Description

She inherited a lighthouse that predicts murder—and someone wants her dead for it.

Marine insurance adjuster Margot Fenn returns to Gull’s Rest Island expecting to quickly sell her estranged grandmother’s lighthouse and escape back to Cleveland. Instead, she discovers Keeper’s Watch only lights for her—and its cobalt blue beacon means murder is coming to the autumn festival.

Harbor master Tobias Carr has spent six years protecting the island’s secrets, including the lighthouse’s true purpose. The last thing he needs is Margot stirring up old mysteries with her sharp questions and sharper tongue. But when threatening notes shaped like dead starfish start appearing, he realizes she’s not just another outsider looking for a quick sale—she’s the killer’s next target.

As “accidents” escalate and twenty years of cryptic journals reveal a web of insurance fraud and family betrayal, Margot must choose between her safe, controlled life and the magical legacy calling her home. With Tobias’s reluctant help, she races to decode her grandmother’s warnings before the lighthouse’s protection fails forever.

But learning to trust the magic means trusting the tight-knit community that remembers her teenage rejection—and trusting the brooding harbor master who’s convinced she’ll break his heart by leaving, just like everyone else has.

This Witchy Coastal Cozy romance includes:

• Magical inheritance with deadly consequences
• Small-town secrets spanning decades
• Reluctant heir discovering her true power
• Found family that becomes home
• Slow-burn romance worth the wait

Sweet heat—perfect for fans of Bailey Cates, Juliet Blackwell, and Amanda Flower.

How This Manuscript Was Created

This first draft has been generated and refined through a 7-pass professional editing pipeline:

1. First Draft — chapter-by-chapter writing using the codex and outline
2. Developmental Assessment — whole-manuscript review for plot, structure, character arcs, pacing
3. Apply Dev Notes — per-chapter revision addressing the developmental review
4. Line Edit — sentence-level prose, dialogue, and voice polish per chapter
5. Continuity Audit — full-manuscript consistency check (names, timeline, codex alignment)
6. Apply Continuity Fixes — per-chapter corrections from the audit
7. Proofread — final per-chapter polish for typos, grammar, and lingering issues

Manuscript Details

• Word Count: 41,323 words
• Length Category: Novella (17500-40000 words)
• Chapters: 12
• Genre: Cozy Mystery
• Subgenre: Witchy Coastal Cozy
• Heat Level: Sweet
• Tone: Cozy
• POV: Single POV, 1st Person, Past tense
• Tropes: Reluctant heir, small-town secrets, magical inheritance, found family, slow-burn romance
• Hero: Tobias
• Heroine: Margot