Another great read from this author, but I don’t enjoy a cliffhanger!
This story was told from a few character points of view- how they grew up and what caused them to be who they are today. It was a tad slow in places but look forward to the next in the series

This book would be difficult to classify. It claims to be a thriller. A couple of genres are covered. Sweet romance and not sure what the fraud portion would be other than background material. A wide variety of characters and I am not particularly fond of the main one at the end. I will probably read the next one in this new series. I am curious about the treasure map. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I didn't know this was not a standalone book. I possibly wouldn't have read it had I understood that in the beginning. Having said that, 3/4 of the book was NOT about Smuggler's Cove but rather a back story of how the family got to the Cove. The last few chapters were about the Cove and just as the story was leading to the actual mystery, the book ended. The story begins with the mother's early life and continues with her two children and their best friend. The story that happens in the Cove is about smuggler's treasure and if the tale of the treasure is actually real.

Smuggler's Cove is book 1 in the new Twin Lights series by Fern Michaels.
Madison Taylor and her younger brother Lincoln spent their early years living in privilege and wealth.
Everything they know is shattered when their father is arrested and the family wealth is seized by the Feds.
Fortunately, their mother Gwen instilled the values of hard work and good character in her children.
Madison and Lincoln distance themselves from their family's shady past and find success on their own.
All is well until their uncle passes and leaves them a marina in Smuggler's Cove, NJ. Their plan to sell the marina comes to a halt when a dead body is discovered under the dock...
Smuggler's Cove begins with a negative situation and takes the reader through the transformation of Madison and Lincoln.
This is the feel-good book of the summer!
Smuggler's Cove ends with a cliffhanger, and I am looking forward to book 2!

Bestselling author Fern Michaels delivers an engaging new mystery with Smugglers Cove, introducing siblings Madison and Lincoln Taylor whose unexpected inheritance throws them into a world far from their privileged past. Once sheltered by wealth and status, their lives are upended after their father’s fraud conviction and the loss of family assets. Madison, a savvy fashion editor, and Lincoln, a practical wealth management professor, have distanced themselves from their troubled history—until a surprising bequest from their late uncle changes everything.

Now co-owners of a rundown marina on the Navesink River, Madison’s plans to quickly sell the property are dashed when a dead body is discovered beneath the dock, turning their inheritance into the center of a gripping crime scene. As Madison trades high heels for flannel and cargo pants, the siblings dive headfirst into the quirky, close-knit Jersey Shore community. With local legends, eccentric characters, and a mysterious treasure map to unravel, Smugglers Cove is a captivating tale of family, self-discovery, and intrigue.

Fern Michaels masterfully blends suspense and charm, delivering a fresh, page-turning story that will keep readers hooked from the first chapter to the last.

Welcome to Smuggler’s Cove!
Madison and her brother Lincoln are shocked to hear that they have inherited a marina from an uncle they haven’t seen in decades. The first reaction is to look at it and sell it and have the deal done as quick as possible.
However, they could not imagine how this inheritance was going to change their lives.
They became part of a community, made new friends, embarked on a new business and basically changed their lives!
This book end on a major cliffhanger and I’m already anticipating book 2!

The storyline was good.
Madison and Lincoln were brother and sister dealt a difficult hand by their father.
They were strong and resilient throughout the initial drastic change to their lifestyle and colleges.
As they aged and made decisions, their most important decision had to do with their inheritance from their uncle.
I had difficulty with the structure of the story with the chapters labeled with names and viewpoints.
To me, it did not flow smoothly but I was impressed with the depth of characterization.
Would recommend.

The description of the book sounds exciting, right? Yeah, it’s not. Actually, the book does get off to an exciting start at the beginning when the Madison and Lincoln’s lives are ripped out from under them when their father is arrested for fraud. And then the pace is relatively sedate for the remainder of the book.

Yes, there is a dead body. But our main characters have nothing to do with solving the mystery. There is no mayhem.

