Rejoicing in a Celebration of Love

Fort Lauderdale, November 2006: In this age of ‘kicked-to-the-curb’ relationships, it’s refreshing to find a young couple who actually try to make love work. Saldanha Murphy Ridley brings to us, in her book A Celebration of Love, a heartwarming story of just such a couple. Join them as they struggle, overcoming rather harsh circumstances, toward love eternal.

Veronica “Nikki" Jones is a young, beautiful, soon-to-be college grad. At the age of 16, she ran away from her abusive, alcoholic father, and relocated to Atlanta to begin a new life. But after the death of her fa-ther, she learns of the birth of her baby sister, MiKayla. While preparing to take on the unexpected single parenthood, she has a chance encounter with Kevin Maddox. Though Kevin pursues her hotly, and she’s teasingly interested, she remains secretive about her personal life. When she finally opens up, and reveals her true self, she finds undeniable love for her new man. But after a spontaneous breakup, her world is shattered. She suspects Kevin’s proclaimed love for her was nothing short of a bold-faced lie, an attempt to get her into his bed; and she reassesses her life to permanently exclude him.

Kevin is a charming, handsome, and successful young black businessman. After a failed engagement, he has spent several years in meaningless relationships, sleeping with dozens of women, but has now renewed his peace with God. He finds himself on the same path as Nikki one day, and is instantly drawn to her by a single selfless act. He sets out to get to know her, but her objections to see him are many. Her apprehension is short-lived, but his unconscious mistrust of women and Nikki’s presumed skepticism about their relation-ship lead him to break it off with her. Yet he soon realizes that Nikki has forever changed him, and obtaining her love again proves to be the ultimate task.


About the Author:
Saldanha Murphy Ridley was raised in Durham, North Carolina, but relocated to Atlanta, Georgia seven years ago. She now resides there with her husband and son, and works for a major retail chain as a Commu-nity Pharmacist.