The Amalfi Curse
Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…
Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
Plot Summary
The novel The Amalfi Curse alternates between two timelines: 1821, chronicling the actions of a sea witch named Mari DeLuca and a sailor named Holmes, and the present day, following nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose.
The Past: 1821 (The Amalfi Curse)
Mari DeLuca, a powerful 20-year-old sea witch in Positano, secretly despises her powers, blaming the sea for the deaths of her mother and sister. She is in love with Holmes, an American sailor, and plans to run away with him, despite her engagement to the affluent Corso.
The Mazza brothers, wealthy Neapolitan merchants, learn of Positano’s magic. When Mari’s rival, Corso, reveals the secret, the brothers abduct a young witch named Lia. Mari retaliates by drowning one of the brothers, Massimo, but the other, Matteo Mazza, escapes and later abducts Mari and several other women.
Holmes attempts to warn Mari of Matteo’s plan to abduct every woman in Positano by sabotaging the ship Aquila and sending a letter. While imprisoned for his actions, Holmes discovers Mari’s mother, Imelda, is alive and being held captive. Imelda had faked her death 12 years prior, claiming to be the only witch in Positano to protect her daughters.
After Mari rejects Corso’s offer for a safe life, she and the sea witches sink the Aquila near the Li Galli archipelago, using the natural maelstroms to disguise their magic. Though Holmes escapes with Imelda’s help, Mari is distraught, believing she killed Holmes in vain. As she prepares to sacrifice herself to cast a curse that will sink Matteo’s vessel, Holmes appears, revealing that Imelda has already cast the century-long curse, giving her life to sink Matteo’s ship and establishing the Amalfi Curse. Mari and Holmes survive, rescue Matteo’s captives, and return to shore together.
The Present Day (The Archaeological Quest)
In the present, 35-year-old nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose comes to Positano to investigate the many shipwrecks caused by the Amalfi Curse. She is stunned when a modern yacht sinks in the Li Galli archipelago for no discernible reason.
Haven is motivated by her late father’s dream to find sunken treasure in Li Galli. Her project is complicated when a wealthy, seasoned diver, Conrad Cass, seizes control of the project and ousts her. Haven partners with a dive boat owner, Enzo Rossi, and they begin a romantic relationship. During a dive, they discover the wreckage of the Aquila, which Haven believes holds the treasure.
Haven’s research in Naples uncovers Holmes’s diary, confirming the legend of Positano’s sea witches. She confronts Enzo’s mother, Savina, who confesses that she sank the modern yacht, believing she had to perform powerful magic to protect Enzo from a curse, having previously rejected her own witch heritage.
Haven discovers that Mari and Holmes survived and had children. She connects Savina with one of their descendants, a practicing sea witch, who teaches Savina to embrace her power positively. Meanwhile, Conrad discovers fake gems and abandons the project. Haven decodes a hidden note from her father, revealing the real treasure’s location. Haven and Enzo reunite, now free to pursue their relationship without the pressure of carrying on a magical legacy.
Sarah Penner is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary and The London Séance Society. Her books have been translated into more than forty languages and her debut, The Lost Apothecary, has sold over one million copies worldwide.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, Sarah spent thirteen years in corporate finance and now writes full-time. In her free time, Sarah enjoys hiking, yoga, and cooking. She also sits on the Board of Directors at her local animal shelter, Friends of Strays. Sarah and her husband, Marc, live in Florida.
A richly atmospheric dual‑timeline novel set along Italy’s sun‑drenched Amalfi Coast. In 1821, Mari DeLuca, a sea‑witch, risks everything to protect her village—until dark secrets wash ashore. In modern-day Positano, nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose dives for sunken treasure, dredging up ancient witchcraft and danger. A mix of magical realism, forbidden romance, and maritime mystery underpins the story.
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Mari DeLuca
is the main character of the novel’s 19th-century timeline and the most powerful of Positano’s sea witches, a lineage marked by her rare, blood-red hair. Despite her position as the coven’s leader, Mari is burdened by loneliness and secretly despises the sea and her magic, blaming them for the loss of her mother and sister.
Her arc is defined by the conflict between her desire to flee her unhappy life and her fierce loyalty to her community. She makes powerful sacrifices, including killing the ruthless merchant Massimo Mazza and sinking the ship carrying her lover, Holmes, to protect her coven. Mari’s story blends magical realism, historical fiction, and romance, and her survival—a plot twist that transforms the novel’s melancholic mood into a happy ending—underscores The Power of Love and Sacrifice and the centuries-long fight for women’s freedom.
Haven Ambrose
is the protagonist of the 21st-century timeline, a determined and highly intelligent 35-year-old American nautical archaeologist. Her formidable willpower is established when she resolves to continue her late father’s dream of finding sunken treasure, even after losing funding.
Initially a “rational, science-minded” skeptic who dismisses the Amalfi Curse as “ludicrous,” Haven undergoes a dynamic change. Her strong ethics compel her to investigate the recent yacht sinking, which leads her to accept forces beyond science. Her personal journey involves shedding the guilt over her father’s death and prioritizing her values over wealth. Her resourcefulness and determination are key to her professional success, and her romance with Enzo Rossi helps her regain joy and confidence, underscoring the intergenerational struggle for women’s independence.
Holmes Foster
is Mari’s love interest, an American sailor whose appearance—with his tar-stained, calloused hands—contrasts sharply with Mari’s affluent suitor, Corso. Holmes’s primary trait is his unwavering devotion; he risks his own life by sabotaging his ship to buy Mari time and sends a warning letter. Although he commits a serious crime, he is portrayed as morally scrupulous, acting on his own ethical standard. His courage and willingness to sacrifice everything for Mari emphasize The Power of Love and Sacrifice. His diary survives for centuries, becoming a vital clue in the present-day investigation and bridging the novel’s dual timelines.
