A centuries-old curse. A race against time. One clock that could change everything.

In 1519, at the Château Clos Lucé in France, Anne Boleyn, the apprentice of the legendary Leonardo da Vinci, faces a fate worse than death. Leonardo, now frail and aging, is desperately working to finish a revolutionary clock that holds the key to breaking the dark curse cast upon Anne years earlier. A curse she unknowingly invoked through dangerous black magic.

Fast forward five centuries, to present-day France, where Ellie Bowlan, a brilliant but burned-out history professor, uncovers a chilling connection between Anne Boleyn’s curse and her own family’s history. After years of neglecting her personal life in favor of her career, Ellie’s world is unraveling. Her relationship with John Chelsea, the love of her life, is on the brink of collapse. Desperate for a fresh start, Ellie agrees to attend a wedding at a medieval château in France. But nothing could prepare her for the sinister secrets she’s about to uncover—and the deadly danger lurking in the shadows.

When Ellie and John arrive at the Château Clos Lucé, they find themselves drawn into a web of mystery and malevolence, as the enigmatic owners of the château harbor a dark secret that could destroy everything Ellie holds dear. Meanwhile, across the centuries, Anne Boleyn races against time to complete Leonardo’s clock—a clock that not only measures time but can bend it itself. But with Leonardo’s untimely death, Anne must continue the work alone, plunging deeper into a deadly game of magic and science.

As the fates of the past and present collide, Ellie and Anne’s destinies intertwine in a desperate fight to break the curse. Will Anne finish the clock in time to save Ellie from a terrifying future, or will the sinister power of the curse consume them both?

A gripping tale of historical mystery, forbidden magic, and the unbreakable bonds of fate.

Deborah Cohen is an author of Tudor historical fantasy as well as contemporary mysteries and thrillers – always with a supernatural twist. She began her writing career when she was a PhD student, as an outlet for her imagination and creativity in her otherwise science-focused academic studies. Along the journey, she fell in love with writing and now sees it as an integral part of her world. She is an adjunct professor with the University of Ottawa, Canada, and an epidemiologist for a National Health Research Institute. She lives on a hobby farm with her hubby and two goofy Great Danes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

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