A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams – Book review

I think it’s a strong testament to A Love Song for Ricki Wilde that despite the story going into territory I definitely wasn’t expecting about a third of the way through – which can be disconcerting – I still ended up loving it! As the title indicates, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is indeed a romance novel – but absolutely one with a twist!

Opening sentence: Leap years are strange.

Little Richard Wilde

As a fan of synergy and timing – leap years play a key role in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde so it’s pleasing that this year, 2024 is, in fact, a leap year.

Our lead character is the lovely and enigmatic Ricki Wilde – full name Richard Wilde as she is the fourth daughter in her family, so was named after her father anyway. There are many amusing exchanges on this. They’re random and funny and wonderfully sum up the lighthearted and conversational tone of this great book.

“Richard,” he started.
“Yes, Richard?”

Richard senior founded Wilde Funeral Homes – a very successful business that he wants each of his daughters to franchise. The thing is, Ricki does not dream of running a funeral home. Her passion is floristry – she loves flowers and approaches her bouquet making as an art form.

While working on reception in her father’s funeral home, Ricki meets Ms. Della whose husband has sadly passed. They have an instant connection – Ms. Della is the grandmother-figure that’s been missing from Ricki’s life – and Ms. Della gives Ricki the opportunity to open her own flower shop – in Harlem, New York.

Present day Harlem

To me, love is like listening to an album. Some people skip to their favourite songs and ignore the rest. Other people listen to the entire album over and over until it’s familiar and cherished and they know every note by heart.

Ricki opens Wilde Things – her very own florist, makes a new friend in ex-child-star Tuesday Rowe and just keeps bumping into the most gorgeous man she has ever laid eyes on. The only thing is, he’s being frosty to her and even warns her away from him. But why?

What follows is a wildly passionate will they/won’t they sexy love story but trust me when I say, not one you will have read before! I always strive to make my reviews spoiler-free so actually there’s a big part of the story I can’t reference here but just let it envelop you and go with the flow – you’ll love it!

Ricki’s journey as a young woman finding her place in the world is engrossing to read about and I learnt a lot about the rich history of Harlem too.

The 1923 Harlem Jazz scene

This brings us nicely to the dual timeline that works to tell the story of 1920s Harlem and its iconic jazz scene. Ezra ‘Breeze’ Walker is a young piano-player who moves to Harlem after tragedy. He puts his all into establishing himself as a musician, but his life is turned upside down when a relationship sends it spinning a direction he could never have imagined…

It was 1923, he was twenty-three years old, and his brand-new Harlem life began now.

I loved a previous Tia Williams read, Seven Days in June, so imagine my excitement when lead character from that book, Eva Mercy pops up in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. Who doesn’t love a fictional world cross-over?

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde was fun, sexy, warm and definitely unique. It made me laugh and cry – always the sign of a brilliant read!

• Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
• Get your copy of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde here;
• Published by Quercus 6th February 2024;
• 352 pages;
• My rating: