Hello lovelies! Today I have my review of Beyond the Yew Tree plus a giveaway to win a copy of either The Last Thing She Said or The Woman of Heachley Hall (see bottom of the post) but first a little about the book:
Title: Beyond The Yew Tree by Rachel Walkley
Date Published: 27th March 2020
Genre:Ghost Story/Women’s fiction
Description:
Whispers in the courtroom.
Only one juror hears them.
Can Laura unravel the truth by the end of the trial?
In an old courtroom, a hissing voice distracts shy juror, Laura, and at night recurring nightmares transport her to a Victorian gaol and the company of a wretched woman.
Although burdened by her own secret guilt, and struggling to form meaningful relationships, Laura isn’t one to give up easily when faced with an extraordinary situation.
The child-like whispers lead Laura to an old prison graveyard, where she teams up with enthusiastic museum curator, Sean. He believes a missing manuscript is the key to understanding her haunting dreams. But nobody knows if it actually exists.
Laura is confronted with the fate of two people – the man in the dock accused of defrauding a charity for the blind, and the restless spirit of a woman hanged over a century ago for murder. If Sean is the companion she needs in her life, will he believe her when she realises that the two mysteries are converging around a long-forgotten child who only Laura can hear?
Ordinary women.
Extraordinary experiences.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51837017-beyond-the-yew-tree
You can buy your copy here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0857FQT2V
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0857FQT2V
Review:
I want to thank Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources tour for inviting me on this tour and providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Beyond the Yew Tree is an intriguing mix of ghost story, historical fiction, mystery and romance, with even a little legal thriller action thrown in there too!
I liked the main character Laura. She’s a little blunt but honest and level headed, not the kind of person you’d think would even entertain the notion of being haunted! But she hides a secret pain in her past, a mistake that’s troubled her for years. Sean was also a very sweet character who compliments Laura’s bluntness well.
The ghost of the story also has a compelling and tragic tale to tell, expertly woven throughout the novel.
I did find the trial aspect a little tedious at times (it was to do with fraud, not a subject I find that interesting) but that didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment of the novel.
Beyond the Yew Tree blends several genres together to make a sweet and satisfying read.
About The Author:
Aspiring writer who pens Women’s Fiction and magical tales about family secrets.
What else?
An East Anglian turned Northerner – almost.
Information professional, always.
Biologist, in my memories.
Archivist, when required.
Amateur pianist and flautist.
Reluctant gardener.
Scribbler of pictures.
And forever…. a mother and wife.
Oh, not forgetting, cat lover!
Social Media Links –
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17766384.Rachel_Walkley
Twitter – https://twitter.com/RachelJWalkley
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RachelJWalkley
Instagram / Twitter handle – https://www.instagram.com/raejcreations/
Newsletter – https://forms.aweber.com/form/09/569468809.htm
Giveaway to Win One copy of The Last Thing She Said or The Woman of Heachley Hall (Open INT)
- If the winner is in the UK then it will be a print copy, otherwise International winner is e-book.
Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.
Lessons, was awarded 1st place in the Global Short Story Award (not bad for the first writing competition he had entered). He followed this up with 1st place in the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award and 2nd place in the HASSRA Literary Award.
natural to write crime novels.
from a career as a commercial artist and builder of tree houses, he is WRITING and busy reinforcing the stereotype of a pesky househusband. Favorite relaxation is throwing peanuts to squirrels, blue jays, cardinals and chipmunks from his porch. Once he built a doll hair-making machine using an old sewing machine. It worked, but his wife got tired of making Raggedy Ann dolls, so it sits in the garage.
custom retreat organiser. In 2019, she moved to Cyprus, and island in the Mediterranean Sea, where she organises private writer’s retreats, is inspired 24/7, and feeds more stray cats than she can count. 
with a degree in English Literature, Clare moved to Cambridge and has lived there ever since. She’s fascinated by the city’s contrasts and contradictions, which feed into her writing. She’s worked in diverse settings – from the 800-year-old University to one of the local prisons – and lived everywhere from the house of a Lord to a slug-infested flat. The terrace she now occupies, with her husband and teenage children, presents a good happy medium.
Jimmy Bliss and Penny Chandler. The first four books, 
was a professional librarian for over twenty-five years. He has degrees in English, Classics, and Information Science.
Kay Hunter British detective series, the Dan Taylor espionage novels, the English Spy Mysteries featuring Eva Delacourt, and a number of standalone crime thrillers.
On The Shelf Reviews 