This is a dual storyline book that has a pub in Cornwall as the link between the two time periods. One storyline features Emily in 1799 and the other is about Phoebe in 2019. While on sick leave from her job as a police officer, Phoebe accompanies her best friend to Cornwall where Liv has been hired to manage a local pub. She becomes interested in the story about the death of Emily Moon in 1799. Both storylines are well written but I liked Emily’s timeline more than Phoebe’s however. It captured my interest more and seemed a bit more realistic, particularly in regard to the romance aspect present in both storylines.

A well-written, richly detailed tale of corruption involving cruel men and resourceful, brave women. The two timelines were woven expertly together and I loved how they both featured vulnerable women who even when they doubted themselves still knew what was morally wrong and stood up to the nasty men.
I couldn't put it down!

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Smuggler’s Daughter is a dual-timeline mystery, and while I was a bit nervous about how I’d fare with it upon noting how it was structured, with both being in first-person (I’ve been known to forget whose head I’m in even with headings), since I got into the rhythm of it. And the two voices are fairly distinct, with Emily’s subtly reflecting her time period.

Ultimately , I did grasp onto Emily more, and that was likely in part due to the fact that she is what we today would consider to be autistic. I could empathize with how she‘s viewed differently by the townsfolk due to this, and provides a healthy reminder of why I’m glad to have been born in the present, even if that still isn’t without its own challenges for neurodiverse folks.

But I did still like Phoebe’s story to an extent, even if I wasn’t as personally invested in it. As an investigator, I liked how she applied her skills to looking into the mysterious goings-on of the Moon Inn (which serves as the setting connection), including a thread that ties into finding out what happened to Emily when she disappeared after she made some discoveries in relation to her father’s death and the local smuggling activities. I did admittedly gloss over a bit more in her chapters, wanting to get back to Emily.

While I didn’t feel like this book was as balanced in sucking me in to both character arcs as I desire with dual-timeline novels, I still enjoyed this one a solid amount, even if more for the historical elements. It offers a lot of familiar elements (the atmospheric Cornwall setting, a la the novels of Daphne du Maurier), with a fresh twist, and should satisfy fans of historical fiction who also like a bit of mystery.

I enjoyed this dual timeline suspenseful mystery.

Emily is a misunderstood young woman (probably would be diagnosed as autistic in today's society) living with her parents in 1799 Cornwall. Her father, the proprietor of The Moon Girl, a local inn, mysteriously disappears after Emily witnesses him being beaten. Determined to discover the truth behind her father's disappearance and if it's connected to the rumor of local smuggling, she is aided by her friend Arthur. Following their discoveries, they then both mysteriously disappear.

Phoebe is a modern day police officer who, suffering from a traumatic event, takes a sabbatical and travels with a friend to assist her in running a local inn, The Moon Girl. After strange, inexplicable events take place around the inn, Phoebe begins to investigate.

The parallel mysteries surrounding the inn are both interesting and intriguing, and I found myself pulled into the story...wanting to know more and excited to discover the ending. Very nicely done.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #Harper360 for providing the free ARC. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Duel timeline historical fiction spanning 1799 to 2019 told from the perspective of two girls, Emily and Phoebe.
I found the story hard to get into. Though it did get better toward the end of the book.
The setting of Cornwall cliffs was intriguing.
The area around the inn sounds beautiful.
There is a historical aspect to the story that was interesting.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

beautiful, no other word to describe it. I loved every single word and every single chapter. I was crushed when the book was finished, had a reading hangover for days.

The book was well-written. I enjoyed how both stories were well developed and related to each other in several ways. I usually dislike dual-time stories and end up preferring one period over the other, but it did not happen this time. I was equally invested in Emily and Phoebe. The author took the opportunity to explore women's roles in the late 18th Century. Emily was probably autistic and was believed to be simple-minded. I was inspired by her strength and perseverance to be heard. Her mother's situation was an excellent example of the hard choices women often had to make back then. Arthur was a sweetheart. Without any formal knowledge, he saw the real Emily and understood her. It was so lovely to see how they supported each other. Phoebe was also a complex character. Suffering from post-traumatic stress, she had an intuition that things were off, but doubted her own judgment. Despite their struggles, both Emily and Phoebe stood for what they believed in, risking their lives.

This book is written as a dual story read. The connection is a pub in Cornwall. I liked this book, however, it read more like two separate stories for me. Even with the pub being the centerpiece of both timeframes, this still fell short for me as far as connecting the two stories together.

I enjoyed this dual time period novel that was a little out of my comfort zone. That has me wanting to read more dual time period novels.

Usually, novels that jump between past and present are not my favorite, because they tend to be pretty transparent in their plot due to two short stories in one novel. While this wasn’t not the case with The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett, I did find myself sucked into the story and really wanting to see it through to the end - a good sign! I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone who wants a reasonably cozy mystery.
In the present, Phoebe, who’s taking a break from her job as a police officer after a traumatic experience, travels to Cornwall with her friend to restore a pub called the Moon Girl. The Moon Girl has an interesting past, as the locals report that it was once used as a smuggler’s haven, but is now haunted by the ghost of Emily Moon. While not finding much to do in the way of helping the struggling pub, Phoebe decides to investigate the story of Emily and to see if she can find an alternative ending to the haunting that’s been described to her.
In the past, it has been two years since Emily Moon watched her father killed by smugglers in order to use her family’s pub as a throughway for illegal goods. When the time comes that she and her mother are desperate enough to accept the smugglers’ “help” in return for some favors, Emily decides that she’s not going to help willingly; she’s going to avenge her father’s death in the process.

