I was so excited to dive into The Amalfi Curse. Having really enjoyed The Lost Apothecary and recently traveled to Italy, this book seemed like the perfect match.

Unfortunately, despite my enthusiasm, I found myself struggling to connect with either of the main characters, even well into the story. Hoping the audiobook might draw me in more, I switched formats. While Saskia Maarleveld (one of my all-time favorite narrators) delivers a typically polished performance, even her narration couldn’t fully bridge the emotional distance I felt.

There’s no denying Penner’s talent for setting and mood, and fans of her previous work or those deeply drawn to Italian settings might still find something to love here. But for me, The Amalfi Curse simply didn’t cast the spell I was hoping for.

Thank you to Sarah Penner, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Penner does such an incredible job crafting beautiful stories that weave together magical elements, historical fiction, and mystery- all in about 300 pages. Positano was an idyllic setting for this story, dragging me in instantly and leaving me with a desire to pack up my bags and head to the Italian Coast.

The Amalfi Curse is a mystery takes place across dual timelines- a small village in the 1800s, and modern day Positano. This story has everything from strong females with magical abilities, sunken treasure, and high seas adventure. The two stories are woven together seamlessly in the end!

This is a perfect summer read, and should definitely be added to your TBR! Thank you NetGalley and Park Row for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse...

The Amalfi Curse is the perfect summer read! Sarah Penner has a way of blending magic realism with historical fiction that speaks to my heart. The Amalfi Curse offers a dual POV that takes you from a modern day diving expedition to a sea witch clan trying to protect their small village from pirates in the 1800s. The two stories intersect beautifully, a tale of two women fighting to protect something dear to them in their own ways.

Haven Ambrose, a marine archaeologist, is set to lead a team of women divers into the depths of the Amalfi coast to photograph sunken ships. She also hopes to continue with her late father’s last dive in which he discovered hidden treasure buried deep among the shipwrecks. Unfortunately it seems that the Amalfi curse is set to prevent her from getting into the water; a colleague set to commandeer her funded project and unexpected environmental anomalies may present challenges to Haven’s dives but she is determined to get into the water and continue where her father left off.

In the 1800s, Positano, a small fishing village, held a magical secret; a group of women who have the ability to control the ocean via magic to protect their families and friends. The newest clan leader, Mari, has a secret of her own and finds herself entangled in a dangerous run-in with notorious pirates from Naples. Mari must balance her desire to protect her village and clan while secretly waiting for the love of her life to return to her. Through Haven’s dives and her discovery of a fallen sailor’s journal, the story of the Amalfi curse and the stregheria unravels.

I loved this story as much as I loved Sarah Penner’s other historical magic realism novels. Her books are so enchanting and strike the perfect balance of magic realism and historical fiction. The Amalfi Curse is out now. Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.

Sarah Penner has done it again. That's it. That's the review. Because there's just too much to talk about, from the evocative, lush setting of the famously beautiful Positano, to the intertwining stories of two strong female leads in Mari and Haven, to the sweeping romance of Mari and Holmes and the fledgling connection between Haven and Enzo, to the bonds of sisterhood among the streghe and among Haven's crew. I just loved everything about this, and can't wait to see what Ms. Penner has up next for us.

I have read Penner's last two books and was excited for this one. For me, this one was a disappointment. The story is mutli-time line and takes you to Italy to learn of Italian women that have a connected gift with the sea. You move through two timelines but the older time line has two different character focuses. I found the characters flat and unappealing no matter the timeline. It is a very slow start that has so much background to understand the plot, I lost interest in the whole plot. It comes together in the last chapters but it seems the book was just not well developed. I will read her books again and am excited about a Lost Apothecary sequel. This one just didn't resonant with me.

The Amalfi Curse took me a bit to get into - I wasn't initially bought in and was focusing too much on the magic and how it worked to enjoy the story. However, once I set that aside and starting just enjoying the story, I was hooked and flew through the rest of the story! I loved the dual POVs and timelines - and found I was invested in both stories equally...and eager to see how they connect.

Our present-day story gives us a bit of adventure, grief, and is set in the most picturesque location of the Amalfi Coast. I loved seeing a strong female character in a male-dominant field work to succeed and still accomplish her goals - despite the obstacles in her way.

The historical aspect of this story was the part that took me a minute to get into - but the love story and magical realism eventually pulled me in and I loved it! It was adventurous, heartbreaking, and so well done. The writing was fast-paced, vivid, and helped me connect to the characters.

Overall, I adored this book - and the ending!

The Amalfi Curse has a beautiful setting and an exciting story line. I would recommend it to readers who enjoyed the authors previous books or who enjoy dual timeline historical fiction. For me, the dual timeline fell a little flat. I would have enjoyed reading a more developed storyline in either of the time periods. It felt like some of the characters, who were engaging, did not get the development they could have.

