The Witch’s Tree is a beautiful duel timeline novel with wonderful characters that I loved spending time with. It was somehow both a page turner, and soothing, a book I just enjoyed living in for a while.

Selena is an artist who paints landscapes to sell at the gallery she runs with her best friend. When her boyfriend walks out on her for being pregnant she is devasted. But then she loses the baby and hits rock bottom. Hounded for information by the wife she didn’t know he had, she rents Sloe Cottage, to get away and give herself time to heal and paint.

The cottage is magical and she finds herself inspired, creating her best work ever. But not everyone likes the cottage, and as she hears more and more stories of hauntings, her own strange experiences there start to take on more meaning.

Grace lives in Slaugh Cottage with her father, Will, in 1682. She keeps to herself, going to work to milk the cows, spending time with her grandmother Bett, and cooking and cleaning for her father. She has no expectations of marriage. She doesn’t believe the man she likes would ever notice her. But when he does, her life takes a very different turn.
The Witch’s Tree is a story about women, modern women, and women throughout history. It is about the ways women have been mislead and manipulated, and how easily they can find themselves on the wrong side of the argument, by no fault of their own. It is about women being seen as witches, whether hundreds of years ago or today, being true to yourself, and learning to let go.

I loved this book. Through these two emotional, gripping and heart-filled stories it said so much without labouring any points at all. I loved Selena and Grace, and I loved the cottage, which had a life of its own spanning centuries. I haven’t read any books by this author before, but will definitely be looking out for more stories in this genre from her.

Oh my word, what an incredible story, I love a timeslip and this one met all expectations, I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end, excellent

This book drew me in very slowly and before I knew it, I was completely immersed and invested! I will admit that to begin with, I found Selena a bit staid and boring; in contrast, I was immediately sucked into Grace’s narrative. Slowly, and over time, Selena grew on me (which I actually began to wonder if that was part of the author’s plan due to the storyline). I remained fully invested throughout in Grace’s fate! A wonderful tale with the past narrative centred around some terrifying times in British history.

I enjoyed the way the European history of the 1600's was seamlessly woven into this book. Often, dual timelines can get confusing, but this one didn't at all. The story has a bit of everything... new beginnings, mystery, romance and the paranormal.

The Witch's Tree is my second dual timeline novel in a week. It's not my preferred take on historical fiction, but hey, I'm on holiday, so why not.

The Witch's Tree is a story linked by a single space - a house - and the author offers two timelines, one modern-day and one set in the late seventeenth century. It was the late seventeenth-century story that fascinated me the most, and the feeling of impending doom made the story a little difficult to read in places. The contrasting stories of the two women further enforced the sense that problems were brewing for Grace in the seventeenth century,. As you might expect, I wanted more of the seventeenth-century story, and less of the modern-day one. I did appreciate that the modern-day story didn't give away any of the details of the seventeenth-century story and that some of the aspects were misunderstood by the modern cast. I think that little bit of realism really helped with the contemporary storyline.

A captivating read, I think readers will enjoy meeting Grace and Selena.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

(Not one to ever think that books should come with trigger warnings, I confess, there was one aspect of the book that I found a little upsetting, so I'll say here that readers should be aware of the appearance in the narrative of a cleft lip. I don't want to give any spoilers, but just to let readers know it is there.)

The witch's tree by Elena Collins

After the double heart break of a love affair ending and the loss of their baby, Selena decides to get away from it all and go paint in a cottage to heal her heart and soul. It's not long before Selena hears the whispers of a tragic past haunting the walls of the cottage… the ghost of Grace haunts the rooms while Selena can't help but to paint what she sees.

While Selena works in the present to find out what she can about the ghost and why she can't move on, Grace's story is a tragic one filled with loss and heartache in a time where a woman with any kind of talent for herbs and healing was considered a witch… were the things that happened around Grace a coincidence? Or is there something a little supernatural about Grace?

I don't even know where to begin with this book. It was pure poetry. Like a soft whisper on the winds of summer, it was beautiful and elegant with the most delightfully beautiful entwined storylines. I loved how the author wove these two women's storylines together and the end… bawled like a baby. I loved how the whole story came to a close. My heart was in pieces for both these women. What they experienced and how they coped with the hands they were dealt.
Women had it so awful during the witch trials and how a person could turn on another because of hatred or fear.
I would have liked to know more about Gabriel, I am hoping that the author writes a sequel. It would be lovely to know how Selena's life unfolds and maybe she searches for Gabriel's past.
I fell in love with the cottage and wish I could have seen the paintings she painted. I could see them in my mind's eye but it's not the same.
This book was an amazing example of how brilliantly executed a timeslip book can be done. A book so expertly written, the storylines seamlessly flowed into a whirlwind you won't ever want to come out of.

