The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett | #BlogTour #BookReview @kerrybean73 @HQDigitalUK #NetGalley #HistoricalFiction

Two women centuries apart. Two interconnected destinies

Today, we are thrilled to be the stop on the Blog Tour for The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett.

The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett tells the story of Emily and Phoebe, two women who lived centuries apart, but whose destinies were interconnected.

Our thanks to the author,  HQ-Digital, and  NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy. 

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Book Details

Print Length: 384 pages
Publisher: HQ Digital (September 18, 2020)
Language: English
ASIN: B08C9FKJFG

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Book Description

Only she knows the truth. Only she can save them.

1799
Emily Moon lives with her mother in an inn on a clifftop in the darkest reaches of Cornwall. After her father mysteriously disappears, her mother finds solace at the bottom of a bottle, and the only way to keep afloat is to turn a blind eye to the smugglers who send signals from the clifftops. But Emily knows that the smugglers killed her father to ensure his silence, and she will not let his murder go unpunished…

Present day
After a case ends in tragedy, police officer Phoebe Bellingham flees to Cornwall for a summer of respite. But rather than the sunny Cornwall of her dreams, she finds herself on storm-beaten cliffs, surrounded by stories of ghosts and smugglers – and the mysterious Emily Moon, who vanished without a trace over two centuries ago. As rain lashes down around her, Phoebe determines to find the truth behind the rumours – but what she uncovers will put herself in danger too…

A haunting and moving timeslip novel perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter, The Forgotten Village and The Witchfinder’s Sister.

From the Publisher’s Blurb

Amazon US

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Review 

Cornwall, 1799. Emily had difficulties expressing herself and did not like to be around people. The only person she felt comfortable with was Arthur, the son of the vicar.

When a man came to the inn owned by her parents and attacked her father, she was powerless to stop him or report what she saw to her mother.

London, 2019. Phoebe made an error in judgment, and a girl died. Suffering from the trauma, she follows her friend to Cornwall to try to put herself back together.

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.

The Smuggler’s Daughter is an intriguing story full of adventure, imaginative characters, history, and beautiful Cornwall scenes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Try a sample

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About the Author

I write women’s fiction set both in the present day and in the past. I’ve written stories about all sorts of exciting women from history including Suffragettes, smugglers, pilots, artists and dancers.

I’ve also written two novels in association with Emmerdale, set in the village from the TV soap during WW2, and one in collaboration with Kew Gardens, with the second coming early next year.

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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