Christina's Courage

This was a sweet romance mixed with a cosy mystery with a Mennonite heroine. There were a few plot "annoyances" such as repeating the same thing a few times (we get it, Noah is the only one who calls her 'Christy') but overall, this was a good book by a new to me author. I will recommend this author and book.

Christina runs a store/nursery in her Old Order Mennonite community. When a body is found in the nursery and ruled a suicide she is not convinced that it was suicide. Together with her secret crush Noah and the late mans sister they decide to investigate. I found this to be an enjoyable read.

Christina runs the Green Thumb nursery and has a way with plants. When she finds a dead ima n her storage shed, the police say it was an overdose and close the case, but Christina’s plants tell her a different story when she notices something off with some of her begonias.

Soon Christina and Noah are trying to help the man’s sister prove that the man was not a drug addict and did not kill himself. Will it put them in danger, or will helping the young woman, even if it may go against their beliefs?

This was a quick read and while I enjoyed it, I lived in St Mary’s county and among these people and a little of the language is a bit too much for a strict old order mennonite. There were some “Englischer” words that Christina knew and others that she didn’t that were really far off. But regardless, it was still a cute and quick read and brought me back to my days in St. Mary’s county and that was a fresh taste of home.

BLURB:
Christina Brubacher loves running the nursery and store left to her by her grandmother. The serenity she has always known at her shop is completely destroyed, however, when she discovers the body of an Englisch man in her storage shed.

Compassion and a sense of justice prompt her and her longtime crush, Noah Zimmerman, to secretly join forces with the man's distraught sister to find the murderer. But will they be able to put all the odd clues together before one of them becomes the next victim?

MY REVIEW:
I’ve not read an Amish romantic suspense novel before and I was interested to see if it worked. Yes, I think aspects of it work well, but it wasn’t for me.

While I enjoyed reading this and finished it in a single sitting, I wasn’t as invested in this book as I usually am with my Amish romances.

The mystery was good, and of course, there is a happy ending, I just found the idea of two Amish people secretly helping an Englischer a bit unrealistic. It was the sneaking and secrecy that lowered the score of this book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

The main character is Christina, who runs a nursery inherited from her grandmother. It takes place in a Mennonite community. After finding a dead body in the shed, she tries to solve the crime and find the murderer. She is helped by Noah, who she has had a crush on for a long time.

I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author..

Thank you Vinspire Publishing for allowing me to read Susan Lantz Simpson‘s new book, Christina’s Courage through Netgalley.

Susan gives us a lovely story that takes place in a Mennonite community with the main character being a lovely young woman, Christina Brubacher who runs the nursery her grandmother left her. Because she finds a dead body in her storage shed, she is thrown together with her longtime crush, Noah Zimmerman to help the dead man’s English sister find the murderer.

Susan develops the story well. It is well written. It is a quick and easy read and very enjoyable.
I liked the characters. They were realistic. Such a good idea for bringing a romance and mystery storyline together.

This is a 5-star read. Order yours today.

All ideas are my own, and I was not required to give a positive review.

A very heartwarming story about a young Mennonite girl, Christina. When her grandmother passes away, she is left the family’s nursery/store. When a man is found dead in her shed in the backyard, Christina and her friend, Noah, begin to investigate.
This was a light, quick read that I enjoyed reading.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Christina’s Courage by Susan Lantz Simpson is the first book in the Plain Path Series. Christina Brubacher finds a man dead in her shed at her business, The Green Thumb. The death is ruled an overdose. Christina finds a couple of clues in her greenhouse that raise questions. Christina gets help from her crush, Noah Zimmerman. Christina’s search for answers stalls out until the victim’s sister, Jill, shows up asking for help. Christina’s Courage is an Amish romance with a touch of mystery. Christina lives in an Old Order Mennonite community. I wish the difference between Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite had been explained. They seemed identical based on the information in the story. Christina’s Courage reads like a young adult novel. The characters seemed young (younger than their actual age). Christina is twenty, but she comes across as sixteen. Annie, Christina’s best friend, is very immature (acted like she was twelve). The story alternates between Christina and Noah’s point-of-view. This leads to a great deal of repetition. We get to hear how Christina likes Noah and has had a crush on him for years. Noah likes Christina and feels protective of her. The mystery moves at a snail’s pace (actually, snail’s move faster). I did not like how Christina and Noah sneak around to help Jill. I understand their bishop would not like them to get involved nor their parents. I wish the author had found another way to have the Amish characters involved in the mystery. Christina’s Courage is an Amish romance with a tiny bit of mystery. The story is long (could easily lose a hundred pages) and the pacing is leisurely. I appreciated the epilogue at the end that nicely wrapped up the story. Christina’s Courage is a light Amish mystery with a dead man in a shed, curious clues, a distressed sister, pretty pink begonias, a flirty friend, and a blossoming romance.

The author has done well with this sweet romance/mystery. I loved every minute of it!
I took my time with this novel because I wanted to savor this one.
I think in some ways we're all heroes just in different ways.
I love this author's stories because she just has that magical way of making you feel like you're included from page one.
Christina is one lucky girl. "Sigh"
God certainly has a way of working things out to the good doesn't He?
The cover is simply gorgeous! I think it fits with the story inside perfectly well. In my opinion she's wondering what to do and how to handle whatever comes her way. She's deep in thought.
I give this sweet novel 5 stars for keeping my heart full and satisfied
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.