I wanted to read this one based on the cover alone and I am SO glad I did!! This is the first book I’ve read by the author and I love her writing style!

The Amalfi Curse had it ALL - mystery, romance, history…I didn’t want it to end!!! With dual POV’s between present day and the 1800’s, I was completely immersed in Mari’s story and the subtle connections to Haven in present day. This was honestly such a great read, highly recommend!

I loved the premise and the setting of The Amalfi Curse. I loved the mystery surrounding Li Galli and the women of Positano. I loved the treasure hunting aspect of the story. I was invested in the characters and their fates, however, I felt there were a couple of people whose conflicts and resolutions weren't fully fleshed out. I would have loved a little more from those characters. Overall, I had a great time reading it and can't wait to read more from Sarah Penner.

Look, I picked this up expecting a light beach read. You know—sunshine, a little romance, maybe a ghostly pirate or two. What I got instead was The Little Mermaid meets Indiana Jones meets Italian witchcraft, and I’m not even mad about it.

Haven Ambrose, our intrepid nautical archaeologist (yes, that’s a job and yes, I Googled it), shows up in Positano ready to find her dead dad’s underwater treasure, and possibly a little closure. Instead, she brings chaos, suspicious weather patterns, and a historic-level dose of “Oops, did I awaken an ancient oceanic curse?” vibes.

Is there insta-love? Oh yes. Is it forbidden? Naturally. Does it unfold against a backdrop so vivid I considered checking flight prices to Italy? Also yes. The Amalfi Coast practically gets its own POV chapter. And the stregheria magic? Think “Moana, but make it adult, and with generational trauma.”

The plot takes a few dips and dives (pun aggressively intended), but between the romantic tension, the curses, and the magical sea-sorcery, I was hooked. Did I roll my eyes at some dramatic declarations and conveniently timed storm surges? Absolutely. But I also couldn’t stop flipping pages like I was being chased by a haunted current.

Full marks for delivering cursed gems, seawitchery, and a heroine with enough grit to fight both ancient magic and modern-day skepticism.
Beware the Amalfi Curse… but enjoy the read. Preferably with a limoncello in hand.

This book's setting was to die for! I so want to visit the Amalfi coast, and Penner's descriptions of it were breathtaking. This story featured a dual timeline between present-day Haven, a diver/archaeologist and past Mari, a stregha aka woman who uses witchcraft! Both storylines feature a romance, and each woman is fearless and strong. It took me a minute to become immersed in Mari's storyline (and I often got the Positano women mixed up), however, I soon became swept up in her dangerous and magical life. The historical fiction portion was very interesting, and I loved how Haven dug up so much information at the local archives. This was a fun book and a perfect summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley and HTP Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a magical, captivating historical fantasy! I was invested in these characters and their stories from the start. I loved the past and present timelines and the changing view points. I thought they intertwined perfectly. I also enjoyed the full cast of narrators and thought they added to the story. I highly recommend this book.

I had high hopes for Sarah Penner’s Amalfi Curse. However, between the dueling timelines, the Italian, and similar names made the read a little too hard to comprehend at times, making it hard to navigate or connect which part of the story I was suppose to be at. I think this could have been a better narrative if the timelines were more defined, the names weren’t as similar to one another.

I love Italy. I will read just about anything that takes place anywhere in Italy. It was lucky for me that The Amalfi Curse was in Italy AND super enjoyable. It had a little bit of everything and I couldn't put it down. It's got that big adventure feel, which I've found is something that I seek out in books now. Great work, Sarah Penner!

After loving The Lost Apothecary, I thought there was no way that Sarah Penner could top it. I loved everything about that book, but The Amalfi Curse speaks to my nautical-loving heart. There's shipwrecks, sunken treasure, a love story, and more than enough suspense to keep me frantically flipping pages. I loved the dual timelines, and I thought it was the perfect format to tell the story of Positano and the stregheria that keep it protected. The Amalfi Curse (and all her other books) cement why Sarah Penner is one of my must-read authors.

4 stars | Recommend | ARC

This genre is out of my normal wheelhouse, but I am so glad to have read this story. You really get transported to Positano with Mari's story and can feel like turmoil and fear she has and does experience. The ending tied up the story of the stregheria perfectly and I am glad to see how other characters ended up.

I didn't know what to expect in terms of romance, but came to really enjoy Mari and her forbidden love's story. It almost felt a little too good to be true and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, but the yearning to get back to each other had my heart pumping.

Witchcraft and a mystery; what more could you want?

This was a very good story! I enjoyed the plot and dual timelines. Plus the audiobook was very enjoyable! I thought it was going to be a “pirate” type book so that was a smidge of a letdown for me but also an error on me for not reading more about it. I enjoyed the characters plus the setting in Italy. It was very easy to picture the scenery! In the end, it was a good read but it just wasn’t a story for me but I’ll still recommend it to people who I think would like it! I’ll also probably wait a couple weeks to post a review on my social.

If you are looking for a really lovely adventurous story regarding sea witches, kidnappings, archaeology, and a mixture of past and present timelines, THEN THIS IS FOR YOU.

The story follows Hazel who is dispatched to recover a shipwreck that was once a project of her Dad's. However, another colleague is nefariously trying to shut her out. Determined not to fail, she befriends Enzo who helps her piece together the mystery beind the wreck. The story flips to Mari, who is a sea witch in the 1820s, and there are bad men in the town who wish to lock her and her other sea witch friends away (likely to manipulate them). Mari is in love with Holmes and we get his POV through letters and archives. Can they save the kidnapped girls and save their community?

