I absolutely loved this book. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and didn’t want to put it down!

Sarah Penner’s writing is beautiful. The way she brings the Amalfi Coast to life made me feel like I was right there in Positano, soaking up the sun and looking out at the islands.

The dual timelines were also done so well, and I found myself genuinely looking forward to each switch in point of view. Every time it changed, it felt like I was getting another puzzle piece that brought the story closer together.

The blend of nautical archaeology, sunken treasure, witchcraft, and forbidden love worked perfectly!

I’ve already started recommending The Amalfi Curse to friends and will keep doing so. It’s the kind of story that stays with you. If you're looking for something immersive, unique, and completely captivating, I can’t recommend it enough.

Sarah Penner is the queen of dual timelines interwoven together. She does a great job of keeping you guessing up until the end of exactly how the timelines relate to each other. In "The Amalfi Curse, she flawlessly interweaves the story of Haven who is a nautical archeologist that is looking for treasure and young woman from the past trying everything to save her love and her people. This story takes place in Positano and the details that Penner provides makes you yearn to visit. Two women trying everything in their power to hold on to what they hold most dear is a gripping tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat. "The Amalfi Curse" is a magical, historical rollercoaster that you don't want to miss out on.

Mandy Harris
Angel Wings Bookstore

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner releases April 29, 2025! Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a miss for me. I didn't love the London Séance Society but I did enjoy The Lost Apothecary, so I wasn't sure what I would think of this one.

I would be remiss in skipping over the fact that this cover and special edition with sprayed edges is absolutely GORGEOUS! The blue and gold marbling totally give the Amalfi Coast vibes.

This book follows Haven Ambrose, a nautical archaeologist, who is in Positano to investigate shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But additionally, Haven is also hoping to find a trove of gems her father spotted in his final dive. Is there more sinister at work, or is nature just doing it's thing? That's the question here as Haven explores the magic of the sea.

I think I just read this in a time when I wanted a faster pace book, so that may be on me! This would be a good read for someone who lives curses and magical abilities, unexplained mysteries and magical realism, mixed with multiple timelines and treasure hunting. Definitely a range there!

I really enjoyed this read! Dare I say I enjoyed it as much perhaps more than her first book The Lost Apothecary?
A dual timeline story about witchcraft that takes place in Italy with a love story? Sign me up!
Very entertaining. And a beautiful story

𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
wow! i expected a treasure hunt tale and got so much more. im typically not the biggest fan of time hops but this was done exceptionally well. the stories and the way they intertwined with one another was so captivating.

the story was told with the reader in mind because I was hooked from the beginning.

i loved the scuba & nautical archaeological aspect to this and it added a unique spin on the story. i also loved haven’s maturity in the face of adversity and how she grew through those changes. and her and enzo? perfection. bravo, this was excellent!

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟗!

Dual timelines, witches, archaeology.... I loved this one. I can't wait to get my hands on the printed edition with those gorgeous edges.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

I thought this book was just ok. I didn’t love it like everyone else. It was a little slow moving and I had a really hard time getting into the book. I have read some of this author’s previous books and really enjoyed them. This one miss the mark for me

Fans of historical fiction with a twist of magical realism, like Outlander, and lovers of the Italian coast—this is the story for you.

I love how Sarah Penner crafts her stories. Each book I have read from her is magical and historical and heart-wrenching. I walk away from the read deeply devoted to the books characters, curious to know every detail of their complex and rich lives.

This story is fast-paced and incredibly engaging. I love the way Penner utilizes dual POVs & dual timelines to weave together complicated plots, full of truly unexpected twists and turns.

A bonus for me was getting to learn more about the Italian coast through this story as well. My great-grandma was from Naples, and I loved all of the mentions of the city in this book.

Long story short, if Sarah Penner writes it, I will read it.

This kills me to say this but this was a bit of a miss for me. And I’m blaming me for the “miss” because I don’t think this synopsis worked for what I’m drawn towards. I love witchery, love old tall tales and esp love Italy but all together (with pirates) was a mashup that felt jumbled.

