4 Stars

Publisher: Dashing Dandies Publishing

Date of publication: August 30th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Where you can find The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove: Amazon

Book synopsis:

AN EXCITING TALE OF ROMANCE, MYSTERY, AND SMUGGLING IN REGENCY CORNWALL FROM AMAZON BEST-SELLING AUTHOR KATE CARTERET.

When Sir Edmund Tate dies, he leaves his daughter in the care of his old friend, The Earl of Northcott. He is a kindly guardian, one whom Clarissa grows very fond of. But he’s a man with a secret, and that secret sent his youngest son to live in the house on Smuggler’s Cove.

When the Earl hints at the secret in his last days, Clarissa wonders if she will ever discover the truth behind the rift which made father and son strangers for so many years and turned one brother against the other.

Left in the care of Philip Ravenswood, the successor to the Earldom of Northcott, Clarissa finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into a secret friendship with his handsome but unconventional brother, Felix, visiting the beautiful Smugglers’ Cove more and more. She is a little afraid of his reputation, but cannot stop herself falling for him.

When smugglers return to the old cove, dangerous men determined to keep Cornwall’s old tradition alive, can Clarissa find the truth and stop suspicion falling upon Felix. And can she uncover the biggest secret of them all to lift the veil from the lie the Northcott Estate has sheltered beneath for so long?

A tale of love, excitement, and mystery on the rugged, beautiful, and sometimes unforgiving Cornish Coast.

---

First Line:

Try to take a little water, Lord Northcott, you must.

The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove by Kate Carteret

---

My Review:

Man, I needed to read this book. I have read a string of middle-grade books, and I was craving something more adult. So when I saw that The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove was up next on my TBR, I couldn’t wait to read it.

The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove was an exciting mix of mystery and romance. The plotline centers around a young girl, Clarissa, who is the ward of Lord Northcutt. Lord Northcutt is dying and wishes to make amends with his son, who he hasn’t seen in years. Clarissa is forced to sneak Felix in the house so he can say his final farewells. On his deathbed, Lord Northcutt reveals that he has been carrying a secret for years but passes before he could tell what it was. Curious, Clarissa starts looking into it, with the help of Felix . She soon realizes that someone is desperate to keep it from coming out and will do anything to keep it buried. At the same time, Clarissa realizes that she is falling in love with Felix. What is the secret? Will Clarissa and Felix be able to discover it and come out unscathed?

The plot for The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove got off to a slow start. I didn’t mind it, though. The author laid the backstories of Clarissa and Felix in those first few chapters. She also did a fantastic job of beginning the mystery. After those chapters, the book took off. It became a quick read for me. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going on.

I loved the setting for The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove. It takes place in Cornwall, England. I can trace my roots back to that area on my father’s side, so I was fascinated by what I read. Especially the smuggling. I had no idea that it was such a huge thing back then. I loved that the author chose to include the local dialect.

I loved Clarissa. I did feel that she was between a rock and a hard place for the first half of the book. But she dealt with everything with grace. The second half of the book showcased how strong she was. She was living with people who were idiots. She dealt with smarmy men trying to woo her. She dealt with them with grace and class that I found admirable. I did think she was headstrong at times (thinking of a particular scene on the beach).

I loved Felix. He felt awful for holding on to his anger at his father. I mean, it was justifiable, considering what his father did to his mother. But he was able to put it aside and make amends before his father died. I liked how he treated Clarissa too. He didn’t treat her like a proper young lady. He went along with her desire to find out what his father’s secret was. And he was able to protect her at the end of the book.

The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove is a clean romance. Plain and simple, that means that there is no sex. There are some kissing scenes, but that is it. Clarissa and Felix’s romance was sweet. I loved it.

There are two mysteries in The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove. One centered around Felix’s father’s secret. I loved how the author executed that. The clues were spaced out. I did guess at what the secret was but, and stress but, I wasn’t expecting the full scope of the mystery. That took me by surprise.

The other mystery is about the smugglers. Again, the author did a fantastic job of making me wonder if there were smugglers in the cove. I wasn’t surprised by what was revealed. But I was surprised at who was involved. Looking back, it made sense.

The end of The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove was explosive. The author did a great job of revealing what the secret was and if there were smugglers. What I enjoyed is that they were told almost simultaneously. It made for an epic ending. I also loved the epilogue. It made my heart go all fluttery when I read it!!

---

I would give The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove an older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is no language. There is very mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread The Earl of Smuggler’s Cove. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**