the House of Werth series
"A page-turning historical fantasy romp ... Adam Bates somehow becomes more attractive with every extra layer of dirt." - Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul
Genre: Fantasy
Praise for this book
"A page-turning historical fantasy romp with a feminist twist. Ellie and her fern are hilarious, and Adam Bates somehow becomes more attractive with every extra layer of dirt. Empire of Shadows is so lovingly researched, you'll find yourself getting puzzlingly excited over trash middens, along with the two main characters." - Olivia Atwater
"Empire of Shadows is a gorgeous, sprawling joy of a book. It's a feminist, anti-colonialist tour-de-force, a pulse-pounding adventure tale, and a compelling, spirited romance all in one, with a meticulous attention to historical detail that shines on every page. The heart, the brains, the brawn - Jacquelyn Benson's Raiders of the Arcana has it all." - Charlotte E English
"A smart Victorian heroine on a quest for a supernatural lost city! Empire of Shadows has the perfect proportions of banter, exotic locales, and death-defying quests, and I loved it." - Rosalie Oaks
"If you've been missing Amelia Peabody's adventurous spirit and secretly wished Elizabeth Peters had sent a heroine into the jungles of the Yucatan and added just a smidge more romance, drop everything you're doing right now and order Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson. She'll take you back in time and drop you into the story you need. History, adventure, a touch of romance and a little of the arcane. Plan ahead. You'll want to swat away friends and family and turn down every social event until the adventure is over. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series and will preorder them all blind." - Anne Renwick
"Empire of Shadows is a gorgeous, sprawling joy of a book. It's a feminist, anti-colonialist tour-de-force, a pulse-pounding adventure tale, and a compelling, spirited romance all in one, with a meticulous attention to historical detail that shines on every page. The heart, the brains, the brawn - Jacquelyn Benson's Raiders of the Arcana has it all." - Charlotte E English
"A smart Victorian heroine on a quest for a supernatural lost city! Empire of Shadows has the perfect proportions of banter, exotic locales, and death-defying quests, and I loved it." - Rosalie Oaks
"If you've been missing Amelia Peabody's adventurous spirit and secretly wished Elizabeth Peters had sent a heroine into the jungles of the Yucatan and added just a smidge more romance, drop everything you're doing right now and order Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson. She'll take you back in time and drop you into the story you need. History, adventure, a touch of romance and a little of the arcane. Plan ahead. You'll want to swat away friends and family and turn down every social event until the adventure is over. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series and will preorder them all blind." - Anne Renwick
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