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Nicolette Croft
Author
The Curse of Maiden Scars

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

A Yorkshire orphan struggling for opportunity against 18th-century odds reluctantly transforms into a Venetian courtesan during the Empire's last days. Sixteen-year-old Renna Covert toils away in the shadows of a Yorkshire workhouse, her days filled with the mundane task of shelling cotton and the dangerous duty of scouting for punters. One fateful night, she crosses paths with two sailors and finds herself thrust into the heart of a chilling encounter at the local asylum. These harrowing experiences catalyze Renna's journey, promising newfound opportunities and revealing long-buried family secrets. Yet, at every turn, powerful forces conspire to thwart her quest for truth, forcing her to abandon her scullery work and embark on a daring escape to Venice alongside her steadfast companions. In the labyrinthine alleys of Venice, Renna's fate takes yet another twist. She is ensnared by a cunning Madam who trains her as a Venetian courtesan. But beneath the veneer of luxury lies a world fraught with danger, where Renna must rely on her witts and resilience to navigate the treacherous waters of deceit and betrayal. Set against the backdrop of Venice's tumultuous Napoleonic invasion of 1797, this is a tale of a girl's struggle for survival. It is a story of resilience, defiance in the face of adversity, and, ultimately, one young woman's determination to reclaim her identity. THE CURSE OF MAIDEN SCARS is a coming-of-age, women's fiction novel with gothic flair set in the tradition of Victoria Mas' THE MADWOMAN'S BALL, and Sarah Dunant's IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN, with the sensuality of LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER.
Reviews
This first installment in Croft’s Maiden, Mother, Crone trilogy debut begins on a rainy night in 1795 Yorkshire, tracing the sometimes mysterious and often difficult life of nearly 16-year-old Renna, an orphan working in a cotton house by day and culling clients for her guardian, Camilla, by night. When a chance encounter with a sailor named Donovan leads her to a notorious asylum one evening, Renna is haunted by the noises emanating from within its walls—and by the young girl she spies through the window, who bears scars similar to her own but is clearly not well. That image sticks with Renna throughout the novel and hints at startling revelations about her own life.

Croft’s novel is rich in imagery and history, clearly bolstered by her own research into the era, and historical fiction fans will relish following Renna’s compelling life. The power of “scars [to] tell stories” is a recurring motif throughout the book, threading the past with the present, the known with the unknown, and when Camilla’s son, Max, Renna’s sole friend, divulges a dark secret to Renna—that the scarred girl in the asylum is her sister—it triggers a dangerous avalanche of events that put Renna, Max, and Camilla in harm’s way. As a result, Renna and co. must flee to Venice, where Camilla’s sister, Danielle, an enigmatic figure herself, takes them in.

Renna’s time in Venice, where she’s fashioned into a courtesan for the Venetian elite by Danielle, is crafted in shades of excess, wealth, and her fight to have some semblance of control over her own future, all set against the stark backdrop of an ever-changing Venice beset by its efforts to stay neutral amid Napoleon Bonaparte’s shocking victory. In the end, Renna, much like Venice, is forced into a controversial decision in her pursuit of security, highlighting Croft’s shrewd grasp of history and its treatment of women.

Takeaway: 18th century orphan girl fights for belonging in this rich historical fiction.

Comparable Titles: Alyssa Palombo’s The Assassin of Venice, Harriet Constable’s The Instrumentalist.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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