This being said, I did love the writing and I will still read whatever she writes (seriously ppl read her backlist!) but this was just not one for me.

I am positive it’ll find a happy home in other readers eyes though.

Ps. The lost apothecary is my fav of hers. I have 2 copies on my shelf! Start there if you’re new to this author

Sarah Penner's The Lost Apothecary's setting and exposition were lush and carefully constructed so I knew that The Amalfi Curse would be exquisitely atmospheric and it absolutely was.

Like the movie Fool's Gold, The Amalfi Curse is a story of family legacy, sunken treasure, and a path to personal redemption. Add in the excitement of witches whose job it is to protect the Amalfi coast, this multi-timeline, multi-POV story hooked me from the very first page. It was such a fun read and would be the perfect book to take on a plane or sit beside the pool with.

Something For Damn Near Everyone. Seriously, this book has a LOT. You've got romance, in both timelines. You've got a touch of action, in both timelines. You've got adventure, again, in both timelines. You've got pirates and witches. You've got a lonely mom just trying to keep her family together. You've got a son desperate to keep his business... in business. You've got various heartaches. You've got at least some humor. You've got an academic investigation. You've got the fucking Amalfi Coast of Italy, which apparently is one of the more beautiful settings in Europe. (One I personally have no interest in ever visiting, despite this book's strong efforts of conveying just how beautiful it is. I have do doubt it is every bit as beautiful as this book describes so vividly... and yet, I can tell you of places in the Caribbean and the Americas that are just as beautiful. :D)

Overall, the story works well here in both timelines. Yes, it can be a touch slow at times... but then, in a setting such as this... maybe you want to more casually linger, have a more relaxing time in this world and in this location, if only in your mind while you trudge through your "real" life in whatever location you may find yourself in. It *does* take a bit more effort to get into the 19th century story than the 21st century one, but once you do... both parts are equally magic.

Ultimately it almost doesn't matter how you approach this book - whether you're in it for the 18th century pirates/ witches story, the 21st century travel/ adventure/ discovery story, either one of the romances, or even just here for some of the secondary characters or just to hang out in the Amalfi Coast for a few hours in your mind... you're going to find something to enjoy here regardless. Truly about the only types of readers that will be overly disappointed - and I'm warning you now if you're one of these - are those who can *only* read balls to the wall action or Carolina Reaper scorching, damn near erotica, romance, as neither of those are here at all - though their milder forms certainly are. Enough to get the pulse pounding but perhaps without the flood of adrenaline. :)

Very much recommended.

Thank you @htp_hive @parkrowbooks @htpbooks #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

The Lost Apothecary is what originally drew me into the magical mind of Sarah Penner and The Amalfi Curse is why I stay! I inhaled this book in one sitting because once again Sarah’s storytelling skills are spellbinding. This book felt like a magical and enchanting journey that absolutely made a lasting impression. This story really played into my imaginative creative side of my brain. The treasure hunt, the witchcraft, the race against time to beat the competition, the mystery and magic mixed with history and romance all just swooped me away out into the sea! I cannot recommend this book enough as it really is for fans across multiple genres. I am so happy to have found this sunken treasure amongst the shimmering sea of books because it most certainly was well worth the read! I have preordered this gorgeous book from Barnes and Noble and can’t wait for it to arrive soon!

3.75 ⭐️
An atmospheric dual-timeline and multi-pov story filled with Italian summer vibes, sea witches, archaeological and historical intrigue, and mystery. This was a delight!

As my first book by this author, I had no idea what to expect in terms of writing style but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The past and present timelines intertwined so well, I found myself reading a chapter set in the past and then in the present and could see how the threads of the past wove into the modern day timeline which was so satisfying! I will say that although the first 10 ish percent immediately caught my attention, after that up until maybe 65% it did feel like a bit of a slog. But I read the last bit in one sitting because everything was weaving together and I was on the edge of my seat to find out how the story would resolve, and Sarah Penner absolutely delivered on a satisfying ending which definitely boosted the rating of this book for me.

