Belonging Blog Tour: Review of Temptation + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my first stop on the BELONGING blog tour being presented by Kismet Book Tours! Today I have my review of book #1 in the series, Temptation, and don't forget to scroll  to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway! ALSO - be sure to stop back on August 31 when I review book #2, Belonging!

Temptation (Temptation #1) 
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

Description:

Your heart misleads you.
That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah.
And he loves me.

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms.

It should be

ROSE & NOAH

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.
And I'm not.

Temptation is the first book in a young adult contemporary romance series that focuses on our main characters - Rose and Noah. Rose and her family have just moved into the rural community of Meadowview, Ohio and are now neighbors with Noah's family. The attraction between Noah and Rose is immediate for both of them, but they have only a small idea of all the obstacles that are in their path if they truly want to be together. Because Noah and his family are Amish - and Rose and her family are not.

This was an interesting contemporary romance that focused a lot on the beliefs and lifestyle of the Amish people and how they interact with outsiders - also known to them as the English. I found it fascinating to learn about their culture and their daily lives along with their strict rules and beliefs. Living in rural Pennsylvania, I'm no stranger to the Amish people, so I was already familiar with most of what the novel spoke of. The characters were well done, especially the main characters of Rose and Noah - although they did seem a bit cliched at times. Rose is an independent, opinionated teenage girl with a fierce temper, sharp wit, and lots of passion about everything in her life. Noah is the quiet and obedient guy who is of course gorgeous as well. He's strong, loyal, devoted to his faith and his family, and protective. There was definite "instalove" between the two of them, which I found to be kind of cheesy at times. I mostly loved the romantic aspects of their relationship and I was definitely rooting for them to be together despite all the obstacles in front of them. The book is told from alternating points of view going between Rose and Noah. I liked that the story is told this way because the reader gets and inside view into each of the character's thoughts and feelings along with how they each view the same occurrences. The writing was well done with a natural flow and a great pace that had me quickly reading through the book. I enjoyed the ending and I'm definitely intrigued at what the next book will bring. I definitely would recommend this book to fans of YA contemporary fiction, especially ones that differ from the ordinary.

About the second book in the series:

Belonging (Temptation #2)
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound 

Description:

I left everything I knew behind.

But it was worth it. He was worth it.

No one thought an ordinary girl like me would last two minutes living with the Amish, not even me. There are a lot more rules and a lot less freedom, and I miss my family and the life I once had. Worst of all, Noah and I aren't even allowed to see each other. Not until I've proven myself.

If I can find a way to make it work, we'll be NOAH & ROSE

together forever.

But not everybody believes this is where I belong.
  

 

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel. 

Blog | Goodreads | Facebook

 Giveaway: (3) copies of Temptation and (3) copies of Belonging to giveaway during the Review Tour and the second is a HarlequinTEEN Surprise Package full of books and swag! Open to US/CAN only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway