Wow! Absolute gem of a book. Very well thought out bit spooky at times but a real easy read that kept the pages turning.

Tess and her daughter Jemima are hiding out in North Berwick after her husband was convicted of sex offenses. Little do they know when they rent Thistle Cottage that in 1661, it was the home of Honor and her daughter Alice, herbalists who were accused of witchcraft. It's a dual time line novel that explores a number of issues. Although all four women have their say and some creepy things happen in the modern day, it's Honor and Alice's story that's most interesting. They were valued by their community until Honor was unable to help the wife of the laird and he took vengeance on her. The madness of crowds, indeed. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction.

A dual timeline finally that really really works for me. A feminist portrayal of the 1600s and modern day.
A mother and daughter are picking up the pieces and starting a new life in the aftermath of their husband/father being sent to prison for sexual assault.
They start their new life in a "Witch cottage" and therein unfolds Alice and Honor's story. I loved the way the two stories wove together but also how women were treated in their respective time periods. Honor is seen as a threat as her dead husband gave her rights men only usually have. Tess has to handle social media in order to survive.
Great stories of witchcraft, few unexpected turns along the way, a few creepy goings on. This has everything.

In 1661, Honor Seton, widowed and living in Thistle Cottage, North Berwick, inherits her deceased husband’s title of Burgess of the Town. She is well known and respected by most of the fishermen who were colleagues of her husband, and also by the townswomen who frequently call upon her knowledge of plant and herb treatments for ailments as well as her ability to ensure safe deliveries of babies. Her main enemy is Gregor Mackenzie, the local Laird. At a meeting of the Burgesses (Honor being the only female) he announces that he wants to dredge the harbour, something that all the fishermen fear will put them out of business. Needless to say Honor objects. Shortly afterwards illness descends on the town and affects the Laird’s wife and the young son of his brother, Davey, who calls upon Honor and begs her and her daughter, Alice, to see if they can cure them. Honor soon realises that the Laird’s wife has little chance of responding to her herbal remedies, but does her best to help. Whilst the lady of the house dies the young lad recovers. Gregor blames Honor for his wife’s death and ultimately accuses her of witchcraft.

We move on to the present day and find newly divorced Tess Blyth and her daughter, Jemima, living in Thistle Cottage, having moved from Edinburgh to start a new life and to escape from the stigma caused by her well known television presenter husband being imprisoned for gross misconduct. They try hard to seek anonymity but things start to happen which make them uneasy. Jem finds evidence of Honor and Alice’s previous occupation of the house and together with a school friend they undertake a historical project........

This is a beautifully written book and a gripping tale, frightening at times, funny at times, but a most enjoyable read.

To be perfectly honest, I requested this book, because of the location! Hubby and I adore North Berwick, for the past 15 years, we have spent at least three months there every year, as we travel around Scotland, and now, after reading this book, I have a good reason to return when this lockdown is finally lifted!! I’m going on a Witch hunt!!
Told in dual timelines, but the same location used, this is about the infamous witch trials of North Berwick in the 17 century. In 1661, Honor Seton and her daughter Alice are the main characters. Honor is a skilled herbalist, midwife and has medical skills. She is also educated and this is seen as immodest behaviour to the local menfolk, women shouldn’t hold positions of power or knowledge, it goes against the preordained order, as expounded by the preacher John Knox. Alice helps her mother in these tasks. They are both summoned by the local Laird to help save the life of his ill wife, but despite all their efforts, she dies, and then the rumours of witchcraft start.
In present day North Berwick, Tess Blyth and her daughter Jess move to Thistle Cottage, to escape unwelcome press attention, and to try and make a new start for themselves. Tess’s husband has been sent to prison after being found guilty of sexual assault charges, both are seeking sanctuary. When Jess starts a history project at her new school, she finds that Thistle Cottage is where Honor and Alice lived.
The effects of witch trials and modern day witch hunts are vividly compared and contrasted. It looks at the notion of strong women and prejudiced males, and how fear of ability and skills, can lead to women being unfairly victimised.
I really loved these central characters, the way that mothers and daughters can find mutual love and respect for each other, and how they can pass on valuable life skills, no matter what era we live in. I found the male characters to be needy in respect of praise and esteem being due to them, but this is not an overtly feminist novel.
The North Berwick witch trials mention an Agnes Sampson, who was a midwife and a Gellie Duncan who was a healer, and a Memento Mori in St Andrews Kirk, so that will be my starting place later on this year. I might even find Thistle Cottage, I wonder if it will be for sale?!!
A pleasant read, it brought back happy memories for me, and gives me a plan for this year. A four star read.
My thanks to HQ Digital for my advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I will leave reviews later.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57742088