If you love historical fictions that straddle 2 timelines with strong female characters and a little heartbreak.. then this is a must for you.

5 stars… 5 perfect stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

A wonderful dual timeline novel set in present day and the seventeeth century.
In present day Serena retreats to a cottage in Somerset to paint and soothe her soul after a traumatic break up. In the 17th century Grace leads a simple life with her father in a tied cottage before villagers start becoming suspicious of her.
The beautiful prose and writing in this novel kept me enthralled, I was invested in both Grace's and Serena's story.
This book will appeal to lovers of Barbara Erskine books.
I highly recommend it
Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this novel, I am under no obligation to leave my review

An absorbing story set as a duel timeline as two women live in the same cottage, one modern day and the other in the 1600s. The past story is about Grace accused of being a witch who lived in the 1600s, the present-day story is about Selena, an artist who is vacationing at the cottage Grace used to live in. This was a wonderful novel, one I truly enjoyed from beginning to end. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Selena needs to get away and let her broken heart mend. She finds the perfect place where she can heal and also paint. She also encounters what seems to be a ghost
The story is told with dual timelines, each just as interesting. It’s very descriptive with some lovely characters helping Selena in her new surroundings. It makes you wish you were there.
This book was really good! It has romance, some mystery and a ghost. I loved it
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the

This was an interesting dual timeline book. I found I was less interested in the Morden tomeline and felt the story dragged a little.

This is a wonderfully engrossing book that captures the reader from cover to cover. I loved the dual timelines and how seamlessly the author blended the two timelines to perfection. This is a wonderful story of `a single woman in the 1600's witch hunt era and the difficulties she faced as a healer and herbalist. Her story intersects with modern day and a young woman who has moved into her former cottage hundreds of years later to create her paintings and escape her own heartbreak. The charcters are woven throughout so skillful that each chapter builds on their life and time. I absolutely loved this book . It has a wonderful mystery that is enticing and builds to a pleasing conclusion. Very well crafted and excellent writing.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own. Reviews to be cross posted at publication.

Über dieses Buch bin ich per Zufall bei Netgalley gestolpert – vielen Dank an dieser Stelle für das Rezensionsexemplar! – und ich fand das Cover toll. Mystisch. Tolle Farben. Und der Titel ist natürlich ein Hingucker: ein Hexenbaum, das klingt schon mal superspannend. Eigentlich bin ich kein Cover-Käufer, aber das hier hat mich eingefangen, und ich musste das Buch lesen 😊.
Hierum geht’s: wir sind in Somerset in England in dem Dörfchen Ashcombe. Im Sloe Cottage hat sich die Malerin Selena für ein paar Monate eingemietet. Sie nimmt sich eine Auszeit; sie hat sich gerade ziemlich schmerzhaft von ihrem Freund getrennt, und eine Fehlgeburt erlitten, sie muss raus aus Manchester und zur Ruhe kommen. Das gelingt ihr in der idyllischen Grafschaft auch, peu à peu findet Selena wieder zu sich, ist künstlerisch neu inspiriert und schliesst neue Freundschaften….doch das Haus, in dem sie wohnt, scheint eine eigene Präsenz zu haben, die sich immer wieder bemerkbar macht. Hat Sloe Cottage einen Hausgeist?
300 Jahre zuvor wohnen Grace Cotter und ihr Vater im Slough Cottage und verdienen sich ihren Lebensunterhalt als Arbeiter, bzw. als Milchmädchen, auf einer nahegelegenen Farm. Grace ist ein bescheidenes und feinfühliges Mädchen, das eigentlich nur ein einfaches und zufriedenes Leben führen möchte, ihre Grossmutter und ihren Vater liebt , und den Mann ihrer Träume heiraten möchte. Und eigentlich verläuft ihr Leben auch nett und unspektakulär – bis sie eines Tages feststellen muss, dass es Neider gibt und die Zeiten tödlich sein können für alle, die ein klein wenig anders sind als andere…..
Der Roman wird abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Selena im hier und jetzt und Grace im Jahre 1682 erzählt; und wir sind witzigerweise komplett am selben Ort. Die Verbindung zwischen den beiden Frauen ist natürlich das Cottage, in dem Grace keine Ruhe finden kann, und seit 300 Jahren nun schon „herumspukt“. Selena und Grace verbindet aber auch der Schmerz: über den Verlust der Unschuld, der Liebe, des Vertrauens und der Freundschaft. Und so fühlt Selena eine Verbundenheit mit der Frau, die vor so langer Zeit im selben Haus gelebt hat, und sie versucht, mehr über sie herauszufinden…..
Diese „Geistergeschichte“ ist zwar im Hintergrund das verbindende Element zwischen den beiden Erzählsträngen, aber es geht hier in dem Roman um so viel mehr. Die Liebe, Freundschaften, Heilung – hier werden ein paar der grundlegenden ethischen Werte in zwei spannenden, sehr emotionalen Geschichten verarbeitet, und ich habe diesen Roman geliebt. Die beiden Hauptfiguren Grace und Selena waren mir sehr nahe, und ich konnte mit beiden mitfiebern, und auch die ganzen Nebendarsteller, Freunde, Familie, Dorfbewohner, sie alle waren interessante, eigenständige Charaktere und „echt“.
Emotional, aber nie kitschig erzählt, flüssig geschrieben, mit schöner, eleganter Sprache. Ich hab das Buch ja in englisch gelesen, das ist ja nicht meine Muttersprache, und dieses Buch war vom Stil her eine Freude. Ein Ticken eleganter und anspruchsvoller, aber trotzdem jederzeit gut lesbar. Ich musste tatsächlich (seit langer Zeit mal wieder) ein paar Vokabeln nachschlagen, weil mir gerade für die Botanik und das spätmittelalterliche Dorfleben ein paar Worte gefehlt haben, aber das ist ok. Jetzt weiss ich, der Hexenbaum der Witch’s Tree, ist eine Schlehe (Blackthorn), wieder was dazu gelernt 😉.
Ich bin in die Geschehnisse richtig eingetaucht, das war mal wieder ein richtig toller Schmöker (in der Printausgabe mit 401 Seiten), und ich kann das Buch nur wärmstens weiterempfehlen! Es hat mich mit einem warmen Gefühl zurück gelassen. Am Ende wird alles gut. 😊

3.5 stars

Serena is fleeing a relationship gone bad and personal tragedy. Grace is betrayed by the man she thinks she loves. They have a cottage in common but hundreds of years separate them.

I love a good British dual timeline/paranormal story. I've been spoiled by Barbara Erskine and Susanna Kearsley. I loved the premis of this book. Sadly, it did not quite live up to those expectations. I had guessed the outcome of both storylines by a third of the way through. At two thirds, I just skimmed through to the end.

The writing is not bad at all; the author knows how to draw vivid and often beautiful scenes with words, but the story was predictable, slow and sometimes difficult to relate to. I was not engaged in either time line.

Book Review “The Witch’s Tree” by Elena Collins
APRIL 22, 2022 ~ NIKIPRESTON

SYNOPSIS/BOOK BLURB

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 ~ NIKI PRESTON ~ 5 STARS

There is an absolute serenity that runs through the whole of The Witch’s Tree and the relationship between Grace from the 1600’s and the present day Selena is moving beyond belief. It seems odd to talk about these two characters having a relationship after all they are 300 years apart. However they really do develop a closeness that brings them together, without Selena really understanding who Grace is and why she feels a constant presence in the holiday home she has camped out in.They have similarities in their lives that gives them a strong connection that shines out. Selena’s beautifully described art draws you right in to the exquisite surroundings that Selena finds herself in. She is trying to fix her broken heart in more ways than one and her paintings bring her closer to finding Grace, although she doesn’t know it.

Grace’s story is one of pure love tinged with sadness. She is a strong young women, growing up in times of deep superstition that weighs heavy on her shoulders. Her final end is so sad that I have to admit I did weep for Grace. The injustice of what she endures is truly heart-breaking.

The Witch’s Tree is written with just the right amount of spooky alongside beautiful descriptions of not only the countryside but also the people that come into Selena’s life. I fell in love with this book wholeheartedly. It took me on a wonderful yet sometimes sad journey. I felt strong emotions throughout., alot tissues were needed, and I want to buy all of Selena’s paintings. The end is fantastically moving and finishes of both women’s lives in a way that you feel justice does get done eventually. Do Grace and Selena both find their happy endings? Well you will just have to buy a copy ( you won’t be disappointed) An utterly moving story that I urge you to read. It’s truly outstanding.

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Author Bio


Elena Collins, AKA Judy Leigh
You may have read some of my novels writing as Judy Leigh, uplifting stories of the lives of older women and the possibility of second chances.

I’m so excited to introduce you to my dual timeline stories under the name of Elena Collins: the name is a tribute to my grandmother who was a teller of stories and fortunes and she had healing hands.

These new novels bring together three things I love: delving into history, exploring stunning locations and evoking the possibility of the supernatural. They are tales of people’s lives then and now, and there will be some spine-tingling moments.

I love writing, travelling, reading, music and theatre. I have an MA in Professional Writing. When I’m away from my desk and my three black cats, you’ll find me researching my next novel in some of this country’s most beautiful locations and beyond.

The Witch’s Tree story takes place in England during the time of witch accusations.
Where a house in a rural area is home for two women 400 years apart, the branches of blackthorn tree scratching at the window brings chills, and where an elm tree used for hanging witches in the intersection of a road dies.
Elena Collins has written this story beautifully and humbly; taking me on a trip back in time where rumors and innuendo’s could get an innocent person killed.
#TheWitch’sTree
#ElenaCollins

This book wowed me.. It is so beautifully crafted and written. Not only is the writing great but it's so atmospheric that you can almost hear the walls whispering to you. The house itself becomes its own character, having absorbed the stories and lives of those who came before.

This story is packed with emotion and I shed a couple of tears - some in anger - as the women walked their paths. It is a great example of the vulnerabilities women face when living in a man's world.

When I learned the significance of the lavender and why Selena kept catching the scent as she moved around the house, I got a lump in my throat. Such a beautiful scent but such a tragic tale.

When I think of this book, I can hear the crackle of the fire, smell the soft lavender in the air and feel whispers of magic on my skin. This is a story that lingers and lives in your memory. Never to be forgotten.

The Witch’s Tree by Elena Collins is a marvellous dual timeline novel that completely enthralled me from the start.
The action is set in Somerset in 1682 and present day. Both time periods are linked by an old house in which each main character lives.
The leading ladies lives mirror each other as an invisible thread unites them down the years. Both have known betrayal and sadness.
The house retains an atmosphere down the years which has repelled many until one empathetic soul reaches out across the years.
Elena Collins has perfectly captured both time periods with her choice of words. 1682 was a time of poverty with many working the land. It was also a time of superstition and suspicion, as anything unknown was labelled as witchcraft. Many innocent women faced their accusers and were powerless to resist the made-up accusations.
I absolutely loved The Witch’s Tree. The characters were well drawn and easy to empathise with. The plotline was well thought out and intriguing.
Elena Collins is the pen name of author Judy Leigh, whose books I absolutely adore. I love her writing historical fiction too. If Judy Leigh/Elena Collins writes it, I am certainly going to read it. I adore all her books.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

A beautifully written, emotive and heartbreaking story.

In the modern day, artist Salena - following a toxic relationship and heartache - chooses to move to the countryside for a few months to focus on her art and self care. The cottage she chooses to stay in is beautiful - though hundreds of years old and it has a coldness and eerieness to it. Are there any truths to the rumours that it is haunted?

This story follows a split timeline - Salena, and Grace Cotter, a young woman in the late 17th century. It gave me vibes of The Lost Apothecary and Labyrinth, with the same emotive pull as the latter. Elena has created a gorgeously atmospheric, heart-breaking tale of love, loss, friendship and prejudice- I cried buckets at the ending, and then some more when reflecting on it. There is some lovely character development and I have a particular sweet spot for Grace. Some stories stay with you long after reading and I know this will be one of them - whilst historical fiction, Elena draws on research from the period which makes it so much more 'real'.

Adored this book! It's a ghost story , a story of heartbreak , a tale of strong women . But most of all , a love story . Love between a man and women of one that that is illicit . I loved how this book captured my attention in the first chapter, the author went right in and she did not slow down til the last sentence. I loved the characters and really enjoyed how it was written! Delightful!

I usually love dual timeline stories. But both storylines must be equally strong and well-written. This novel has atmosphere galore, but where is the story?

The modern timeline just meanders around with unexciting characters and the sense of “Serious Portent”, with maybe a ghost or two. The 17th century timeline has a bit of a story but has the ‘look here – this will definitely get me pegged as a witch’ bits and pieces. The characters in this timeline were bleak and cheerless. Both stories were slow and did not keep my interest. it was tortuous to finish.