The Memory of Lemon by Judith Fertig

The cake therapist is back but she's not having any luck figuring out the flavors for the monied wedding she's working on.  The daughter wants a hippie wedding, the mother is all pomp and circumstance and wants a very formal one.  How will she make them both happy?

Berkley sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Claire is nicknamed Neely and she's an excellent pastry chef.  Her talent is being able to meet and talk to people and while they sample her goods, she picks up emotions that tell her what flavors will be their favorite.  But this mother/daughter combo send her no signals.  The only thing she picks up is some green when the mother tries to manipulate her daughter.

If that wasn't enough of a problem, her husband doesn't want to get divorced.  The fact that he ran around her and slept more with other women than with her doesn't matter.  She pushes, he pushes back.  She's got another male friend she'd like to date but she can't while she's still married because of a prenuptial agreement.  He could even take her store and her grandmother's house.  His lawyer is even taking pictures of her.

Grandma isn't doing well, her long-lost father is starting to write to her, and she still has to figure out how to do a wedding pie.  Life is complicated right now.

There's a lot of history thrown in here in between present day.  The past fascinates me and this story includes slaves as well as whites.  Some of the herbal talent goes way back.  As these memories start coming back to Neely, she learns more about her skill and about her father and family.

I like the mix of past and present and enjoyed this tale.  It also has a good ending, which very well could be a new beginning.  I'll be watching for another in this series.