Brunstetter always gives readers a heart warming story that shows characters growing through difficult times, learning more about themselves, and finding what truly matters. The Crow’s Call is a unique story and I really enjoyed how it gives you pieces from three women, each bringing something different to the table. Amish fiction fans will enjoy this.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always really enjoy Wanda Brunstetter's detailed writing. This book was no exception! She definitely weaves a great story every time, while adding in a bit of mystery and the over-arching theme of faith and love in a community. Truly great.

I don't usually read mysteries, but I enjoyed this book. This is the first in the Amish Greenhouse Mysteries series.
Vernon King, his son and son-in-law all die in an accident, leaving their wives to carry on with the greenhouse business to help pay the bills.

Unfortunately it appears as though someone is sabotaging them. Amy King is upset that she is expected to leave a job she loves to help out theShe is grieving her father and brother's death and with all the stress of what is going on, asks her boyfriend to put their courtship on hold.

the author has written in a way to keep your attention to the end. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Another excellent book from the master storyteller, Wanda Brunstetter! Full of action, family crises, love and redemption!

another Great book from Wanda brunstetter. I love her writings about The amish ordinary Days. she describes their lives so good you almost feel like you are a part of their family. In this book she also manages to throw in an interesting mystery. and I liked we get to meet persons from her other series The prayer jar again. i am looking forward to The next book in The series. Thank you to netgalley for this e arc. A continuation from the Prayer Jar series except this new series is going to be even better!!
This book was truly amazing!!! I just couldn't put it down!!
I loved every bit of it.

Wanda Brunstetter has a new series called Amish Greenhouse Mystery. I have finished reading Book 1, “The Crow’s Call”. I enjoyed reading this book and found the mystery very intriguing. Someone is trying to sabotage the King family’s greenhouse business. The worst part begins at the very beginning when Amy King’s father, brother, and son-in-law are killed in a buggy accident. Strange things start happening as the King family tries to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Small “accidents” beginning to happen to the family and the business. Amy attaches these to her superstition that crows bring hardship.

I enjoyed this book very much, except when I read almost to the end. I was execting some resolutions to the mysterious events occurring to the King family. I was disappointed that there were no resolutions at all. The reader was kept hanging and all things were suspect. Was it an accident or something worse that killed the King men? Who was behind the sabotage of the King livelihood, the greenhouse? Who is behing all of this? For this reason, I was not satisfied at the end of the novel. If this is Ms. Brunstetter’s way of keeping us reading her series, I was not impressed. Although the story was good, I felt that I was in limbo after finishing the book, and I did not like that feeling.

This is the first book in a new mystery series by Wanda E. Brunstetter. It is a bit of a spinoff from the Prayer Jar series, but you do not have to have read that series to enjoy this book. I did enjoy some of the characters appearing that I loved from that series though. This book is labeled a mystery, but not what I normally expect when grabbing a mystery. The story opens with a tragedy, the death of three family members from the King family, the owner of the greenhouse. Shortly after that, there is some vandalism of the greenhouse and the contents, which is the mystery. I enjoyed reading about the family and how they dealt with the tragedy. Middle child, Amy, seems to think the family's survival rests on her shoulders. She gives up on her relationship with her beau and works her fingers to the bone. Her sister and brother are not dealing well, yet it seemed to be a normal reaction. Enter a friend from her mother's past that she used to court and that causes some issues as well. The farm across the road is sold and a new Englisch family moves in. I liked the man, but the woman is rather difficult to like. She has an unnatural dislike of the Amish and is not very happy. She complains about everything, but I am sure we will see a change in her in future books. Once again, I learned a bit more about the Amish way of life. I also like how they use their faith to deal with tragedy and move forward. There were several Bible verses that inspired them and I will be using some of them myself when I need some guidance. Well done Ms. Brunstetter. BTW, the mystery of the vandal is not solved in this book, so I am moving on to the next one quickly to find out.

I love Wanda Brunstetter's novels and The Crow's Call was not a disappointment. I like a good mystery novel and adding the inspiration and Amish culture and that makes it even better.