Enzo Rossi
is Haven’s love interest and dive partner, characterized as a hardworking, resilient, and outrageously good-looking owner of a scuba excursion business. His dedication is rooted in his family’s history of hardship. Enzo’s playful attitude and passionate nature win Haven’s heart and awaken a passion she had previously suppressed for her career. His support is crucial to Haven’s professional discoveries. The authenticity of their relationship is key to the novel’s happy ending, evolving naturally without the pressure of carrying on a magical legacy.
Matteo Mazza
is the primary antagonist of the 19th-century timeline, head of a powerful, unscrupulous shipping company. He is characterized by his relentless avarice, cruelty, and duplicity, engaging in piracy, black-market smuggling, and the abduction of sea witches for wealth. His villainy is a significant force, representing the destructive impact of men’s greed and posing such a threat to Positano’s liberty that Mari is willing to sacrifice her own life to stop him.
Conrad Cass
is a wealthy, retired rescue swimmer and antagonistic treasure hunter in the 21st-century timeline. He is a seemingly affable friend of Haven’s late father but is driven by greed, commandeering Haven’s project to seize sunken gems for himself. Though his betrayal wounds Haven deeply, his long history of support and valiant deeds as a rescue swimmer complicates his character. His attempts to pressure Haven inadvertently push her to realize that her values and discoveries about Mari’s past are more important than the wealth, driving her character growth. The eventual discovery that his “treasure” is fake glass is a form of poetic justice.
Drink Pairings
Limoncello Spritz – Bright and bittersweet, like Amalfi sunlight and secrets.
2 oz Limoncello (chilled)
3 oz Prosecco
1 oz soda water
Ice cubes
Lemon wheel or twist (garnish)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
🍹 Directions:
Fill a large wine or spritz glass with ice.
Pour in chilled Limoncello.
Top with Prosecco and a splash of soda water.
Stir gently to combine.
Garnish with a lemon wheel and optional mint sprig.
Sip, relax, and imagine the waves of Positano!
✨ Optional Twist: Add a splash of simple syrup or swap soda water with tonic for a more bitter profile.
Smoky Rum Punch
Ingredients (Serves 2–4):
4 oz dark rum (or smoky aged rum like Diplomatico or Plantation)
2 oz pineapple juice
2 oz orange juice
1 oz lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 oz simple syrup
2–3 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional for a smoky rim or sprinkle)
Orange slices & mint for garnish
Ice
Instructions:
Fill a shaker with ice, rum, juices, simple syrup, and bitters.
Shake well.
Pour over ice into a rocks glass or tiki glass.
Garnish with mint and orange slice. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of smoked paprika for effect.
Prosecco with Amalfi Lemon Peel
Ingredients (Serves 1):
5 oz Prosecco, well chilled
Long, thin strip of Amalfi lemon peel (or regular lemon zest)
Optional: drop of orange bitters
Instructions:
Pour chilled Prosecco into a flute or coupe glass.
Add lemon peel—twist over the glass first to release oils.
Optional: Add a drop of orange bitters for subtle complexity.
Sip and savor!
Treasure 💎
acts as a motif representing The Intergenerational Struggle for Women’s Independence, with its meaning evolving to reflect profound values over material wealth. Initially, it illustrates how
men’s greed has historically posed an obstacle to women’s freedom, as the Mazza brothers abduct Imelda and force her to use her magic to find “countless piles of sunken loot”.
However, the heroines redefine “treasure.” Like the 21st-century protagonist Haven, who realizes her father valued the “joy of the discovery: the pursuit, the adventure, the deep dives with people you love”, Mari understands that relationships are far more precious than material wealth. Mari encapsulates the novel’s message by declaring, “the greatest treasure to be found is…love”. By resisting the greed that seduces men like Conrad and the Mazza brothers, the novel’s heroines defend their independence.
The Sea 🌊
Through the motif of the sea, the novel examines Reckoning With History and Heritage. Both protagonists have a profound link to the ocean: Mari is a sea witch whose magic is inherited from her ancestors, and Haven is a nautical archaeologist following in her father’s footsteps.
Haven’s Healing: For Haven, the sea is her “playground” and workplace, helping her to mend the grief and guilt she feels over her father’s death.
Mari’s Struggle: Mari’s relationship with the sea is complicated by her belief that it is “no longer her friend” after her mother left by boat. However, the sea shows providence and kindness by guiding Holmes to her at the climax. The revelation that her mother left to protect her helps Mari begin to heal this relationship, contributing to her development. Her final observation—that the sea “will be as patient as I need it to be” —shows her acceptance of her heritage.
Cimaruta Talismans
The sea witches’ cimaruta talismans serve as a motif of The Power of Love and Sacrifice. These protective necklaces, adorned with shells and fossils, offer “great strength and vigor in moments of distress”.
The talisman’s significance is cemented by its connection to the vortice centuriaria (century-long curse), which requires the ultimate sacrifice: the witch must remove her protective talisman and give her life for the spell to be effective. Mari knows her mother, Imelda, has sacrificed herself when she receives Imelda’s “strand of seashells”. Similarly, the witch Vivi removes her talisman, sacrificing her life to ensure the rescue of the captives, emphasizing that “Sacrifice… was the greatest form of love”. The motif demonstrates the immense power of women’s sacrificial love for their communities and families.
Book Club Discussion Questions
Character & Motivation
How do Mari’s and Haven’s journeys toward ownership and independence echo each other?
Which character did you empathize with most—and why?
Is Haven a hero, an archaeologist, or something more complicated?
How do male figures (e.g., Holmes, Conrad) influence the women’s arcs?
