The Wedding Cake Tree by Melanie Hudson.

This is quite simply a wonderful book that will make you want to plant your very own memory tree.

I was swept away into the story from the start.  As soon as Grace finds out about the mysterious holiday her Mum had arranged for her before she passed away, I was intrigued about the secrets that she would uncover along the way.  The story unfolded slowly and meant that chapter after chapter were full of interesting twists and turns, and revelations that took me completely by surprise.

The hero of the story, Royal Marine, Alasdair, was such a strong character, yet with a very soft centre.  In my eyes he was the perfect gentleman and I was desperate for romance to develop between him and Grace.

By the time I had finished this book I felt drained, but in a good way.  I'd been on such a journey with the characters.  There were tears, and I was nearly screaming at Grace at one point, not wanting her to miss her chance of true love.  Yet along side this, the story was one full of hope and optimism which made for a really inspiring read.

If you read this book you will be treated to a journey passing through many wonderful settings, with very realistic and loveable characters, experiencing raw emotions that will keep you gripped through every page. I thoroughly recommend it.

Oh and in case anyone else was wondering... this is what a real Wedding Cake Tree looks like.

This book is brought to you from the publisher ChocLit so I must take a moment to describe Alasdair as if he were a chocolate bar (because I love this idea!).  I think he would definitely be a Snickers... a strong core, yet he has a soft caramel layer running through him, and the nuts, well they would signify the hard times he's been through which he will always carry with him.

The back page blurb:
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.

Title: The Wedding Cake Tree
Author: Melanie Hudson
Buy The Wedding Cake Tree

Here's Looking At You by Mhairi McFarlane.

I loved Mhairi McFarlane's first book 'You Had Me At Hello' and so was really looking forward to reading her second novel. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed.  Maybe it's just because I was SO overwhelmed when reading her first, but I felt this was just another average chick-lit.

We meet Anna who has transformed herself since her school days and gone from school geek and become quite a beauty. She ends up working with one of the bullies she encountered at school, but he doesn't realise it's her.  As there friendship develops she struggles to find the right time to tell him about their past.

Anna is a lecturer and keen historian which was interesting and there were definitely some heart-warming parts of this book.

There were parts of this book I enjoyed; I think I was just hoping for something more after how much I enjoyed Mhairi's first book.  But this is a nice chick-lit read which I'm sure chick-lit fans would enjoy.

The back page blurb:

Anna Alessi – history expert, possessor of a lot of hair and an occasionally filthy mouth – seeks nice man for intelligent conversation and Mills & Boon moments.

Despite the oddballs that keep turning up on her dates, Anna couldn’t be happier. As a 30-something with a job she loves, life has turned out better than she dared dream. However, things weren’t always this way, and her years spent as the ‘Italian Galleon’ of an East London comprehensive are ones she’d rather forget.

So when James Fraser – the architect of Anna’s final humiliation at school – walks back into her life, her world is turned upside down. But James seems a changed man. Polite. Mature. Funny, even. People can change, right? So why does Anna feel like she’s a fool to trust him?

Title: Here's Looking At You

Author: Mhairi McFarlane