The House of the Witch is a dual timeline story of two women separated by 400 years. Ursula grew up witnessing her mother's abuse and is determined to live her life on her own however in 1648 she had only so many options. Modern day Adrianna has had an extremely stressful time in her high pressure job in London and is now on sabbatical. She rents the cottage Ursula lived in and begins to discover the history of Ursula and the difficulties a woman could have during those times, as well as similarities to her modern existence. The restful experience Adrianna was hoping for becomes much more interesting than she could have imagined.

It is an interesting story, with parallels between Ursula and Adrianna's experiences and challenges. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions and could clearly picture the countryside of England. The characters were engaging, the pacing of the story good, and my interest was maintained throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The House of the Witch by Clare Marchant is a finely crafted, captivating and enlightening novel set in two timelines: 1646 and 2024. Everything swirls around and is affected by the historical thread. This woman who worked with herbs, delivered babies and tried to live a quiet simple life gets classed as a witch because she refuses the advances of a married man. Her words reach into the future and make a big impact on another woman— also under the control of a nasty man.

Details are vivid and every moment crisp with amazing descriptions that pulled me in. There are many beautiful passages where I could feel every movement, hear every sound and watch events unfold. Some scenes made me cringe from the horrific treatment of these two women. The author paints a painful existence of abuse. One woman is made to feel inferior and even crazy. The other is labelled falsely as a witch for refusing to bend to a man’s desires. In both timelines, there are men who want to dominate and control women. The author has provided quite an intense and, at times, graphic picture of this behaviour that filled my eyes with tears. Although suffering is well depicted, we also see admirable courage of those who fought back. I won’t forget this novel any time soon as there are strong images now lodged in my mind!

Ursula of 1646 does not want a relationship because of what her mother experienced at the hands of her cruel father. She chooses to live alone a quiet life, tending to her herbs, delivering babies and helping the sick when needed. But no matter how hard she tries, that peaceful existence seems elusive, especially after she is seen and hunted down by a dreadful doctor who gets it in his head he must have her as a mistress. Ursula makes it clear on every occasion she is not interested and wishes he would return to his ill wife and children that he has left on their own. He claims he wants to do medical research and asks to compare notes with Ursula but it is not her expertise he seeks but her bed. He is a very creepy character that would make anyone shudder! He does not give up and employs a spy to watch her moves. And when that fails, he tries other tactics that include destroying her reputation and credibility. And soon she is labelled a witch. The next part of the story had me on the edge of my seat and watching in horror what was to come as a result.

In the 2024 timeline, we meet Adrianna who works in an important financial position in London but something happens that dwindles her confidence. One thing after another brings her undone so she takes a six month sabbatical and heads north to rural coastal Norfolk where she stays in an old cottage that was once the residence of a 1646 herbalist named Ursula. Adrianna discovers a hidden journal of this woman in the cottage and learns of her trials. Between this written account of Ursula’s life, some old stones with strange markings, plus another unexpected find, Adrianna is plunged into a centuries old mystery that begins to parallel her own life. There is a fascinating bird in this story, too, that bridges the gap of centuries and adds a nice paranormal touch! During Adrianna’s stay in the village, she learns a lot about herself but also her heart awakens to the type of man she has been living with. And it is not a pretty revelation!

I was taken with both timelines and although the historical is always most intriguing to me, the modern thread kept me on the edge as I hoped Adrianna would see what was in front of her. There are some magnificent twists in Ursula’s story and Adrianna’s, too, that made me happy as I wanted to see a positive outcome for them both. After taking a firm stand, justice is served on their behalf. Yes, all a bit cryptic I know but I don’t want to give anything away. It is quite a dramatic journey for these women so should be experienced by the reader. I will say I love that Ursula’s words from the ancient past help Adrianna with her dilemma in the present. For a moment in time, the centuries between them melt away.

I am glad to have read this gripping story of courage, resilience, history, triumph, discovery and hard fought freedom. These victim women, worlds apart, ultimately rise to the top. Finally, as champions of their own destinies. I highly recommend The House of the Witch! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for a review copy.

Wonderful! Based around the Witch House and set in two time lines, the first during witch hunting days and the second in modern times. A totally absorbing tale, I read it in a day, with great characters both good and bad. I found myself angry for the main characters in each timeline but there is a very satisfying end! I absolutely loved it.