Sunken treasure, shipwrecks, and mystery. Loved this novel by the author of The Lost Apothecary. It is equally well written, and intriguing. With beautiful scenery and exciting knowledge of diving, history, and shipwrecks, and characters you'd enjoy having in your own life, Penner does an amazing job with this one!

I agree with the masses; this is Penner’s best book yet! I loved the genre blend of historical fiction, suspense, romance, and magic. I need to get to Positano immediately!

Sarah Penney is such a terrific storyteller. I immediately fell into the story. I loved the adventure and the story of the women and their special powers.

Read Sarah Penner's book The lost apothecary and totally enjoyed that so was looking forward to this book. It did not disappoint. Loved the mysticism of it and the romance and the mystery. The descriptions of the Amalfi Coast really give you the feel of being there and experiencing it all. It is my book club book recommendation and I'm eagerly waiting to hear how the members also feel about it.

What a fun book. I liked the Lost Apothecary and was very excited to read this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This honest review is my own and is not paid.

Pros: I thought the book had a good pace. I was hooked from the very beginning. I liked the flipping between the perspectives and time lines. Penner did a great job at tying everything together at the end. I loved the final sentence in the book. There was a little fun suspense, witchcraft, romance, and adventure. I loved that I learned about nautical archeology. Penner is a great master at combining feminism, historical fiction, a bit of mysticism, and thrills.

Cons: Some of the Italian words I had to look up. There were also some boating terms that I had no idea what was going on, so it was a bit hard to visualize.

Overall, it was a great read and I can't wait for her next book.

For fans of the Lost Apothecary, another spellbinding tale of magic and mystery from Sarah Penner is here.

The Amalfi Coast delivers in this enchanting dual timeline novel, which blends historical fiction, magical realism and nautical adventure all against the backdrop of Italy's breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

The story follows nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose as she searches for a legendary trove of gemstones her late father spotted on his final deep-sea dive. As she delves deeper into the mysterious community of Positano, strange calamities plague the town leading her to uncover a centuries old legend of sea witches who protect the coast. Captivating storytelling and rich historical detail send readers deep into the world of forbidden love, ancient sorcery and high stakes treasure hunting. The plot is fast paced, the setting moody and atmospheric and the characters draw the reader in making it an absolute page turner. I highly recommend!

Witches, ships and treasure, dual timelines and the Amalfi coast makes this a must read. This is my second Sarah Penner book and she just keeps getting better! Must read!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC. I primarily wanted to read this book because I’m visiting Italy soon. I wasn’t expecting a modern maritime Indiana Jones. At first I was put off by the shifting narrators and timelines, but when the storyline threads started to come together (and Enzo appeared), I was all in.

I was sooooo intrigued by this book. Not only is the cover stunning, but it also sounded amazing. My expectations were wayyyyy too high. It was good but not nearly as awesome as I expected.

'The Amalfi Curse' by Sarah Penner follows women in two timelines, one searching for shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast in present day and a group of stregheria using their magical abilities to influence water to protect their village. Penner weaves the storylines together, guiding our current heroine through dives along the coast and into historical record to solve a modern mystery.

I'm a fan of Penner's other work, and enjoyed the stories in both timelines. the use of magic and the positioning of women in both timelines as the change-makers was great.

Thank you to Sarah Penner and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of 'The Amalfi Curse' in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
First off, the setting of this book was fantastic. Penner does a great job surrounding you with the sea and coast as you read the story.
I thought the multiple timelines were interesting, but I tended to flip-flop on whose story I was actually interested in. I think Mari’s story ends up being more engaging and she feels like a more developed character. Haven fell a little flat for me and her motivations at the end of the book seemed unrealistic.

Overall, it was a fun summer read that made me feel I was in Italy although it was slow in parts and somewhat disjointed. 3.5 stars

The Amalfi Curse is a beautifully written novel with an atmospheric setting that immediately transported me to the rugged coastline of Positano. I’ve never wanted a trip to Italy more. Sarah Penner’s lush descriptions and the interwoven dual timelines are set up to strengthen the story—there’s something immersive about shifting between the modern-day mysteries Haven uncovers and the historical intrigue of Mari’s 1820s storyline. Ultimately though I was more captivated by the historical thread involving sea witches and stregheria than I was by Haven’s present-day arc, which felt a little boring and hard to get into. Despite her fascinating background as a nautical archaeologist, her plotline didn’t fully deliver on the promise of high-stakes treasure hunting and magical realism. I also found the magical elements in the modern timeline a bit underdeveloped—there were hints of something deeper, but it never quite landed with impact.

The book is a slow burn but I found the pacing lagged in parts, and I put the book down several times and was very slow to pick it back up. Ultimately the conclusion felt ambiguous and a touch unsatisfying. That said, the dual POVs, rich setting, and underlying themes of love, loss, and legacy make this an enjoyable read, especially for those drawn to witchy tales with historical depth. A solid choice for a vacation or book club pick, even if it didn’t fully spellbind me.

Look for this on shelves now!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.