While both girls have different goals for themselves and their stay in the inn, Emily and Phoebe both contend with challenges; Phoebe deals with her traumatic experience and Emily with being somewhat mute, so people think she’s handicapped. They both hear and see strange things on the cliffs, in the inn, and in the church, and neither can resist investigating. Both girls are determined, empathetic, and have justice on the forefront of their minds. As the book progresses, readers can see more and more how the two stories mirror and play into each other. I was really impressed with Barrett’s ability to connect these two storylines, even though, on the face of it, they’re not really connected at all.

I found the plot of Phoebe’s part of the story a little transparent, but only because of Emily’s part. There were some features that directly played into Phoebe’s storyline, which is why I wasn’t as wowed by it - I already knew some! I really enjoyed following both girls, especially Emily, as her story turned out much differently than I thought it might have in the beginning. The pace of both storylines was really well-done; the switch between both was made at just the right times to keep me on my toes while reading.

All in all, I thought this book was a really nice read. It has a hint of romance, a really nice storyline (two of them!), and likeable characters that have enough flaws to be human. For a random grab off of NetGalley, I was very pleased with this read and surprised with how much I liked it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper 360 for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
Good timeslip book-Emily's story takes place in 1799 and Phoebe's story takes place in present time. They are both good stories, but I liked Emily's story better. Phoebe's story just seemed a little unbelievable at times-she didn't really seem like a police officer. I liked the way both stories came together in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC In Exchange for an honest review

2 timelines. Emily and Phoebe My heart went out to Emily - she has a speech impediment where she can’t speak I front of strangers or when she is anxious.... Her story line was much more enjoyable to me. With Phoebe I had a harder time getting into the story

Overall this book didn’t do it for me and I had to push myself to finish. I found myself fast forwarding Phoebes timeline - to me she was t credible

I’ve seen mostly favorable reviews so hopefully the book will do well - just not my cup of tea

Two awesome stories here! One from 1799 And the other from 2019! Both Intertwined into one!
This was a good read with alot of sad feelings! That what I guess made me like this book so much! It is definitely a different kind of read. Not really my thing but this was amazing!

The Smugglers Daughter will hold you spellbound from the moment you begin the journey with Phoebe and Emily until the very end! Kerry Barrett has outdone herself with this novel, she's filled this story with characters that are well thought out and each one comes across clearly, as their individual personalities become more than just part of the tale, they come off the pages and pull you in, plot brims with tension-building twist, and great dialogue which brings this read together perfectly.

I have to say, that of the split-timeline novels I've read, this is one of the best executed ones. Oftentimes one storyline can trump the other or overly predict the other, but I find that The Smuggler's Daughter has a good balance.

However, I would say that Emily was my favorite of the main characters, and I found her relationship with Arthur rather heartwarming. I loved that Emily was shown to be intelligent despite not being able to speak around others (anxiety, I presume). The development of the antagonists was stellar, along with each character (Emily, Arthur, Emily's mom) having their own motives for how to get out of the difficult situation.

WIth Phoebe's storyline and timeline, I appreciated her relationship with Liv. It felt very real and I liked how they interacted with each other. However, Phoebe was not a believable police officer. For one, she is afraid of guns. And secondly, she kept over-stating that she should do police-officer things or act like an officer, which only screams of her not being a credible police officer. I didn't really care for Jed--he sounds nice and was decent, but there was nothing distinct about him that would have me rooting for him and Phoebe.

The plot moved along very well and the story had me gripped from beginning to end. I literally read this novel in two days with minimal breaks, so Barrett does a great job of engaging the reader.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book is set in two different eras but the scenes are nearly identical. Both heroines are "Moon Girls" and the story takes place in the same inn. Both eras deal with illegal smuggling and blackmail. Both women are courageous and smart when faced with danger. The story flips back and forth between centuries (which I think is confusing - but the author makes it work). The more I read, the more into the story I was - wanting to know the ending. I was not disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

If you want a good story to read then this is it! All the perfect ingredients to lose yourself in your reading.
I simply couldn't put this down. I was hooked from the beginning especially because it's about pirates, ghosts etc.
I read this late into the night and some parts gave me the shivers.
Honestly, the cover of this book is why I wanted to read it. I know this sounds silly but I wish I could pop into the picture like Mary Poppins does. It's so pretty.
I recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book
I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this story, I liked the dual POV. I liked Emily’s part better, though. As much as I liked the happy needing and it kept me engaged, there is something missing that makes this a truly great read. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

This was an easy dual timeline read with two very similar stories. I preferred Emily's story in 1799 and her character. Phoebe just didn't ring true to me as a police officer. At one point she says she hates guns and can barely touch one to pick it up. I enjoyed the setting on the cliffs of Cornwall and the mystery. All in all, this was a good read for a rainy day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for access to this arc.

#thesmugglersdaughter #netgalley

This was a hard story for me to read, I didn't feel like it was a happy story and that's what I like the best. It was more of a sad story, with a happy ending.