Judy Leigh

I absolutely loved The Witch’s Tree! From the very first page, I was completely drawn in. Elena Collins does such a great job blending historical fiction with just the right touch of the supernatural. The dual timeline was really well done—both storylines were equally compelling and kept me turning the pages all day.

The atmosphere is so rich and vivid—you can almost feel the eerie tension in the air as the story unfolds. The characters felt real and relatable, and I found myself show more genuinely invested in their journeys. show less

Favorite Quotes:

‘You had a tree? You must have been rich.’ ‘We used the same one every year. My da dug it up in December and planted it back in the garden in January. That’s proper recycling.’

...what Millbrook will make of it when we come motoring through their quiet village in all these cars. It’ll look like the Clampetts have arrived. I can hardly wait to see everyone’s face in The Pig and Pickle.

‘I’m not keen on housework,’ Mary said. ‘I shove something in the oven show more and take it out once a day. That’s as much as I’ll cook. And as for vacuuming– it hurts my back.’ Lola looked disgusted. ‘I’ve never cooked anything from scratch in my life. I mean, what are restaurants for?’

In the corner was a kettle and a tray of cups. Sally said, ‘Do you have time for a cuppa?’ ‘I’d bite your hand off for one,’ Bronagh said.

Adam handed over two piping-hot mugs. One of them had ‘Student Tears’ written on the side and the other read ‘I Survived Another Meeting that Should Have Been an Email’. Sadie said kindly, ‘It must be tough being a teacher.’

‘I’ll make sure I’m free,’ Bronagh said haughtily. ‘I’ll just put Robert de Niro off again.’

As my mammy used to say, “May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.”

My Review:

I adore Judy Leigh and have delighted in every one of her engaging tales that I’ve had the pleasure to peruse. This one had me gleefully giggle-snorting into my wine goblet as it was chock-a-block full of outrageous senior shenanigans and the funniest Nativity scene ever.
The writing style was well-polished, easy to follow, and highly amusing as well as thoughtfully perceptive. The characters touched my heart while they entertained me. Judy Leigh has been gifted by the word fairies and undoubtedly has a magical pen that is continually refilled with ink made of pixie dust. show less

librarian, baker, Cornwall, small-business, small-town, family-history, family, family-dynamics, multigenerational, murder-investigation, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, verbal-humor, cozy-mystery, tea-shop, greed, new-series, first-in-series, ghostie*****

What a lovely fun read! I love the way Morwenna simply does her own thing in her own way from attire to transportation to opinions and sleuthing. And don't forget her eighty-something mother who show more simply must swim regardless of the weather. There's even a ghostie in the tea room. Of course there's a murder and the guy is a right villain having many suspects to the deed. Every one of the characters certainly is.
Laughed my sox off!
I requested and received an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Many thanks! show less

I love when a book's title can be taken so many ways. In the literal sense, yes...the characters do in fact chase the sun around the globe, but it's not just for its warmth and light. In the metaphorical sense, the cast of characters is on the higher end of the age bracket, so in a way, they are all chasing the sun, or a new day before it sets its last. I like the middle ground somewhere between these two meanings, where the characters are not going after the great burning ball of light in show more the sky, but rather finding their way back to themselves.

I found myself in awe of Molly. Her heart was so much bigger than even she knew. Her soul was so much stronger than she gave it credit for. Her wildness, willfulness, and gorgeous behavior was so much more than you'd ever expect of a mature individual, but all of that and then some go into making her the FABULOUS person she was. Watching her break down everything around her bit by bit almost broke my heart because I simply knew that something big was coming her way, but seeing it all built again, and experiencing the pure happiness that she uncovers was unexpected bliss. I can only hope that should I reach her wonderful age one day that I am half as feisty, half as trusting, and half as willing to take the chances that life offers to perhaps discover my best life yet.

So, follow Molly's advice and carpe diem! Do your self the favor and snag a copy of this wonderful book that reminds us that we're only as old as we feel, and that it's never too late for love.



**ecopy received for review; opinions are my own show less