The Department of Dark Errands: Book One: Shadowmarked

A midlife spy with outlawed magic. An ex-lover back from the dead. And a conspiracy that could unravel the Department from within.

What if the most dangerous thing you ever buried... was yourself?

London, rewritten by shadow and spell, hides a secret branch of magical intelligence: The Department of Dark Errands. Its operatives don't just chase traitors--they hunt the things that slip between worlds.

Nyra Vex was once the Department's brightest commander. Now, at forty-five, she runs a quiet apothecary on the canals of Little Venice, blending teas for widows and grief-torn strangers, her past life sealed behind scars and silence. But when a shadowbeast tears through her wards and whispers her name, Nyra is dragged back into the Department's grip--reinstated, rearmed, and paired with the one man she swore she'd never see again.

Beck Morran. Her tether. Her lover. Her betrayal.
Dead ten years.
Now alive--reanimated, cursed, and bound to the Patron's coin.

As Nyra and Beck navigate a labyrinth of assassins, forbidden magic, and conspiracies older than Boudicca, the tether between them reignites--part weapon, part desire, part doom. Every mission drags them deeper into the Department's living, breathing underworld of archives, sigils, and shadow incursions, where loyalty is tested and survival is never guaranteed.

But Nyra has her own secret. She is shadowmarked. And the magic inside her may be the only thing that can cut Beck free--or burn the world down trying.

Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Deborah Harkness, and Killing Eve, Shadowmarked is a darkly seductive blend of spy thriller, witchcraft, and midlife romantasy. With dangerous men in three-piece suits, blades forged in blood, and a heroine who's equal parts apothecary and assassin, this is not a story about staying safe.

It's about choosing which shadows you're willing to burn for.