Many thanks to Shiloh Run Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wanda Brunstetter is a great author. I have never been disappointed with any of her books
that I have read. The Crow’s Call is the first book in this new series with some of the characters
from The Prayer Jars series (another great series you should read). The Crow’s Call is about
the King family who lost a husband, brother and brother-in-law in a tragic accident when a semi
truck crashed into their buggy. The mother, two daughters and the youngest son must deal
with the loss and keep the greenhouse running which is the family business to bring in money.
While another son and his family moved back to their home in New York to keep his business
going with an agreement with his mother to pack up and leave New York to help the family
business if things don’t go right for them. The youngest brother is angry and doesn’t want to
help with the business, one daughter breaks up with her boyfriend so she can focus on helping
her mother and the greenhouse. The oldest daughter is devastated with two babies and
cannot cope or leave the house. Mysterious vandalisms have been happening around the
greenhouse and it seems to point to the youngest brother, even though he denies he did it. We
have to wait for the next book in the series to find out more about these mysterious vandalisms.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I‘m looking forward to reading more of the series. I highly
recommend this book and all of Wanda Brunstetter’s other books.

The Crow’s Call

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

I like Wanda E. Brunstetter’s foray into mystery with The Crow’s Call which begins the Amish Greenhouse Mystery Series. It is a spinoff from The Prayer Jars trilogy, but that association does not impact the reader’s enjoyment of this new series. Having read the trilogy, I did enjoy the pleasant surprise of encountering a few familiar characters.

The Crow’s Call begins with a family tragedy that will forever affect the King family. Woven into that background are mysterious occurrences which damage the Kings’ greenhouse and livelihoods. Amy, frequently the focus of the narration, tries to bear the burdens of maintaining her family both emotionally and financially, but the job is really too big for one young lady.

With interesting Amish characters who work at their relationship with God and others, this book includes the characters’ thoughts and prayers and the Bible verses they rely on as they deal with issues in their lives. The mystery of vandalism is not resolved nor are the issues of the depression of a young widow and the rebellion of her brother. I assume these problems will be carried into the next book in the series. A new Englisch couple moves in across the road from the greenhouse. The wife in the family suffers from a physical disability, but also from an unreasonable dislike of the Amish. She is rather mean spirited, but I have the feeling there must be a story behind her attitude. Other plot threads are an unexpected suitor from the past for the matron of the family and the opening of a rival greenhouse.

It was refreshing to read a mystery with no murders. I enjoyed learning more about Amish customs and beliefs. Reading The Crow’s Call is a good antidote to current social upheaval as this book emphasizes treating others with kindness and trusting in God.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Barbour Publishing (Shiloh Run Press) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Women’s Fiction

Notes: This is most definitely part of a series, meaning if you want total closure on all threads, then this is not the book for you. I enjoyed the book, want to learn more about the characters, and anticipate further interesting plot developments, so I am “all in” to experience the rest of the series as it is published.

Publication: March 1, 2020—Barbour Publishing (Shiloh Run Press)

Memorable Lines:

Things she used to take for granted that had once seemed like simple chores now felt like heavy burdens she could hardly bear.

“It’s best not to worry—especially about things that are beyond our control. We need to pray every day and put our faith in God. And it wouldn’t hurt to ask Him to put a hedge of protection around us.”

She couldn’t let her discouragement tear down her faith. The best remedy was reading God’s Holy Word.

This is a wonderful Amish novel!

My emotions were completely caught up in this story before the end of the first chapter. I connected with all of the King family as soon as I met them. Anyone who has had a loved one die will relate with the deep grief they are dealing with. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the author had the various family members deal with it.

I liked seeing how the mystery developed. It wasn’t resolved by the end of this book so I guess this is going to be an ongoing storyline through the series.

There were a number of community characters that came into the story in a way that I believe this series is set in the same location as The Prayer Jars series, by the same author. I will definitely be reading those books as soon as possible.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

