Guest Review: The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson

Celebrity photographer Grace Buchanan has always known that one day she'd swap her manic day job for the peace and quiet of her beloved childhood cottage, St Christopher's - she just didn't expect it to be so soon.

At the reading of her mother's will, she's shocked to learn that inheriting St Christopher's hangs on one condition: Grace must drop everything for two weeks and travel the country with a mysterious stranger - war-weary Royal Marine Alasdair Finn.

Review: This is the award-winning debut novel from Melanie Hudson. I must admit that I was not previously aware of this author, but was interested in the subject of the book. I found the storyline one of those that draws you in from the start and had me coming back for more until the very last page.

Grace Buchanan is completely dumbfounded when the provisions of her mother’s will are explained to her six months after her mother’s death. These involve her in a 10-day trip, stopping at various locations of significance to her mother’s past. At each stop, Grace is to read a letter from her mother and scatter some of her ashes. The most shocking part for Grace is that she is to be accompanied on her journey by Alasdair Finn, a military man who she has no recollection of having met before. At first hesitant, Grace embarks on the trip and learns a great deal about her mum and indeed herself along the way.

I very much enjoyed this book and am very glad that I picked it up on impulse. I found the idea of someone setting out on a journey like Grace’s exciting. It was particularly enjoyable for me as I have visited a number of the points on her trip and could envisage exactly where she was. I think Grace was an interesting character; I’m not sure I could have been as patient as her while she was dragged across Britain and beyond. Of course, she had an equally interesting companion, the ruggedly handsome Alisdair. You felt all the way through that romance might blossom between them. Melanie Hudson didn’t make it easy for them and added a lovely twist at the end. I would recommend this lovely story to anyone and will be on the lookout for more novels from its author.

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