Enjoyed reading this, a bit of a page turner but I was disappointed that the ending wasn’t a little stronger. The author could have made more of the ‘kidnap ‘ situation. It was a bit half hearted and almost felt it was rushed to get the book finished.
I have however given it 4 out of 5 stars on goodreads as the synopsis overall worked well.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

1661, North Berwick: One stormy night, healer Honor Seton and her daughter Alice are summoned by the town Lord to save his wife - but they were too late. The much feared Lord embarks on a vengeful crusade against the Seton women, and soon there are whispers of witchcraft all over town.

Present day, North Berwick: After an explosive scandal lands her husband in prison, Tess Blyth and her daughter flee Edinburgh and start afresh in the quaint Thistle Cottage, where they can hide from the medias unforgiving glare. Tess is intrigued by the shadowy stories of witchcraft surrounding the mother and daughter who lived the in the cottage centuries ago.

This story is written in the past and present day format. The past, 1661: Mother and daughter, Honor and Alice Seton were herbalists. They were summoned to take care of the Lord's wife, but unfortunately the woman died. Present day: Tess and Gemma Blyth fled Edinburgh when Tess's husband goes to prison. They move into Thistle Cottage and later find out it was once the home of two women that had been accused of witchcraft.

I was pulled into the first part of the book pretty quickly but I wasn't so keen on the second part. The story is intriguing in parts. It's also quite a dark read. The characters are well developed, believable and the four women all have a point of view. This is an easy book to read as the words just flowed off the pages.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #KerryBarrett for my ARC of #TheSecretsOfThistleCottage in exchange for an honest review

Two mother and daughter pairs. Two time lines linked by a cottage. Honor and Alice live in troubled times, 17th century North Berwick. Honor acts as midwife, is a widow and has status in the tome from her deceased fisherman husband. Not good news. Women should be seen and not heard so the local lords of the manor are out to oust her. People die and she's blamed; people live because of her medicinal skills and that's ignored. She's accused of witchcraft. Modern day Tess and Jem move to the cottage after being ousted by social media due to her husband's crimes and imprisonment. Victimisation follows them. I liked the comparison between the behaviours of the two timelines, that worked well. Not so sure about Tess though and really wondered why she couldn't see what was going on. Still, an interesting short read. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

They say reading gives you somewhere to go when you have to stay where you are, well The Secrets of Thistle Cottage offers the read a trip to a lovely coastal location and then pulls you in to a time warp.
I really enjoyed this dual time story. Normally I tend to avoid books that switch between eras, but Barrett did it in such a way that it never felt jarring. The stories although several hundreds of years apart weaved so well together that it only added to the story.
Along side well written characters who you genuinely felt for in the trials they faced. They are fleshed out and well written that you can see them and their story.
Gossip and whispers play such a big part in both stories and the way Barrett deals with the modern day gossip spread via online sources shows us that nothing has really changed when it comes to destroying people's characters.
All in all a great book that will give you a weekend away without leaving your arm chair. Grab this book for a staycation, but be prepared to read it in one go.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"1661, North Berwick. One stormy night, healer Honor Seton and her daughter Alice are summoned by the town lord to save his wife."

As with most duo timelines, I was much more interested in the story from the older line. Just an okay and fairly quick read.

2☆

One of my favorite topics. I enjoyed the part about the history and the repercussions of witch hunting but the present day parts just didn't do it for me. Honestly, this would be a great young adult read, if not marketed that way.

2 1/2 elevated to 3.

This story is divided between Tess and her daughter Jem in the present day, and Honor and her daughter Alice in the 17th century. All four of them have POVs, but I'm not sure it was necessary.

