I don’t do Romance novels. Oops. This is a lovely and well plotted tale of Richard Wilde, Jr. fourth daughter (Ricki) of the Wilde funeral home chain Wildes — and the misfit. Ricki’s older sisters grew up to run franchises and please their Dad. Their mother just drinks booze these days. Ricki just wants to be a florist and make her way in the world. On one of her last days as a greeter at the main funeral home, she meets 96 year old Della, come to bury her husband, and both of their lives change forever. As they open up to one another, Della shows Ricki a photo of the boarded up street level exterior of Della’s Harlem brownstone she.. Suitable for a flower shop. Della lives upstairs.
So, this is a coming of age story, as Ricki navigates her way through moving to Harlem from Atlanta, a very different urban experience, starting a business with very little money, and making some friends in interesting ways that don’t always work out. Meanwhile, when she needs some green space one February night, she learns about a community garden where she is puzzled by the smell of night blooming Jasmine. That’s not a winter bloom. And she is startled by and drawn to a strange man, who, seeing her, becomes distressed and leaves.
The story takes place in two time periods, Winter 2024 and during the Harlem Renaissance in Winter 1924 to 1928. Ricki gets interested in the history of Harlem and 1924 is the era where we meet Breeze Walker, a shy guy from the south who can play the piano like a star….. maybe. There is nothing more to say without spoilers. I listened to the audio version of this and while I figured out there was a love story going on, it was only when it got (appropriately) steamy that I realized, “Oh. I’m reading a Romance novel.” Well, listening to one. Two good narrators. A very well written, not super shallow (is my bias showing) and totally engrossing story. Highly recommend.
They Called me Bookworm 