The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

 genre: historical/contemporary fiction

Off the coast of Italy lies the little town of Positano.  The women who live here have a secret that has kept Positano safe from all kinds of dangers - they can control the sea.  With their spells, ships can sink and the ocean temperature can rise or fall.  Their magic can't keep away tragedy, though, and more than a century later, when Hazel arrives as part of an archeological crew to study shipwrecks, something is afoot in Positano.  

This is my second book in a row with two different time periods that are connected and I genuinely like this device in general.  The magical world building here is fairly basic - the only magic that exists is that there are these red-haired Italian women who can do sea spells.  It's an intriguing idea and I think that the historical portions of the book were done well enough - it kept me interested and the main character isn't completely one dimensional.  The modern storyline just didn't work as well for me.  It jumped around a bit and it felt like I just had to believe the author that things were happening without the story itself ringing true to me - I don't know how much sense that makes but it's hard to describe.  

I'm not sorry I read it but I can't heartily recommend it.  If you adore Italy you might appreciate it just for the vibes, which were not bad at all.