Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Witch's Tree by Elena Collins.
Here's the blurb
A tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested.
Present day
As a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn't long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden.
1682
Grace Cotter longs for nothing more than a husband and family of her own. Content enough with her work on the farm, looking after her father, and learning the secrets of her grandmother Bett's healing hands, nevertheless Grace still hopes for love. But these are dangerous times for dreamers, and rumours and gossip can be deadly. One mis-move and Grace's fate looks set…
Separated by three hundred years, two women are drawn together by a home bathed in blood and magic. Grace Cotter's spirit needs to rest, and only Selena can help her now.
Review
The Witch's Tree is a duel timeline novel following the lives of Grace and Selena, one set in the seventeenth century the other modern day.
When we meet Grace we learn how hard her life has been, helping her father while working the fields trying to edge out an existence. Her life is a simple one.. eat, sleep, repeat but you can see how content she is with her lot in life.. although things are about to change drastically.
In the modern day, Selena, an artist has just suffered betrayal from the one she trusted the most.. and that hurt is going to increase exponentially. It's time for some downtime..
Selena heads to Sloe Cottage..Grace's home… separated only by time..
Sloe Cottage seems ideal…and it's cheap…that should have been the red flag..
We soon learn that not everyone likes Sloe Cottage and it becomes clear why. 300 years ago Grace's life took a turn for the worse, her sprit needs to rest, with Selena's help Grace may find peace.. and in turn Grace may help Selena let go of her own pain.
The Witch's Tree is a beautiful story about a connection through the ages. The duel time line worked very well and aided the flow of the tale, never a dull moment. I quite enjoying jumping around a clear timeline as it kept me engaged with the story.
Character wise The Witch's Tree is onto a winner too as the development is paced smoothly, nothing forced, perfectly drip-fed allowing Grace and Selena to develop naturally.
There's a growing suspense throughout the tale as we learn Grace's fate and how that may impact on Selena.. it's a enthralling tale showing the real strength of these two fascinating characters.
If I had to pick I think I loved Grace's tale the most..her life..growth.. the pain she suffered. A very moving life and such a strong character.
A wonderful story.
5/5 Stars
My thanks go to the author, publisher, and Rachel @ rachelsrandomresources.com for having me on the tour! I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, but I'll be grabbing a copy too.. at £1.89 currently for the kindle version it's a real bargain! 
To find our more head to Goodreads, Amazon (Or contact your local bookstore )
Why not follow the tour?
Author Bio –
Elena Collins is the pen name of Judy Leigh. Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the 'it's never too late' genre of women's fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
Social Media Links.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/judyleighuk
Twitter https://twitter.com/judyleighwriter
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/judyrleigh/
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JudyLeighNews
No comments:
Post a Comment