Plain Discovery by Susan Lantz Simpson is the second book in Plainly Maryland series. Esther Stauffer lives in St. Mary’s County, Maryland where she is worried about her niece and nephew. David and Ella have been diagnosed with Celiac disease and, on the right diet, they do well. However, they have been losing weight, tired and listless recently and Dr. Kramer, who is substituting for Dr. Nelson, has been unable to find a cause for their decline. Andrew Fisher has returned to town and he is not someone Esther wishes to encounter. He teased her terribly when they were in school and Esther cannot get past how her tormented her to see that Andrew has grown up. To make matters worse, family members keep pushing Andrew and Esther together. Esther learns that other members of the community have been ill and are not getting better despite the medication prescribed by Dr. Kramer. She does not know what is going on, but Esther intends to get answers. Despite her misgivings, Esther teams up with Andrew to investigate their substitute physician.

Plain Discovery may be the second installment in the Plainly Maryland series, but it can be read alone. I thought the story was well-written with steady pacing. The characters are likeable and relatable. Esther is an intelligent young woman who enjoys working with plants (it is her gift). She loves her family and community. When she sees that sick people in her community are not getting better, she knows that something is off. Andrew has returned to St. Mary’s County and he would like to get to know Esther. However, Esther has a hard time overcoming how he treated her when they were children. She has yet to learn the difference between teasing and cruelty (bullying). I enjoyed the authors casual writing style that made Plain Discovery easy to get into and read. I preferred Plain Discovery to Plain Haven (first book in this series). The Christian elements are woven into the story (forgiveness, faith, prayer, God’s will) and enhance the story. I appreciated that Plain Discovery was not just a predictable romance. There is a mystery to solve and it helps bring our two main characters together. I am giving Plain Discovery 4 out of 5 stars.

Susan Lantz Simpson is quickly becoming one of my favorite "go to" authors for a great read! Ms. Simpson writes a multi-faceted story about the Amish communities of St. Mary's County, Maryland- one of the lesser known Amish settlements. The Amish in St. Mary's seem to prefer that they are not as much of a tourist attraction and value their privacy, which enables them to focus on helping each other among their community.
Esther is a young Amish woman who lives with her parents, helps her widowed sister with raising Esther's niece and nephew, and also gardens when possible. She takes an interest in natural healing, and soon is apprenticing their local "healer", an elderly woman in their community who adores Esther and wants to pass her knowledge of herbs and their healing properties on to Esther.
Esther and her sister are concerned about Esther's niece and nephew, who have celiac disease, and who are not responding well to the new local doctors "treatment" regimen, and who seem to deteriorate physically following each visit. When others in the community happen to mention that they have visited this doctor and also not gotten well as a result of taking medicine prescribed by him, this arouses Esthers' suspicions of the doctor. Esther begins to do some "detective work" to find out why the doctor is making what seems like dangerous treatment recommendations. As all this is taking place, Esther is also faced with handling the attention from Andrew, who has returned to town after moving away years earlier. She does not trust him, based on his treatment of her when they were in school. Andrew works hard to show Esther he has changed.
To find out what happens to Esther's niece and nephew, and others in the community, I recommend fellow readers pick up a copy of Plain Discovery. I believe you will deeply enjoy this!

Once again, this author has pulled me into her story, and look forward to her next book, she is that good.
We are in a Maryland community of Amish back with some old friends, yes this is the second book in this series, but definitely can be read alone.
We are offered a bit of mystery, scary when I think about it, a bit of romance, danger, and immersion into this caring group of people.
This one will keep you page turning and surprises abound! Enjoy!

I received this book through Net Galley and Vinspire Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review

I love Susan Simpson books they are always told so good! love the settings and the cover and the title name fits the story perfectly! for Esther was trying to solve a mystery and developed romance along the way. To find out more hope you get your copy.

Esther and Andrew's story. Have read others in this series and enjoyed them, and this one is no exception. The side mystery of the creepy doctor help my interest, as well as the growing romance between the two. A sweet and at times bittersweet story, and one I highly recommend.