Phoebe’s Valentine
By Alice Duncan

       Alice Duncan pens a delightful romance, set in the post-Civil war era. Phoebe Honeycutt, from Atlanta, Georgia, lost everything after the war, so she sets out with her niece and nephew for New Mexico, where her only kinfolk reside. She hires a driver, who not only takes all of her money, but tries to take advantage of everything else she has. In desperation, she hits him over the head with a cast iron skillet and leaves with the kids and the wagon to make their way alone.

      With the wagon in disrepair and the mule balking, they seem stranded and destined to die on the Texas plains. Until Jack Valentine, whom Alice identifies immediately as a “damn Yankee,” comes to their rescue. But Phoebe is not about to trust a man again.

      Jack Valentine appears gruff and uncouth, especially to a Southern belle like Phoebe, but underneath his true colors show through when he spots the condition of Phoebe’s worn and blistered hands. When he tries to help her with them, Phoebe goes into a fit of silence, and it is up to Jack to worm his way into her heart—which he does through the children, who delight in learning his “ways in the wild.”

      Jack convinces Phoebe to go to San Francisco instead of to New Mexico, and along the way they acquire a third child—a deserted little Indian girl.

     If you want a way to warm your heart this Valentine’s Day, Phoebe’s Valentine is a sure bet. This one is pure Alice Duncan delightful. It reminds me of her old Homespun books of years ago. They were all winners, and so is this one. Very highly recommended.