Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.

Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.

When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.

One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.  

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked. 

BIO

Tia Williams is an American novelist and editor. She has published six books and is best known for The Accidental Diva, The Perfect Find, and Seven Days in June. She is also a long-time fashion editor and the current editorial director for the Estée Lauder Companies.

REVIEWS

If this cover doesn’t raise your temperature a few degrees, the story will. Grab a fan before reading this one, because it really heats up.” -- Good Housekeeping

A hugely satisfying romance that is electrifying and alive. -- Kirkus

What’s on its face is a delightfully steamy read is a story layered with nuance that gracefully examines thornier topics of parenting in the modern age, life with chronic pain, and Black identity. Through it all, Williams’ clever and witty writing will leave you clamoring to be part of Mercy’s world. -- Reader's Digest

Through this gripping love story, Williams reckons with family histories and shows the power in rewriting our origin stories. Readers will feel as attached to these characters as Eva and Shane are to each other. -- BookPage

Williams doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of human experience, and her characters are fully formed and believable as a result. This is a winning romance. -- Publishers Weekly

Williams proves once again that there is much more to romance novels than meet-cutes and other reliable tropes. -- Booklist

With funny, snappy writing and a strong eye for detail, Williams builds a compelling, glamorous Black literary world for the protagonists to inhabit. The book balances a second-chance romance with themes of motherhood, childhood trauma, and life with chronic pain.
  -- Library Journal

Williams’ writing is zippy and fun to read, but her characters are also complicated individuals, making their love feel authentic. -- The Week

[H]  Grand Central Publishing  /  February 06, 2024

1.06" H x 9.14" L x 6.33" W (1.2 lbs) 352 pages