"A sweet romance"

Vaughn Kyle has just left the Army and seems to have every thing ready to start civilian life in an upbeat manner in Seattle. He has been thinking of marriage and will start a job in the New Year, but returns home for the holidays to see his family in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

A bit restless about his future, Kyle visits elderly pharmacist Hassie Knight in Buffalo Valley. He never met Hassie before, but they are connected as his parents named him after her deceased son who died in Nam. At the pharmacy, Kyle meets trainee Carrie Hendrickson. They begin to fall in love. However, Kyle's employer in Washington State plans to build a superstore that will put the small shops out of business and potentially destroy the serenity and optimism of the area.

BUFFALO VALLEY is a warm regional drama that returns readers to a special place highlighted in Debbie Macomber's Dakota trilogy. Fans of the series will enjoy learning what has happened to the townsfolk in Buffalo Valley since the last novel was published. Though the tale is Rockwell in scope, painting a simplistic evil Goliath vs. idealistic David landscape, the story line retains the flavor and charm of the series, especially as the audience looks into the lives of the cast. Ms. Macomber takes her myriad of fans on a wonderful journey to a Shangra-La threatened by "progress".

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 14, 2001