Something important to note is that our character in the present timeline, Haven, is a nautical archaeologist and much of the plot is filled with technical jargon and is very career focused. This was a huge plus for me as an aspiring anthropologist who is very interested in all the related fields to that subject, but I could see how this would be a turn off for some people. I really enjoyed the scenes of Haven in the archives. Even so, I still found myself connecting more with the past timeline as I really enjoyed Mari and Holmes as characters as well as their storyline just a bit more than Haven and the modern storyline. I was at times frustrated with the characters and their choices but the ending really wrapped everything up and I was very pleased. I definitely recommend picking this one up this summer!

A huge thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

i sadly have no interest in this book at the moment, so for now it is a dnf. there is nothing inherently wrong (i’m around 30% through) but this is not keeping my attention and i continue to put it down multiple times- maybe i will come back to it in the future/when im in a fantasy mood

Such a beautifully intertwined story of the past and present. I couldn’t put it down! This had a little bit of everything (love, witchcraft, adventure, grief) and had me DROOLING to go to Italy! This will be a must-read this summer.

I took my time reading this book and am so glad I did to thoroughly enjoy all the aspects. I really enjoyed the mix of current day as Hayden worked as an archaeologist searching for gems her father found before passing and the historical timeline from the 1820s with Mari and the other sea witches in Postiano. This was a slow moving book but I really enjoyed the 2 timelines and seeing how they intertwined.

4.25 stars
This was my first of Sarah Penner's books, and now I get it. Her writing is somehow romantic and poetic and heart-wrenching all at once. Her characters felt real and rooted in history (I could easily believe that all these characters were real historical figures), and I was invested in all of their stories the whole way through. Mira in particulr just felt so real to me, and her connection/contention with the sea and her magic was well done.

I love a treasure hunting/archeology story, as well as anything related to wreck diving, so those aspects were a great fun time. Some of the plotline with Conrad did seem a bit fiddly, like he was just there to be outside pressure (which I get), but ultimately he just didn't matter that much? Also Enzo was.... there. His connection to everything was fun, but I didn't really care about him much more than that.

The dual timeline was a bit slow at the start, but it was super effective at ramping up tension near the end - when things started coming together and being revealed I was gasping and screeching and whispering 'nonono' to myself.

A must-read if you're in the mood for a romantic historical story paralleled with treasure diving and the unravelling of a centuries old mystery!

Sarah Penner's latest, The Amalfi Curse, is a spellbinding adventure! Featuring a dual timeline story, action on the high seas, magic, science, and romance, this novel will transport you to Italy's Amalfi Coast. You won't want to put it down.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of Penner's newest!

This one was quite fun. We are in multiple perspectives with this novel. We have Mari who is a young woman with powers that can control water. This timeline, to me, was the most interesting one of all. The storyline was strong and the small village Mari lived kept me captivated. I know Holmes is crucial to the storyline, but his was my least favorite. His letters, to me, felt like they stopped the plot. But to be honest, I am not a professional author, and have no idea how else his storyline could have been put in without feeling we were just randomly finding things out.

Haven, our protagonist in the current timeline, is out for closure. She needs closure over the loss of her father, and she is looking to finish one of his dives. She is able to link this journey to a job she picks up as a shipwreck archeologist. While her storyline was good, it felt this is where the least development happened for me.

Dare I say I like this historical fantasy more than The Lost Apothecary?! I love Sarah Penner’s work.

This book is a dual timeline taking place off the coast of Positano. It was a beautifully crafted love story with treasure hunting and witchcraft. Everything really came full circle at the end, and I loved all the twists. It was a little challenging to keep track of the characters in the 19th century for the first 30% of the book, but otherwise it was a smooth read! Made me excited to visit Positano with my husband this summer