The Secret Courtesan: A Novel

by Kerry Chaput

For fans of Kate Quinn, a dual-timeline adventure novel of a historian who risks everything—including her life—to discover the truth about a female Renaissance sculptor unjustly erased by history.

Two determined women four hundred years apart. One mysterious statue. And a bombshell that could change history.

Art historian Mia is running out of time to prove her theory that the sculptor of an unearthed erotic statue was a courtesan erased from history—a scandal no one will believe. Chasing through Venice, she tracks down hidden details of Sofia, a powerful courtesan who seems to have left a trail of sex-fueled art buried across the city, but Mia’s now being followed, and even her boss might be in on the lie.

Meanwhile, in 1609, Sofia defies Venice’s unfair laws to create illicit art that could ruin her future. Her aspirations to become a great artist go up in flames when her patron’s wife steals her work and threatens her lover.

Four hundred years later, it's up to Mia to discover the truth, but now she’s uncovered a world of art theft that could leave her ousted—or, worse, right in the crosshairs of the most powerful crime family in Italy, who will stop at nothing to force her to authenticate the famous statue. Mia’s only hope is to prove Sofia’s existence before everyone involved silences them both forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Italy

344 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 10, 2026

About the author

Kerry Chaput is a multi-award-winning historical fiction author who writes of daring women with loads of adventure and a splash of magic. Born in California, she now calls the Pacific Northwest home, where she spends her days hitting the trails, chasing historical rabbit holes, and feeding her addiction to espresso and doggy cuddles. Explore her books at www.kerrywrites.com.

Reviews

["Avonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 (Rounded Up)

THE SECRET COURTESAN by Kerry Chaput is a dual timeline historical fiction novel with an interesting and somewhat unique historical timeline set in Renaissance Italy. I found the historical timeline emotional and fascinating as it pulled me into Sofia’s life, and while the present-day timeline with Mia is interesting regarding her art research, I found the suspense plotline not as compelling or believable.

Dr. Mia Harding is an art historian hired to authenticate a sculpture which she believes is not sculpted by the famous male Renaissance artist it is accredited to, but by a female artist erased by history. The historical timeline has a courtesan named Sofia Rossi, traded to an artist while she has longed her entire life to be an artist, which is not allowed in Renaissance Italy. While both women faced discrimination of a kind in their own timelines, I sincerely felt Sofia’s anguish of not being able to be recognized for what she was born to do and her fight to break the rules; while Mia did face professional discrimination, I never felt she moved forward on her own, but kept feeling sorry for the situation she put herself in. Also, Mia’s romance and run in with people trying to stop her from proving her belief in a female sculptor never hit me as emotionally as Sophia’s story.

I found the research and beautiful emotional writing of Sofia’s story kept me reading this novel to the end and I wish Mia’s present-day story made me feel more. Overall, this is worth the read for the atmosphere, emotion, and history of Sophia’s story, while Mia’s story is not bad, I was hoping for more than an average romantic suspense plot.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew immediately that The Secret Courtesan was a book for me. It perfectly aligned with my reading tastes. A female-led, historical adventure thriller set in Venice's world of art across two timelines. It delivered on all my favorite elements.

Mia, an art historian, is running out of time to prove that an unearthed erotic statue was crafted by a courtesan erased from history. With her colleague Noah, she journeys to Venice to prove the truth she knows is right. In 1609, Sofia risks everything by creating illicit art in defiance of Venice’s laws. Her ambitions crumble when her patron’s wife steals her work and threatens her lover. Mia’s only hope is to prove Sofia’s existence before those involved silence them both forever.

This truly was a great book! It had adventure, mystery, art, romance, woman-focused perspective and was set partly in the Renaissance. My favorite timeline was the one in the past, obviously, and I often wished for more chapters featuring Sofia, but that's just the history nerd inside of me.

I enjoyed reading about Mia too. Her passion for art and finding out who the courtesan truly was shone throughout. I do have to admit that some elements from her timeline felt a little too surreal, like the supernatural feelings she would get in some places and the end was a bit too drawn out in the end but perhaps I’m overanalyzing these small details.

Overall, The Secret Courtesan by Kerry Chaput was a beautifully written, adventures art mystery set in two timelines that made for one unforgettable story. If you like art, history and stories that center on female voices, then I'm sure you'll love this one!

[Deb Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic dual timeline story of a forgotten artist and the quest to find her in the historical records of Venice. Mia, art historian, must prove a statue was created by a female sculptor 400 years ago but was erased from history. On her quest, she has to travel to Venice from London to dig into the archives and the local architecture to find this artist with help from fellow historian, Noah. In 1609, Sofia wants to create art but women are forbidden to do so. She becomes a courtesan to a man, Lucca, and together they create some erotic statues, but his wife destroys it all. Mia tangles with the mafia in Venice as she begins to uncover the truth about Sofia.
I loved this book. It is a powerful story about how easily women were erased from history records. Each story line faced the misogynistic views of men in power and found ways to battle against it to have their voices heard. Mia and Sofia are strong, smart, and creative women and I thoroughly enjoyed how their stories evolved. Mia and Noah's relationship moves from friendship to something deeper. Having been to Venice, I could see the characters traveling through the city. Since it is an old city, you could recognize the similarities and differences four hundred years apart.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you love historical fiction, dual time lines, art, and 'badass women in history' (Kerry Chaput's substack title).
#TheSecretCourtesan #SheWritesPress #NetGalley
Thank you She Writes Press and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Brielle Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If we look at history from a different angle, we see different truths.”

I love historical fiction, especially about badass women, so I was surprised to have never read anything by Kerry Chaput. This was an interesting book that took a forgotten and underestimated character and shined a light on her life and struggles. I enjoyed the dual timeline and learning about art from a feminist lens. Some of the things in the current timeline with Dr. Mia Harding were a little unbelievable (not the part where they forgot to call her Dr. but kept calling her Miss, that was very believable), but I definitely preferred Sofia’s story. All in all this was very enjoyable.

“History needs advocates to ask hard questions.”

✨3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and She Writes Press for this e-arc. The Secret Courtesan comes out February 10, 2026.

[Jen Craven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feminist take on The DaVinci Code! Loved the heroine of the story and her quest to prove the truth. Perfect for fans of adventure, mystery, and reclaiming women’s history. Highly recommend!

[Spencer Perreault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Starting off, the concept is so strong and the dual timelines a great way to develop both of our fmcs. I am sad to say I struggled to enjoy Mia & the present timeline. I found her to lack the growth I hoped to see and so much of her story was reiterating her difficult upbringing and past (the trailer park was mentioned a few too many times). Sofias story was beautiful and surprising and I enjoyed that I truly didn’t know where it would end! Sadly, I found myself wishing to be done with Mia’s chapters to focus on Sofias.

[Magen Runyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC and it did not disappoint!

We have two time lines. Mia (current day) and Sophia (1609). You go between the two times to fill out the whole story of Mia being asked to determine if the status is done by a famous artist.

Mia is confident Lucca is not the artist who did the newly found sculpture but she has found no proof that he is not only her gut feeling.

Mia and her co worker run off to Italy to try and find out who really did the s art work. She finds herself in the middle of a Centuries Long drama that could cause her EVERYTHING

We also follow the story from the 1609 side with Sophia as she fights to be remembered by history when the world does its best to hide her from the records. A women wanting to be more and how it effects everyone around her.

If i could give half stars this would be a 4.5!

[Mandy Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded up. I loved this dual timeline historical fiction following Mia, an art historian, in present day and Sofia, an artist and courtesan, in 1609. This story started slow for me in the present but instantly sucked me into Sofia’s storyline. As the book progressed, I loved the focus on female artists with no voice in history and whose work was attributed to men to gain notoriety and validity. I look forward to reading more by this author about strong women through history.

“Draw a line from sex to art, and you’ll find a short, twisted web of scandal.” In the present timeline, Mia is hired to authenticate a sculpture recently uncovered. It is being attributed to Lucca Armani but Mia knows there’s more to that sculpture and she only has a few days left before she has to authenticate. In 1609, Sofia is at heart an untrained artist who is by day a courtesan. Sofia sexually serves male artists but wants to be remembered for her own talents. Sofia is purchased by Catherine Armani to fix her tortured artist of a husband and respark his creativity. But Sofia is not just the muse, she’s the true artist.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced Reader copy. The Secret Courtesan publishes on February 10, 2026.

[iris ☀︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of "The Secret Courtesan" in exchange for my honest review!

I was immediately interested in this book when I learned it was dual perspective from two women who are 400 years apart, telling two sides of the same story. The modern perspective is from Dr. Mia Harding, an art historian working to prove her theory about a work of art that she's refusing to authenticate, while the historical perspective is from Sofia Rossi, a courtesan to an artist and an artist herself. I admittedly enjoyed the story that Sofia was telling much more than the story that Dr. Harding was telling and think that the story was made better by the dual perspectives. Sofia's perspective had me invested in the story, while Dr. Harding's felt a bit repetitive and as if all she and the other relevant character in her time did was run from the crime family.

I do think that this book was good in addressing women in academia, both through Dr. Harding's hardships as a woman in a male dominated history field and through Sofia's work as a courtesan and her dreams of being respected as an artist. I liked how the struggles they faced were similar to each other's, yet unique given the time difference of their lives. I feel that that was definitely a well-done aspect of the book.

Despite that, I do wish that there was a little bit more on the crime family that Dr. Harding is dealing with. They're meant to be a threatening presence, yet they didn't really feel like it. Maybe that's damped by the one (1) lady following them being referred to as "Lipstick Lady", which makes her feel much less threatening, but they also just weren't an established presence beyond "Italy has the mafia". The threat level just felt very low all things considered.

Overall, I thought that this was a pretty interesting book. I would definitely read an entire book of just Sofia, that much I can say for certain.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Courtesan first drew me in because of its description and my enjoyment of the 1998 movie “Dangerous Beauty”. I am fascinated with these accomplished women in history who have been long since forgotten and love that authors like Kerry Chaput work to resurrect their stories. The dual timeline and immersive world building in both eras kept me engaged and turning pages to find out what happened next.

The present day FMC is Dr. Mia Harding. She’s an art historian and is set to sign off on and authenticate a statue by famous artist Lucca Armani. Near the end of her allotted stay in Venice, she becomes convinced that it was actually crafted by a courtesan of the artist. She unearths clues, riddles, and mounting evidence to support her theory. The stakes become incredibly high as she and her colleague Noah are chased, threatened, and stalked through Venice, by people who never want her to unearth the truth.


In 1609, Sofia Rossi is a courtesan and gifted artist. She creates erotic and emotional art, defying Venice’s laws in her lifetime. We see how she is treated, how powerful she truly is and how constrained and demeaned she is within her profession. The stakes grow higher as she is caught in a dangerous web of people in power and her work gets uncovered and stolen by her patrons wife. Having fallen in love with another powerful man in the art community while she’s the property of another, she can feel the world crashing in around her.

Mia is driven and willing to face any consequence in order to prove Sofia’s existence and bring her brilliance to light before the powers that be silence both of their voices.

It’s an incredible story full of suspense, emotion, longing, and love!

[Elise Cobb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been a slam dunk for me - historical fiction + art history + feminism + da Vinci code … but it totally fell apart for a variety of reasons.
The romantic parts weren’t written in a believable way. I don’t buy into any of them. I needed more witty banter or chemistry or anything to make me feel it. There was kinda a lack of depth to a lot of the writing. I wanted so badly to be whisked away into the time period but the writing just didn’t pull me in. There were also a lot of plot points that I couldn’t get behind…mainly with the MC. What was she doing for the weeks before the deadline to research? Why did she suddenly decide to dig deeper and seek an ally the night before the due date? Also, her character had a lot of aha moments (that we knew about from the alternate plot) but the way she figured it out was just by guessing or intuition???? That was very lazy writing. I wanted clever reveals! The final 15% was closer to what I was hoping for throughout the book but couldn’t make up for the rest of its mediocrity. Sadly, this book was a miss for me.
Thanks to netgalley for the arc.

[Bolt Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is what happens when National Treasure and Dangerous Liaisons collide and decide women should finally get the credit. The Secret Courtesan jumps right in with vivid characters and a plot that knows how to tease information just enough to keep you hooked and slightly unhinged.

The dual timelines are addictive in the best way. Each switch comes right after a revelation, forcing you to abandon one storyline just as it gets good. Both female leads are compelling, powerful, and impossible to ignore, and I raced through the pages desperate to see how their stories connected.

Yes, there is spice—exactly as advertised—but it never overshadows the heart of the story. This is ultimately about women’s power, agency, and the women history conveniently tried to forget. Add intrigue, corruption, and treasure-hunt vibes, and you’ve got a smart, fun, highly bingeable read. I’m genuinely hoping this turns into a series because I would happily follow Noah and Mia into whatever secrets and treasures come next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Courtesan started out strong with an intriguing premise and a vivid historical setting that immediately drew me in. The idea of uncovering a forgotten woman artist from Renaissance Venice was compelling and felt full of promise. Early on, the atmosphere and mystery kept the pages turning. However, as the story progressed, the momentum slowed and the plot began to feel stretched. I had a hard time staying fully engaged and eventually struggled to finish the book. The dual timelines didn’t always complement each other and sometimes disrupted the flow rather than enhancing it. Character development, especially within the love stories, felt thin and rushed. I wanted deeper emotional connections, but they never fully formed. Some scenes felt repetitive and could have been trimmed to tighten the narrative. While the themes of female empowerment and hidden history were admirable, the execution didn’t fully deliver. Overall, it was an okay read that started with promise but ultimately fell flat for me, earning a solid 3 stars.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid read and I liked the alternating chapters of present day with the investigation and art authentication project and the historical timeline in Venice with the courtesan.
Overall it has a great theme of bringing attention to women artists at a time when they were not allowed to be engaged in art.
Some romance, some intrigue, and overall a lesson in art history. 3-Stars as at times it dragged a bit/was over-written.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

[Stephanie Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! As a woman with a history degree, I live for a mystery/thriller like this! So good! I really loved the dual timelines, with Sophia in 1600s Venice and Mia, present day art historian gathering evidence about Sophia from the past! I enjoyed hearing from Sophia's view, and then reflecting on the idea that, how and who writes history decides who and what is lost. I would highly recommend!

[Tanya Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning historical fiction novel checks all the boxes. from love, to mystery, to all the DaVinci Code vibes. You'll swoon, your heart will race, and in then end you'll be holding your breath desperate for a heart wrenching wrong to be righted. Beautifully written and deeply emotive.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

very fun and very effective dual timeline historical fiction with some amazing characters and amazing plotting. would recommend. 5 stars tysm for the arc.