Tag Archive | Judy Leigh

The Silver Ladies Seize The Day by Judy Leigh

Jun7

Live, Laugh, Love

The Silver Ladies Seize The Day by Judy Leigh is a most charming contemporary novel. It is part of the Silver Ladies series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces. The Silver Ladies are all seventy plus, with the eldest at nearly ninety-two. They know how to live, laugh and love. They support each other throughout all of life’s ups and downs. They are an eclectic mix, as are the other villagers too but they all know how to practice hospitality to the deserving.

We see that everyone has their own battles to fight. The past can be a hostile place. We need to learn from it but not live in it.

A character has devoted her life to teaching. The result is that so many of the villagers have been taught by her and love her, as they fondly remember the years spent in her classroom. But she has regrets. A chance arises to put the past to bed – but does she really want to face it?

Continue reading →

The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins

Apr20

Marvellous Dual Timeline

The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins is a marvellous dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1625 and present day in a Cornish fishing village. A modern-day inn is at the centre of the action.

Tragic events in 1625 means that there are lost souls unable to rest. These spirits cause havoc in present day as they want everyone to suffer as they did. Present day owners of the inn are losing trade due to the restless spirits.

In 1625 there are women accused of being witches. They are in fact midwives with knowledge of herbs and plants. Locals believe they are causing mischief.

In present day there are a mother and daughter who run a new age shop in Minehead who also believe in the healing power of plants.

A shipwreck on the sea bed has lain there undiscovered for four centuries until a pair of divers come along. The Cornish coast is littered with wrecks as smugglers used to lure ships to their doom.

Continue reading →

The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh

Jan6

Cosy Crime At Its’ Finest

The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh is a most delightful, contemporary, cosy crime novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the third book in the Morwenna Mutton Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. However, for maximum enjoyment, I recommend reading the previous books first.

I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces as the Cornish summer season gets underway. We ‘experience’ the Cornish hospitality. “If you come here when we are closing, I’ll give you what’s left over, a pasty, a bit of cake, scones, some fruit, a bottle of milk.” Seal Bay is a welcoming community that offers hospitality and help to those in need.

There is a more worrying side as one of their own is washed ashore and shady characters are seen around. Fortunately for all, Morwenna Mutton, a modern-day Miss Marple is at hand to investigate, alongside the police. Her amateur sleuthing is second to none.

All the characters were well drawn and believable, Morwenna Mutton is sixty-three but is like a breath of fresh air wherever she goes. She is very sprightly as she cycles around the village.

Continue reading →

The Silver-Haired Sisterhood by Judy Leigh

Dec3

Living Life To The Full

The Silver-Haired Sisterhood by Judy Leigh is the most delightful contemporary offering which I just could not put down.

Judy Leigh has done it again! – and produced a wonderfully warm offering showing how to live life to the full, whatever your age. Age is, after all, just a number. It’s how you feel on the inside that counts.

The leading lady is seventy-seven, supported by a cast of friends who are similarly aged, including Rose who is eighty and who doesn’t let age or health scares get her down. It’s all about ones’ outlook on life.

Judy Leigh shows that we are never too old to start a new adventure. When life presents you with opportunities – grab them with both hands!

Getting older may present challenges but it is how we deal with them that counts. We can wallow in self-pity or we can use grit and determination to fire on all cylinders.

Some characters are suffering from grief. One lets her memories warm her. Another is wallowing in grief and ‘what-ifs’, suffering from survivor’s guilt in the form of PTSD. He finds solace in alcohol but it is never the answer – until an epiphany sees a fresh determination to be a new person. “A person isn’t who they used to be. The total sum of their worth isn’t the mistakes they made… It’s about who we are now.” We all make mistakes. We must learn from them and move on. “Out of something bad, there’s always hope.”

Continue reading →