Growing up, Madison Taylor and her younger brother Lincoln lived in privilege, but their sheltered existence abruptly ended when their father was arrested for fraud and the family assets were seized. Since then, Madison has carved out a new path, studying fashion and working her way up to editor in chief of La Femme magazine, while Lincoln teaches wealth management at a small college outside the city. Both have separated themselves from their family and their past—until an unexpected bequest arrives from their late uncle.

Madison and Lincoln are now the new co-owners of a marina at Smugglers Cove on the Navesink River. Instead of a fabulous, Hamptons-style property, Smugglers Cove offers little beyond a dilapidated dock, a few gas pumps, and a handful of clam boats. Madison’s plan to sell the property goes awry when a dead body is found floating under their dock and transforms their new inheritance into a crime scene.

Suddenly, Madison is swapping her city-girl wardrobe for cargo pants and flannel shirts, while she and Lincoln receive a crash course in small-town Jersey shore life, complete with quirky characters, pirate legends, and a mysterious treasure map. They’re discovering more about themselves and each other every day, but with a mystery to solve, and big decisions to make, these are lessons they’ll need to learn fast . . .

Titles in the Twin Lives series include: Smuggler’s Cove ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Smuggler’s Cove
Series:  Twin Lights #1
Author:  Fern Michaels
Published:  August 26, 2025
Publisher:  Kensington
My Rating:  3.5 stars

Smuggler’s Cove begins the Twin Lights series with a story that feels more like a very long, world-building prelude to an actual murder/mystery.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read and enjoyed Fern Michaels’ stories for years, yet this isn’t, in my opinion, a murder or a mystery about the dead body under the docks.  That’s explained away very quickly.  It’s more like a generational women’s fiction/family saga with Madison’s and Lincoln’s family history.  Yes, they have a no-good father who fooled a lot of people, is now in prison, and their comfortable lives were changed forever… but where does mystery and mayhem come into that?

If you’re looking for a good story about siblings whose lives changed suddenly, a surprise inheritance that brings them to a small town on the Jersey shore filled with quirky characters, and possible pirate treasure maps… then go into Smuggler’s Cove with that expectation.  The cliffhanger ending gave me pause that perhaps the next novel in the series will fall more into the mystery element, but I don’t know if I want to take the chance on finding out for certain.  I buy or request ARCs based on the story blurb, and this one wasn’t accurate regarding what the story was between the covers.  I will say that any review is only one person’s opinion; to know if you’d enjoy this story, you’ll need to read it yourself.  No, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but at the core, it’s a good story, and I’ll have to be content with that.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley, and I sincerely thank the author or publishing house for their trust.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)