Mysterious events and grief amongst the Amish
With "The Crow's Call" New York Times best-selling and award-winning author and one of the founders of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter, presents the first book in her new series "Amish Greenhouse Mysteries" which is published by Barbour Publishing Inc. (Shiloh Run Press). Michelle, one of the main characters of the Prayer Jar series, is now married with Ezekiel King. At his mother's Belinda's birthday, his father, brother, and brother-in-law are killed in a tragic traffic accident. Amy, Ezekiel's sister, witnesses this accident that brings grief and challenges for the whole family. Her solution to the grief and the vandalism in the greenhouse is to break up with her boyfriend, Jarret. Her sister Sylvia is depressed and nearly incapable to care for her two small children as a new widow. Her brother Henry reacts as a typical teenager. Will the accident drive the family apart?
Wanda E. Brunstetter does it again. She presents a book with well-developed main and secondary characters that is easy to read but keeps readers' attention with all the twist and turns in the flowing story line. Especially the happenings in the greenhouse that are not solved pull readers to the next volume. I highly recommend this book for lovers of Amish novels, but do not advice it for those who do not like open ends. The book makes also a nice present. I highly appreciate the included the recipe for "Amy's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" as well as a discussion guide that can be used for personal reflection as well as in a Book club.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheCrowsCall #NetGalley

The Crow's Call is told in multi-perspective of an Amish family who is now suddenly dealing with the death of three family members.
Amy is the main character it seems as she is the one we get to spend the most time with. She becomes the family's rock. She takes care of the business and makes sure that her mom and sister are okay after losing their husbands. All while breaking her pre-courtship with the person she loves.
We do get to see things from the man she was in pre-courtship with, as well as her brother Ezekiel, her mom, and her sister Sylvia.
All of these perspectives show how they each deal with the grief differently, and the struggles they face after.
We also see the perspective of a new neighbor woman named Virginia who seems to want nothing to do with the Amish in general. I didn't really get the point of her perspective honestly. Maybe it's important to the series as a whole of this becomes one, besides that though she just seemed to be filler.

The family business is running a greenhouse and after Amy's fathers death things start going missing or get destroyed and the family is trying to figure out who is doing it without having to involve the authorities.

Overall this book left me with more questions than answers. We never learn more about what's happening to the stuff in the greenhouse, nor do we learn why Virginia is an important character. We also have several loose ends when it comes to the family and its future as a lot of it was left up to if they could make it to a certain point on there own without dad around. This might be a series I continue on with, but right now I'm not sure as I never really loved any of the characters.


Read finished copy from the library.

This is a lovely book for lovers of Christian romance. However, that is not me! I decided to try it because I have heard good things about Brunstetter's books. But I am still working on finishing it; I think I will, but it won't be on my favorites list.
My complaints may not bother Christian romance readers. However, what bothers me about this book is the constant mentions of God and his intentions, the stubbornness of several characters, and the repetitiveness of the chapters. The constant mentioning of God probably won't bother those who love Christian romances, but it often felt like you are being hit over the head with the fact that they are Amish. I am a fan of showing rather than telling, and you can show Christian values without announcing you are doing so every page. The characters weren't very likeable, either; they were either constantly complaining, or feeling that they had to be martyrs to help their family. Perhaps that will get better by the end of the book. And finally, the chapters I've read so far feel a bit repetitive, like we're going over the same problems over and over, rather than finding a solution.
However, I'm giving this book 3 stars because I think others will enjoy this book.

Nothing abut today seemed real, and tomorrow would be worse.

The King family suffered a great loss celebrating their mother's birthday. The Amish family had a successful greenhouse, their oldest daughter Sylvia lived near by with her husband and two young children, the oldest son Ezekiel was living in Amish community an upstate New York as a deacon and bee business that was beginning to grow. His family was growing as well as his wife was expecting. When the youngest daughter Amy on that eventful day that changed their life forever heard a crow call, a foreboding feeling came over and the worst was realized.

Everything changed for Amy's family. Sacrifices had to be made. She broke up with her boyfriend. Her mother was now alone, and her oldest sister moved in with them. Each family member handling their grief differently, Amy's family must come together to move forward.

I appreciated how this family weakened by loss understood each other for healing. Sacrifice was the key word and maybe hard to understand but there is blessing with sacrifice. It is not a quick fix but an emptying of your soul and refilling of what really matters.

A Special Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I love this new series; the mystery and the intrigue. I love the inspiration that the author weaves into her story. I look forward to the next installment to find some answers.
Many thanks to Shiloh Run Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a hard but therapeutic read for me since I just recently lost my mom. The Crow's Call centers around a family who lost three members in one night to a tragic accident. I could not fathom as I am having a hard time with just one.

