A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Ever been the odd-one out in your family? The one dancing to the beat of your own drum? You may enjoy meeting Richard Wilde, Jr. - better known as Ricki - the free-spirited youngest daughter in the Wilde family - the “dandelion” to her sisters’ “roses”, as she’s described.
While her prim and proper sisters Rashida, Regina and Rae - referred to by others as Rashidaginarae, since they seem to think and operate as one mind on things - all work for their Dad’s highly successful chain of funeral homes, Ricki’s vision for her future has a bit more life to it. She wants to be a florist! Her dream is to own her own shop and bring beauty to the world with her floral designs.
When fate introduces her to feisty and fashionable nonagenarian Della Bennett, who just lost her beloved husband and offers Ricki a space in her Harlem brownstone to live and open a flower shop, she jumps at the opportunity! Her family may not believe she’ll succeed, but she does … and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?
Flowers may not be the only thing in Ricki’s future, though, when she encounters a mysterious man in a garden while out walking one night. It’s as if she’s always known him and his reaction to her is equally strange, but there’s no denying their connection. Who is this handsome stranger?
Here’s where the story really gets interesting! There’s more to this man, Ezra Walker, than meets the eye. Ricki’s hilarious no-holds barred friend, Tuesday, isn’t so sure about him, but Ricki? She can’t seem to avoid him even if she wants to!
What will the future hold for her? Let’s just say that she never could imagine in her “Wilde-est” dreams (sorry - I couldn't resist) where the next few weeks will take her and how Della, Ezra and Tuesday will fit into her story! They’re all wonderful characters who were a joy to spend time with.
This is my first read by Tia Williams, who also wrote Seven Days in June, and I’m impressed! Her prose is lovely and peppered with warmth and humor throughout. She’s able to balance the melancholic aspects of the story, evoking just the right mood, without dragging the story into the overly emotional sap that some stories suffer from. There are some spicy open-door scenes, but not too many and nothing you can’t easily skip past!
This does have a strong thread of magical realism - especially in the second half, so if that’s not your thing, you may not enjoy this as much. That IS my thing, so I loved it! It also has chapters that occasionally skip between past and present, showing the reader both modern Harlem and looking back to its Renaissance days, offering a look at important figures and places in Black history - especially major contributors to the music we still enjoy today!
At its heart, this is a charming contemporary romance with two fascinating characters who you can’t help but root for. The only ding to my rating was because I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly, so it lost just a touch of the emotional impact I'd hoped for. It certainly didn’t ruin anything, though. The story is wonderful, and the epilogue was so clever!
I read this on my Kindle while listening to the audio, wonderfully narrated by Mela Lee and Preston Butler. Both formats were excellent, so it’s dealer’s choice on what you prefer. I highly recommend both if you can!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and author Tia Williams for this digital ARC to honestly review and to Libby/my library for the audiobook. It’s out now.
While her prim and proper sisters Rashida, Regina and Rae - referred to by others as Rashidaginarae, since they seem to think and operate as one mind on things - all work for their Dad’s highly successful chain of funeral homes, Ricki’s vision for her future has a bit more life to it. She wants to be a florist! Her dream is to own her own shop and bring beauty to the world with her floral designs.
When fate introduces her to feisty and fashionable nonagenarian Della Bennett, who just lost her beloved husband and offers Ricki a space in her Harlem brownstone to live and open a flower shop, she jumps at the opportunity! Her family may not believe she’ll succeed, but she does … and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?
Flowers may not be the only thing in Ricki’s future, though, when she encounters a mysterious man in a garden while out walking one night. It’s as if she’s always known him and his reaction to her is equally strange, but there’s no denying their connection. Who is this handsome stranger?
Here’s where the story really gets interesting! There’s more to this man, Ezra Walker, than meets the eye. Ricki’s hilarious no-holds barred friend, Tuesday, isn’t so sure about him, but Ricki? She can’t seem to avoid him even if she wants to!
What will the future hold for her? Let’s just say that she never could imagine in her “Wilde-est” dreams (sorry - I couldn't resist) where the next few weeks will take her and how Della, Ezra and Tuesday will fit into her story! They’re all wonderful characters who were a joy to spend time with.
This is my first read by Tia Williams, who also wrote Seven Days in June, and I’m impressed! Her prose is lovely and peppered with warmth and humor throughout. She’s able to balance the melancholic aspects of the story, evoking just the right mood, without dragging the story into the overly emotional sap that some stories suffer from. There are some spicy open-door scenes, but not too many and nothing you can’t easily skip past!
This does have a strong thread of magical realism - especially in the second half, so if that’s not your thing, you may not enjoy this as much. That IS my thing, so I loved it! It also has chapters that occasionally skip between past and present, showing the reader both modern Harlem and looking back to its Renaissance days, offering a look at important figures and places in Black history - especially major contributors to the music we still enjoy today!
At its heart, this is a charming contemporary romance with two fascinating characters who you can’t help but root for. The only ding to my rating was because I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly, so it lost just a touch of the emotional impact I'd hoped for. It certainly didn’t ruin anything, though. The story is wonderful, and the epilogue was so clever!
I read this on my Kindle while listening to the audio, wonderfully narrated by Mela Lee and Preston Butler. Both formats were excellent, so it’s dealer’s choice on what you prefer. I highly recommend both if you can!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and author Tia Williams for this digital ARC to honestly review and to Libby/my library for the audiobook. It’s out now.
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