Raiders of the Arcana Series by Jacquelyn Benson

For a determined lady scholar, nothing perks up a wedding quite like exploding coffins and a priceless stolen manuscript.Professional archivist and fervent suffragette Ellie Mallory loathes marriage ceremonies, but she's willing to endure this one if it means she can get her hands on a uniquely fascinating 13th century apocalypse manuscript. The only problem? The manuscript she finds is a fake, and the real one will be swapped out by thieves before the wedding bells start to chime... moreFor a determined lady scholar, nothing perks up a wedding quite like exploding coffins and a priceless stolen manuscript.Professional archivist and fervent suffragette Ellie Mallory loathes marriage ceremonies, but she's willing to endure this one if it means she can get her hands on a uniquely fascinating 13th century apocalypse manuscript. The only problem? The manuscript she finds is a fake, and the real one will be swapped out by thieves before the wedding bells start to chime.Ellie has only one hour to figure out where the exchange is to take place within the vast Gothic maze of historic Christchurch Priory. With the help of her fashionable, knife-wielding bestie, Constance Tyrrell, she must navigate deadly belfries, a morose groom, and a crypt full of potentially explosive coffins—all while wearing a nightmarishly pink borrowed dress.But Ellie's quest to save the apocalypse leads her to stumble into another historical mystery—one that might uncover the fate of an even more precious treasure. Can she find the prize, stop the thieves, and save the wedding in time? Pick up The Stolen Apocalypse, the adventure-packed and delightful introduction to Jacquelyn Benson's swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series, and find out!The Stolen Apocalypse special prequel novella also contains a preview of the first chapters of Empire of Shadows, Book 1 of the Raiders of the Arcana series. less

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... moreNice 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. less

Bonus story that was a preorder incentive

Respectable lady scholars shouldn’t be dodging evildoers, escaping lost tombs, and chasing down magical artifacts.Archivist and suffragette Ellie Mallory always dreamed of putting her scholarly skills to work in the ancient sands of Egypt. She never imagined she would be doing so in order to save an object of legendary power from a batch of ruthless villains. Racing baddies to an arcanum of Biblical proportions is only one of Ellie’s problems... moreRespectable lady scholars shouldn’t be dodging evildoers, escaping lost tombs, and chasing down magical artifacts.Archivist and suffragette Ellie Mallory always dreamed of putting her scholarly skills to work in the ancient sands of Egypt. She never imagined she would be doing so in order to save an object of legendary power from a batch of ruthless villains. Racing baddies to an arcanum of Biblical proportions is only one of Ellie’s problems. Her hopelessly academic and perpetually mortified step-brother, Dr. Neil Fairfax, is about to learn that she’s been gallivanting around the globe with his danger-magnet best friend, Adam Bates—the roguish surveyor for whom Ellie harbors increasingly complicated feelings. Add the petite and terrifyingly fearless Constance Tyrrell to the mix, and Ellie either has a crack team of artifact-saving experts to hand… or a recipe for disaster. Together, they’ll need to follow a trail of three-thousand-year-old clues from the necropolis of Saqqara to the temples of Luxor and beyond, where the ruined capital of a heretic pharaoh hides a secret with the potential to upend history. To keep an earth-shattering magic from falling into the wrong hands, Ellie will need to pull out all the stops—even if that means resorting to fisticuffs, ignoring proper archaeological processes… and facing a terrible choice between doing what she knows is right or breaking her own heart. Dive into Tomb of the Sun King now to experience the next action-packed historical fantasy adventure in the Raiders of the Arcana series! Praise for the Raiders of the “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.” - ALA Booklist“Fun, female-led mystical adventure with unexpected themes and oodles of heart!” - Five star Goodreads reviewer less

A well-behaved lady historian ought to avoid haunted Indian forests… not plunge into them seeking an invincible weapon of the gods.Ellie Mallory didn’t exactly volunteer to prevent the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands—but if one has been coerced into an adventure, the least one can do is bring along a few friends.Constance Tyrrell has new daggers stuffed in her garters, a thirst to discover everything India has to offer… and absolutely no interest in Dr... moreA well-behaved lady historian ought to avoid haunted Indian forests… not plunge into them seeking an invincible weapon of the gods.Ellie Mallory didn’t exactly volunteer to prevent the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands—but if one has been coerced into an adventure, the least one can do is bring along a few friends.Constance Tyrrell has new daggers stuffed in her garters, a thirst to discover everything India has to offer… and absolutely no interest in Dr. Neil Fairfax, Ellie’s scholarly stepbrother. Meanwhile, Neil finds himself wrangling a magical sword along with his increasingly tangled feelings about a certain doe-eyed danger gnome.Then there’s Adam Bates—handy with a machete, perpetually shirtless, and about to face some unsettling ghosts of his past.Together, they must follow the footsteps of an ancient hero from the festivals of Puri to the shadowy depths of a legendary forest, racing a brutal colonial administrator with allies of his own—including the complicated and mysterious Mr. Jacobs.It will take all Ellie’s resources—from a working knowledge of practical chemistry to a highly excitable dog—to beat a new sort of demon to the place where a holy power has lain hidden for two thousand years… alongside the secret history of the woman at the heart of India’s greatest story. less