#Review: The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins @JudyLeighWriter @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #dualtime #histfic #romance #BoldwoodBloggers #RespectRomFic #TheCornishWitch

It’s the last day, but such a pleasure to finally be joining the blog tour for the new book from Elena Collins, The Cornish Witch, and sharing my review. Published on 20th April by Boldwood Books, it’s now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. As always, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).

I’m a tremendous fan of Judy Leigh’s writing – her second chances/never-too-late books never fail to delight – but I think the secret may already be out that I might just love the books she writes as Elena Collins even more. She first took us to seventeenth century Somerset in The Witch’s Tree, and it was one of my 2022 Books of the Year  – the most wonderful storytelling, and I really enjoyed the supernatural touches (you can read my review again here). The Lady of the Loch took us further back in history, to the Scottish Highlands during the period leading up to the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, with a strong balancing contemporary story (you’ll find my review here). The Daughter of the Fens (now called Daughter of the Mists) was a particular favourite (and, of course, one of my 2023 Books of the Year), set in Roman Britain, with a central romance that touched me deeply and a captivating story (you’ll find my review here). And then she outdid all the others with The Wicked Lady, a story of romance and highway robbery, so engaging and atmospheric – and a finalist for the RNA’s Historical Romantic Novel Award 2025 (you can read my review here).

So let’s take a closer look at her latest…

Now: When Megan’s father gets a letter containing a secret from the past, he asks her to go to the Cornish village of St Mawgen Cove to get to the bottom of the mystery. Megan is happy to take a holiday after a challenging year but as soon as she checks into The Ship Inn something feels amiss. There are noises in the room above, the locals tell tales of smugglers and shipwrecks and she can’t escape the story of the witch who waits and watches, weeping on the top of the cliff.

 

1625: Susanna and her daughter Katel live a contented life, but without the protection of a husband and father, Susanna fears for Katel’s future as she blossoms into womanhood. The fishing community of St Mawgen Cove is close knit but when misfortune arrives in the cove, it’s not long before villagers are looking for someone to blame. And when talk turns to witches, Susanna knows she and Katel are no longer safe.

 

Can Megan bring peace to St Mawgen and to two women who have been broken-hearted for centuries?

A heartbreaking and compelling historical story, an engaging present day thread with a touch of romance and plenty of chills, a present day mystery and another that crosses the centuries – and my goodness, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

In the present day, Megan’s holiday in St Mawgen Cove isn’t simply the chance to kick back and enjoy some surfing – her father has received a letter raising a secret from his past, and it’s an opportunity for her to try to find out more. Her stay at The Ship Inn brings new friendships and a touch of romance, but also something rather more unexpected when she finds her nights are disturbed – the cove has its own deeply hidden secrets, rather more than mere folk myths and legends and still with a lasting impact, and the souls that remain need some assistance in being able to rest.

In 1625, Susanna is a healer, well regarded, but hiding some of the detail of her past. She lives with her daughter Katel, who is giving her increasing cause for concern by falling under the influence of Tedda, a villager who practices rather darker arts. In an age of suspicion, some unexplained tragedies among the community lead to the conclusion that witchcraft must be involved – and Susanna needs to take desperate action to protect her wayward daughter from the fingers pointing in her direction.

The story moves so smoothly between past and present, with the darkness of the steadily mounting threat to Susanna and Katel – the historical setting quite perfectly recreated in every detail – nicely balanced by Megan’s experiences as she tries to cast some light on her father’s problems but gets increasingly caught up in the mysteries of the past. The supernatural elements of the story are superbly handled, very chilling and particularly real – to such an extent that I’ll admit I did have a few sleepless nights of my own, finding some of the restless spirits and their unfolding stories particularly disturbing.

There are some lovely moments of lightness too – I loved the lady in the teashop who explained some of the legends in such a matter-of-fact way while laying the table, the quirky friend from the surf shack, the owners of the inn despairing of ever making a success of their venture while things keep going bump in the night – and I enjoyed both the slow resolution of Megan’s father’s situation and the developing romance. But it’s really the heartbreaking tale from the past that makes the book such a compelling read – I shed a few tears for the individuals involved, the love of family, the mother doing all she could in the face of mounting odds, all with an outcome that always felt sadly inevitable. But there’s perfect closure to the whole story, drawing together the past and present – and an ending that hit exactly the right note after all the emotional turmoil that had gone before.

I have to say I absolutely loved it – dual time writing at its very best, and perhaps my favourite book to date from this rather special author. Highly recommended, but do learn from my experience – read it in the daylight, not on your own in the dark, and you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as I did.

About the author

Elena Collins is the pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing unforgettable, heart-breaking dual timeline stories: the name is a tribute to her grandmother who was a teller of stories and fortunes, and she had healing hands. These novels combine three of her passions: delving into rich historical tales, exploring stunning locations, and evoking the supernatural. They weave together stories of people’s lives both past and present, with some spine-tingling moments along the way.

She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

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