by 
He wanted a family of his own.
Ever since she had engrossed herself in helping other people with their dreams as the leading wedding planner in the trendy but troubled city of Palmdale, Florida. She cherished the idea of happy couples and building lives and eventually a family together…knowing that for her, the reality was painfully different.
As Sarah Dessen says in The Truth About Forever
,“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.” and this what happened with Ava when she met an eight year old boy on the wrong side of the tracks and a handsome man, new in the town, all in the course of one evening.
As the book blurb says,
“Alliances are formed, bonds that soon deepen into something more special than she’s ever known. Could these two males be the key to her attaining…A Love of Her Own
?”
A beautifully written story by Bettye Griffin that touches something deep within each of us. This is not your usual love story. It’s a story of love coupled with longing, sacrifices, grief, sadness, strength and finally the satisfaction of doing your best in every difficulty.
The things that we take for granted like our parent’s love, the sanctity of a home, the care we get from our loved ones and the surety of a stable future are things not all have. Bettye Griffin brings forth the plight and struggles of people not as privileged in the above things. I was specially touched by the description of the longing in Marcus’ and then in his cousins’ eyes when Ava goes to meet their grandparents in the dilapidated one room they called their home.
Ava’s sadness and her longing for kids of her own brings tears to our eyes. The selfless love she gives to Marcus and the eventual love and trust she wins from him is something that had a deep impact upon me. Children like Marcus crave love and need saving from the depth of poverty they are thrown into. The change in Marcus from a purse snatcher, secretive, suspicious boy to a happy, innocent eight year old with love in his eyes and a belief of a love filled future is brought about with confidence and expertise by the author leaving the reader spellbound and deeply touched.
The characters are expertly sketched and the author has been successfully in conveying the story through them. The bonds of friendship, trust and then love that form in the course of the book made me feel teary as well as joyous. Its the relationships of the heart that count and this message is beautifully portrayed in the book.
The scenes between Ava and Hilton are sensuous, emotional and leave a warm feeling in the reader. They are truly made for each other and their love for one another says it all.
A book that will keep you hooked and turning pages. I give A Love of Her Own
