In The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner, nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose travels to the stunning village of Positano to investigate mysterious shipwrecks — and secretly search for a hidden trove of gemstones her late father once discovered. But when strange storms and disasters start hitting the coast, Haven wonders if something darker than nature is at play. As she dives deeper into the mystery, she uncovers an ancient story of magic, love, and sacrifice tied to the legendary art of stregheria. Set against the breathtaking Amalfi Coast, this novel weaves together romance, mystery, and the untamed power of the sea into a spellbinding adventure.

Thank you to Park Row and HTP the Hive for the copy of this for a review!

Another phenomenal story by Sarah Penner that I could not put down! The dual timelines wove together perfectly, and I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. Filled with magic, love, grief, and mystery, this is the perfect summer read!

I loved Sarah Penner's previous books but this book was just not for me. In my opinion the book would have been better if it wasn't so informative and descriptive but that's just this readers opinion. It sounds like a great story for historical fiction fans.

Magic. Location (Amalfi). Treasure. A terrific protagonist. High stakes. Suspense. What more could a reader want? This was a fun read and one that it is easy to recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for this title. All opinons are my own.

🛟 Thank you @parkrowbooks + @htp_hive for the gifted ARC ♡

⚓️ Brimming with adventure, a hunt for lost treasure, a romance (closed door), and a sprinkling of witches + magic.

🌊 This book certainly made me want to pack my bags and head to the Italian seaside pronto. I’m ready to throw on my mask, snorkel, and fins 🤿 to go exploring shallow reefs and shipwrecks.

🪸This is Sarah Penner’s best book yet. The two timelines both held my interest and I enjoyed the multiple character POVs.

⛱️ Overall a charming, feel good story that’s perfect for summer vacation and beach reads.

🐚 The Amalfi Curse releases this Tuesday, April 29.

TW: Assault, Murder, Kidnapping

4.25 - This one was such an interesting read!!!! It had me hooked from the very beginning. It went between present day & the 1800s, with mention of magic (& magical realism), witches, curses, love, despair - all the good things especially with the setting being in Pasitano, Italy & the Amalfi Coast. I really loved the dynamic & the back story of the MC’s so much - it was so unique! I adore books with flashbacks in them, especially when there’s so much history there!! A few times my jaw dropped & I can’t explain how many times I felt awful for setting the book down because I neededdddd to get it read to figure out what happens!

There were a few parts where it felt somewhat rushed & I was wanting a little bit more of the story & more story between a couple of the characters themselves! The ending I felt as if it was quickly sorted out like there was a lot of buildup then it just somewhat fell flat for me. Nonetheless, the overall ending itself was a great idea just maybe executed a little too quickly.

The love story between the FMC & MMC in the beginning (flashbacks) are one of my favorite love stories that I have read. It made me so attached to them!! The author did an amazing job executing them. It felt like this was based on a true story with how this was written!

I thought this book honestly started out rather slow, but as the story continued to build, I fell in love with the magic of the characters and the romances in the story. I definitely want to read more from Sarah Penner.

The scene, the streghe del mar... salute! It took my a little while to get into the book, but once Savina entered the picture, things started to pick up, and I was hooked until the end. I loved the 1821 story timeline. Would make a good book club read.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

<i>The Amalfi Curse</i> is a breezy, fascinating work that feels perfect for book clubs. In the present, nautical archaelogist Haven Ambrose is preparing to stay for a year on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, working the biggest project of her career alongside her team. The nearby sea is littered with wrecks, and area has long been referred to as "cursed." Meanwhile, a parallel plot thread in the 1820s follows the women who made the curse real: red-haired witches with a strong connection to the sea. Their secret is about to be revealed in the worst way, changing their lives forever.

This is a book that feels light but has some heavy research to give it structure. The characters in the past and present are incredibly relatable, and the tension really ramps up. There are nice romances in both plots as well.

Thank you Harlequin for providing me with an advanced copy to read.

This is the third book I’ve read by Sarah Penner, and I continue to enjoy her writing. She creates fascinating historical fiction, which happens to be my favorite genre.

The story unfolds across two timelines: one set in 1820s Positano, and the other in the present day.

In the 1820s storyline, we follow Mari, a Strega living in Positano. She inherited her mother’s gift for using witchcraft to control the water and protect her village from pillagers. Mari’s life hasn’t been easy—her mother passed away when she was just eight, and her father eventually remarried. One day, Mari meets Holmes on the beach and slowly begins to fall in love with him.

In the present day, we meet Haven, a skilled nautical archaeologist who has recently lost her father. Determined to honor his legacy, she sets out to complete his mission: finding the buried treasure he believed he had just discovered before his untimely death from a heart attack.

Like her other books I’ve read, Sarah Penner weaves an absorbing story with just the right touch of magical realism—enough to make the story enchanting without overwhelming it.

The story only gets better as it unfolds, with each added detail bringing the bigger picture into focus. Having read Penner’s previous works, I found myself searching for subtle hints throughout, eager to see how the two timelines would eventually intertwine.

One of my favorite things about a book is when the setting is written so incredibly vivid that when I look up from it, I’m genuinely surprised that I’m just sitting on my couch and not where the book is set. The Amalfi Curse absolutely had that going for it. I loved the way Italy was written in both timelines. It was so clear to imagine and it made me want to travel there immediately. I also really enjoyed both Mari and Haven as characters. I thought the parallels between them each losing a parent and how it affected their love of the sea was so interesting. I did feel like the pacing was a little strange at times, but the story itself in both timelines always kept me intrigued. The ending for Mari’s timeline was perfect, but I felt like Haven’s was a little vague and open ended. I think if you enjoyed The Lost Apothecary, you’ll enjoy this one!
CW: death of a parent, death of a child, kidnapping

Thank you NetGalley, HTP Books and Park Row for the advanced digital reader’s copy!

A gorgeous and picturesque Italian setting, ancient magic, forbidden love, pirates and sunken treasure make for one heck of a read that will sweep you away!

Haven is a nautical archaeologist who has come to Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But she is hoping to find more than artifacts, she is secretly on a quest to find a treasure trove of priceless gems that her father claimed to have seen just before his death.

However, upon her arrival, misfortune is the only thing she finds. A sinking yacht, a town full of secrets, archival diaries that reveal things better left buried, old friends who turn out not to be so friendly and a betrayal so unexpected it leaves her unmoored.

With well drawn dual timelines and engaging characters, this immersive and lush story had me clued to the page. This is my first time reading this author, but trust me, it won’t be my last!

And that cover…utterly bewitching.

On the hunt for a treasure worthy of her father's legacy, Haven discovers a love story for the ages — and one of her own. I love seeing how Mari and Havens stories intertwined and the way both women took charge of their own fates.

Having loved The Lost Apothecary and The London Seance Society, I was excited to take a trip to the Amalfi Coast and Poistano in this dual timeline adventure. This cover is gorgeous and the vibrant descriptions of the setting make you feel like you are there while reading.

This book drew me in from the first chapter with sea witches, magic, mystery, scuba diving, shipwrecks, sunken treasure, murder, sacrifice and romance. There are many layers to this story and as Haven ties together the past and the present, she discovers her own strength and the strength of all the women who came before her. Thank you HTP Books, Park Row Books and Sarah Penner for the gifted eARC!! Add this one to your TBR!!

I received an eARC of The Amalfi Curse and Harlequin. My opinions are my own.

I picked up this book because I love The Lost Apothecary. This is a very different kind of book. It has magic, treasure, and a mystery to uncover. I really liked this book, it flowed really well and even though it was a dual time lime, it wasn't hard to keep everything straight.

This book is about Haven, a Nautical Archeologist who is trying to finish her fathers work on the Amalfi Coast. This story goes back to Mari, who is one of many sea-witches who use their magic to protect their home. Their stories intertwine in the best way and left me feeling satisfied with the ending.

This was such a beautiful story about generations of selfless women who call themselves streghe, or witches. Their powers over the sea weave together a tale that spans both past and present with stories of love, loss, and legends formed.

One such legend is The Amalfi Curse. Haven, in present day is searching for way to fulfill her father’s legacy through the discoveries of her diving expedition off the coast of Positano. Her real discoveries are such that could either repair or ruin generations of streghe women.

She delves deep into a long lost love story, while perhaps forging one of her own, and ends up on a path she never could have predicted.

I enjoyed this book so much. It so beautifully touched on its themes of love, and sacrifice, and family, and I highly recommend adding this to you TBR asap! Did it make me feel the need for an Italian vacation? Yes it did. It also made me care for these characters and their fates, and I loved the little twists sprinkled here and there throughout the story.

This is a perfect summer read, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It felt very rich in surroundings and culture and personalities, and it’s one I’ll be thinking about for quite a while!

Thanks so much to the author and publisher for an early edition! All opinions expressed are my own!