I really enjoyed this one and felt it was a good quick read. As an archaeologist was I bugged about the "treasure" hunting archaeology? Absolutely. That is not at all what we do- we would equally be THRILLED about blue glass over gems ANY DAY. But I get it. It was part of the story. Besides that I loved how well researched it was and loved the characters.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

⚓️🌊✨🤿

The Amalfi Curse was such a great mix of mystery, magic, historical fiction and romance.

Thi book follows the story of two different characters from two different times, but are still intertwined in a peculiar way.

Haven, a nautical archeologist, has dedicated her life to finding and studying ship wrecks. She finds herself in a town in Italy where her late father was on the verge of a great discovery, but was never able to complete his discovery.

Mari, a 1800’s woman in her twenty’s who has the power to listen and control the water and the sea. After the tragic loss of her mother and sister, she finds herself in a turmoil relationship with her and the sea, but understands her role as the lead sea witch of the village.

This story manages to balance the dual plot lines effortlessly. This story, as well as being a fun historical fiction, discusses the topics of grief and loss, family and familial lineage, greed, resilience, love and the power of storytelling.

Once you pick up this book, it’ll be hard to put down!

This is your next summer read. I honestly wish I was drinking a fruity drink on a beach as I went through this journey. The coastal Italian setting was swoon worthy and immersive. Through her prose, Penner makes you feel like you are actually there, toes in the sand and wind on your brow. The archaeology and diving bits were well researched and written. I love the depth of the emotions given to the female characters. The modern-day FMC, grieving her father, was powerful. Having lost my own father in the last year or so, I was able to empathize with her character. The witch FMC’s struggle to be her own person was also well presented. You can feel that this is more than Ariel or Belle wanting more, but rather, a woman who is pulled between the love of her home and the yearning for the open world and between being the daughter and witch they want her to be versus finding herself. The romances in the book are not necessarily at the forefront of the stories. I would call them instead “supporting actors.”
​On another aside, this one is dual-timeline narrative. It does take a bit for the story to pick up and the timelines to merge in a way that relates them, but the suspense of the stories makes up for the delay in connection.

This is a wonderfully refreshing mix of Italian superstition and historical fiction. It bounces between 2 timelines, one present and one from the early 1800s. Over the course of the book, we adventure with the main character to solve the mystery of the Amalfi Curse and find a lost treasure her father left clues about years ago. The past unravels, leaving clues in the present, and a pleasant little unexpected love interest even presents itself. I really enjoyed this historical mystery shrouded in folk lore. The spice level is 1 🌶️, presenting a sweet little side story. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Harper Collins for a great adventure! All opinions here are my own.

This is one which did keep my attention, but I am not a huge fan of the ending. It still felt a bit unresolved to me.
Added to that the lover pairs don’t haveg a lot of chemistry that just jumps off the page. I can honestly say it would be a great beach vacation read. Perhaps even get you to scuba for some treasure!
I received an arc of this title, all opinions are my own

4.5 stars. It took me a bit to get into this due to the dual timelines which I'm usually not a fan of. HOWEVER, this was an incredible read. It was adventurous, gripping, and so well written. I absolutely loved the plot twist and the ending. I'm definitely going to read Sarah's first book now because this was amazing

I have very much enjoyed Sarah Penner as an author, and a book set in Italy? Yes, please! I do think, though, that as much as I loved the setting, this novel was my least favorite of hers- it still sits at 4 stars, but for me, it didn't top The Lost Apothecary or The London Seance Society. Penner books require you to at least tolerate a bit of magical realism, which I have no problem with, when done well, and that is one thing Sarah Penner does very well. I also did enjoy the dual timeline, especially seeing how the gender roles played out differently, but kind of the same, across centuries.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From the author of The Lost Apothecary, The Amalfi Curse looks at the strength of women and what we pass down through our families.
Haven Ambrose has come to the Amalfi Coast with a team of women to explore and document shipwrecks. Project Relic was her brainchild and the high point of her career as a nautical archeologist. But there is also something else she is looking for: a secret treasure her father had sighted before his death. But not all is peaceful on the water. A yacht sinks the day they arrive. There are signs the volcano may erupt and the water…Well, the water was acting unlike water, which should act. The locals talk about the stregheria and their magic. How these witches were the cause of the Amalfi Curse. Haven decides to dig into the history of the area, and what she finds, she can hardly believe.
Sarah Penner creates strong women that I love. Each one is different but has the same thing in common: love for their sisterhoods. The novel is split into two time periods that overlap only in the shipwrecks. But they mirror the same fight: the dangers of men and how they remove women from their sacred spaces. (And no worries, any man who might be reading. The author points out it’s not all guys. She shows men who help fight against the patriarchy.) There is magic in the book, but to me, the truest and most honest magic is the women banding together to overcome the odds.
Penner creates a lush world both past and present. She transports the readers to Positano in 2025 and 1821. Her research pays off; you are enveloped in the historical aspects of the area. Some of my favorite scenes, though, are in the present when Haven is diving, looking at the wrecks. Penner's descriptions don’t overtake the action, but you feel that you are there with the characters. You know how murky the seawater is and how far you can see. She truly transports you to another place.
The Amalfi Curse is filled with lush descriptions, feminist heroes, tragedy, and love. It’s a beautiful story of the power of women, which is the real magic.

This book was hard to follow at times, but overall I greatly enjoyed the premise, especially with the back-and-forth timeline. I liked how the story wrapped up most of all.

I love a dual timeline, and Sarah Penner did it so well in The Amalfi Curse! The story blends historical fiction, magical realism, and a dash of adventure.

This book was beautifully written, with an immersive setting on the coast of Italy. The modern day treasure hunt aspect kept me on the edge of my seat, while the historical timeline gave the story depth and fleshed out the lore & magic.

This was my first time reading Sarah Penner’s work, but I will definitely be picking up The Lost Apothecary and The London Seance Society soon!