It is very different from Brunstetter's usual romantic fiction in that we have a mystery that runs throughout and will continue in the second book, The Mockingbird's Song. Even after a few days of finishing the novel I am still trying to figure the mystery. I like that as it keeps me thinking about the book until the next release.

While reading I saw some of the grieving processes I am experiencing and it made me realize it is ok. Grief is different for all. You grieve on your time and no one else's.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Barbour Publishing, Inc/Shiloh Run Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

“The Crow’s Call” represents the first in a new series about Amish culture. Amy and her mom Belinda are left to manage the family greenhouse business when death claims several male members of the family. Younger brother Henry and sister Sylvie help as they are able, but often these two are not able to cope with the work and with meeting people. Amy is willing to give up her own happiness to help her mom, and Belinda must also deal with the unwelcome attentions of a past love. The plotline shows how each character deals with grief and loss in his or her own way.

Readers of the “Jars” Amish series will enjoy the reappearance in this novel of Michelle and Ezekiel and their children. Other familiar characters also play a part in this story. While the novel begins on a tragic note, the characters try to move on and establish a new rhythm to their lives. Readers are given insights into the thoughts and feelings of each major character in the household. The cliffhanger ending will encourage readers to continue with the next novel in the series. (Personally, I dislike this kind of ending that forces readers to read the next book in the series so as to resolve issues that are left hanging. But I will most likely read it anyway.) This is probably not a good read for a stand-alone novel.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I hate to leave a less than a praiseworthy review. I have always enjoyed Wanda E. Brunstetter's books but I have to say I was totally disappointed in this book. Not that the book itself was a bad read, but because it ended so abruptly without resolving a lot of things. I feel that when an author does this, it is to force you to purchase the next book. Because of this, my rating will only be 2 stars.
The story itself was well written and kept my interest, another reason the ending was so upsetting. The characters were fairly well developed although there were a few characters in the book that didn't seem to play any part but to lengthen the book.
I enjoyed that it was a Christian book with a lot of reference to prayer and Bible verses.
The book was an ARC so the editing may not have been fully finished but it is in need of another review. There were extra words as the main problem and it got worse the more I read. The last quarter of the book was the worst and the beginning well done.
I was given a copy of this book through Netgalley and Shiloh Run Press and the opinions are totally my own.

Not the Usual Wanda Brunstetter Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020
As I read several 5 star reviews, I wondered if I had indeed read the same "The Crow's Call" as others.
I have been a long time fan of Amish fiction and Wanda Brunstetter in particular. However, in my opinion, this book is not on par with her other wonderful stories.
The story opens with the tragic accident that takes the lives of Vernon King, an older son and son-in-law. The author did a good job of drawing the reader into the family's grief...so good in fact that I became depressed. While Mrs. King seemed to be doing ok, daughter Amy was mourning not only the passing of her father and brother, but her broken courtship with Jared as well & a chance to be married with a family of her own. Sylvia, Amy's sister who was widowed with 2 small children was almost paralyzed with grief...leaving other family members to do what she couldn't do. The youngest brother, Henry expressed his grief by way of anger and rebellion. The grief continued well beyond the first half of the book.
The mystery enters by way of destructive acts occurring in or around the greenhouse. On one occasion, a swarm of bees is found in the greenhouse, plants are knocked down and dumped, the family's mailbox is destroyed, the greenhouse sign by the road is cut, and the worst, most of the fall plants have been killed with a suspicious bottle of weed killer found nearby. The mysterious acts of vandalism are NEVER solved! The reader is never told who did these things, how they were done and why they were done. We are also introduced to some minor characters, but I'm not quite sure why they were there. There were way too many loose threads that were still dangling by the end of the book when the story is supposed to be neatly wrapped up and tied up with a bow! I was glad to see some healing finally taking place and happy to see Amy reunited with Jared hopefully leading to marriage. The 3 Star rating was not due to the writing, but due to the content, or lack thereof. Mysteries are usually fun because there are enough clues given that the reader can attempt to solve the baffling occurrences or if all else fails, the author will provide a satisfying solution at the end of the book. Neither of those things happened in this book. Perhaps this is Wanda's first attempt at a mystery and the second will be better. I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.
Edit
Delete
Comment
Need customer service? Click here