Love, Ava: A Novel

"The wide brim slanted low over her face.  The upturned lapels of her coat covered part of her features.  The dark sunglasses concealed her eyes.  And yet he knew beyond a doubt!"
 
She was Ava Gardner, in her youth one of the most sizzling screen goddesses of the Hollywood Golden Era.  Her reputation as a man killer was well earned, and she was still as dangerous as she was beautiful.  He was Major Russ Jefferson, just returned from a brutal tour in Vietnam, scarred by fire and haunted by loss.
 
Turning his back on a spectacular future in aviation, Jefferson takes a desk job at the American Embassy in London.  Into this aimless life steps the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen, an icon he recognizes from the movie screens of his childhood.  Exiting a taxi, Ava Gardner trips on a curb and he is instantly at her side. Long past her zenith, she fights back symptoms of the illness that will ultimately claim her life.

The hero and the aging movie star embark on a tentative love affair that will change their lives forever.  In an uncharacteristic gesture of selflessness, Ava Gardner sacrifices what might be her last chance for happiness in order to save Major Jefferson from himself.  Bittersweet and poignant, Love, Ava is a story of two people whose lives cross briefly, but unforgettably.