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The Department of Dark Errands
What if menopause made you MAGICAL… instead of miserable?
"A ferocious, emotionally grounded debut…"—Publishers Weekly
Finally... The Harry Potter for midlife women, we've ALL been waiting for!
Magic doesn't expire at forty.
London, rewritten by shadow and spell, hides a secret magical intelligence The Department of Dark Errands. Its operatives don't just hunt traitors—they track the things that slip between worlds.
Once the Department's brightest commander, Nyra Vex now lives quietly at forty-five, running a small apothecary along the canals of Little Venice. She blends teas for widows and grief-torn strangers, her past life buried behind scars and silence.
Until a shadowbeast tears through her wards and whispers her name.
Dragged back into the Department's grip, Nyra is reinstated, rearmed—and paired with the one man she swore she'd never see again.
Beck Morran.
Her lover. Her betrayal.
Dead ten years.
Now he's 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 pulls them deeper into the Department's shadowed underworld of archives, sigils, and living magic, where loyalty fractures and survival is never guaranteed.
But Nyra carries a secret of her own. She is shadowmarked—touched by a power the Department fears and cannot control.
That magic may be the only force strong enough to free Beck from the Patron's curse. Or destroy everything they've sworn to protect.
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Deborah Harkness, and Killing Eve, Shadowmarked launches The Department of Dark Errands trilogy—a seductive blend of espionage, witchcraft, and midlife romantasy, where assassins wear tailored suits, spells are traded like intelligence, and the most dangerous woman in the room is an apothecary who refuses to disappear.
Because some magic waits a lifetime to awaken.
"A ferocious, emotionally grounded debut…"—Publishers Weekly
Finally... The Harry Potter for midlife women, we've ALL been waiting for!
Magic doesn't expire at forty.
London, rewritten by shadow and spell, hides a secret magical intelligence The Department of Dark Errands. Its operatives don't just hunt traitors—they track the things that slip between worlds.
Once the Department's brightest commander, Nyra Vex now lives quietly at forty-five, running a small apothecary along the canals of Little Venice. She blends teas for widows and grief-torn strangers, her past life buried behind scars and silence.
Until a shadowbeast tears through her wards and whispers her name.
Dragged back into the Department's grip, Nyra is reinstated, rearmed—and paired with the one man she swore she'd never see again.
Beck Morran.
Her lover. Her betrayal.
Dead ten years.
Now he's 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 pulls them deeper into the Department's shadowed underworld of archives, sigils, and living magic, where loyalty fractures and survival is never guaranteed.
But Nyra carries a secret of her own. She is shadowmarked—touched by a power the Department fears and cannot control.
That magic may be the only force strong enough to free Beck from the Patron's curse. Or destroy everything they've sworn to protect.
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Deborah Harkness, and Killing Eve, Shadowmarked launches The Department of Dark Errands trilogy—a seductive blend of espionage, witchcraft, and midlife romantasy, where assassins wear tailored suits, spells are traded like intelligence, and the most dangerous woman in the room is an apothecary who refuses to disappear.
Because some magic waits a lifetime to awaken.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
With just about 250 pages, this was a quick and interesting story to read. The premise immediately caught my attention: what if menopause made you magical instead of miserable?
As someone who mostly reads romantasy where the heroines are in their early 20s (or maybe 30s if we’re lucky), it was really refreshing to follow a FMC in her mid 40s. Nyra Vex is 45, with a whole past behind her, and I loved that her magic doesn’t fade, it evolves and strengthens alongside her. She’s a former Department of Dark Errands commander, now living a quieter life running her small apothecary… until, of course, her past catches up with her.
I liked the setting and the idea of this magical London, with the Department dealing with things that slip between worlds. The story flows well and feels quite fast-paced, especially considering its length. There’s action, some darker elements, and some spice as well.
We get a strong FMC who is trying to take control of her present while carrying the weight of what she’s been through. I also appreciated the underlying theme of creating space and power for women at a different stage in life, it felt both fresh and meaningful within the genre.
That said, I would have loved a bit more depth in the characters. More backstory, more time to really sit with them, and just a little more expansion overall would have made it even stronger for me.