Characters:

With the exception of the father who goes to prison at the beginning of the book, all of the characters are likable enough. Madison is a little self-centered, but not overly so. That’s the worst I can say about any of them. And while, I need at least one likable character to enjoy a book, these characters were unrealistically perfect - great jobs, mostly even tempered, no major internal conflicts, and no major external conflicts. It made them seem two dimensional.

Plot:

It’s as described by the publisher, with only a relatively minor mystery and no mayhem.

The Writing:

Overall, Fern Michaels is a decent writer insofar that she knows how to create pictures with her words. I had no trouble envisioning what she describes.

There was one odd thing. Madison is the viewpoint character, however, the author sometimes switches viewpoints to insert the internal thoughts / feelings of the other characters. It was disconcerting and took me out of the story.

Overall:

I’ve not read Danielle Steel or Nora Roberts, so I don’t know how Smuggler’s Cove compares. I feel like the publisher’s description of “mystery and mayhem” did a disservice both to the writer and reader. I chose this book because I thought it was a mystery. I typically do not read general fiction / women’s fiction / contemporary romance and would not have chosen this novel if it had been described as such. I am definitely not the target audience. Hopefully, the publisher will review their description and make it more accurate. It could be that the right reader would find this book more enjoyable than I did. (And obviously given Fern Michaels’ long list of published books, people do enjoy her novels.)

This is my first book by Fern Michaels, and I don’t know if this is typical for her work, but I have very mixed feelings about this one. I probably won’t continue this series, but I just might give another of her books a try.

This book felt more like a prequel to a series. There was no mystery but one was set up at the end. I actually had to go and look at the summary for the book after a few chapters, because the first half of the book has nothing to do with a marina and a mystery. It felt more like a biography with an extensive family history for the two main characters, Madison and Lincoln. It just felt like there was a lack of cohesion between the first half of the book and the second.

Once we got to the part where Madison and Lincoln inherit the marina, it got a little bit better. Both characters are now 40 something and very successful in their careers. However they often read like very young twenty somethings. Especially the dialogue and their interactions with the townspeople in Smuggler’s Cove. There is also a developing romance between Madison and the coast guard officer she meets at the marina. It was kind of cute, but not sure that it really worked for me. But I really liked the quirky side characters that they meet in the small town. They added a nice bit of fun to the story.

The plot felt very disjointed, especially the first half in relation to the second half. Once a body is found at the marina, I really thought the story and the mystery or treasure hunt would take off, but it didn’t. There was no murder, and the treasure map is thought to be an interesting artifact that is found in their uncle’s office. So, nothing really happens much in the plot until the end when we are left with a cliffhanger. So all of those things that I was promised in the summary, just never really materialized which was disappointing.

I’m not sure what to think of this book. It was somewhat disappointing as I was looking forward to a treasure hunt and a mystery, which never materialized. But I did like some of the characters and I found the setting quite charming. Not sure I can recommend this one, unless you are a fan of the author.

Interesting read that kept my attention. Great characters and I truly enjoyed how Michaels gave each character their own little section so the reader could get to know them. The ending will make readers look forward to the next one in this series. Well done.

Sadly, after having been so tempted by the title and blurb, this book wasn't for me. I wouldn't like NOT to recommend it, as I think it was the writing style that simply didn't chime with me, and I'm sure it would be very popular with others.

SMUGGLER’S COVE proved to be a bit of an enigma for this reader. While I generally enjoy Fern Michaels, I found there to de a distinct lack of cohesion to this novel. Madison and her brother Lincoln were raised in an elite setting. Money is nothing and they have everything they ever wanted. Don’t even realize there is any other lifestyle. Through it all, they have a mother that obviously loves them and a father who is distant and has no time for them. But his distant attitude is not even the beginning of the problem.

This story had a somewhat interesting plot. It is just that between the beginning of the book with Gwen and the time when young Madison must get away until she grows up and arrives in Smuggler’s Cove, I was lost. I got one generation mixed up with another and that’s because the story jumps decades without any cohesiveness. It made the whole beginning seem rather disjunct.