I enjoyed the part about the history and the repercussions of witch hunting, both in the past and present.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

On the whole "The Secrets of Thistle Cottage" by Kerry Barrett is pretty good and solid book. It draws parallels from witch hunts of the 1600s to the more modern witch hunts of the modern era, through two pairs of mother-daughter protagonists living at Thistle Cottage 4oo years apart. I was drawn into each different story, wishing that they escape the injustices that they are accused of. However, from a realists perspective, I'm not entirely sure of the ending of the Setons, it all seemed too much of a happy ending.

I loved this book! Historical fiction and a thriller to boot! I enjoyed reading about the witch hunting in Scotland back in the 1600s as well as the correlation to social media being similar to that mentality. The characters are developed and the mother daughter relationships are prominent and functional. I thoroughly loved meeting Honor and Alice and Tess and Jem and see how their stories line up thanks to the connection to Thistle Cottage by the sea in Scotland's lush backdrop.

In this dual time book the past and present storylines are linked through the main protagonists. The timelines having parallels between the two .
In 1660's North Berwick Honor Seton and her daughter Alice are adept in administering herbal medicines . When they fail to save the wife of a gentleman, they undergo accusations of witchcraft from the townsfolk.
In present day Berwick, Tess Blyth and her daughter have started afresh after leaving behind their past life in Edinburgh. They move into Thistle Cottage and discover their new home is known as the witch's cottage by the locals.
When strange things happen at the cottage, a witch's bottle is discovered hidden in the window frame .They seem to be the victims of escalating vandalism too. Is a modern day witch hunt underway. What are the newcomers running from?
This was an enjoyable read , with the storyline unfolding between the two timelines a chapter at a time. The author sets the scene with eerie and atmospheric detail. The ending ties up all the loose ends neatly.

I picked up this book because I've always been interested in reading stories about women who were accused of being witches. I find it disturbing how society can be persuaded by rumors and innuendos, normally untrue, to turn against certain people. In the case of witches, simply women who live alone, are many times widows, who have the knowledge to alleviate pain and suffering using plants. The times of the witch trials were a frightening time for women, and there was no defense or justice available to them.

This book is written in two timelines. In 1661 Honor Seton and her daughter Alice, are herbalists and take care of many people in their community. When summoned to take care of the laird's wife, the woman dies despite Honor's attempts to save her. The laird is determined to seek vengeance against Honor. This timeline was very interesting and gives a feel for the time and the risks women faced.

The second timeline is present day. Tess and her daughter Jemima, have moved to Thistle Cottage after fleeing Edinburgh when Tess's husband goes to prison. After moving in they find the cottage had once been the home of two women accused of witchcraft, and that Thistle Cottage is known at the Witches' Cottage. Some dark and unsettling things start happening at the cottage that keep Tess and Jem worried they might be targets for the things Tess's husband had done.

I enjoyed reading this and found the writing flowed well and the characters were interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or stories about witches.

Thanks to HQ Digital through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I was initially slightly disappointed in The Secrets of Thistle Cottage. The storyline was good, but the writing felt as if it were perhaps more geared toward middle school readers. Once I adjusted my expectations to the middle school level I enjoyed the book. It just felt there was the potential for a much more in depth story.

Ok so I have to admit I'm not big on Historical Fiction but I've slowly been reading trying to read other genres other than Thriller & Romance!
And to my surprise I've actually gotten into HF novels!
And The Secrets of Thistle Cottage..... Is an amazing book!
I enjoyed the different timelines. This has some witchcraft add in the mix and in my opinion was so.dang good!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
Much Thanks to NetGalley Publisher and Author for this advance ebook!

Rounding up to three stars.

This book didnt work for ME.
I very much enjoyed the bits set in the past,but the present day parts just didn't quite match.
A quick read,by which I mean,the writing flowed,but I fear not memorable.

With her husband imprisoned after an ugly scandal, Tess and her daughter flee to remote Thistle Cottage. Tess immerses herself in the stories of another woman and her daughter who lived in the cottage centuries before and the rumors of witchcraft that swirled around them. Alternating between past and present, readers are able to make clear connections between both witch hunts. A fascinating read, the story of Honor and Alice are particularly affecting