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571-989-2940 | info@thetastease.com
Manassas, Virginia
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Everything inside this box was chosen to sit alongside that story. The flavors, the tea, the creative element, each one a thread that connect back to the book in its own way.
THE BOOK
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Tia Williams
Set in Harlem's art world with a time-slip at its center, this is a story about modern romance, artistic legacy, and love that refuses to be contained by a single moment in time. Tia Williams writes with warmth and precision; her Harlem is sensory and specific, and Ricki Wilde is the kind of character you root for from the very first page.
Why this Story? I really started digging into the idea of Sugarbound Society in late January, with the very ambitious goal of launching in February. 😂 So naturally, I wanted to begin with a love story.
Life happened, and February came and went, but this story stayed in my mind as the entry point into the Sugarbound experience.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde moves between modern and historical fiction, romance, and even a little fantasy in a way that feels fitting for our first year. The stories we'll read together won't all look or feel the same, and I love that this book gives us a little bit of everything right from the beginning.
It's funny, hopeful, communal, and reflective. It gives us a glimpse into a pivotal time in Black history and describes it in a way that feels almost tactile. You can imagine yourself in the jukes and speakeasies, surrounded by the clothes, the voices, and the music. And then you're brought into modern-day Harlem: the neighborhood, the people, the feeling of it.
But what stays with me most is the way this story thinks about family and community. Family isn't only where you come from. Sometimes it's what you build. It's the community of love that grows around you.
And that feels very much like where Sugarbound begins and what I hope will always be at its root.
So we begin here, with Tia Williams' beautiful story.
Some months will push us more than others. Some stories will challenge us. They won't all carry the ease or triumphant joy of this one. But I can't wait to move through each of them together, through the highs and the lows, and see what we're carrying with us when we come out on the other side.
— Ashley, Founder Sugarbound Society
SETTING
Harlem, New York
THEME
Romance · Artistic legacy
FLAVOR
Lavender + Lemon
TASTEASE TREATS
Lavender + Lemon
Two cookies · One mini bundt
Plant-based, small-batch, and packed with care. The flavor draws directly from the story; the flower shop, the soft backdrops, the tenderness woven throughout. Made to linger. Worth savoring slowly.
EYERMBR TEA
Peace of Mind
Chamomile · Lavender · Lemon Balm · Rose
A hand-crafted herbal blend for calming the mind and easing anxiety. Floral with a hint of lemon and natural sweetness; a quiet companion for an unhurried reading hour.
EyeRMBR
DETOX ART
Color + Send Postcards
Botanical · Portrait · Beauty · Strength
Hand-illustrated coloring postcards from Detox Art. Botanical florals, portraits of feminine beauty, and meditative portraits of Black men at rest and in strength. Not unlike the world Tia Williams builds in these pages, each card holds something tender and worth sitting with. An invitation to slow down, create something, and carry a little of the story with you. Each member receives a curated selection. Color them. Keep them. Send one to someone who deserves to be seen.
Detox Art
THE BOOK CIRCLE
We Gather On November 21
Once your reading window closes, we gather. The Book Circle Conversation is a virtual gathering held on the third Saturday of each month; about 75 to 90 minutes to share reflections, laugh, sit with what moved us, and connect with the other readers in this circle.
Read what you can. Come as you are. Cameras are welcome, never required.
Details will be sent to members ahead of time.
SATURDAY · NOVEMBER 21, 2026 · VIRTUAL