I really enjoyed the author’s previous work and love that she keeps going with the dual timelines. Keeps the readers guessing and makes it so interesting. I think I am partial to The Lost Apothecary but this was a fun read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I was so happy to have a chance to read it early!

Thank you to NetGalley and Parkrow for providing me the ARC. I enjoyed this book, I really loved hearing about all the food and just Hayden getting to vibe in this really nice house with a hot Italian guy??? No, that’s a vibe.

I think my favorite part of this book was Mary’s story. I think honestly I would’ve given this a higher review if I had only been about Mary and Holmes‘s relationship. I feel like there was so much that was discussed and revealed in the backstory that I just needed more information on. I felt like having two running plot lines kind of was good, but also led to the downfall of this book because it just left so much of both of the world severely under developed. I wanted more of Mary and Holmes‘s relationship playing out in real time. Literally she’s scared of the ocean she hates pirates, but oh no hot pirate comes out on the beach and like everything‘s fine like I want I want the enemy lovers. I want the graveling!!! The present day plot line was so interesting and reminded me so much of Carlson’s books. I think I would’ve loved the present day timeline so much more if it was more developed. I cannot believe I’m saying this, but this book definitely could’ve benefited from being at least 100 to 200 more pages.

Like Sabina being a powerful water witch who possibly has connections to like Mary and people the sea witches?!?! Like they just brushed by that so quickly! Also, Enzo and Haven’s relationship moved way too fast for me. It was like listen I get it like hot Italian men love but also, like I want the angst.

Also, Conrad engage. I felt like I wanted more out of their characters it just to me. It didn’t make sense for Conrad to be like a bad guy and just like his his attempt to blackmail Haven didn’t make sense and it was just like why are we putting these things out there and just the ramifications just or not it fam. I think this was an interesting book and if you want a fun Outer Banks meets part of the Caribbean I definitely think that this is your cup of tea, I did really enjoy the book. I thought it was digestible. It was easy. It was fun, but I also wanted more.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence, death

+ The setting for this story is perfectly set in beautiful and luscious Positano, Italy. I loved it.

+ The story flashbacks from present day to the past where Positano was home to witches who could control the sea. I thought it was fascinating to see how the search for a shipwreck and treasure coincided with the timeline of the past. Haven not only dives to the shipwreck but she uses resources like the archives. I liked the history and the reveal at the end of what happened to Mari and Holmes.

+ The story moves quickly between the past and the present. In both timelines there is tension – with Mari trying to protect the streghe (witches) and the people in her town in general against the Mazza brothers. And in the present timeline, Haven is racing against the clock because a volcano is supposed to erupt, and it puts a wrench in her job. She’s also trying to put off someone else who is trying to find the treasure of the shipwreck before her.

+ There is some romance, which I’m glad is there because it’s Positano, Italy. Haven meeting Enzo just makes everything more lush.

~ Would have loved more tension and drama between Haven and Conrad (the man who’s trying to go after the treasure) just to make things even more exciting.

Final Thoughts:

This is an entertaining read perfect for the summer! It’s set in Italy, has history, magic, witches, romance, search for a shipwreck and a mystery with an interesting reveal.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner is the kind of book you start reading and don't want to put down.

This book features two timelines. In the present day timeline we meet Haven, a woman who is on a research team to explore shipwrecks. Her love for diving was passed to her by her late father, who discovered sunken treasure on his last dive that he was never able to collect. Haven desperately wants to find the treasure but runs into several complications along the way. In the past timeline we meet Mari, a woman who inherited powers and is able to control the ocean. She is one of many in her community that are being targeted and kidnapped by pirates. She is on her own quest to protect her hometown and save those who have been captured.

I loved this book! Both timelines are equally as strong and I never felt disappointed when switching from one to the other. I found Haven's dilemma especially interesting because she was balancing passion with personal interest. She shows tremendous resilience and determination to discover the history in the area and uncover the mysteries surrounding the curse. If there was a weak point in her plot line it was the romance which was a nice addition to the plot but definitely took a back burner to everything else.

Witchcraft and strong female main characters are my thing so naturally I LOVED Mari. Despite having suffered heartbreaking losses, Mari doesn't shy away from a challenge and isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones. Mari is a badass and I loved her all the way through to the end.

I love books that blend multiple genres and this one did it well. There is action, suspense, historical fiction, mystery, and a bit of romance. I will absolutely be recommending this book to my audience.