Now: When Ruthie gets the part of one of Macbeth’s famous three witches she can’t wait to get started. Inspired by the beauty of the film’s Scottish locations and the camaraderie of the cast and crew, she can leave behind the expectations of her family and her lacklustre love life, at least for now. But as echoes from the past begin whispering in Ruthie’s ear and a restless spirit draws her further into its centuries-old secrets, it soon becomes clear that only she can uncover the truth of a terrible injustice.
1050 Scotland: Isobel and her two sisters have learnt about healing from their loving mother Sidheag, and she in turn has kept them safe. But without the protection of their late father, Sidheag knows that her daughters must find husbands or their futures are at risk.
Isobel believes in love over duty and when she catches sight of King Macbeth’s stepson Lulach she can picture a happiness she had hardly dare imagine. But as heir to a Scottish throne that is drenched in blood, Lulach’s destiny is to be a warrior. When Isobel’s actions leave her and her sisters vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft there may be nothing that can keep the three women safe, not even the great Macbeth himself.
As the calls from the past grow ever louder, Ruthie has no choice. Macbeth’s witches have a story that needs to be told and the truth can no longer stay hidden…
Shop The Book: The Three Witches
Shop My Stack: 2026 Books Read
- Publisher : Boldwood Books
- Publication date : March 2, 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 360 pages
This is one of those books that quietly shifts the way you think about a story you thought you already knew. We grow up hearing about Shakespeare’s three witches as ominous, manipulative figures. Symbols of chaos. Symbols of evil.
But what if they were healers? What if they were women whose lives were flattened into caricatures by history?
The Three Witches reimagines these women in 1050 Scotland, giving them language, ritual, belief systems, and complexity. The historical timeline is immersive and textured. The Scottish phrasing, the names, the healing traditions, the cultural reverence woven through the narrative all feel intentional and authentic.
You can feel the respect for the time period and culture on the page.
One of the most compelling elements is the underlying question: how can anyone truly know the life of another person if they weren’t there living it? History often reduces women to symbols, but this novel resists that reduction. It insists on humanity.
The dual timeline structure, moving between the past and a present-day actress portraying one of the witches, reinforces the idea that stories evolve, distort, and resurface. The past does not stay buried. It waits.
At its core, this is a reclamation story. It explores how fear reshapes narratives, how women practicing healing become accused of witchcraft, and how a life can be misunderstood long after it ends.
Readers who love generational magic, ancestral echoes, and Scottish historical settings will find much to appreciate here. This is a thoughtful, atmospheric reimagining that invites you to look again at a legend and ask who was silenced along the way.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this virtual book tour, Rachel’s Random Resources
Elena Collins is the pseudonym for Judy Leigh, the million-selling author of Five French Hens , The Old Girls’ Network and The Silver Haired Sisterhood. Judy writes uplifting novels in the ‘second chances’ and ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. Elena Collins’ novels are historical/ dual timelines. In 2025, her novel The Wicked Lady received the RNA award in this category. Judy has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
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