Narrated by Mela Lee & Preston Butler

I have read three novels by Tia Williams, and I’ve given every one of them an A. With A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, Williams has again proven why she’s one of my favorite auto-buy authors. She simply can’t miss.

Born the fourth daughter of a prominent Atlanta family, Ricki Wilde has always been a disappointment. Not only was she born female when she was expected to be the longed-for son (her name is actually Richard), she never measured up to the high standards expected by her parents and emulated by her three perfect older sisters. She didn’t attend the right college (Ivy League), at twenty-eight she still hadn’t married the right husband, and she has no desire to go into the family’s funeral home business and open her own franchise. What Ricki loves is flowers, and her dream is to become a florist.

To that end, Ricki has secretly made plans behind the scenes, attending community college to learn horticulture and establishing herself as a popular creative floral artist via social media. She’s obtained enough experience and buzz that she’s ready to start her own business, with or without her family’s support. She just doesn’t know exactly where or how. When ninety-six-year-old Ms. Della Bennett arrives at a Wilde Funeral Home looking to make arrangements for her recently deceased and beloved husband, it appears Ricki has met her fairy godmother. Ms. Della offers Ricki the use of the space on the ground floor of her Harlem NY brownstone. Within six months, Ricki has escaped the constant disapproval of her family and opened Wilde Things to great success, and it looks like she’s finally made it all on her own.

But after the initial holiday season rush and the novelty factor of her shop wear off, Ricki faces the dreaded slump that ruins so many small businesses. Looking for a sanctuary from the stress, she heads for a community garden in the middle of Harlem. It’s here she encounters a mysterious man who instantly mesmerizes her. She feels as though she was meant to meet him, that she knows him and, even stranger, that he knows her.

Ezra Walker has a secret. For his entire existence, he’s known he’s destined to meet the love of his life and that once he does, their romance will be doomed, ending in tragedy. When he spots Ricki in the garden near a cluster of night blooming jasmine – a scientific anomaly given that it’s February 1st – he knows instantly that she’s the woman he’s been waiting for. And while he does everything he can to warn her away from him, the two are constantly drawn together.

I can’t say too much more about the story without spoiling it. Suffice it to say, Ezra and Ricki are a swoon-worthy couple, and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for them to get together and dreading it at the same time.

I think one of the things I love most about Tia Williams’ books is that she writes such relatable, wonderful heroines, dreamy, panty-melting heroes, and fully fleshed, lovable support characters. Ricki is adorable. She’s so hungry for the love and acceptance she was denied from her judgmental family, that when she creates a found family in Ms. Della and her best friend/former child star, Tuesday Rowe, you want to be a part of it, especially because Ms. Della and Tuesday are so interesting in their own rights. And Ezra’s life is so full of tragedy, horror and pain. Ricki is the one person who can bring him peace, but she’s also the one person he can’t have.

The only reason I couldn’t give this book a solid A is because the pacing is a bit wonky. It takes a long time for Ezra and Ricki to really connect, and once they finally do, things rush to the end. While I fully bought into the depth of their love for each other, they don’t spend a lot of time together before we are asked to accept they are soulmates. It doesn’t teeter into insta-love, but you do have to go with the story’s conceit without thinking about it too much. While I found it easy to predict Ezra’s situation, it took me a bit longer to figure out the solution or if there would even be a happy ending (although I did figure it out before the end).

I listened to the audiobook version of the story, and it’s narrated to perfection by Mena Lee for Ricki’s chapters and Preston Butler for those told from Ezra’s point of view. I especially loved Mena’s depiction of Ms. Della.

Once again, I’m happy to recommend Tia Williams’ latest, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. It’s a fantastic love story with a bit of a fantastical twist and fabulous characters that will have you rooting for their happy ending.

Running Time: 11 hours, 42 minutes.