Showing posts with label Belonging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belonging. Show all posts

August 31, 2013

Belonging Blog Tour: Belonging Review + Giveaway

 

Welcome to my second stop on the Belonging blog tour! Today I have my review of Belonging (Book #2) to share with you and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter the tour wide giveaway!




Belonging (Temptation #2) 

Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Genre: YA Contemporary
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.


Belonging is the second book in a young adult contemporary romance series that continues to focus on our main characters - Rose and Noah. They have done the unthinkable - fallen in love. Noah is Amish and forbidden to speak to an English girl, let alone be with one. Rose knows that Noah is the one for her and she won't let anything keep them apart - not even his strict religion. So Rose left everything behind - her friends, her life, everything - to join the Amish community so she and Noah could be together. Now that Rose has transitioned into the Amish way of life, she must prove herself worthy of Noah and his love as well as showing that she belongs among them.

This continued to be an interesting contemporary romance novel that continues right where the first book left off, with Rose joining the Amish community to be with Noah. I continued to enjoy learning more about the Amish culture and their lives along with their strict rules and religious beliefs. As I mentioned in my review of the first book in the series, I live in rural Pennsylvania, so I'm no stranger to the Amish people and their ways, so I was already familiar with most of what the novel spoke of. The characters continued to be well written, especially the main characters of Rose and Noah. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and overcome the obstacles that were put in their way. Rose continues to be an independent and opinionated girl, but now she has to learn to tamp down her sarcasm and sharp humor if she wants to fit into the Amish community. Noah continued to be the quiet, obedient, and sweet guy who is loyal, loving, and devoted to his faith and his family. I continued to love the romantic aspects of their relationship and I was definitely still rooting for them to be together despite all the obstacles in front of them. The book is told from alternating points of view - 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 incredibly well done with a natural flow and an easy but quick pace that had me quickly picking up where the first book left off and jumping right into this book. I enjoyed the ending and I'm definitely intrigued at what the next book will bring. I would definitely recommend this book and the series to fans of YA contemporary romance, especially those who like something original and different from everything else out there.

About the first book in the series:



Temptation (Temptation #1) 
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Genre: YA Contemporary
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.

Read my review of Temptation HERE
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.

Author Links: Blog | Goodreads | Facebook

We have 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!!
 

To enter the Giveaways, please post the following Rafflecopter widget into your post:

Contest is open US/CAN only and will run through September! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway




 

August 17, 2013

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