Overall, this was a solid and enjoyable read, and I plan to continue reading the next books of this new trilogy.
With just about 250 pages, this was a quick and interesting story to read. The premise immediately caught my attention: what if menopause made you magical instead of miserable?
As someone who mostly reads romantasy where the heroines are in their early 20s (or maybe 30s if we’re lucky), it was really refreshing to follow a FMC in her mid 40s. Nyra Vex is 45, with a whole past behind her, and I loved that her magic doesn’t fade, it evolves and strengthens alongside her. She’s a former Department of Dark Errands commander, now living a quieter life running her small apothecary… until, of course, her past catches up with her.
I liked the setting and the idea of this magical London, with the Department dealing with things that slip between worlds. The story flows well and feels quite fast-paced, especially considering its length. There’s action, some darker elements, and some spice as well.
We get a strong FMC who is trying to take control of her present while carrying the weight of what she’s been through. I also appreciated the underlying theme of creating space and power for women at a different stage in life, it felt both fresh and meaningful within the genre.
That said, I would have loved a bit more depth in the characters. More backstory, more time to really sit with them, and just a little more expansion overall would have made it even stronger for me.
Overall, this was a solid and enjoyable read, and I plan to continue reading the next books of this new trilogy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I really wanted to love The Department of Dark Errands, the premise and tone felt like something I would normally gravitate toward, especially with its atmospheric, magical edge. But unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully land for me.
The biggest issue was the pacing and structure at the beginning. There’s a heavy influx of characters and plot elements introduced very quickly, and instead of building intrigue, it made the story feel overwhelming and, at times, difficult to follow. I found myself struggling to stay grounded in the world because there wasn’t enough clarity early on to anchor everything that was happening.
The world-building itself has potential, but it felt underdeveloped in those opening sections. A lot is happening all at once, without enough context or connection, which made it hard to fully invest in the characters or the stakes.
That said, there are glimpses of a compelling story here—particularly in the tone and underlying ideas—and I can see this working for readers who enjoy dense, multi-threaded fantasy that unfolds quickly.
For me, though, I needed a bit more cohesion and breathing room in the early chapters to really connect with it.
I really wanted to love The Department of Dark Errands, the premise and tone felt like something I would normally gravitate toward, especially with its atmospheric, magical edge. But unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully land for me.
The biggest issue was the pacing and structure at the beginning. There’s a heavy influx of characters and plot elements introduced very quickly, and instead of building intrigue, it made the story feel overwhelming and, at times, difficult to follow. I found myself struggling to stay grounded in the world because there wasn’t enough clarity early on to anchor everything that was happening.
The world-building itself has potential, but it felt underdeveloped in those opening sections. A lot is happening all at once, without enough context or connection, which made it hard to fully invest in the characters or the stakes.
That said, there are glimpses of a compelling story here—particularly in the tone and underlying ideas—and I can see this working for readers who enjoy dense, multi-threaded fantasy that unfolds quickly.
For me, though, I needed a bit more cohesion and breathing room in the early chapters to really connect with it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Arc Review
Department of Dark Errands
Book One: Shadowmarked
by Imogen Vane
⭐⭐⭐
3.4
Thank you Empress Editions for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I really wanted to enjoy this book, I was super excited when I read the blurb, but unfortunately it did not quit meet my standards. The story was still good but we got a lot of characters in the beginning of the book that just made it seem overwhelming and hard to keep up with everyone. I think if introduction had been spaced out a little more instead of all lumped together it would of added more intrigue and not of been so overwhelming. But overall I did still enjoy the story so I rated a 3.4.
#wedodarkerrands#NetGalley
Department of Dark Errands
Book One: Shadowmarked
by Imogen Vane
⭐⭐⭐
3.4
Thank you Empress Editions for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I really wanted to enjoy this book, I was super excited when I read the blurb, but unfortunately it did not quit meet my standards. The story was still good but we got a lot of characters in the beginning of the book that just made it seem overwhelming and hard to keep up with everyone. I think if introduction had been spaced out a little more instead of all lumped together it would of added more intrigue and not of been so overwhelming. But overall I did still enjoy the story so I rated a 3.4.
#wedodarkerrands#NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews