Empire of Shadows

Raiders of the Arcana, Book 1

By: Jacquelyn Benson

Narrated by: Alex Picard

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.

©2024 Jacquelyn Benson (P)2024 Jacquelyn Benson

Great book!

Such a good book, I can’t wait to start the second one. My only note is that I really didn’t like most of the “reader’s” accents.

the plot

I didn't dislike anything. the thing is, this book was so beautiful and hit so many of my tropes, i actually cried at the end. the slow burn was perfect, the chemistry was brilliant. Thank you

Loved it

Plot - unique ☑️
Burn - slowww ☑️
Narrator - excellent ☑️
Vibes - immaculate ☑️

First book of 2025 and it’ll be hard to top it. You can feel the inspiration from “The Mummy” (characters, time period) but it stands totally on its own so you’re not making comparisons as you read. Loved Ellie and the narrator was perfect.

Fun Adventure Romance

I found this a fun, easy, read that left me with a smile and the desire to know what will happen next.

Favorite book & audio from 2024

holy cow was this audio phenomenal!!! Her accents were great, and I loved every minute of this story. I switched between listening to the audio book at work and reading the physical book at home but the audio is what really got me into this story!

Think : the mummy from Evie’s POV!!!!

This story is totally the vibe and characters from the Mummy which is fantastic! It was a ton of fun. The accents weren’t too bad, and I enjoyed most of the narrator’s inflections. I can’t wait to listen to the next book!

5 star read with a 4 star audio

This was such an amazingly fun time and 5 star read. The audiobook, despite having different 3rd person POV chapters for Ellie and then for Adam, is one singular woman who just stops her British accent on the chapters she’s Adam. I know authors have to pay more for dual or duet narration so that’s why this is a 4 star audio for me. If it was dual at a minimum, it would be 6 stars for both!

Fun adventure!

If you’re a huge fan of the Steven Sommer’s The Mummy, then you’ll enjoy this book. British feisty feminist scholar and a dashing cartographer adventurer trying to save an archeological city? It’s a fun adventure! No time for spice (for those who are wondering). Well written and narration is great! Can’t wait for them take on their next expedition.

Perfect

Love the story and pacing. The characters are so well developed that it's easy to fall in love with them. The narration is also fantastic and adds so much to the experience of this book. I had so much fun with this. Can't wait to listen to book 2

Slow Burn and Archaeology

Lovely easy read with slow burn romance and archaeology. Can’t convince me the author didn’t write this specifically for me.