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Told with two timelines one past one present this is the story of Ursula and Adrianna women who were both being controlled by men and the outcomes in their lives .

I really enjoyed this story and certainly from the past POV it is so sad that women who just wanted to be on their own and were happy were accused of such terrible deeds with fatal outcomes in most cases . Have always been fascinated by the witch trials both here and in the US so this has been completely gripped from the start . Highly recommend 4.5 ⭐️

This book is of a very particular genre, and there seem to be quite a few out there, with almost carbon copy elements, alongside the timeslip. They invariably involve similar settings, characters and themes. Some are engaging and well written, others less so. I’d say this falls somewhere in the middle. The earlier story is far more convincing and interesting than the contemporary one, and the comparisons between the two don’t really work. I’ve read others as well as this that involve a two dimensional misogynistic, controlling and belittling boyfriend, and a gullible, easily manipulated woman who will forgive anything for love. I find them offensive, as if women now are easily messed around, stand up for awful abusive boyfriends and are unable to see through them until you’d have to be a complete idiot not to. So while the essence for both women is theoretically that throughout history women have been brought down and treated badly by men (and this runs as a theme in various ways through the 17th century part of the book quite convincingly) current women aren’t quite so easily overcome or fooled as is suggested. In fact Ursula was presented as a far stronger woman than Adrianna, which was strange. It came across in an almost misogynistic way, as if women somehow deserve everything they get. That they collude with men and make excuses for their behaviour. I’m sure this wasn’t intended, that the author wanted to tie the two storylines together, to address feminist issues, but jammed it to fit which ended up, to me at least, giving a misleading impression of women today. The relationship between the two women came across well, but at a cost to the plausibility of Adrianna, and this could have been rectified through her being the more powerful, intelligent woman she actually is, tussling with the difficulties all women face with being seen by men as true equals; but not giving in to them. That times have changed, as they have. The implication that most men are the enemy of women was also not helpful, or true. That said, I was engaged and wanted to keep reading.

The House of the Witch by Clare Marchant is a historical fiction story set in dual timelines, connecting a "witch" in 17th century Scotland to the present day.

This was a time slip story featuring a woman on sabbatical in an old cottage that was once the home of a witch. When Adrianna begins finding strange artifacts around the property, she will unknowingly forge a connection to the woman who lived their centuries prior.

In 1600s Scotland, Ursula is an unmarried midwife and healer, crafting and selling medicines for the locals who seek out her help from cottage. When a new doctor arrives in the village, he brings with him accusations and propositions for Ursula which will force her to protect her life from his evil threats.

Both Adrianna and Ursula are brought together by their struggles and pain, each trying to escape from exploitative men, forced to stand up for themselves to be the strong women they know they can be.

This book was very similar to The Witch's Tree by Elena Collins, which I loved, so overall it was an enjoyable read. I really liked Ursula for her strength and resilience and I have never read a witchy book before that featured a female character taking vengeance in the way that she did. I didn't enjoy Adrianna's timeline as much, it wasn't captivating in the way Ursula's story was. I almost feel that this book could have been entirely set in the 17th century. I have read many historical fiction novels about the witch trials, yet I have never knew that a man could accuse a woman of being a witch if she turned down his advances. This was interesting and heartbreaking but I am glad that the author brought this to light.

Overall I enjoyed The House of the Witch and look forward to reading more by the author.

There's nothing outstanding about "The House of the Witch" by Clare Marchant but that's not to say it's not a bad read. It is formulaic: dual timelines, a misunderstood woman in one time and centuries later, the same issues are raised in the modern timeline. However, the characters in the modern timeline and plot are enjoyable and I'm always up to hear about wise women and their healing powers from times gone by. Not bad at all.

A great dual timeline historical fiction witchy book.

It was easy to read between the two timelines. Ursula was a great character and I found myself really affected by her plight. I also liked Adrianna when it was her and the new people around her. My negative in the book was Rick. He was just so unsubtly written it had me rolling my eyes. It was just too over the top.

The storyline itself was engaging. The writing flowed nicely and I read it all in one sitting.

It would have been 5* if Rick was written better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to have a difficult time reading between 2 different times periods with 2 different main characters but I liked how clare did it.

I absolutely loved this book! Clare Marchant did a superb job weaving the dual timelines. I was shocked when I saw the projected price of this book. I think the publisher is way off, It should cost much more.

Greg job on the dual timelines, but the story didn’t hook me like I expected it to, I just was invested in the characters and felt like it moved slowly.

This was a great read, it had me hooked!

Intertwining two stories from different centuries but set in the same house was really interesting. I loved how the author found parallels between the two main characters and she really transported me to the North Norfolk coast!

I definitely recommend this book.

The House of the Witch by Clare Marchant

Really enjoy books by this author and this one could be her best yet. Both women have a man in their life that isn't bringing any joy to it, especially Ursula and the awful doctor.
I enjoyed how Adrianna brought life back to the cottage and it's garden and how the two woman's lives were entwined because of it.
An excellent read.

This was a well written novel that tied together the past and the present beautifully. At first, I thought that the jumping back and forth between the two time periods would be tedious, but the way that the two timelines interacted was conducive to the plot unfolding the way it did. The thoughts and actions of both female protagonists were so well thought out and emotion-evoking. Unfortunately I'm sure that many individuals will be able to relate to Adrianna, and that is a testament to the writing. The messaging that came from Ursula's story was also poignantly delivered. A fantastic read that kept me engaged and reading well into the night.

Fabulous dual timeline novel. Times were hard enough for Ursula, a herbalist, in the 1630's without the unwanted attention from the new Dr Oliver Bruton. Resisting his wish to make her his mistress she puts herself in danger of being accused of witchcraft.
2024 and Adrianne moves into a cottage on the North Norfolk coast, she finds a journal hidden in the fireplace and sets about transcribing. She soon realises that her life is very similar to the author of the journal.
I love Clare Marchants books, she has the amazing ability to take her readers back in time and give a great overview in how life used to be. This novel is perfect for lovers of historical fiction and in a similar style to Barbara Erskine
I'm grateful to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy with no obligation to leave my review

Wonderful, I finished this book in two sittings. The title reminded me of books by Elena Collins and knowing that Clare has an engaging writing style from her previous books, I had to dive in, The Dual Timeline story is written well, and where they weave together is done skilfully and with great care. The book is centred around Mrs Murray's Church Cottage.
In the 1600s we follow Ursula and in the present we follow Adrianna's story.
Ursula's mother died at the hands of her violent dad, Which leads to her being more of a woman that follows her own heart and creates a life for herself without the need of a man, with the help of her hidden talents. Much to the dismay of the arrogant Dr. Burton who pursues her relentlessly with unthinkable threats and actions. She has the gift of foresight and her mother who had the same gift, left her with sound advice. As people turn against her, her life is in danger. How will she continue to resist his advances?
Adrianna ends up at Church Cottage thanks to a need for some quiet time and a sabbatical from her job, leaving her boyfriend Rick behind in her plush apartment in London, she soon befriends the local pub landlady and her daughter, the local vicar and his husband, To me it was instantly apparent that her boyfriend Rick is indeed a P'Rick and she'd be better off without him. Discovering secrets of the cottage and uncovering its vast garden we learn of a diary stashed away with Ursula's story, Adrianna starts to rebuild her strength. Not all is as it seems and there are some twists and turns along the way. There's some great use of the locality within the story. A recommended 5 star read.

This was a fantastic quick read. I love a dual timeline, especially featuring strong women. Adrianna on a 6 month senatorial from work in an old cottage finds the notes of Ursula who had previously lived there in the 1600s and goes down a rabbit hole of mystery. We get to hear from Adrianna in 2024 and Ursula in 1646, stories alike but not quite the same. The men (most of them) leave a lot to be desired. I recommend reading this one!

This hit's every box I have when looking for a historical fiction, well written and engaging!
The characters are also easy to understand and relate to

I loved this it was right up my street!
A historical dual timeline witchy novel featuring two strong and interesting women which was written well with short chapters and I found it a real page turner
Look forward to more from this author

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc

An enjoyable read, but I did feel like I'd read this book before.
It follows a formula of a dual timeline novel, especially one involving women selling herbs in years gone by.
It is predictable, but it's also an engaging read, and the author did a great job of bringing the characters to life.