In The Jewel of Corlivo, in a reimagined Byzantine empire, a runaway courtesan and her disgraced suitor are on the hunt for ancient treasure but what they find will be far more troublesome.
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In This Spotlight On The Jewel of Corlivo
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About The Jewel of Corlivo
Raised for the most luxurious pleasure house in mountain-ringed Corlivo, Anna has no illusions about her future. She’ll be a courtesan, as her mother was before she disappeared—and like her mother, gamble that her charms attract a patron rich enough to pay her debts.
But when a gruff explorer with connections at the capital notices Anna, it’s her sharp eye that draws him in. Sebastianus thinks Anna’s found a clue within the pages of an ancient book to the lost city of treasure he seeks, and she might well discover more.
Together they escape to the imperial court, where marvels are commonplace—and so is treachery. Anna’s courtesan training has hardly prepared her for the dangers of court life, let alone for delving into artifacts from the empire’s past. But when she uncovers a secret tied to her mother’s fate, Anna realizes more than her life is at stake. She holds the key to untold possibilities not only for herself, but for any of the women of Corlivo . . . if she can use it.
The Jewel of Corlivo is about a clever young woman coming into her own. The character Anna is a relatable, spunky (but not fearless!) protagonist whose journey of self-discovery and independence takes her to the imperial city, a hidden women’s enclave, a long-lost library, and up against the emperor himself. This is a love letter to learning, books, libraries, and all the women whose contributions to history have been forgotten or erased. Anna works to solve the mystery of the lost city with brooding nobleman Sebastianus, who finds her intellect irresistible, and they develop a complex relationship over the course of the book with a yearning slow-burn and a satisfying arc.
Praise for The Jewel of Corlivo
“Part sexy love story full of yearning, part feminist adventure, all wrapped in a passionate defense of libraries . . . The Jewel of Corlivo caught hold of my heart and refused to let go.”—Caroline Woods, author of The Mesmerist
“In her enthralling debut, [The Jewel of Corlivo,] Kathleen Carr Foster plunges readers into a beautiful and dangerous world. Fusing history with imagination, Foster takes us on an unforgettable journey. . . Breathtaking and profoundly engaging.”—Luna McNamara, author of The Witch and the Huntress
“A clever heroine, slow burn romance, and plenty of historical Easter eggs made this treasure hunt through a Byzantium-that-never-was a delight to read. I was up all hours turning the pages [of The Jewel of Corlivo]. I can’t wait to see what Kathleen Carr Foster comes up with next!”—Kimberly Bea, author of The Changeling Queen
“Every corner of The Jewel of Corlivo is brimming with secrets to be explored. I immensely enjoyed this world and its grand adventures, and there were many passages where I had to pause and take in the marvellous vistas. Kathleen Carr Foster has written a fantastic debut.”—Zoé Duhaime, author of The Lost Spectacular
About Kathleen Carr Foster, Author of The Jewel of Corlivo
Kathleen Carr Foster is an award-winning author of speculative fiction. She earned an MFA from Boston University, where she was the recipient of the Florence Engel Randall Graduate Fiction Prize, and she won the Davis Prize for Fiction as an undergraduate at Wellesley College. She has also received an Emerging Artist Award from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, and her short fiction has been published in Slice Magazine, on Harper Perennial’s Fifty-Two Stories website, and in 236, BU Creative Writing’s Literary Journal. A mother of two, she lives in Massachusetts with her family and an anxious rescue dog named Wendy.
You can connect with Kathleen Carr Foster on her website, and on Instagram.
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Erewhon Books | Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN Hardcover 9781645662839
Pub Date Oct 27, 2026
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