Within all of this there were good characters, some that you love and some that you hate. A story that begins to grab you but not until halfway through.

Smugglers Cove is almost two separate stories. The first of the book shares an extensive family history before getting on to the story of siblings Madison and Lincoln. They grew up with privilege and wealth. Their mother was loving and father was distant. After their father is arrested for fraud their lives change but they push forward to their own careers. Later they find they have inherited a dilapidated marina in the small town of Smuggler’s Cove. They plan to sell hoping for profit, but stumble into a mystery.

Michael’s has a unique style of writing. With so much sharing of background I was left wondering where the story was going for a while. The main characters are likable and there is mystery, a stolen treasure map and possible treasure hunters to deal with. Only when it ended on a somewhat of a cliffhanger did I realize this was the beginning of a new series. I would read the next book if only to find out what happens to the MC’s. But I’m not sure based on this book that I’d commit to a whole new mystery series of books.

This book was on the bottom of my TBR stack. I am sorry about that. It turned out to be a delightful book. It's an easy book to read. Perhaps not a page turner, but there is enough there that makes you want to know what happens next. It's a story of resilience and fortitude. If bad times befall you, it is up to you and you alone to remake yourself, as demonstrated by the characters. Upon finishing the book, you will feel good and pleased that you read it.

Madison and Lincoln lived a life of the elite. Things changed somewhat when their father was sent to jail for fraud and all of their assets were frozen. Their mother was able to save some money, and they were able to move on and have great careers. Upon the death of their uncle Kirby, they learn that they inherited a marina in Smuggles Cove. The marina was fraught with history and rumors of a treasure map. They really have no interest until they go and meet the people who loved Kirby and wanted to honor him. They decide to keep it open for the season and when they have the celebration to honor Kirby, they learn there was a break in. I can't wait to see what happens. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This book took me a while to get into as it had a very slow pace. The historical introductions were necessary but felt a bit long winded and I got a bit confused with all the characters and their back stories. It had just started to get good and then it ended with a cliffhanger!
Smugglers Cove wasn’t my favourite book but I may have to read the next part just to see what happens with the siblings and their new abode.

The story begins with an almost historical review and introduction, starting in the mid-20th century with the Wainwright and Taylor families and their life experiences that will have future consequences.. Gwen Wainwright is what you might call a normal young woman growing up in the 50’s and 60s raised in a good family. Jackson Taylor wasn’t so lucky and his early years set his goals especially when it comes to money. Those financial desires have a direct impact on what’s to come.

After marrying Jackson, as he works to reach his financial goals, Gwen’s life is one of high society, financial comfort with a husband who looks for perfection, power and money. All is well for many years until their now college age children, Madison and Lincoln, find life upended. The siblings and their mother must rebuild their lives making a big move to separate themselves from their Jackson’s failures.

The next part of the story follows Madison and LIncoln’s growth and success. Unexpectedly they find they’ve inherited a broken down marina from their Uncle Kirby who was a totally different individual then his brother Jackson. They find themselves introduced to the residents of Smuggler’s Cove, its history, its mystery and find themselves at a stage in life to figure out where their future lies. Who are they now and how will their choices make a difference in their future and the future of their piece of Smuggler’s Cove? Smuggler’s Cove is the first in a new series by Fern Michaels and is an enjoyable read.

I have read and enjoyed many of Fern Michaels’ books. This one started out slow, I thought, although the background in the various characters was interesting. The mystery was good, and I enjoyed the story.

This is my first Fern Michael's book. I have mixed feelings about Smugglers Cove as I didn't care for the beginning of the book. I got a bit confused on the characters and the timeline. Once we moved past that, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed it as a fast, fun mystery but not sure if I would recommend it. I will try another Fern Michael's book though, maybe it is just this one.

This book took a little while to get into because it was very slow paced and there was a lot of backstory buildup in the beginning. But once I got past all of that I did really enjoy the overall story and mystery to it. I think it was set up very well to continue as a series. I really enjoyed all the different characters!