A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The weather is warm again, the flowers are in bloom, and there's so many new releases to fill your TBR for the summer. I was in the mood for some sweet romance and A Lowcountry Bride was the perfect Sunday read. 

Maya works as a junior designer for top bridal company Laura Whitcomb, Inc in New York City. Maya has big dreams of being able to showcase her own unique designs which reflect her Afro-Filipina heritage combining styles and techniques from both cultures. It was her late mother's long time dream to see her as a senior designer at Laura Whitcomb and Maya is so close to getting a promotion. She just has earn the approval of her boss who looks down at her designs as too ethnic.

Maya is also juggling balancing her own struggles with managing her sick cell anemia. When her father fractures his hip she decides to take some time off to go visit him in  South Carolina and help take care of him. She soon discovers she won't have to do too much heavy lifting as her girlfriend Ginger seems to have things covered. 

Derek is a single father who is still experiencing grief after loosing his wife to a tragic church shooting. He's trying and failing to raise his daughter Jamila and manage his late mother's bridal shop, Always a Bride. With the shop in debt and sales struggling he needs someone who can help turn things around. Luckily for him Maya could use a chance to sell some of her dresses while she's on leave with no pay. With her savvy about the wedding industry they're able to start turning things around for the shop. As they work together they start to catch feelings. But will Maya's illness and career aspirations keep them apart?

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was that it didn't dance around race. Early on when he boss is turning her nose up at the African-American museum is Charleston agreeing that it should be closed down, Maya challenges her holding her accountable to her off-color remarks. Many of us can relate when it comes to working in majority white environments what Maya is going through as she tries to excel at work and be true to herself. 

Culture is a major part of this story and Preslaysa doesn't miss a beat there. Derek stresses the importance of carrying on traditions to his daughter by introducing her to his grandmother's tradition of making sweetgrass baskets. The bridal shop is also an important part of their legacy as one of the first Black-owned businesses in downtown Charleston. The AME Church where he's been a long time member has played a pivotal role in the history of South Carolina and is a gathering place for the Black community. 

I did a blended read between the audiobook and physical arc and I think the narration by Carmen Jewel Jones enhanced this story even more. Sometimes when I'm listening to an audiobook where the characters are Southern the accent is really bad. This one was so natural. And she even did the narration good for Derek when I find it can often be tricky for women to do narration for men POVS and vice versa. She captured the characters perfectly and gave that little extra oomph that brought the dialogue to life. 

This romance is closed door but not devoid of passion. There were plenty of sweet and touching moments to keep you rooting for Derek and Maya's relationship. The story explores grief, faith, love, family and so much more. This releases June 1st, just in time for wedding season. Those of you who love to spend Sunday afternoons snuggled on the couch catching up on made for tv or streaming romance movies will enjoy this.

I listened to the audiobook via Libro FM courtesy of HarperCollins. Feel free to order it here. And thank you, Preslaysa Williams for the gifted arc copy.