Guest post and review: The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson

Can a mother’s secret past provide the answers for a daughter’s future? 

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 she hardly knew Rosamund at all, and that inheriting St Christopher’s hangs on one big – and very inconvenient – condition: Grace must drop everything for two weeks and travel the country with a mysterious stranger – war-weary Royal Marine, Alasdair Finn. 

Caught in a brief but perfect moment in time, Grace and Alasdair walk in Rosamund’s footsteps and read her letters at each breathtaking new place. As Grace slowly uncovers the truth about her mother’s incredible life story, Alasdair and Grace can’t help but question their own futures. Will Rosamund’s madcap scheme go to plan or will events take an unexpected turn? 

An emotional, fun-filled and adventurous journey of a lifetime. 

I’ve recently had the immense pleasure of catching up with The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson: the kindle version has been around since February of last year, but now everyone can read it because it was also published as a paperback by Choc Lit on 7th April. I’m rather ashamed that I left it unread on my kindle for so long – it was the loveliest read and touched me deeply. You’ll find my review below, but first I’d like to welcome author Melanie Hudson to Being Anne to talk about the books that have found a special place in her heart. Over to you Melanie…

Have you ever read a book that was so special to you, so memorable, that you know it will stay deep within your heart for time eternal? I once read a quote on Twitter that really summed this feeling up. It read, ‘Sometimes, a book is so special that you carry it around for months after you have finished, just to stay near it.’  Although I don’t specifically remember carrying a physical book around with me on finishing, I do know that certain books I have read have touched me so deeply and struck such a chord, that I carry them around in my heart constantly as treasured possessions. 

My review

The Amazon reviews of this lovely book from one of my favourite publishers, Choc Lit, say everything about it really. There were 205 of them when I looked today, and only 8 of them three stars or less. In terms of volume, that’s really something – but no surprise at all, because this book was absolutely lovely, a joy to read from its opening pages to the last. 

The whole premise for the book is excellent – a tour arranged by Grace’s mother Rosamund before her death, guided by a series of letters which help her find out more about her mother’s life, with a gorgeous but emotionally damaged Marine as her guide and companion. 

I’ve seen the comparisons with PS I Love You – but it’s so much better than that. The whole journey with Alasdair and Grace is wonderful – every setting vividly, accurately and enticingly described (I know the Yorkshire setting well – the others I’d now love to visit…), but at an emotional level too. I loved Rosamund’s clear voice through the letters, the perfect mother/daughter relationship it portrayed. And yes, Alasdair is thoroughly lovely – he’d certainly found a place in my heart by the book’s end. I just loved it, a really good old-fashioned but original romantic read – don’t miss this one.

My thanks to netgalley and publishers Choc Lit for my reading copy – which was actually my second copy, as it was already on my kindle from the date it was first released!